Isnin, 8 Ogos 2011

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio


It's official: 'Housewives' is facing final season

Posted: 07 Aug 2011 10:25 PM PDT

BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) - "The only harder thing than creating a hit show is knowing when to end it," said Marc Cherry as he looked ahead to the final year of "Desperate Housewives."

As ABC made official that the hit series would end after its upcoming eighth season, its creator, Cherry, joined ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee to insist the decision had been made jointly.

"I'm very aware that some shows overstay their welcome and I didn't want that to happen with 'Desperate Housewives,"' Cherry told reporters during a Sunday session of the Television Critics Association conference. "We wanted to go out in the classiest way possible."

"Desperate Housewives," a glossy prime-time soap opera with an ensemble cast including Teri Hatcher and Eva Longoria, made a pop-culture and ratings splash when it premiered in 2004 but has since seen a fall-off in the ratings and viewer buzz.

Cherry said he and Lee began discussions a year ago about when the series should be shuttered.

"We made this decision together," he said, "and I feel so good about it. We can have a whole year to reflect on how lucky we've been."

"We want to make sure it has its victory lap," Lee said. Cherry said he had put out calls to all the show's cast members in recent days and spoken to about half of them.

"It was bittersweet and lovely. There was a touch of shock, but not completely," Cherry said in describing the conversations, adding that he and the stars shared a feeling of gratitude for the experience of doing the series.

While dismissing the possibility of a "Housewives" spinoff, he mentioned other projects, including "Hallelujah," a pilot ABC passed on this season but that's being re-worked.

But he joked that something simple and quick as a future series might be a nice change.

"Maybe two guys in a prison cell," Cherry proposed with a laugh. "I need something easier than 'Desperate Housewives."'

In a separate announcement, ABC said the celebrity cast for the new season of "Dancing with the Stars" will be unveiled live on Aug. 29 during ABC's airing of "Bachelor Pad." The dancing competition returns for its 13th round on Sept. 19.

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The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates


Japan finmin Noda to quit, stand for party leader - paper

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 07:22 PM PDT

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda intends to resign after passage of a crucial bill to fund this year's budget, possibly later this month, and will run in a ruling party leadership race to replace Prime Minister Naoto Kan, the Sankei newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Other Japanese media also said Noda, a fiscal hawk who favours raising the sales tax to fund bulging social security costs, would announce his intention to run in a Democratic Party leadership race, but they did not mention any plan to resign.

Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda listens to a reporter's question in Tokyo August 4, 2011. (REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/Files)

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Noda stopped short of commenting on whether he will run in the leadership race, saying he will fulfil his duty as a member of Kan's cabinet.

Kan, his voter ratings sagging at well below 20 percent, has said he will hand over to his Democratic Party's younger generation but has not specified when, and rivals in his party appear to be growing frustrated.

If Noda or other key cabinet ministers were to resign, that would boost pressure on Kan to keep his promise.

Noda, 54, has played a key role in mapping out Japan's reconstruction after a devastating earthquake and tsunami in March and in coordinating policy with its G7 partners to tackle the latest global financial crunch.

He is also the voice of fiscal discipline in the ruling party and advocates raising the 5 percent sales tax to help rein in a public debt that has grown to twice the size of the $5 trillion economy.

Noda is expected to express his intention to run in the leadership race later Tuesday, the Sankei newspaper and other media said, citing sources close to Noda.

(Reporting by Rie Ishiguro; Editing by Linda Sieg and Michael Watson)

Copyright © 2011 Reuters

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British riots spread on third night of violence

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 07:22 PM PDT

LONDON (Reuters) - Rioting and looting spread across and beyond London on Monday as hooded youths set fire to cars and buildings, smashed shop windows and hurled bottles and stones at police in a third night of violence in Britain's worst unrest in decades.

Cars burn on a street in Ealing, London August 9, 2011. (REUTERS/Toby Melville)

Prime Minister David Cameron cut short his holiday to fly home to tackle the violence, which appeared to be led by mobs of young people who coordinated their attacks through mobile phones, and spread to the Midlands city of Birmingham, the northwestern city of Liverpool and Bristol late on Monday.

Many of the looters came from areas of high unemployment that are also suffering from cuts in social services and said they felt alienated from society. Police and politicians said they were simply criminals.

"It's been building up for years. All it needed was a spark," said E. Nan, a young man in a baseball cap surrounded by other youths in Hackney in east London. "We ain't got no jobs, no money ... We heard that other people were getting things for free, so why not us?"

The violence erupted late on Saturday in London's northern Tottenham district when a peaceful protest over the police shooting of a suspect two days earlier was followed by outbreaks of looting and arson.

By Monday, the violence had spread to parts of the south of the city, including Clapham Junction, one of London's busiest railway junctions, Woolwich in the capital's southeast, Ealing in west London and the southern suburb of Croydon.

Rioting spreading beyond the capital, and police said they arrested about 100 people in Birmingham after looters smashed shops and stole goods. Police reported looting and damage in Liverpool and "copy-cat violence" in Bristol in the southwest.

In Hackney, a multi-ethnic area in east London close to the site of next year's Olympic Games, hooded youths set fire to rubbish bins and pushed them down a street towards police, while hurling bottles and bricks.

Many laughed as they ran back when police charged them.

In a street thick with smoke, looters smashed their way into a local shop, stealing whisky and beer. One man grabbed a packet of cereal, another ran off laughing with four bottles of whisky.

"The kids don't have any respect for the police or for property. It's sad for the people who live round here," said one middle-aged local resident, who declined to give his name.

In the poor southeast London district of Woolwich, dozens of locals of all ages and colours looted shops and set at least two buildings on fire, leaving the streets strewn with broken glass and clothes, a Reuters reporter said.

Mobile phone, sports goods and clothing boutiques were the looters' favoured targets, followed by jewellers and pawnshops, he said. Several young men strolled by, balancing flat-screen televisions and computer consoles on their heads. The thinly stretched police were unable to prevent the looting.

In Peckham, a poor area of south London, flames leapt into the air from a torched building and rubble was strewn across the street.

A Reuters witness saw two people break into a shop and rip a 50-inch plasma television off the wall. A youth in a balaclava carried the screen away, to applause from the watching crowd.

Cameron's office said he would cut short his holiday in Italy to chair a crisis meeting, amid growing calls from the public for officials to take control of the situation.

Police had arrested 215 people before Monday's violence, according to Home Secretary Theresa May, and late on Monday police said they had arrested about 100 people in Birmingham and nearly 240 in London.

"The violence we've seen, the looting we've seen, the thuggery we've seen, this is sheer criminality ... these people will be brought to justice, they will be made to face the consequences of their actions," May said.

"SENSELESS"

Despite a heavy presence on some streets, police appeared unable to contain the violence as rioters who had initially coordinated through mobile phones and Twitter became increasingly confident.

Monday's looting began in the afternoon as workers were returning home, many of them forced to walk as buses to areas hit by rioting were cancelled.

In Hackney, youths in brown hoods posed for pictures in front of a burning car on a street corner. "I don't know why they are doing this," said a middle-aged woman who lived nearby. "It's senseless ... they are just cacking on their own doorstep."

The BBC said the Hackney clashes broke out after police stopped and searched a man.

In Clapham, another Reuters witness saw dozens of youths carrying away looted television sets and other electrical goods. He heard two of them discussing the number of Playstation 3s they had stolen, and shouting at another young man to return and get more.

Looters hid their stolen goods in bins and behind the low walls of the Victorian terraced houses typical of Clapham. A large pile of boxed Blackberry phones rested by one wall.

Government officials branded rioters as opportunistic criminals and said the violence would not affect preparations for next summer's Olympic Games.

But the television pictures of rioting and blazing buildings, combined with disarray in the transport network, were likely to dent the capital's image as Britain struggles to avoid an economic recession.

Some commentators described the disturbances as a cry for help from poor areas reeling from the government's harsh austerity cuts to tackle a big budget deficit, which has led to steep cuts in youth services and other facilities.

"It's very sad to see ... But kids have got no work, no future and the cuts have made it worse. These kids are from another generation to us and they just don't care," said Anthony Burns, 39, an electrician from Hackney. "You watch. It's only just begun."

Officials said there was no excuse.

"It was needless, opportunistic theft and violence, nothing more, nothing less. It is completely unacceptable," said Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

In Ealing, people in a residential street told a Reuters reporter hooded youths had walked along smashing car windows. "About 150 at least came down here, hitting every single car, all in hoodies, screaming and shouting," said one resident who declined to give his name.

(Additional reporting by Adrian Croft, Mohammed Abbas, Matt Falloon, Avril Ormsby and Jon Hemming; Writing by Tim Pearce)

Copyright © 2011 Reuters

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British riots spread on third night of violence

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 05:50 PM PDT

LONDON (Reuters) - Rioting and looting spread across London on Monday as hooded youths set buildings and cars ablaze, smashed shop windows and hurled bottles and stones at police in a third night of violence in Britain's worst unrest in decades.

Cars burn on a street in Ealing, London August 9, 2011. (REUTERS/Toby Melville)

Prime Minister David Cameron cut short his holiday to fly home to tackle the violence, which appeared to be led by youths alienated by years of underemployment which left them feeling marginalised even before the economic downturn.

"It's been building up for years. All it needed was a spark," said E. Nan, a young man in a baseball cap surrounded by other youths in Hackney in east London. "We ain't got no jobs, no money ... We heard that other people were getting things for free, so why not us?"

The violence erupted late on Saturday in London's northern Tottenham district when a peaceful protest over the police shooting of a suspect two days earlier turned violent.

By Monday, the violence had spread to parts of the south of the city, including Clapham Junction, one of London's busiest railway junctions, Woolwich in the capital's southeast and the Ealing area of west London.

Attackers also smashed shops and looted property in the city of Birmingham in central England, police said, in the first sign of the riots spreading beyond the capital.

In Hackney, a multi-ethnic area in east London close to the site of next year's Olympic Games, hooded youths set fire to rubbish bins and pushed them down a street towards police, while hurling bottles and bricks.

Many laughed as they ran back when police charged them.

In a street thick with smoke, looters smashed their way into a local shop, stealing whisky and beer. One man grabbed a packet of cereal, another ran off laughing with four bottles of whisky.

"I am from South Africa and it reminds me of the riots there, except the police here are not so rough," said one middle-aged local resident, who declined to give his name.

"But the kids don't have any respect for the police or for property. It's sad for the people who live round here."

In Peckham, a poor area of south London, flames leapt into the air from a torched building and rubble was strewn across the street.

A Reuters witness saw two people breaking into a shop and ripping a 50-inch plasma television off the wall. A youth in a balaclava carried the screen away and received a round of applause from the watching crowd.

Cameron's office said he would cut short his holiday in Italy to chair a crisis meeting, amid growing calls from the public for officials to take control of the situation.

Even before Monday night's violence, police had arrested 215 people, according to Home Secretary Theresa May.

"The violence we've seen, the looting we've seen, the thuggery we've seen, this is sheer criminality ... these people will be brought to justice, they will be made to face the consequences of their actions," she said.

"SENSELESS"

Despite a heavy presence on some streets, police appeared unable to contain the violence as rioters who had initially coordinated through mobile phones and Twitter became increasingly confident.

Monday's looting began long before nightfall when workers were returning home, many of them forced to walk as buses to areas hit by rioting were cancelled.

In Hackney, youths in brown hoods posed for pictures in front of a burning car on a street corner. Others swarmed around a skip full of bricks and gathered them up.

"I don't know why they are doing this," said a middle-aged woman who lived nearby. "It's senseless ... they are just cacking on their own doorstep."

The BBC said the Hackney clashes broke out after police stopped and searched a man.

In Clapham, another Reuters witness saw dozens of youths walking in all directions with looted television sets and other electrical goods. He heard two of them discussing the number of Playstation 3s they had stolen, and shouting at another young man to return and get more.

Looters hid their stolen goods in bins and behind the low walls of the Victorian terraced houses typical of Clapham. A large pile of boxed Blackberry phones rested by one wall.

Government officials branded rioters as opportunistic criminals and said the violence would not affect preparations for next summer's Olympic Games.

But the television pictures of rioting and blazing buildings, combined with disarray in the transport network, were likely to dent the capital's image as Britain struggles to avoid an economic recession.

Youths appeared to have used a free message service on Blackberry mobile phones to coordinate attacks on shops and police.

Research In Motion, the Canadian manufacturer of Blackberry smartphones, said it would work with British authorities, but gave no details on what information, if any, it would give the police.

Some have described the disturbances as a cry for help from poor areas reeling from the government's harsh austerity cuts to tackle a big budget deficit, with youth services and other facilities cut back sharply.

"It's very sad to see ... But kids have got no work, no future and the cuts have made it worse. These kids are from another generation to us and they just don't care," said Anthony Burns, 39, an electrician from Hackney. "You watch. It's only just begun."

Officials said there was no excuse.

"It was needless, opportunistic theft and violence, nothing more, nothing less. It is completely unacceptable," said Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

(Additional reporting by Adrian Croft, Mohammed Abbas, Matt Falloon, Avril Ormsby and Jon Hemming; Writing by Myra MacDonald, editing by Tim Pearce)

Copyright © 2011 Reuters

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The Star Online: Sports

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The Star Online: Sports


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The Star Online: Business

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The Star Online: Business


Moody’s warns Japan

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 05:55 PM PDT

TOKYO: Moody's Investors Service warned Japan that ineffective currency intervention would be negative for its sovereign ratings and would not help it restore its finances, even as Group of Seven (G7) policymakers tried to show solidarity against market turmoil sparked by US and European debt woes.

The warning was a shot across the bow for Japan, saddled with public debt double the size of its US$5 trillion economy, just days after the United States lost its top-tier AAA credit rating from Standard & Poor's.

Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda yesterday signalled Tokyo's readiness to continue intervening in the currency market to stem yen rises, citing a G7 agreement to jointly counter any excessive and disorderly exchange rate moves.

Moody's, however, said that while Japan's solo currency intervention and monetary easing last week initially pushed the yen lower against the dollar, the effect proved shortlived and was a negative for the economy and its credit rating.

"Yen strength has eroded the competitiveness of Japan's exports and hampered the economy's ability to sustain its recovery from the 2009 global recession," Moody's said.

Currency and monetary policy action alone would not solve the bigger problems plaguing Japan, such as the huge cost for reconstruction from the quake and the nuclear plant disaster, as well as much-needed social welfare reforms to restore the country's fiscal health, Moody's said in a statement yesterday.

Major ratings agencies have all put Japan's sovereign rating on negative outlook as the country struggles to balance the need to support its economy, hit by a deadly earthquake in March, and to fix its public finances, which are the worst among G7 economies.

Moody's announcement came hours after G7 finance leaders signalled their readiness to take coordinated action against excessive and disorderly currency moves.

A G7 telephone conference was arranged after worries of another US recession and concern about the eurozone debt crisis hit global stocks and pushed the yen up near record highs, as investors sought the currency as a safe haven.

The yen's spike prompted Japan to sell 4.6 trillion yen (US$59bil) in the currency market last week and the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to ease monetary policy to alleviate the pain to the export-reliant economy.

But the moves have failed to push the dollar sustainably above 80 yen the rate on which many manufacturers have based their earnings forecasts for the current fiscal year. It stood around 77.80 yen yesterday.

"We will continue to carefully monitor market moves. We also confirmed the G7 stance on currencies," Noda said after yesterday's emergency G7 phone meeting. - Reuters

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Hoyer: Markets over-reacting

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 05:52 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: The current global market reaction to the US sovereign-rating downgrade and seemingly lingering debt problems in the eurozone can best be described as an example of exaggerated irrational fear.

"I think the global markets are over-reacting to the debt problems in the US and eurozone," Germany's Deputy Foreign Minis-ter Werner Hoyer told StarBiz.

"One should not exaggerate the problems. What's necessary is that we are already seeing the respective countries moving aggressively on their reform efforts," he said.

According to Hoyer, irresponsible remarks by politicians had partly to be blamed for the knee-jerk negative market reactions across the world to the US sovereign-rating downgrade and heightened concern of eurozone debt crisis spread.

"We should work towards calming the irrational trends in global financial markets, and that means for politicians to tread more cautiously," he explained, adding that he believed that fundamentally, some of the economies had the capability and capacity to solve their debt problems in time.

Standard & Poor's downgraded the US credit rating to AA+ from triple-A last Friday after the US government raised country's debt ceiling from US$14.3 trillion to US$16.4 trillion to avoid a default. Two other rating agencies, Moody's and Fitch, had, however, maintained their triple-A ratings for US debt.

There were heightened concerns too over at the eurozone last week, as investors suspected of the debt crisis deepening and spreading to Italy and Spain after the European Central Bank (ECB) initially refused to extend a bond purchase programme to Italy and Spain.

Yesterday, however, in an effort to calm jittery market nerves in the eurozone, the ECB pledged to buy Italian and Spanish bonds from the two countries.

"I have full confidence in the ability of our American friends to reinvent themselves and get out of their troubles eventually," Hoyer said.

It was the same sentiment he had towards some member countries of the eurozone due to the fundamentals of the respective economies. In Italy, for instance, the high debt rate came with high savings rate and that spoke of its domestic funding capacity, as the country also had very limited external borrowing.

"Governments must embark on reform processes aggressively," Hoyer said, adding that there were two key areas on which countries with the European Union (EU) must focus.

"First, we must continue the paradigm change in fiscal policy; an initiative that Germany started three years ago, and now spreading to the entire EU ... the name of the game is stop wasting money," he explained. "Secondly, productivity and competitiveness must be boosted along with job creation."

Despite the apparent challenges that Western developed nations were going through, Hoyer said he did not foresee a double-dip recession happening.

On bilateral trade with Malaysia, Hoyer said Malaysia, as an Asean member, was becoming increasingly interesting not only to Ger-many, but also to EU as a whole.

He believed trade between Malaysia and Germany would double within the next few years, as both countries continued to increasingly ease trade barriers and seek to form a win-win partnership.

According to the Malaysian Department of Statistics, exports to Germany in June stood at RM1.61bil, out of the month's total exports value to EU at RM5.79bil. Malaysia's June imports from Germany, on the other hand, stood at RM1.8bil, qualifying the latter as one of Malaysia's top 10 import sources.

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Bank Negara deputy governor dies

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 05:49 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: Bank Negara deputy governor Datuk Mohd Razif Abd Kadir passed away peacefully at 3pm yesterday with his family members and friends by his bedside.

He was 58.

Razif joined Bank Negara in 1976 and held several senior positions in the central bank throughout his career.

Among his many responsibilities were the chief representative of Bank Negara's London office and director of Bank Negara's Bank Regulation Department, and director general of the Labuan Offshore Financial Services Authority from 1999.

Razif also served as the first chairman of the technical committee of the Islamic Financial Services Board and was also on the board of the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance and the board of Bank Negara.

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies


Alleged Marilyn Monroe sex film gets no buyers

Posted: 07 Aug 2011 06:15 PM PDT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP): There were no buyers Sunday at the auction of a 1940s stag film that an events promoter claims shows a young Marilyn Monroe having sex before she became a movie star.

The auction was a flop. Nobody came forward willing to pay Mikel Barsa's starting price of 2 million Argentine pesos, about $480,000.

Barsa said it didn't help matters that a spokeswoman for Monroe's estate was quoted in an Associated Press interview calling the whole thing a fraud.

"It doesn't surprise me. The latest statements of Nancy Carlson didn't do anything good for all this," Barsa said, referring to the spokeswoman for a company in charge of protecting Monroe's image and estate.

Barsa said he was still negotiating with an unidentified buyer from Denver whom he said was offering much less than a fair price. But he also said his lawyers were reviewing the matter now that Monroe's protectors warned they would sue him if the sale went through.

Barsa claimed before the auction that the scratchy, black-and-white, six-minute 8-mm film shows the young actress, known then as Norma Jeane Baker, around 1946 or 1947 when she was poor and desperate to break into show business.

Experts on Monroe's life, however, said it's highly unlikely that the smiling young blonde in the film is her. Comparing the film with known Monroe images leaves ample room for doubt.

And several documents Barsa said proved his argument - a letter from the American Film Institute and what looks like a declassified FBI file that mentions a 1965 attempt to sell an alleged Marilyn Monroe sex film - are inconclusive.

Monroe's image and estate is protected by the brand development and licensing company Authentic Brands Group.

Its spokeswoman, Carlson, said a sale of the film would invite legal action for "perpetrating a fraud on the public, violating the Monroe estate's exclusive rights to her image and other claims of intellectual property infringement."

"To me personally, it doesn't even resemble her," Carlson said.

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The Star Online: Nation

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S'gor Sultan tells Unisel lecturers to stop politicking, focus on teaching

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 05:08 AM PDT

KUALA SELANGOR: The Sultan of Selangor has issued a royal order for professors and lecturers in the controversy-riddled Universiti Selangor (Unisel) to fully focus on their teaching jobs and stop politicking while on campus.

Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah also reminded them not to mix partisan politics with education.

"Time is golden and it is a waste of time if a student is busy politicking instead of concentrating on his academics.

"I am also not pleased that politicians and outsiders who has nothing to do with the university are invited to give political talks or ceramahs at the university.

"Universiti Selangor is a place for one to learn, discuss and expand ideas and knowledge. It is a place for experiments, research and discoveries be made which can further boost the level of industry in our beloved state," he said in his speech at the opening of Unisel's Bestari Jaya campus mosque on Monday.

"When politics and academics mix, there is a chance that parents will not like the situation and will not send their children to this university.

"If this happens, it will be a tremendous loss not only for the university but also the Bestari Jaya area because its supporting industries cannot grow and Unisel turn into a white elephant," he said.

The Ruler said he had received complaints from concerned parents on this issue, adding he did not want the matter to go on as "the state finances will suffer if Unisel is not a success".

Unisel recently made headlines for the wrong reasons, including when its vice-chancellor Datuk Dr Rosti Saruwono resigned abruptly in protest after three senior varsity officials were sacked.

The three officials who were axed were Prof Dr Khalifah Othman (Business Faculty Dean), Rokmah Mat (Registrar) and Halid Hasbullah (marketing director).

The crisis was believed to have started after three deputy vice-chancellors and a vice-president submitted a memorandum to the state government on May 16 alleging that four senior officers, including Dr Rosti, had been involved in corrupt practices.

Unisel is owned by Pendidikan Industri YS Sdn Bhd, a company run by the Selangor state government.

According to records, Unisel has 9,670 students now, a sharp drop from the pre-2008 enrolment of around 15,000.

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300 gather to celebrate World’s Indigenous Peoples day in Sabah

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 04:03 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: Some 300 indigenous peoples are in Penampang, Sabah, for the World's Indigenous Peoples celebration on Tuesday.

Several orang asli communities of Peninsular Malaysia, Dayak communities of Sarawak and Kadazan Dusun Murut communities of Sabah have been present at the Kadazandusun Cultural Association's Cultural Village since the start of the four-day national level celebrations on Aug 6.

The annual celebration, which alternates between being held in Sabah and Sarawak, is organised by the Indigenous Peoples Network of Malaysia (Joas) and a few other indigenous non-governmental organisations.

The focus in Malaysia this year is on the contributions of indigenous women and youths in the economic sector and forest management .

On Monday, Suhakam - a co-organiser - conducted a forum on Indigenous Economic Development.

Suhakam commissioner Jannie Lasimbang, who presented a paper on Economy, Traditional Occupation and Technology at the forum, said the national human rights institution was aware that the rights of the indigenous peoples had not been adequately protected or promoted and was seeking ways to improve the situation.

She said Suhakam was currently conducting Malaysia's first ever National Inquiry into the Land Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and working on their right to participate in all levels of decision-making.

In a telephone interview, Jannie said the groups had decided to focus on women and youths, especially women, because while "they contributed a lot, they were invisible."

"The women have, for generations, maintained the forest so that they have abundant food supply and resources for making craft and medicines.

"They have maintained important traditional economic activities but sadly the state governments are more focused on large scale plantations."

Jannie said there had been lesser discussion on youths but it had been positive as many youths had participated and were interested in maintaining indigenous knowledge and forest management.

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Fatal accident causes 4-hour gridlock on Penang Bridge

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 03:45 AM PDT

BUTTERWORTH: A fatal accident involving a motorcycle and a trailer on the Penang Bridge Monday morning held up hundreds of motorists, bringing traffic almost to a standstill for more than four hours at the North-South Expressway from Sungai Dua to the bridge.

State Traffic chief DSP Abdul Rahim Md Din said the accident, which killed the 52-year-old motorcyclist, happened at 6.50am on the lane heading towards the island.

The motorcyclist, Azhar Pakwanteh, died on the spot due to severe injuries, he said.

He was from Lunas in Kedah and was on his way to work at a factory in Bayan Lepas, Abdul Rahim said.

His body was sent to the Seberang Jaya Hospital. - Bernama

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The Star Online: Metro: Central

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Landslides still a threat

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 03:36 AM PDT

LANDSLIDES, the latest one being the Hulu Langat incident in May that claimed 16 lives, continue to be a major issue in Selangor despite the introduction of the state Highland and Hillslope Planning and Development Guide-lines early last year that failed to address safety concerns.

According to geotechnical engineer Dr Gue See-Sew, the guidelines should have incorporated steps on preventing future landslides.

"There are many causes of slope failure and nothing in the guidelines addresses this," he said.

"New developments should be made to follow a set of procedures to prevent such incidents from happening," the former Institution of Engineers Malaysia president said.

He said there were many investigations done when a slope failed but nobody consolidated these reports along with the national slope masterplan to improve development practices and safety, something that should have been included in the guidelines.

"Our objective should be to protect people, yet nothing in the guideline talks about safety.

"All it does is complicate the planning process," Gue said, adding that both the state and federal guidelines were more or less the same.

He pointed out that classifying slopes — the first step in applying for development planning approval — was already complicated and created a grey area.

"Slope classification should not be so subjective. We do not want 10 people using the guidelines to come up with 10 different conclusions," he said, adding that it should be simple and suggested that only slope gradient be used, without adding parameters.

For instance, under the guidelines, slopes more than or equivalent to 15° to less than 25° were typically considered Class II slopes but could be classified as Class III (≥25° to

"How do we differentiate small, moderate or serious erosion problems?

"When in doubt, do not approve and there is no development. But is (no development) what we want?" Gue said, adding that he had raised this question when the guidelines were being drafted.

He also felt that differentiation should be made towards unengineered and engineered slopes.

"Both situations require the same precautions such as the buffer zone.

"When a slope is unstable and too costly to strengthen, it has the potential to fail and needs the buffer but why should an engineered slope require the same?" he asked.

Gue said the guidelines were confusing and the planning process did not involve engineers thus it should be simple and transparent on when a submission could be approved or not.

"The details and parameters such as consideration for rainfall, water table, geometry, soil property and such can come later as this is when we talk of engineering a slope," he said.

Gue expressed disappointment with the authorities, as the main stakeholders, who had plans and started good initiatives but without clear results.

"We do not have enough champions for this cause. Strong political will and follow-ups are important," he said, adding that collectively, as a state or country, resources can be found to mitigate this issue.

He said solutions must be found to the landslide problems that kept recurring.

"In Hulu Langat, there is a lot of unchecked slope-cutting going on.

"In some parts, the slope-cutting has created almost vertical unengineered slopes along the main road. How can the authorities say they do not have the power to overcome this?" he asked.

He said according to the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 Section 70, it is stated that "No person shall erect any building without the written permission of the local authority".

"To my understanding, no type of land is exempted from this law, including agricultural land," Gue said, adding that known high-risk areas should be investigated and notices issued or immediate measures taken to strengthen it.

"We could adapt and adopt a number of practises from Hong Kong's successful slope management model.

"They look into both planning control for new developments as well as retrofitting existing slopes at risk," he explained.

"For the former, they look into planning approval that addresses density, method of applying and type of slopes applicable for planning application. Everything is clear cut," he said.

As for existing hillslope development, the areas are checked and if found that some mitigation steps need to be carried out, it is done quickly.

"If the land is privately owned, the owner is responsible for it.

"If they do not have the financial means to do it, the government does it but imposes a condition on the owner that they cannot sell their property until the cost of strengthening the slope is paid back," Gue said.

It has been reported, from as early as 1999 after the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide that cut off access to thousands, efforts have been made to emulate Hong Kong's hillslope management.

Dr Mohamed Rafick Khan Abdul Rahman, 46, from Bukit Antara-bangsa said it was worrying if the government machinery of the day did not move to protect the public.

"The state government can do more to push the machinery, that is the local authorities, to monitor and act quickly when it comes to mitigating slope problems," he said.

"They are not fully using their 'arm' and this is management failure on their part."

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JKR slope engineering experts limited by manpower shortage
Danger lurks beneath tourist attraction

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Danger lurks beneath tourist attraction

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 03:18 AM PDT

THE popular Ampang Look Out Point (ALOP) in Kajang may just be a hillslope disaster waiting to happen.

A check by StarMetro found a large crack in a corner of the original ALOP structure and the floor area after this crack is already tilting.

Sources say that the slope below the supporting pillars of the structure is unstable, with a minor landslip taking place there recently.

This came after an attempt was made to construct more rentable spaces amid the pillars but the attempt was aborted after the incident, leaving the slope covered in construction debris without any rectification work done.

Signs of another larger landslip, now covered in cement, were also spotted on the steep slope below the team-building facility at ALOP.

While slope stability is a big concern merely few kilometres away in places like Ampang and Batu 14 Hulu Langat where the May landslide that claimed 16 lives took place, ALOP, under the purview of Selangor Tourism, continues to see new structures being built despite the signs.

One such structure is the new restaurant, Cloud 9, located just next to the original ALOP area where the crack was found.

Another structure was built beside ALOP's public viewing tower to accommodate more diners at Panorama Restaurant that operates from the base of the tower itself.

Previously, to accommodate more customers the restaurant had used the entire tower as its website message reads, "This restaurant offers diners a unique dining experience either at the base of the tower or at any one of the levels of the tower...", depriving the public from using it as intended.

Trees were cut down and cleared to make space for the restaurant's extension.

A check also found the structure to have improper drainage that channelled rainwater from the roof directly to the ground, increasing the chances of a landslide as the water is not drained away properly.

More trees were also found to have been chopped down near the dining area to ensure an ininterrupted view of the Kuala Lumpur skyline, ALOP's key attraction.

Sources have also said that the buildings at ALOP do not have Certificates of Fitness (CF). However, the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKJ) has yet to provide an answer despite several queries.

Launched in 2001, ALOP — which reportedly cost RM20mil to build — has passed hands from the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) to the MPKJ to the current owner, Selangor Tourism, which has a long-term agreement with Pinang Harmoni Kembara Sdn Bhd (PHK) to manage the place.

It has been revealed that Selangor Tourism conducted an inventory at ALOP last year and the findings were presented at a meeting on Aug 25, last year, attended by PHK, restaurant operators, MPKJ, the State Economic Planning Unit (Upen) and state Forestry Department.

Several issues were raised at the meeting including Panorama's operation at the public tower, the destruction of a water fountain and neglect of the pond and waterfall.

Another meeting to discuss these issues was held on Oct 28 but it was reported to be inconclusive.

A notice dated Nov 11 was issued by Upen last year, instructing the closure of the hangout spot for six months, reportedly to settle all standing issues in the area.

However, ALOP, which attracts thousands of customers per month, has continued to operate as usual until today.

The management has filed an injunction against the authorities and an appeal has been made against it.

Related Stories:
JKR slope engineering experts limited by manpower shortage
Landslides still a threat

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The Star Online: Metro: South & East

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92-year-old traces family roots

Posted: 07 Aug 2011 08:26 PM PDT

PONTIAN: Despite his age, Hamzah Lop was willing to travel more than five hours with his family to fulfill a dream in tracing his family heritage.

The 92-year-old man had travelled from Teluk Intan, Perak, to the Bugis Museum here to look for artefacts related to his ancestry.

"I have been pestering my children about taking me to this museum after one of them told me about this place."

He said visiting the museum was to get a better knowledge of his origin and his forefathers.

Hamzah, a Bugis descendant, was more determine to visit the museum after he recovered from a minor stroke a few months ago.

The father of five said he was happy to have visited the museum and found some printed articles and artefacts on his ancestors.

The museum's owner and curator Abdullah Ahmad, 67, said there were many people like Hamzah who visited the museum to learn more about their ancestry and heritage.

"I feel satisfied that I can share my historic knowledge with those who are interested."

He said the museum gets about 60 visitors a day. It peaked during the weekends to as high as 300 people.

Most of the Bugis artefacts on display such as traditional attire, jewellery and newspaper clippings were derived from Sulawesi Indonesia.

The museum is open daily from 9am until 6pm and on Fridays; the afternoon session begins from 2.30pm.

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Dynamic demo of weapons

Posted: 07 Aug 2011 08:24 PM PDT

GEMAS: The annual Armed Forces (ATM) arsenal demonstration was not for the faint hearted as the apocalyptic effects of the lethal armouries were put on full-scale test at Syed Sirajuddin Army Camp in Gemas, Negri Sembilan, recently.

Organised by the ATM's Third Division, the entire arsenal of the ground forces, air and navy defence artillery were displayed through a life firing exercise, which involved some 2,000 troops, 340 armoured cars and over 240 weapons of various calibre.

The demonstration, started as early as 8.30am, was presented in two distinct segments, the opening segment that focused on direct fire weapons that showed the capabilities of arsenals that are currently in use the army.

It was then followed by the demonstration of air in support of ground operations and the indirect fire weapons system, especially those operated by the gunners and infantrymen.

The main demonstration ground was set some 50m away from the guests observing from a podium while the target was directed at the far hilly ground of the legendary Gunung Ledang.

A total of ten targets were fired from the 35mm Oerlikon Gun, which permeated smoke and its deafening impact sent shivers down the spines of the more than 300 spectators who witnessed the event.

The highlight of the dynamic demonstration was during the grand finale, where the Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) ASTROS I launched its SS 09 TS rockets, followed by the demonstration of firepower from the combat team before moving forward to secure the objective and to hold the ground.

Third Division commander Mej Jen Datuk Razali Ahmad, who opened the event, said the event was to give some 60 undergraduates of the Malaysian Armed Forces Staff College an insight of their firepower capabilities.

He said it was also aimed at reminding Army Commanders of how such arsenals would inflict devastating effects on opposing force through good and optimal planning.

The application of firepower is paramount for a successful military operation.

Precision, speed and flexibility of today's weapon system plays an important role and I hope the show will significantly reflect the combined arm and joint services concept in the battlefield, he said.

Some 80 military delegates from several Asean countries were also present to witness the show.

Among the guests of honour were Chief Secretary to the Government TanSri Mohd Sidek Hassan, secretary-general of Defence Ministry DatukSeri Dr Ismail Ahmad, Deputy Army chief Gen Datuk Zulkifli Zainal Abidin and Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Khalid Abu Bakar.

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Coconut price doubles due to shortage

Posted: 07 Aug 2011 05:30 PM PDT

KUALA TERENGGANU: The price of a coconut here has doubled to between RM2 and RM2.50. Retailers have attribut- ed the rise to the shortage of the fruits.

The price has been between RM1 and RM1.20 previously.

A check by Bernama at the Pasar Payang here revealed that not many traders were selling coconut.

A trader, Kamariah Hassan, 40, said suppliers were selling coconut at a higher price due to a shortage.

Nevertheless, coconut milk at the market still sells at RM9 per kg.

The Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama), when contacted, gave the assurance that it would ensure sufficient supply to keep the price stable.

State Fama director Hasan Jusoh said Fama would source supply locally and abroad, if necessary.

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

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Gregg Allman cancels tour for medical reasons

Posted: 07 Aug 2011 11:10 PM PDT

JOHNSTOWN, Pennsylvania(AP): Rock legend Gregg Allman has cancelled his tour from Aug. 26 to Sept. 15 for health reasons.

The Tribune-Democrat of Johnstown, Pennsylvania reports that Allman's performance on Saturday at the AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival may have been one of the last chances for fans in the region to see Allman and his band, The Bridge.

The newspaper says Jambands.com reports that the 64-year-old Allman will require several days of hospitalisation and four to six weeks of bed rest.

Allman suffers from an upper respiratory condition. The paper also says The Bridge is breaking up at the end of the year because of financial difficulties.

Festival marketing manager Shelley Johansson says, "It just makes me more grateful that he was here and put on such a wonderful performance."

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