Rabu, 7 September 2011

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio


Enjoyable ride

Posted: 08 Sep 2011 12:29 AM PDT

Stay tuned to Red FM and you stand to drive away in a brand new car.

HAVE a fun filled journey as you make your way back to home sweet home with Terry on Red FM's Drive show (Monday to Friday, 3pm-7pm).

This highly popular show features an enjoyable mix of music and entertainment as well as Terry's passion for movies.

If you think you have the zeal to match, let Terry put it to the test with What's The Movie and you could rake in a generous cash prize. A short clip from a movie will be played and all you have to do is correctly identify the clip. The prize money snowballs if no one gets it right. The wrong answers given by listeners are put on Red FM's website, helping to increase your chances of getting it right and winning all of the cash.

The station's resident movie guru certainly has no issues about sharing his love for the silver screen with listeners as they also have the opportunity to pick up movie passes.

If you miss out on these giveaways on air, keep an eye out for Terry on the ground with the Red FM's Runaway DJs contest. Join in the hunt for Terry or any of Red FM's deejays and you could drive away in a brand new 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 from Monday to Friday. Just 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 the car. There are also bonus prizes such as iPad 2s and iPod Nanos that will be given out at designated times.

To find out more, log on to www.red.fm. Also, join the Red FM Malaysia Facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/redfm.my) and follow them 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

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: World Updates


Fighters head towards showdown with pro-Gaddafi town

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 08:58 PM PDT

WISHTATA, Libya (Reuters) - - Libya's new rulers sent a column of extra fighters towards the tribal bastion of Bani Walid overnight, preparing a showdown with supporters of ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi, possibly including his sons or even Gaddafi himself.

Anti-Gaddafi fighters pass by at the last checkpoint before entering the town of Bani Walid, currently held by pro-Gaddafi forces, 150 km (90 miles) south of Tripoli September 6, 2011. (REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal)

Gaddafi, in a call to a Syrian-owned TV station on Thursday, vowed continued resistance to the rebels and NATO and said a military convoy that entered neighbouring Niger this week, fueling speculation he might be about to flee, was "not the first".

"Columns of convoys drive into and out of Niger carrying goods and people inside and outside (of Libya) say Gaddafi is going to Niger," he said in the call that Arrai TV reported was made from within Libya.

"This is not the first time that convoys drive in and out of Niger."

Gaddafi's whereabouts have been a mystery since rebel fighters stormed his Tripoli headquarters two weeks ago. Bani Walid, one of the few towns still in the hands of his followers, has refused to surrender despite a stand-off lasting days.

Officials from the interim ruling National Transitional Council said they had sent reinforcements after reports that Gaddafi had issued a call for the town to fight.

Reuters reporters saw a convoy of NTC forces pickup trucks heading towards Bani Walid with dozens of fighters clutching RPGs and shouting anti-Gaddafi slogans.

"We will move into Bani Walid slowly. There was a message in Bani Walid from Gaddafi this evening," NTC unit commander Jamal Gourji said.

"He was rallying his troops and calling on people to fight. He is hiding in a hole in the ground, like Iraq," he said, in a reference to late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, captured hiding in a hole nine months after he was toppled in 2003.

Outside the town on Wednesday residents leaving through a sun-scorched NTC checkpoint at the nearby settlement of Wishtata painted an increasingly desperate picture.

"People are terrorised," said Salah Ali, 39. "But many still support Gaddafi because they were paid by the regime, because many have committed crimes and are afraid of arrest."

Aid agencies have raised concerns about humanitarian conditions there and in the few other cities still under control of Gaddafi loyalists. Communications with them have been cut.

The NTC has sent envoys to neighbouring Niger to try to stop Gaddafi and his entourage evading justice by fleeing across a desert frontier toward friendly African states. A convoy arrived in Niger this week, but Niger says Gaddafi was not in it.

"We're asking every country not to accept him. We want these people for justice," Fathi Baja, the head of political affairs for the National Transitional Council (NTC), told Reuters in Benghazi, saying the ousted leader may be close to the Niger or Algerian borders, waiting for an opportunity to slip across.

"He's looking for a chance to leave," Baja said.

Another senior NTC official said Gaddafi was tracked this week to an area in the empty Sahara of Libya's south.

But NTC officials near Bani Walid in the north said they believed two of Gaddafi's sons and possibly the leader himself were inside the town.

"That would explain why Bani Walid is resisting," NTC negotiator Abdallah Kanshil said of reports of Gaddafi's presence in the town. "His two sons are definitely there."

WHERE IS GADDAFI?

The Pentagon said it knew nothing to indicate the fallen leader had left Libya. Niger, which took in his security chief this week, insisted Gaddafi had not crossed its border.

Washington said it had also contacted the governments of Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Chad and Burkina Faso -- a swathe of poor former French colonies which benefited from Gaddafi's oil-fueled largesse in Africa. The State Department urged them to secure their borders and to detain and disarm Gaddafi officials.

Gaddafi and his son Saif al-Islam are wanted for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said any country where he was found should hand him over to be tried, remarks that were echoed by U.S. ambassador to Libya Gene Cretz.

With his overthrow, however, have come revelations of the extent to which U.S. and British officials were until recently cooperating with Gaddafi -- once a pariah in the West but rehabilitated by Washington and London in the past decade.

Papers found by Reuters in Tripoli showed a British arm of U.S.-based General Dynamics was modernising tanks and troop carriers for a feared brigade led by Gaddafi's son Khamis, as recently as late January.

The firm said the military vehicles might have been part of a $135 million 2008 contract, part of what it termed at the time "the United Kingdom's initiatives to improve economic, educational and defence links with Libya".

Peter Bouckaert of Human Rights Watch said: "The lesson is that if you are going to sell weapons to dictators, at some point down the line you're going to be deeply embarrassed."

In al-Qalaa, a town about 120 km southwest of Tripoli, thousands of people gathered to bury the bodies of 35 people they said were discovered nearby, their corpses packed into a shipping container.

"There are still many crimes and graves, and we will discover them," said Moqtar Fernanah, head of the military council for the western region, speaking at the funeral.

"Our answer will be to capture these criminals and turn them to the courts for fair trials. They will be punished in accordance to the crimes they committed."

(Reporting by Mohammed Abbas, Christian Lowe and Alex Dziadosz in Tripoli, Sherine El Madany in Ras Lanuf, Maria Golovnina in Wishtata, Abdelaziz Boumzar in al-Qalaa, Barry Malone, Sylvia Westall and Alastair Macdonald in Tunis, Sami Aboudi, Amena Bakr and Omar Fahmy in Cairo, Nathalie Prevost and Bate Felix in Niamey, David Brunnstrom in Brussels, Mathieu Bonkoungou in Ouagadougou, Richard Valdmanis and Mark John in Dakar, and Ahmed Tolba in Cairo; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Peter Graff and Michael Roddy)

Copyright © 2011 Reuters

FEATURE - Hints of high life sprout in poverty-stricken Gaza

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 08:27 PM PDT

GAZA (Reuters) - Amidst the poverty and deprivation of the Gaza Strip, a few small signs of prosperity have started to emerge, giving violence-weary locals a taste of comfort that is taken for granted in much the rest of the world.

A smart hotel which aspires to five-star service, a shopping outlet that boasts Gaza's first in-store escalator and a sparkling supermarket stocked to the rafters have all opened their doors this summer in the Palestinian enclave.

Their appearance does not mean that wealth and well-being are spreading in the tiny territory, because they are not. But they indicate a fresh willingness by outsiders to invest in Gaza and eye future potential.

"I have heard about this from my friends and today is my first visit. It is amazing," said Ali Mohammed, 45, a telephone technician who had come to buy chocolates at the central Al-Andalusia store, which is spread out over three floors.

"It is as if we were not in Gaza. The blockade is everywhere to be seen out there, but not in here."

Israel has imposed a strict blockade on Gaza in response to repeated rocket attacks from Islamist militants over the past six years. However, some of the restrictions have eased over the last 12 months, allowing Al-Andalusia to come to life.

A group of Palestinian businessmen, many educated abroad, have hooked up with foreign investors to put $4 million into the enterprise, using their contacts to help fill the shop with merchandise from around the Middle East.

Some is imported legitimately through Israel, other goods come via the smuggling tunnels that link Gaza to Egypt, giving shoppers an unusual amount of choice all under one roof.

FOR THE ELITE

"We originally wanted to build a proper shopping mall, but we started with this as a test," said general manager Ihab Al Esawi, who expects to recoup the original investment within 3 years, so long as war with Israel does not spoil their plans.

"You have to have faith," he said with a smile.

Up to 2,000 people a day visit the store, including many young children who endlessly ride the spanking new escalator -- only the second moving staircase to be installed in the enclave and the first to be put in a shop that is open to everyone.

"This is so exciting," said 10-year-old Bilal Haboush, clutching onto the handrail, his eyes wide open with joy as if he were riding the latest roller coaster at Disney World.

Elevated prices in Al-Andalusia and the nearby Metromarket, a supermarket that would not look out of place in a wealthy Gulf state, mean that only the Gaza elite can shop there regularly.

The U.N. Palestinian refugee agency, UNWRA, says that some 1.2 million of Gaza's 1.5 million inhabitants are registered as refugees, with unemployment running at around 45 percent -- one of the highest rates in the world.

"The combination of persistently high unemployment and the continuing deterioration of the real wages of working people underlie significant levels of poverty," UNWRA said in a report published in June.

But small pockets of wealth do still exist, and the Islamist group Hamas, which has a firm grip on power in Gaza, looks increasingly interested in seeing local businesses flourish as a way of diversifying their revenue streams and creating jobs.

It is hard to gauge Hamas' involvement in the private entities that have emerged over the past year, but they surely could not operate without prior approval, and if nothing else, they provide the cash-strapped group with badly needed taxes.

"Hamas is shifting from being just a military movement and a charity, towards ... looking to make money," said Omar Shaban, the head of the Gaza-based Pal-Think think-tank.

"Even Hamas now understands what it means to have a good life, that it is not all about Jihad and martyrdom. They are starting to go to hotel terraces with their families. It is a good thing. They feel they have something to lose," he added.

HOTEL OASIS, OR MIRAGE?

One of the more remarkable hotel terraces in the whole Middle East opened earlier this year in the northern corner of the Gaza Strip, close to a Hamas military training base and one of the territory's largest refugee camps.

Originally conceived as offices when building started in the 1990s, the designs later morphed into a 220-bedroom hotel which was due to be operated by the luxury Movenpick chain.

But they pulled out before a guest had even moved in after Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007 following a brief civil war. A subsequent tightening of the Israeli blockade, not to mention repeated clashes between the two sides, left the project on ice.

The dust-sheets were finally removed this year, with Spanish group ArcMed agreeing to run the newly named Al Mashtal, sending in a couple of experienced managers to train the 70 local hires.

Tourism is not an option in a territory where access to outsiders is tightly limited, but a handful of international aid workers plus the occasional wealthy Palestinian expatriate visiting family have stayed the night, while the restaurants and pool-side cafes see much more activity from well-heeled locals.

The pool itself is off limits for communal bathing because of local rules banning men and women from swimming together.

But without a radical change in the regional picture and a dramatic change in relations between Israel and the Gazans, it is hard to imagine the hotel's local client base widening.

"The middle class here is shrinking. People are falling into poverty or else just fleeing," said Gazan economist Shaban.

Standing like an oasis on the scruffy seafront strip, it is clear Al Mashral cannot escape the reality of life in Gaza. Just two weeks ago an Israeli missile strike killed two Islamist gunmen riding a motorcycle some 500 metres from the hotel.

So is it a triumph of hope over adversity?

"Only time can answer this question," says the somewhat terse Spanish manager, Rafel Carpinell.

(Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

Copyright © 2011 Reuters

Gaddafi defiant in call Syria TV says is from Libya

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 08:27 PM PDT

CAIRO (Reuters) - Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, in a phone call a Syrian television station said was made from inside Libya, vowed on Thursday to defeat rebels who control most of the country.

He also said a Libyan military convoy that arrived in neighbouring Niger was "not the first", and gave no hint this might be a step towards him and his followers fleeing Libya.

A wanted poster of Muammar Gaddafi, published in a newspaper, is pictured in Tripoli September 1, 2011. (REUTERS/Handout)

Gaddafi, whose whereabouts are unknown, instead said in the brief live speech carried by Arrai TV that his forces would rally to defeat the rebels and NATO, which has attacked his military through air strikes.

"The youths are now ready to escalate the resistance against the 'rats' (rebels) in Tripoli and to finish off the mercenaries," Gaddafi said during the call, which the television station said was being made from within Libya.

"We will defeat NATO...and NATO is rejected by the Libyan people," he said.

Gaddafi said the Libyan military convoy, which French and Niger military sources said showed up in the northern Niger city of Agadez this week, was nothing exceptional.

"Columns of convoys drive into and out of Niger carrying goods and people inside and outside (of Libya) say Gaddafi is going to Niger," he said.

"This is not the first time that convoys drive in and out of Niger."

Gaddafi's spokesman has repeatedly said he is in Libya and remains in high spirits. Niger said he was not in the convoy.

Libya's ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) has sent envoys to Niger to try to stop Gaddafi and his entourage from evading justice by fleeing across a desert frontier toward friendly African states.

(Reporting by Joseph Nasr and Ahmed Tolba; Writing by Michael Roddy; Editing by Yoko Nishikawa)

Copyright © 2011 Reuters

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Business

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Business


Support Line

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 05:45 PM PDT

[unable to retrieve full-text content]K.M. Lee writes on Kinsteel, Kuala Lumpur Kepong and My E.G. Services


Bank of Japan holds rates steady

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 05:36 PM PDT

Thursday September 8, 2011

TOKYO: The Bank of Japan (BoJ) yesterday left its key rate unchanged but refrained from further easing measures after last month expanding its assetbuying scheme to help safeguard a fragile post-quake recovery.

Expectations had risen that officials would unveil some sort of easing after Switzerland's central bank on Tuesday surprised markets by announcing it would cap the strength of the franc against the euro amid fears for its economy.

The BoJ said in a statement that its policy board voted unanimously to keep its key rate between zero and 0.1%, as it held steady after last month's move to expand by 10 trillion yen (US$129bil) a scheme to buy assets. - AFP

German court: Euro bailouts legal

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 05:33 PM PDT

KARLSRUHE, Germany: Germany's top court ruled yesterday that aid for Greece and rescues for other eurozone countries is legal but said parliament must have greater say in any future bailouts.

In a landmark ruling anxiously anticipated on jittery financial markets, the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, western Germany, said that all "large-scale" future aid packages must be approved by the parliament's budget committee.

"The federal government is required to seek the approval of the parliament's budgetary committee before handing over guarantees," chief justice Andreas Vosskuhle said, reading out the judgement.

The euro initially spiked against the US dollar on the foreign exchange markets as traders showed relief that the court had not slapped down the rescue packages, which could have ramped up the eurozone debt crisis several notches.

The verdict comes weeks before the German parliament votes on extending the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) rescue fund amid mounting scepticism both from politicians and the public, with Chancellor Angela Merkel facing a rebellion from within her own centre-right coalition.

The ruling also comes at a time of high political tension in Europe's other major economies over the debt crisis, with governments struggling to get deep reform and austerity measures through parliament.

In Spain, thousands marched on Tuesday against a plan to enshrine balanced budgets in the constitution following Germany's example and demanding that the issue be put to a referendum.

French deputies are also in the process of debating strict austerity measures.

The court also ruled that parliament must have "sufficient influence" over the conditions attached to future rescue deals, likely limiting Merkel's room for manoeuvre if new crises blow up.

And it may not approve deals that could lead to an unforeseeable burden on future parliaments.

Moreover, the judges insisted that parliament may not approve any deal that leads to a pooling of national debt, apparently ruling out the idea of "eurobonds".

Economists are concerned that requiring parliamentary approval for future rescue deals may slow down the process of helping debt-wracked eurozone nations, where rapid decisions to stem swift market moves are often required.

However, Christian Waldhoff, an expert on constitutional law at the University of Bonn, told Phoenix television: "The rights of the German parliament have been strengthened but without tying the hands of the German government on the European stage."

The court was ruling on a case brought by six eurosceptics, who argued that the bailout of Greece in May last year and subsequent setting-up of the eurozone bailout fund, the EFSF, broke European Union and German constitutional law. - AFP

The judges threw out their argument that the rescue package removed parliament's budgetary room for manoeuvre and ability to debate future budgets.

In Berlin, several deputies have indicated they might abstain or vote against the bill extending the euro's rescue fund when it comes up for vote, probably on Sept 29.

The boosting of the effective lending capacity of the EFSF from 250 billion euros to 440 billion euros means that German guarantees will rise from 123 billion to around 211 billion euros.

Merkel is assured of a majority as the opposition Social Democrats and Greens have both said they will back the bill, but it would be a humiliating defeat for the chancellor, already weakened by poor regional election results.

The exact wording of the bill, including the extent of parliament's involvement in future bailouts, had been left until the court handed down its ruling. - AFP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Sports

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Sports


Desperate Petronas replace Iskandar with veteran Osaki

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 04:23 PM PDT

PETALING JAYA: Petronas Yamaha Malaysia, desperate for better results, have taken the drastic step of replacing Mohd Iskandar Raduan with a Japanese rider for Round 4 of the Petronas Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) in Japan this weekend.

The experienced 40-year-old Nobuyuki Osaki will take Iskandar's place in the SuperSports 600cc category when the race revs off at the Autopolis International Racing Course.

Osaki is a title contender in the MFJ All-Japan Championships and has almost two decades of racing experience under his belt.

Iskandar will remain with the team and continue to ride as a development rider in the Malaysian Super Series (MSS).

Petronas Yamaha Malaysia team coordinator Melvin Tan said that the switch was made to allow lead rider Mohd Zamri Baba gain as much assistance as possible from the combined expertise of trainer Youichi Ui and Osaki.

Former MotoGP rider Ui joined the team earlier in the season.

"We swapped Iskandar with Osaki because we wanted to get some strong results in Japan and start winning races," said Melvin.

"Osaki will be able help develop Zamri's skills and take the latter to a higher level and give him a fighting chance against Japanese riders.

"If Osaki can deliver the goods, we may take him on board for the rest of the year. Otherwise, Iskandar will resume his position in the team."

Japanese ace Katsuaki Fujiwara (Manual-Tech BEET Kawasaki Racing) leads the overall standings with 114.5 points.

He is followed by Boon Siew Honda Racing Malaysia's Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (84pts) and Zamri (65).

Aretha and Ainil finish joint top to make the cut for LPGA Malaysia

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 04:23 PM PDT

PETALING JAYA: Aretha Pan and Ainil Johani scored a similar eight-over 79s for the second day running to finish top of the local qualifying leaderboard and make the cut for next month's Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.

Thailand's Porani Chutichai and Tanaporn Kongkiatkrai both carded three-over 75s yesterday to also earn their places in the main Tour event as the regional qualifiers at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.

Porani had a two-day total of 148 and Tanaporn 149.

A total of 20 young players from Brunei, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia battled it out over two days in a bid to qualify for the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.

Only the top two local and regional players qualified for the prestigious tournament.

The Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia will be held at the same venue from Oct 13-16.

Eighteen-year-old Aretha said she was excited at the prospect of playing against the best players in the world at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.

"I can't believe I have qualified for the main event. But I'm extremely excited to return to the KLGCC next month as part of the cast for the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia," she said.

"I was very nervous going into the last few holes. My aim for the tournament proper is to finish inside the top 30, just like Kelly Tan did last year."

The 21-year-old Ainil, who only turned pro last year, is also looking forward to making her presence felt on the LPGA Tour event.

"I was hitting better today but didn't play well for a few holes. Luckily, I managed to recover and maintain my score," she said.

"This has given me a lot of confidence for the tournament proper. I can't wait to play in this year's Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia."

The two regional qualifier winners from Thailand were also pleased to have made the cut.

Porani said: "I was happy with my performance today (yesterday).

"Last year, I missed qualifying by a few strokes ... so it feels good to have made the cut this year.

"I know the course quite well and this will help me during the tournament. I am looking forward to being back here next month."

Tanaporn too could not hide her excitement.

"I played extremely well on the front nine and I am really excited to be playing in an LPGA tournament. I want to do my best and make my country proud," she said.

Arif slogs his way through as others enjoy breeze

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 04:22 PM PDT

PETALING JAYA: National back-up shuttler Mohd Arif Abdul Latif had to slog to clear his first round hurdle while a host of other national shuttlers breezed through in the Taiwan Open in Taipei yesterday.

Arif, who won the Kedah Open in July and who is looking to make a good impression in order to earn an international career breakthrough, found himself stretched by local lad Yang Chih Hsun before prevailing 21-15, 22-20.

He will face Hong Kong's Wei Nan in the second round.

Arif stands a good chance of making the quarter-finals after his expected second round opponent, 10th seed Ajay Jayaram of India, withdrew from the competition.

Another Malaysian who now has a better chance of going far is elite shuttler Chong Wei Feng.

Wei Feng, who also defeated local lad Tse Hsieh Feng, was supposed to meet second seed Park Sung-hwan of South Korea in the second round.

But the Korean also withdrew, leaving Wei Feng to face another Taiwanese Yang Chih Chieh.

Liew Daren, Chan Kwong Beng, Goh Soon Huat and former nationals Mohd Hafiz Hashim and K. Yogendran also progressed to the next round.

In the men's doubles, Lim Khim Wah-Goh V Shem continued their good run of form by smashing past compatriots Ong Jien Guo-Tan Aik Quan 21-13, 21-8.

They will be joined in the next round by Mak Hee Chun-Ong Soon Hock and Mohd Lufti Zaim-Vountus Indra Mawan.

However, Hee Chun-Soon Hock face an uphill task in the second round as they will be up against world No. 3 and top seeds Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung.

Malaysia's challenge in the women's singles fizzled out after Tee Jing Yi and Lydia Cheah failed to clear their first round hurdles, further highlighting Malaysia's lack of quality in that department.

In women's doubles, Woon Khe Wei-Vivian Hoo, Marylen Ng-Lim Yin Loo and the Ng sisters of Hui Lin-Hui Ern safely made it to the next round.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf


Maggie in the soup

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 03:08 AM PDT

Even before it's out, a rhyming 'diet' picture book targeting young kids has sparked outrage.

MESSAGES of good health and positive self-esteem for girls are not hard to come by in kid lit, so what's the deal with all the attention for a not-yet-published rhyming picture book about an obese, unhappy 14-year-old named Maggie?

The title, for starters: Maggie Goes On A Diet.

For seconds, like-wildfire circulation of a blurb describing how the bullied girl is transformed through time, exercise and hard work into a popular, confident and average size soccer star. And cover art showing her wistfully holding up a Cinderella dress as she stares at her imagined, much slimmer self in a full-length mirror.

And an inside page, the only one most people have seen, that shows her hunched over the fridge during a two-fisted eating binge.

Thirds? Real teenagers have long moved on from rhyming picture books and the reading level for Hawaii dad Paul Kramer's amateurish, self-published effort is recommended on Amazon for kids ages four to eight.

The online mess for Kramer began recently with outraged commenters on Amazon, where pre-orders have not propelled Maggie anywhere near the top of the rankings. There is now a "savemaggie" hashtag on Twitter, a "Say No to Maggie Goes On A Diet" Facebook page, calls for a boycott and demands that Amazon and Barnes & Noble pull the book.

Kramer will not disclose how many orders he has for Maggie, which will not be in circulation until next month. While most of the attention has been negative, he said, there are supporters, like this one who responded to a book basher on Twitter: "She's 14, not 6. Are you seriously suggesting that, with the obesity problem in this country (US), that a book teaching children to exercise and eat right, is somehow IMMORAL? I bet your fat."

Kramer, who went on Good Morning America and CNN to defend the book, already has regrets, although using the word "diet" is not one of them. Diet, he said, is not a dirty word as many of his angry critics have declared. Even for a book clearly most appropriate for little kids? He insists he didn't have four-year-olds in mind, thinking more along the lines of eight and up.

"The main message was that Maggie went on a diet predominantly because she loves sports and wanted to be able to run faster, bend more easily and be better able to play sports more effectively," Kramer told The Associated Press by phone from Maui, where he lives with his wife and soccer-loving 16-year-old son.

Kramer, who struggled with obesity as a child and a young adult and still works to keep the pounds off, wishes Maggie's fantasy self in the mirror had not been quite so thin on the book's cover. He also wishes her transformation through weight loss had not been quite so much: 51 pounds (23kg) in a little more than eight months.

"Now that I see the controversy I would say that I would have had her lose about 30 pounds (14kg) and still have a little way to go," said Kramer, who is neither a physician nor a nutrition expert.

He said he is just a guy who wants to inspire overweight kids to be healthy.

"I regret that people associated the word 'diet' as me trying to push dieting on four-year-olds and six-year-olds. I'm not," Kramer said. "To me, diet means a change of habits, eating nutritiously, losing unhealthy weight."

Leslie Sanders, medical director of the Eating Disorder Program at Goryeb Children's Center in Summit, New Jersey (US), thinks Kramer's references to dieting in a rhyming picture book featuring a teen girl are unfortunate. The same goes for the notion that a child's key to success, beauty and popularity is being thin.

"There's a mismatch here," Sanders said. "You've got a rhyming book you're reading to a four-year-old or a six-year-old about a teenager focused on weight and eating. Why should young children be thinking about weight? There's no reason to have literature about dieting for young children at all."

In addition, most little kids don't sit down as Maggie the teen does once her "diet" begins and whip up their own oatmeal with yogurt and fruit, or prepare their own turkey sandwich with mustard and lettuce, followed by a dinner of vegetables "with various proteins" as the book describes.

You know who makes those choices for little kids? Their parents, Sanders said. The ones that do not appear in the book about Maggie the red pigtailed teen. In fact, there are no adults in the book at all.

That disturbs Arden Greenspan-Goldberg, a New York City psychotherapist who specialises in eating disorders and has a 22-year-old daughter.

"As women and mothers, we have our work cut out for us," she said. "We hope that when our girls look in the mirror, they like what they see."

Contrary to the online flash mob, Maggie does stand up to her tormenters in her own sad, quiet way.

"Most of the time Maggie did not wish to respond or counterattack," Kramer writes. "On rare occasions Maggie got so mad she could not hold back. She said, 'Is your life so boring that you have nothing else better to do? How would you like it and how would you feel if everyone picked on you? So lose your stinger and make like a bee and buzz on through."'

Once Maggie drops the weight, she not only gains gal pals but enjoys the attention of, urg, guys, another little something that young girls do not really need to think about.

She also gets higher grades and is invited to her first sleepover, bringing along deodorant spray so she doesn't have to worry about leaving a smell when she uses the bathroom.

Meanwhile, back on the soccer field, the teen encounters a pudgy, smaller girl as she practises and offers some tips. "She reminded Maggie of how Maggie was before she lost the weight," Kramer writes.

The book concludes, as Maggie collects a soccer trophy: "It is sad that people are judged mainly because of how they look. A pretty cover does not necessarily guarantee a good book." – AP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Nation

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Nation


M'sian students in Syria to be evacuated

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 07:58 AM PDT

PETALING JAYA; The Government has decided to evacuate Malaysian students in Syria in view of the prevailing situation there, said the Foreign Ministry in a statement Wednesday.

The ministry also advised Malaysians to postpone unessential travel to Syria until the security situation normalised.

It said the Government was bringing the students back home as a precautionary measure to ensure their safety and security as well as avoid any untoward incidents.

"The evacuation process is to be done in stages, beginning from the middle of September.

"The entire exercise is being coordinated by the ministry and the National Security Council together with the Malaysian embassy in Damascus," said the statement.

The ministry said it was still closely monitoring the developments on the security situation in Syria following the on-going protests and demonstrations.

It added the embassy was also working closely with the Malaysian Students Association in Syria.

At present, all 220 Malaysian students registered with the embassy are safe.

Hazy days ahead

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 07:18 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: Some parts of the country will be experiencing hazy conditions for several days as no rain is expected those areas for five consecutive days.

The areas are Arau (Perlis), Kota Setar (Kedah), Seberang Perai Utara (Penang), Kinta and Manjung (Perak), Kepong, Klang, Petaling and Sabak Bernam (Selangor), Batu Pahat (Johor) and Miri (Sarawak), said the Meteorological Department in a statement Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Department of Environment (DOE) said hazy condition that enveloped the Klang Valley, northern states, Malacca, Negri Sembilan and several areas in Pahang in the morning was due haze from fires in Sumatra, Indonesia.

It urged the public to refrain from carrying out open burning and help put out small fire and report any open burning activities to the Fire and Rescue Department at 999 or the DOE at toll-free 1-800-88-2727.

Until 11am, the Air Pollutant Index (API) in 14 areas in the country recorded a good level and 38 a moderate level, said the DOE.

Among areas which recorded a moderate API level were Shah Alam, Selangor (84), Sekolah Kebangsaan Jalan Pegoh, Ipoh (83) and Port Klang (81) while good API level was registered in Sarikei (30), Sri Aman (31) and Kuching (32) (all Sarawak). - Bernama

Ministry to discuss safety guidelines with media employers

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 05:33 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Resources Ministry will discuss with media employers, creating guidelines to ensure the safety of journalists accompanying humanitarian aid missions abroad.

Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said the guidelines were to prevent media practitioners from becoming victims when covering events in high risk areas.

"Among aspects to be taken into account are the location, training needed and accuracy of information given to journalists before covering events.

"This is to ensure that employers provide the necessary equipment to safeguard the health and safety of journalists," he said after handing over RM1,500 funeral expenses by Social Security Organisation (Socso) to the heirs of BernamaTV cameraman Noramfaizul Mohd Nor at the family home here Wednesday.

Also present were his deputy, Datuk Maznah Mazlan and Putera 1Malaysia Club president Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim.

Since pressmen were constantly put at risk, he said the guidelines were to ensure that journalists took all safety measures to avoid the unfortunate incident that befell Noramfaizul.

"We want them to carry out duties in a safe condition because we want journalists to write and deliver news, not become part of the news," he said.

Noramfaizul, 39, died when hit by a sniper shot during Putera 1Malaysia Club humanitarian aid mission to help the people of famine-struck Somalia. - Bernama

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies


Pacino’s prize

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 04:47 AM PDT

Jessica Chastain inspired Al Pacino's Wilde Salome.

AL Pacino's movie Wilde Salome is a complicated examination of Oscar Wilde's once-forbidden play about illicit love and revenge. But his inspiration was simple: Jessica Chastain.

"There is Jessica Chastain, who I really believe is the reason I made the movie," Pacino said Sunday ahead of the film's long-awaited world premiere in a side event at the Venice Film Festival.

"As soon as I met her, and saw her, I thought: This is the person to play 'Salome' and I must get her to play it before the world picks up on her – which it has done – and turns her into the next big star."

Wilde Salome has been so long in the making that the role was Chastain's first on film. She is, of course, by now a familiar face to moviegoers, having appeared in Terrence Malick's recent sprawling drama The Tree Of Life and now in theatres with The Debt and The Help.

Chastain said she and Pacino workshopped the play for over a year, in New York and Los Angeles, then rehearsed for a month on stage before filming on a soundstage, which made her very familiar with the character.

"I was always thinking of Salome, and I was taking dance lessons, and everything I could do to try to approach it," she told a news conference in Venice.

The resulting film is a tour-de-force tribute to Oscar Wilde and Salome, the 1891 play that he originally wrote in French to tell the story of Herod's obsession for his wife's daughter, culminating with Salome's vengeful demand for the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter.

Pacino's Wilde Salome defies easy definition, weaving together a documentary on Wilde's life, footage of a reading of the play in Los Angeles and a film version of the play.

"It's not a documentary. It's not a film. It's a much more ambitious and complicated gesture of cinema," Pacino said. "I wanted to make a kind of collage."

The director acknowledged that his ambition left him unsure how to pull the project together – and he let it percolate for long periods. Wilde Salome is in the tradition of his 1996 film Looking For Richard, a documentary that Pacino said he directed in an attempt to make Shakespeare more accessible to Americans.

But Pacino said Wilde Salome is more personal.

"I think there was this idea of creating something that would reveal things about myself, also. Because I interject myself as a kind of goofy guy, or someone who is trying to deal with the process ... the creative process," Pacino said.

Pacino, the actor, appears as Herod in both the play reading performances staged at the Wadsworth Theatre, with the actors wearing modern clothes, and in the film version, which he said he intends to edit in its own right. He also pops up wearing a headdress and leading a camel through the desert in a Salome staging with a completely different cast.

Pacino, the filmmaker, travels to Dublin, London, Paris and New York as he pieces together Wilde's life story, interviewing such figures as Gore Vidal; Wilde's grandson, Merliln Holland; and Wilde aficionado and fellow Irishman Bono. Bono also agreed to allow the filmmakers to use for free his 12-year-old song Salome, which plays as the credits roll.

The most personal revealing moments, however, were when Pacino was shown puzzling through the process. After watching the first cut, he sat there not saying anything for a few moments, then stood up and announced the crew had more work to do and walked out.

"At one point, I said I wasn't going to look at the movie for five month because I didn't know where to go with it," Pacino said. "Finally, after five months I took a look and I sort of knew where to go. ... Part of my luck was it worked."

But he did learn one lesson.

"I tell you, I recommend having a script, to myself, too," Pacino said. "I say it every day, 'I'm going to have a script the next time.' If there is one."

In a ceremony in Venice on Sunday evening, Pacino was awarded the Jaeger-Lecoultre Glory to the Filmmaker 2011 prize, in recognition of his contributions to contemporary cinema. – AP

Epic proportion

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 04:46 AM PDT

Game Of Thrones has ample plot twists, cliff-hangers, political intrigue and brilliantly developed characters.

WHEN you play the game of thrones, you win, or you die. So says Cersei Lannister, one of the main characters of HBO's fantasy epic Game Of Thrones.

Similarly, when you adapt a book like A Game Of Thrones, you either win, or you fail spectacularly.

Fortunately, Game Of Thrones is one huge win for fans of medieval fantasy series, especially fans of George R. R. Martin's sprawling fantasy series A Song Of Ice And Fire. The production of the show is lavish and wonderfully detailed, and the cast is a brilliant ensemble of seasoned fantasy character actors and new faces.

As testament to just how good the show is, it was nominated for 13 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series, and Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series for Peter Dinklage. Not bad for a fantasy series, eh?

Based on the first book of Martin's series, Game Of Thrones is set in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, it revolves around the fortunes of one of the kingdom's main families, or "Houses" – House Stark, who reside in the Northern, wintry fortress of Winterfell.

Led by the lord of Winterfell, Eddard Stark (Sean Bean, formerly Boromir from Lord Of The Rings), the family includes Stark's wife Catelyn (Michelle Fairley) and their children – eldest son Robb (Richard Madden), the fair and Barbie-like Sansa (Sophie Turner), feisty tomboy Arya (Maisie Williams), adventurous Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) and the infant Rickon (Art Parkinson). Rounding up the family is one of the series' main protagonists, Lord Eddard's bastard son Jon Snow (Kit Harington).

After a somewhat slow but necessary introduction to House Stark, the story really starts to get going when the King of the Seven Kingdoms, Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy), visits Winterfell, and appoints Lord Stark to be his Hand (or advisor) at the kingdom's capital, King's Landing.

Among the king's entourage are his queen, Cersei (Lena Heady, who used to play Sarah Connor in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), and her two brothers from the rich, powerful and notoriously ruthless House Lannister – the dashing Jaime aka the Kingslayer (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and the cunning dwarf Tyrion (Peter Dinklage).

As events unfold, the Stark family is forced apart and the story separates into two main forks – one follows Lord Stark as he struggles with the political situation in King's Landing while the other focuses on Jon Snow, who decides to join the Sworn Brothers of the Night's Watch at The Wall, an imposing structure that protects the Seven Kingdoms from an unknown, ancient enemy that resides in the Northern lands beyond it.

Confused yet? Well, brace yourselves, there's more. Across the Narrow Sea on another continent, Viserys (Harry Lloyd) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), the exiled son and daughter of the deposed King Targaryen (the king that King Baratheon overthrew), hatch a plot to win back the throne that rightfully belongs to House Targaryen.

Viserys marries his sister off to Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa, otherwise known as the new Conan the Barbarian), the leader of the nomadic horsemen clan the Dothraki, in return for their allegiance.

Speaking as a fan of the novels myself (I happened to think it is one of the best modern fantasy series today), I was pleasantly surprised at how faithful the show is to Martin's plot. Despite the huge cast of characters and the numerous sub-plots, the show manages to keep the story relatively easy to follow by loosely mirroring Martin's technique of telling each "chapter" of the story from the point of view of a single character.

Be warned though, the show tends to be rather dialogue-heavy, especially in the first half of the season. However, it picks up significantly from episode six onwards, as the political intrigue is ramped up a notch, and backs start getting stabbed and the heads start rolling. It may not have as much magic and swordfights as you might expect from most fantasy movies or series, but it makes up for that with lots of twists, cliff-hangers, political intrigue, and brilliantly developed characters.

While most of the cast give great performances, the magnificently noble Bean obviously hogs most of the limelight in this first season (by the way, can someone please get him a happier role in a fantasy show next time?).

Heady also exudes venomous charm as the ruthless Cersei, while Aidan Gillen is brilliant as the deliciously scheming Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish, King Robert's Master of Coin.

One person, however, stands tall (figuratively speaking) amongst the rest of the cast – Dinklage, who thoroughly deserves his Emmy nomination as the silver-tongued Tyrion Lannister.

From the perspective of a fan of the book, it does tend to give one a sense of immense dread while you're watching it, since I also happened to be reading the latest book, A Dance With Dragons. It was even more distressing to see events from the first book unfold on the TV screen, especially when you already know the (often tragic) fate of many of the characters throughout the series.

Still, whether or not you are a fan of the books, Game Of Thrones is still a triumph for fantasy adaptations. It proves that a medieval fantasy series doesn't have to be all about long-drawn battle scenes or over-the-top magical antics. Looks like HBO has won the game of thrones after all. Now let's see how they'll do next season with A Clash Of Kings

> Two new episodes of Game Of Thrones premiere every Sunday. Repeats are on Wednesdays at 10pm and 11pm (HBO and HBO HD, respectively).

Highlights at Venice

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 02:58 AM PDT

THE 2011 Venice film festival which opened last Wednesday comes to a close on Saturday. After last year's low-key affair, this year has seen a flurry A-list stars on the red carpet and several eagerly awaited productions making their debuts.

These are some of the noteworthy movies that are making their presence felt:

> Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: Swedish director Tomas Alfredson tackles John Le Carre's 1974 classic Cold War spy thriller, with a stellar cast including Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and John Hurt. British viewers will inevitably compare it to the classic television version featuring Alec Guinness as George Smiley, the espionage veteran brought out of semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent who has infiltrated British intelligence.

> Wuthering Heights: British festival favourite Andrea Arnold gives her take on the Emily Bronte novel, which was famously adapted in 1939 in a version starring Laurence Olivier as Heathcliff. On the festival's website, the director hints in a statement that this will be a hard-hitting version: "The novel by Emily Bronte is full of violence, death and cruelty. Living with that for the last 18 months has been hard.''

> The Ides of March: George Clooney was handed the coveted opening film slot for his movie based on Beau Willimon's play Farragut North. The film is set in the near future in the world of American politics during the Democratic primaries for the presidential election. Ryan Gosling potrays an idealistic young press secretary to governor Mike Morris (Clooney) who is drawn into a dangerous game of deceit and corruption.

> A Dangerous Method: David Cronenberg renews his partnership with actor Viggo Mortensen for this "dark tale of sexual and intellectual discovery'' based on the lives of fledgling psychiatrist Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and his mentor Sigmund Freud (Mortensen). Between them comes the beautiful Sabina Spielrein, played by Keira Knightley, based on the real-life psychoanalyst rumoured to have had an affair with Jung.

> Killer Joe: William Friedkin, the American director behind such classics as The French Connection and The Exorcist, is in Venice with Killer Joe about a detective, played by Matthew McConaughey, who is also a hit man for hire. In his director's statement, Friedkin calls it a Cinderella story and, despite its dark themes, "quite humorous.''

> Carnage: Franco-Polish director Roman Polanski worked on the script of Carnage while under house arrest in Switzerland in 2010. The 78-year-old behind movies Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby was freed after the Swiss authorities decided not to extradite him to the United States, where he was wanted for sentencing for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977 in Los Angeles.

Unsurprisingly, Polanski is not expected to leave France for Italy to attend the world premiere, although members of his cast including Kate Winslet and Jodie Foster are.

The movie is about two sets of New York parents who meet up after their children are involved in a brawl.

> Faust: Russian filmmaker Alexander Sokurov is a favourite on the European festival circuit for movies like the single-take Russian Ark and his "power trilogy'' based on the lives of Hitler, Lenin and Hirohito.

In fact, Sokurov has called Faust the fourth instalment in the series, adding: "The symbolic image of Faust completes this series of great gamblers who lost the most important wagers of their lives.''

> Tahrir 2011 (out of competition): A three-part documentary on the recent revolution in Egypt is likely to generate significant media interest given the relevance of the subject matter to what is happening in north Africa today. The film is divided into three parts - The Good, The Bad, The Politician - all directed by different people.

> La Desintegration: Philippe Faucon, a Morocco-born French director, is the latest film maker to tackle the theme of radical Islam. Set in contemporary Lille, three young Muslims get to know the older Djamel who gradually "indoctrinates'' them. Faucon has criticised cinema's treatment of the subject, and said he believed that society was, at least in part, to blame for extremist religious views and acts. "In my film, the radical, violent shift also has a metaphorical sense: it is the symptom that reveals a fatal condition in society.''

> W.E.: Pop superstar Madonna presented her second feature film, loosely based on American divorcee Wallis Simpson whose relationship with King Edward VIII led him to abdicate the throne in 1936.

Madonna's track record on the big screen has been patchy, with her performance as Eva Peron in Evita lauded but that in erotic thriller Body Of Evidence derided. Her directorial debut, the 2008 comedy drama Filth And Wisdom, was generally poorly received by critics. – Reuters

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: Central

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Metro: Central


Watch brand gaining popularity in Asian market

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 04:37 AM PDT

MIDO is making its comeback into the Asian market with the same promise of high-quality automatic watches, timeless design and value for money.

The brand was founded in 1918 by Swiss watchmaker Georges Schaeren, who aptly gave a name that meant "I Measure" in Spanish.

Fifty years later, Schaeren's watches could be found in 111 countries. They were in demand in Columbia and soon expanded to the rest of the Latin American region and then entered the Asian market.

It had pulled out of Asia in the 1970s to restructure itself but things have been looking up since 2000 when Mido was relaunched in China, followed Malaysia about five years ago.

Mido president Franz Hugo Linder, who was in the country for a visit recently, shared his thoughts on the brand.

"Mido is a brand for someone who wants good watches but does not want to show off. The technology in our watches are at par with the top-notch brands but much more affordable.

"Every brand holds certain value and creates an image for itself. Mido stands for high quality, value-for-money Swiss watches," he said.

Linder said Mido was well known for COSC-certified chronometer mechanical watches.

"Going back into its history, one of the milestones was certainly in 1934 when Mido invented a special system for water-resistant watches. This was timely as one the main problems those days was water-resistance and Mido invented the concept where the crown opening is protected by a special piece of cork absolutely tight similar to the concept of a cork in a bottle of wine.

"This was a breakthrough and thus the slogan for Mido those days was "The King of Water-proof Watches," which really helped the brand to expand into many countries, especially countries with high humidity.

"Consecutively, its first collection, Multifort was launched which carved its reputation for having masculine water-resistant watches. From then on, every timepiece was built based on the concept of robustness, water-resistance and reliability," he said.

"In the following decades, a few other collections were added, such as Ocean Star Captain, Baroncelli and Commander -- all carrying the same concept which is robust and solid masculine water-resistant watches until today," he added.

Mido also caters to the ladies and each collection comes with a selection of ladies' models.

"We do have a lot of elegant ladies' models but the market is now leaning more towards quartz watches in the contemporary fashion," said Linder.

"Our designs are classic. If you buy one now, you can still wear it 20 years down the road and not feel or look outdated because the design is such. You can even pass it down to your children one day. Good quality watches last a long time while with some fancy design, you will not want to wear it after two years because it does not fit your style anymore even if it has high technology.

"Good quality watches should have a timeless design and it complements the wearer's personality; this is where we stand.

"The watch business is about long-term credibility and instilling confidence in customers," he said.

"For Malaysia, our target market are those 25 years old and above, and doing well in life, but it can be anyone really.

"In Germany, we have many doctors and engineers who are fans of Mido watches. It is of matter of personality, some choose certain brand based on status and some don't," he said.

"It will be a perfect gift for parents to buy for their children after graduation, and the Mido watch can still be worn three decades later," he added.

Mido is a brand under Swatch Group Malaysia. Its watches are priced from RM2,000 to RM8,300. For more information, visit www.mido.ch

Step up efforts to save the mangroves

Posted: 07 Sep 2011 04:33 AM PDT

I NOTE with concern the continued destruction of mangrove forests in Sepang, as highlighted by StarMetro on Aug 4.

The fact that these forests are outside the administrative boundaries of the Forestry Department does not detract from the ecological and environmental importance of mangroves as a coastal buffer zone.

We further note that the Sepang District Local Plan 2015 zones the coastal mangrove area as a foreshore reserve (Rezab Pantai) and as an environmentally sensitive delta (KSAS Delta).

The local plan states that mangroves in the area should be protected to guard against coastal erosion.

Clearing of mangroves in these areas should at the very least have required an preliminary environmental impact assessment (PEIA) but no PEIA study appears to have been carried out.

As a Malaysian and a member of the oldest environmental NGO in the country, I trust that the authorities will ensure that future development does not encroach on these valuable coastal forests.

HENRY GOH

Chairman,

Malaysian Nature Society,

Selangor Branch

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my
 

The Star Online

Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved