Rabu, 25 Disember 2013

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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Yasukuni visit is pledge against war: Japan PM Abe
Rescue underway for Russian ship trapped by Antarctic ice
Parsis confront threat to existence at Mumbai gathering

Yasukuni visit is pledge against war: Japan PM Abe

Posted: 25 Dec 2013 07:18 PM PST

TOKYO (AFP) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday his visit to the controversial Yasukuni war shrine was a pledge that Japan would not go to war again and was not intended to hurt Chinese or South Koreans.

"I chose this day to report (to enshrined spirits) what we have done in the year since the administration launched and to pledge and determine that never again will people suffer in war," he told reporters at the shrine.

"I am aware that, because of misunderstandings, some people criticise a visit to Yasukuni shrine as an act of worshipping war criminals, but I made my visit to pledge to create an era where people will never suffer from catastrophe in war," Abe said.

"I have no intention at all to hurt the feelings of Chinese or South Korean people."

A Chinese foreign ministry official condemned his visit as "absolutely unacceptable to the Chinese people".

Rescue underway for Russian ship trapped by Antarctic ice

Posted: 25 Dec 2013 05:42 PM PST

SYDNEY (AFP) - Three icebreaking ships were Thursday hurrying to reach a Russian vessel carrying 74 people on a scientific expedition which is trapped by ice off Antarctica, with Australian authorities coordinating the rescue mission.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said the MV Akademik Shokalskiy sent a distress message on Wednesday to say it was stuck about 100 nautical miles east of the French base Dumont D'Urville.

"The ship was starting to head out (to the open ocean) when the blizzard hit," expedition spokesman Alvin Stone told AFP.

"It's just stuck in ice. There's no danger at all."

The ship is in the Australian search and rescue region, prompting authorities to issue a broadcast to icebreaking vessels in the area and three with icebreaking capability have responded.

The three, which include the Australian Antarctic Division's Aurora Australis, are en route to the area with a Chinese-flagged vessel expected to reach the trapped ship first late Friday.

AMSA said the mission to reach the ship could be difficult.

"It's quite windy and there could be some sort of blizzard conditions," Andrea Hayward-Maher told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"Weather conditions, if they become difficult, could hinder the options that we have.

"But hopefully those icebreaking vessels will be able to get there as soon as they possibly can to render assistance."

The group on board the Russian ship are scientists and tourists recreating the historic voyage of explorer Sir Douglas Mawson to Antarctica a century ago.

They have been replicating the scientific experiments his team conducted during the 1911-1914 Australian Antarctic Expedition - the pre-eminent scientific expedition of its time to South Polar regions.

It is not known whether the ship, which is stranded just three kilometres (two miles) from open ocean, will continue with its scientific experiments once it is freed or head back to New Zealand where it had been due to arrive on January 6.

Stone said the mood on board appeared to be normal as they waited for an icebreaker to reach them.
"They have been celebrating Christmas," he said.

Parsis confront threat to existence at Mumbai gathering

Posted: 25 Dec 2013 07:15 PM PST

MUMBAI (AFP) - The world's tiny but hugely successful Zoroastrian community will confront a demographic crisis which threatens its very existence when it gathers en masse in its spiritual home of Mumbai this week.

The four-day World Zoroastrian Congress, beginning Friday, brings together followers of one of the world's oldest religions, many of whom are descended from Persians who fled to India to escape persecution more than 1,000 years ago.

Known as the Parsis, this group went on to become one of India's wealthiest communities, closely linked to the rise of financial capital Mumbai. Famed members have included the industrialist Tata family and the late Queen singer Freddie Mercury, the son of Parsi migrants to Zanzibar.

But the population of Parsis is quickly diminishing, with members divided over how best to preserve their religion and culture.

"Demographically there's nothing you can do. It's going down and down and it's eventually going to disappear," said Jehangir Patel, editor of Parsiana, a Mumbai-based magazine for the community.

Zoroastrians believe in one god, Ahura Mazda, and follow the teachings of the ancient Prophet Zoroaster. They worship in fire temples, believing fire to be a symbol of god's purity.

Scattered across countries including Iran, the United States and Britain, their estimated numbers have dropped by more than 10 percent between 2004 to 2012 to fewer than 112,000 people.

Marrying late

In India, where most Zoroastrians live, the numbers have halved since 1940 to about 61,000.

Every year, Mumbai sees about 850 Parsi deaths and roughly 200 births, with the largely well-educated and well-off group tending to marry late - or not at all - and opting for smaller families, said Patel.

Alarmed by the figures, and despite worries about a boom in the wider population, India's government is about to launch an IVF scheme for the Parsis, who have earned a reputation for good business sense and honesty.

"It's a step in the right direction," said gynaecologist Anahita Pandole, who has worked on a similar fertility scheme for Parsis in Mumbai for nearly a decade, and said they often waited until their mid-to-late 30s to have children.

But some believe more drastic action is needed to boost the traditionally closed community - being a Parsi-Zoroastrian is currently inherited only through the male line.

If a Parsi woman marries a non-Zoroastrian, her children are barred from entering Mumbai's fire temples or the Towers of Silence, where Parsi bodies are laid after death to be consumed by vultures.

"It's basically politics of apartheid. It's discrimination on the basis of race and sex," said Patel.

Traditionalists, however, say the rules are essential to preserve their identity, which combines religion and ethnicity.

The Bombay Parsi Punchayet, the leading Parsi organisation, is one of Mumbai's largest landlords with 5,500 apartments offered at subsidised rates exclusively for Parsi-Zoroastrians, discouraging intermarriage.

"We want to increase the number of Parsis and if our community members marry out, in four generations the ethnicity of the community is going to disappear," said Khojeste Mistree, a Punchayet trustee.

"These are the rules of the religious club and you have to follow them. You have every right to opt out of the club and leave."

The Punchayet has banned two priests for performing religious initiations for the children of women who married out, and ceremonies for Zoroastrians who chose to be cremated. A high court quashed the decision and the matter is with India's Supreme Court.

Disenchantment

Held every four years, this is the first congress to be held in Mumbai since 1990. Around 1,000 delegates are expected to attend the event at the National Sports Club of India.

The event however was nearly cancelled at one stage due to in-fighting in the Punchayet over funds which are alleged to have gone missing, reflecting the tensions within the community.

"I think people are very disenchanted, very upset with the functioning of the Punchayet," said Patel.

The theme of the congress is "Nurturing Growth and Affirming Identity" while the agenda includes panel discussions entitled "Demography and Way Forward: Issues of Fertility and Solutions" and "The Zoroastrian World - a Demographic Picture."

Benafsha Shroff, a US-born Zoroastrian who moved to Mumbai two years ago, said the younger generation were increasingly indifferent to controversies facing the community, and preferred to use Parsi gatherings for socialising.

The 26-year-old said many were turned off by the "hype" over the falling population - "it makes them feel they're just another number", she said.

Schemes to encourage young Zoroastrian couples have included Parsi pin-up calendars, speed-dating nights and other social events "to bring our boys and girls together", said Mistree.

Shroff, a proud and practising Zoroastrian, said she would like to marry within the fold, but explained that it was hard for women to find a partner when Parsi men could marry out and remain part of the community.

"Women see it as a sacrifice, while men feel they can be accommodated," she said.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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Thai police fire teargas, rubber bullets at protesters
Japanese PM Abe visits shrine for war dead, China angered
China urges Japan to reflect on history after shrine visit

Thai police fire teargas, rubber bullets at protesters

Posted: 25 Dec 2013 08:55 PM PST

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai police fired teargas and rubber bullets at anti-government protesters in the capital Bangkok on Thursday after demonstrators tried to disrupt planning for a February election, the first such incident in nearly two weeks.

The confrontation between police and about 500 protesters angry with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra came a day after the government again extended a special security law by two months.

The law, widened last month to cover all of the capital and nearby areas, allows police to ban gatherings, block routes, impose curfews and carry out searches, although such actions have been used sparingly.

Yingluck remains caretaker prime minister after calling a snap election for February 2 in an attempt to deflate weeks of mainly peaceful protests that, at their peak, have drawn 200,000 people on to the streets of Bangkok.

National Security Council head Paradorn Pattanathabutr said the police response on Thursday did not mark a change of policy.

"We have warned them and informed them every time before firing teargas," Paradorn told Reuters.

Seven protesters were taken to hospital with minor injuries, a public health official said.

The protesters draw their strength from Bangkok's middle class and elite who dismiss Yingluck as a puppet of her self-exiled elder brother, former premier and telecommunications billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thaksin and Yingluck have their power base in the rural north and northeast. Their opponents accuse Thaksin of manipulating the poor in those areas with populist policies such as cheap healthcare and easy credit.

The protesters gathered outside a Bangkok gymnasium where Thailand's Election Commission is working through the process of registering candidates for the February election.

Media said representatives of a number of parties planning to contest the election were inside the building at the time. Calls by Reuters reporters to officials inside could not be connected.

Police warned the protesters not to try to enter the building and then fired several rounds of teargas and rubber bullets when demonstrators tried to break down a fence.

The protesters, some of whom had been throwing rocks, soon withdrew.

Protesters are well prepared for such clashes, the last of which happened about two weeks ago. Many carry goggles and masks to cover their faces and water bottles to wash out their eyes.

The clash came a day after the Thai cabinet voted to extend the Internal Security Act by two months.

Protesters, led by fiery former deputy premier Suthep Thaugsuban, have vowed to disrupt the election and hound Yingluck from office. They want an unelected "people's council" to rule before elections are called.

The election has been made more uncertain by a boycott by the main opposition Democrat Party, which draws its support from Bangkok and the south, the same base as Suthep's group.

Yingluck has proposed the creation of an independent reform council to run alongside the elected government, an apparent attempt at compromise that was immediately rejected by the protesters.

Yingluck has not been in the capital for most of the past week, choosing instead to shore up her support in her power base to the north, and will not return to Bangkok until the New Year.

Her Puea Thai Party is almost certain to win the election, just as Thaksin's populist political juggernaut has won every vote since 2001. That run of success has come despite violent street protests and judicial and military intervention around previous polls.

Thaksin was overthrown in a 2006 coup and has lived in self-imposed exile since 2008, when he was sentenced to two years in jail for graft charges he says were politically motivated.

The first two years of Yingluck's government were relatively smooth, until her party miscalculated in November and tried to push an amnesty bill through parliament that would have allowed her brother to return home a free man.

(Additional reporting by Aukkarapon Niyonyat; Writing by Paul Tait; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Japanese PM Abe visits shrine for war dead, China angered

Posted: 25 Dec 2013 08:45 PM PST

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine for war dead on Thursday, a temple seen as a symbol of Japan's World War Two militarism, prompting a swift and sharp rebuke from China.

The first serving prime minister to visit the shrine in seven years, Abe however said he had no intention of hurting the sentiments of Japan's neighbours.

China and South Korea have repeatedly expressed anger in the past over Japanese politicians' visits to Yasukuni, where Japanese leaders convicted as war criminals by an Allied tribunal are honoured along with war dead.

Tokyo's relations with Beijing and Seoul are already strained by territorial rows and disputes stemming from Japan's wartime occupation of large parts of China and its 1910-1945 colonisation of the Korean peninsula.

Abe, who took office for a second term exactly one year ago, visited the shrine in central Tokyo around 0230 GMT. Television carried live video of his motorcade making its way to the shrine, built in 1896 by Emperor Meiji to enshrine the war dead, pray for eternal peace in Japan and to "foster friendly relations with people in the rest of the world".

The shrine played a central role in the wartime state Shinto religion which mobilised the population to fight in the name of a divine emperor.

On Thursday, Abe, dressed in a morning suit and a silver tie, bowed at the shrine before following a Shinto priest into an inner sanctum.

"There is criticism based on the misconception that this is an act to worship war criminals, but I visited Yasukuni Shrine to report to the souls of the war dead on the progress made this year and to convey my resolve that people never again suffer the horrors of war," Abe told reporters after the visit.

Stressing that it was natural for a nation's leader to pay his respects to those who died for their country, Abe said:

"I have no intention to hurt the feelings of the Chinese or Korean people."

Abe also said he shared the view of past Japanese leaders who had paid their respects at the shrine that ties with China and South Korea were important and that to make them firm was in Japan's national interests - and said that he would like to explain that if given the opportunity.

"It is my wish to respect each other's character, protect freedom and democracy and build friendship with China and Korea with respect, as did all the previous prime ministers who visited Yasukuni Shrine," Abe said in an English-language statement issued later.

Beijing, however, swiftly condemned and protested the visit, which it called "brazen".

"The Chinese government expresses strong indignation at the Japanese leader's trampling on the feelings of the people of China and the other war victim nations and the open challenge to historical justice ... and expresses strong protest and serious condemnation to Japan," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

FIRST SINCE 2006

Abe's visit to the shrine is the first by a serving Japanese prime minister since 2006. Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's annual visits to Yasukuni during his 2001-2006 tenure were a major factor in the chill in ties between Japan and its Asian neighbours.

Abe, who succeeded Koizumi in 2006, stayed away during that term and repaired frayed ties with China with a summit meeting.

But he later said he regretted not visiting the shrine during his first 2006-2007 term. Visiting the shrine is part of Abe's conservative agenda to restore Japan's pride in its past and recast its wartime history with a less apologetic tone.

He also wants to ease the restraints of Japan's post-World War Two pacifist constitution on the military.

Sino-Japanese ties, already strained by a row over tiny Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea that are also claimed by Beijing, chilled even further after China last month announced a new air defence identification zone that included airspace over the disputed islands.

China has criticised Japan's plans unveiled earlier this month to boost defence spending in coming years, buying early warning planes, beach assault vehicles and troop-carrying aircraft while seeking closer ties with Asian partners to counter a more militarily assertive China.

Abe has been active on the diplomatic front during his one year in office, but has not held summits with either Chinese or South Korean leaders.

Some political experts said Abe had probably calculated that his relatively high voter ratings could withstand any criticism over his Yasukuni pilgrimage, which would also shore up support in his conservative base.

He may also have felt that with ties with Beijing and Seoul in a deep freeze, a visit would hardly make things worse. But close ally the United States, which has made clear it does not favour Abe's historical revisionism, was unlikely to be pleased, the experts said.

"He probably thinks that things are not working well, so that this won't add further damage. I think he's wrong," said Koichi Nakano, a professor at Sophia University in Tokyo.

Abe's voter ratings have stayed at around 60 percent for most of the year due mainly to hopes his "Abenomics" recipe of hyper-easy monetary policy and spending was working.

His support slipped below 50 percent in recent polls after his ruling bloc forced a law through parliament tightening penalties for leaking state secrets that Abe said was needed for national security but that critics said had echoes of Japan's strict wartime secrecy regime.

"He probably thinks that it's OK, that's he's relatively popular and it's a matter of conviction," Nakano said.

"But everyone knew with Koizumi ... he wasn't a revisionist nationalist. But with Abe, that is precisely the question some people were asking. Now we know the answer."

(Additional reporting by Mari Saito in Tokyo and Ben Blanchard and Sui-lee Wee in Beijing; Editing by Shinichi Saoshiro and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

China urges Japan to reflect on history after shrine visit

Posted: 25 Dec 2013 07:31 PM PST

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Foreign Ministry urged Japan on Thursday to keep its promises to reflect on its past wartime aggression, after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine for war dead.

"We solemnly urge Japan to abide by its commitment to reflect on its history of aggression, take measures to correct its error, eliminate the adverse effects and take concrete actions to win the trust of its Asian neighbours and the international community," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement.

Tokyo's relations with Beijing are already strained by territorial rows and disputes stemming from Japan's wartime occupation of large parts of China, which China considers Japan has never properly atoned for.

(Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee and Li Hui; Writing by Ben Blanchard)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

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China cabinet report sees 2013 growth at 7.6%
KLCI reverses losses, select blue chips lift
China seven-day repo opens lower at 5.32% as liquidity improves

China cabinet report sees 2013 growth at 7.6%

Posted: 25 Dec 2013 06:15 PM PST

SHANGHAI: China's economic growth is likely to come in at 7.6% this year, according to a cabinet report cited by the official Xinhua news agency, just above the government's target of 7.5% and slightly below last year's 7.7%.

Xu Shaoshi, head of China's top economic planning body, told lawmakers in a briefing on the report uncertainties remain in the global economic recovery, and the international market has failed to produce strong demand, Xinhua said late on Wednesday.

Domestically, higher labour and environmental costs for enterprises pose challenges, he added.

"We cannot deny a downward pressure on economic growth," Xinhua quoted Xu as saying. Xu is head of the National Development and Reform Commission.

The forecast is in line with analysts' predictions of around 7.6-7.7% in 2013, but still puts China's growth near the weakest pace since the Asian 1997-98 financial crisis.

Stability rather than fast growth remains the watchword as President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang seek to push through sweeping plans to restructure China's economy so it is driven by consumption and services rather than exports and investment.

Economic data for November showed sustained momentum from a mid-year pick-up into the final quarter, indicating the economy was on track to reach this year's official growth target.

Sources at top government think tanks told Reuters this week that for 2014, China will likely use the same 7.5% growth target it set for this year.

The cabinet report also said that China will further enhance interest-rate flexibility and coordination on using various policies, including for fiscal, monetary, industrial, land use and environmental ones, Xinhua said.

The government will carefully deal with the issue of local government debt while ensuring reasonable needs for liquidity, the report said.

Official figures for fourth-quarter and 2013 gross domestic product will be announced next month – Reuters.

KLCI reverses losses, select blue chips lift

Posted: 25 Dec 2013 06:56 PM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI picked up its pace and inched up at midmorning on Thursday backed by gains in select blue chips, mirroring the firmer Asian markets.

At 10.45am, the KLCI was up 1.39 points to 1,836.88. Turnover was 275.53 million valued at RM178.16mil. There were 244 gainers, 206 decliners and 250 counters unchanged.

HwangDBS Vickers Research said only Thailand, Japan and Taiwan were opened for business on Dec 25.

"And all three posted gains of 0.4%, 0.8% and 0.2% respectively on Christmas Day.

"Meanwhile, key US bellwethers on Wall Street extended their record highs (up by between 0.2% and 0.4%) on Christmas Eve," it said.

The research house said the buoyant external backdrop could lift sentiment on the Malaysian bourse when trading resumes.

"On the chart, its benchmark FBM KLCI may climb towards the immediate resistance level of 1,840 ahead. Sharing our optimism is the futures market, with the FBM KLCI spot month contract having reversed from a slight 0.9-point discount on Monday to a 4.0-point premium currently," it said.

Against a quiet market backdrop, HwangDBS said the following stocks will likely come under focus today: (a) Hibiscus, whose shares will be re-quoted after announcing that it would be identifying new drilling locations to explore for oil wells in Oman; and (b) TA Enterprise, as its major shareholder Tiah Thee Kian bought more shares in the company in Dec (totaling 1m shares so far at an average cost of RM0.766 per share).

At Bursa Malaysia, PetDag rose 20 sen to RM30.60 and Public Bank eight sen to RM18.90.

BLD Plantations rose nine sen to RM8.99.

Consumer stocks were mixed with Nestle up 36 sen to RM68.70 but BAT fell 80 sen to RM63.20.

PetGas fell 24 sen to RM23.56 and HLBank 12 sen to RM14.28.

China seven-day repo opens lower at 5.32% as liquidity improves

Posted: 25 Dec 2013 06:45 PM PST

SHANGHAI: China's benchmark money market rate, the seven-day bond repurchase rate, opened at 5.32% on Thursday, down from Wednesday's close of 5.5%.

Interest rates in China's interbank market spiked to their highest level since June on Friday, due in part to seasonal factors that increase banks' demand for cash near the end of each quarter.

But money market rates began falling from those peaks partly because corporate tax refunds deposited to commercial banks helped ease liquidity conditions, traders said.

The Ministry of Finance typically hands back large portions of tax refunds to companies around the end of the year. Those payments are transferred to commercial banks in the name of fiscal deposits – Reuters.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

Jackie Chan: Purity in motion
Hear the picture, see the sound
War, webs, wisecracks

Jackie Chan: Purity in motion

Posted: 22 Dec 2013 08:00 AM PST

Jackie Chan stays true to the things he does best in the latest Police Story movie.

SPECIAL effects may have changed the way most modern action blockbusters are made; but action maestro Jackie Chan still swears by the real thing.

"A genuine action movie is marked by real stunts," insisted the star, who was in town last week to promote his latest movie, Police Story 2013.

This point of view is only to be expected from a man who holds the Guinness World Record for Most Stunts By A Living Actor. This was one of the two world records awarded to him last year after he made Chinese Zodiac (CZ12). The other title was for Most Credits In One Movie – he wore a total of 15 hats on the CZ12 production.

For a man who has been making action movies across five decades, Chan continues to surprise many with his boundless energy, enthusiasm for filmmaking, and daring new ideas. Casually dressed in a blue and white striped shirt and white pants, Jackie was in his usual chatty mood as he sat down and immediately started to neatly arrange the assortment of recording devices lined up on the table in front of him.

Looking up to see all eyes watching him as he straightened out everything in front of him, Chan smiled and offered: "Yes, I have ADD (attention deficit disorder) and OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). Sitting down here to do this interview is actually more of a challenge to me than you can imagine. I am a naturally active person. I like to move around and keep myself occupied. I also like everything to be tidy and I like to make sure that everything is in order before I begin."

Police Story 2013 is the sixth installment of the famed franchise, the first film of which is still his favourite. The 1985 Police Story won Best Film at the Hong Kong Film Awards; Chan himself won two Best Actor accolades for the series, first at Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards for the 1992 Police Story 3: Supercop and then at China's Golden Rooster Awards for the 2004 New Police Story.

Honour the bold

With the increasing focus on film awards these days, Chan said he also wanted to establish a stunt action film award that would "give recognition to the true heroes that contribute to the success of good action movies".

"It is time (we) paid tribute to real action stars and genuine stunt performers. A film award with categories for best action movie, best action performer for both male and female actors, best action director, best stunt choreography, best fight scene and such.

"Many times, as I stand before the true heroes, the unknown faces of committed stunt performers who lay their lives on the line, all for the sake of making a good action film, I wish that others would realise how much blood, sweat and tears were involved," shared Chan, who has broken practically every bone in his body. In fact, he almost died after sustaining a head injury during a stunt for the 1986 film Armour Of God.

"A martial arts actor has his work cut out for him. Trying to act and remembering your lines while trying to fight and getting your choreography right; that is definitely not easy to do.

"Most people don't realise how difficult it is to focus on getting everything right. That is why action movies used to focus on action only. But now, a good script is of paramount importance. I will only make a movie if the script is good," offered Chan.

Chan went on to say how Police Story 2013 director Ding Sheng bowled him over with a good script, among other things.

"Ding Sheng is a very talented man. He impressed me with his well-written script. His storyboard was in order. He even composed the songs. I Immediately asked when we could commence filming," Chan said, singing the praises of the mainland filmmaker who also directed his Little Big Soldier (2010).

Mirroring real life

In Police Story 2013, Chan plays a veteran cop who has issues with his estranged daughter, played by mainland actress Jing Tian. The villain, played by China's Liu Ye, takes advantage of their strained relations in a hostage situation.

Pointing to his relationship with his family, Chan said the character in the movie also mirrored his own, in the way he neglected son Jaycee and wife Joan Lin because his days were spent away from home, as he travelled around the world for movies and other projects.

Like other Jackie Chan movies, Police Story 2013 also includes a blooper reel during the end credits. One scene shows Chan's wrists being bound to the arm of a chair with thick metal wires and how he tries to free himself using only brute strength and perseverance.

"I was told that it couldn't be done. But, that only strengthened my resolve, so I insisted on doing it. I wanted to show Jaycee that it was possible, and that I could do it," quipped Chan, who just had to prove his son wrong when the young man paid a visit to the set.

Despite his show of nonchalance in the movie, it was apparent that his wrists were badly bruised, cut and even bleeding after he succeeded in breaking free of his bonds.

"It was not easy to do. The skin and flesh around the wrist area is the thinnest, and just a bit of scraping will reveal the bone in most cases," he explained.

Chan's fight scenes in the movie also looked very painful, and he admitted that they were as painful as they looked: "The fights were with genuine MMA (mixed martial arts) boxers, not stuntmen; so, they didn't know how to control their strength when we were filming the fight sequences. Those were rock-hard, solid punches and kicks."

After he worked with Jet Li on Forbidden Kingdom, Chan said, audiences have been asking for another movie pitting the two stars in another legendary fight scene. "Even Jet Li has said to me: 'I will play the main antagonist'. And, I am very keen to work with him. But, since we are basically similar in (our) strengths, we have yet to find a suitable script," he lamented.

The Hong Kong action star turns 60 next year and his birthday plans include the staging of a Peace and Friendship concert in Beijing. The multiple-act event is set to feature performers from all over Asia, including China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore.

Other upcoming projects include a sequel to his 2010 Karate Kid, a fourth Rush Hour film with Chris Tucker, a musical, and the setting up of a martial arts acting school.

"Not just martial arts, but a martial arts acting school. And, it will not be just martial arts and acting. I will teach everything about making action movies. I will even include skills such as framing and editing. I want to train them to become all-round action stars!" he enthused.

*Police Story 2013 opens nationwide tomorrow.

Related story:

Jackie's cop saga

Hear the picture, see the sound

Posted: 19 Dec 2013 08:00 AM PST

There's a new immersive cinema sound system in town.

IN 1974, cinemagoers flocked to see the disaster movie Earthquake, not for the astounding special effects of the day, nor for the star appeal of Charlton Heston, but for the literally earth-shattering new sound system called Sensurround.

The system, developed by audio manufacturers Cerwin-Vega, utilised low frequencies to shake audiences in their seats, thus approximating the experience of a real earthquake. It was an instant hit and was also used for the war movie Midway (1976) and another disaster movie, Rollercoaster (1977), as well as two Battlestar Galactica movies.

Over the years, cinema audio systems have seen various improvements. When American digital surround sound specialists DTS introduced digital surround sound with 1993's Jurassic Park, people queued around the block to catch the realistic roar of the Tyrannosaurus rex.

But surround sound only enabled sounds that went around the cinema hall. Now sound specialist Dolby has gone a step further by introducing Dolby Atmos, a system that enables sound to come even from above, thus creating a wholly realistic and immersive aural environment. Now, sounds can be anywhere in the cinema hall, not just at the front or back or left to right and vice-versa. For example, dialogue doesn't have to be just in the centre any more. As was demonstrated by the animated film Brave, with which the Atmos system made its debut last year at the Los Angeles Film Festival, a voice can follow a character in any direction and position.

LEAD PIX ON PAGE 25: Getting kudos: According to Stuart Bowling, feedback on the Dolby Atmos sound system from audiences has been extremely positive.

According to Stuart Bowling, feedback on the Dolby Atmos sound system from audiences has been extremely positive.

GSC One Utama in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, is the first cineplex in Malaysia to install the Dolby Atmos system. It recently held a demonstration for the media that showed off the system's impressive capabilities with the sounds of a jungle, a thunderstorm and pattering rain, and a singer playing an acoustic guitar seemingly walking around the cinema hall. Simply put, it is sound in 3D.

Dolby Atmos can utilise more than 60 speakers (including an array on the ceiling) and up to 128 channels, depending on the size of a cinema hall. The hall in GSC One Utama has 54 speakers and 46 channels. The large set-up ensures that there is no sound deterioration during panning, and the possibilities are endless for a filmmaker.

Notable directors such as Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron and Ang Lee have mixed their films in Atmos. This year alone, 85 films have been mixed in Atmos. To date there are 300 screens worldwide that are equipped with the Atmos system, while 40 studios around the world are equipped to mix in Atmos.

Asked if the added cost of installing the Atmos system was substantial for GSC, Heng Beng Fatt, the exhibitor's deputy general manager, said: "This is a new technology that will bring customers to the cinemas. We look at it as enhancing the cinema experience. More people will come and the occupancy will be higher. We only charge an extra RM1, but we will recover the cost.

"We have been continuously upgrading with digital 3D and so on. We have to keep up with the technology because, otherwise, it would be like the old days when the cinemas faded away."

Stuart Bowling, Dolby Laboratories' market development director, was on hand to answer questions about the system.

How have cinema audiences responded to Atmos?

The feedback that we got from exhibition has been extremely positive. There's an exhibitor in California, whose venue, after putting in Atmos for Man Of Steel, actually outgrew the IMAX cinema near it. We have other examples of exhibitors actually seeing an increase in occupancy rate. Even if you just search on Twitter for Atmos, there's a lot of positive feedback.

Which film do you feel best used Atmos?

It's a bit like asking which child do you like more? (Laughs.) I think Gravity used Atmos incredibly well.

I think part of that was because silence was used very powerfully in that movie. The great thing about Atmos is, can it make an explosion big and life-like? Absolutely. But it can also make you acutely aware of subtlety and detail, which is what happened with Gravity.

Obviously every movie is driven by an artist, and it's how the artist uses the instrument to the best of his ability. It's open to debate and interpretation.

Is there a "sweet spot" in a cinema hall for the best experience?

The system is designed to give a uniform coverage of sound pressure across the seats. Obviously, the way our brains put sound and visuals together means if you're in the middle, then you're basically in the main spot where you're going to be immersed in the picture and audio. But in general, you would get a better experience than you would with 5.1 or 7.1 channel systems.

Because we're now creating a spatial environment, you can get a slightly different experience no matter where you sit. For instance, in (the first instalment of) The Hobbit, Gollum was in a cave, and if you sat in the front of the cinema, then you would hear water drops coming down from the cave ceiling. If you were in the back right-hand corner, you would hear some of the water coming in filling the pool inside the cave.

No matter where you sit, we're giving you a representation of that environment so that if you really were there with the characters, that would be exactly how you would experience the sounds.

How much does an Atmos mix add to a film's budget?

We had a production recently that went through the Atmos mix, and they actually shaved time off the production.

They cut down three physical days of mixing. But there is an additional day in print mastering. But ultimately they saved two days.

Any plans to make Atmos available for home theatre?

If you look at what Dolby's done over its history, then either technology has transitioned into other areas, or parts of the technology have transitioned and provided improvements downstream. Right now Atmos has only been a product for six months, and it's too early to tell yet how Atmos could transition beyond the cinema space.

It's very difficult to replicate what Atmos does. Not many people can put 64 speakers in their house! They probably could, but they'll be single for the rest of their lives! (Laughs.)

War, webs, wisecracks

Posted: 20 Dec 2013 08:00 AM PST

Check out some of these new trailers.

BEFORE you can say "Spidey's back", a second trailer has been released for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (May 1) in the span of two weeks.

Like the earlier trailer, this one is action-packed but it also has loads of humour in it. Besides the friendly neighbourhood guy hurling one-liners at the bad guys, the bits about Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) trying to get out of tough situations with Aunt May (Sally Field) and Gwen (Emma Stone) are worth a chuckle.

This doesn't mean the trailer is devoid of dark mystery – there's plenty of that too.

Speaking of mysteries, Christopher Nolan's next hush-hush project – Interstellar (Nov 6) – just had a teaser trailer released. But really, the teaser doesn't reveal anything (typical Nolan move) except that it has to do with space, which we already got from the title. In this 56s teaser, we hear Matthew McConaughey's character recall Man's greatest achievements especially in space exploration. The film is based on a scientific theory developed by Caltech physicist Kip Thorne. It revolves around a group of explorers travelling through a wormhole and into another dimension.

And the final exciting trailer to come out in recent weeks is Edge Of Tomorrow (May 29), starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. Remember these words: Live, Die, Repeat. Cruise and Blunt are soldiers who live the same day again and again – the day they die in a war against an alien race.

From the various bits we see, Cruise's character is a soldier who has just been recruited to be in the battlefield. With zero fighting skills, he is killed soon after ... until he wakes up again.

With the help of another soldier, with similar experience, he trains to be a skilled fighter. If the story sounds interesting, the visuals are even more impressive – especially in the last few seconds which has Cruise attacking the aliens like he is running out of time, which he probably is. Phew.

Is it 2014 already?

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Nation

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Good or bad - plenty of fish at village shore
Getting ready for the big do at Esplanade
Focus on better Net services

Good or bad - plenty of fish at village shore

Posted: 24 Dec 2013 08:00 AM PST

KOTA KINABALU: Thousands of fish splashed onto the shores of Kampung Tabisan in Sabah's eastern Lahad Datu district, sparking talk among the residents whether it was an omen of things to come.

The villagers rushed to scoop up the fish, locally known as Tamban. They were, however, divided whether it was a good or bad sign.

Suzila Abdullah, who runs a sundry shop in the village, said the phenomenon had been happening in the past three years.

"But it is different this time because the number of fish is exceptionally high. In the past, most would have been scooped up by the end of the day but today there is still a lot more left," she said when contacted yesterday.

Suzila said she believed that strong currents and waves caused the fish to come to shore during the current season but it only lasted about two or three days.

The villagers cooked the fish while some took it to Lahad Datu and other districts to sell them.

The Tamban fish is popular among the villagers.

Getting ready for the big do at Esplanade

Posted: 24 Dec 2013 08:00 AM PST

GEORGE TOWN: It's all systems go for the national-level Christmas open house at Esplanade today.

A check at the site showed that the stage has been configured in a way that the audience can get "close" to the performers.

Workers were busy putting some final touch-up to the setting while giant Christmas trees, snowmen and other decorative items have also been put up.

The performers, too, were seen rehearsing in order to put up a class act in front of a strong crowd that includes Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The public can also sample at least 20 local delights such as rojak, satay and apom at the open house which is scheduled to start from 10am to 6.30pm.

Istana Budaya assistant director (production) Hanida Mohamed Yusof said more than 200 performers had been roped in for the event.

"The musicians, dancers, singers and others are practising hard for the event.

"It will be two hours of non-stop fun-filled performances starting from 3pm," she said.

About 20,000 people are expected to turn up for the extravaganza today.

The Penang government is assisting the Tourism Ministry on the logistics, such as the venue, traffic and transport.

Light Street will be closed from 10am to 6.30pm during the celebration while free shuttle bus services would be available from 9am to 7pm today.

A host of activities has been lined up including cultural performances and exhibitions.

Focus on better Net services

Posted: 24 Dec 2013 08:00 AM PST

KEMAMAN: The Communications and Multimedia Ministry wants to improve the quality of telecommunication services by providing better infrastructure to cater to the rapid changes in wireless broadband services in the country.

Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the focus would not only be on the coverage but quality and speed of such services provided by telecommunication providers, in line with the increased demand for wireless broadband.

This is essential in providing faster Internet services to keep up with the rapid advancement in telecommunications, he added.

"Malaysia not only wants to achieve 100% penetration rate for Internet services but also targets to improve the quality of the services, especially in rural areas.

"In the past we only used telephones for conversation but now we use telephones to send and receive text messages, videos and pictures. It can also be used to send information related to health, weather and others.

"So we need more advanced services," he told reporters after handing out incentives to poultry farmers under the Azam Tani programme here yesterday.

He said the country needed to be equipped with state-of-the-art technology to cater for a surge in requirement for technology which had not only reached the 2G, 3G and 4G level but 5G now.

On the rapid development in digital TV broadcast services, Ahmad Shabery said infrastructure development projects for such needs would start by mid-2014. He said the digital systems would be tested first in the east coast states.

"The rationale in introducing the digital broadcast system in states like Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang is to provide an opportunity for places with less density to experience digital broadcast services before expanding to places with high density," he said.

Ahmad Shabery said the infrastructure development for such services would incur a cost of about RM1bil and is expected to be completed by 2017 before the Govern-ment decides to end analogue TV broadcast services by 2020. — Bernama

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

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Young grad resorted to theft after she couldn’t find job

Posted: 24 Dec 2013 08:00 AM PST

SHE stole more than S$38,000 (RM98,714) worth of jewellery from her adoptive mother in order to give the 66-year-old a monthly allowance of S$500 (RM1,298).

In sentencing 24-year-old Sarina Chan Jee Chin to 21 months of probation and 130 hours of community service, District Judge Low Wee Ping said: "I don't think you are a criminal to be put in prison, but it was a very foolish way to please your adoptive mother."

Chan, who is from China and adopted when she was four, could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined for theft after pleading guilty.

The prosecution had argued that there was nothing unusual about this case to spare Chan a jail term, but the judge disagreed, saying there were "many special circumstances", including how ample restitution had been made.

When the prosecution highlighted the high value of the jewellery that was stolen, defence counsel Edmund Wong explained that Chan had returned S$19,185 (RM49,837) while S$18,860 (RM48,993) of the stolen items had been recovered by the police.

"If you add this to the monthly allowance Yeo received over three years, she gained more than she lost," Wong pointed out.

The judge also referred to Chan's good academic results, having graduated from Nanyang Polytechnic with a diploma in visual communications, and her present job as a freelance media research consultant.

Judge Low also added: "It would be excessive punishment to destroy all this and give her a criminal record."

It was in late 2010, after her graduation, when her adoptive mother Yeo Ah Moy asked for a monthly allowance.

Unable to find a job, she resorted to stealing S$2,255 (RM5,857) worth of gold jewellery from a drawer in Yeo's bedroom in March 2011, which she then pawned.

She stole three more times the next year, and then for the final time this January.

Five months later, Yeo discovered her jewellery missing and went to the police.

In the probation report, Yeo's husband said that he did not support a probation sentence for Chan.

But Judge Low said this was because he feared offending his wife.

Chan's lawyer also revealed that despite being estranged from her adoptive family – she is now living alone – his client had expressed the desire to support Yeo in the years ahead. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

‘Haze’ voted the Chinese character for 2013

Posted: 24 Dec 2013 08:00 AM PST

"HAZE" received the most votes from Lianhe Zaobao readers asked to sum up 2013 in a Chinese character.

The second most popular choice was "greed" given the corruption cases involving high-profile public servants such as Edwin Yeo, an assistant director with the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau. He was charged in August with misappropriating S$1.7mil (RM4.4mil) from 2008 to last year.

This is the third year in which Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao has run a poll to let its readers decide which one of 10 Chinese characters best reflects the major local and international events of the past year.

Of the record 130,000 votes collected this time, 32% went to the Chinese character mai, which means haze. Singapore experienced its worst haze on June 21, when the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit a record hazardous level of 401.

While this year was, from a news perspective, "an eventful year with many news events that warrant reflection", said Zaobao editor Goh Sin Teck, the readers' top choice showed that they were concerned about Mother Earth falling sick.

Tan, which means greed, received 24% of the votes, with pan, which means anticipation, in third place with 18%.

The 10 characters, which included "Internet" and "power", were shortlisted by a panel comprising various experts and academics, including Dr Foo Tee Tuan, deputy director at the UniSim Centre for Chinese Studies and Nominated Member of Parliament Eugene Tan.

The number of voters this year was 40 times more than last year, when "lust" was chosen after a series of sex scandals made the headlines. One reason for the rise in the number of voters this year was that the poll was sent online for the first time through the Chinese daily's website, Zaobao.com.

Various community outreach events to increase awareness of the poll – another first – were also conducted at libraries, where the public could vote on the spot. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

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Young grad resorted to theft after she couldn’t find job
‘Haze’ voted the Chinese character for 2013
Kim urges N. Korea military to bolster combat readiness