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Jumaat, 13 Disember 2013

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

Haiyan death toll tops 6,000 making it Philippines' deadliest recorded typhoon

Posted:

MANILA: The number of people dead after one of the world's strongest typhoons struck the Philippines has risen above 6,000, the government said, with nearly 2,000 others still missing.

Five weeks after Super Typhoon Haiyan destroyed entire towns across the nation's central islands, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council put the official death toll at 6,009, making it the Philippines' deadliest recorded typhoon.

The council said it is still looking for 1,779 missing people amid an international relief and rehabilitation effort covering a large devastated area about the size of Portugal.

The number of people confirmed dead or unaccounted for continues to rise steadily. On Nov 23, more than two weeks after the storm struck, officials put the death toll at 5,235 and listed 1,613 people as still missing.

The latest official count puts Haiyan nearly on par with a 1976 tsunami in the southern Philippines, generated by a major undersea earthquake in the Moro Gulf, that left between 5,000 and 8,000 people dead.

The Haiyan toll has already surpassed Tropical Storm Thelma, which unleashed floods that killed more than 5,100 people in the central city of Ormoc in 1991, previously the country's deadliest storm.

The government said more than four million people lost their homes to either Haiyan's 315kph winds or tsunami-like storm surges, and some would continue to need food aid as well as shelters and jobs.

As part of the international aid effort, an Indonesian official who rebuilt Aceh after the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was in the Philippines yesterday to help the neighbouring country recover from the typhoon.

Senior Minister Kuntoro Mangkusubroto visited Tacloban at the Philippine government's invitation to provide insights on managing large-scale recovery programmes, the United Nations Development Programme said. — AFP

Alcohol ban to cover 374 businesses

Posted:

THE alcohol ban in Little India this weekend will cover 374 establishments over a large part of the Serangoon Road area.

The affected area is as large as Gardens By The Bay, and includes the popular City Square Mall and Mustafa Centre, as well as hotels, pubs, numerous eateries, coffee shops, liquor shops and 24-hour convenience stores.

Nobody is allowed to sell or consume alcohol in the roughly 1.1 sq km zone which has been declared a "proclaimed area" under the Public Order (Pre­servation) Act for the weekend.

This means anyone who is drunk or disorderly in the area can be arrested for being a public nuisance, said Deputy Com­missioner of Police T. Raja Kumar.

"If the person is completely drunk and rowdy, police may take action to arrest the person," he said.

"But some may not have realised it because the news of the ban hasn't percolated down to the last person. Our officers will tell them, if you are cooperative and throw away the alcohol or walk out of the area, that is fine."

In a joint statement, the police, the Ministry of Manpower and Land Transport Authority highlighted the need "to calm and stabilise the situation" following last Sunday night's riot.

"This will also allow police to assess the next steps in consultation with the various stakeholders for a more permanent intervention to ensure that a repeat of last Sunday's riot does not occur, and to restore the sense of safety and security for residents, shopkeepers, visitors and other stakeholders in the area," it said.

Speaking to reporters in Seoul, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said this weekend's measures will be just the first step in ensuring order and safety in the area.

Understandably, affected establishments were unhappy. "We wait all week just to get the weekend crowd. The ban will hit our businesses hard," said Ajay Maddila, director of Zsofi Tapas Bar in Dunlop Street. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Deadly clashes in Bangladesh

Posted:

DHAKA: Bangladesh was rocked by a new wave of deadly violence as Islamist supporters went on the rampage to vent their fury at the execution of one of their leaders for war crimes.

Abdul Quader Molla became the first person to be hanged for his role in the country's bloody 1971 war of independence when he was sent to the gallows at a prison in the capital Dhaka late on Thursday.

Molla had been found guilty in February by a much-criticised domestic tribunal of having been a leader of a pro-Pakistan militia that fought against the country's independence and killed some of Bangladesh's top professors, doctors, writers and journalists.

He was convicted of rape, murder and mass murder, including killing of more than 350 unarmed civilians. — AFP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

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The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

Brave heart Bilbo Baggins

Posted:

Trials, tribulations ... and one nasty dragon await Bilbo Baggins in the second instalment of The Hobbit.

THE second part of The Hobbit trilogy, titled The Desolation Of Smaug, continues with the 13 dwarves – led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) – on a journey to reclaim their homeland in the mountains from the fire-breathing dragon Smaug.

Accompanying these dwarves is none other than the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), who leaves his peaceful Shire and gets on the greatest adventure of his life.

Set 60 years before The Lord Of The Rings, the Dwarves have encountered not only adventures, friends and foes, but have come upon a realisation that Bilbo Baggins is more than just a competent thief.

As this unexpected journey gets the travellers closer to the Lonely Mountain and the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, they meet a skin-changer, a swarm of giant spiders, the dangerous Wood-elves and the destitute folk of Lake-town. Of course, the biggest threat of all is the dragon, Smaug, who lies sleeping covered in gold that was once amassed by the Dwarves.

In this film – based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien – director Peter Jackson not only deepens the conflict and the difficulties experienced by the characters, he has also included the "iconic Tolkien moment" of Bilbo coming face to face with the dragon.

Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) leads his men into the mountains in a bid to reclaim their homeland.

Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage, foreground) leads his men into the mountains in a bid to reclaim their homeland.

Phillipa Boyens, who co-wrote the screenplay with Fran Walsh, Jackson and Guillermo del Toro, said that for this particular scene, they wanted to create a perpetual underlying tension as Smaug very subtly pumps Bilbo for information.

In a transcript provided by Warner Bros. Pictures, Boyens said: "You couldn't have a smaller person than the Hobbit, or a larger creature than the dragon. The scale between the two is huge, and yet they engage one-on-one. It's an incredibly deadly game of cat and mouse."

Freeman added: "It is a battle of wits, though it is less about the wit for Bilbo and more about trying to stay alive. He's not feeling very witty, but he does what he needs to do, at great expense."

Meanwhile, Jackson reckoned what sets Smaug apart from other dragons is that he can talk, is intelligent and a psychopath. Hence, he needed an actor who can bring all this and more when voicing Smaug the Terrible.

He found exactly what he was looking for in Benedict Cumberbatch, who auditioned at the same time as Freeman when both actors were shooting the first season of the popular television series Sherlock in London.

Cumberbatch recalled how his father read The Hobbit to him as a child: "My dad is an extraordinary actor, so he brought to life for me this already extraordinary world of Hobbits and dragons.

"It was a very rich way to be introduced to such an incredible book. So, when you can go home and say to your dad, 'I'm playing Smaug, and I've got you to thank for it,' it's a very satisfying day in an actor's life. He played Smaug as this amazing gravelly, growling creature, so I basically ripped off my dad for my performance."

Thanks to the top notch performances by Freeman and Cumberbatch, this particular scene will get the audience holding their breath and at times chuckle at the dialogue between the two characters.

Ultimately, though, this is a journey about the Hobbit who finds his bravery so far away from home. For Freeman there were many aspects to Bilbo that he enjoyed bringing to the film.

In The Desolation Of Smaug particularly, it was the moment when the character found his backbone. "I was always saying to Pete (Jackson), 'Is it now? Surely this is the time where he's a bit stronger.' And very often he'd say, 'No, no, but it is coming, it is coming, not yet.'

"You spend so much time playing Bilbo as this reticent person who is just trying to find his voice and trying to find when to speak, just finding permission to breathe almost, that it is really good fun in this film when he does have to find that bit of steel inside himself.

"He really, really has to find that for his own safety and that of his friends."

Even though he is often in dangerous situations, Bilbo never hesitates to do the right thing – which is to save his friends.

Freeman explained: "It is not a choice. He has to do it. It is always good to play heroism out of necessity, which is what heroism is, I think, a playable, real thing that we can all relate to – something that you know is true or has a bit of reality to it. Most people don't want to put themselves in life and death situations, but you will do it if you absolutely have to. It is a bit like that for Bilbo in this film." 

* The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (3D and 2D) opens in cinemas nationwide today.

Related stories:

Ever wise Gandalf The Grey

Forward motion Legolas Greenleaf

Beautiful baddie Elvenking Thranduil

Man about Lake-town Bard

Right on the mark Tauriel
Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

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The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

Brave heart Bilbo Baggins

Posted:

Trials, tribulations ... and one nasty dragon await Bilbo Baggins in the second instalment of The Hobbit.

THE second part of The Hobbit trilogy, titled The Desolation Of Smaug, continues with the 13 dwarves – led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) – on a journey to reclaim their homeland in the mountains from the fire-breathing dragon Smaug.

Accompanying these dwarves is none other than the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), who leaves his peaceful Shire and gets on the greatest adventure of his life.

Set 60 years before The Lord Of The Rings, the Dwarves have encountered not only adventures, friends and foes, but have come upon a realisation that Bilbo Baggins is more than just a competent thief.

As this unexpected journey gets the travellers closer to the Lonely Mountain and the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, they meet a skin-changer, a swarm of giant spiders, the dangerous Wood-elves and the destitute folk of Lake-town. Of course, the biggest threat of all is the dragon, Smaug, who lies sleeping covered in gold that was once amassed by the Dwarves.

In this film – based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien – director Peter Jackson not only deepens the conflict and the difficulties experienced by the characters, he has also included the "iconic Tolkien moment" of Bilbo coming face to face with the dragon.

Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) leads his men into the mountains in a bid to reclaim their homeland.

Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage, foreground) leads his men into the mountains in a bid to reclaim their homeland.

Phillipa Boyens, who co-wrote the screenplay with Fran Walsh, Jackson and Guillermo del Toro, said that for this particular scene, they wanted to create a perpetual underlying tension as Smaug very subtly pumps Bilbo for information.

In a transcript provided by Warner Bros. Pictures, Boyens said: "You couldn't have a smaller person than the Hobbit, or a larger creature than the dragon. The scale between the two is huge, and yet they engage one-on-one. It's an incredibly deadly game of cat and mouse."

Freeman added: "It is a battle of wits, though it is less about the wit for Bilbo and more about trying to stay alive. He's not feeling very witty, but he does what he needs to do, at great expense."

Meanwhile, Jackson reckoned what sets Smaug apart from other dragons is that he can talk, is intelligent and a psychopath. Hence, he needed an actor who can bring all this and more when voicing Smaug the Terrible.

He found exactly what he was looking for in Benedict Cumberbatch, who auditioned at the same time as Freeman when both actors were shooting the first season of the popular television series Sherlock in London.

Cumberbatch recalled how his father read The Hobbit to him as a child: "My dad is an extraordinary actor, so he brought to life for me this already extraordinary world of Hobbits and dragons.

"It was a very rich way to be introduced to such an incredible book. So, when you can go home and say to your dad, 'I'm playing Smaug, and I've got you to thank for it,' it's a very satisfying day in an actor's life. He played Smaug as this amazing gravelly, growling creature, so I basically ripped off my dad for my performance."

Thanks to the top notch performances by Freeman and Cumberbatch, this particular scene will get the audience holding their breath and at times chuckle at the dialogue between the two characters.

Ultimately, though, this is a journey about the Hobbit who finds his bravery so far away from home. For Freeman there were many aspects to Bilbo that he enjoyed bringing to the film.

In The Desolation Of Smaug particularly, it was the moment when the character found his backbone. "I was always saying to Pete (Jackson), 'Is it now? Surely this is the time where he's a bit stronger.' And very often he'd say, 'No, no, but it is coming, it is coming, not yet.'

"You spend so much time playing Bilbo as this reticent person who is just trying to find his voice and trying to find when to speak, just finding permission to breathe almost, that it is really good fun in this film when he does have to find that bit of steel inside himself.

"He really, really has to find that for his own safety and that of his friends."

Even though he is often in dangerous situations, Bilbo never hesitates to do the right thing – which is to save his friends.

Freeman explained: "It is not a choice. He has to do it. It is always good to play heroism out of necessity, which is what heroism is, I think, a playable, real thing that we can all relate to – something that you know is true or has a bit of reality to it. Most people don't want to put themselves in life and death situations, but you will do it if you absolutely have to. It is a bit like that for Bilbo in this film." 

* The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (3D and 2D) opens in cinemas nationwide today.

Related stories:

Ever wise Gandalf The Grey

Forward motion Legolas Greenleaf

Beautiful baddie Elvenking Thranduil

Man about Lake-town Bard

Right on the mark Tauriel
Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

Eric Lanlard is born to bake

Posted:

BBC Lifestyle channel's Baking Mad star Eric Lanlard shares the secret of his baking success.

IT is a little after three in the afternoon when French master patissier Eric Lanlard walks into the culinary studio at Starhill Gallery in Kuala Lumpur for his pastry master class, the second one of the day, with members of the Malaysian media.

"Do you like to bake?" he asks, and then laughs when his question is met with nervous laughter.

Despite having been on his feet since nine that morning, conducting interviews and master classes for the Malaysian media, Lanlard shows no sign of fatigue. Instead, he flashes us a big, warm smile and makes small talk, sharing his experience eating at a mamak stall and his encounter with the infamous Malaysian bean, petai.

"It has a very ... strong smell. I had it last night with some beautiful prawns. It was very good but I made sure I brushed my teeth thoroughly before going to sleep to get rid of the smell. But when I woke up this morning, the smell was still in my mouth! I didn't know what was going on ..." he says, still a little perplexed.

One of the perks of travelling so much, he admits, is getting to try new and different flavours from around the world. Travel, he says, is one of the great sources of culinary inspiration for him and the inspiration behind the Matcha and Yuzu Tart which we were about to make.

"It is a variation of the classic lemon tart using Asian flavours of green tea powder and yuzu, a Japanese citrus fruit that tastes like a mix of lemon and mandarin," he says as he starts to guide us through the recipe.

Lanlard, 44, was in Kuala Lumpur to promote his show on BBC Lifestyle, Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard, in which he shares his tips on producing mouth-watering (and beautiful) cakes and desserts with ease. The show also pits amateur cooks against each other in weekly bake-off challenges aimed at discovering home-grown baking talent in Britain where he lives and runs his cake boutique, Cake Boy.

Master Patissier Eric Lanlard insists on using only the best ingredients for his desserts - Matcha and Yuzu tart. RAYMOND OOI/ The Star Nov 6, 2013.

Passionate patissier: Eric Lanlard insists on using only the best ingredients for his desserts. – RAYMOND OOI/The Star

The two-time winner of the prestigious Continental Patissier of the Year award (at the British Baking Awards) has a clientele of A-list celebrities like Madonna (he made a massive croquembouche for her wedding to Guy Ritchie), Elizabeth Hurley and Claudia Schiffer (for whom he made their wedding cakes), the Beckhams and the Queen Mother (he made her 101st birthday cake in the shape of a hat topped with two corgis wearing tiaras made from sugar craft!).

"The press loves it ... the fact that I've made cakes for all these celebrities but I don't want it to seem like I only make cakes for celebrities or that my cakes are too expensive. At Cake Boy, we treat every customer like a celebrity," he says.

While his dessert masterpieces earn him high praise, Lanlard stresses that the first rule for any baker is to make sure that a dessert tastes as good as it looks.

"A lot of people want to make beautiful looking desserts but it is important to know the basics first. You can create beautiful decorations but if the cake is not good ... it's not going to work."

Born to bake

Landlard says that he knew he wanted to be a patissier early in his life, joking in past interviews that he must have been born in a mixing bowl with a whisk in one hand and a rolling pin in the other.

"My parents claim that I was five years old when I announced my intention of becoming a pastry chef. I can't remember that but I did start making cakes at a young age.

"I used to love going to patisseries with my dad and mum when I was a kid. It wasn't about eating the food I saw because I don't have a sweet tooth, really ... but it was all about the glamour of those patisseries.

"In France, patisseries are like jewellery shops ... beautiful cakes and pastries are wrapped up in a pretty box with ribbons and people are prepared to pay a lot of money for them because they are of such high quality. The French appreciate that, and they walk in the street proudly with their patisserie bag. I loved that sense of occasion you get when you step into a patisserie," he gushes.

At home in Brittany in France, with the encouragement of his parents who also loved to bake, cook and entertain, Lanlard would experiment in the kitchen and his cakes often won the praise of his neighbours and his parents' friends.

"At one stage when I was 10, I got a small baking business going. Everyone used to tell me how nice my cakes were so I decided to sell them. I put a table outside my house and sold the cakes that I had baked. And I was making so much money that my mother threatened to start charging me for the ingredients because I'd used up all of hers," he says with a laugh.

After graduating as the second best apprentice in France, Lanlard joined the navy for his compulsory national service where he not only got the chance to travel and expose his palate to new flavours and ingredients, but also where he got the chance to cook for the French president at the time, Francois Mitterrand.

"I was on the French Navy's flagship fleet as the captain's pastry chef. Only in France does the captain of the navy have his own pastry chef!" he jokes.

"It was a beautiful ship that would go all over the world and I would get to cook for people on board in the places where we docked. It was a tremendous experience because it was just me – I was just 18 at the time – and two apprentice chefs on board.

The first time we had to cook for an official function on board was for the president. And he was very impressed with the food ... he came into the kitchen after the meal and thanked us for the food and he gave me some gold cufflinks, which I still wear today," he says with pride.

Baking with the best

For Lanlard, baking with the best ingredients is crucial in creating good desserts. If there was one valuable tip he can offer amateur bakers, it is that they have to use good quality ingredients – real butter instead of margarine, good quality chocolate and pure vanilla extract instead of flavouring.

Another, he says, is to follow a recipe to the very last detail – which is something he still does – because baking, unlike cooking, is a precise science.

"Baking is not like cooking where you can just throw in ingredients and replace one ingredient with another if you don't have it with you. Baking is very precise and you have to follow a recipe," he cautions.

When asked if he found any dessert still a challenge, Lanlard doesn't hesitate for a second.

"Macarons! They are a nightmare. And, if any pastry chef tells you that making macarons is not a nightmare, they are lying. You never know what might go wrong because there are so many factors to consider when making macarons," says Lanlard.

By this time, we had completed the Matcha and Yuzu Tart which Lanlard had masterfully decorated with fresh fruit dusted with icing sugar.

"Shall we taste it?" he asks, cutting into the masterpiece which was, needless to say, exquisite.

Psy, Ylvis, Miley Cyrus top YouTube’s trending videos of 2013

Posted:

Gentleman, The Fox and Wrecking Ball rule the video-sharing channel this year.

YLVIS' The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?) is the top trending YouTube video of 2013, while Psy's Gentleman M/V (pic) was the top trending music video, the website announced on Wednesday.

The Fox, a music video from the Norwegian comedy duo Vegard and Brd Ylvisker, has racked up over 276.7 million viewers since taking the world by storm in September.

Psy's follow-up to 2012 hit single Gangnam Style – YouTube's top trending video of 2012 – premiered last April and has a total of 599.2 million views to date.

Hollywood marketing cracked the top 10 this year with Telekinetic Coffee Shop Surprise, a promo for Sony's Carrie remake.

Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball and We Can't Stop were the second and third top trending music videos of the year, respectively, while Wrecking Ball also ranked as the fourth top trending video, overall, after racking up over 398.2 million views since premiering in September.

Jean-Claude Van Damme's Epic Split – a viral Volvo commercial featuring the 53-year-old action star performing a split between two moving trucks – ranked number six in the top trending videos with nearly 60 million views after hitting the web on Nov 13.

See both top ten lists, below:

Top Trending Videos Of 2013

1. Ylvis – The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?), tvnorge

2. Harlem Shake (original army edition), kennethaakonsen

3. How Animals Eat Their Food, MisterEpicMann

4. Miley Cyrus – Wrecking Ball (Chatroulette Version), SteveKardynal

5. baby&me / the new evian film, EvianBabies

6. Volvo Trucks – The Epic Split featuring Van Damme, VolvoTrucks

7. YOLO (featuring Adam Levine & Kendrick Lamar), thelonelyisland

8. Telekinetic Coffee Shop Surprise, CarrieNYC

9. The NFL: A Bad Lip Reading, BadLipReading

10. Mozart Vs Skrillex. Epic Rap Battles Of History Season 2, ERB

Top Trending Music Videos of 2013:

1. Psy – Gentleman M/V, officialpsy

2. Miley Cyrus – Wrecking Ball, MileyCyrusVEVO

3. Miley Cyrus – We Can't Stop, MileyCyrusVEVO

4. Katy Perry – Roar (Official), KatyPerryVEVO

5. P!nk – Just Give Me A Reason featuring Nate Ruess, PinkVEVO

6. Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines featuring T.I., Pharrell, RobinThickeVEVO

7. Rihanna – Stay featuring Mikky Ekko, RihannaVEVO

8. Naughty Boy – La La La featuring Sam Smith, NaughtyBoyVEVO

9. Selena Gomez – Come & Get It, SelenaGomezVEVO

10. Avicii – Wake Me Up (Official Video), AviciiOfficialVEVO – Reuters

Sesame Street parodies LOTR

Posted:

Lovable character Cookie Monster plays a monster who misses his 'precious'.

Sesame Street has come up with its own cute version of JRR Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings, just in time for the global premiere of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (opening in Malaysia tomorrow).

The YouTube clip – Sesame Street: Lord Of The Crumbs – features the lovable Cookie Monster playing a character named Gobble. Legend has it that Gobble is the only monster which has the recipe of an unimaginably sweet and delicious dessert ("One dessert to rule them all!").

Unfortunately, he loses the recipe one day, and all the cookies on Monster Earth disappear along with it.

While mulling over what to do, out pops a Galadriel-like "Crazy Light Lady" who gives Gobble a bunch of ingredients to help him bake more cookies in the "fires of Mount Crumb".

Through it all, Gobble comes across several challenges and disruptions, one of which involves a dramatic Gandalf the Grey who will not allow the monster to get to Mount Crumb aka the oven.

The clip may be funny, but it is also educational for young viewers as it teaches one the values of being patient, and er, how to count to three.

Sesame Street has done countless parodies of movies, folk tales and even songs over the years which have been very popular with audiences the world over.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates

Mexican senators approve electoral, anti-corruption bills

Posted:

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's Senate gave final congressional approval on Friday to an electoral reform bill that allows for the re-election of lawmakers, and also pushed forward legislation that would create an anti-corruption watchdog.

The electoral bill, which opposition conservatives demanded in exchange for supporting President Enrique Pena Nieto's landmark energy overhaul approved this week, will now be sent to state lawmakers. Lawmakers in 16 out of Mexico's 31 states need to ratify the legislation.

The approval of the electoral bill clears the way for Congress to focus early next year on secondary laws needed to flesh out both the energy legislation and a law approved in the spring that aims to boost competition in the telecommunications sector.

Pena Nieto mounted a major reform drive this year to boost growth in Mexico's economy, and lawmakers this week backed his cornerstone bill to open up state-run energy industries to private investment.

The electoral reform, which passed 95-11, sets out rules for coalition governments and aims to strengthen Congress at the expense of the president.

The bill would also empower electoral authorities to annul elections if the winner exceeded campaign spending limits. Pena Nieto was accused by the opposition of overspending heavily in his 2012 campaign.

Lawmakers will be allowed to run for re-election, but with term limits of 12 years. Mexican federal and state lawmakers currently cannot be re-elected to consecutive terms in the same office. The reform does not allow for presidential re-election.

The Senate approved the bill earlier this month, but lower house lawmakers made some changes and sent the bill back to the Senate for final approval.

Senators also voted 111-2 to approve a bill to establish an anti-corruption authority that would investigate political graft. The bill now goes to the lower house.

Pena Nieto pledged to establish an authority to fight corruption after he won the presidency and returned the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, to power after it spent 12 years in the opposition.

The PRI was reviled by many Mexicans as corrupt and heavy-handed by the time it lost power in 2000 after ruling Mexico for most of the 20th century.

(Reporting by Michael O'Boyle; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Student opens fire at Colorado high school, wounds two classmates

Posted:

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (Reuters) - A student bent on confronting a teacher opened fire with a shotgun at a Colorado high school on Friday, wounding at least two classmates before taking his own life, law enforcement officials said.

The student entered Arapahoe High School in a Denver suburb around midday brandishing the gun and asked for the teacher by name before shooting two students, critically wounding a 15-year-old girl, said Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson.

The teacher immediately fled the school and was not injured, while the gunman was later found in a classroom at the school, dead of an self-inflicted gunshot wound, Robinson said. The incident was over in 14 minutes.

"I believe the shooter knew that deputy sheriffs were immediately about to engage him and I believe that shooter took his life because he knew that he had been found," the sheriff told a news conference.

Authorities did not name the suspected gunman.

The rampage in the Denver suburb of Centennial took place just eight miles from the scene of one of the deadliest school massacres in U.S. history at Columbine High School, where two students gunned down 13 classmates and staff before killing themselves in 1999.

Robinson said there was no sign the incident was related to the anniversary on Saturday of last year's shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, in which a gunman massacred 20 children and six adults before killing himself.

Holly Schaefer, an 18-year-old senior at Arapahoe High School, said she was in mathematics class when she and fellow students heard a loud bang. That was followed shortly by another bang and "then we knew definitely it was a gunshot."

Schaefer said her teacher immediately locked the door to the classroom as students huddled in a corner of the room.

After about 30 minutes, Schaefer said, they heard police calling out on the other side of the door. Officers eventually cleared the classroom and as students were being escorted out of the building, she said she saw blood on the hallway floor.

DEBATE TEAM

Classmates speaking to CNN described the suspected shooter, who they said was on the school's track and speech and debate teams, as smart and likeable. They said they would not have guessed that he was capable of such violence.

The sheriff said detectives were investigating "revenge" as a possible motive, but did not elaborate. The Denver Channel on ABC News reported the suspected gunman was upset after recently being kicked off the debate team. Reuters could not immediately confirm that report.

Arapahoe senior Frank Woronoff told CNN the gunman had recently been "demoted" on the debate team and that the teacher he was said to be targeting was its adviser. "I'm told that's what led him to sort of snap," Woronoff said.

Reuters was unable to contact the teacher, who was not identified by authorities, but was named in local media reports.

Authorities said searches were under way of the suspected gunman's vehicle, his home, and a secondary home.

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, who pushed through tougher gun control legislation this year following Newtown and last year's attack in a Colorado movie theatre, called the shooting an "all-too-familiar sequence, where you have gunshots and parents racing to the school and unspeakable horror in a place of learning."

'WE SCREAMED AND RAN'

Television images from the high school showed students running out with their hands raised and gathering on a track field.

Nearby businesses were evacuated as dozens of police descended on the scene with guns drawn, on the scene. Authorities said they did not engage in a confrontation with the suspect, nor did they fire their weapons as they entered the school and then methodically evacuated students

"We were having fun and laughing, and then all of sudden we heard a really loud bang and my teacher asked what it was, and then we heard two more, and we all just got up and screamed and ran into a sprinkler system room," Whitney Riley, 15, told CNN. "It sounded like it was coming from the hall that was near us."

"We were shaking, we were crying, we were freaking out. I had a girl biting my arm," she said. "We stayed quiet and we heard a whole bunch of sounds. We heard people yelling, we heard walkie-talkies."

The most seriously wounded victim, identified only as a 15-year-old girl, was in critical condition at a local hospital. Robinson said a second student had been treated and released after suffering a minor gunshot wound.

A spokeswoman for Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Colorado, said her hospital had treated two victims from the shooting incident, both of whom suffered non-gunshot injuries. She said one of those patients was listed in good condition and that the other had been discharged.

A device believed by police to be an improvised Molotov cocktail was also found on the grounds and a bomb squad was on hand to identify it and search for other possible explosives.

U.S., Chinese warships narrowly avoid collision in South China Sea

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. guided missile cruiser operating in international waters in the South China Sea was forced to take evasive action last week to avoid a collision with a Chinese warship manoeuvring nearby, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a statement on Friday.

The incident came as the USS Cowpens was operating in the vicinity of China's only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, at a time of heightened tensions in the region following Beijing's declaration of an Air Defence Identification Zone farther north in the East China Sea, a U.S. Defence official said.

Another Chinese warship manoeuvred near the Cowpens in the incident on December 5, and the Cowpens was forced to take evasive action to avoid a collision, the Pacific Fleet said in its statement.

"Eventually, effective bridge-to-bridge communications occurred between the U.S. and Chinese crews, and both vessels manoeuvred to ensure safe passage," a Defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said in an email.

The Cowpens had been in the Philippines helping with disaster relief in the aftermath of the massive typhoon that hit the region in November. The U.S. Navy said it was conducting regular freedom-of-navigation operations in the South China Sea when the incident occurred.

China deployed the Liaoning to the South China Sea for manoeuvres in the midst of the tensions over the air zone, which covers air space around a group of tiny islands in the East China Sea that are administered by Japan but claimed by Beijing as well.

Beijing declared the air zone late last month and demanded that aircraft flying through it provide flight plans and other information. The United States and its allies rejected the Chinese demand and have continued to fly military aircraft into the zone.

Beijing claims most of the South China Sea and is involved in territorial disputes with several of its neighbours in that region as well.

Asked if the Chinese vessel was moving toward the Cowpens with aggressive intent, an official declined to speculate on the motivations of the Chinese crew.

"U.S. leaders have been clear about our commitment to develop a stable and continuous military-to-military relationship with China," the official said in the email.

"Whether it is a tactical at-sea encounter, or strategic dialogue, sustained and reliable communication mitigates the risk of mishaps, which is in the interest of both the U.S. and China," the email said.

The Pacific Fleet said the incident with the Cowpens underscored the need for the "highest standards of professional seamanship, including communications between vessels, to mitigate the risk of an unintended incident or mishap."
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The Star Online: Business

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TM, Celcom and DiGi in pact

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR: Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) expects some RM400mil to RM600mil in revenue over 10 to 15 years from its wholesale bandwidth collaboration with Celcom Axiata Bhd and DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd.

Under the agreement, TM will provide wholesale bandwidth connectivity via TM Next-Gen Backhaul Services for aggregation and access sites jointly owned by Celcom and DiGi, covering between 3,000 and 5,000km in Peninsular Malaysia.

This forms an important part of the ongoing network collaboration initiative between Celcom and DiGi announced in early 2011, particularly with regard to the joint ambition to roll out more than 10,000km of fibre network available.

TM will support Celcom and DiGi's transmission requirements, while enabling both companies to optimise cost and efficiently utilise its infrastructure.

TM group chief executive officer Tan Sri Zamzamzairani said the collaboration involved two phases of development.

"The first phase will be from 2014 to 2016 followed by the second phase deployment of additional sites for mobile access and aggregator sites across the peninsula," he said at the signing ceremony witnessed by Communication and Multimedia Deputy Minister Datuk Jailani Johari.

Zamzamzairani said the partnership would not only help improve TM's revenue and growth, but would also strengthen TM's position as a broadband champion.

DiGi CEO Henril Clausen said the collaboration would enable the company to obtain quick access to fibre infrastructure to support future network capacity demands.

"Infrastructure sharing among industry players is gaining traction around the world. Our collaborative effort marks another clear move to be more operationally efficient as an industry, and by leveraging on synergies created we will be able to build and utilise our assets more efficiently, optimise costs and avoid duplicating network infrastructure," he added.

Celcom CEO Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly said the collaboration would ensure Celcom subscribers benefited from quality data and voice services.

"We're committed to improving our nationwide network for coverage and speed in the long run and this represents one of many key investments into network quality that Celcom is currently implementing," he said.

Shazalli said the collaboration was in line with the Government's call for greater industry partnerships.

Commenting on dropped calls – where a phone call is terminated unexpectedly because of technical reasons – Jailani said the industry was fully committed to reduce them.

He said they (dropped calls) were part of celcos' key performance indicators to measure their performance.

Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) chairman Datuk Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi said that celcos had given their commitment to reducing dropped calls.

On another note he said communications interruptions in flooded areas had been fully restored.

He said base stations in the area were submerged in water causing the interruptions during the floods.

Homes in KL South, anybody?

Posted:

Transit home.

That's one way to view acquiring real estate at the fringe of the Klang Valley or neighbouring suburbs, if you are native to the capital city.

In this case, it's Southville City in Bangi, Mah Sing Properties Sdn Bhd's most expansive township yet. Mah Sing Properties is a subsidiary of Mah Sing Group Bhd.

According to Mah Sing Properties Sdn Bhd township residential chief operating officer James A. Bruyns, many buyers are keen on a transit home for the work week.

"We have buyers who live with their families in Seremban and work in Kuala Lumpur. Having this property to go home to would alleviate their travelling. They can put up during the week and return to their families in the weekend," he tells StarBizWeek.

In addressing the distance between Bangi and commercialised areas such as Petaling Jaya and the Kuala Lumpur city centre, Bruyns explains the initial scepticism people expressed when Mah Sing acquired land in Cyberjaya.

"They said is was too far, but our Garden Residence have proven to be very successful due to the Maju Expressway (MEX), which means that the project is only 20 minutes from KL," he says.

It would be a matter of educating and sharing the information with the public as Bangi isn't very far at all, he adds.

"As a matter of fact, Bangi is no further from Petaling Jaya than it is to get from Petaling Jaya to Kuala Lumpur. The difference is that you can get from Bangi to Kuala Lumpur via a direct route," Bryuns says.

Mah Sing just had its direct interchange – a RM120mil project – for Southville City approved.

It will allow residents to turn off from the North South Expressway directly into the township.

Residential component

Overall, Southville City, built over freehold land, will have a gross development value (GDV) of RM5.13bil.

It will be launched in phases, starting with its residential component, the Savanna Executive Suites with a GDV of RM1.5bil.

The eight blocks of apartments feature 25-storeys of three-bedroom layouts in three size categories – 956 sq ft, 1,017and 1,960 sf ft – at an average price of RM280 per sq ft (psf).

These units will be partly furnished with an air-conditioning system and basic fittings.

The towers will consist of three levels of basement car park, two levels of retail lots, followed by a further three levels of car park and 25 floors of executive suites.

Like most other comprehensive residential developments, Savanna Executive Suites will sport an integrated podium with modern facilities such as an aqua gym, herb garden, reflexology park, maze garden, yoga deck as well as a nursery area.

Typical amenities such as a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, children's playground, launderette area and BBQ area are included.

Currently, the township sports a 20-acre (8-ha) sales gallery and plus show village (landscaping), all of which cost over RM10mil to build, according to Mah Sing Properties group chief operating officer Adam Leow.

The area also features a 15-ride, admission-free theme park, which has been running for several weeks and will end in mid January.

A small collection of motorised bicycles are prepared for visitors who want to tour the vicinity. In the future, proper biking lanes with parking stations will be set-up – linking all precincts – so as to promote healthy living and provide a safe route for patrons to get around.

All of this gives rise question of the necessity for such an expansive showroom.

Leow says that was part of a sampling of what the township will be,

"Southville City is a major development for the long term. Before we begin, we want to give people something tangible to experience that they can enjoy. We are very confident about its success. There is a trend of home-buying moving southward. Looking at our project here, others are waiting to kick off with theirs," Bruyns says.

"Savanna Executive Suites would appeal to first time home buyers, and also people who want to relocate from outstation to be closer to the capital," Bruyns says, adding that over 90% units have been pre-selected in the launch of its first four residential towers.

"The majority of buyers are from KL, Seremban, Klang and Ampang. We've had some interest from Johor as well," he says.

The towers are slated for completion at the end of 2017, about the same time as the interchange.

Following that, Mah Sing will proceed to build Garden Link Homes – a compound adjacent to the towers comprising 196 units of two and a half to three-storey link houses.

With a GDV of RM150mil, these units will have a built-up area of 2,650 sq ft, going for an average indicative price of RM324 psf.

Savanna Executive Suites and its two storeys of retail units, the Garden Link Homes come under what will be called Southville East.

Bruyns alludes to plans for a street mall, a boutique-style retail street in the vicinity in the future, where visitors can shop and sit down for a meal.

"It'll be the longest retail street in the country," he says.

Following these phases, the developer will build commercial units as well as semi-Ds and bungalows.

Amenities such as a primary and secondary school, clinic, police station as well as a mid-sized convention centre would be part and parcel of the development.

"Once residents experience living here they will know that it is very convenient and hassle free to live in Southville City. That is why we call it KL South," Bruyns says.

Report: Malaysia's Petronas seeks higher prices for its LNG to S.Korea

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR/SEOUL: Malaysia's Petronas is seeking higher prices for the 2 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) a year it supplies to South Korea's Korea Gas Corp (KOGAS), Petronas sources said on Friday.

The Petronas contract is one of several that KOGAS, the world's largest corporate buyer of LNG, is currently renegotiating, and a settlement could pave the way for a sharp jump in long-term LNG prices from Malaysia to South Korea.

The move to hike prices comes as Asian LNG users are looking for ways to jointly leverage their buying power to lower prices of the fuel.

"We would be happy if we could get above 13 percent of crude oil," one Petronas source directly involved with the negotiations said but declined to say what the current pricing formula is.

A second Petronas source said the Malaysian state-run company is aiming to renegotiate its contract with KOGAS to 13 to 13.5 percent of crude oil prices, and that the current pricing formula is below 10 percent of crude oil prices.

Some industry insiders estimate that long-term LNG prices from Malaysia to South Korea could jump by as much as a third due to the renegotiations.

Long-term prices of around 13 percent of crude oil would put Malaysian LNG prices into South Korea at around $14.50 per million British thermal units (mmBtu). Current LNG spot prices are around $19 mmBtu.

It was not immediately clear if KOGAS would agree to the price hike. But its options are limited, given strong regional demand for LNG and South Korea's growing dependence on the fuel to feed its power plants due to cuts in nuclear power.

KOGAS has said it aims to cut its reliance on spot market purchases of LNG, citing difficulties in obtaining cargoes due to high prices.

Sources at both Petronas and KOGAS said the negotiations are continuing. A KOGAS source said that talks with Petronas are ongoing and might be wrapped up at the end of the year or in early January.

A KOGAS spokesman said he had no knowledge of the matter, while Petronas declined to comment.

Petronas' 20-year supply contract with KOGAS began in 2008 and prices can be reviewed every five to eight years. - Reuters
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Brave heart Bilbo Baggins

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Trials, tribulations ... and one nasty dragon await Bilbo Baggins in the second instalment of The Hobbit.

THE second part of The Hobbit trilogy, titled The Desolation Of Smaug, continues with the 13 dwarves – led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) – on a journey to reclaim their homeland in the mountains from the fire-breathing dragon Smaug.

Accompanying these dwarves is none other than the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), who leaves his peaceful Shire and gets on the greatest adventure of his life.

Set 60 years before The Lord Of The Rings, the Dwarves have encountered not only adventures, friends and foes, but have come upon a realisation that Bilbo Baggins is more than just a competent thief.

As this unexpected journey gets the travellers closer to the Lonely Mountain and the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, they meet a skin-changer, a swarm of giant spiders, the dangerous Wood-elves and the destitute folk of Lake-town. Of course, the biggest threat of all is the dragon, Smaug, who lies sleeping covered in gold that was once amassed by the Dwarves.

In this film – based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien – director Peter Jackson not only deepens the conflict and the difficulties experienced by the characters, he has also included the "iconic Tolkien moment" of Bilbo coming face to face with the dragon.

Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) leads his men into the mountains in a bid to reclaim their homeland.

Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage, foreground) leads his men into the mountains in a bid to reclaim their homeland.

Phillipa Boyens, who co-wrote the screenplay with Fran Walsh, Jackson and Guillermo del Toro, said that for this particular scene, they wanted to create a perpetual underlying tension as Smaug very subtly pumps Bilbo for information.

In a transcript provided by Warner Bros. Pictures, Boyens said: "You couldn't have a smaller person than the Hobbit, or a larger creature than the dragon. The scale between the two is huge, and yet they engage one-on-one. It's an incredibly deadly game of cat and mouse."

Freeman added: "It is a battle of wits, though it is less about the wit for Bilbo and more about trying to stay alive. He's not feeling very witty, but he does what he needs to do, at great expense."

Meanwhile, Jackson reckoned what sets Smaug apart from other dragons is that he can talk, is intelligent and a psychopath. Hence, he needed an actor who can bring all this and more when voicing Smaug the Terrible.

He found exactly what he was looking for in Benedict Cumberbatch, who auditioned at the same time as Freeman when both actors were shooting the first season of the popular television series Sherlock in London.

Cumberbatch recalled how his father read The Hobbit to him as a child: "My dad is an extraordinary actor, so he brought to life for me this already extraordinary world of Hobbits and dragons.

"It was a very rich way to be introduced to such an incredible book. So, when you can go home and say to your dad, 'I'm playing Smaug, and I've got you to thank for it,' it's a very satisfying day in an actor's life. He played Smaug as this amazing gravelly, growling creature, so I basically ripped off my dad for my performance."

Thanks to the top notch performances by Freeman and Cumberbatch, this particular scene will get the audience holding their breath and at times chuckle at the dialogue between the two characters.

Ultimately, though, this is a journey about the Hobbit who finds his bravery so far away from home. For Freeman there were many aspects to Bilbo that he enjoyed bringing to the film.

In The Desolation Of Smaug particularly, it was the moment when the character found his backbone. "I was always saying to Pete (Jackson), 'Is it now? Surely this is the time where he's a bit stronger.' And very often he'd say, 'No, no, but it is coming, it is coming, not yet.'

"You spend so much time playing Bilbo as this reticent person who is just trying to find his voice and trying to find when to speak, just finding permission to breathe almost, that it is really good fun in this film when he does have to find that bit of steel inside himself.

"He really, really has to find that for his own safety and that of his friends."

Even though he is often in dangerous situations, Bilbo never hesitates to do the right thing – which is to save his friends.

Freeman explained: "It is not a choice. He has to do it. It is always good to play heroism out of necessity, which is what heroism is, I think, a playable, real thing that we can all relate to – something that you know is true or has a bit of reality to it. Most people don't want to put themselves in life and death situations, but you will do it if you absolutely have to. It is a bit like that for Bilbo in this film." 

* The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (3D and 2D) opens in cinemas nationwide today.

Related stories:

Ever wise Gandalf The Grey

Forward motion Legolas Greenleaf

Beautiful baddie Elvenking Thranduil

Man about Lake-town Bard

Right on the mark Tauriel
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Firms eyeing KL-S'pore rail project

Posted:

TOKYO: Several international firms, including Japanese ones, are eyeing the 330km Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high speed rail link project.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that during his discussions with leading Japanese corporations – three namely Hitachi Ltd, Sumitomo Corporation and Mitsui & Co – had voiced their interest in the project.

He added the Government was still conducting a project feasibility study. Once completed, the international bidding process would be carried out.

"The companies, including Japanese firms, could then take part in the process," he told the Malaysian media.

Najib said there were also Chinese and European companies that were interested in the high speed rail link project.

Earlier this year, Malaysia and Singapore announced the rail link, which is expected to cut land travelling time between the two countries to just 90 minutes.

Targeted to be completed by 2020, it is reported to cost about RM40bil.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who held a bilateral meeting with Najib earlier, urged for Japanese technology to be considered in the rail link construction.

"This is something which Malaysia should consider adopting as Japan has the Shinkansen high speed railway system," he said.

Najib said there were opportunities for Japanese companies to take part in the development of Malaysia's infrastructure through the process of open bidding.

On the second wave of the Look East Policy, Malaysia is eyeing high value investments from the Land of the Rising Sun and those that are up in the value chain, the Prime Minister said.

This comes after the positive effect of the first wave of the policy which started in 1982 where Malaysians learned skills, values and the good work ethics practised by the Japanese.

"I told Prime Minister Abe that we are not interested in getting labour intensive investments but are eyeing those that are high tech and that would create a high supply chain."

The Prime Minister also held discussions with Tokuyama Corporation which confirmed a RM5bil investment for the second phase of its polysilicon plant in Malaysia.

The company had already spent RM3bil and invited Najib to launch the second phase some time next year.

Japanese firm Toshiba has also confirmed its partnership with 1MDB to set up a high-tech cancer treatment centre, the Prime Minister added.

Plucky schoolgirl fights off molester

Posted:

IPOH: A schoolgirl bravely fought off her molester at a shopping centre here.

Recalling her ordeal, 19-year-old "Vicky" (not her real name) said she punched and kicked the man, believed to be a foreign worker, when he hugged and kissed her during the 4pm incident last Saturday.

"I was about to use the toilet when a man came in and told me that it was out of order.

"He, however, told me to use it before he went out of the toilet.

"Then I heard someone opening the door and switching off the lights," Vicky said when met at the district police station yesterday.

When she came out of the toilet cubicle, Vicky claimed that the same man hugged and kissed her lips. Vicky said she managed to force her way of the toilet and screamed for help.

"The man fled and I saw somebody giving chase but I think he managed to escape," she said.

Vicky said she could identify the man who tried to rape her.

"I hope the police will arrest the man soon. I am now terrified of using public toilets alone," she said, adding that a report was lodged at the Sungai Senam police station later that night.

Bercham assemblyman Cheong Chee Khing, who brought the girl to the police station to meet the investigation officer yesterday, urged the police to expedite the investigation.

"I also urged the shopping centre management to increase security patrols to prevent similar incidents from recurring," he added.

Ipoh OCPD Asst Comm Sum Chang Keong said he had instructed the investigation officer to act on the matter urgently.

When contacted, a spokesman from the shopping centre said the man was a contract staff who was employed for refurbishment works at the premises.

"We have contacted the contractor to look for the culprit but he is believed to have fled."

10 points to show Mat Sabu linked to deviant teaching

Posted:

PUTRAJAYA: The Home Ministry has listed 10 points to show that PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu has links with the Shi'ite branch of Islam considered deviant in Malaysia.

Among the points was that Mohamad, popularly known as Mat Sabu, had attended religious classes conducted by two Shi'ite ustaz in Bukit Merah, Perak in 2011.

Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Abdul Rahim Mohamad Radzi said Mat Sabu had also expressed his admiration towards the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

"He stated that Khomeini's leadership and struggles had charted his thoughts. This was expressed in his speech as PAS deputy president on June 13, 2011," Abdul Rahim told a press conference here yesterday.

The revelation came days after Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that the PAS No. 2 was involved in Shi'ite activities.

Abdul Rahim said Mat Sabu also wrote an article in Harakah dated July 15, 2008, urging Muslims to follow the example of the Islamic leadership of Khomeini. He said Mat Sabu's friend of 20 years known as C.N Afghani had told a Home Ministry official that the former also often visited Iran.

Abdul Rahim said another person by the name of Dr Abdul Aziz Hanafi had also told ministry official Ustaz Zamihan Mat Zin that Mat Sabu recited the Shi'ite version of "selawat" (invocation of the Holy Prophet) during a PAS ceramah in Arau in 2005.

"One Tuan Guru Abd Rahim from Sungai Jagung, Pendang, also claimed that he had seen Mat Sabu performing the prayers with a small stone underneath the prayer mat. This is synonymous with the Shi'ite practice," he said.

Abdul Rahim added that there was a video clip on YouTube which clearly proved Mat Sabu's admiration towards Lebanese Shi'ite secretary-general Sayyid Hassan Nasrullah.

"Based on information, we also found that Mat Sabu had visited a Shi'ite mosque in Kampung Alur, Satun, Southern Thailand in 2011," he said.

Abdul Rahim added that the Home Ministry through the police and the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) would continue their efforts to curb Shi'ite activities.

Mat Sabu in an SMS reply said he would make a statement after meeting his lawyer.

In GEORGE TOWN, Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the ministry was focusing on the security issue when it decided to expose the alleged involvement of Mat Sabu in Shi'ite activities.

"We don't play politics here and we have no political agenda as far as security is concerned. We just want to reveal the evidence that he was indeed involved in the teaching," he said after visiting the state police contingent headquarters.
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