Ahad, 1 Disember 2013

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

Challenge to detect HIV early remains key
Poll: Employees take four MCs a year
Turning to comedy to raise vigilance against crime

Challenge to detect HIV early remains key

Posted:

EVEN as Singapore's human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection numbers remain low, the challenge to detect and treat infections early remains key, wrote Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower Amy Khor (pic) in a blog post on World AIDS Day.

Regular HIV testing is an important way in which to prevent late detections, she wrote, especially for those with multiple sexual partners or who take part in high-risk sexual behaviour.

By diagnosing HIV early, sufferers can seek care and treatment earlier and live out longer, healthier lives, she added.

They would also be able to take measures to protect their partners from infection.

As of June, about 40% of those newly diagnosed with HIV this year already had late-stage infection.

While lower than the 50% recorded in previous years, Dr Khor wrote that this is still "a significant proportion which we must strive to reduce".

Dr Khor emphasised the need to debunk myths and misconceptions about HIV and "reduce discrimination against (sufferers)".

These were factors that contributed to delayed testing and detection of HIV, she wrote. — The Straits Times / Asia News Net-work

Poll: Employees take four MCs a year

Posted:

EMPLOYEES use up, on average, only about four days of their outpatient sick leave entitlements each year, a new survey has found.

This is less than a third of the average 14 days of medical leave which most people are given by their employers.

And when asked if they have ever called in sick when they were not actually ill, more than eight out of 10 respondents claimed they have never lied to their doctors or bosses to get a day off.

These were the findings from a poll of 1,000 employees from across different sectors conducted online by career portal STJobs over the last three weeks.

HR experts and industry watchers generally agree with the results, saying the low rate of people calling in sick with medical certificates (MC) could be due to flexible work arrangements, which are more common these days.

Civil servants, for instance, can now call in sick without an MC for two days a year. The "progressive human resource practice" was implemented in April by the Public Service Division after consultation with the various ministries.

More companies offering paternity and eldercare leave in recent years, in addition to existing maternity and extended childcare leave entitlements, for instance, have also helped keep the "MC rate" low.

There were, however, some sceptics like HR consultant Martin Gabriel of HRMatters21, who believes the national average may be higher – about six days in a year.

"But I suppose people might take fewer days of leave because they're concerned about being branded MC King or Queen, and being seen as lazy," he said.

Aside from actual health reasons, he said the number of days an employee calls in sick is highly correlated to his total leave entitlements.

"That is why I've always warned companies that if their leave allowance is too low, the number of MCs will go up," he said. "Lower leave entitlement may also see higher abuse of medical leave."

About 16% of the employees polled admitted they have called in sick this year even though they were fit to work. This was almost double the 9% who admitted doing the same in a poll of 1,000 people in October by travel website Skyscanner.

Still, experts like David Ang said the figure was lower than expected.

The associate director of HR consultancy Remuneration Data Specialists said a more indicative figure would be about one in four, or 25%. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Turning to comedy to raise vigilance against crime

Posted:

THE National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and the police are bringing some cheer in their efforts to remind the public to stay vigilant against crime this festive season with "Criminal Watch".

A parody of council's popular Crime Watch programme – the new video shows the antics of unsuspecting victims of common crimes like online extortion and car theft.

Produced by local filmmaking group Night Owl Cinematic, the video was launched by Grassroots Advisor and MP for Pioneer Constituency, Cedric Foo at the launch of this year's Festive Season Crime Prevention Campaign on Saturday.

The video can be viewed on the police and NCPC Facebook pages, as well as at #criminalwatch on Youtube. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

Up in arms

Posted:

The Feature (Mon-Tues, 9am-10am)

Kuala Lumpur City Hall's (DBKL) proposed assessment tax hike in the country's capital has Malaysians crying foul. Many feel the increase is unjustified and have started to petition for the Government to intervene. This week, join 988 on The Feature to further analyse this topic. Guests include KL Members of Parliament and tax specialist Dr Zhong Gui Fa.

Morning Up VIP (Wed-Fri, 9am-10am)

As voted by listeners, the eight most popular Morning Up VIP interviews will be on air starting this week. National pride Penny Dai and Michael Wong, along with international artistes Spencer Leung Sze Ho, Yu Mei Ren, Sammy Leung, Ba Liang Jin, Eric Tsang and Wayne Lai Yiu Cheung, are the year's favourite interviews. Don't miss the opportunity to listen to these interviews again.

The eight interviews will be aired on these dates: Dec 4-6 (Penny Dai), Dec 11-13 (Spencer Leung), Dec 18-20 (Yu Mei Ren), Dec 25-27 (Sammy Leung), Jan 1-3 (Ba Liang Jin), Jan 8-10 (Eric Tsang), Jan 15-17 (Wayne Lai) and Jan 22-24 (Michael Wong).

Music Gets Crazy (Mon-Fri, 1pm-3pm)

She is Taiwan's most famous TV host. But Tao Jing Ying, commonly known as Tao Zi, is also a singer.

After a hiatus of eight years, Tao Zi is back with a new effort, Zhen De Jia De (Real, Unreal). The album boasts the all-star producer lineup of Jay Chou, Tanya Chua, Lin Xi, Khalil Fong and Tsing Fong (of Sodagreen).

Watch Tao Zi's impressive new music video Zhen De Jia De on 988's website (http://www.988.com.my/video-gallery/taomv-2). Stay tuned to 988 this December for more highlights on the album.

Go, Go Weekend – Health, Touch & Go (Sat, 6am-7am)

Snoring is known to cause sleep deprivation both to snorers as well as those who sleep with them. There has been study showing a correlation between loud snoring and the risk of heart attack and stroke. How true is that?

Tune in to Weekend Go, Go for more on this issue.

> For more information, log on to 988.com.my. Download the 988 app or stream it online at 988.com.my.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates

Thousands take to the streets in Honduras to protest election result
New York train derailment kills four, injures 63
U.S. ship Cape Ray readied for possible chemical arms destruction

Thousands take to the streets in Honduras to protest election result

Posted:

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduras' defeated leftist presidential candidate, the wife of ousted former leader Manuel Zelaya, led thousands of supporters onto the streets of Tegucigalpa on Sunday to protest an election result she has called fraudulent.

The demonstration by a crowd estimated at several thousand people passed off peacefully, which analysts said offered some hope for political stability. The Central American country is plagued by violence and has the world's highest murder rate.

The ruling National Party's Juan Hernandez, who is head of Congress, won last week's election with 36.8 percent of the votes, according to the country's election tribunal. He has vowed to curb the drug violence.

Xiomara Castro ran as the candidate of the Liberty and Refoundation Party (LIBRE) - a coalition of leftist politicians, unions and indigenous groups founded by her husband. She came second with 28.79 percent of the vote.

But Castro and Zelaya, who was ousted in a 2009 coup that plunged Honduras into a deep political crisis, have refused to acknowledge the results, demanding a recount and setting the stage for a protracted conflict.

"If we revise the ballot boxes, LIBRE won the election," Zelaya told the protest, the first called by LIBRE since the election. "We don't want fraud in Honduras. We don't want a government born out of cheating and deception."

Speaking on local television on Sunday night, David Matamoros, the head of the election tribunal, said the body had spoken with LIBRE and told the party it was willing to allow it to review the electoral record.

However, he made no mention of a full vote recount, which LIBRE has demanded.

"If there's a doubt, and the possibility of clearing up that doubt, we're going to do it," Matamoros said.

LIBRE has said it will keep protesting and Zelaya says the party is willing to go the nation's supreme court to annul the election result.

Given Honduras' recent history of political instability, however, analysts applauded the fact that the march was peaceful.

"LIBRE's decision to take its accusations of fraud down a peaceful and legal path guarantees the political stability of Honduras in the short term," said analyst Francisco Zaravia.

Castro and Zelaya appeared at the march alongside the coffin of 58-year-old Antonio Ardon, a well-known LIBRE supporter who was shot dead by four unknown assailants in Tegucigalpa on Saturday night.

Zelaya said Ardon's killing was politically motivated and perpetrated by "death squads." Honduran police said they did not yet know the motive for the killing.

New York train derailment kills four, injures 63

Posted:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A suburban New York train derailed on Sunday, killing four people and injuring 63, including 11 critically, when all seven cars of a Metro-North train ran off the tracks on a sharp curve, officials said.

The crash happened at 7:20 a.m. (1220 GMT) about 100 yards (metres) north of Metro-North's Spuyten Duyvil station in the city's Bronx borough, said Metro-North spokesman Aaron Donovan.

Metropolitan Transit Authority police said two men and two women were killed and the MTA said 63 people were injured. A Fire Department spokesman said 11 people had been sent to the hospital in critical condition and six in serious condition with non-life threatening injuries.

The train, headed south toward Manhattan's Grand Central Terminal, was about half full at the time of the crash with about 150 passengers and was not scheduled to stop at the Spuyten Duyvil station, said the MTA, the parent company of Metro-North.

"On a work day, fully occupied, it would have been a tremendous disaster," New York City Fire Commissioner Salvatore Joseph Cassano told reporters at the scene.

The derailment happened in a wooded area where the Hudson and Harlem rivers meet. At least one rail car was lying toppled near the water and others were lying on their sides.

There was no official word on possible causes of the accident.

"That is a dangerous area on the track just by design," Governor Andrew Cuomo told CNN after touring the site. "The trains are going about 70 miles per hour (112 kph) coming down the straight part of the track. They slow to about 30 miles per hour (48 kph) to make that sharp curve ... where the Hudson River meets the Harlem River and that is a difficult area of the track."

Cuomo said it appeared that all passengers had been accounted for.

He said recovery of the train's "black box" - a data-recording device similar to those on airplanes - would reveal more about the train's speed, possible mechanical issues and whether brakes were applied.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it would be on the scene investigating the accident for at least the next week and would focus on track conditions, signalling systems, mechanical equipment and the performance of the train crew.

Passenger Frank Tatulli told television station WABC he had been riding in the first car and the train had been travelling "a lot faster" than usual.

"The guy was going real fast on the turns and I just didn't know why because we were making good time. And all of a sudden we derailed on the turn," he said.

Joseph Bruno, who heads the city's Office of Emergency Management, told CNN it appeared that three of the four people killed had been ejected from the train. The MTA and the fire department both said that could not immediately be confirmed.

Michael Keaveney, 22, a security worker whose home overlooks the site, said he had heard a loud bang when the train derailed.

"It woke me up from my sleep," he said. "It looked like (the train) took out a lot of trees on its way over toward the water."

SERIES OF ACCIDENTS

New York police divers were seen in the water near the accident, and dozens of fire-fighters were helping pull people from the wreckage. None of the passengers were in the water, said Marjorie Anders of Metro-North.

The derailment was the latest in a string of problems this year for Metro-North, the second busiest U.S. commuter railroad in terms of monthly ridership. The MTA said details about how the accident would impact Monday morning's commute were not yet available.

In July, 10 cars of a CSX freight train carrying trash derailed in the same area, Anders said. Partial service was restored four days later but full service did not return for more than a week.

In May, a Metro-North passenger train struck a commuter train between Fairfield and Bridgeport, Connecticut, injuring more than 70 people and halting service on the line.

The MTA said Sunday's accident marked the first customer fatality in Metro-North's three-decade history and that it was a "black day" for the railroad.

Amtrak said its Empire Line service between New York City and Albany was being restored after being halted immediately after the crash. Amtrak's Northeast Corridor service between Boston and Washington was not affected.

Metro-North's Hudson Line service has been suspended between Tarrytown and Grand Central station, and bus service is being provided between White Plains and Tarrytown, the MTA said.

New York-Presbyterian Hospital said it received 18 patients from the accident, and two remained in critical condition. Jacobi Medical Center, which received 13 patients from the accident, said none have critical injuries and several had been discharged.

President Barack Obama was briefed on the accident and a White House official said the president's thoughts and prayers were with the friends and families of those involved.

(Additional reporting by Myles Miller, Matt Robinson, Ed Krudy and Carey Gillam.; Writing by Edith Honan.; Editing by Frances Kerry, Bill Trott and Christopher Wilson)

U.S. ship Cape Ray readied for possible chemical arms destruction

Posted:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government has begun outfitting a ship in its reserve ready force with equipment to enable it to destroy some of Syria's chemical weapons at sea in the event Washington is asked to assist in the effort, a defence official said on Sunday.

The Maritime Administration vessel MV Cape Ray is being equipped with the newly developed Field Deployable Hydrolysis System, which was designed by the Defense Department to neutralize components used in chemical weapons, a defense official said on condition of anonymity.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which supervising the disposal of Syria's chemical arms, said last week the United States had offered to destroy some of the components on a U.S. ship and was looking for a Mediterranean port where the work could be carried out.

"The United States is committed to supporting the international community's efforts to destroy Syria's chemical weapons in the safest, most efficient and effective means possible," Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council, said in an email on Sunday.

"We have offered and are currently outfitting a U.S. vessel with field deployable hydrolysis system technology to support the OPCW's efforts," she said, adding the U.S. remained "confident that we can meet the milestones for destruction set out by the OPCW."

The OPCW aims to remove the most critical chemicals out of Syria by the end of December, with the remainder due out by February 5.

The Cape Ray, a 648-foot (198-meter) vessel with built-in ramps to enable cargo to be efficiently rolled on and rolled off, is part of the Maritime Administration's ready reserve force of 46 ships.

The force was organized to provide strategic sealift for U.S. military forces, but it is part of the Transportation Department. The Pentagon would lease the Cape Ray if it participates in the Syrian chemical weapons destruction, the defense official said.

The OPCW said last week 35 firms had expressed an interest in bidding for commercial contracts to dispose of some 800 tonnes (1 tonne = 1.102 metric tons) of bulk industrial chemicals that are safe to destroy in commercial incinerators.

Another 500 tonnes of chemicals, including nerve agents, were seen as too dangerous to import into a country or to process commercially. The OPCW was considering the U.S. offer to neutralize those chemical agents on a vessel at sea.

The Field Deployable Hydrolysis System was built by the U.S. military and went through final testing this summer. It is designed to be portable and can be deployed and begin operations anywhere in the world within 10 days.

It neutralizes bulk amounts of chemical warfare agents and their precursors using reagents like water, sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite, according to the U.S. Army's Edgewood Chemical Biological Centre.

"The Department of Defense designed the FDHS to fully comply with U.S. environmental laws and regulations," the defense official said, adding that the United States had used the approach of neutralizing chemical warfare agents in destroying its own stockpiles.

The system, which requires a crew of 15 trained personnel, is self-sufficient and includes its own power generators and laboratory. It only needs materials like water, reagents and fuel to operate.

(Editing by Eric Walsh)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

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The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

Movies coming soon

Posted:

Gatchaman – This Japanese sci-fi revolves around a five-member superhero team with enhanced martial arts skills. They fight a technologically advanced terrorist organisation that wants to control Earth's resources for profit and evil. Starring Tori Matsuzaka, Go Ayano, Ayame Gouriki, Tatsuomi Hamada and Ryohei Suzuki.

Firestorm – In this action-packed thriller from the producers of Cold War, a criminal gang pulls off an armoured car heist in broad daylight, making the police look bad. Inspector Lui (Andy Lau) decides to shake things up by implementing extreme crimefighting measures. Co-starring Lam Ka Tung and Yao Chen

Papadom 2 – Mia is now a grown-up living in the city. Her father decides to visit and learns that she is about to get married.

So he decides to find out more about his future son-in-law. Starring Afdlin Shauki and Liyana Jasmay.

The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug – Old and new elves (Orlando Bloom and Evangeline Lily) are introduced in the second part of the trilogy.

The focus is on Smaug, the greedy dragon that has claimed Erebor, the dwarves' homeland. How will Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), in possession of the One Ring, fare against this ancient terror?

Leaves you hungering for more

Posted:

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

As far as second courses go, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire actually manages to outshine its predecessor.

Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) are now hailed as champions of the Hunger Games, but have also earned the ire of President Snow (Donald Sutherland) for inspiring rebellion.

To keep her loved ones safe, Katniss must not only maintain the charade of being in love with Peeta, but also try to out-manoeuvre Snow's diabolical schemes.

Perfectly plotted and paced, Catching Fire has all the right ingredients, including stunning visuals and exciting action sequences. The highlight, however, is a delicious ensemble cast, which features – besides the excellent Lawrence – meaty performances from the likes of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci and Sam Claflin.

An utterly satisfying experience with plenty to sink your teeth into and leave you hungering for the next serving. – Sharmilla Ganesan (4/5 stars)

Ender's Game

I was under the impression that a film based on young adult fiction would entail the usual plotline concerning a chosen youth embarking on a world-saving mission, facing discrimination along the way but thankfully finding comfort in an equally quirky friend or lover.

Well, yes, that's the basic storyline but Ender's Game offers so much more. Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) is a scrawny kid with a maturity (way) beyond his years and a knack for military strategy.

He sort of instinctively knows what he's doing (child prodigy much) but must overcome his insecurities to successfully lead an army against an impending alien attack.

The film skirts around the usual teen drama and delivers a deeper message that teaches the importance of ethics, discipline and taking risks.

Not having read the book – even if I hear the film doesn't do it justice – Ender's Game is still a breath of fresh air in the touchy-feely, tear-sodden world of young adult movies. – Kenneth Chaw (4/5 stars)

Kick Ass Girls

Honestly, I only went to watch this campy parody because it starred hottie Chrissie Chau, but I found toughie Hidy Yu and bubbly Dada Lo to be pretty engaging, too. As was Chui Tien You, who looks criminally underage as an otaku gamer.

And, with a title like Kick Ass Girls, who would watch this Asian version of Charlie's Angels for its plot anyway?

If you've never seen an exploitation flick by a woman filmmaker, let me tell you it's downright nasty how the girls have to take one wicked pounding after another.

It's a twisted sort of girl power demonstration from three girls who can pummel guys to a pulp but can't fight other girls to save their lives.

Vicious? Yes, but you won't blink or look away. – Seto Kit Yan (2/5 stars)

Battle Of The Year

Josh Holloway and Chris Brown are the only "names" in a cast of otherwise unknowns, in this film about the breakdancing phenomenon (a.k.a. B-Boying). Holloway is a coach with a troubled past who nonetheless steps up to teach a group to get ready for a competition in France.

There are some stereotypical characters and scenes, but they don't take away the moments when the dancers – who are actual B-boys – show off their moves. – Mumtaj Begum (3/5 stars)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

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The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

Movies coming soon

Posted:

Papadom 2 – Mia is now a grown-up living in the city. Her father decides to visit and learns that she is about to get married.

So he decides to find out more about his future son-in-law. Starring Afdlin Shauki and Liyana Jasmay.

The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug – Old and new elves (Orlando Bloom and Evangeline Lily) are introduced in the second part of the trilogy.

The focus is on Smaug, the greedy dragon that has claimed Erebor, the dwarves' homeland. How will Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), in possession of the One Ring, fare against this ancient terror?

Leaves you hungering for more

Posted:

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

As far as second courses go, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire actually manages to outshine its predecessor.

Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) are now hailed as champions of the Hunger Games, but have also earned the ire of President Snow (Donald Sutherland) for inspiring rebellion.

To keep her loved ones safe, Katniss must not only maintain the charade of being in love with Peeta, but also try to out-manoeuvre Snow's diabolical schemes.

An utterly satisfying experience with plenty to sink your teeth into and leave you hungering for the next serving. – Sharmilla Ganesan (4/5 stars)

Ender's Game

Well, yes, that's the basic storyline but Ender's Game offers so much more. Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) is a scrawny kid with a maturity (way) beyond his years and a knack for military strategy.

He sort of instinctively knows what he's doing (child prodigy much) but must overcome his insecurities to successfully lead an army against an impending alien attack.

The film skirts around the usual teen drama and delivers a deeper message that teaches the importance of ethics, discipline and taking risks.

Kick Ass Girls

And, with a title like Kick Ass Girls, who would watch this Asian version of Charlie's Angels for its plot anyway?

If you've never seen an exploitation flick by a woman filmmaker, let me tell you it's downright nasty how the girls have to take one wicked pounding after another.

It's a twisted sort of girl power demonstration from three girls who can pummel guys to a pulp but can't fight other girls to save their lives.

Vicious? Yes, but you won't blink or look away. – Seto Kit Yan (2/5 stars)

Battle Of The Year

There are some stereotypical characters and scenes, but they don't take away the moments when the dancers – who are actual B-boys – show off their moves. – Mumtaj Begum (3/5 stars)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Business

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The Star Online: Business

Country Heights to unveil RM11bil wellness project
Two more start-ups qualify for The Star Accelerator Fund
Ringgit mixed fortune, M'sian travellers hit by volatile currencies

Country Heights to unveil RM11bil wellness project

Posted:

SERI KEMBANGAN: Country Heights Holdings Bhd's flagship Mines development is getting a new lease of life as Mines Wellness City, an RM11bil mixed use project anchored on a health and wellness theme.

The 120-acre development, to be built around the existing infrastructure in Mines, is an entry point project under the Economic Transformation Programme which aims to position Malaysia as a wellness landmark for the region.

This means it will enjoy tax breaks over a 10-year development period, according to group CEO Dianna LeeChengWen(inset).SheisCountryHeights founder Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew's second daughter.

The launch of MinesWellness City, expected either this month or in January, is the culmination of several years of work to rebrand the 1,000-acre Mines Resort City as Mines Wellness City, in what Lee calls the "second wave" for Mines.

"The first two products to be rolled out will be a retirement home and business suites," she told StarBiz.

Two-thirds of Mines Wellness City's 36million sq ft is earmarked for residences.While the development order and building plans have been approved, Lee did not reveal the planned number of homes as the amount could change depending on market demand, she said.

Most of the land for Mines WellnessCity is owned byCountry Heights, although some parcels belong to Lee's father.

A joint-venture agreementis in place between the elder Lee and Country Heights, with the tycoon as land owner and Country Heights as developer, for land that the listed firm does not hold directly.

Across Malaysia, Country Heights owns 6,000 acres of land in the Klang Valley, Jitra in Kedah, Pajam and Port Dickson in Negri Sembilan and Kuching, Sarawak.

Lee said the group has projects worth a gross development value of RM6bil in the pipeline between 2014 and 2019, involving 200 acres of its landbank.

The niche developer chalked up total property sales of RM220mil in the nine months to September, and is on track to meet its full-year target of RM336mil, Lee noted.

Its unbilled sales stood at RM170mil. For next year, Country Heights is looking to make RM400mil in sales.

Meanwhile, market talk has it that Country Heights' Taiwanese shareholder, Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd, is close to disposing of its13.93% stake, sparking rumours of a possible privatisation of Country Heights.

Taiwan-listed Chunghwa Picture Tubes manufactures cathode ray tubes for monitors and televisions. Its major shareholders are believed to be cashing out of their investments in Malaysia.

In June 2011, Chunghwa Picture Tubes' Malaysian unit sold 88.5 acres of land in Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park for RM385.5mil to the then Dijaya Corp Bhd, on top of 12.9 acres in Kampar, Perak for RM5.6mil.

Chunghwa Picture Tubes was the first Taiwanese firm to set up shop in Subang Hi-Tech Industrial
Park, which was developed by Country Heights, Lee said. She declined to comment on the takeover rumours.

Country Heights is often cited as a privatisation target because of its perceived undervaluation.

Industry executives point out that the elder Lee may be keen to buyout Chunghwa Picture Tubes should it decide to exit, a move that would boost his holdings to 67.43% from 53.5% currently.

Back-of-the-envelope calculations show that a full takeover by the Country Heights founder would cost no less than RM128mil based on the firm's last transacted share price of RM1 and market capitalisation of RM275.7mil.

Its book value per share of RM2.82 as at end-September is almost three times the value of its shares.

Much of the company's landbank was acquired in the 1980s or1990s and have not been revalued since, which means they could be worth a lot more.

In recent times, CountryHeights has also enjoyed relatively high margins for its core property development arm due to inventory sales of bungalow land at Country Heights Damansara and previously completed projects.

The firm's nine-month gross margins for property development stood at 43% versus 29% in the same period last year.

But Lee said those margins should normalise as inventory sales taper off, and given CountryHeights' anticipated ramp up in new sales.

The group is aiming for a 70:30 split between sales from its new launches and inmventory compared with 50:50 in the past.

split between sales from new
launches andinventory com

Two more start-ups qualify for The Star Accelerator Fund

Posted:

PETALING JAYA: Two more applicants – H&H Connection Sdn Bhd and Voxy Labs Sdn Bhd – have qualified for The Star Accelerator Fund. Both companies are planning to stream the funds into advertising and marketing campaigns, as well as recruiting new talents to help them expand.

"Sales have been very encouraging since we launched in June," H&H Connection's co-founder and strategy/assets chief Lim Hui Ru (pic) told StarBiz. "We want to ride on that and get our brand out there quickly. That was The Star's advice to us."

The e-commerce shopping website, Off The Rack Asia, features curated fashion labels from Asia, a boost for regional fashion designers, a "Create-A-Look" function, where users can match apparel and accessories, and social shopping, where users can share their created "looks" with friends.

"The fund has been very helpful in allowing us to explore different forms of advertising. We tried some methods that didn't work, like e-mail marketing. This fund and its advisors taught us how to allocate and prioritise our resources," said Off The Rack Asia director Haslina Ali.

Currently, the online shopping company has enlisted 12 brands from Malaysia, three from the United States (Danielle Nicole Handbags, House of Harlow 1960 Jewelery and Gorjana & Griffin Jewelery) and another from Indonesia (Alleira Batik).

Upcoming collaborations include Frollic Shoes from Singapore, and Monstore Clothing and Greedy Sassy Accessories from Indonesia.

"Things are getting very exciting for us and we will allocating the bulk of our funds into advertising," Lim said.

As Off The Rack Asia is working comfortably in a team of six, they will not be hiring anytime soon. Instead, they will be focusing on branding.

For Voxy Labs, qualifying for The Star Accelerator Fund means receiving valuable advice on streamlining its efforts and approach after a year of its product, Kasi (a mobile application), for launch next month.

"We began in January and quickly learned that without funds, overheads can burn us fast and ultimately affect the outcome of our product. With developers and hardware expenses running, we were faced with the question of compromising on quality," said Xu-Zonne Ho, co-founder of the information technology outfit.

Voxy Labs is an information technology company with a mobile application that has yet to be launched.

"We had several investors that approached us but we only had lukewarm sentiments towards their participation because they didn't understand us fully. The Star, on the other hand, being a media company, truly got us," Ho added. "They taught us how to approach this differently, and that was crucial for us."

Prior to this, Voxy Labs had one hire. Now, with the financial boost, the team of three can expand to six.

The funds will not justify increased wages, but it will be comforting for the founders to know that while they screen new applicants, there are resources for other areas in the business.

"We encourage founders to build their business for the long term rather than a mere quick gain. We prefer to fund founders that believe in this course," Star Publications (M) Bhd corporate services group general manager George Chan said.

"We encourage applicants to have done sufficient market validation before submitting their application to us. This tends to be overlooked by applicants because of their eagerness to introduce their products and services into the market. This process is crucial to ensure that their solution is sustainable, and that the market itself can accommodate their plans."

Ringgit mixed fortune, M'sian travellers hit by volatile currencies

Posted:

PETALING JAYA: The recent big swing in the value of the ringgit will burn a bigger hole in the consumers' pockets if they are heading off to Europe this Christmas.

Spending the winter in Seoul, South Korea too would cost more, compared with last year due to the
more expensive won.

While the exodus by hedge fund managers since May, spooked by the US Federal Reserve tapering talks,
has pulled the rug from under most Asian currencies, the ringgitis holding up relatively well against the US dollar year-to-date.

At 3.224 to the US dollar last Friday, the ringgit was down 6% from its peak in May, or 2.9% since
the start of the year.

Other regional currencies were hit harder.

A quick check on the foreign exchange rates revealed that holiday makers can get better value for the
ringgit if they are going for a vacation Down Under, as the Australian dollar had fallen 7.7% against the
ringgit since January.

With Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia X still slugging it out in an all-out price war to fill their expanding seat
capacity, a trip to Perth or Melbourne is worth considering.

For a bargain vacation closer to home, a shopping trip to Bandung, Indonesia offers the best value following the12.9% slump in the rupiah against the ringgit this year.

India, too, is an interesting travel destination given the sharp decline in the rupee.

Most families make their travel arrangements months ahead to take advantage of cheaper airfares and
hotel room rates.

But predicting foreign exchange(forex) rates in a volatile currency market can be a daunting task.

According to the forex research team at Maybank Singapore, the key risk for the ringgit and other
Asian currencies next year, is the anticipated reduction of the US Federal Reserve bond-buying programme.

This could happen in the first quarter of 2014.

The forex team at Maybank expects the ringgit to fall to a low of 3.27 against the US dollar early next
year, but sees the currency climbing to 3.12 by the end of the year.

"Barring no policy slippages and little deterioration, we are bullish on the currency for next year," head of
forex research at Maybank in Singapore Saktiandi Supaat said in his note to clients,

Maybank said the volatility in the currency market in 2014 would continue to be driven by the developed
markets. Stronger growth in the United States and the United Kingdom will lead to steeper and
tightening by their respective central bank.

"The impact of reduced monetary accommodation is likely to be a bigger theme in 2015," Supaat said.

The bank continues to be bearish on the rupiah, given the twin deficit concerns and the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections in Indonesia in 2014.

The rupiah last week fell below the 12,000-level against the US dollar for the first time since March
2009.

Supaat and his team believed there could be downside risk for the rupiah in the short-term, but expected the currency to recover to 11,900 by the end of next year.

Supaat and his team also expected the Australian dollar to remain weak, at least in the early part of
2014, with the Reserve Bank of Australia sending out clear messages in recent months that it preferred the Australian dollar to remain soft.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

Javier Bardem could be villain in new Peter Pan movie

Posted:

Actor has played praiseworthy villians before.

JAVIER Bardem is being courted by the producers of Pan, a Peter Pan origin story to be directed by Joe Wright (Atonement).

According to Deadline.com, Warner Bros. Pictures are eyeing the Spanish actor to play the pirate Blackbeard, the main antagonist in the forthcoming adventure movie.

Pan will be loosely based on the writings of J.M. Barrie, published during the early 20th century. The feature will depict how the orphan arrived in Neverland and became the hero of the Lost Boys after fighting Blackbeard and his band of pirates. His first meeting with Tinkerbell will also make an appearance in the movie, which is planned for filming in 2014.

Bardem, aged 44, can be seen in theatres now in Ridley Scott's The Counselor, a crime thriller featuring Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz and Bardem's wife Penelope Cruz. Currently, alongside Sean Penn, Bardem is on the set of Pierre Morel's The Gunman, an adaptation of French crime novelist Jean-Patrick Manchette's The Prone Gunman.

Javier Bardem has often been praised for his portrayal of villains, particularly in No Country For Old Men and Skyfall. – AFP Relaxnews

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Nation

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Looking at the limits of the law
Modern-day Robinson Crusoe
Liow slams ex-EC chief over redelineation remark

Looking at the limits of the law

Posted:

A British Supreme Court judge warns about the perils of taking "judge-made" law too far.

IN the 27th Sultan Azlan Shah Law Lecture in Kuala Lumpur recently, British Supreme Court judge Lord Jonathan Sumption focused on the tendency for courts in Europe to "convert political questions into legal ones".

He was speaking to an audience of around 1,400 that filled a hotel ballroom to capacity, with almost 200 guests outside who were unable to enter.

They included the President of the Court of Appeal, the Chief Judges of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak and many current and former Malaysian judges, as well as a former Singapore Chief Justice and a serving Singapore Court of Appeal judge.

Lord Sumption challenged these top legal minds with his address on the limits of the Law. He pointed out that in common law jurisdictions (such as Britain and Malaysia), judges can make and unmake the law, and can overrule past decisions, even those of the highest appellate courts.

The "empire of law" has expanded, he said. "Restraints on the autonomy and self-interest of men, such as religion and social convention, have lost much of their former force, at any rate in the West." (http://www.supremecourt.gov.uk/docs/speech-131120.pdf)

Their role had been largely taken over by law, he added: "Popular expectations of law are by historical standards exceptionally high."

British and other common law jurisdictions have been framing issues as questions of law even in cases that do not really lend themselves to a legal solution, the 65-year-old judge said.

For example, as the European Court of Human Rights at Strasbourg develops the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, he said, "this kind of judicial lawmaking" takes "many contentious issues which would previously have been regarded as questions for political debate, administrative discretion or social convention and transforms them into questions of law to be resolved by an international judicial tribunal."

And through this process, the Strasbourg court recognises "some rights which the signatories do not appear to have granted, and some which we know from the negotiation documents that they positively intended not to grant."

He questioned giving the force of law to values for which there is no popular mandate, and pointed out that rights can never be wholly unqualified: "Their existence and extent must be constrained to a greater or lesser extent by the rights of others, as well as by some legitimate collective interests. In deciding where the balance lies between individual rights and collective interests, the relevant considerations will often be far wider than anything that a court can comprehend simply on the basis of argument between the parties before it."

Lord Sumption's address reminded former Court of Appeal judge Tan Sri V. C. George of legal developments in India. For example, in disposing of a 1993 public interest case, a Supreme Court bench ordered changes to make the environment around the Taj Mahal environmentally safer.

"They brought in the long arm of the courts to cut down pollution," said the former judge, who has attended all 27 of the annual lectures. "They were justifying what they were doing because the executive and legislative were not doing what they should have done. This started in the heyday of India's Chief Justice P. N. Bhagawati (in 1985 and 1986)."

But in Malaysia, said former Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee, "the speech by Lord Sumption on the tension about the proper boundaries between judge-made law and Parliament-made law does not resonate because we are grappling with a more basic problem."

Over decades, he pointed out, judicial discretion was restricted with mandatory sentences for many offences. Laws such as the Printing Presses and Publications Act oust judicial review. And the Constitution (Amendment) Act 1988 gave High Courts and lower courts only 'such jurisdictions and powers as may be conferred by or under federal law'.

"Fortunately, in the last 10 years with more independent and intelligent judges, we have seen a number of judicial decisions which uphold the supremacy of the Federal Constitution and which provide a check on abuse of executive powers," Lim noted. "I would hope to witness one day a similar debate in Malaysia that our courts have overreached themselves in upholding and promoting human rights ahead of our Parliament."

The Sultan Azlan Shah Law Lecture is organised by the Sultan Azlan Shah Foundation, of which Raja Nazrin Shah, the Regent of Perak, is chairman of the board of trustees.

The audience on Nov 20 included many young lawyers and law students, noted former High Court judge Tan Sri Visu Sinnadurai. "The response to the lecture was overwhelming."

Modern-day Robinson Crusoe

Posted:

French businessman heads to desert island to become first 'Web Robinson' with solar panels, a windmill, a laptop, a tablet and two satellite phones.

HAVE computer – and Internet connection – work anywhere. So goes the cost-cutting corporate human resources mantra.

Even on an uninhabited coral island in the middle of nowhere?

To the dismay, perhaps, of office workers everywhere, Frenchman Gauthier Toulemonde has returned to civilisation to report that it is indeed possible, though not necessarily desirable nor particularly cheap, to relocate staff "offshore".

Until six weeks ago, Toulemonde, a businessman, journalist and former banker, was inclined to agree with the received wisdom that workers, given the right equipment, can labour more or less anywhere.

Being adventurous as well as entrepreneurial, however, he decided to put the theory to the test and at the same time fulfil a childhood dream of living like a modern-day Robinson Crusoe.

"Who hasn't dreamed of going to a desert island, to get away from it all, to go on an adventure. For me it was a childhood dream. When I'm big I'll leave, I told myself, but as an adult obliged to work to live and subject to the numerous constraints of modern life, I realised it was complicated," he wrote in his blog.

But a year ago, fed up with commuting from his home in the northern French city of Lille to Paris, Toulemonde, 54, decided to relocate his job as the head of a publishing business to an uninhabited island in the middle of nowhere for several weeks.

"I found myself in Gare Saint Lazare in Paris just before Christmas watching the continuous stream of people passing by," he said.

"They had this sad look on their faces, even though they were carrying Christmas presents. It had long seemed to me absurd, this travelling back and forth to offices.

"My idea of going away had been growing for a while, but it was on that day, I decided to leave."

It took six months to identify a suitable island, a 700m-by-500m island in the Indonesian archipelago (the Indonesians made him promise not to reveal its exact location) more than 16,000km from Paris, and a few more months to prepare.

On Oct 8, he left his home in Lille with four towel-sized solar panels, a windmill, a laptop computer, a tablet computer and two satellite phones. He was also carrying two tents to protect him and the equipment from the humidity and the seasonal heavy rains.

Gecko, a borrowed dog, "rented" from a Chinese businessman came too to scare off local wildlife that included rats and snakes.

Toulemonde, who had a budget of 10,000 (RM44,000) for the adventure, including 20 (RM87) a day for Internet, said he wanted to be the world's first "Web Robinson".

"I wanted to show how with solar energy and new technology, we can live differently and work from far away cutting out all the time lost in commuting," he said.

He added that the adventure was no holiday: "I had a business to run, and had to deal with suppliers, banks, clients. The aim was to show I could do this on my own from far away."

He woke at 5am daily and went to bed around midnight. For a change of diet from the rice and pasta he had packed, Toulemonde fished in the sea and rooted out vegetables.

In between, his company Timbopresse was able to publish two editions of Stamps Magazine, to the same deadlines and with the same content.

Last week, on his return from the long distance 40-day "business trip", Toulemonde was a changed man.

There were, he admitted, the good points.

"It was like being in quarantine for 40 days," he said.

"It was good to get away from modern life, to follow the rhythm of the sun and to live in the closest possible contact with nature.

"There's always the risk that when you actually fulfil a childhood dream it won't live up to what you expect. In this case, far from it. I was extremely happy. Every day was magical."

And there were also the, well, not so good. Quite apart from the rats and snakes and the torrential rain and "terrifying storm" on his first night on the island, there was the constant and terrifying fear of the Internet being cut off for lack of electricity or because the rats had got to the cables.

And, he was forced to admit, life can get a bit dull without someone to say "bonjour" to every morning.

"Doing everything virtually has its limits," he admitted on Friday.

"Working from a distance is certainly doable, and with the Internet and Skype you are never alone. But I'd say 40 days is about the limit.

Liow slams ex-EC chief over redelineation remark

Posted:

GENTING HIGHLANDS: The MCA is concerned about issues in the country that give rise to racism and racial polarisation.

MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai (pic) singled out a recent remark on the redelineation of electoral boundaries by former Election Commission chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman.

Liow said Abdul Rashid was allegedly creating hatred among the people, referring to the reported remark by the ex-EC chief that the three redelineation exercises during his term from 2000 to 2008 and as deputy chairman before were done to ensure the Malays remain in power.

"He is unprofessional," Liow said when opening the Pahang MCA convention here yesterday.

"MCA will stand firm to preserve the unity of the country," he added.

Abdul Rashid, who reportedly made the remark at a Nov 24 Perkasa gathering, had also said the EC did the redelineation of the electoral borders properly and not illegally.

He was further quoted as saying: "The people who lost in past general elections claimed we did it wrong. But then how did the Barisan Nasional lose in Kelantan, Penang and Selangor?"

Meanwhile, Liow, who is also Pahang MCA chairman, said the party is asking its two state assemblymen, Datuk Lau Lee (Damak) and Datuk Fong Koong Fuee (Cheka), to be included in the state executive council.

He said MCA aims to recapture the six state seats it lost in GE13.

He said MCA is also reclaiming the candidacy for the Kuantan parliamentary seat, which he said was "loaned" to Umno as well as the candidacy for the Tanah Rata state seat, exchanged for the Ketari seat with the Gerakan at the last polls.

Liow called on all party members to stay united to regain the support of the people.

Pahang MCA gave their support for Liow to be the next party president and backed a resolution to re-register party members and to have direct contest for the party presidency and other top party posts.

The convention also adopted 28 other resolutions, covering the economy, education, government and social affairs.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion

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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion

Urbanscapes and its unknown artistic pleasures

Posted:

The sideways view of Urbanscapes 2013 through art was both meaningful and quirky.

IT isn't uncommon for festival-goers to think that the Urbanscapes festival is only about music and shopping. Even a whole week after the event, people are still Instagramming bootleg videos of Franz Ferdinand and an endless number of selfies of themselves wearing floral headbands.

Lurking in the shadows of those artificially-vignetted photographs, however, were the subtle yet significant art installations that attendees subconsciously appreciated.

By day, to the untrained eye, Nacho Ruiz's Meeting Point may have come across as elaborate cobwebs but upon closer inspection, you could tell that the installation was in fact a collection of fibre-optic strands that lit up at night. Each strand was approximately 10m to 15m long and visitors were actually encouraged to take selfies with the piece!

"Although it is unusual to let people touch the art objects, they were very respectful and enjoyed creating their own images with the scenario given to them," said Ruiz.

Atan the Nate Berok is Fairuz Sulaiman and Kontak!'s Kelantanese version of the famous Lochness monster.

Rising at dusk: Atan The Nate Berok, an installation by multimedia artist Fairuz Sulaiman and design collective Kontak! was the Kelantanese version of the famous Lochness monster. At Urbanscapes 2013, this piece of work was a crowd favourite.

The artist from Valencia, Spain collaborated with fellow artists Maria Perez and Ferran Benavent to create the installation. On top of the 62 hours it took to set it up at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park (MAEPS) in Serdang, Selangor, Meeting Point took up three months of pre-production work and has been exhibited in other festivals around the world.

"I wanted to work the relationship between the fibre-optic materials and one natural and local material like bamboo," he added.

Another curious sight was Atan The Nate Berok – the Kelantanese version of the Scottish Lochness monster by multimedia artist Fairuz Sulaiman and design collective Kontak!. Similar to Meeting Point, the glory of Atan could only be taken in at night when splashes of turquoise, purple and pink light illuminated its body.

Not all the art at Urbanscapes needed to be seen at night though. The Empty Plates Pavilion by Red Hong Yi, David Yeow and Cheryl Heap was an architectural feat that was beautiful both during the day and night.

The piece wasn't made only for aesthetic purposes. The structure, made of 5,500 recyclable plates took two months to complete and sought to educate visitors on the harsh reality that a large population of the Asian region still lives in poverty.

"The floating mass of empty plates is a symbol reflecting the 550 million people in Asia who go hungry every day – each plate representing 100,000 people," said Red.

Another unique addition to the Urbanscapes art scene was the Market of Experiences created by Joanne Chew and Norman Teh.

"We wanted to challenge the traditional notion of a market where physical goods are sold and instead have people coming to the market be surprised, go on journeys, take risks, learn new skills and just thoroughly enjoy themselves," said Chew.

One of the 10 Malaysian and Singaporean contributors to the Market of Experiences was local artist Sharon Chin who featured a small scale extension to her existing Mandi Bunga (Flower Bath) project, which is on show at the Singapore Biennale 2013. In Singapore, 100 people were involved in a public flower bath and a sarong decorating workshop.

In Serdang, Chin said that her Urbanscapes version of the Mandi Bunga was more like a community service where festival-goers could take a refreshing break by having their faces, hands and feet washed in a mini flower bath. The flower bath itself was like a quick cleanse with water, various plants, lime, ginger and non-toxic flowers.

"The idea is that it is also something that people can do at home," said Chin.

Possibly the most conventional art installation at Urbanscapes this year was the Kedah International Photography Awards (KIPA) exhibition. The photographs shared the untold stories of Kedah and were mounted on reused industrial pallets in the centre of the venue.

"I chose a mix of mostly young photographers. Their views should be seen and heard," said curator Vivian Toh.

It is possible that the most impressive thing about the art at Urbanscapes this year was not that it was beautiful, because it was obviously, but that everything seemed to blend into one unique and effortlessly understood festival experience.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: Central

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Thai police fire tear gas at protesters outside Government House

Posted:

BANGKOK: Thai police fired tear gas and water cannon Sunday at protesters trying to force their way into Government House to overthrow Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, after violence in the capital left two dead and dozens wounded.

The bloodshed is the latest in a series of outbreaks of civil strife in the kingdom since royalist generals ousted billionaire tycoon-turned-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck's brother, seven years ago.

The mass street rallies, aimed at replacing Yingluck's government with an unelected "people's council", are the biggest since political violence in Bangkok three years ago left dozens dead in a military crackdown.

Protesters were massing outside Government House on Sunday following a threat by their leader to seize the offices of Yingluck, who was overseeing the situation from an emergency base elsewhere in the city.

Police fired several tear gas cannisters as well as water cannon after protesters tried to breach barricades and cut barbed wire protecting the seat of government, which was heavily guarded by security forces including unarmed soldiers, according to an AFP reporter.

Tear gas was also fired near the city's metropolitan police headquarters several kilometres (miles) away where demonstrators were also gathering, television footage showed.

Tensions were high after violence broke out late Saturday in the area around a suburban stadium where tens of thousands of pro-government "Red Shirts" had gathered in support of Yingluck, who has faced weeks of street protests.

The dead and injured suffered a range of wounds including gunshots and stabbings. The circumstances were unclear but the violence came after an anti-government mob attacked Red Shirts arriving to join the rally in Ramkhamhaeng district.

"The confirmed toll is now two dead and 45 injured," an official at the city's Erawan emergency centre told AFP, amid reports of sporadic outbreaks of violence near the stadium on Sunday morning.

They were the first deaths since the mostly peaceful demonstrations began a month ago. Both sides blamed each other for attacking their supporters.

The violence prompted Red Shirt leaders to end their rally, which had drawn tens of thousands of mainly rural poor in support of Yingluck and her brother Thaksin, who lives in self-imposed exile but remains a hugely divisive figure in Thailand.

"In order to avoid further complicating the situation for the government, we have decided to let people return home," Red Shirt leader Thida Thavornseth told the crowd.

While the protesters' numbers have fallen sharply since an estimated crowd of up to 180,000 people joined an opposition rally on November 24, they have increasingly sought out high profile targets in what experts believe could be an attempt to provoke a military coup.

The firebrand leader of the anti-government demonstrators on Sunday vowed to push ahead with planned marches on several key sites including the heavily guarded Government House, major television channels and the police headquarters.

"Our operation today must be peaceful and non-violent... enter places with politeness," said Suthep Thaugsuban, a former deputy prime minister who helped oversee a military crackdown on pro-Thaksin supporters three years ago that left more than 90 people dead.

"You must obey your leaders when they say to move forward or to withdraw," he said, adding "if anything happens we must stand still and not fight or use weapons".

Authorities are deploying more than 2,700 troops to reinforce security in Bangkok, the first time a significant number of soldiers have been deployed to cope with the unrest.

Protests were triggered by an amnesty bill, since abandoned by the ruling party, that opponents feared would have allowed the return of fugitive former premier Thaksin, whose overthrow by royalist generals in 2006 unleashed years of political turmoil.

Thaksin is adored by many of the country's rural and urban working class for his populist policies while in power, but hated by many southerners, middle-class Thais and the Bangkok elite, who see him as corrupt and a threat to the monarchy.

Organisers of the anti-government demo have urged people to turn out in strength on Sunday for a final bid to topple Yingluck's government before celebrations for revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej's birthday on December 5, which is traditionally marked in an atmosphere of calm and respect.

The protesters' arch enemy Thaksin lives in self-imposed exile to avoid a jail term for a corruption conviction that he contends is politically motivated, but is widely believed to be the real power behind the ruling party.

Pro-Thaksin parties have won every election for more than a decade but Yingluck has given no indication that she is thinking of calling fresh polls as a way out of the crisis. -AFP

Strong 6.3 quake hits eastern Indonesia

Posted:

AMBON, Indonesia: A 6.3-magnitude quake hit off eastern Indonesia and East Timor Sunday, seismologists said, but there was no tsunami alert or reports of damage or casualties.

The quake struck at 10:24 am local time (0124 GMT), 351 kilometres (217 miles) east-northeast of the East Timor capital Dili at a relatively shallow depth of 10 km, the US Geological Survey said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue any alerts following the tremor in the remote region at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago between the islands of Timor and New Guinea.

In an initial assessment, the USGS said there was a low likelihood of damage or casualties.

Indonesian officials said they had not received any reports of casualties or damage so far.

"From data, the epicentre is quite a distance from the nearest cities and the intensity of shaking is not destructive," Suharjono, the technical head of Indonesia's geophysics and meteorology agency, told AFP.

An AFP correspondent in Dili said no tremor was felt.

Johanes Huwae, a police official in the Maluku provincial capital Ambon, one of the cities closest to the epicentre, said "there was no shaking, everything's safe", while the national disaster management agency reported "slight shaking for three to five seconds" in Southwest Maluku.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

A 6.1-magnitude quake that struck Aceh province on Sumatra island in July killed at least 35 people and left thousands homeless. -AFP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Ahad, 1 Disember 2013