Rabu, 21 Ogos 2013

The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates


Chinese court shows first picture of ousted politician Bo Xilai

Posted:

JINAN, China (Reuters) - A Chinese court showed the first picture of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai in 17 months as he appeared at the start of his trial on Thursday.

The picture, issued by the Jinan court in eastern China and shown on state media, showed a clean-shaven Bo standing in the dock without handcuffs, his hands crossed in front of him, and flanked by two policemen.

(Reporting by John Ruwitch and Judy Hua; Editing by Ron Popeski)

China's Bo Xilai goes on trial, culmination of dramatic fall

Posted:

JINAN, China (Reuters) - Fallen Chinese politician Bo Xilai appeared in public for the first time in more than a year on Thursday to face trial in eastern China, the final chapter of the country's most politically charged case in more than three decades.

Bo, the 64-year old former Communist Party chief of the south-western metropolis of Chongqing, has been charged with bribery, corruption and abuse of power and will almost certainly be found guilty.

His trial in the city of Jinan marks the culmination of China's biggest political scandal since the 1976 downfall of the Gang of Four at the end of the Cultural Revolution. It has pitted supporters of his Maoist-themed egalitarian social programmes against the capitalist-leaning economic road taken by the Beijing leadership, exposing divisions within the ruling Communist Party as well as Chinese society.

President Xi Jinping, who is embarking on an ambitious plan to rebalance the world's second-biggest economy, will be keen to put the trial behind him with a minimum of fuss to ensure stability and party unity.

Bo's trial will last for two days and the verdict is likely to be in early September, state broadcaster CCTV said.

The Jinan Intermediate Court said on its microblog feed that Bo, five of his family members and 19 journalists attended the hearing. It did not give details, but CCTV said over 100 people attended the trial, filling the courtroom.

A handful of Bo's supporters protested outside the courthouse to denounce what they said was politically motivated persecution, a second day of protests, prompting police to hustle them away.

One protester held a sign that said: "The Chongqing experience is good for the country and the people, common prosperity is what the people want". Another held up a photo of Mao Zedong.

Police blocked entry to the courthouse and lined roads leading to the courthouse and blocked its two gates. Dozens of journalists stood in a box that was cordoned off for the media across the street.

Bo was charged with receiving about 21.8 million yuan ($3.56 million) in bribes from Xu Ming, a plastics-to-property entrepreneur who is a close friend, and Tang Xiaolin, the general manager of Hong Kong-based export company Dalian International Development Ltd, the court said.

He received the bribes through his wife, Gu Kailai, and his son, Bo Guagua, it said, citing the indictment.

This is the first time that authorities have named the younger Bo in the case against his father. Guagua is now in the United States, preparing for a law degree at Columbia University.

The charge of abuse of power against Bo relates to the murder case involving Gu, the court said.

Bo was a fast-rising star in China's leadership circles when his career was stopped short last year by a murder scandal involving Gu was accused, and later convicted, of the November 2011 murder of British businessman Neil Heywood, a business partner and family friend.

Bo's former police chief in Chongqing, Wang Lijun, has also been jailed for trying to cover up the case. Bo was furious with Wang when he was told that his wife was a murder suspect, and sacked him despite not having party authority to do so, sources with knowledge of the case have said.

Neither did he report the matter to his bosses in Beijing, all of which helped lead to the abuse of power charge, they said.

How Bo pleads to the charges will be keenly watched.

A guilty plea would almost certainly signal he has worked out a deal for leniency, but he's likely to plead not guilty to the abuse of power charge in an apparent bid to show that he is a victim of a power struggle, according to a source with ties to the leadership.

Nevertheless he has been seen by his backers as the victim of a power struggle. Bo's downfall has triggered heated debate between his leftist followers, who are nostalgic for the revolutionary ideals of the Mao Zedong era, and reformers, who advocate faster political and economic change.

"I think it is very clear for Chinese people so far that Bo Xilai is the loser of a power struggle but he did something right at least for the people of Chongqing and Dalian, so he still enjoys quite high popularity among certain sectors of the Chinese populace," said Bo Zhiyue, a professor of Chinese politics at the National University of Singapore.

"That makes the whole trial very, very difficult."

ILLEGAL TRIAL

"When comrade Bo Xilai was put under house arrest, it was a violation of the party charter and when he was handed over to the justice system it was a violation of the constitution," said a protester from Chongqing surnamed Li on Wednesday.

"This trial is illegal. We don't believe in any outcome of this trial."

Bo could face a death sentence for his charges, though it is more likely he could be given a suspended death sentence, which effectively means life imprisonment, or a 20-year term.

The trial will be closely watched as a test case of China's commitment to the rule of law, especially whether Bo will be given a chance to defend himself.

Yet his guilt is an almost foregone conclusion given that China's prosecutors and courts come under Communist Party control and courts have a 98 percent conviction rate.

Analysts say Bo's trial could have started only after he cooperated with the authorities, but how he will behave in court will be a question mark.

"Bo Xilai may not be as cooperative as his wife and you can't have a completely secret trial," said Cheng Li, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington. "I don't know how the leadership will handle that dilemma."

The new administration of President Xi, who formally took the reins of state power in March, will likely trumpet Bo's case as a success in its fight against deep-rooted corruption.

Xi has vowed to fight both "tigers" and "flies" - in other words people at every level of the party - as he combats graft so serious that he has warned it threatens the Communist Party's very survival.

Bo has not been able to respond to the accusations against him. In March 2012, at a news conference days before his dismissal, Bo scorned as nonsense unspecified accusations of misdeeds by his wife and said people were pouring "filth on my family".

($1 = 6.1234 Chinese yuan)

(Additional reporting by Judy Hua in JINAN and Sui-Lee Wee, Hui Li and Ben Blanchard in BEIJING, Writing by Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Ben Blanchard and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Abuse of power charge against China's Bo relates to murder case involving wife

Posted:

JINAN, China (Reuters) - The charge of abuse of power against ousted former politician Bo Xilai relates to the murder case involving his wife, a court in eastern China said on Thursday.

Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, was found guilty last year of the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.

Bo's former police chief, Wang Lijun, reported his suspicions about Gu to Bo, but Bo "boxed his ears", according to previous official accounts of Wang's trial last year.

According to sources, Bo was required by Communist Party rules to report the incident to central authorities in Beijing, meaning his failure to do so constituted a challenge to the party's top leadership.

(Reporting by John Ruwitch and Judy Hua; Editing by Jason Subler)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

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The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews


LiLo comes clean

Posted:

Lindsay Lohan says she's an addict, aims "to shut up and listen".

Weeks after finishing her sixth trip to rehab, actress Lindsay Lohan said in an interview that she was an addict and realises she needs "to shut up and listen" because her approach to dealing with personal problems had not worked.

"I'm my own worst enemy, and I know that and I admit it," Lohan, 27, told Oprah Winfrey in an interview on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). She said she only realised she had a problem "over a period of time" rather than at any one moment.

Asked whether she was an addict, Lohan replied "Yeah", adding that her drug of choice was alcohol, which she said had been a "gateway to other things". Lohan, who shot to fame as a child star in The Parent Trap before huge success in hit films such as Mean Girls, has seen her image tarnished by a string of arrests, court appearances, bouts in rehab and a stint in prison, not to mention nearly continuous media coverage of the scandals.

She recently sought treatment at the Betty Ford Center, then finished treatment at another facility. Lohan told Winfrey she had often felt shame, and "tons of guilt" over her frequent relapses with substance abuse, public quarrels with her parents and scrapes with the law. When Winfrey asked what was different about this latest time in rehab, Lohan said that she no longer takes adderal, which she took for ADD (attention deficit disorder), saying being on the drug was "all I know" but that she was now calmer without it.

Lohan said she now only takes vitamins. And she said her attitude had evolved. "I just need to shut up and listen. In this case (in rehab) I wasn't fighting at all," she said, adding that it was clear that her idea of what works hasn't in the past. Lohan spoke of a life steeped in chaos, starting with her home life, although she differed with a common perception that her parents had exploited her talents for financial gain.

"Nobody's perfect," she said of her parents, themselves tabloid fodder, adding "I love my family".

"I don't think anything was intentionally done ... they're just parents," Lohan said when Winfrey asked about the possibility of her parents having exploited her. "I don't blame anyone for my mistakes," she added.

"I did that, and I'm not proud of it." But Lohan said she felt many of her demons have endured due to "all the chaos around me, that I was so comfortable with." Since completing a court-ordered 90-day stint in rehab on July 31, the actress has enlisted a "sober coach" to help her stay clean and guest-hosted comedienne Chelsea Handler's talk show Chelsea Lately on US cable network E!.

Her latest film, The Canyons, was excoriated by critics, but many praised her performance. Lohan, who will also be the subject of a reality series on OWN next year, is required to attend weekly therapy sessions over the next 15 months to comply with a court order for a reckless driving charge. — Reuters

New 'Agent Carter' clip

Posted:

Agent Peggy Carter is back. 

Marvel Studios has released a new clip from its "One-Shot" film Agent Carter, which sees Hayley Atwell reprising her role as the character, Peggy Carter.

Agent Carter is set one year after the events in Captain America: The First Avenger: Peggy has just been tranferred to a new agency and her boss (Bradley Whitford) is not all that nice. In the snippet Peggy seems to have found ... something and someone.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Nation

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The Star Online: Nation


Descendants pay tribute to grandfather

Posted:

SUNGAI SIPUT: Ever since SJK(C) Hing Wa headmaster Yin Chun Chu was executed by soldiers during the Japanese Occupation, his family members in Zhejiang province, China, had been clueless on his whereabouts.

It was not until three years ago that his grandchildren came across an historical article, which recorded their grandfather's sacrifice in the then Malaya on the Internet.

Yesterday, 16 of Yin's grandchildren from China gathered at the school in Salak Utara new village here to pay their respects to the man whom they had never met before.

One of Yin's grandsons, Jian Zhong, 51, said he was glad to have had the chance to visit the village where his grandfather served as an educator.

"We learned about his contributions to the school and Chinese education from his pupils and local historians. We are proud of him," he said, adding that the descendants were dispersed to different parts of China, many settling down in Shanghai and Xiamen.

Today, Jian Zhong and his cousins will visit Taiping Lake, where his grandfather was executed.

Yin came to Salak Selatan in 1936, leaving his wife, two daughters and son back in China.

A simple memorial service to commemorate Yin's service was also held by both SJK(C) Hing Wa and the villagers during his grandchildren's visit to the school.

Ong Kah Khoon, one of Yin's pupils who attended the ceremony, recalled the man as a patient headmaster who cared greatly for his pupils.

"He would conduct tuition classes for Standard Five and Standard Six pupils at the teachers' hostel every night. That was why many upper primary pupils excelled in their examinations," he said.

Ong, 82, said they believed that Yin, who was an influential figure in Chinese education, was executed because he refused to become a pawn for the Japanese soldiers.

"In doing so, he upheld his beliefs," he said.

State speaker turns down Pakatans request

Posted:

NUSAJAYA: The Johor Opposition assemblymen had hoped that the proceedings in the state assembly would be streamed live through the Internet.

But, after Mengkibol assemblyman Tan Hong Ping of the DAP had installed a device in the media room of the state assembly building to allow the live streaming, a state assembly official told him to remove the device.

"We had previously made a verbal request to the Speaker to stream the proceedings live on Aug 14.

"However, he declined without providing a proper explanation," said Tan when met outside the media room yesterday.

He said that it was regrettable that the live streaming was not allowed as it was intended to allow the public to gauge for themselves the issues which were raised by the assemblymen.

"We had previously tried to provide live feed on Monday, but failed due to poor Internet connection," he added.

Tan said that the live feed was meant to be aired on the Opposition's UbahTV and on the DAP Johor Youth's website.

"We will submit a written request to ask for permission to conduct live streaming from the state assembly soon," he added.

Officials from the state assembly were also seen entering the media room to check if any electronic devices had been connected to the live feed wires channeled into the room. 

Suraya confirms intention to go for Wanita Umno No. 2 post

Posted:

ALOR SETAR: Kedah exco member Datuk Suraya Yaakob has reaffirmed her intention to contest for the Wanita Umno deputy chief's post.

She denied that she would be in the same team as former Puteri Umno chief and Pengerang MP Datuk Azalina Othman Said, who is going for the Wanita chief's post.

Suraya, who is Sungai Tiang assemblyman, said although Azalina was her former chief in Puteri Umno, this did not mean that they would be in same team for this party election.

"Whoever is elected Wanita chief must accept the person chosen as her deputy. If we follow a certain team, it will be difficult for delegates to choose.

"It is better that the delegates choose based on the credibility of the candidates," she told a press conference here yesterday.

Suraya, 44, said so far only she and Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Minister Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun had announced their intention to contest for the Wanita Umno number two post.

Suraya is currently a Wanita Umno exco member.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies


LiLo comes clean

Posted:

Lindsay Lohan says she's an addict, aims "to shut up and listen".

Weeks after finishing her sixth trip to rehab, actress Lindsay Lohan said in an interview that she was an addict and realises she needs "to shut up and listen" because her approach to dealing with personal problems had not worked.

"I'm my own worst enemy, and I know that and I admit it," Lohan, 27, told Oprah Winfrey in an interview on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). She said she only realised she had a problem "over a period of time" rather than at any one moment.

Asked whether she was an addict, Lohan replied "Yeah", adding that her drug of choice was alcohol, which she said had been a "gateway to other things". Lohan, who shot to fame as a child star in The Parent Trap before huge success in hit films such as Mean Girls, has seen her image tarnished by a string of arrests, court appearances, bouts in rehab and a stint in prison, not to mention nearly continuous media coverage of the scandals.

She recently sought treatment at the Betty Ford Center, then finished treatment at another facility. Lohan told Winfrey she had often felt shame, and "tons of guilt" over her frequent relapses with substance abuse, public quarrels with her parents and scrapes with the law. When Winfrey asked what was different about this latest time in rehab, Lohan said that she no longer takes adderal, which she took for ADD (attention deficit disorder), saying being on the drug was "all I know" but that she was now calmer without it.

Lohan said she now only takes vitamins. And she said her attitude had evolved. "I just need to shut up and listen. In this case (in rehab) I wasn't fighting at all," she said, adding that it was clear that her idea of what works hasn't in the past. Lohan spoke of a life steeped in chaos, starting with her home life, although she differed with a common perception that her parents had exploited her talents for financial gain.

"Nobody's perfect," she said of her parents, themselves tabloid fodder, adding "I love my family".

"I don't think anything was intentionally done ... they're just parents," Lohan said when Winfrey asked about the possibility of her parents having exploited her. "I don't blame anyone for my mistakes," she added.

"I did that, and I'm not proud of it." But Lohan said she felt many of her demons have endured due to "all the chaos around me, that I was so comfortable with." Since completing a court-ordered 90-day stint in rehab on July 31, the actress has enlisted a "sober coach" to help her stay clean and guest-hosted comedienne Chelsea Handler's talk show Chelsea Lately on US cable network E!.

Her latest film, The Canyons, was excoriated by critics, but many praised her performance. Lohan, who will also be the subject of a reality series on OWN next year, is required to attend weekly therapy sessions over the next 15 months to comply with a court order for a reckless driving charge. — Reuters

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: Central

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The Star Online: Metro: Central


Endangered Giant Ibis found in Cambodia nesting grounds

Posted:

PHNOM PENH: Jubilant conservationists expressed hope for the survival of the critically-endangered Giant Ibis after a nest of the bird species was discovered in a previously unknown habitat in northeastern Cambodia.

Habitat loss and poaching has pushed the Giant Ibis to the edge of extinction, with around only 345 of the reclusive creatures – distinctive for their bald heads and long beaks – left anywhere in the world, 90% of them in Cambodia.

A farmer in Cambodia's Stung Treng province discovered the nesting site a few kilometres inland in the biodiverse Mekong Flooded Forest area last month, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said in a statement.

An inspection team from the WWF later saw an adult bird sitting on the nest with two eggs.

"The discovery of the Giant Ibis nest on the Mekong is extremely significant because it provides hope for the species' survival," said Sok Ko, Forestry Adminis­tration official and Bird Nest Project officer with WWF. — AFP

Changi's new jewel set to soar

Posted:

Changi Airport's newest "Jewel" will be designed by the man behind Singapore's other architectural gem, the iconic Marina Bay Sands.

World-renowned Canadian architect Moshe Safdie, 75, will lead a team to design a "stunning glass and steel facade that presents an impressive view of the complex – from both Airport Boulevard and the sky", said Changi Airport.

The multi-storey complex, which features a waterfall as high as five storeys within a lush indoor garden, will also be a hub connecting the airport's three main terminals by foot. Currently, the only way to get from Terminal 1 to T2 and T3 is by skytrain.

To be built by 2018 where T1's open-air carpark is now located, the project – currently codenamed "Jewel" – marks Changi's first build-and-manage partnership with a private firm.

The airport is in talks with CapitaMalls Asia to set up a joint-venture entity which will construct and run the new complex.

Changi Airport Group (CAG) will own a majority share, its spokesman Ivan Tan said, but did not divulge numbers. The cost for Jewel has not been finalised.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who spoke of the project during Sunday's National Day Rally, called it "something special".

But Jewel is not just about lush gardens, dining and shopping. It signifies yet another step by Changi Airport to cement its position as the region's preferred airport hub amid tough competition from rivals such as Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Bangkok's Suvarnabhu­mi.

Jewel, said CAG chief executive officer Lee Seow Hiang, is a product "that will swing travellers to choose Changi Airport, and Singapore". He added: "We must take deliberate steps to enhance Changi's attractiveness."

As part of the Jewel project, T1's arrival hall, baggage claim areas and taxi bays will be expanded, and handling capacity raised from 21 to 24 million passengers a year.

Changi can currently handle up to 66 million passengers a year, but this will increase to 85 million when the new Terminal 4 and T1 expansion are completed by 2018.

A fifth terminal will also be ready by the middle of the next decade, while Singapore is planning a third and fourth runway.

Other airports are also expanding.

Hong Kong wants a third runway and is boosting terminal capacity to handle about 100 million passengers a year by 2030.

South Korea's Incheon Airport, too, is transforming itself into an "airport city", with recreational facilities such as a fashion complex, an amusement park and a concert hall that can seat 50,000.

Project Jewel will help keep Changi exciting, say observers.

UOB Kay Hian aviation expert K. Ajith said of the potential tie-up with CapitaMalls: "Since the complex is likely to have sizeable retail space, it makes sense for Changi to partner a firm that has good experience managing malls."

By splitting the cost, he added, the airport can also reserve funds for future infrastructure projects. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: South & East

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The Star Online: Metro: South & East


Endangered Giant Ibis found in Cambodia nesting grounds

Posted:

PHNOM PENH: Jubilant conservationists expressed hope for the survival of the critically-endangered Giant Ibis after a nest of the bird species was discovered in a previously unknown habitat in northeastern Cambodia.

Habitat loss and poaching has pushed the Giant Ibis to the edge of extinction, with around only 345 of the reclusive creatures – distinctive for their bald heads and long beaks – left anywhere in the world, 90% of them in Cambodia.

A farmer in Cambodia's Stung Treng province discovered the nesting site a few kilometres inland in the biodiverse Mekong Flooded Forest area last month, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said in a statement.

An inspection team from the WWF later saw an adult bird sitting on the nest with two eggs.

"The discovery of the Giant Ibis nest on the Mekong is extremely significant because it provides hope for the species' survival," said Sok Ko, Forestry Adminis­tration official and Bird Nest Project officer with WWF. — AFP

Changi's new jewel set to soar

Posted:

Changi Airport's newest "Jewel" will be designed by the man behind Singapore's other architectural gem, the iconic Marina Bay Sands.

World-renowned Canadian architect Moshe Safdie, 75, will lead a team to design a "stunning glass and steel facade that presents an impressive view of the complex – from both Airport Boulevard and the sky", said Changi Airport.

The multi-storey complex, which features a waterfall as high as five storeys within a lush indoor garden, will also be a hub connecting the airport's three main terminals by foot. Currently, the only way to get from Terminal 1 to T2 and T3 is by skytrain.

To be built by 2018 where T1's open-air carpark is now located, the project – currently codenamed "Jewel" – marks Changi's first build-and-manage partnership with a private firm.

The airport is in talks with CapitaMalls Asia to set up a joint-venture entity which will construct and run the new complex.

Changi Airport Group (CAG) will own a majority share, its spokesman Ivan Tan said, but did not divulge numbers. The cost for Jewel has not been finalised.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who spoke of the project during Sunday's National Day Rally, called it "something special".

But Jewel is not just about lush gardens, dining and shopping. It signifies yet another step by Changi Airport to cement its position as the region's preferred airport hub amid tough competition from rivals such as Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Bangkok's Suvarnabhu­mi.

Jewel, said CAG chief executive officer Lee Seow Hiang, is a product "that will swing travellers to choose Changi Airport, and Singapore". He added: "We must take deliberate steps to enhance Changi's attractiveness."

As part of the Jewel project, T1's arrival hall, baggage claim areas and taxi bays will be expanded, and handling capacity raised from 21 to 24 million passengers a year.

Changi can currently handle up to 66 million passengers a year, but this will increase to 85 million when the new Terminal 4 and T1 expansion are completed by 2018.

A fifth terminal will also be ready by the middle of the next decade, while Singapore is planning a third and fourth runway.

Other airports are also expanding.

Hong Kong wants a third runway and is boosting terminal capacity to handle about 100 million passengers a year by 2030.

South Korea's Incheon Airport, too, is transforming itself into an "airport city", with recreational facilities such as a fashion complex, an amusement park and a concert hall that can seat 50,000.

Project Jewel will help keep Changi exciting, say observers.

UOB Kay Hian aviation expert K. Ajith said of the potential tie-up with CapitaMalls: "Since the complex is likely to have sizeable retail space, it makes sense for Changi to partner a firm that has good experience managing malls."

By splitting the cost, he added, the airport can also reserve funds for future infrastructure projects. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Number of Chinese drug abusers on the rise

Posted:

The rising number of Chinese drug abusers and Ice were among the points of concern when the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) released its mid-year drug situation report.

The overall number of Chinese drug abusers surged by 19% in the first six months of this year, from 522 in the same period last year, to 621.

The number of new Chinese drug abusers arrested also rose by 24%, from 151 to 187.

Statistics also showed that the total number of abusers arrested for Ice has gone up – from 519 in the first six months of last year, to 564 in the same period this year.

Ice, Singapore's second-most abused drug after heroin, is a well-known party drug said to be popular with youngsters.

Heroin and methamphetamine are the two most popular drugs of choice among Chinese abusers, at a combined 86%. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health

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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health


Leech me healthy

Posted:

Russian leech farm supplies doctors who trust this ancient therapy.

YELENA Titova shakes a jar holding a few dozen leeches writhing in slightly murky water. When one of them sinks to the bottom, motionless, she plunges her hand in and retrieves the late bloodsucker.

She doesn't mind when the survivors try to latch on to her – in fact, she quite likes it. Titova's title is quality-control chief at the International Medical Leech Center, where she has worked for 28 years. But really, she says, she's a nurturer.

"All our leech growers are women, because you can tend to leeches with love and care only if you have a motherly instinct," she says. "Men are no good for this job."

Titova's breeding facility in this quiet, drab town produces as many as three million leeches a year for sale to medical clinics in Russia and nearby countries.

Located in an industrial area about 32km southeast of Moscow, it's one of the oldest and largest leech-farming operations in the world.

In Russia, tens of thousands of patients undergo treatment with hirudo medicinalis and their anticoagulant saliva for anything from infertility to high blood pressure. 

In Russia, tens of thousands of patients undergo treatment with hirudo medicinalis and their anticoagulant saliva for anything from infertility to high blood pressure. — MCT

The creatures may spark revulsion in much of the West, but in Russia, the ancient practice of leech therapy remains a common form of medical care, with tens of thousands of patients undergoing treatment with hirudo medicinalis and their anticoagulant saliva for anything from infertility to high blood pressure.

Because of the higher costs for more modern forms of medication, and a healthy fear of swallowing the bogus pills that have proliferated here, many Russians and their doctors continue to swear by the dark brown worms.

Titova, 52, explains that other companies in Russia and Europe collect wild leeches and grow them in open-air reservoirs. That's not her style.

"Our production is all indoors and all year round," she says during a tour of the farm. "We have everything here: a mating section, a breeding section, a cocoon section where mother leeches produce offspring."

She mentions that the facility once provided leeches for the dictator Josef Stalin, who used them to treat headaches and depression.

"You can only imagine the fear and horror the doctors administering leeches to this madman felt, as any painful sensation, any inconvenience, could cost them their lives," she says. "Luckily, Stalin felt good after each such treatment, and our farm got a future."

The short and sturdily built Titova sniffs at modern breeding techniques that involve big aquariums and computerised sensors, saying they can't detect sick or dying leeches.

As she passes through a section of the plant, she smells the air, then shakes her head. She calls out to a nearby leech tender, revealing her tendency to treat leeches as human: "Funny smell. Did someone die here?"

Yuri Kuranov, 55, a successful Moscow businessman, has used leeches periodically for the last seven years to treat a urinary condition.

He reclines comfortably on a couch in a private medical clinic in southwest Moscow. His eyes closed, a contented smile on his lips, he appears oblivious to the slimy creatures crawling below his exposed belly button.

"It is like a mosquito bite," Kuranov says as eight leeches do their work. "I understand it is mostly a psychological phenomenon, but almost immediately I start feeling as if a new life force is flowing up and down my veins and arteries."

In the United States, the use of leeches is rare, although they are an FDA-approved medical device (as are maggots). They're considered invaluable among some plastic and orthopaedic surgeons, and are occasionally used to maintain circulation after the reattachment of fingers, hands and scalps.

"When there's a crisis and you can't structurally repair blood vessels, we call our friends the leeches," said Dr. L. Scott Levin, chairman of orthopedic surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

The farm at Udelnaya typically sells the leeches for US$1.50 (RM4.65) apiece, and anywhere from one to 10 may be prescribed to feast on a patient, depending on the condition. Most of the leeches sold for medical use are one to two inches long. The breeder leeches are (somewhat alarmingly) larger.

After being hatched in specially built boxes filled with peat to mimic the wet turf the mother leeches burrow into in nature, the babies are placed in the jars, about 1,000 to a container. The jars fill five production shops on the farm.

The leeches are separated by size as they grow. After a year, they'll be ready for sale.

Titova and about 30 tenders examine each of the jars several times a day. The glass nurseries, many of which once held pickled vegetables or tomato sauce, contain filtered water that's changed at least twice a week, she says.

One grower, Lyubov Guseva, who has worked at the farm more than 20 years, says you need to adore leeches to grow them properly. (Her first name means "love" in Russian.)

"I have this feeling as if these were my children as I feed them, caress them and give them my love," Guseva says tenderly as she puts one jar down and raises another to the light, stirring it to watch its inhabitants move.

"I can't tell if they know that I Iove them, but every time I hold them in my hands I feel this sensation of goodness."

The main component of the work at the farm is feeding. The leeches dine once every three to four weeks, sucking up five times their weight. Their food is cattle blood, supplied by slaughterhouses near Moscow.

The plant uses about 300 gallons a week, the blood of more than 100 slaughtered cows. The blood is always fresh, sometimes still warm, supplied to the farm on the day of slaughter, Titova says.

The post-communist years after the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union proved difficult for the farm, since many drugstores stopped ordering leeches because they weren't as profitable as pills.

Many private clinics continue to practise leech therapy, but large, mainstream medical clinics rarely use the creatures anymore.

"When I first started, we used to have a bottle full of leeches on a round-the-clock duty desk, but not anymore," says Yelena Syrkina, a docent at the cardiological clinic at I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University. These days, "we usually prescribe anticoagulant drugs instead. Although from time to time when I see a patient, I still think, 'He could do with a leech.'"

Moscow pediatrician Irinia Pankova, however, believes that leeches remain an important treatment in the fields of urology and gynaecology, as well as in blood pressure and stroke cases.

She says that many young doctors are reluctant to prescribe hirudo therapy, but that it is still very popular with Russians who trust all-natural cures. – Los Angeles Times/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

Coffee and tea may protect your liver

Posted:

Your morning cup of coffee or tea may do more than just perk you up.

IN a study announced last week, an international team of researchers led by Duke University School of Medicine in North Carolina suggests that increased caffeine intake may reduce fatty liver in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Worldwide, 70% of people diagnosed with diabetes and obesity have NAFLD, the major cause of fatty liver not due to excessive alcohol consumption, the researchers said.

Currently, there are no effective treatments for NAFLD except diet and exercise.

Using cell culture and mouse models, head researcher Dr Paul Yen and his team found that caffeine stimulated the metabolisation of lipids stored in liver cells and decreased the fatty liver of mice that were fed a high-fat diet.

According to the findings, researchers said that the equivalent caffeine intake of four cups of coffee or tea a day may be beneficial in preventing and protecting against the progression of NAFLD in humans.

The findings appear online and will be published in the September issue of the journal Hepatology.

"This is the first detailed study of the mechanism for caffeine action on lipids in liver and the results are very interesting," Yen said. "Coffee and tea are so commonly consumed and the notion that they may be therapeutic, especially since they have a reputation for being 'bad' for health, is especially enlightening."

Prior research has already associated caffeine with decreased risk of liver disease and reduced fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease. Last year, a separate study published in the same journal found that drinking coffee reduces the risk of advanced fibrosis in those NAFLD. – AFP Relaxnews

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

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Timeless charm

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Armed with nostalgic hits and a new single, Air Supply entertained fans in Kuala Lumpur last weekend.

AUSTRALIAN soft rock group Air Supply is no stranger to this country and its people. During its concert on Saturday at the Calvary Convention Centre in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, vocalist and guitarist Graham Russell, 63, talked about the duo's love affair with Malaysia.

"We first came to KL in 1981 and we've been coming here for 32 years. Though we'd like to believe that most of the people in our audience are not that old," Russell joked to the over 4,000 fans at the concert that night.

The evening started off with vocalist Russell Hitchcock, 64, effortlessly belting out the 1982 hit Even The Nights Are Better, followed by Just As I Am and Every Women.

Hitchcock stole the show with a high-octane performance of Power Of Love; After the song, the singer went backstage but Russell was quick to assure the audience that everything was all right.

"For those who haven't seen us before, don't worry, he'll be back. We've done this for over 30 years and he always does this thing where he disappears and comes back," he said in good humour much to the audience's delight.

Then he added: "I don't really know what he does backstage. I think he has a cup of tea and fixes his hair."

Russell also joked that he could recite poetry or "talk to the audience for five minutes" while his partner was taking a breather. Though the audience probably wouldn't mind either choice, Russell chose to perform a poignant piano ballad entitled I Won't Stop Loving You.

Meanwhile, the affable Hitchcock was in the mood for storytelling, sharing how he and Russell connected with each other. "We had a connection because we didn't know what we were doing.

"I saw Graham playing an original song at a corridor and back then I used to work in a computer company. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but this (singing in a band) is much better," Hitchcock revealed.

Formed in 1975, Air Supply has sold over five million copies of its Greatest Hits album since 1983. Not bad for a duo with self-confessed low expectations.

Before starting on Two Less Lonely People In The World, Hitchcock said: "We'd like to take you back to a time when we were a band with one guitar and two voices. Please sing along. Otherwise, we'd come out and sort you out."

After belting out more hits like Here I Am, Lost In Love and Making Love (Out Of Nothing At All), Graham told the audience to "stick around as we're not done yet". He was talking about the duo's new single, Desert Sea Sky. The dance pop number sounded a little jarring and out of place, something the likes of Cher would include in her album. The song certainly did not leave a good impression on me, and I pray that rapper Pitbull will not make an appearance on the duo's next album.

Air Supply had another surprise for the audience, this time in the form of top Malaysian drummer Gary Gideon.

"Our usual drummer couldn't make it tonight and we're fortunate enough to have Gary fill in for him. We've only rehearsed with him this afternoon. You know the mark of a great musician (when) someone can step in at any time and play our song," said Russell. Gideon said he was "honoured" to be included in the duo's line-up in Malaysia.

As a parting gift to the faithful adoring crowd, Air Supply ended the night with two favourite songs – Goodbye and All Out Of Love.

The duo's latest outing in Malaysia felt like a fleeting dream. Before exiting the stage, the duo graciously thanked fans for "being a part of their music for so many years".

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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Parenting

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Breast is best

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Tried breastfeeding your newborn, but all ready to give up? Get help online.

IT'S not unusual for newborn babies to wail. But if the crying is continuous, one of the reasons could be because the new mother is not producing enough milk to soothe the child's hunger pangs. "I had a hard time breastfeeding my daughter for the first three weeks. It was painful, and there was very little milk. During feeding time, she would cry and I would cry along with her," recalls Christina Anthony, 33.

In desperation, the secondary special education schoolteacher from Kuching, Sarawak, resorted to feeding her baby with formula milk, a solution she wasn't entirely contented with. Most mothers can probably relate to Anthony's ordeal. But there are also those who claim to have breezed through breastfeeding and motherhood, while women like Anthony are met with disdain because they seemingly "lack" a certain something.

Anthony had to deal with "skeptics" – family members and friends who were doubtful of her ability in breastfeeding. "They would say: 'You just don't have milk. Don't stress yourself.' Friends who had breastfed their children thought that I wasn't trying hard enough. I broke down in tears when one of them said that I was just making excuses," she reveals.

However, thanks to a local online breastfeeding support group, new mothers can find support and advice for their woes.

Get help

The Breastfeeding Advocates Network (TBAN) is an online community of mothers on Facebook who help those in need of (literally) "motherly advice" when it comes to newborns and breastfeeding. What goes on is a real-time sharing of experiences; members can post SOS shout-outs on the group's wall and expect a reply within the hour. Comments are monitored around-the-clock by a group of voluntary administrative staff, to ensure the accuracy of the information shared.

It has been over a year since Anthony first stumbled upon the group – suffice to say, her 19-month old daughter, Amanda Grace David, is now a healthy breastfed child.

"I was on the verge of giving up when I discovered TBAN. I started connecting with the community and to my surprise, received many words of encouragement from the mothers. I picked up some techniques on how to solve my latching problem and increasing my milk supply, and within two months, I was breastfeeding my daughter 100%," she shares.

Founded in 2009 by breastfeeding consultant and mother-of-four Gina Yong, TBAN believes that "breast is best" when it comes to raising healthy children. The group is open to anyone and everyone who supports breastfeeding. As of August, the group has over 21,000 members, some of whom have since gone on to become certified breastfeeding peer counsellors.

"I bet you've heard this before: that out of five mothers, three would say they have no breast milk. Our society is programmed to think that feeding your baby with formula milk is the norm, and that breastfeeding is an option. But that's not true at all," says Ashley Ho, 34, a full-time mother-of-one who doubles as a TBAN administrative member and breastfeeding peer counsellor.

Going natural

Though breastfeeding is widely encouraged and proven to provide greater benefit to a child's brain development, many mothers don't do it due to various reasons. According to a report last year, only 23.7% of babies born in the country are breastfed exclusively for the first six months.

In Ho's opinion, most women can successfully breastfeed with a little guidance.

"Some mothers give up breastfeeding because they find it painful. Yes, it can get uncomfortable at first but if there's excessive pain, it's quite likely that you are doing something wrong," she explains. A common mistake in breastfeeding is when a baby latches onto the nipple, instead of the areola (the coloured circle around the nipple).

Another misconception: mothers usually don't produce enough milk during the first three or four days after birth. Colostrum is produced in the early days of breastfeeding – a yellowish liquid that is low in volume but thick with nutrients. There is a demand-supply rhythm to breastfeeding, and a mother's supply of milk will gradually increase along with the feeding needs of a newborn.

Patience is the key to successful breastfeeding, says homemaker Marliza Maharon, 30. The mother-of-one persevered even when she developed mastitis, a painful inflammation on one of her breasts, when she first began breastfeeding her daughter, Mahdiya Hasrul Aizan, a year ago. Blocked milk ducts, due to an obstruction of milk flow, can lead to breast engorgement and eventually mastitis. Like Anthony, Marliza's daughter struggled with latching onto the breast.

"I was clueless about breastfeeding. I had no one around me to give me the proper advice, so I just did the best I could. I continued breastfeeding even though my breasts hurt every day," says Marliza.

She recuperated well, and breastfeeding became easier by the day. The former wedding photographer has since attended a three-day training course to become a breastfeeding peer counsellor, and is currently an active TBAN member, helping ease new mothers along on their breastfeeding journey.

"It is important to understand that breastfeeding requires effort, and that overcoming difficulties is all part and parcel of the whole experience. While technique and knowledge is important, mothers should also get to know their own bodies. "Nobody can produce the same amount of milk at the same time, and at the same capacity," says Ho, encouraging new mothers to seek help and support.

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World's most beautiful

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Mrs Universe 2013 Carol Lee is the first Asian woman to be crowned for the many roles she takes on so well; working mother, loving wife, successful career woman and passionate activist.

WITH her towering five-foot-eight frame and a picture-perfect smile, newly-crowned Mrs Universe 2013 Carol Lee is a striking woman who knows how to make an entrance.

Despite her worries of tripping onstage and a sudden bout of rashes on her face, the 39-year-old mother won the coveted title of Mrs Universe, becoming the first Asian woman, and the first Malaysian, to be crowned the world's "most honourable married woman". It is awarded to women aged between 25 and 45, taking into account their family and career as well as involvement in a significant cause. Back in Kuala Lumpur, the chatty and down-to-earth beauty queen shares her experiences in the Mrs Universe pageant in the Caribbean, accompanied by her husband Kenneth Lee and five-year-old daughter Klarissa.

She recounts how her family had been trying to watch a live streaming of the pageant but was cut off halfway due to a bad Internet connection.

"So then, did you know mummy was going to win?" Lee prompts her daughter. A confident "Yes!" came forth, and the room lit up with laughter. Satisfied with the response, Klarissa scrambles onto her father's lap to share a game on the iPad.

Newly crowned Mrs Universe 2013 Carol Lee at the finals on Aug 11 at The Westin Aruba Resort in Palm Beach, the Caribbean. 

Lee is currently championing for women, and men, to stand up for their rights in a nationwide campaign against domestic violence.

While Kenneth, 42, is proud of his wife's achievements, the same can't be said of his newly-acquired nickname: Mr Universe.

"I don't think I have the body of a Mr Universe," jokes the general manager of a multi-national company. "As they say, opposites attract. Carol shines in the limelight. I prefer to support her behind-the-scenes."

Determined to win

Born in Selangor but raised in Penang, the news presenter and former talk show host grew up in a middle class family alongside her elder brother. She was a tomboy, and has always been competitive, excelling in sports from her early days at school.

Lee, a management and marketing graduate, has always stood out literally, due to her height. She took full advantage of that, and started modelling in her late teens and even participated in the Miss Malaysia Chinatown pageant (now known as Miss Astro Chinese International), where she emerged the winner. Fresh in her 20s, Lee was sent to Hong Kong to compete in the Miss Chinese International finals, but didn't win the crown.

"When I heard about the Mrs Universe pageant, I saw it as a second chance at succeeding," she says.

"It has always nagged at me that I didn't perform as well as I would've liked in the Miss Chinese International pageant. I wasn't prepared at all for the finals in Hong Kong and my Cantonese wasn't that great. I felt like I was just given an air ticket and told to fly there," she recalls.

Lee crowned by Mrs Universe 2012, Ysaura Wong of Aruba. 

Lee is the first Asian, and also the first Malaysian, to win the Mrs Universe title.

Still, Lee's participation in the Mrs Universe pageant was unplanned. Her name was recommended to the Mrs Malaysia Universe organisers just as they were looking for potential candidates. After a succession of interviews, Lee was appointed as the Malaysian representative who would compete at the finals in Palm Beach.

With the full support of her family, the mother-of-one took the Mrs Universe calling seriously, and gave herself 10 months to mentally and physically prepare for the finals.

At the pageant, Lee wore clothes by Malaysian designer Carven Ong, the Asian Top Designer of the Year in 2009. One of Ong's notable creations was the national attire Lee paraded at the pageant, which featured several large hibiscuses suspended over her shoulders.

Queen of confidence

In line with the pageant's theme and initiative this year, Lee is actively involved in raising awareness on domestic violence. She launched the "Nationwide Campaign Against Domestic Violence", in partnership with KL Sogo and All Women's Action Society (Awam), in July.

The year-long event aims to encourage volunteers to join forces as advocates and trainers to educate the public on domestic violence, from informing them on where to get aid to educating them on its causes and effects. As a requirement for the Mrs Universe finals, Lee prepared a three-minute presentation supporting the cause, which she believes must have left an impression on the judges and led to her win. The popularity votes by fellow Malaysian supporters, also helped her clinch the title. Lee claimed the Mrs Popularity subsidiary title, garnering 88,649 votes in the online fan votes contest. Coming in at a close second was Mrs USA Amanda Grad, who scored 88,556 votes.

For Lee, the biggest challenge was in competing with much younger contestants. "When they announced the winner, it actually took me awhile to realise that they had called me. I needed confirmation from the other contestants before I dared step forward," she says.

As Mrs Universe 2013, Lee hopes that she has helped set an example, especially to the victims of domestic violence, that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

"I think no one even thought that an Asian would win this pageant. For the women out there who have allowed their boyfriends or husbands to lay even a finger on them, I hope to be a pillar of strength to inspire them to stand up for their rights and to ask for help. If you put your heart to it, anything is possible."

With her win, Lee's list of responsibilities has just gotten longer. She already has a lot going; apart from anchoring TV3 Nightline, the working mother is a sought-after emcee at local events and on the side, manages a child enrichment centre, Starz Studio, at KL Sogo.

Time management is key when it comes to leading a balanced life, she says.

Having taught in a kindergarten for several years, Lee says her main passion has always been children. "I help KL Sogo manage a daycare where parents can drop their kids off to shop at ease. I also like to nurture children's talents."

Lee has been organising pageants for children, but with a twist: instead of just one winner, all the contestants would be honoured and crowned for the day.

"A lot of kids don't understand what losing is about. I've seen them cry and it can be detrimental in the long run. What I want is for the kids to just experience being a prince or princess for the day and be acknowledged for all that they're worth."

In her daughter's eyes, Lee is a mother who happens to be Mrs Universe. .

"I hope that I can inspire my daughter to focus 'out', instead of 'in'. There's nothing like seeing the people around you happy and knowing that you've made a difference in their lives. That's something that will last. I hope that she'll build her confidence through that," Lee shares.

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The Star eCentral: TV Tracks

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The Star eCentral: TV Tracks


The good actress

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Julianna Margulies doesn't like to talk much in front of the camera.

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Back on board, temporarily

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Marg Helgenberger is staging a return to the crime lab for the 300th 'CSI' episode.

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