Ahad, 15 September 2013

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

0 ulasan 11:04 PTG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

India test-fires long-range missile for second time
Thousands rally in Cambodia
Thousands flee as volcano erupts violently on Sumatra

India test-fires long-range missile for second time

Posted:

BHUBANESWAR: India successfully test-fired for a second time a long-range missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, marking another advance in its military capabilities.

The Agni V blasted off at 8.50am yesterday from a concrete launchpad on an island off the eastern state of Orissa.

"The missile met all the mission objectives with absolute accuracy," M.V.K.V. Prasad, director of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, said.

Analysts said Agni V has the range to strike any target on the Chinese mainland, including military installations in the far northeast.

It was developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation, which described the missile as a "non-country specific" deterrent while hailing yesterday's launch as a major milestone.

"This second successful test of Agni V has demonstrated the maturity, repeatability and robustness of the system," the organisation said in a statement. The country was now ready to start a process of production and subsequent induction of the missile, it added.

India sees the rocket, which has a range of 5,000km, as a major boost to its regional power aspirations.

It narrows the huge gap with China's missile systems.

Agni, which means "fire" in Sanskrit, is the name given to a series of rockets India developed as part of a guided missile development project launched in 1983.

The Agni V was first tested in April last year.

Defence Minister A.K. Antony congratulated defence scientists on the second successful launch, saying they had made the country proud. — AFP

Thousands rally in Cambodia

Posted:

PHNOM PENH: Thousands of opposition supporters rallied in the Cambodian capital vowing to remain for several days in a renewed bid to overturn Prime Minister Hun Sen's disputed election win.

The protest, called by the Cambodia National Rescue Party, came a day after a rare meeting between opposition chief Sam Rainsy and the strongman premier to break the political paralysis gripping the kingdom.

Around 20,000 people converged on Phnom Penh's Democracy Park yesterday, according to a reporter, the majority staying in place as dusk approached despite a prior order from authorities to disperse around nightfall.

Water cannon and tear gas were fired at an apparently unrelated group around 2km from the park, according to a photographer at the scene.

One man appeared to be injured in the clash which occurred when the group of around 200 people tried to break through a police barricade, he added.

The CNRP was swift to distance its rally from the incident and a spokesman said it was "not involved with the demonstration".

CNRP supporters again responded in large numbers to the call by opposition leader Sam Rainsy to reject official poll results – over allegations voter fraud – which saw the ruling Cambodian People's Party take 68 seats to the opposition's 55.

"Brothers, this is an important mission to rescue the nation," Rainsy said addressing demonstrators, many of whom held banners reading "my vote, my nation" and "where is my vote?".

Rainsy called for a recount or new vote and stated that opposition lawmakers will not attend the opening of the parliament on Sept 23.

But "there will be no talks on power sharing" he warned, without the alleged election irregularities being cleared up.

Saturday's meeting between Rainsy and Hun Sen, hosted by King Norodom Sihamoni, made limited progress towards ending the stalemate but the opposition leader said he will still attend new talks today with the CPP.

Anti-riot and military police were deployed at key locations in Phnom Penh yesterday, but as dusk fell security forces had maintained a low profile at the rally site.

Ahead of the rally the government set a limit on the number of protesters at 10,000 and said it must finish by around 6pm local time.

But protesters remained defiant, vowing to stay in the park until their demands are met.

"Our votes were robbed," said 56-year-old Srin Chea, who travelled from southern Kandal province.

"I am angry. I want justice. I am not afraid of death."

So far the CNRP's efforts to challenge the outcome have failed and it has run out of formal options in its bid to overturn Hun Sen's victory. — AFP

Thousands flee as volcano erupts violently on Sumatra

Posted:

JAKARTA: Thousands of villagers fled after a volcano erupted on Indonesia's Sumatra island spewing rocks and red-hot ash onto surrounding villages, officials said.

Mount Sinabung in Karo district, North Sumatra province, erupted violently before dawn.

"More than 3,000 people have been evacuated from areas within a 3km radius of the volcano, and they are all safe," Asren Nasution, the head of North Sumatra disaster agency, said.

Five halls normally used for traditional cultural ceremonies had been converted into shelters for those displaced.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, national disaster agency spokesman, said 3,710 people had so far been evacuated.

Nugroho said it was second recent eruption of Sinabung.

The volcano was dormant for nearly 100 years before erupting in August and September 2010, forcing about 12,000 people to flee.

Indonesia has dozens of active volcanoes and straddles major tectonic fault lines known as the "Ring of Fire" between the Pacific and Indian oceans.

Last month five people were killed and hundreds evacuated when a volcano on a tiny island in East Nusa Tenggara province erupted.

The country's most active volcano, Mount Merapi in central Java, killed more than 350 people in a series of violent eruptions in 2010. — AFP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

0 ulasan 9:06 PTG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: World Updates

CORRECTED-Cambodian strongman Hun Sen meets opposition after protest death
Hurricane Ingrid turns west with no change in strength - NHC
Romanian gold miners end underground protest after PM's visit

CORRECTED-Cambodian strongman Hun Sen meets opposition after protest death

Posted:

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen met the country's main opposition leader on Monday after violence broke out at a rally the previous day to protest July's contested general election result and one man was shot dead.

At least 1,000 protesters were camped out in the rain in makeshift tents in Freedom Park in the capital Phnom Penh late on Sunday and many remained on Monday in a tense standoff.

The electoral authorities say Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP), which has been in power for 28 years, won the election, but the opposition claims the CPP rigged the vote and wants an independent inquiry.

Clashes broke out in several places in Phnom Penh on Sunday as supporters of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) tried to remove razor-wire barricades and refused to restrict their protest to a designated site in Freedom Park.

Chan Soveth, a worker for human rights group Adhoc, said a man was shot in the head and died when CNRP supporters tried to move razor-wire barricades set up by the authorities in the Kbal Thnal Bridge area near their party headquarters.

He said the man was not a political protester but someone who lived in the area and was among a group of local residents angry that they could not reach their homes.

Chan Soveth said he had visited five other people in hospital who had been hit by live rounds. "These bullets came from where the authorities were," he told Reuters.

Kheng Tito, National Military Police spokesman, said police had used only teargas, batons and smoke grenades and he could not say how the man died.

"I don't know how he was killed. We didn't use live bullets," he said.

The capital has been tense since the election on July 28 but protests were mostly calm until this weekend and the security forces, prone to cracking down on dissent in the past, had also been restrained.

King Norodom Sihamoni summoned Hun Sen and CNRP leader Sam Rainsy to a meeting on Saturday morning but it lasted just 30 minutes and apparently produced no results.

AUTHORITARIAN PREMIER

According to the electoral authorities the CPP won the election with 68 seats to the CNRP's 55, a greatly reduced majority that, even before the protests, signalled dissatisfaction with Hun Sen's authoritarian rule despite rapid economic growth in a country seen for decades as a basket case.

The CNRP says it was cheated out of 2.3 million votes that would have handed it victory.

It was unclear how long the demonstration against Hun Sen would last. Those wrapped in blankets in Freedom Park have vowed to stay for at least three days.

"We're here to protest against the National Election Commission that stole our votes. They should be the referee, not the puppet of the ruling CPP," said Yong Ol, 43, who had come to the capital by truck from southern Prey Veng province.

Analysts see the standoff as a war of attrition stacked in favour of a premier not known for compromise.

The opposition will try to paralyse the legislature by boycotting parliament's first session on September 23.

Hun Sen, 61, has been a dominant force in Cambodia for years and has taken credit for steering it away from a chaotic past towards economic growth and development.

But many urban youth born after the 1975-1979 "Killing Fields" rule of the Khmer Rouge see little appeal in his iron-fisted approach and are disillusioned by growing land evictions, labour disputes and graft plus the country's close political ties with top investor China.

(The story corrected the name of bridge in paragraph 5)

(Writing by Alan Raybould; Editing by Michael Perry)

Hurricane Ingrid turns west with no change in strength - NHC

Posted:

(Reuters) - Hurricane Ingrid turned back toward the west-northwest with no change in strength, the U.S. National Hurricane Centre said in its latest bulletin.

Ingrid was located about 95 miles (155 km) east-southeast of La Pesca Mexico, packing maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour (120 km/h), the NHC said.

"Some slight strengthening is possible before the centre (of Ingrid) reaches the coast and weakening will begin once Ingrid moves over land," the NHC said.

(Reporting by NR Sethuraman in Bangalore; Editing by Supriya Kurane)

Romanian gold miners end underground protest after PM's visit

Posted:

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romanian gold miners who staged a five-day protest underground against plans to halt development of the site ended their sit-in on Sunday after the prime minister went into the pit to meet them.

"I promised them a parliamentary commission to assess the proposed mine (before a vote in parliament)," said Prime Minister Victor Ponta, who wore a white miner's cap and green overalls and was surrounded by cheering miners.

Thirty three workers had blockaded themselves into the Rosia Montana site 300 metres below ground and threatened to go on hunger strike over fears jobs would be lost if plans by Canada's Gabriel Resources' to set up Europe's biggest open-cast gold mine did not go ahead.

Rosia Montana in the Carpathian Mountains in northern Romania is the site of Roman-era gold works where archaeological conservation works were being carried out.

The government approved a draft law to allow the mine project to go ahead in August. But Ponta said last week lawmakers were set to reject the Canadian company's 14-year bid to develop the mine due to mounting resistance from the public and political leaders, who are worried about its impact on the environment.

Thousands of people in cities across Romania have staged demonstrations in past weeks against the mine project, including 10,000 in the capital Bucharest on Sunday, where they blocked a main boulevard.

Thousands also gathered in Rosia Montana on Sunday to support the mine development and protest against widespread poverty in the area, arguing the plan would create jobs.

The mine project would use cyanide to extract 314 tonnes of gold and 1,500 tonnes of silver. The company says the technology is safe.

"Save Rosia Montana," read banners in Bucharest in protests attended by mainly young, educated people. "Save Rosia Montana people," read posters in Rosia.

Ponta's Infrastructure Ministry said on Thursday Romania would have a hard time defending itself in court if it rejects the plans by Gabriel Resources.

Gabriel, whose largest shareholder, hedge fund Paulson & Co, has a 16 percent stake, said it may resort to legal action.

Romania, which joined the European Union in 2007, resorted to IMF-led aid in 2009 after years of recession and is in dire need of investment, including in its mining, energy and farming sectors.

A vote in parliament on the mine has yet to be scheduled but political sources said it could be called as early as next week after the special commission has its say.

(Editing by Janet Lawrence)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Business

0 ulasan 7:29 PTG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Business

Industrial boom hits Bintulu
GDI: Malaysia second most dynamic in Asean
World Bank chief confident of Chinese growth target

Industrial boom hits Bintulu

Posted:

KUCHING: Bintulu has emerged as Sarawak's property "hot spot", thanks to the soaring prices of its residential, commercial and industrial properties.

Property prices in the industrial town have been pushed up to levels never seen before, overtaking the state's capital Kuching, because of the high demand brought about by the current third industrial boom. Big foreign and local investments worth billions of ringgit are pouring into mega industrial projects like the aluminium and ferrosilicon/manganese smelting plants under the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) development project.

The town is experiencing a big influx of outsiders, mostly expatriates and workers and their families, piling pressure on accommodation needs.

Double-storey semi-detached houses launched here in first-half 2013 were priced at RM633,000-RM840,000 as compared with RM359,000-RM1.12mil in Kuching, according CH Williams Talhar Wong & Yeo Sdn Bhd (WTWY).

The property consultant said double-storey terraced houses (intermediate) in Bintulu were fetching RM366,000-RM430,000 against Kuching's RM308,000-RM502,000.

In its newly-released bulletin on "Sarawak's first half-2013 Property Market Review," WTWY said three-storey shophouses (intermediate) in Bintulu were commanding between RM976,000 and RM1.8mil, which is higher than the RM930,000-RM1.18mil in Kuching.

A similar scenario is being seen in industrial property, as semi-detached industrial units are being offered in the RM1.15mil-RM1.82mil range, which is significantly higher than the RM788,000 in the state capital.

Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Developers Association secretary Sim Kian Chiok atttributed Bintulu's soaring property prices to a "mistmatch in supply and demand."

"We are not surprised by the big increases in the property prices. But the fast pace of industrial development under SCORE has caught us up," he told StarBiz.

Sim said about two or three big industries in Samalaju Industrial Park outside Bintulu town had commenced operations, while the proposed manufacturing plants of several other energy-intensive industries were in various stages of construction.

Press Metal Bhd's aluminium smelting plant was the first in Samalaju to be commissioned about a year ago. The energy-intensive industries are capitalising on the competitively-priced hydro power from Bakun Dam and Murum Dam, which is near completion, to power their plants.

Sim said the influx of investors and workers had put pressure on the limited residential accommodation, thereby pushing up their prices and rental.

According to Sarawak's Assistant Housing Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, monthly rental for a terraced house in Bintulu could go up to as high as RM2,000. Abdul Karim has acknowledged that Bintulu currently had the highest property prices in Sarawak.

There have been reports, according to Sim, that rental for rooms had hit RM900 each a month.

"While it is easy to mobilise a few hundred workers within a short time, it would take four to five years to deliver new houses.

"The property prices in Bintulu could still go up a bit more before more supplies (new projects) come into the market," he said.

Sim said the authorities had approved many new residential and commercial projects to ease the tight demand.

He said the setting up of big industries had resulted in the growth of supporting industries like food and beverage and services.

"This creates demand for commercial properties, like shophouses, from the new supporting industries."

Besides the heavy industries, the new Samalaju deepsea project and liquified natural gas (LNG) Train 9 project, both billion-ringgit investments, are also under development in Bintulu.

WTWY figures revealed that in the first six months, 621 shophouses, mostly three storeys high, were under construction in Bintulu, while 34 units of two-storey shophouses had been completed.

During the same period, 1,556 units of residential houses were under construction against 306 completed units.

The demand for quality residential homes, especially for expatriates and executives of multinational corporations, has prompted big developers to venture into high-end condominium and serviced-apartment projects.

Sarawak Land (Kemena Park) Sdn Bhd recently launched two blocks of a 27-storey high-end condominium project called "The Pinnacles" along Jalan Tanjung Batu. With a scenic view of the South China Sea, The Pinnacles will be Sarawak's tallest residential building when completed.

GDI: Malaysia second most dynamic in Asean

Posted:

PETALING JAYA: The Grant Thornton Global Dynamism Index (GDI) 2013 has ranked Malaysia as Asean's second most dynamic country after Singapore.

Now in its second year, the GDI ranks 60 of the largest economies in the world on their dynamism, drawing on both economic and business survey data.

It scores each economy across five key areas of dynamism – business operating environment, economics and growth, science and technology, labour and human capital, and financing environment – producing an overall score.

Singapore had a score of 61.9, the highest in Asean, followed by Malaysia with 59.5 and Thailand with 56.4.

Malaysia ranked second best in key areas such as business operating environment (74) and financing environment (60) in Asean for growing businesses.

SJ Grant Thornton managing partner Datuk N.K. Jasani said: "Malaysia is ranked 13th globally by the GDI, a major improvement of 11 places from the year before.

"Our country also provides a good financing environment, as we scored the highest in Asean for access to medium-term capital (85)."

In comparison with other countries globally, Malaysia is performing strongly in key areas such as economics and growth, ranking eighth (73), labour and human capital, ranking 11th (62) and financing environment, ranking 16th (60).

"We have climbed to the eighth ranking in economics and growth, boosted by higher gross domestic product (GDP) and consumption growth. Our real GDP growth is ranked ninth in the world (84)," he said.

World Bank chief confident of Chinese growth target

Posted:

SHANGHAI: China should hit its gross domestic product growth target of 7.5% this year, World Bank group president Kim Jim Yong said yesterday.

But he warned that rising interest rates in emerging markets in response to reports that the United States was preparing to scale back its quantitative easing (QE) programme showed that significant risk remained.

"The rise in interest rates as a result of the announcement of the tapering of QE has exposed weaknesses in the economies of emerging markets," he told reporters.

"Our message is very strong to those emerging markets: think about those weaknesses and begin to move."

Several investment banks upgraded near-term forecasts for China's growth after a run of strong data for August, including factory output and exports, and many now have full-year growth above the government's official target of 7.5%.

UBS, Deutsche Bank, CICC and Nomura were among the banks to upgrade their growth forecasts for 2013 after the recent data, and now all have it 7.6% or higher.

Kim was in Shanghai as part of a four-day tour focusing on expanding collaboration with China on climate change.

Power consumption in China, the world's top energy user, is expected to grow more than 9% this year, faster than the 5.5% growth rate in 2012, according to the State Electricity Regulatory Commission.

Much of that consumption is driven by inefficiently designed and poorly insulated buildings. – Reuters

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf

0 ulasan 3:20 PTG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf

MaddAddam

Posted:

'; window.print(); document.body.innerHTML = oldPage; } function sendemail(emailaddress) { var link = "mailto:" + emailaddress; window.location.href = link; }

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Nation

0 ulasan 3:07 PTG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Nation

Tour the Philippines with the ambassador
Ambiga: I don't have a Facebook page
Obama to attend GES in KL on Oct 11

Tour the Philippines with the ambassador

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR: Fancy a five-day holiday in metro Manila and nearby provinces – with none less than the Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia as your tour guide?

Here's your chance to join J. Eduardo Malaya as he introduces his personal favourite locations during the embassy's inaugural "Ambassador's Tour to the Philippines" event from Nov 21 to 25.

Among the locations lined up are the Rizal National Monument and Park, Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral and Casa Manila in the historic walled city of Intramuros.

Malaya said the tour was his unique way to encourage Malaysians to visit the Philippines.

"Through this tour, we are hoping participants will tell friends and family about their experience," he said at the embassy here.

Asked which location in the tour was his personal favourite, the envoy was quick to pick Villa Escudero.

"My most wonderful memory there was as a child at a waterfall there, where lunch is served on tables set over a flowing stream.

"I would love participants to experience the wonders of the place for themselves," he said.

The package tour is jointly organised by the embassy and the Philippine Department of Tourism, and is priced at RM2,500 per person including round-trip airfare, accommodation, meals, basic tours, travel insurance, 15kg luggage allowance, airport taxes and transfers.

Those interested can contact the embassy at 03-2148 4233 (ext 106) or Borneo Tours at 03-5631 2988.

On the unrest in the Philippine coastal city of Zamboanga, Malaya said this was unlikely to threaten security in Sabah.

Ambiga: I don't have a Facebook page

Posted:

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan has distanced herself from a popular Facebook page that was allegedly posting statements in her name.

Expressing her shock, the Bersih co-chairman cautioned Netizens not to believe posts by pages that have her name on them as she is never on Facebook.

The page on the social networking site called "I Like Ambiga Sreenevasan" has 13,224 likes and has been active since 2011.

There is a summary of the Bersih co-chairman's achievements in the page's profile and a house address, which Ambiga says could be the headquarters for Bersih 2.0 and EMPOWER.

At first glance, the page looks like a fan page but posts on it are written as if they came from Ambiga or official sources.

Among the posts are "I've done all I could, I will be there always for the people!" which was posted in the run-up to the Bersih 3.0 rally and "Please do not post/comment hatred or racial influence material on my wall. All sick comments will be banned forever!"

More recently, the page administrator posted "We have received thousands of suggestions and requests to host another massive rally on clean & fair elections. What do you have to say?" in April, and "Guys please stay home for now!" a day before the May 5 general election.

Ambiga told The Star that she only found out about the page after being notified by someone in a meeting last week.

"I am not on Facebook because I have some issues with its security, but I am on Twitter."

However, she said that she did not believe there was an intention for the page to mislead anyone as it seemed to have reproduced information from the Bersih website.

Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission chairman Datuk Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi said the authorities would look into the page.

Obama to attend GES in KL on Oct 11

Posted:

PETALING JAYA: President Barack Obama will visit Malaysia for the 4th Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) scheduled in Kuala Lumpur from Oct 11 to 12.

The US president is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak during his historic visit here, the first by a US president in 47 years.

President Lyndon B. Johnson visited Malaysia in 1966.

According to a White House statement issued yesterday, Obama will deliver a keynote address at the GES which is the leading US Government-supported forum for promoting economic growth through entrepreneurship.

Obama launched the GES in Washington DC in 2010 to connect entrepreneurs, banks, venture capitalists, investors and others to catalyse partnerships, encourage growth and strengthen ties.

The president is also visiting Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines as part of an ongoing mission to promote the US security engagement as well as economic and political ties in the Asia-Pacific region.

Obama will also attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Economic Leaders meeting in Bali before heading to Brunei to attend the US-Asean Summit and the East Asia Summit.

On the margins of the Apec meeting, Obama will host a meeting of Leaders of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries, the statement added.

During the Asean and EAS meetings, Obama will discuss US co-operation in the Asia Pacific region in the areas of energy, maritime security and investment as well as development and trade promotion.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: Central

0 ulasan 1:14 PTG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Metro: Central

Debunking myths about terrorism

Posted:

New research is showing that not all radicals and extremists join a terrorist outfit solely for ideological reasons.

IN Minnesota, a disturbing 40-minute propaganda video recording urges young Somalian Americans residing in the state to join rebels fighting in Somalia.

Dahir Gure, an American Somalian now a rebel fighter in Somalia, said in the video with a toothy grin: "This is the real Disneyland. You need to join us." The recording by terrorist group Al-Shabaab was briefly shown on YouTube before it was removed for its violent content.

Subsequently, Al-Shabaab sent out a tweet saying it would document the journey of its Minnesota "martyrs".

In the past, terrorist groups used websites and chatrooms to reach their target groups. With the growth of space on social media, including Twitter, blogs and YouTube, such groups are now using these avenues to reach, radicalise and recruit new members.

Terrorist groups combine the online space with their existing offline recruitment methods to lure fighters to their violent causes.

At The Hague in the Netherlands, Moroccan and Turkish recruiters distribute on the streets an A4-sized paper with details on how to slip through Customs and immigration loopholes in Europe and join the rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al- Assad. Among those who bought the idea were members of a Dutch football team who traded their soccer boots for war gear in Syria.

To better understand these evolving threats, research on terrorism needs to move away from stereotypical analysis of terrorists, said overseas and local security experts who spoke to The Straits Times recently at a security conference.

Research efforts also need to be evidence-based, have academic rigour and involve experts from other disciplines such as psychology, they said.

Researchers need to ask what makes people gravitate towards terrorism. New research is showing that not all radicals and extremists join a terrorist outfit solely for ideological reasons. Not all who become radicalised end up as terrorists or suicide bombers.

Meanwhile, a complex set of reasons are responsible for turning someone into a lone wolf or a suicide bomber, said the experts.

Their interviews with terrorists show that not all who become terrorists remain committed to the cause and, at some point, their extremist fervour may wane - an insight that allows for security agencies to potentially "turn them around".

Demos, a think-tank in Britain, found in its study in 2010, "The Edge Of Violence", that those who participated in terrorist activities were attracted more to the glamour and excitement of an attack, and that it was typically group dynamics that instigated a spiral towards violence rather than the ideology of violence.

New approaches are needed as new challenges come up, said Professor Edwin Bakker, a Dutch terrorism expert. A new security headache, he said, was the spike in the number of European-born Muslims who are fighting in the Middle East battlefields.

The growth of these numbers has caught security agencies by surprise, he said, adding that the latest figures show that of the 5,000-odd foreign fighters in Syria, 600 are from Europe.

In June this year, a gruesome video of a beheading in Syria surfaced on the Internet and those in Belgium and the Netherlands reeled in shock as they heard the attackers speaking with Dutch, Flemish and French accents.

In Indonesia, terrorists are stealing money through the Internet for their cause, said Indonesian terrorism analyst Solahudin. One jihadist, Rizki Gunawan, persuaded Mawan Kurniawan, a computer hacker, to hack into online investment company Speedline Inc to steal US$700,000 (RM2.3mil); part of the money was used to finance military training and operations in Poso, Sulawesi island, in 2011 and last year.

The Internet has also become an important means of military training for people who have difficulty getting access to real training camps, added Solahudin.

To understand these trends, researchers are doing transnational studies, said Professor John Horgan, who teaches security studies at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.

One example is a study on the little-understood trend of Muslim converts' role in terror attacks.

The wide scope of the project includes Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia.

The study examines how people connect with extremist online material and how they are influenced by what is found in both online and offline material.

In another project, researchers in a Rand study are examining the real impact the Internet has on influencing someone to become radicalised.

According to analysts, it is simplistic to believe that a person becomes self-radicalised after watching extremist videos on the Internet or reading terrorist magazines, like Inspire.

"An overwhelming majority of people who hold radical beliefs do not engage in violence. And, there is growing evidence that people who engage in terrorism don't necessarily hold radical beliefs," said Prof Horgan.

Using a more scientific approach to gather leads in terrorism research can also help predict future terror attacks, he said.

He and another academic, Dr John F. Morrison from the University of East London, have been monitoring the growth of the Irish Republican dissidents who are pushing for Britain's withdrawal from Northern Ireland, through force.

The two have been gathering data on the dissidents' steady rise by logging thousands of events and documents in the process.

Their leads suggest that the dissidents are expected to strike in spectacular style in 2016, the year that marks the 100th anniversary of the Easter Uprising, an event that led to the birth of the modern Irish Republic.

In the post-9/11 world, the threat of a terror attack any time, anywhere and from any group continues to be real.

It is difficult to answer with certainty whether the war on terror will be won by states fighting it.

New research being done on terrorism will plug loopholes in the understanding of terrorism and play an important part in strengthening policies aimed at weakening terrorist organisations. The work is never done. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Indonesia holds rival pageant exclusively for Muslim women

Posted:

JAKARTA: The Miss World beauty contest, which has attracted fierce opposition by hardline Islamic groups in host country Indonesia, is now facing another challenge – a rival pageant exclusively for Muslims.

The Muslimah World contest to be held on Wednesday in Jakarta is "Islam's answer to Miss World", the pageant's founder Eka Shanti said Saturday.

"Muslimah World is a beauty pageant, but the requirements are very different from Miss World – you have to be pious, be a positive role model and show how you balance a life of spirituality in today's modernised world," Eka said.

The pageant is the latest backlash against Miss World, which has already dropped the bikini from its beach fashion round and has attracted more than a month of protests by Muslim hardliners demanding the show be scrapped.

The 20 Muslimah World finalists were chosen from more than 500, who took part in online rounds, reciting Quranic verses and telling stories of how they came to wear the Islamic headscarf, a requirement for the pageant.

In this handout photograph from Miss World released on September 13, 2013, from Miss Colombia, Daniella Ocoro (L) and Miss Mexico, Marylin Chagoya Triana (R) pose together during a visit of the Miss World contestants in Bali Safari Park in Indonesia's resort island of Bali on September 12, 2013. AFP PHOTO / MISS WORLD------EDITORS NOTE-------RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT

Miss Colombia, Daniella Ocoro (left) and Miss Mexico, Marylin Chagoya Triana posing together during a visit of the Miss World contestants to Bali Safari Park. — AFP

The finalists, from Iran, Malaysia, Brunei, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Indonesia, will parade Islamic fashions in what Eka said is an opportunity to show young Muslim women they do not need to show their "immodest" parts – including their hair and bare shoulders – to be beautiful.

But Eka said she did not support hardliners' calls to cancel the Miss World contest, acknowledging that Indonesia was a diverse country with many faiths.

"We don't just want to shout 'no' to Miss World. We'd rather show our children they have choices. Do you want to be like the women in Miss World? Or like those in Muslimah World?" Eka said.

After repeated protests, government officials announced last week that the Miss World final would be moved from the outskirts of the capital Jakarta to the resort island of Bali, where the contest began last week with no opposition from the Hindu majority there.

The organisers, however, were not party to the decision and have said it would be "impossible" to make the last-minute change.

Despite the decision, protesters from the Islamic group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia demonstrated in the central Java city of Yogyakarta yesterday, its spokeswoman saying "Miss World is not welcome in Indonesia at all".

The decision to move the final round was the latest victory for Islamic fringe groups, who are wielding increasing power and have succeeded in getting several events they deem un-Islamic changed or cancelled in recent years. — AFP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion

0 ulasan 1:03 PTG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion

Men in motion
Early Warhol in Hong Kong
Art of the matter

Men in motion

Posted:

Two lensmen capture the male rhythm in dance.

CAPTURING dancers in motion on camera is not easy. Any photographer can attest to this.

With every performance, expressions can differ, positions might change, alignment may be skewed, jumps may not be of similar height, etc. There are numerous things that can go wrong, besides stage technicalities and lighting.

Photographers S. Magendran from Malaysia and A. Prathap from India tirelessly worked over five days last year to capture male poetry in motion, which has encapsulated in the ongoing Joined In Dance exhibition being showcased at Sutra Gallery in Kuala Lumpur.

The exuberance of male dancers is reflected in S. Magendran's Krishna Dances.

The photographs provide a compelling testament and documentation of the beauty and vigour of male dancing taken during Sutra Foundation's Nartaka Festival, which brought together the male dance fraternity from Malaysia, India and Australia. It featured the traditional Indian classical dance genres of bharatanatyam, odissi, manipuri, and contemporary dance from the indigenous and Asian perspectives.

Male dancers have been declining over the years, as the profession is not lucrative since the returns do not commensurate with the investment put forward. Yet, we all remember the beauty and athleticism of some of the iconic male dancers of the 20th century such as Vaslav Nijinsky, Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Ram Gopal.

"They were the Gods of dance," says Ramli Ibrahim, the co-artistic director of the festival.

"We would all have been poorer without these stars who adorned the firmament of our dance stage. Men should discover once again that dance is the most natural and healthiest way to integrate their outer and inner landscapes."

Hence the exhibition is aimed at bringing attention to the challenges faced by male dancers in many of our contemporary societies. The exhibition is also part of the 50th Hari Malaysia celebration. There are a total of 22 photographs on display, 11 from each photographer.

Joined In Dance is a photography exhibition by S.Magendran (R) and A.Prathap.

Joined In Dance is a photography exhibition by S.Magendran (right) and A.Prathap.

Magendran took up photography seriously in 2008, after leaving his job in the finance industry. Though not a dancer, dance holds a special place in his heart and he has been working closely with Sutra Dance Theatre's performances since 2010. His big opportunity came about when he was requested to document Sutra's performance tour of Angkor in Cambodia, which culminated in a successful solo exhibition Sublime Angkor last year.

"Dance photography is difficult because it involves movement. I'm not a magician so I saw some of the rehearsals, did research and got to know the dancers. It's more difficult to shoot men because their expressions are flat, unlike women who are more expressive and sensual," explains the self-taught cameraman.

Most of his exhibits are of dancers in contact with the floor. This, says Magendran, is because he likes to shoot people's expressions so that it can tell a story. Prathap, on the other hand, likes to take dancers in mid-air to show fast-paced action.

"When covering dance, I wait to capture the magical moment when body and spirit resonate to represent human phenomenon at its highest expression. I'm cautious about the postures but since I've been covering it for a while, I sort of know what is right," says Prathap, who is a senior photographer with The Times Of India in Chennai.

With almost a decade of experience in the newspaper industry, he has covered a multitude of assignments but is attracted to arts and culture.

Prathap says, "Performances look so easy, but that's far from the truth. It takes years of hard work and dedication for just those few minutes of beauty and grace. I want to capture for eternity the dedication and love the performers have for their art, and then share these treasured moments with others. When this magic happens, photography transcends mere documentation and becomes art."

Joined In Dance is being held at Sutra Gallery, 12 Jalan Persiaran Titiwangsa 3, Kuala Lumpur until Sept 22. For more information, contact 03-4021-1092 (9.30am to 6pm, Monday-Friday).

Early Warhol in Hong Kong

Posted:

More than 40 works by Andy Warhol went on display in Hong Kong on Thursday for a sale aimed at introducing Chinese collectors to the American pop artist known for his Mao portraits.

The selling exhibition organised by Sotheby's gallery arm features earlier lesser well-known works by Warhol before he found fame with his colourful images of the former Chinese leader and Campbell's soup cans.

The works, primarily on paper, are valued at between US$15,000 (RM49,000) and US$1mil (RM3.3mil), with Ten One Dollar Bills being the most expensive piece.

Other pieces from the artist's travels in Asia during the 1950s include a ballpoint pen sketch of a Hong Kong street scene, views of Bangkok, a drawing of a gold leaf shoe and a folding screen with colourful butterflies painted on it.

"We've really been seeing both in our private sales and in our auction sales that China is becoming a very big part of our business," said Jacqueline Wachter, a contemporary art specialist at Sotheby's.

The city got a taste of Warhol earlier this year when the Hong Kong Museum of Art held a popular exhibition of some of his most famous works, including Marilyn Monroe and Mao, which attracted more than 200,000 visitors. The appetite for art is increasing with Hong Kong acting as a central hub for showcasing international artists.

The selling exhibition, titled From Warhol, With Love will be open to the public until Sept 24.

Hong Kong also hosted its inaugural edition of Art Basel, an international premier art fair, earlier this year. – Relaxnews

Art of the matter

Posted:

Celebrating Malaysia Day on Bangkung Row.

TOMORROW is that pivotal day in the history of our country, for 50 years ago, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore joined Malaya and our beloved nation, Malaysia, was born. Of course, Singapore eventually departed and formed its very own republic in 1965 but the fact remains, our eastern brothers and sisters became part of this country and gained their rightful independence.

And it has been a tradition, for the last three years, for a certain row of restaurants tucked away in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur to commemorate Hari Malaysia (Malaysia Day) with street parties, cultural performances, forums, talks and exhibitions. Called Malaysiaku (My Malaysia), the one-of-a-kind celebration will be taking place for two days at the Bangkung Row of restaurants – Cove, Cava and Leonardo's – starting today.

"Fifty years is an important milestone. It is perhaps a time for honest reflection of all that is good, bad and ugly in Malaysia," said Malaysiaku founder, Edward Soo.

One of the main highlights of this year's Malaysiaku – Celebrating 50 Years of Malaysia celebration is the The Other Malaysia: Alternative Realities pop up art exhibition. Curated by Rahel Joseph, the exhibition features artworks by some of the country's most interesting contemporary artists such as Jalaini Abu Hassan, Zac Lee, Vincent Leong, Nadiah Bamadhaj and Yee I-Lann, who is from Sabah and will be happening from today to Oct 14.

Of her curatorial direction, Rahel said she looked at the commonality between the various artists and the central factor was their use of narrative as a story-telling device or means of expression.

"It seemed appropriate, therefore, on the 50th anniversary of the formation of Malaysia, that we looked to our artists for their unique insights into the complexities and contradictions of contemporary Malaysia and the world we live in," she said in a recent email interview.

"Humour has often been the mode by which these artists address challenging subjects while through autobiography they convey their 'realities', their versions of the truth, without passing judgment.

"Never sacrificing aesthetic considerations, their work challenges us to think about ourselves, both as a nation and a people, in different and meaningful ways."

One such work is by Sabah-born artist, Yee I-Lann, who Rahel said "has long been a vocal advocate for the recognition of Malaysia Day as the country's National Day and Sabah and Sarawak's position as signatory territories of the formation of Malaysia."

Called the "Malaysia Day Commemorative Plates", created in collaboration with Royal Selangor in 2010, the artwork by Yee I-Lann "pays tribute to the four signatory territories and its leaders that formed the country we know as Malaysia."

The Other Malaysia: Alternative Realities exhibition will be happening at the Bangkung Row (Jalan Bangkung, Bukti Bandaraya, Kuala Lumpur) from today to Oct 14. Admission free. More details browse goo.gl/vdLyDA.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

0 ulasan 11:21 PG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

Suboi: Vietnam's fearless MC

Posted:

Vietnam's queen of hip-hop has found ways of getting round the country's censorship laws and is gaining fans – and haters.

SHE is known as Vietnam's queen of hip-hop, an outspoken artiste who raps via coded lyrics about family, love, social pressures and illegal substances in a country where artistes regularly worry about being visited by the authorities.

But Suboi, 23, is defiant. As the first female rapper to make it big in the Communist country of 92 million, she said that censorship – and how to get around it – is always on her mind.

"It's a big thing here if you say anything bad about (the government), because maybe you'll just 'disappear'," the tiny artiste said over noodles in a downtown Ho Chi Minh City cafe. "Obviously, you can't say it straight – we're still too worried to talk openly about the government and politics – so, you pretend to write a love song but you have to read between the lines. Otherwise, they'll ban you."

Born Hang Lam Trang Anh to a middle-class family in Ho Chi Minh City, Suboi began singing in an underground nu-metal band at 17, when she discovered the various rapping styles of Linkin Park, Will Smith, Mos Def and Rakim.

"No one knew what rap was when I started," she says. "So, I didn't know how Vietnamese people would react to it. If you come from America, there's lots of rap there, but the culture, the language is not the same here. I didn't have any examples to be inspired by."

So, Suboi – whose onstage name is derived from her nickname Su and boi for her tomboy attitude – was forced to pave her own way. She swapped her "metal" clothes for baggy trousers and baseball caps – at times discovering her oversized trousers falling dangerously low while on stage – and taught herself English by rapping along to Eminem.

"All he does is curse – that's why my English is so bad and rude," she laughs. "I remember one song he wrote for his ex-wife, Kim: 'B****, I'm-a kill you, you don't wanna f*** with me.' That was what I learned first."

Suboi's popularity has coincided with – and arguably helped to stoke – an increasing desire to reach out culturally in previously unthinkable ways. More than half of Vietnam's population is under 25, and beatboxing, breakdancing and at-home music production are growing trends among youth who admire the rebellious aspect of doing something different in a country that has long preferred to keep a tight rein on its citizens.

"Suboi's cool because she speaks her mind," said Thanh Hoa Tranh, 26, a female fan in Hanoi. "Too much music today involves love songs and being a quiet, good girl. She's not like that. That's why we like her."

So far, Suboi says, she has been lucky to avoid any government inspection, being too underground an artist to alert the authorities. But, that is changing.

Suboi's YouTube videos have tens of thousands of views; she has more than 200,000 fans on Facebook; brands such as Adidas and Samsung have cashed in on her youthful popularity for their marketing campaigns; a yoghurt company created a Suboi flavour and she plays to huge festivals at home and adoring crowds in neighbouring countries such as Thailand. She has also performed live with Midlands-born MC Lady Leshurr and is planning a tour in Japan for the end of the year.

Part of her popularity can be attributed to the fact that she is helping to bring the outside world in, said her producer Do Nhau, combining genres such as dubstep, trance and electro with hip-hop to create a style of music never before heard in Vietnam.

"She's the first female rapper to go mainstream," said Do Nhau, "so, she can try new things."

But, not everyone has reacted warmly to Suboi, who has found that – much like her rapping mentors – she, too, has her haters.

"You don't know who I am, or whether I'm right or wrong," she raps in an exclusive video for the Guardian, then explains: "I'm no gangster, but I do get mad a lot. And, if they don't like it, I don't care." — Guardian News & Media

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: South & East

0 ulasan 11:15 PG Dicatat oleh blog2

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Metro: South & East

Debunking myths about terrorism
Indonesia holds rival pageant exclusively for Muslim women
Philippine troops clear rebels