Ahad, 8 Disember 2013

The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

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The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

Thai ruling party says PM Yingluck will run in election
Clarke praises Johnson, hard work for Ashes revival
China farmer kills self over fines for children

Thai ruling party says PM Yingluck will run in election

Posted:

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's ruling party said Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra would run in the upcoming general election after she dissolved parliament on Monday.

"She will definitely run as she has worked with the party all along. We dissolved parliament because we are confident ... We want the Democrat Party to take part in elections and not to play street games," Jarupong Ruangsuwan, head of Yingluck's Puea Thai Party, told reporters.

Around 100,000 protesters, including former lawmakers from the opposition Democrat Party, marched through Bangkok on Monday, extending demonstrations seeking to install an unelected body to run Thailand.

(Reporting by Aukkarapon Niyomyat; Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Alan Raybould)

Clarke praises Johnson, hard work for Ashes revival

Posted:

ADELAIDE (Reuters) - Australia's stunning turnaround from Ashes joke to juggernaut in a few months has been the culmination of good, hard grind and paceman Mitchell Johnson finding himself in a supportive attack, according to captain Michael Clarke.

Australia crushed England by 218 runs on Monday within the first hour's play of day five at Adelaide Oval to take a 2-0 lead in the five-test series ahead of the third test in Perth where England have not won since 1978.

Australia lost the Ashes 3-0 earlier this year in England following a tumultuous period in which South African Mickey Arthur was sacked as head coach and opening batsman David Warner was stood down for punching England's Joe Root at a Birmingham bar.

The northern Ashes humiliation followed one of the lowest points in Australian cricket's modern history when four of their players were suspended during a miserable 4-0 series loss in India for failing to submit ideas on how to improve.

Clarke said the team felt wronged by the scoreline in England but that they knew the results would come with perseverance.

"I can't answer the question as to why we have won the first two test matches (here) so convincingly, it's a positive for our team but I think these two wins are satisfying because of the work we have put in over a long period of time," Clarke told reporters.

"In our opinion, as players, it's not a fluke that we have won the first two test matches.

"It's hard work that we put in the UK and we thought we were so close but we didn't get over the line and we were disappointed not to have success in England.

"So we as a team believe the work we have been putting in for a long period of time, now we're seeing some results which is very pleasing.

"The other side to that is, the reality is we have won two test matches now in the past 12 months and that is not acceptable as an Australian test team.

"So our feet and certainly well and truly cemented on the ground and we are very realistic about where we want to go as a team, how we want to achieve success.

"We have started this series very well but there is a lot of work still to do."

OUTSTANDING

While only one team has ever come back from 2-0 to win an Ashes series - Australia on home soil in 1936-37 - England need only level the series over the three remaining tests to retain the Ashes as holders of the urn.

England's failure to deal with the short-pitched bowling of Johnson in the first two tests could prove terminal in Perth, however, where the left-arm seamer wreaks maximum damage from the bounce on his home WACA pitch.

Johnson, man-of-the-match in Brisbane, took the award again in Adelaide for helping to skittle England for 172 in their first innings with an exhilarating 7-40.

He then dismissed England's talismanic captain Alastair Cook for one to get the ball rolling in the second innings, with Peter Siddle (4-57) and Ryan Harris (3-54) sharing most of the spoils.

"He has always been an X-factor, with bat, with ball," Clarke said of the 32-year-old Queenslander, who is enjoying his best form since winning the ICC Cricketer of the Year award in 2009.

"He's as good an athlete in the field as you'll see.

"Mitch has always had that (quality). It's just about working out how to use him best in your team.

"Our attack right now really complement each other so it allows Mitch to be used the way I feel is best for our team.

"He's been our new-ball bowler, he's bowled first-change, he's bowled 12-over spells.

"Whatever's required, he can do that ... He's been outstanding."

(Editing by Patrick Johnston)

China farmer kills self over fines for children

Posted:

BEIJING: A Chinese farmer with five children drank a fatal dose of pesticide at a communist chief's house after officials seized his family's annual food supply for violating the one-child policy, reports said Monday.

Ai Guangdong, 45, had more than 3.5 tonnes of corn - the family's entire source of income until next year's harvest - confiscated last week by five officials in Liang'erzhuang, in the northern province of Hebei, the People's Daily Online said.

He went to the party chief's home to discuss the issue, where he drank the pesticide, and later died in hospital, the Global Times reported.

Ai and his wife Xie Yufeng had four daughters and a son, their youngest, and their farm makes them only around 5,000 yuan ($800) a year, according to the reports.

Under China's hugely controversial one-child policy some rural couples are allowed to have a second child if the first is a girl.

But officials have been taking money from them ever since their second daughter was born, Xie said, and demanded 60,000 yuan after the birth of the third child, the People's Daily Online report said.

"We could never afford that," it quoted Xie as saying, adding they were not given receipts for any of the fines they paid.

The village chief had disappeared, along with his family, since the incident, it added.

The local government offered Ai's family 15,000 yuan for aid and funeral costs, and future social security benefits, which the family rejected, it said.

China has implemented its family planning law for more than 30 years, restricting most parents to only one child and at times allegedly brutally enforced.

Fines for violators have become a significant source of income for China's local governments.

In 2012, 24 of the country's 31 provinces and regions collected a total of nearly 20 billion yuan in penalties, Chinese media reported previously. None of the provincial authorities has detailed how the money was spent. -AFP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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Venezuela's socialists win majority in local polls
Thai PM calls snap election, protesters press on
India's ruling party stumbles as opponent Modi marches on

Venezuela's socialists win majority in local polls

Posted:

CARACAS (Reuters) - President Nicolas Maduro's government won a majority of votes in Venezuela's local elections on Sunday, disappointing the opposition and helping his quest to preserve the late Hugo Chavez's socialist legacy.

With votes in from three-quarters of the nation's 337 mayoral races, the ruling party and allies had combined 49.2 percent support, compared with the opposition coalition and its partners' 42.7 percent, the election board said.

Since taking power in April, Maduro, a 51-year-old former bus driver, has faced a plethora of economic problems including slowing growth, the highest inflation in the Americas, and shortages of basic goods including milk and toilet paper.

Yet an aggressive campaign launched last month to force businesses to slash prices proved popular with consumers, especially the poor, and helped Maduro's candidates on Sunday.

"The father of the revolution has gone, but he left the son who continued helping the poor," said government supporter and pensioner Freddy Navarro, 62, in Caracas.

Sunday's election was the biggest political test for Maduro since he narrowly won the presidential election after Chavez's death from cancer ended his 14-year rule of the OPEC nation.

Winning the overall vote share may help Maduro shake off perceptions of weakness, enabling him to exert more authority over the different factions in the ruling Socialist Party and perhaps take unpopular measures such as a currency devaluation.

"The Venezuelan people have said to the world that the Bolivarian revolution continues stronger than ever," Maduro said in a late-night speech, referring to Chavez's self-styled movement named for independence hero Simon Bolivar.

OPPOSITION'S URBAN WINS

The government took nearly 200 municipalities, with three-quarters counted, reflecting the traditional strength of "Chavismo" in rural and poorer areas.

As expected, the opposition performed well in urban centres, keeping the principal mayorship of the capital, Caracas, and that of Venezuela's second city, Maracaibo. The opposition also won the capital of Barinas, Chavez's home state

But their failure to win the overall vote share was a blow to opposition leader Henrique Capriles' claim that he leads a majority. Capriles had repeatedly called for the vote to be seen as a referendum on Maduro's performance.

"I did everything humanly possible," Capriles said after the results were out. "Remember that Venezuela does not have a single owner. A divided country needs dialogue."

Opponents portray Maduro as a buffoonish autocrat with none of his predecessor's political savvy and say his continuation of statist economic policies - including the crackdown on retailers for alleged price-gouging - are disastrous.

In a triumphant speech in Bolivar Square in downtown Caracas, Maduro mocked Capriles and urged him to resign.

"They underestimate us. They call me a donkey, there is social racism," he said. "They said that today was a plebiscite, that Maduro would have to leave the presidency after today."

Despite the encouraging results for Maduro, he still faces a daunting task to right Venezuela's economy. Inflation has hit 54 percent annually, the local bolivar currency has tanked on the black market, power cuts are frequent, and shortages have spawned queues and irritation around the country.

Opposition activists alleged some irregularities on Sunday, including intimidation of some observers and the use of state oil company PDVSA's vehicles to ferry pro-government voters.

Capriles accused the government of intimidating local media to silence his voice and running the most unfair campaign in Venezuelan history. "I had to go round the country practically with a megaphone in my hand ... This campaign saw a brutal waste of Venezuelans' resources (by the government)," he said in a midnight speech.

But unlike April's vote, there was no call by Capriles for the results to be appealed or opposed.

The opposition's next chances to gain political ground are 2015 parliamentary elections and a possible signature drive for a recall referendum on Maduro in 2016.

WHAT NEXT FOR CAPRILES?

Some anti-government activists are pressing for more action, such as street protests, and Capriles may find his authority challenged within his coalition after Sunday's results.

"They did not achieve their objective of a protest vote against Maduro," local pollster Luis Vicente Leon said.

Since taking office, Maduro has maintained core support among "Chavistas" by keeping his popular welfare programs and repeating his rhetoric and politics.

Opponents and some economists say Maduro's price-cutting measures smack of short-term populism that do nothing to fix what they consider the roots of Venezuela's economic mess: persecution of the private sector, and rigid price and currency control systems.

"We're not giving up, we're going to keep fighting," said Oskeiling Lopez, 25, a bank manager and opposition supporter.

Voting was largely peaceful, though one newspaper reported a woman was shot dead in a queue in a western state.

(Additional reporting by Patricia Velez, Deisy Buitrago, Eyanir Chinea and Brian Ellsworth and Diego Ore; Editing by Brian Ellsworth, Kieran Murray and Paul Simao)

Thai PM calls snap election, protesters press on

Posted:

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra dissolved parliament on Monday and called a snap election, but anti-government protest leaders pressed ahead with mass demonstrations seeking to install an unelected body to run Thailand.

About 50,000 protesters marched through Bangkok, extending a rally that descended into violence before pausing late last week to honour the king's birthday. Blowing whistles, they vowed to oust Yingluck and eradicate the influence of her self-exiled brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

"At this stage, when there are many people opposed to the government from many groups, the best way is to give back the power to the Thai people and hold an election. So the Thai people will decide," Yingluck said in a televised address as thousands of protesters resumed demonstrations across Bangkok.

The protesters ignored Yingluck's announcement, deepening nearly decade of rivalry between forces aligned with the Bangkok-based establishment and those who support Thaksin, a former telecommunications tycoon who won huge support in the countryside with pro-poor policies.

Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban told Reuters he would lead a march to Yingluck's offices at Government House as planned.

"We have not yet reached our goal. The dissolving of parliament is not our aim," said Suthep, a former deputy prime minister under the previous military-backed government.

Yingluck's Puea Thai Party won the last election in 2011 by a landslide, enjoying widespread support in the north and northeast, Thailand's poorest regions. The pro-establishment opposition Democrat Party have not won an election since 1992. Its supporters say democracy has been corrupted in Thailand.

Aware Yingluck and Thaksin's allies would almost certainly win another election, Suthep has called for a "people's council" of appointed "good people" to replace the government. Yingluck has dismissed the idea as unconstitutional and undemocratic.

Saying they were unable to work with Yingluck, the Democrats on Sunday resigned en masse from the House of Representatives, raising a question over whether they would boycott an election and send Thailand into a deeper political spiral.

Such a move would raise the prospect that a minority of people in Thailand, a fast-growing country of 66 million people in the heart of Southeast Asia with the region's second-biggest economy, could dislodge a democratically elected leader without help from the military.

"GOING NOWHERE"

Calling an election will not end the political deadlock if the Democrats boycott it, said Pavin Chachavalpongpun of Kyoto University's Centre for Southeast Asian Studies.

In 2006, amid mass protests, the Democrats refused to contest a snap election called by Thaksin, who was deposed by the military five months later.

"This is only a short-term solution because there is no guarantee that the Democrats will come back and play by the rules," says Pavin. "We don't know whether they will boycott the elections or not."

"It seems like Thailand is going nowhere," he said.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva sidestepped a question on whether his party would contest an election, which must be held between 45 and 60 days of a dissolution.

"House dissolution is the first step towards solving the problem," Abhisit, a former prime minister, told Reuters as he marched with thousands of flag-waving protesters in Bangkok's central business district. "Today, we march. I will walk with the people to Government House."

Many protesters such as Winai Putonghua, a small business owner, said dissolving parliament solved nothing. " We will fight until power is in the hands of the people. We don't need more politicians to rob this country," he said.

Suthep has told his supporters they have to take back power from what he calls the illegitimate "Thaksin regime" and that they cannot rely on the army to help.

The politically powerful army, which has staged or attempted 18 coups in the past 80 years, has said it does not want to get involved though it has tried to mediate.

Thaksin fled Thailand in 2008 to avoid a graft conviction but has remained closely involved with his sister's government. The protests were sparked last month by a government bid to introduce an amnesty that would have expunged his conviction.

The Thai baht rose to 32.05 per dollar in reaction to Yingluck's announcement but then slipped back to around 32.12, up about 0.3 percent from Friday, when comments from Suthep and others made it clear an early election might not end the crisis.

The stock market reacted in the same way, adding more than 1 percent in early trade, then slipping. It was up 0.6 percent at 0410 GMT.

(Additional reporting by Andrew R.C. Marshall and Apornrath Phoonphongphiphat; Writing by Jason Szep; Editing by Robert Birsel)

India's ruling party stumbles as opponent Modi marches on

Posted:

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's ruling Congress party has a very big problem, and his name is Narendra Modi.

With no more than five months to go before nearly 800 million people choose their next leader, the prime ministerial candidate for the main opposition party has seized the initiative through rabble-rousing speeches at huge rallies across the country.

Results from local elections in four states, announced on Sunday, suggest Modi, chief minister of economic powerhouse Gujarat in the west of the country since 2001, has helped galvanise his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The BJP retained Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and ousted Congress in Rajasthan. In Delhi, the BJP was the biggest party, with Congress pushed from first to third place by an impressive debut from the anti-corruption Aam Aadmi Party.

The outcome represented a vote of no-confidence in Congress as much as one of confidence in Modi, but it was a humiliating blow that the opposition candidate will ruthlessly exploit.

Congress has floundered in the face of the Modi phenomenon. It is unsure how seriously to take him, undecided on what to do next and hampered by a presumptive leader who has lacked his challenger's charisma, leaving the party drifting at a crucial juncture.

Senior figures within Congress - in power for the last nine years, and historically the dominant force in Indian politics - have long dismissed Modi as irrelevant.

"Modi has come in a flash and will go in a flash," said one influential party member in a recent interview.

"Congress has been here for 128 years and will survive god knows how many hundreds of years more," he added, in a now-familiar refrain from the party's top brass.

That argument is becoming harder to sustain.

But as Congress fumbles for a response, one name dominates debate at the party's slightly shabby headquarters in the leafy centre of the capital: Rahul Gandhi.

Vice president of Congress and scion of a dynasty that has towered over Indian politics since independence, the 43-year-old is the obvious choice to rally his party and unite voters by playing up its secularist agenda and social welfare schemes.

Rahul's mother, Sonia, Congress president and the power behind Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will also play a key role in the party's election strategy and campaigning, although younger leaders see Rahul as their figurehead.

AVOIDING A FIGHT?

If only it was that simple.

Congress insiders familiar with Rahul's thinking have expressed concern over his preoccupation with long-term reform of the party, something they say is important and necessary but could prove costly given the more pressing matter of elections.

"My frustration is that he is too forward-looking," said Jairam Ramesh, minister of rural development and one of the most outspoken figures in the Congress leadership.

"He's talking of structure, systems; he's talking of building up Congress in the long term, whereas we are now faced with fighting an election in the short term," he told Reuters last month.

However, even if they could persuade Rahul to focus fully on the 2014 vote, party officials wonder if pitting him against the crowd-pleasing Modi in a one-on-one contest would be wise.

Even if Congress wins, the 81-year-old Singh is expected to step down as prime minister after the election.

Modi has deliberately sought to turn the 2014 election into a presidential-style race between himself and Rahul by projecting his personal achievements and convictions over those of the BJP, and by mercilessly goading the Gandhis.

In his speeches, Modi ridicules Rahul by calling him "shehzada", or "prince", highlighting his opponent's privileged upbringing that contrasts strikingly with his own roots as the son of a tea-seller.

There is method in his mockery. Congress has traditionally enjoyed support among the poor, due to farm subsidies and food handouts, and so Modi is targeting its core vote.

Rallies and media debates have been light on policy so far.

Modi has highlighted his pro-business credentials in Gujarat, and sees his economic record as a way of tapping into India's aspirational masses who are growing impatient over what they see as stagnation, complacency and endemic corruption under Congress-led governments since 2004.

Both Gandhis have boasted of their successes in welfare. But they have avoided playing one potentially strong card for fear of appearing to exploit mistrust among India's sizeable religious minorities of Modi's Hindu nationalism.

That suspicion dates back to 2002, when Hindu mobs killed more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, in the state of Gujarat, shortly after Modi became chief minister there. Modi, 63, denies accusations that he could have done more to prevent the clashes, or that he encouraged them.

In a sign that the gloves may finally be coming off, however, the Congress-led coalition said last week it would seek to pass a long-delayed communal violence bill that would increase central powers over states' handling of such unrest.

MOTHER AND SON?

Congress leaders say the party may not identify its candidate for prime minister until after the election, which is expected to be held sometime in April.

That would allow Rahul to campaign alongside his mother, protecting him to some extent and drawing on Sonia's authority and experience in the run-up to the vote.

Beyond fears that Modi would win a confrontational campaign, which analysts expect to become increasingly nasty the closer the election gets, Congress insiders also believe it might help promote the BJP in regions where its footprint is negligible.

Congress is banking on the opposition failing to win many votes in the south, for example. To set up the election as a Gandhi-versus-Modi duel might erode that advantage.

Now that state elections are over, India's political parties can focus on the big prize, the Lok Sabha - parliament's lower house - where 272 seats are needed for an outright majority.

Few expect either of the main rivals to get anywhere near that total, meaning regional parties will again be instrumental in deciding who rules the world's biggest democracy.

In terms of coalition building, Congress has the advantage, political analysts say, because Modi is such a divisive figure.

They estimate that the BJP needs to win at least 180 seats, compared with 116 in the last election in 2009, to build enough momentum to convince non-traditional partners to join, underlining the scale of Modi's task.

For Modi, thoughts of partnerships are premature.

He wants to project a statesman-like image across India to reach regions where the BJP has long been weak, using rallies, covered extensively on news channels, and an elaborate social media strategy that has eclipsed that of Congress.

Congress, meanwhile, is waiting for Modi to trip up. As he moves on from populist rhetoric, he will be more prone to mistakes, says Ajay Maken, chief media manager for Congress.

"I personally feel ... that Modi has already peaked. And we have not started yet."

(Additional reporting by Frank Jack Daniel and Shyamantha Asokan; Writing by Mike Collett-White; Editing by John Chalmers and Alex Richardson)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Nation

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Xmas cheer at Petaling Street
Suspend loan payments of flood victims, banks urged
JPJ to grade driving schools next year

Xmas cheer at Petaling Street

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR: Petaling Street is proving to be the "hotspot" this Christmas for shoppers on a tight budget.

Such shoppers are crowding the stores in search of gifts to buy and with the reasonable prices there, many seem more than satisfied.

One of them, who only wished to be known as Sarah, 36, said she started preparing for a red-and-gold-themed Christmas two months ago.

"I haven't had a family reunion since 1986! My two brothers will be coming back from the United States, which means I will have lots to do,'' she quipped.

She praised iDecor Home for having the item she wanted. "I looked all over, and this was the only shop that had a wreath I really liked," she added.

The shop's assistant, Doris, said sales for Christmas trees and decorations were better than in the past.

"A lot of customers bought the plain, green tree to be adorned with their own desired decorations," said the 70-year-old.

Nicholas, 16, said Hello Planet, another shop selling decorations, was a lot busier during Christmas.

"The Christmas trees with acorns on them are probably the best-sellers overall. The large-sized trees, along with the Christmas tree lights, sold out quickly," he said.

Charles and Charlotte, a young couple at the same store, were browsing for the perfect tree among the ones displayed.

"We want our tree to be covered in snow, with gold and white decorations around it. We just started our Christmas shopping," said Charles.

For others, discounted items around the area were already their first choice.

Molly, a church worker, said the Nu Lycie Sdn Bhd store had great discounts and was her favourite gift buying spot.

"I'm currently buying Christmas-themed tin boxes for my cousins and church members," said the 45-year-old.

The store's manager, who wanted to be known as Miss Lai, said that she had prepared stocks two months ago.

"We have customers from east Malaysia who want to buy our wholesale items. We need time to ship their orders by sea.

"Among our best-selling items are the golden tinsel and Christmas baubles," she added.

Suspend loan payments of flood victims, banks urged

Posted:

ALL banks have been urged to provide a moratorium on loan payments to customers affected by the floods.

Party president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said this would help alleviate the victims' hardship.

He praised Maybank for offering a suspension on payments, adding that all banks should do the same.

"As Finance Minister, I hereby ask all banks to provide a temporary moratorium," said Najib in his winding-up speech.

On Thursday, Maybank announced a six-month cessation on monthly loan instalment payments and waiver of certain charges based on a case-by-case basis for customers in Pahang, Johor and other areas affected by the floods.

In a statement, the bank said the suspension of payments was being extended to business banking, small and medium enterprise (SME) banking and consumer banking customers, between December 2013 and May 2014.

Najib also announced a RM500 cash aid for flood victims as a gesture of the Government's empathy for the difficulties they faced.

"I feel very sympathetic for our friends affected by the floods ... I know that they must be going through a very difficult time at this moment," he said.

Najib, who had rushed back to Pahang to observe the situation after opening the assembly on Thursday, said his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also National Disaster Management Committee chairman, had visited the flooded areas and had issued directives to all government departments and agencies to provide help to the flood victims.

After the assembly, Najib witnessed the presentation of a RM500,000 cheque from Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB) to the NSTP-Media Prima Flood Relief Fund.

The cheque was handed over by MRCB group managing director Datuk Mohamad Salim Fateh Din.

Salim said the contribution was part of the company's corporate social responsibility programme in contributing to the less fortunate.

JPJ to grade driving schools next year

Posted:

KUALA TERENGGANU: The Road Transport Department (JPJ) will implement a grading system for all 195 driving institutes in the country next month.

The system is aimed at evaluating services provided by these institutes and rating them according to the number of stars in order to create healthy competition among the institutes.

Its director-general Datuk Ismail Ahmad said it had set up a special system of guidelines to grade the institutes nationwide.

"The institute with the best service will be categorised as five-star and the minimum is one star. We are confident in grading all institutes by the end of next year.

"The best institute will be recognised at a special award presentation ceremony.

"It is hoped that the system will motivate others," he told reporters after opening a new institute in Batu Buruk here yesterday.

Ismail said the steep rise in the number of vehicles and motorists required many new driving institutes to be set up to accommodate more learner drivers.

The department, he said, would also introduce a driver education co-curriculum next year to emphasise awareness, discipline and prudence on the road. — Bernama

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf

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However Long The Night: Molly Melching’s Journey To Help Millions Of African Women And Girls Triumph

Posted:

FEMALE genital mutilation is defined by the World Health Organisation as "all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons". It is an act of violence towards young girls that will affect their lives as adults.

We all grow up subscribing to one cultural tradition or another. We are taught not to question our cultural and religious traditions because that's the way things have always been.

And that everything works out all right in the end.

In However Long The Night, though, we learn that there are some traditional practices that need to be questioned, and need to be stopped because they are not only harmful to a woman's physical health – reproductive or otherwise – but also harmful to her mental well-being.

We also learn that sometimes it takes just one person to be the lynchpin around which positive change can take place.

Reading like a novel, However Long The Night chronicles the story of American university student Molly Melching who went to Senegal Africa in 1974 on an exchange programme, fell in love with the place and its people and decided to stay.

However, she also saw that there was an unmet need for education for children, and with the help of some Senegalese scholars, she opened a children's centre. To persuade more children to attend school, Melching used elements of traditional African culture in the native Wolof language and that's when she learned about the practice of "cutting".

Melching went on to found Tostan, a not-for-profit organisation that works towards ending the practice of female genital cutting, not just in Senegal but also several other countries as well.

Tostan sets up classes in villages to educate women on literacy, health and their fundamental human rights.

The book brings to light not just how deeply entrenched female genital cutting is in African tradition, but also how much it is a part of their social lives.

A girl who is not "cut" is a bilakoro, a social outcast. Considered impure and not a real woman, the food she cooks will not be eaten, the clothes she washes must be rewashed, and she would have great difficulty in finding a husband.

Known by most women in Senegal as "the tradition", cutting is considered to be a religious obligation and one of the steps in preparing young women for marriage; it is always performed by an elder woman.

It is very easy to read the blurb of the book and think "Here's another Westerner come to save the day". And while Melching is American, that's about the only thing you would get right. The story itself is more about the women, their lives and their struggles than it is about Melching.

It is more about empowering people to understand their rights and not to lay down and accept what is being done to them simply because that has always been the way.

It's about generating positive change, and it shows how grassroots mobilisation can be a powerful force.

Molloy's writing is very easy to read. It could just be that Melching's story itself is that fascinating, but by telling the story like a novel, Molloy simultaneously draws the reader in and hits them with a whole lot of information.

Molloy has also remained true to the people in the story. She has captured Melching's determination and her empathy for the women of Senegal flawlessly.

Her portrayal of Kerthio, who kept her secret for the longest time, was moving, and at the same time, she takes the reader through Kerthio's thoughts, feelings and desires as if the reader is in Kerthio's head. Yet never does Molloy take the story over the top into melodrama; instead, she relies on true situations and the people in them to engage the reader.

However Long The Night is one of those books that one might be averse to reading because it talks about a controversial and sensitive topic that most people shy away from.

But it's also one of those books that open your eyes to a whole different world, one that most of us don't realise still exists in today's day and age.

Most of all, it is a story about driving positive change from the ground.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

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Thai opposition MPs quit as 'final showdown' looms (Updated)

Posted:

BANGKOK, Dec 08, 2013 (AFP) - Thai opposition lawmakers resigned en masse from parliament Sunday, deepening the kingdom's political crisis as anti-government protesters vowed a final showdown despite an election offer from the embattled prime minister.

Bangkok is bracing for another major opposition demonstration on Monday aimed at toppling Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and curbing the political influence of her brother Thaksin.

The kingdom has been rocked by several episodes of political bloodshed since Thaksin, a billionaire tycoon-turned-premier, was ousted by royalist generals in a coup seven years ago.

Yingluck's government has been shaken by more than a month of rolling rallies by demonstrators, sometimes numbering in their tens of thousands, who want to suspend the country's democracy in favour of an unelected "People's Council".

The opposition Democrat Party said Sunday that its 153 MPs were resigning from the 500-seat lower house - a move that does not prevent Yingluck's Puea Thai party from passing new laws but which leaves parliament facing questions about its legitimacy.

"We performed our duty in parliament as best we could," said Democrat leader and former premier Abhisit Vejjajiva. "We cannot do any more. We regret that the majority in parliament betrays the voice of the people."

The move came soon after Yingluck renewed her offer of elections if the protesters - a mix of royalists, middle class Thais and other Thaksin opponents - agree to respect the democratic process.

"The government is ready to dissolve the house if the majority wants it," she said in a televised address, noting that under the kingdom's laws an election would have to be held within 60 days.

But "if protesters or a major political party do not accept that or do not accept the result of the election, it will just prolong the conflict," she said.

She also floated the idea of a referendum to solve the crisis but it was unclear what the nation would be asked to vote on.

The protest leaders have said that they would not be satisfied with new elections, but the opposition Democrats hinted that it might take part in any new polls, even though they have not won an elected majority in about two decades.

"House dissolution is one way of returning power to the people. But there must be a solution to make people confident in the election," Abhisit said.

Thailand's political conflict broadly pits a Bangkok-based middle class and royalist elite backed by the military against rural and working-class voters loyal to Thaksin.

Pro-Thaksin parties have won every election in more than a decade.

The former premier went into exile in 2008 to avoid jail for a corruption conviction which he says was politically motivated.

Tensions remain high in the kingdom following several days of street clashes last week between police using tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets against rock-throwing demonstrators.

The unrest has left five people dead and more than 200 injured in Bangkok.

Demonstrators and police have observed a temporary truce since Wednesday for the 86th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is treated as a near-deity by many Thais.

With turnout dwindling, protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban has called for a final push on Monday to bring down the government, describing it as "judgement day".

The former deputy premier, who now faces an arrest warrant for insurrection, has vowed to surrender to the authorities unless enough people join the march to the government headquarters.

New concrete barriers have been put in place around the seat of government ahead of the planned protest, but unlike previously security officials said barbed wire would not be used.

"The police will keep up negotiations and to try avoid any injury or death," said national police spokesman Piya Utayo, urging protesters to respect the law.

The government's "Red Shirt" supporters plan their own rally on Tuesday in the ancient capital of Ayutthaya north of Bangkok.

The recent protests were triggered by an amnesty bill, since dropped by Yingluck's ruling party, which opponents feared would have cleared the way for her brother Thaksin's return.

They are the biggest and deadliest street demonstrations since 2010, when dozens of people were killed in a military crackdown on mass pro-Thaksin Red Shirt rallies in Bangkok.

Earlier report:

Thai opposition says all its MPs to resign

BANGKOK, Dec 08, 2013 (AFP) - Thailand's main opposition party announced on Sunday that its lawmakers would resign en masse, deepening the kingdom's political crisis as anti-government protesters prepare for another major rally.

Democrat Party spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut told AFP that all of the party's MPs would formally step down "as soon as possible".

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has faced more than a month of opposition-backed demonstrations seeking to suspend democracy in favour of an unelected "People's Council".

Protesters have vowed a final showdown on Monday in efforts to topple Yingluck's government and curb the political influence of her brother Thaksin.

"We decided to quit as MPs to march with the people against the Thaksin regime," Democrat Party lawmaker Sirichok Sopha said in televised remarks.

Yingluck said Sunday she was willing to call an election to end the political crisis gripping the country - but only if protesters seeking her overthrow accept the result.

The kingdom has been rocked by several episodes of political bloodshed since Thaksin, a billionaire tycoon-turned-premier, was ousted by royalist generals in a coup seven years ago.

Nine opposition MPs resigned earlier this year to lead the mass protests.

Pakistan turns to China for development

Posted:

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's launch of work on its largest nuclear power plant last week is the latest example of big-money Chinese infrastructure projects in the troubled nation.

Cash-strapped Pakistan, plagued by a bloody homegrown Taliban insurgency, is battling to get its shaky economy back on track and solve a chronic energy crisis that cripples industry.

Politicians in Beijing and Islamabad are fond of extolling the profundity of their friendship in flowery rhetoric and on the ground this has translated into around 10,000 Chinese engineers and workers flocking to Pakistan.

Chinese companies are working on more than 100 major projects in energy, roads and technology, according to Pakistani officials, with an estimated $18 billion expected to be invested in the coming years.

"Some projects are being done by the government, then most of the projects are being done by the Chinese companies, by the provinces and also with the state enterprises and authorities," Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan's federal minister for planning and development, told AFP.

"In the energy sector, Chinese engineers are building up to 15 power projects that include hydel (hydroelectric), thermal and nuclear plants."

Pakistan faces an electricity shortfall of around 4,000 megawatts in the sweltering summer, leading to lengthy blackouts that make ordinary people's lives a misery and have strangled economic growth.

To combat the crisis, Pakistan has sought Chinese help in building power generation projects across the country, including nuclear.

Aside from the 2,200 MW project near Karachi launched by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif last week, Chinese companies built two of Pakistan's three operational reactors.

Chinese engineers are also busy in the construction of a 969 MW hydropower project in Kashmir. They have also committed to generate 6,000 MW of electricity from coal and wind in southern Sindh province.

But cooperation goes beyond energy.

Visiting in May during his first overseas trip after taking office, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang linked growth in his country's restive west with that in Pakistan, saying the two sides wanted to create an "economic corridor" to boost development.

The concept involves improving road and rail networks to link China through Pakistan to the Arabian Sea and planning minister Iqbal said its benefits would extend to other neighbouring countries.

"The biggest flagship project is going to be the economic corridor. I hope with its completion, we will be able to create opportunities not just for China and Pakistan but for the entire region," he said.

"If the economic corridor is constructed, trade between China and India can also take place from this corridor. Similarly, trade between China and Central Asia and also between India and Central Asia can take place," Iqbal said.

In January the Pakistani cabinet approved the transfer of Gwadar port, strategically located in the country's far southwest, to a Chinese state-owned company.

Once the road network is improved, Gwadar will slash thousands of kilometres off the distance oil and gas imports from Africa and the Middle East have to be transported to reach China.

The bloody six-year Taliban insurgency and threat of expat workers being kidnapped and beheaded by militants has made many foreign firms wary of investing in Pakistan.

Chinese engineers on construction sites are guarded at all times by armed policemen, and some AFP spoke to seemed happy with their time in Pakistan.

"Pakistani people are very friendly with Chinese. That is why I am here since last three years and I will spend some more years over here," said Wang Yanjun, supervising a road-building project in Muzaffarabad, the main town in Pakistani Kashmir.

"They provide respect and support to Chinese, so cooperation between China and Pakistan is increasing. I think we will do much more development projects in future than now."

Wang Yanjun's company China Xinjiang Beixin, has already worked on projects in Pakistan ranging from roads to airports.

Another engineer, Wang Songqiang of China International Water and Electric Corporation, is looking after the construction of a shopping centre in Muzaffarabad.

"Our company is working in 38 countries, but we have special feelings while working here in Pakistan," he told AFP.

Pakistan and China presently have annual bilateral trade of around $12 billion and are trying to take it to $15 billion in the next three years, though Iqbal said Sharif is dreaming of doubling even this volume.

For China, investing in Pakistan's crumbling infrastructure is a chance to boost trade but also about using its southwestern neighbour's workforce as it seeks to keep prices down while satisfying growing domestic demand.

"Some industries are becoming very costly in China and their government feels they can get cheaper labour in Pakistan for those factories, which includes electronics and autos," Ahmed Rashid Malik, senior research fellow at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad, told AFP.

"For that they need energy in Pakistan and investing in Pakistan's energy sector can prove beneficial for China in future."

But there are dissenting voices, raising worries about possible corruption in the somewhat opaque deals struck between Pakistani government departments and provincial administrations and Chinese firms.

"The capacity of Pakistani bureaucracy and the issue of transparency in this whole development plan is a source of concern for me," Senator Mushahid Hussain, chairman of Pakistan China Institute and a strong advocate of Pakistan-China friendship, told AFP.

"There have been allegations of corruption against them in the past, so it's a challenge for us to utilise this opportunity which came to us through Chinese cooperation," he said. -AFP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

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Thai opposition MPs quit as 'final showdown' looms (Updated)
Pakistan turns to China for development
A chronic disease in Thailand