Khamis, 5 Disember 2013

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

Bhumibol still the guiding light for kingdom
Bhumibol appeals for stability
Samsung floats world's biggest vessel

Bhumibol still the guiding light for kingdom

Posted:

TO mark his 86th birthday anniversary, King Bhumibol Adulyadej granted a grand public audience at his Klai Kangwon Palace in Prachuap Khiri Khan for the first time.

A huge number of the much-revered monarch's well-wishers crowded the streets to express their continued deep loyalty to him.

This year, Thais' overwhelming respect for His Majesty has caught the world's spotlight, as even the serious confrontations between anti-government demonstrators and the Yingluck Shinawatra-led administration have come to a halt especially for this important occasion.

Both sides have organised events to honour the much-beloved King.

The king, accompanied by Queen Sirikit, made a public appearance at the Rajapracha Samakhom Pavilion of Klai Kangwon Palace yesterday.

Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, Prime Minister Yingluck, Parliament president Somsak Kiatsuranont, the supreme commander, and the chiefs of the armed forces were present to express their well wishes.

Nattakan Sittikham, a Nonthaburi resident, had staked her claim to a space on the footpath as early as Wednesday morning.

"I came here to honour my much-beloved King. I love him so much because he is so devoted to his country and his people," said the 60-year-old woman.

Pattarin Obchoey, 44, said that she, her family members and friends travelled from as far away as Nakhon Pathom because they wanted to express their loyalty to the King.

"We came early because we were worried that all the space would be quickly occupied," she said. — The Nation / Asia News Network

Bhumibol appeals for stability

Posted:

BANGKOK: Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej urged the nation to work together for "stability" in a speech on his 86th birthday, marked by an easing of tensions after violent anti-government protests.

The kingdom remains on edge following several days of street clashes during demonstrations aimed at overthrowing Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and curbing the political influence of her brother Thaksin.

Demonstrators and police in Bangkok have been observing a temporary truce since Wednesday ahead of the birthday celebrations for Bhumibol, who is treated as a near-deity by many Thais.

At a formal ceremony attended by dignitaries including the embattled premier, her political rivals and the nation's military heads, the king said the country "has been peaceful for a long time because everybody worked together".

"Every Thai should be aware of this and should perform their role for the benefit of the country, which is the stability and security of the country," he said in the speech broadcast on all television channels.

Bhumibol, seen as a moral authority in the deeply divided nation, did not specifically mention the recent unrest.

The streets near his seaside palace were a sea of yellow yesterday as thousands of people wearing his signature colour turned out to celebrate in the central coastal town of Hua Hin, where he has lived since leaving hospital in August.

Kneeling supporters wept and shouted "Long live the King!" as the royal convoy made a brief tour of the town's streets before returning to the palace.

Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn and Yingluck both made speeches in praise of the monarch at the solemn birthday ceremony, the first to be held in Hua Hin.

Demonstrators, who cleaned up a key rally site in Bangkok in preparation for the birthday festivities, paused in reverence yesterday but plan to resume their action today.

Any political action or violence during the public holiday would be seen as a serious sign of disrespect.

A huge portrait of the monarch had been erected at Democracy Monument near the capital's Grand Palace, where the tub-thumping speeches of a month-long anti-government rally temporarily gave way to cheerful celebrations.

Hundreds gathered to watch the official birthday ceremony on big screens, cheering loudly at the appearance of the king, the world's longest-serving monarch.

But demonstrators, who erupted into angry jeers when Yingluck appeared on screen, were insistent that they had not abandoned their fight to oust the government.

"Tomorrow we will protest," said Khieu, who gave only one name and sported a large, neon yellow "We Love the King" headband.

"I will come back until we win victory for the Thai people," she added.

Police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon to repel protesters trying to occupy key ministries in the unrest at the weekend, which left five dead and over 200 injured.

The demonstrators, who still occupy the finance ministry and a key government complex on the outskirts of Bangkok, want to suspend the country's democracy in favour of an unelected "people's council".

Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, a former deputy premier, has pledged to continue the fight to rid Thailand of what he calls the "Thaksin regime".

An arrest warrant for insurrection was issued for Suthep on Monday and authorities have called for him to give himself up.

Thailand has been periodically rocked by sometimes bloody unrest since then-premier Thaksin was deposed by royalist generals in a coup seven years ago. — AFP

Samsung floats world's biggest vessel

Posted:

SEOUL: South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries has floated a tanker-shaped vessel tagged as the world's largest "floating facility" with a length greater than the height of the Empire State Building in New York.

A Samsung spokesman said yesterday that the 488m-long floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) platform – named Prelude – was set in the water at its southern shipyard in Geoje on Nov 30.

The vessel cannot be described as a "ship" as it is unable to move under its own steam and must be towed.

But its specifications are impressive.

Once completed, the facility will weigh more than 600,000 tonnes fully loaded, displacing the same amount of water as six of the world's largest aircraft carriers.

Commissioned by the Dutch energy giant Shell, the facility is due to be delivered by September 2016. — AFP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates

Aide to N. Korean leader's ousted uncle seeks asylum in South-media
South Africans, some fearful, wake to life without Mandela
World honours Mandela as champion of freedom and reconciliation

Aide to N. Korean leader's ousted uncle seeks asylum in South-media

Posted:

SEOUL (Reuters) - A man who managed funds for the ousted uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has fled the isolated country and is seeking asylum in South Korea, local media said on Friday.

The aide is currently being protected by South Korean officials in a secret location in China, cable news network YTN said, citing a source familiar with the matter.

If true, the defection would be the first instance in years of a significant insider from the Pyongyang regime switching sides.

Jang Song Thaek, whose marriage to Kim's aunt and proximity to the young leader made him one of the most powerful men in North Korea, was reportedly relieved of his posts last month, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) has said.

His aide requested asylum about two months ago and is currently in China under the protection of South Korean officials, said YTN, adding that the man has knowledge of funds held by the Kim family.

A spokesman for South Korea's Unification Ministry, Kim Eui-do, said the defection report could not be confirmed.

The NIS said two of Jang's close associates were executed last month.

These reports have not been confirmed either.

YTN said Jang's aide fled to China some time in late September or early October and that Jang could have been sacked because of this.

"A source familiar with the matter said the aide immediately requested asylum from the South Korean government and South Korean officials are currently protecting him at a secret place in China," it said.

China, which is allied to Pyongyang, usually resists allowing defectors from North Korea to seek asylum elsewhere.

YTN said the aide tried to escape to Laos, a route favoured by other defectors, but Chinese authorities prevented him from leaving.

U.S. officials have also sought custody of the aide, the television station said.

The last major defection was Hwang Jang Yop, a high-level Worker's Party ideologue who was the architect of the Juche (self-reliance) ideology of North Korea, who sought asylum in the South in 1997.

(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Michael Perry)

South Africans, some fearful, wake to life without Mandela

Posted:

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africans woke on Friday to a future without Nelson Mandela, and some said they feared the anti-apartheid hero's death could leave their country vulnerable again to racial and social tensions that he did so much to pacify.

As dawn broke and commuters headed to work in the capital, Pretoria, the commercial hub, Johannesburg, and Cape Town in the south, many were still in shock at the passing of a man who was a global symbol of reconciliation and peaceful co-existence.

South Africans heard President Jacob Zuma tell them late on Thursday that the former president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate passed away peacefully at his Johannesburg home in the company of his family after a long illness.

Despite reassurances from leaders and public figures that Mandela's passing, while sorrowful, would not halt South Africa's advance away from its bitter apartheid past, some still expressed a sense of unease about the physical absence of a man famed as a peacemaker.

"It's not going to be good, hey! I think it's going to become a more racist country. People will turn on each other and chase foreigners away," said Sharon Qubeka, 28, a secretary from Tembisa township as she headed to work in Johannesburg.

"Mandela was the only one who kept things together," she said.

An avalanche of tributes continued to pour in on Friday for Mandela, who had been ailing for nearly a year with a recurring lung illness dating back to the 27 years he spent in apartheid jails, including the notorious Robben Island penal colony.

U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron were among world leaders and dignitaries who paid fulsome tribute to Mandela as a moral giant and exemplary beacon for the world.

American talk show host Oprah Winfrey added her voice to the tributes, saying Mandela "will always be my hero".

"His life was a gift to us all," she said in a statement.

But for South Africa, the loss of its most beloved leader comes at a time when the nation, which basked in global goodwill after apartheid ended, has been experiencing bloody labour unrest, growing protests against poor services, poverty, crime and unemployment and corruption scandals tainting Zuma's rule.

Many saw today's South Africa - the African continent's biggest economy but also one of the world's most unequal - still distant from being the "Rainbow Nation" ideal of social peace and shared prosperity that Mandela had proclaimed on his triumphant release from prison in 1990.

"I feel like I lost my father, someone who would look out for me. Already as a black person with no connections you are disadvantaged," said Joseph Nkosi, 36, a security guard from Alexandra township in Johannesburg.

Referring to Mandela by his clan name, he added: "Now without Madiba I feel like I don't have a chance. The rich will get richer and simply forget about us. The poor don't matter to them. Look at our politicians, they are nothing like Madiba."

Flags flew at half mast across the country and Zuma has announced a full state funeral for South Africa's first black president, who emerged from prison to help guide the country through bloodshed and turmoil to democracy.

'LIFE WILL CARRY ON'

Just hours after the news of Mandela's death, one of his veteran anti-apartheid comrades, former Archbishop of Cape Town Desmond Tutu, sought to assuage fears that the revered statesman's absence could revive some of the violent ghosts of apartheid.

"To suggest that South Africa might go up in flames - as some have predicted - is to discredit South Africans and Madiba's legacy," Tutu said in a reassuring statement.

"The sun will rise tomorrow, and the next day and the next ... It may not appear as bright as yesterday, but life will carry on," Tutu said.

Zuma and his ruling African National Congress face presidential and legislative elections next year which are expected to reveal widespread discontent among voters about persisting poverty and unemployment two decades after the end of apartheid.

But the former liberation movement is expected to maintain its dominance over South African politics, despite the absence of one of its most towering figures.

"It is painful losing him but the ANC is going to stay strong and be dominant. The party is powerful and will stay in power," said office worker Tumi Matshidiso, 27.

Mark Rosenberg, Senior Africa Analyst at the Eurasia Group, said that while Mandela's death might give the ANC a sympathy-driven boost for elections due next year, it would hurt the party in the long term.

He saw Mandela's absence "sapping the party's historical legitimacy and encouraging rejection by voters who believe the ANC has failed to deliver on its economic promises and become mired in corruption."

"In short, Mandela's death will further de-couple the ANC from the liberation struggle on which it still bases much of its legitimacy," Rosenberg said in a briefing note.

Although Zuma's initial announcement of Zuma's death left the country hushed, later a crowd gathered overnight outside Mandela's old house in Vilakazi Street, Soweto, to sing songs in his praise.

"Mandela you brought us peace" was one of the songs.

DEMOCRATIC MODEL FOR AFRICA

Mandela rose from rural obscurity to challenge the might of white minority rule - a struggle that gave the 20th century one of its most respected and loved figures.

He was among the first to advocate armed resistance to apartheid in 1960 but was quick to preach reconciliation and forgiveness when the country's white minority began easing its grip on power 30 years later.

He was elected president in landmark all-race elections in 1994 after helping to steer the racially divided country towards reconciliation and away from civil war.

"His greatest legacy is that we are basically at peace with each other," F.W. de Klerk, the white Afrikaner president who released Mandela in 1990, told the BBC in an interview.

Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, an honour he shared with de Klerk.

In 1999, Mandela handed over power to younger leaders better equipped to manage a modern economy - a rare voluntary departure from power cited as an example to African leaders.

This made him an exception on a continent with a bloody history of long-serving autocrats and violent coups.

In retirement, Mandela shifted his energies to battling South Africa's AIDS crisis, a struggle that became personal when he lost his only surviving son to the disease in 2005.

Mandela's last major appearance on the global stage came in 2010 when he attended the championship match of the soccer World Cup hosted by South Africa.

(Additional reporting by Ed Cropley, Tiisetso Motsoeneng, Xola Potelwa and Stella Mapenzauswa in Johannesburg, and Wendell Roelf in Cape Town, and Michelle Nichols in New York; Writing by Pascal Fletcher; Editing by Paul Simao)

World honours Mandela as champion of freedom and reconciliation

Posted:

(Reuters) - Nelson Mandela was hailed on Thursday as a champion of reconciliation who "achieved more than could be expected of any man," as people the world over mourned his death and celebrated his triumphant fight against apartheid in South Africa.

"Today he's gone home, and we've lost one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this earth," U.S. President Barack Obama said of Mandela, who became South Africa's first black president.

Obama, who himself made history when he was elected in 2008 as America's first black president, noted his first involvement in anything political was a protest against apartheid, the system of white rule in South Africa.

"He achieved more than could be expected of any man," said Obama, who is expected to go to South Africa for Mandela's state funeral. The flag over the White House was lowered to half-staff after Mandela's death.

"Nelson Mandela was a hero of our time," British Prime Minister David Cameron wrote on Twitter. "A great light has gone out in the world.

A sombre South African President Jacob Zuma, announcing that Mandela died at his Johannesburg home on Thursday after a prolonged lung infection, said, "Our people have lost a father.

"Although we knew this day was going to come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss. His tireless struggle for freedom earned him the respect of the world. His humility, passion and humanity earned him their love," Zuma added.

Mourners gathered outside Mandela's home and spontaneous tributes sprang up around the world.

The famed Apollo Theatre in the Harlem neighbourhood of Manhattan, which Mandela visited in 1990, lit its marquee with the words: "In memory of Nelson Mandela ... He changed our world."

In Washington, flowers and candles were set at the base of a statue of Mandela outside the South African Embassy.

Dijon Anderson, a teacher from Bowie, Maryland, who came with his sons to pay respects, said, "I feel privileged to even say that I lived during the same time he was here."

At "Madiba," a Brooklyn, New York, bar called after Mandela's Xhosa clan name, mourners gathered to remember him.

Denis Du Preez, the bar's co-owner and a native South African, said he planned to release lit lanterns into the sky in Mandela's honour. The bar, a home away from home for Africans, is decorated with Zulu designs and large posters featuring Mandela's face.

REVERED FIGURE

Mandela emerged from 27 years in apartheid prisons to help guide South Africa to democracy, becoming one of the world's most respected and loved figures. He was elected president in landmark all-race elections in 1994 and retired in 1999.

F.W. de Klerk, South Africa's last white president, who freed Mandela from prison in 1990 and shared the Nobel Peace Prize with him in 1993, praised him "as a great unifier and a very, very special man in this regard beyond everything else he did.

"This emphasis on reconciliation was his greatest legacy," de Klerk told CNN.

"Like a most precious diamond honed deep beneath the surface of the earth, the Madiba who emerged from prison in January 1990 was virtually flawless," fellow South African Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu, said of Mandela.

"Instead of calling for his pound of flesh, he proclaimed the message of forgiveness and reconciliation, inspiring others by his example to extraordinary acts of nobility of spirit," Tutu, archbishop emeritus and anti-apartheid activist, wrote in the Washington Post.

Bill Clinton, U.S. president during Mandela's time as South African leader, said history would remember him "as a champion for human dignity and freedom, for peace and reconciliation. We will remember him as a man of uncommon grace and compassion, for whom abandoning bitterness and embracing adversaries was not just a political strategy but a way of life."

Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, who was in office when Mandela was released from prison in 1990, said: "As president, I watched in wonder as Nelson Mandela had the remarkable capacity to forgive his jailers following 26 years of wrongful imprisonment - setting a powerful example of redemption and grace for us all."

'FREEDOM FIGHTER'

The U.N. Security Council in New York was in session when the ambassadors received news of Mandela's death. They stopped their meeting and stood for a minute's silence.

"Nelson Mandela was a giant for justice and a down-to-earth human inspiration," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters. "Nelson Mandela showed what is possible for our world and within each one of us if we believe, dream and work together for justice and humanity."

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, leader of Africa's most populous country, said Mandela's death "will create a huge vacuum that will be difficult to fill in our continent."

Describing Mandela as "a world-renowned statesman, who during the long years led the South African people through arduous struggles to the anti-apartheid victory," Chinese President Xi Jinping said Mandela was also "one of the founders of China-South Africa relations, and an active champion of bilateral friendship and cooperation."

Ordinary Chinese took to microblogging site Sina Weibo, the country's equivalent of Twitter, to express their sadness. But many took issue with their government's stance on Mandela's death, especially since Chinese Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo remains in jail.

Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu said Mandela was "one of the most honourable figures of our time ... a man of vision, a freedom fighter who rejected violence."

"Today a great freedom fighter, Nelson Mandela has died, one of the world's most important symbols of freedom," said Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior official of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas group, calling Mandela "one of the biggest supporters of our cause."

In Venezuela, President Nicolas Maduro declared three days of national mourning.

"Nine months since the passing of our comandante (Hugo Chavez), another giant of the people of the world passed away today. Madiba you will live forever!" Maduro said on Twitter.

Figures from the world of entertainment and sport joined in honouring Mandela.

"One of the great honours of my life was to be invited to Nelson Mandela's home, spend private time and get to know him," said actress and TV talk-show host Oprah Winfrey. "He was everything you've ever heard and more - humble and unscathed by bitterness. And he always loved to tell a good joke. Being in his presence was like sitting with grace and majesty at the same time."

The South African Rugby Union recalled that Mandela "used the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the first major sporting event to be hosted (in South Africa) after the 1994 democratic elections, as an instrument of change to help promote unity amongst all South Africans."

Actor Morgan Freeman who played Mandela in Clint Eastwood's 2009 film "Invictus" about the events surrounding the World Cup, said, "Today the world lost one of the true giants of the past century ... a saint to many, a hero to all who treasure liberty, freedom and the dignity of humankind."

(Writing by Peter Cooney in Washington; Contributions from Reuters bureaux around the world; Editing by Jim Loney and David Storey)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

Halle Berry developing 'Hannibal' miniseries

Posted:

The Oscar winner is set to work with the History channel on the new show.

Halle Berry is getting militaristic with the History channel. The Monster's Ball actress is developing a miniseries, which bears the working title Hannibal. Berry will executive produce, with Jeffrey Caine (Goldeneye) writing the script. The project will follow the story of legendary general Hannibal Barca and his rivalry with Scipio Africanus as they battled against each other in the Second Punic War.

The miniseries begins in Carthage in 264 BC, at the beginning of Hannibal's life, and go through the Second Punic War between Carthage and Rome.

"Hannibal was not only the greatest African general to ever live," Berry said, "he may have been the greatest general, period. His story is an intricate and captivating ride and I'm thrilled to get this project off the ground with our partners at History."

The miniseries is being produced by A+E Studios and Red Arrow Entertainment for History. In addition to Berry, Steven Jensen, Vincent Cirrincione and Jeffrey Caine are also executive producing, with Simon Maxwell executive producing for Red Arrow Entertainment and Dirk Hoogstra, Elaine Frontain Bryant and Julian P. Hobbs serving as executives in charge of production for History. Berry will also star in the upcoming drama Extant for CBS. — Reuters

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Business

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The Star Online: Business

Maxis shares surge on layoff talk
HELP International, Selangor Properties shares up on takeover offer
China-based Kanger International to raise RM20m from IPO

Maxis shares surge on layoff talk

Posted:

PETALING JAYA: Shares of leading mobile telephony service provider Maxis Bhd surged 21 sen to RM7.21 to the top gainers list after renewed market talk of the company's layoff exercise resurfaced.

According to a report by UOBKayHian yesterday, the company may soon announce another round of retrenchments, following an earlier round in the third quarter that had involved almost 500 staff.

"This time, it would involve half as many staff, most at mid-management level. We retain the view that Maxis' new chief executive officer, Morten Lundal, would need time to cut bureaucracies that have been holding back the company," the report by Ong Boon Leong noted.

StarBiz had in August reported, quoting sources, that there would be staff layoffs at Maxis that might see a reduction of between 10% and 15% of its total workforce then.

This follows a massive reorganisation in June, where the company flattened its organisational structure from eight core units and 24 sub-units to four main core units. The four business areas are enterprise solutions, consumer business, sales and services, and digital services.

HELP International, Selangor Properties shares up on takeover offer

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR: Shares of HELP International and Selangor Properties Bhd rose at midmorning on Friday after a Singaporean company offered to buy the private education provider at RM2.53 sen a share.

At 11.01am, HELP rose 20 sen to RM2.49 with some 1.12 million shares done between RM2.49 and RM2.50.

Selangor Properties, which holds 51% stake in HELP, rose six sen to RM4.68 with 61,400 shares done between RM4.66 and RM4.69.

The FBM KLCI was up marginally at 0.66 of at point to 1,825.52. Turnover was 281.4 million valued at RM295.18mil. There were 228 gainers, 246 decliners and 256 counters unchanged.

To recap, Southern Capital Group Ltd, a Singaporean private equity firm, has made a takeover offer of RM2.53 per share for private education provider HELP International Corp Bhd via Better Education Enterprise Sdn Bhd, confirming a StarBiz report on Thursday.

RHB Investment Bank Bhd said in a stock exchange filing on behalf of the offeror that the offer was 10.48%, or 24 sen, above the last-traded price of RM2.29 on Wednesday.

The investment bank said the offer was conditional upon the offeror getting more than 50% of the shares.

In a report on Friday morning, CIMB Equities Research advises HELP International investors to accept the takeover offer at RM2.53.

China-based Kanger International to raise RM20m from IPO

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR: China-based Kanger International plans to raise up to RM20mil from its proposed listing on the Ace Market of Bursa Malaysia.

In its prospectus issued on Friday, the bamboo flooring maker said it was offering 80 million new 10 sen shares at an offer price of 25 sen each.

Of the 80 million new shares, it said 11 million shares would be offered to the public and 69 million shares would be placed out to selected investors.

According to Kanger, of the RM20mil to be raised from the listing exercose, RM8.20mil would be used for working capital, RM5.50 million to repay bank borrowings and RM3.30mil for listing expenses.

Kanger posted profit after tax of RM2.517mil in the six months ended June 2013 compared with RM2.124mil in the previous corresponding period.

In the financial year ended Dec 31, 2012, its net profit was RM6.369mil compared with RM2.281mil in FY2011.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

Pass or fail?
New York critics choose 'American Hustle'
'Ilo Ilo' director Anthony Chen gets recognition in Hollywood

Pass or fail?

Posted:

SOME unlikely films did surprisingly well on the Bechdel test, while some you'd think would pass, failed miserably.

> All the Alien movies pass (the first one is a borderline case though), except for Alien3 which had only ONE named female character. Corpse Newt and Alien Queen Embryo don't count.

> The biggest film franchises of the millennium, Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings, fail.

> White House Down doesn't exactly pass, but fares better than Olympus Has Fallen (which has a strong woman character, the Secretary of State, who unfortunately doesn't talk to the other women characters). Roland Emmerich's flop has multiple named female characters, but they only talk about men; specifically, Channing Tatum. There you go.

> The Wolverine passes (Yukio and Mariko's friendship) while Iron Man 3 doesn't quite make it (Pepper and the Extremis lady only ever talk about Tony Stark and Aldrich Killian).

> James Wan's The Conjuring passes, while his Insidious: Chapter 2 fails.

Related story:

Grading the Bechdel test

New York critics choose 'American Hustle'

Posted:

The movie starring Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper is the top choice at an awards ceremony.

The New York Film Critics Circle named American Hustle, a film about 1970s con artists forced to work with the FBI, as best film of 2013 and gave its top acting prizes to Robert Redford and Cate Blanchett in the first major movie honours in the run-up to the Oscars.

British director Steve McQueen won the best director prize for 12 Years A Slave, the historical drama about a free black man sold into slavery and based on the 1853 memoir of Solomon Northup. The awards pit director David O. Russell's American Hustle, which will be released in US theatres later this month, and 12 Years A Slave, the winner of the top prize at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, as early contenders in the race for the Academy Awards.

Redford picked up the best actor award for his solo performance in the survival drama All As Lost, and Blanchett was named best actress for her portrayal of a pill-popping former socialite forced to deal with reduced circumstances in Woody Allen's film Blue Jasmine. Actor Jared Leto won the best supporting actor prize for his role in Dallas Buyers Club as an HIV-positive transgender woman who helps smuggle medication not approved in the United States to AIDS patients.

The New York Film Critics Circle, which announced the awards on Twitter, gave Jennifer Lawrence, last year's best actress Oscar winner for her role in Silver Linings Playbook, the best supporting actress prize for playing the ditzy, bored housewife in American Hustle. The film also won the best screenplay award for Eric Singer and Russell.

Founded in 1935, the New York Film Critics Circle is among the oldest critics groups in the United States. It is made up of members of newspapers, magazines and online publications. Their awards will be followed by the top film prizes from the National Board of Review. The awards are seen as a bellwether for Hollywood's Oscars, the film world's highest honours, which will be awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on March 2.

The New York Film Critics Circle prize for best foreign language film went to Blue Is The Warmest Color, a French lesbian love story by director Abdellatif Kechiche that won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. Stories We Tell, a Canadian film directed by Sarah Polley, which delves into storytelling and memories, picked up the best documentary award.

The group awarded Fruitvale Station, Ryan Coogler's directorial debut about the real-life story of a young, black man shot to death by a white, transit policeman, the best first film prize. Bruno Delbonnel won the best cinematography award for Inside Llewyn Davis, a film by Joel and Ethan Coen about the Greenwich Village folk scene in 1961. The Wind Rises, by Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, was named best animated film. — Reuters

'Ilo Ilo' director Anthony Chen gets recognition in Hollywood

Posted:

Singapore's award winning director to be honoured at Palm Springs International Film Festival.

ANTHONY Chen is getting Hollywood's attention.

The Singaporean has been named one of trade magazine Variety's 10 Directors To Watch, in the list announced on Monday.

This year's list has 11 names, including American actor-writer Ben Falcone, who directs his wife Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, 2011) in the upcoming road trip comedy Tammy, and American writer Maya Forbes (Monsters Vs Aliens, 2009), who directs Zoe Saldana and Mark Ruffalo in the upcoming family comedy Infinitely Polar Bear.

British director Clio Barnard was highlighted for The Selfish Giant, her contemporary interpretation of Oscar Wilde's fairy tale which won praise at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

American duo Aron Gaude and Gita Pullapilly, who are married to each other, are on the list for their teen drama Beneath The Harvest Sky.

Chen was named for Ilo Ilo, which has won him a string of prizes at festivals from Cannes to Golden Horse.

The directors will be profiled in Variety's Dec 17 issue and honoured at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on Jan 5.

Variety's previous 10 To Watch picks include Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Christopher Nolan and Benh Zeitlin (Beasts Of The Southern Wild, 2012). – The Straits Times, Singapore/Asia News Network

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The Star Online: Nation

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The Star Online: Nation

Parliament: Okay for Selangor to hoard funds, says Khalid Samad
Minimum wage portal launched
Malaysia ranks 52 out of 65 countries in international assessment programme

Parliament: Okay for Selangor to hoard funds, says Khalid Samad

Posted:

SHAH Alam MP (PAS) Khalid Samad (pic) has defended the PKR-led Selangor government for hoarding federal funds.

He rebutted Datuk Seri Noh Omar (BN-Tanjung Karang) who rapped the state government for not spending funds intended for maintenance of roads in the state.

"Which one is better? Those who over-spend or those who are thrifty?" he said.

"When one is thrifty, there will be no damage done.

"There will be no deficit, unlike what the Federal government has done."

He said Selangor BN was in no position to ridicule the state government as the former had been rejected by the people, twice, in the general election.

The third instalment of the Auditor-General's 2012 report tabled in Parliament on Monday said the state government had spent RM640.24mil of the RM1.14bil it received from the Federal government to maintain non-federal roads between 2010 and 2012.

Despite a RM631.27mil surplus , the report said this reflected the state government's inefficiency in managing funds.

Minimum wage portal launched

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR: An online portal has been set up to disseminate information on the country's minimum wage policy ahead of its implementation on Jan 1, 2014.

The portal, said Human Resources Minister Datuk Richard Riot, will serve to clear doubts such as what kind of payments count towards minimum wages and who is included and excluded from the policy.

When launching the portal yesterday, Riot said Malaysia could no longer rely on cheap labour to compete in the global market as Malaysia did not have a competitive advantage over countries such as Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos or Bangladesh.

The Minimum Wage portal, he said, had three segments – for employers, workers and also for the latest news, publications and updates on the policy.

"Through this portal we hope to inform the public the rational of implementing this policy in a more accurate and effective way," he said in his speech.

The minimum wage for private sector employees has been set at RM800 for workers in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan and RM900 per month for employees in the peninsula.

It covers all employees, local and foreign, and employers in all economic sectors, except those in the domestic service sector such as maids and gardeners.

The portal can be accessed at http://minimumwages.mohr.gov.my/.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Employers Federation executive director Shamsuddin Bardan said 3.3 million workers in the country currently earned wages below RM700.

The enforcement of the minimum wage policy, he said, would cost Malaysian employers an additional RM14bil a year.

Malaysia ranks 52 out of 65 countries in international assessment programme

Posted:

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian students have scored below the global average under the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) 2012.

According to the results released by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Malaysia scored 421 in Mathematics, 398 in Reading and 420 in Science respectively.

The results achieved in the latest survey showed Malaysia was below the global average score of 494 in Mathematics, 496 in Reading and 501 in Science.

Based on the mean score for 2012, Malaysia is still placed in the bottom third, ranking 52 out of 65 countries, and 55 out of 74 countries in the 2009 survey.

In 2009, Malaysia scored 404 in Mathematics, 414 in Reading and 422 in Science.

Pisa is administered by the OECD every three years on 15-year-olds in both OECD and non-OECD countries and offers students questions in the main language of instruction in their respective countries. Each round focuses on one area of either Reading, Mathematics or Science.

The assessments have been conducted since 2000, with Malaysia taking part for the first time in 2009.

Currently, Malaysian students are at the bottom one-third among more than 70 countries in international assessments like Timms (Trends in International Mathemathics and Science Studies) and Pisa. The Malaysia Education Blueprint has set the goal for Malaysia to be in the top third of countries participating in Pisa and Timms by 2025.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: Central

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The Star Online: Metro: Central

Bangkok calm amid temporary truce

Posted:

BANGKOK: Protesters and police observed a temporary truce as Thailand prepared to mark the birthday of its revered king, after police had stepped back in a dramatic move to calm violent clashes.

In the day's only significant demonstration, hundreds of protesters descended on the national police headquarters in Bangkok's glitzy downtown shopping district, where police allowed them to cut barbed wire and pull away sections of a concrete barrier. The demonstrators withdrew shortly afterwards.

The prevailing mood was calm in the capital, as demonstrators joined Bangkok authorities to clean up the area around Democracy Monument, where tens of thousands have camped out in more than a month of rallies against the embattled government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

The area is a focus for the celebrations today for the 86th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej – a date normally observed in a spirit of calm and reverence.

Some debris has been cleared at battle-scarred areas around key government buildings, which saw ugly clashes with police earlier in the week as demonstrators tried to storm them.

Several days of street battles abruptly paused on Tuesday. Protesters instead handed police flowers after officers said they would no longer use force against demonstrators trying to storm Yingluck's offices as well as the city police headquarters.

The unexpected about-turn followed two days of clashes between stone-throwing mobs and police firing tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets.

Protest leaders say they have not abandoned their campaign to overthrow Yingluck's administration and curb the political influence of her billionaire brother Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed by royalist generals in a coup seven years ago. They say he still controls the government from exile.

Authorities were not worried about the gathering at the police headquarters, said Paradorn Pattanatabut, head of Thailand's National Security Council.

"Their movement today is merely to display their power and show that the protests are still continuing," he added.

King Bhumibol, the world's longest-serving monarch, is treated as a near-deity by many and any violence on his birthday would be viewed as a serious sign of disrespect.

He has suffered from a range of ailments in recent years. In August, he left the Bangkok hospital where he had lived for several years and moved to his palace in the seaside town of Hua Hin with Queen Sirikit.

At the main rally site yesterday, protesters began to sweep up rubbish in preparation for the royal festivities.

"We're helping to clean up for the king as it is nearly his birthday," said Palita Nutchoei, 37, wielding a broom at Democracy Monument.

But "we will keep protesting because we feel that we haven't won yet", she added.

The long-running political conflict broadly pits a Bangkok-based elite backed by the military and the palace against rural and working-class voters loyal to Thaksin, a billionaire businessman-turned-populist politician.

The demonstrations, aimed at toppling Yingluck's government and replacing it with an unelected "people's council", are the biggest and most violent since dozens of people were killed in a crackdown on mass pro-Thaksin rallies in Bangkok three years ago.

The current rallies were triggered by an amnesty Bill, since abandoned by Yingluck's ruling party, which opponents feared would have allowed Thaksin to return to his home country. He fled in 2008 to avoid jail for a corruption conviction he contends is politically motivated.

Police yesterday raised the death toll in the clashes to five, confirming the remains of a young man were found on a bus set ablaze in a Bangkok suburb over the weekend. — AFP

Japanese police arrest woman for calling them 15,000 times

Posted:

TOKYO: Japanese police said Thursday they have arrested a woman for calling them more than 15,000 times over a six-month period.

Authorities repeatedly visited the 44-year-old and asked her to cease and desist.

When she failed to stop making the calls, which started in May, police slapped handcuffs on her.

"She made as many as 927 emergency calls in one day....disturbing our police duties," said an official in the city of Sakai, near the western city of Osaka.

Authorities, who have so far ruled out mental illness for the woman's behaviour, said her calls had "no real meaning".

"She didn't make up a story that required us to respond - it was just total nonsense," the official told AFP.

"We visited her place about 60 times before arresting her, trying to persuade her not to call us again. I wonder if she was just lonely."

The woman was charged with fraudulent obstruction of police business, which carries a maximum penalty of up to three years in prison or a fine of 500,000 yen ($4,900). -AFP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion

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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion

Up in the air

Posted:

A young girl's dreamland transforms into a mysterious world in Viva Circus' new production.

IT happened without any warning. She didn't see it coming. One day, it just stopped. The lullaby. It was the only thing that soothed her, consoled her, comforted her and embraced her. Now ... it was gone.

She searched far and wide for the lady who sang that heavenly song. How is she going to go on now? Her dreams and the mysterious lady are the only means of escape from her dark reality.

Her illness was not getting any better and now, this. Frantic and forlorn, she sat all alone when suddenly that lullaby reached her ears — but it was no longer in her dreams; it was coming from her garden!

Bewildered and hopeful, she followed the voice outside and in a very Alice-In-Wonderland way, she was transported to the magical and mysterious world of the Lost Circus.

Strange and colourful creatures and dark and brooding people inhabit this world.

Amazing: The Four Person Synchronised Aerial Cube is a gravity-defying act.

Welcome to the Secrets Of The Lost Circus (Secrets), the latest offering by Viva Circus. Combining gravity-defying acrobatic acts, stunning visuals and graphics, and an eclectic ensemble of bizarre and captivating characters, Secrets explores the fantasy world of a young girl named Grace set in a circus realm.

Written and directed by Vivian Lea, fondly called Vee, the founder of Viva Vertical (under which is Viva Circus), Secrets was inspired by fairytales and classic fantasies Vee read growing up, with the added element of circus acts and acrobatics. For those not familiar with this kind of theatre, imagine a play showcased à la Cirque de Soleil.

Promising to enthrall the audience with breathtaking feats and a staggering multi-media backdrop, the challenge Vee and Jerry Snell, Viva Circus' Artistic and Creative Guide, took upon was to bring the performance to the next level and challenge the norms of circus theatre.

"The idea is to always be more visual and more physical and not to have a text based performance but something that's based on images and poetic imagery. The rule is to bring to the public something that's not only entertaining but intelligent as well.

"And I think the intelligence comes through the ingenuity of the artists not to take it to the first level but to the second, third or fourth level, that is to take the art style even further," Snell said in a recent interview.

One such act is called the Four Person Synchronised Aerial Cube, where four female performers will be performing gravity-defying aerial stunts from a cube suspended in mid-air.

"Each of the acts and characters has an underlying motivation that fits into the whole story and has that extra layer Jerry has been talking about. They are not just juggling or sitting on the cube.

"For example, the cube girls are rag dolls who have been abandoned by their owners and now, they have to look out for each other. That's why they catch each other every time they fall," Vee explained, referring to the Four Person Synchronised Aerial Cube.

She said by amalgamating these underlying motivations and stories of the individual characters with fairytales, the hearts and imaginations of the audiences can be truly captivated.

Unlike what many Malaysian audiences are accustomed to when it comes to theatre, Secrets has pushed the boundaries of theatre with the multi-media backdrop, created by local digital company Motiofixo, that forms the world of the Lost Circus. But the trick was not to transform the show into a highly multimedia heavy performance.

"That's where circus and performances can lose themselves, that is, when the performance becomes a machine. We tried to avoid that with Secrets by keeping the human element in it. Thus, technology was used to simplify the scenery by transporting people to different imageries but not having big sets and such," Snell reasoned.

Parts of the proceed will be donated to the International Silver Ribbon Campaign to raise awareness of cervical cancer amongst the youth.

It may be an entirely new and daunting experience to watch a story being told through acrobatics and circus acts and not to mention the imposing multimedia backdrop, but all you have to do is let go and lose yourself in the strange and enchanting world of the Lost Circus. Just be careful with the secrets that lie there ... hidden.

Secrets Of The Lost Circus is on at the Damansara Performing Arts Centre (H-01, Empire Damansara, Jalan PJU 8/8, Damansara Perdana in Selangor) at 8.30pm (Dec 6) and 3pm and 8.30pm (Dec 7-Dec 8). Tickets are priced at RM80, RM100 and RM120. To purchase, call 03-4065 0001 or visit www.dpac.com.my.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health

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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health

Sugar in the blood

Posted:

With no signs or symptoms, it is crucial to screen for prediabetes, before it becomes full-on diabetes.

MANY people are probably unaware that prediabetes is almost as serious a condition as diabetes itself.

Like diabetes, its onset is insidious, and many do not realise that they have it until it is too late.

Most people only know about it when it has already progressed to full-blown diabetes, or when they develop complications such as heart attack or stroke.

It makes sense to know if you have prediabetes early, so that you can take the necessary steps to improve your health and prevent serious complications.

When to check

You should go for blood glucose (sugar) screening if you have any risk factors for diabetes; this is especially if you have a close relative with diabetes, are overweight, or lead a sedentary lifestyle.

The more risk factors you have, the more likely that you might have prediabetes.

The combination of a strong family history, being overweight or obese (and physically inactive) is especially bad, but the good news is that you still have time to take positive steps to improve your health before things get worse.

How to check

The blood glucose level of people with prediabetes, although higher than that in normal persons, is not as high as in people with (untreated) diabetes.

Testing for sugar in the urine (or getting the ants to do it for you) is of no use, as the blood sugar may not be high enough for it to spill into urine.

Worse, as noted in my previous article (What is prediabetes?, Star2, Nov 14, 2013), most people with prediabetes usually do not have any symptoms, and you may be living blissfully without knowing that you have a potentially serious condition.

The only reliable way of knowing if you have prediabetes is to have a blood test, as the condition can only be confirmed based on blood glucose levels.

If you were diagnosed with gestational diabetes while pregnant, it is a good idea to be tested regularly for prediabetes. — Filepic

Presently, there are three ways to test your blood for prediabetes:

·Fasting blood glucose test

Your doctor will take a blood sample after you fast overnight (for at least eight hours).

You are considered to have prediabetes if your blood glucose is in the intermediate range (between that of normal and diabetic individuals), that is from 5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L.

People with this intermediate fasting blood glucose level are also said to have impaired fasting glucose (IFG).

·Modified oral glucose tolerance test

A blood sample will be taken after you fast overnight (for at least eight hours) to determine if you have IFG (as in the fasting blood glucose test).

You will then drink a sugary solution (that contains 75gm of glucose in 250ml of water). Your blood sugar level is measured again after two hours.

Your blood sugar is considered normal if the two-hour blood glucose level is less than 7.8 mmol/L.

A blood glucose level of 11.1 mmol/L or higher may indicate that you have diabetes.

If your blood glucose is between 7.8 to less than 11.1 mmol/L, then you are deemed to have prediabetes.

People with this intermediate range of blood glucose level two hours after the glucose drink are also said to have impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).

·Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) test

This blood test has recently been endorsed to differentiate between individuals with normal blood glucose levels and those having prediabetes or diabetes.

The test is a measure of the amount (percentage) of haemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells) that have glucose attached to them.

The higher your blood glucose levels, the higher will be the percentage of your HbA1c.

An HbA1c value of less than 5.7% is considered normal, and more than 6.5%, diabetic.

A person with an HbA1c of between 5.7% and 6.5% is classified as having prediabetes.

What's next?

You will know that you have prediabetes if you have borderline results in any or all of the above blood tests.

The fasting blood glucose test is the easiest to perform (and the cheapest). But the gold standard to diagnose prediabetes is still the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).

Thus, if your risk is high, but your blood glucose level is normal, your doctor might direct you to have the OGTT done, to be sure that you do not have prediabetes (or diabetes).

Sometimes, your healthcare provider will perform an initial screening test using a portable glucometer, where a drop of blood is obtained by pricking your finger with a needle, and placed on a test strip to be read by the glucometer.

The result is available almost immediately.

If your above tests are normal and you do not have a risk factor for diabetes, then your doctor may recommend that you do the (screening) test(s) once every three years.

Your doctor may want you to have the test done more frequently (e.g. every year), if you have risk factors for diabetes, such as a positive family history of diabetes, being overweight or obese, leading a sedentary lifestyle with little exercise, having high blood pressure or blood cholesterol levels, or having previously been diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy.

If you have prediabetes, your doctor may ask you to go for further testing to check your risk for complications of prediabetes, especially that of heart disease.

For example, after checking your BMI (body mass index; obtained by dividing your weight in kg by the square of your height in metres) and blood pressure, your doctor would request for a chest X-ray and electrocardiogram (ECG), lipid profile (total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels), kidney profile (blood urea and serum creatinine levels), and a microalbuminuria test (to check for the presence of proteins in your urine as an early sign of damage to your kidneys).

If you are found to have prediabetes, you should now be very eager and ready to start taking good care of your health.

In the next article (on Dec 19), we will learn more about why this is so important, especially with prediabetes.

Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Mustaffa Embong is a consultant diabetologist and (honorary) executive chairman of the National Diabetes Institute (NADI) of Malaysia. This article is provided by NADI under the "Prevention of Diabetes and Heart Disease" Programme, which is fully funded by the Health Ministry's Health Promotion Board.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: South & East

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The Star Online: Metro: South & East

Bangkok calm amid temporary truce
Japanese police arrest woman for calling them 15,000 times
Passers-by nab theft suspect at market