Selasa, 6 September 2011

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio


Delicious treat

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 03:14 AM PDT

Great offers such as dining vouchers and even a car are up for grabs on Red FM.

LOOK forward to winning cool prizes with Mynn, the lovely host of Red FM's Late Night Love Songs, every Sunday till Friday (10pm-1am).

Starting this week until Sept 16, she is giving you and your loved one a chance to dine in a trendy and cozy restaurant that has just come onto the Swiss-Garden scene.

Located on the 6th Floor of The Residences in Swiss-Garden Hotel & Residences Kuala Lumpur, Taste@6 is set to host its guests with its fashionable blend of design, elegance and the essence for an all-inclusive dining experience.

Go on a holistic culinary journey as you dine in a contemporary garden inspired setting while the interactive open kitchen provides an aesthetic visual.

To enjoy this wonderful treat, you only need to tell Mynn three of your favourite love songs and make a dedication when you hear the cue for Red FM's Threesome.

If you didn't manage to pick up this dining experience, you are in for another treat just as sweet.

Join us to see if you can spot the Red FM's Runaway DJs because you will be raking in cash, gadgets and even a car!

Red FM announcers including Mynn will take turns to go out to secret destinations every Monday to Friday driving in a red Proton Inspira. Clues of their whereabouts will be given out every hour on-air, through Red FM's Facebook Fan page as well as Twitter.

Get set to be the first listener to turn up at the correct location and identify the Red FM's Runaway DJ to win a cash prize as well as a key to be in the running to win a brand new Proton Inspira.

Always be on the lookout as you will never know when and where the deejays may pop up. To make things more interesting, bonus prizes such as iPad 2s and iPod Nanos will be given out at designated times to reward those who are actively searching.

Find out more about the terms and conditions of both contests on www.red.fm.

Also, join the Red FM Malaysia Facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/redfm.my) and follow us on Twitter (@iloveredfm) for the latest updates.

Red FM is owned and operated by The Star.

>Red FM's station frequencies: Taiping, Kedah, Perlis and Pulau Langkawi: 98.1 FM; George Town and Seberang Prai: 107.6 FM; Ipoh, Perak: 106.4 FM; Klang Valley, Negri Sembilan and Tapah: 104.9 FM; Kuantan, Pahang: 91.6 FM; Batu Pahat and Malacca: 98.9 FM; Johor Baru and Singapore: 92.8 FM.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates


Uruguay apologizes over alleged rape by UN peacekeepers

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 09:02 PM PDT

MONTEVIDEO (Reuters) - Uruguayan President Jose Mujica apologized to Haitian President Michel Martelly over the alleged rape of an 18-year-old Haitian man by Uruguayan U.N. peacekeeping troops in the poor Caribbean state, Uruguay's government said on Tuesday.

Uruguay's President Jose Mujica speaks to journalists at the Casa Rosada Presidential Palace in Buenos Aires, August 2, 2011. (REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci/Files)

Public outrage in earthquake-ravaged Haiti has surged over a video shot by a cellphone camera and circulating on the Internet that shows laughing Uruguayan marines pinning the young Haitian face down on a mattress and apparently assaulting him sexually.

"We apologize for the abuse that some soldiers of my country perpetrated," Mujica wrote in a letter to Martelly.

"Although the damage is irreparable, have the certainty that we will investigate thoroughly and apply the harshest sanctions against those responsible," Mujica said.

He also apologized on behalf of the country's armed forces, which he said, where humiliated by "the criminal and embarrassing behavior by a few" soldiers.

Defense Minister Eleuterio Fernandez Huidobro, who also signed the letter, said earlier that Uruguay would compensate the victim.

The alleged victim, Johnny Jean, and his mother, Rose Marie Jean, told Haitian radio stations he had been raped by Uruguayan marines and provided testimony to a judge in the southern town of Port-Salut, where the incident allegedly took place on July 28.

Martelly has said the perpetrators of what he called "a collective rape carried out against a young Haitian" would not go unpunished.

Haitian authorities, the U.N. Mission in Haiti and Uruguay's Defense Ministry launched an investigation into the video. The four troops suspected of being involved have been detained and Uruguay's Navy has replaced the head of its naval contingent with the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti.

In a preliminary report, the U.N. ruled out that Jean was raped but said blue-helmet peacekeepers broke rules when they allowed a civilian to enter a military camp.

U.N. peacekeepers in Haiti have faced public anger before, especially over allegations that Nepalese U.N. troops brought a deadly cholera epidemic to the country after their camp latrines contaminated a local river. This triggered riots last year against the 12,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping contingent.

The current U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti, known as MINUSTAH, was established by the U.N. Security Council in 2004 and has been helping Haiti's short-staffed and ill-equipped police to maintain security in the volatile Caribbean state, especially during elections plagued by fraud and violence.

Defense and foreign ministers from nations that make up MINUSTAH are scheduled to meet in Montevideo on Thursday to discuss a gradual troop pullback from Haiti.

(Writing by Luis Andres Henao; editing by Anthony Boadle and Christopher Wilson)

Copyright © 2011 Reuters

Arab League Syria visit delayed, ICRC seeks access

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 07:28 PM PDT

AMMAN/GENEVA (Reuters) - A planned Arab League visit to Syria on Wednesday to convey concerns over a crackdown on protests against President Bashar al-Assad's rule has been delayed, an Arab diplomat said, in a sign of Syrian unease at a toughening of the Arab position.

Pro-democracy demonstrations have gathered force in suburbs and rural areas across the country of 20 million despite daily reports of killings of civilians and heavy security in city centres.

Activists said 20 people had been killed on Monday and Tuesday and the United Nations estimates more than 2,200 people have been killed since unrest began in March.

Syria, which faces new sanctions from the European Union and wider Western pressure for Assad to go, had criticised the Arab League's decision late last month to urge an end to attacks on protesters and political and economic reforms.

An Arab diplomat at the Cairo-based League, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters late on Tuesday the visit by Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby had been delayed but not cancelled. "It will take place when conditions permit," he added without elaborating.

Egypt's state news agency MENA said the delay followed a request from Syria, which gave no explanation and did not fix a new date for the trip.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Tuesday it was seeking access to thousands of demonstrators believed to be in informal lockups, a day after announcing Syria had opened its prisons for the first time.

ICRC chief Jakob Kellenberger said ICRC staff were making further visits to Damascus central prison, which has 6,000 inmates, both criminal and political.

"We have enough information to know that there are (other) places we have to see as early as possible," Kellenberger told a news conference on his return from Syria where he held talks with Assad.

Prison visits were an "ambitious and delicate exercise" for any country, Kellenberger said, noting that neither Egypt nor Bahrain had granted them despite repeated ICRC requests.

"The Syrian authorities are well aware, including President Assad, that for the ICRC this is a first step. And they are well aware of the fact that we want to go further and beyond," Kellenberger said, declining to be more specific.

The European Union, which imposed a ban on purchases of Syrian oil on Sept. 3, was working on a new round of sanctions, the French foreign ministry said on Tuesday, to target entities that enable the "daily repression" against civilians.

At least one civilian was killed at a roadblock in the restive town of Rastan north of the city of Homs on Tuesday, activists said, while a local activist in Homs was quoted as saying the bodies of five murdered civilians were found there.

Rights activists said there were further arrests around the country on Tuesday with dozens of people detained in the Masbah al-Shaab neighbourhood of the port city of Latakia, which has been besieged by troops and armour for weeks.

In the mostly Ismaili city of Salamiya east of Hama, a doctor, Taj Eldin Zino, was arrested by secret police as part of a campaign against dissidents in Syria's professional class. Security forces also raided houses in the southern town of Nawa.

Rights campaigner Adel al-Hafiya, a member of the Damascus Declaration umbrella opposition group, was arrested in the eastern city of Deir Zor, capital of a tribal province bordering Iraq's Sunni heartland, and taken to an unknown location, said the Local Coordination Committees, a grassroots activist group.

RIGHT TO TREATMENT

Kellenberger said he had made clear to Assad and Syrian officials at every level that all wounded and sick people must receive medical treatment, as required under international law.

"It is about concrete measures we feel have to be taken to ensure this right of everybody -- and I underline 'of everybody' -- to medical care," he said.

"It is for me very important that all medical staff, especially doctors, be they in public or private clinics, be really in a position that they can do their medical duty without any fear," he added.

Human rights campaigners say Syrian forces have arrested tens of thousands of people since the uprising demanding political freedom and an end to 41 years of Assad family rule erupted in March, with many being housed in security police buildings off limits to the ICRC.

Kellenberger vowed to expand ICRC operations in Syria, where it is the only humanitarian agency to deploy international staff, with 16 expatriates there at this time.

"Being realistic we know that we have to proceed step by step," he said. "We will do whatever we can to enlarge further, gradually, our assistance and protection activities."

UNOFFICIAL JAILS

A Syrian lawyer, who did not want to be identified for fear of reprisals, said the Red Cross needed to have access to unofficial jails and detention centres to see torture chambers and the extent of human rights violations in Syria.

"The Damascus central prison is mostly for criminal, not political cases. The bulk of the ugliest torture takes place in the cellars of secret police branches spearheading the repression, such as Military Intelligence and Air Force Intelligence," he said.

Syrian authorities do not reveal the number of detainees in but have previously denied torture allegations and said that any arrests were made in compliance with the constitution. An ICRC spokeswoman said on Tuesday that there was no comprehensive figure for the number of Syrian detainees.

Faced with a heavy security presence in central neighbourhoods of Damascus and Aleppo, and military assaults against a swathe of cities from Latakia on the coast to Deir al-Zor in the East, street rallies calling for an end to the Assad family's domination of Syria have intensified in towns and villages.

Demonstrators have been encouraged by the fall of Libya's Muammar Gaddafi and growing international pressure on Assad. The European Union has imposed an embargo on Syrian oil exports, jeopardising a major source of revenue for Assad, who inherited power from his father, the late Hafez al-Assad, in 2000.

(Additional reporting by Suleiman al-Khalidi, Adrian Croft in London and Ayman Samir, Ahmed Tolba and Mahmoud Habbous in Dubai; Writing by Philippa Fletcher; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Copyright © 2011 Reuters

Uruguay to apologize over alleged rape by UN peacekeepers

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 07:28 PM PDT

MONTEVIDEO (Reuters) - Uruguay will apologize to Haiti and compensate an 18-year-old Haitian man allegedly raped by Uruguayan U.N. troops in the poor Caribbean state, the Uruguayan defense minister said on Tuesday.

Public outrage in the earthquake-ravaged nation has simmered over a video shot by a cellphone camera and circulating on the Internet that shows laughing Uruguayan marines pinning the young Haitian face down on a mattress and apparently assaulting him sexually.

"Our biggest concern is to apologize to Haiti's government as soon as possible and to compensate the victim," Defense Minister Eleuterio Fernandez Huidobro told reporters after meeting with lawmakers on Tuesday.

"We want to be thorough with the investigations and apply the harshest of sanctions," Fernandez Huidobro said.

The alleged victim, Johnny Jean, and his mother, Rose Marie Jean, told Haitian radio stations he had been raped by Uruguayan marines and provided testimony to a judge in the southern town of Port-Salut, where the incident allegedly took place on July 28.

Haitian President Michel Martelly has said the perpetrators of what he called "a collective rape carried out against a young Haitian" would not go unpunished.

Haitian authorities, the U.N. Mission in Haiti and Uruguay's Defense Ministry launched an investigation into the video. The four troops suspected of being involved have been detained and Uruguay's Navy has replaced the head of its naval contingent with the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti.

In a preliminary report, the U.N. ruled out that Jean was raped but said blue-helmet peacekeepers broke rules when they allowed a civilian to enter a military camp.

U.N. peacekeepers in Haiti have faced public anger before, especially over allegations that Nepalese U.N. troops brought a deadly cholera epidemic to the country after their camp latrines contaminated a local river. This triggered riots last year against the 12,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping contingent.

The current U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti, known as MINUSTAH, was established by the U.N. Security Council in 2004 and has been helping Haiti's short-staffed and ill-equipped police to maintain security in the volatile Caribbean state, especially during elections plagued by fraud and violence.

Defense and foreign ministers from nations that make up MINUSTAH are scheduled to meet in Montevideo on Thursday to discuss a gradual troop pullback from Haiti.

(Writing by Luis Andres Henao; editing by Anthony Boadle)

Copyright © 2011 Reuters

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Business

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The Star Online: Business


M'sian market near one-year low(update)

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 06:58 PM PDT

PETALING JAYA: The sell-offs last month amid bearish sentiments have sent the local bourse's benchmark index to levels not seen since last September when talk of further merger and acquisition activities drove the market higher.

Markets in the region closed lower with financial stocks leading the declines on concerns over the euro-zone's widening crisis while prospects for global growth looked ever gloomier.

At Bursa Malaysia, losers outpaced gainers 423 to 253 while 279 other counters were traded unchanged. There were 706.60 million shares traded with a total turnover of RM1.51bil.

Affin Investment Bank Bhd research head Andy Ong said in a report that last month saw the steepest monthly outflow of net foreign selling from the local equity market since October 2009.

"The August 2011 outflow is almost triple the RM1.3bil outflow in May 2010, a heightened period of risk aversion on concerns of eurozone's sovereign debt strain," he said, adding that the consolidation in April/May last year saw Asian markets pull back 7% to 23% similar to the recent sell-offs.

Foreigners sold RM3.8bil of equities in August as they fled to safe-haven investments such as gold, yen, Swiss franc and US Treasuries.

Ong said the previous sharpest selldown was in February this year amounting to RM3.4bil during the regional portfolio re-balancing exercise that saw a shift in funds out of emerging markets into the more cyclical North Asian and developed markets.

Analysts have revised their year-end targets for the FBM KLCI and have recommended for now a sell-into-rebound strategy as the outlook remains unclear with external negative news flows coupled with weaker earnings dampening investor sentiments.

Maybank Investment Bank Bhd acting research head Wong Chew Hann said in another report that there could still be some near-term downside potential as August's net activities reversed out just 58% of the total net foreign buying in April to July.

"We expect volatility to persist with growing uneasiness in the eurozone and United States," she said.

World Bank president Robert Zoellick told Bloomberg in an interview yesterday that risks to the global economy was intensifying with the euro-zone's outlook dependent on right decisions being taken by policymakers.

"We're moving into a dangerous period," he said, adding that the 17-member currency union was facing a particularly sensitive time.

European markets opened higher although trading was volatile with the Stoxx Euro 600 Index opening lower. US equity futures were down with the S&P 500 futures shedding 1.53% and the Dow Jones futures dropping 1.45% at 5pm.

Spot gold, which surged to above US$1,920 per ounce, hovered around US$1,890 at press time while US Treasury yields fell as demand rose. Nymex crude oil was US$1.75 lower at US$84.70 per barrel at press time while crude palm oil for December delivery hovered below RM3,000 per tonne.

On Wednesday morning Bernama reported that share prices on Bursa Malaysia opened higher today on bargain hunting as investors took advantage of the recent sell-off in line with gains on the Asian markets , dealers said.

After 16 minutes of trading, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI advanced 6.99 points to 1,461.36 after opening 3.68 points higher at 1,458.05 led by selected heavyweights including Kuala Lumpur Kepong (KLK), MISC, DIGI and Telekom.

KLK added 38 sen to RM21.68, MISC rose 15 sen to RM7.10, DIGI advanced 16 sen to RM31.30 and Telekom gained 12 sen to RM4.44.

HwangDBS Vickers Research said though Wall Street fell last night, with its key stock indices down between 0.3 per cent and 0.9 per cent at the closing bell, Asian equities may show a sense of calmness today after coming under selling pressure yesterday.

"Back home, we expect the benchmark FBM KLCI to recover part of its 20-point or 1.3 per cent cumulative loss suffered over the past two days.

"Nevertheless, from a technical perspective, the bellwether will probably struggle to break past the immediate resistance threshold of 1,465 ahead," said the research house.

On Bursa Malaysia, the Finance Index perked 37.24 points to 13,747.70, the Plantation Index jumped 44.82 points to 7,293.82 and the Industrial Index gained 20.25 points to 2,692.18.

The FTSE Bursa Malaysia Emas Index rose 42.69 points to 9,980.36, the Malaysia Mid 70 Index added 31.36 points to 10,810.13 and the FTSE Bursa Malaysia Ace Index increased 14.68 points to 3,769.80.

Gainers led losers 108 to 53 while 100 counters were unchanged, 1,232 untraded and 26 others suspended. A total of 32.92 million shares worth RM41.3 million were traded.

Among actives, Eastern & Oriental was flat at RM1.76, Takaso Resources rose half-a-sen to 22.5 sen, Eden Inc added one sen to 30 sen and Time DotCom gained 1.5 sen to 56.5 sen.

For heavyweights, Maybank dropped one sen to RM8.67, CIMB and Petronas Chemicals earned one sen each to RM7.31 and RM6.31, respectively, and Sime Darby was up two sen to RM8.72.

Bartz sacked as CEO of Yahoo(update)

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 06:51 PM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO: Carol Bartz was fired Tuesday as Yahoo Inc.'s CEO nearly three years into a tenure in which the company fell short of the turnaround she was charged with leading.

The company said Bartz will be replaced by Chief Financial Officer Timothy Morse on an interim basis. The company plans to search for a permanent replacement for Bartz.

Bartz, 63, has had a rocky tenure at Yahoo since she was appointed CEO in January 2009. Most recently, Yahoo settled a dispute surrounding a Chinese payment service called Alipay in a way that ended up diminishing Yahoo's stake in the company.

Bartz was hired in January 2009 to engineer a turnaround after Yahoo fell further behind Internet search leader Google Inc. under its two previous CEOs, its co-founder Jerry Yang and former movie studio boss Terry Semel.

Yahoo made more money under Bartz because of layoffs, service closures and other cost-cutting moves since her arrival.

Google, though, has gotten even stronger in the past two years while Facebook, the owner of the Web's most popular hangout, has emerged as a formidable threat that's attracting more of the major marketing campaigns that once went to Yahoo.

The departure was first reported by the Wall Street Journal's All Things D technology blog.

Yahoo shares jumped 74 cents, or 5.7 percent, to $13.65 in after-hours trading. That's about 12 percent higher than they were when Bartz was named CEO. - AP

Earlier report

SAN FRANCISCO: Carol Bartz is no longer CEO of Yahoo Inc., according to a report by the Wall Street Journal's All Things D technology blog.

The situation around her departure is unclear, the report said, citing anonymous sources. But the blog says Chief Financial Officer Tim Morse has been named interim CEO.

Bartz sent an e-mail out to employees saying she had been fired by Chairman Roy Bostock Tuesday, the blog reported.

Bartz, 63, has had a rocky tenure at Yahoo since she was appointed CEO in January 2009. Most recently, Yahoo settled a dispute surrounding a Chinese payment service called Alipay in a way that ended up diminishing Yahoo's stake in the company.

Yahoo shares jumped 74 cents, or 5.7 percent, to $13.65 in after-hours trading. - AP

Latest business news from AP-Wire

Oil tumbles on fears of economic slump

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 06:40 PM PDT

NEW YORK: Oil dropped more than 2 percent Tuesday on fears that the U.S. and Europe are headed for a prolonged economic slump.

Benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude lost $2.01 to $84.44 per barrel in New York.

The U.S. economy is struggling to grow, and investors remain tentative after the government reported last week that the economy failed to add jobs in August. Europe's debt crisis has also raised doubts about further economic recovery there.

"Confidence is not high," said Cameron Hanover analyst Peter Beutel. Beutel said investors are waiting for President Obama and the Federal Reserve to explain how they'll stimulate the economy and create jobs.

With the unemployment rate hovering at 9.1 percent, "it will take something major from the White House or from the Fed to turn this around," Beutel said.

Earlier this year, economists predicted that a rebounding global economy would push world oil demand to record levels in 2011. Now, analysts say they're not so sure it's going to happen.

China and other developing nations are still going to drive oil demand. But they won't grow as fast if consumers in the U.S. and Europe cut back on purchases of clothing, toys, electronics and other goods that are made in foreign factories.

"Oil demand both domestically and globally will fall short of most expectations during the current second half of 2011," independent analyst Jim Ritterbusch said.

Meanwhile, retail gasoline was flat overnight at a national average of $3.66 per gallon. A gallon of regular unleaded is 97.7 cents higher than it was a year ago.

In other trading, heating oil lost 1.45 cents to $2.9829 per gallon and gasoline futures dropped 4.85 cents to $2.7911 per gallon. Natural gas was essentially flat at $3.868 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In London, Brent crude, which is used to price many international oil varieties, rose $1.67 to $111.75 per barrel. - AP

Latest business news from AP-Wire

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Sports

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The Star Online: Sports


National hockey side down host China to keep top four hopes alive

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 07:04 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia bounced back from two defeats to beat host China 4-2 to stay in contention for a top-four finish in the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy at the Yijinhuoluo Hockey Stadium in Ordos, China, yesterday.

But the result of the day belonged to Japan, who came back from a goal down to stun Guangzhou Asian Games gold medallist Pakistan 3-1.

Against China, Malaysia got off to a blistering start when Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin beat three defenders to score from the top D in the seventh minute. Mohd Amin Rahim then doubled the lead off their second penalty corner attempt in the 23rd minute.

China, who also lost their first two matches to India and Pakistan, hit back with two penalty corner goals by Liu Yixian.

His first came in the 29th minute and the second six minutes later.

Malaysia, who finished runners-up to Pakistan in Guangzhou, then stepped up their game to score another two goals in the second half.

Forward Izwan Firdaus made it 3-2 with a field goal in the 53rd minute before Faizal Saari sealed victory with a penalty corner goal in the 60th minute.

Malaysia, who lost 2-3 to Pakistan and 3-4 to South Korea, must beat India today if they are to take a step closer to achieving their target.

But it won't be easy though as India defeated South Korea 5-3 yesterday to top the standings with seven points from two wins and draw. India had earlier hammered China 5-0 and drew 1-1 with Japan.

Another defeat or a draw for Malaysia will surely end their hopes of qualifying for the third-placing playoff. Malaysia will wrap up the fixtures against Japan on Friday.

National team manager Stephen van Huizen was full of praise for his boys' performance against China.

"We started off well by taking a 2-0 lead but allowed China two score two penalty corner goals. But at least we played much better in the second-half to score two goals," said Stephen in a telephone interview.

"Midfielder Nabil Fiqri (Mohd Nor) is doubtful for tomorrow's match (against India) after suffering a knock on his thigh today.

"It was a good win and we are still in contention for a top-four finish. Japan have four points after their surprise win over Pakistan today. So we have to collect full points against India to keep our hopes alive.

Malaysia last played against India at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh in May, losing 2-5.

But the story of the day is still Japan's win over Pakistan, who shot off the blocks with a fifth-minute lead through Rizwan Muhammad.

But Japan, who finished fifth in Guangzhou, equalised in the 35th minute through Kayukawa Koji off a penalty corner.

Tanaka Kenta then turned hero for Japan by scoring a two-minute brace in the 62nd and 64th minutes.

Chance for Khe Wei-Vivian to consolidate position in Taipei

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 06:57 PM PDT

PETALING JAYA: National women's doubles pair Woon Khe Wei and Vivian Hoo have a great chance to strengthen their position as the second-ranked combination in the country when the first round of the Taiwan Open begins in Taipei today.

With top pair Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty nearing the end of their careers, Khe Wei-Vivian have shown remarkable improvement of late to show that they mean business.

Khe Wei-Vivian, who were partners during their junior years, were reunited by women's double coach Pang Cheh Chang in June in a bid to qualify for the London Olympics next year.

The duo staged a fine run to reach the semi-finals of the Thailand Open in June and last month they did well to reach the quarter-finals of the Vietnam Open.

Despite being ranked a lowly 115th in the world, Khe Wei-Vivian have certainly performed much better compared to other higher ranked national pairs and could be the surprise package in the Jakarta SEA Games in November.

In Taipei, the unseeded Khe Wei-Vivian are well poised to reach the quarter-finals, at least.

They face Indonesia's Imawan Gebby Ristiyani-Nuraidah Tiara Rosalia in the first round. If they clear that hurdle, they could face either Singapore's Fu Mingtian-Xing Aiying or Taiwan's Chou Chia Chi-Yang Chia Chen next.

A stern test awaits them in the form of fourth seeds Valeri Sorokina-Nina Vislova if they reach the quarter-finals.

Besides Khe Wei-Vivian, Malaysia have three other pairs in the fray – Marylen Ng-Lim Yin Loo, Lai Pei Jing-Sabrina Chong and Ng Hui Lin-Ng Hui Ern.

But these pairs are expected to struggle in the early rounds.

In the qualifiying rounds yesterday, women's singles shuttler Sannatasah Saniru was the only Malaysian in action – failing to clear her first hurdle by going down 16-21, 18-21 to local lass Chi Ya Cheng.

That means Malaysia will only have two shuttlers in the women's singles main draw – Tee Jing Yi and Lydia Cheah.

Honda’s Azlan Shah wants to make up for lost ground in ARRC

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 06:56 PM PDT

PETALING JAYA: Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman wants to make up for lost ground in the SuperSports 600cc category of the Petronas Asia Road Racing Championships when Round 4 begins at the Autopolis International Racing Course in Japan this weekend.

The Boon Siew Honda Racing Malaysia rider came close to snatching his first victory of the season in the previous leg in Chennai, India.

With two laps to go, Azlan was in the lead when he lost control of his bike.

He went on to finish in a disappointing 14th spot.

Now, he can't wait to end his winless streak when Round 4 revs off in Japan.

"I wasted a good opportunity in India. I really wanted to win. I was not 100% fit and made a costly mistake," said Azlan, who last tasted victory back in 2009 – at the Autopolis.

The 27-year-old Azlan is ready to put his India nightmare behind him and focus on the task at hand in Japan.

"I won't be thrown off my game just because the Japanese riders – Katsuaki Fujiwara and Toshiyuki Hamaguchi – have home ground advantage and I will be riding in their territory.

"We have a strong technical team and I am confident they can prepare a competitive bike.

"Besides, with four-time All-Japan SuperSports 600cc champion Yoshiteru Konishi as my mentor and trainer, I believe I will be able to rise to the challenge."

Azlan is currently second in the overall standings with 84 points after five podium finishes in six races.

Japanese ace Fujiwara (Manual-Tech BEET Kawasaki Racing) leads the way with 114.5 points while Petronas Yamaha Malaysia's Mohd Zamri Baba is third with 65 points.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Nation

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M’sian team not a target in Somalia: Azeez

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 06:24 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: Putera 1Malaysia Club president Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim dismissed allegations that the recent humanitarian aid mission to Somalia was a target of certain quarters in the war-torn country.

He said Tuesday the Malaysian team was never a target of the Somali army or rebels as they were escorted at all times by 90 security personnel from among the country's soldiers and policemen.

The volunteers also did not receive threats, and all the accompanying security personnel were not mercenaries as claimed by certain quarters, he said.

"The shooting of BernamaTV cameraman Noramfaizul Mohd Nor was an unexpected incident. He was hit by a stray bullet from a gun fired by an unidentified individual," he told reporters after a lunch with media personnel and volunteers involved in the mission, at the Lanai Attap Restaurant in Jalan Kampung Attap here.

Noramfaizul, 39, died in Mogadishu last Friday after he was hit by a stray bullet on his way back to the hotel in an MPV with other Malaysian journalists after covering the distribution of aid by the mission in famine-hit Somalia.

Azeez said the team had always adhered to the instructions of the Somali authorities when they went out of their hotel.

"Once, when we wanted to go out, the Somali security personnel sternly ordered us to stay put and only allowed us out after the police and army said it was really safe," he said.

There was some fighting among Somalis outside the hotel at the time and it could have jeopardised the team members' safety if they had not obeyed the order, he added.

On the issue of bullet-proof vests, Azeez said he had brought it up with the Somali authorities who advised that they were not necessary as other foreign volunteers and journalists were not wearing them.

Questioned as to why the media was only invited to Somalia at such short notice, he said it was unavoidable as it was difficult to predict when a natural disaster or famine struck a country.

"We invite all media for every mission but the selection of journalists and cameramen will be made by the chief editors of the individual organisations," he said.

He also denied claims that the club harassed and pressured media organisations to join all their humanitarian missions, saying it was at the discretion of the chief editors who would decide based on newsworthiness.

Meanwhile, he said, the mission managed to distribute 550 tonnes of food, drinking water and medical supplies to 55,000 families, which were expected to last between 45 and 60 days. - Bernama

Water scooters, parasailing banned in Penang beaches

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 05:54 AM PDT

GEORGE TOWN: All water scooter and parasailing activities in Penang have been banned with immediate effect.

The clampdown came about following a spate of accidents where a number of tourists were injured during such activities along the Batu Ferringhi-Tanjung Bungah tourism belt.

In announcing the ban Tuesday, the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) told all water sports operators to abide by the directive at once.

"Action will be taken against those who defy the ruling," according to a council notice which was distributed to the water sports operators on Tuesday evening.

It is learnt that a group of MPPP enforcement officers went around handing out the notices to the operators along the beach front at about 5pm.

An MPPP officer said the order was a temporary measure until state Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow and MPPP president Patahiyah Ismail returned from overseas next week.

"More detailed guidelines and measures will be discussed by then.

"The ban is being put in place following numerous accidents and complaints by tourists as well as hoteliers," she added.

On Sunday, Chow was reported to have said that water scooter operators had encroached into swimming zones in Batu Ferringhi after dismantling sea buoys used to designate these zones.

He had also said the Penang Municipal Council might have to revoke the licences of these operators who had encroached onto the beach.

Several accidents took place during the Hari Raya season including one that involved a Form Four student being hit by a water scooter while playing in the water.

A 40-year-old woman suffered lacerations on her neck and arm after she got entangled in the rope of a parasail.

Although horse and quad bike activities have been banned on the beach since January, water scooters and para sailing are allowed within the demarcated zones.

On June 7, a five-year-old girl was injured after being hit by a horse ridden by a man who was fleeing from council officers on the beach at Batu Ferringhi.

Related Stories:
Lim wants horses off beach

PAS wants Parliament to review nation’s history

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 04:43 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: PAS insists on a review of the nation's history in Parliament, following the controversy triggered by party deputy president Mohamad Sabu's remarks over the Bukit Kepong tragedy in 1950.

Party vice-president Salahuddin Ayub said it was urging the Government to establish a committee in the coming Parliament session scheduled for October to review the country's pre-independence history.

"It will be the party's top priority in the next (Parliament) session. If the government is sincere, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak should form a committee and we will send our historians and representatives to participate," he told reporters at its headquarters, Tuesday.

He was commenting on Mat Sabu's alleged claim that the communist terrorists who attacked and killed 25 police personnel and their families in the Bukit Kepong tragedy were the real heroes as they were actually fighting against the British.

Meanwhile, Bernama reports that more organisations and individuals have lodged police reports against Mat Sabu over his remarks that allegedly praised communist terrorists and discredited the nation's security forces.

Two NGOs, the Malaysian Society for Former Intelligence Personnel (Baris) and the Islamic Propagation and Welfare Organisation of Malaysia (Pekida), lodged reports in the federal capital while an ex-serviceman, Wan Din Wan Mamat, 51, made his in Tumpat, Kelantan.

More in The Star on Wednesday

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Mat Sabu insists Mat Indera was a fighter
Mat Sabu to face action
Khairy to rumble' with Mat Sabu
Hisham to meet families offended by Mat Sabu's remarks
Group stages protest against MP at Bukit Kepong
He was misquoted, claims Pakatan
Retract communist remarks, Karpal tells Mat Sabu
Mat Sabu's communist remarks shallow'
Dr M voices concern over attempts to twist historical facts
Cops to probe Mat Sabu's alleged statement discrediting security forces

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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Local delight

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 03:06 AM PDT

Namewee dishes up 1Malaysia fare in Nasi Lemak 2.0.

IT used to be that every mention of Wee Meng Chee, or his online persona Namewee, would be preceded by these two words – controversial rapper.

But the Muar-born mass communications major is changing all that now with the release of his first full-length movie, Nasi Lemak 2.0, which is mainly in Mandarin with a mix of Chinese dialects and Bahasa Malaysia.

Dishing up copious amounts of 1Malaysia fare in Nasi Lemak 2.0, Namewee is raring to show Malaysians that he is a nationalistic filmmaker.

Making his feature film directorial debut in Nasi Lemak 2.0, Namewee also wrote the screenplay, composed the music, including the theme song Rasa Sayang 2.0 and stars as its protagonist Chef Huang, a young man who is compelled to seek his Malaysian identity through learning the secret of making the best nasi lemak that everybody is bound to enjoy.

During an interview after a recent press conference to launch Nasi Lemak 2.0, Namewee offered his movie as a National Day gift to Malaysians. "This movie shows us the way it is meant to be, that we should identify ourselves as Malaysian first and foremost, not by our individual ethnic groups," declared the colourful musician who became a household name via a provocative YouTube videos generously spiced with social commentary.

"All Malaysians eat nasi lemak, so we use it here as a metaphor. The Baba and Nyonya created the sambal (chilli-based sauce). Indians brought the curry. Malays made the ikan bilis. So, combining all that, we have nasi lemak. And that is why we call it the national cuisine," said the movie's executive producer Fred Chong in explaining the concept of the movie.

"My grandmother is a Nyonya and I've enjoyed nasi lemak since I was a child. So, to me, the dish is representative of Malaysian culture," said Namewee about the movie, which is set to screen in 60 movie theatres nationwide.

Also helping Namewee realise his dream is an impressive muhibbah cast of prominent Malaysian celebrities and young stars.

Karen Kong is the movie's heroine Xiao K, who tries her best to save her father's restaurant business. Adibah Noor plays Kak Noor, a mysterious tai chi master who knows the secret to divine nasi lemak. Datuk David Arumugam portrays the curry master who enlightens Chef Huang on how a good curry mix reflects harmony in a multi-cultural society.

Afdlin Shauki's character is a family man who gives up material wealth to spend time with his loved ones as a fisherman. Kenny and Chee play a Nonya and Baba couple who teach Chef Huang how to make sambal sauce. Dennis Lau portrays Chef Huang's nemesis Lan Qiao, who plots to take over the Kong family restaurant empire. Reshmonu plays Hero Resh, who saves Chef Huang in his time of need. Nadine Ann Thomas is the curry master's daughter. Nur Fathia plays the fisherman's wife. Other members of the cast include Pete Teo, Ho Yuhang, Dian Sharlin, Felixia Yap and Jovi Theng.

To view the Nasi Lemak 2.0 movie trailer and the Rasa Sayang 2.0 music video, visit www.nasilemak2.com or the Facebook pages belonging to Namewee or his movie.

> Nasi Lemak 2.0 opens in local cinemas on Thursday.

Steven Soderbergh talks Contagion and retirement

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 02:44 AM PDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters): Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh explores how a lethal virus is transmitted from one person to another, until the entire world is affected in Contagion.

The film, which debuted over the weekend at the Venice film festival and hits Malaysian cinemas this week, features an all star cast that includes Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne and Jude Law among others.

Soderbergh, known for directing such movies as the Ocean's trilogy, Erin Brockovich and Traffic, sat down with Reuters to talk about the film, what he learned about viruses and why he's decided to "retire" from moviemaking.

Contagion is about a virus that kills people with no cure in sight. With real-life scares like SARS, N1H1 and the bird flu, this is a fear anyone can relate to.

Yes (the virus) doesn't speak and it doesn't have a brain, but it is alive and it wants to stay alive and propagate itself. I really felt like this was great movie material because you cannot construct a life for yourself in which you're not around germs.

Once someone gets the virus, death is imminent so it's like a zombie movie without the zombies.

Matt (Damon) wanted a zombie. He kept asking for one. He kept saying we'd make a lot more money if we had zombies. I said, 'Call Gwyneth! Let's see if she's up for it.'

This is your sixth film with Matt. What is it about him that made you want him form Contagion?

He's one of the few people that can play both ends of the spectrum -- he can be everyman, and he can be Jason Bourne. In Contagion his character needed to be resolutely middle class. Matt's great at that because he's not one of those actors that comes in like, 'I wanna win this scene.' He's so completely lacking in vanity. He'll submit to the larger story and not worry about how he is coming across moment to moment."

You worked with a lot of consultants to get the scientific aspect of film correct. Most audiences wouldn't know the difference. Why was that important to you?

As a moviegoer, the more detailed and convincing the world of the film is, the happier I am. You go to the movies to be transported, to go on a ride, and this happens to be a ride you can't just forget the minute the lights come up because you have to touch the armrest in order to stand.

Working with those consultants, what did you personally learn about protecting yourself against viruses?

I'm washing my hands a little more. The hand sanitizer, according to the consultants we worked with, lasts about three minutes. The touching of the face is really bad. They said during flu season if you can manage not to touch yourself above the neck, you've got a better chance of not getting sick.

You've got some scenes with monkeys in a lab that are being used as test subjects for the virus cure. Do you think that might cause an uproar within the animal rights community?

It might. It should. That's a legitimately volatile subject. I can tell you that just in the brief scenes in which we had Rhesus monkeys in cages, it was really disturbing to film because they know what's going on. They know they're in a cage and that you've put them in there and that it is not cool. There was one that we were shooting with -- he had the lock in his hand and he was turning it and trying to figure out how to undo it. Then he looks at you. He knows. It's disturbing.

You've talked about retiring, but you still have three more movies to do. That could take a few more years, right?

Nah. 18 months. In a few weeks, I start shooting a male stripper movie with Channing Tatum. We worked together on (the upcoming) Haywire. Then I'm going to do Man From U.N.C.L.E in February and Liberace in June.

So after that you're truly retiring from filmmaking?

Call it whatever you want -- hiatus, sabbatical. I'm just gonna disappear for a while.

Is it permanent?

I don't know. Maybe. It depends.

Why do you want to disappear?

It's not that I want to. I need to. I've been running really fast for quite a while. It's been non-stop since Out Of Sight. That's a lot of work.

What do you plan on doing during your sabbatical?

I don't know. Interview people. I've done it a couple of times and I really enjoy it. I did a book of interviews with a filmmaker and it was really great to walk him through things and ask 'How was this done?' 'How was this accomplished?' I love process. I'm a process person. I like talking about how things were done as opposed to what they mean.

If you choose to come back to movies in the future, could there be another Ocean's still in you somewhere?

Not without Bernie Mac. It was a really unique group and we can't do it without him. We really hit the jackpot with those movies. (The cast) all liked each other, they enjoyed being together. Losing Bernie was a horrible tragedy. It was upsetting. He was such a doll and so much fun to be around.

The Ocean movies were also your most successful. Do you pay attention to your box office track record?

For me, all of the pleasure is in the making of the film. Once they're done and delivered, I've moved on. If you start thinking about results, it affects your ability to make things in the moment. You never want to lose the enthusiasm and the attitude of the amateur. You always want to be making creative decisions based on the same criteria you used when you were 15 years-old. What's important is the experience itself.

Right again

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 02:42 AM PDT

With a shotgun of rumours flying around, the tabloids simply can't help but get some of the rumours right some of the time.

YEARS before Hong Kong stars Nicholas Tse and Cecilia Cheung announced their divorce, rumours had been rife that their union was in jeopardy. The gossip mill went into overdrive during the Edison Chen scandal in 2008, when nude photos of Cheung, among other female celebrities, were stolen from Chen's computer and uploaded onto the Internet.

At that time, Tse's parents had stoutly defended their daughter-in-law while Tse himself seemed to have made it a point to be loving to and protective of his wife in public. However, the tabloids never really retreated from their relentless reports on the upcoming breakup of the two and this received an impetus when Chen and Cheung were reported to have met and chatted in May.

The tabloids appeared to have been proven right when the celebrity couple went their separate ways. There are some who believe that the tabloids have gained credibility because they persisted with the reports despite the celebrities' denials while others were of the opinion that perhaps there is no smoke without fire and gossip columnists really knew their work.

It would be a mistake for fans to look at tabloids with greater respect because with one marriage in five ending in divorce these days, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that the odds of it happening are rather high. And that's just in Malaysia; the rate is higher in many other countries – in certain years, almost one in two marriages break up in the United States within 10 years.

So it shouldn't be a surprise that tabloids have taken to making wild guesses based on little more than hearsay that the marriage of certain celebrity couples is on the rocks, as such news helps push sales of their publications or increases the number of visitors to their websites.

The wonderful thing about it, from the tabloids' perspective of course, is that they have a one-in-five or higher chance of getting their predictions right and earning undeserved acclaim for their feat.

Celebrities like model-actress Christy Chung help to burnish the tabloids' credentials; for months, she had denied reports that her marriage to aspiring musician Jon Yen was in trouble, but she finally owned up last month that she had already been divorced for half a year.

The tabloids obviously do not get it right that often, but they do strengthen the odds by targeting those celebrities whose marriages are in categories more likely to end in dire straits in their speculations.

Been married for a long time? Then you are in the high-risk category when it comes to tabloid attention. Thus, when one entertainment magazine reported that Hollywood power couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith had separated after 13 years of marriage, several other magazines immediately jumped on the bandwagon, probably figuring that the stars had already exceeded by several years the shelf life of celebrity couplings.

Moreover, Mr and Mrs Smith have over the years admitted that preserving their marriage required hard work and commitment. So prevalent were the rumours passed off as fact that the star couple last month felt compelled to make a joint statement denying that they had broken up even though dispelling gossip is something they are not in the habit of doing.

When celebrities respond to speculation, tabloids are able to have their cake and eat it too because a denial is news while an admission that a separation is indeed in the works is even better news.

A second favourite is the baby bump on the rocky road to a lasting marriage, when the lack of a child from the union is seen as a deal-breaker.

Hong Kong entertainment's first couple Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Carina Lau attracted adverse attention from the tabloids almost from the day they were married in 2008, when already in their 40s. Tabloids were full of doubts about their ability to have children even then.

Chinese tabloids claim that the two have divorced secretly due to the lack of success in conceiving a child despite the use of in-vitro fertilisation treatment. The two veteran stars have not responded to the divorce claims but Lau did say last week that they had marriage problems like everyone else.

A third catalyst for getting regular honourable mentions in tabloids is when celebrity couples have to be apart from each other for most of the year due to work commitments.

Tabloids knew long before us mere mortals did that Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds and American sweetheart Scarlett Johansson were headed for a split. While the two separated last December, two tabloids had already headlined their divorce a good six months earlier, citing their long separations as a major cause of it.

One of the tabloids latest targets is singer Katy Perry and comedian Russell Brand. Married for less than a year, the two should still be in their honeymoon phase, but the tabloids are already insisting that cracks are showing in the relationship as Perry has been on a concert tour while Brand has been in other parts of the world for his movies.

The two have spent very little time with each other since their marriage, so surely they are considering a trial separation; or so says the tabloids. To add icing to the cake, Perry and Brand are also supposedly having problems agreeing on a baby schedule for the family.

With tabloids taking such a shotgun approach in their speculations, celebrities will do well to remember that any attempt at defence and denial will only add to the fuel among those who believe that there is no smoke without fire.

Tabloids do get it right some of the time, but that's no reason to think the world of them as their guess is only as good as mine.

> In this column, writer Hau Boon Lai ponders the lives, loves and liberties of celebrities.

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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf

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Remembering 9/11 in print

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 02:40 AM PDT

In our continuing run-up to the 10th anniversary on Sunday of the Sept 11, 2001, terror attacks, we look at what book publishers have planned.

THE book world plans a low-key remembrance of the 10th anniversary this coming Sunday of the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on American soil.

Most of the works about the events will be reissues and updates of older works, from CBS News' What We Saw to Noam Chomsky's word-of-mouth bestseller 9/11. The output will not compare to the first anniversary, in 2002, when publishers released dozens of works and soon regretted it.

"A lot of the early books were rush jobs. There was so little perspective at the time," says Mark Tavani, executive editor of Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House Inc, in a recent interview.

"Publishers are being more careful now and that's a wise decision," says Patricia Bostelman, vice president of marketing for American bookstore chain, Barnes & Noble Inc, which plans small table displays for Sept 11 books. "The books being published now seem to have a real sense of purpose – preserving the memory and celebrating the heroes."

Tavani and other publishers say they were careful about which books, if any, to take on. They're sceptical about how many readers will be interested and whether they will be criticised for exploiting a tragedy. At Henry Holt and Co, publisher Stephen Rubin said he saw few proposals for 9/11 books because "people were worried about being in bad taste".

Holt will reissue 102 Minutes by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn, and plans a new release, Unmeasured Strength, a memoir by 9/11 survivor Lauren Manning, whose body was severely burned by the attacks.

"I felt like I had to do this one," Rubin says of the Manning book. "It's a real honest to God book. It's not a picture book, not a memento. It's a raw, raw story."

The attacks and what led up to them have been chronicled thoroughly in the past decade, with a handful of books regarded as essential reading, including Steve Coll's Ghost Wars and Lawrence Wright's The Looming Tower. The US federal government produced one of the most widely read texts: The 9/11 Commission Report, a surprise bestseller in 2004 that sold more than 1 million copies despite being available as a free download.

W.W. Norton, which released the authoritative edition of the 9/11 study, will reissue it later this year, with an update from commission executive director Philip Zelikow on the status of the report's recommendations. The publisher hopes to make news with The Black Banners, by former FBI agent Ali H. Soufan, who interrogated numerous suspected terrorists and has criticised waterboarding and other harsh techniques.

"Ali was a source for The Looming Tower and a source for the 9/11 Commission," says Norton president Drake McFeely. "Now he's coming forward and telling the public directly what he knows."

Some upcoming releases will focus on the decade following 2001. In Disordered World, published by Bloomsbury, the Lebanese-born novelist and scholar Amin Maalouf reflects on the conflicts between Arabs and the West in recent years. Holt's Counterstrike, by Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker, examines the evolution of the American Government's efforts to fight terrorism.

Columbia University Press will release Until The Fires Stopped Burning, by Charles B. Strozier, a history professor and psychoanalyst who lost several students in the attacks and writes of the long-term effects on survivors he has treated.

Ballantine is publishing The Eleventh Day: The Full Story Of 9/11 by Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan, advertised as "the first panoramic, accessible and authoritative look back at 9/11". Tavani said the intention was to compile a single volume that told the full story, right up through Osama bin Laden's death in May this year.

"We all knew instantly that bin Laden's death changed the project fundamentally, and in a couple of ways," Tavani says. "It, of course, provided resolution for one of the most frustrating story lines, but it also introduced questions about Pakistan's behaviour since 9/11.

"For the book to be complete, it had to address these things. The authors and I had spoken once about, 'What happens if... ?' But it had seemed far-fetched to imagine that bin Laden would suddenly be dead. It was kind of amazing to see nearly 10 years of history and six years of research upended so forcefully. But with a few weeks of very intense work, the authors brought it up to date."

Bostelman of Barnes & Noble notes that the majority of the new Sept 11 releases are like the Manning memoir, personal accounts rather than comprehensive narratives. Lyons Press plans 9/11: The World Speaks, which compiles messages left at the Tribute WTC (World Trade Center) Visitor Center and includes an introduction by New York City's mayor at the time of the attacks, Rudolph Giuliani. Lyons is calling its 9/11 the "ideal 10th anniversary memorial book".

National Geographic is releasing, A Place Of Remembrance, the "Official Book of the National September 11 Memorial". Perigee Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), is issuing The Legacy Letters: Messages Of Life And Hope From 9/11 Family Members. The book was compiled by a non-profit Sept 11 "family service" organisation, Tuesday's Children, and proceeds will be donated to charity.

"What stood out for us with this book is that it's very positive and very intimate. And the letters are really moving. They reconnect the reader to the loss, to what really happened on a personal level that day," says Marian Lizzi, Perigee's editor-in-chief.

"The fact that Tuesday's Children was putting together this project really said a lot. It made us feel more comfortable than if it had been a for-profit endeavour." – AP

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