Selasa, 14 Januari 2014

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro


Church funds used in 2001 for 'MTV'

Posted: 14 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

City Harvest Church funds were already used as early as in 2001 to fund the secular pop music career of founder Kong Hee's wife Ho Yeow Sun, court documents showed.

An item in the church's 2001 audit indicated "cost of production – MTV". That audit was managed by Baker Tilly's Tiang Yii, who continued on the stand for a second day as a prosecution witness in the ongoing trial against Kong and five others for varying counts of criminal breach of trust and falsifying accounts.

Tiang was later the engagement partner for the church from January 2006 to June 2007, and for music production firm Xtron from January to December 2007.

Defence counsel Andre Maniam, who represents former church finance manager Serina Wee, argued that Tiang's awareness of such investments meant it would not come as a surprise to her when told by Wee that the church had invested monies from their Building Fund in S$13mil (RM33.4mil) bond purchases in Xtron in 2007 and 2008.

However, in a heated cross-examination earlier by defence counsel N. Sreenivasan, who represents the church's deputy senior pastor Tan Ye Peng, Tiang insisted that she had not raised any warnings or red flags because Wee had only told her "verbally", without any corresponding documentation for the church's 2008 financial year audit.

"We didn't have the information at the time; it was all preliminary information gathering," Tiang said.

"The agreement that we saw for Xtron's side did not say where the source of the City Harvest Church funds were from ... That's only verbal representation (for) which we have to seek corroborative evidence."

Sreenivasan countered: "So if somebody tells you that S$1mil (RM2.57mil) has been stolen, as auditor you will wait for corroborative evidence before you do anything?" — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Accused the first to receive probation for paid sex with minor

Posted: 14 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

A 22-year-old man who had paid sex with a 17-year-old girl from China was given 18 months' probation. Yap Jun Hao is the first accused to get probation for such an offence, but the prosecution said this should not set a precedent for future cases.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sharmila Sripathy-Shanaz said that given the nature and gravity of the offence, the prosecution's position has been and continues to be that a jail sentence is warranted if an accused engages in commercial sex with a minor.

Yap was doing his full-time national service when he paid S$60 (RM154) for the sexual services of the native from Shandong, China, at a lodging house in Geylang in May 2013.

The court heard that Yap, who would visit Geylang for prostitutes whenever he felt lonely, was approached by the minor in Lorong 22 Geylang on a day between May 18 and 20 last year.

The Chinese national offered him paid sexual services for S$60 and they proceeded to the lodging house.

He asked for her age and she replied that she was 19 years old, but he did not take any steps to verify this.

Asked by District Judge Low Wee Ping if she had any objection to probation being made, Sharmila said that in view of the "exceptional circumstances" – namely Yap's young age at the time of the offence, findings of the Institute of Mental Health psychiatrist, and a favourable probation report – she was not.

She confirmed that no other person charged with similar offences had been granted probation in the past.

District Judge Low noted that Yap suffered post-traumatic disorder following the suicide of his elder brother, to whom he was close.

Yap will continue to undergo psychiatric and psychological follow-ups at IMH. His parents each signed a S$2,000 (RM5,152) bond to ensure his good behaviour.

The maximum penalty for the offence is seven years' jail and a fine. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Mum unsound when she killed baby

Posted: 14 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

The woman accused of murdering her baby son, who was found in the waters off Bedok Jetty last November, has been found fit to have her plea taken, but was of unsound mind at the time of the alleged offence.

The prosecution told the court this when Lim Ann Nee's case came up for mention yesterday.

The 44-year-old woman has been charged with causing the death of her 17-month-old son in the sea off East Coast Park on Nov 25 last year. Emilien Lacroix's body was found floating about 300m from Bedok Jetty three hours later, after being spotted by a passenger on a passing boat.

Lim had been remanded at Changi Women's Prison for psychiatric evaluation.

The prosecution successfully applied for her to be remanded at Central Police Division for investigation.

She will be back in court on Jan 21. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates


Australia tightens secrecy over 'success' in blocking asylum seekers

Posted: 14 Jan 2014 09:20 PM PST

Canberra (Reuters) - Australia's government on Wednesday touted its success in deterring asylum seekers from arriving by boat, even as it moved to further restrict access to information about its secretive immigration policies.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said government activity, which is believed to include returning vessels intercepted by Australian authorities to Indonesia, had dramatically reduced the number of refugees risking the perilous journey.

At the same time, he said the government would maintain its refusal to comment on "operational matters" and go one step further by cancelling a weekly media briefing he had instituted last year to discuss so-called Operation Sovereign Borders.

"Arrival rates have been significantly arrested in recent months and the establishment phase of the operation has been concluded," Morrison told reporters.

He declined to confirm reports that the navy had in recent weeks forced the return of a number of boats to Indonesia, the main departure point for people-smuggling boats headed to Australia carrying would-be refugees from around the world.

The number of refugees reaching Australia pales in comparison with other countries but it is a polarising issue that also stokes tension with neighbour Indonesia over border policies criticised by the United Nations.

Morrison declined to provide any statistics for boat arrivals which have traditionally tended to ebb during the monsoon season, which usually ends in March.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott's pledge to "stop the boats" was one of the central platforms of his successful election campaign last year.

Since coming into office, however, the government has cited "operational security" to dismiss questions about how it is tackling asylum seekers, including media reports this week of a hunger strike an immigration detention centre on Christmas Island.

Human rights groups have for years chronicled incidents of self-harm, hunger strikes and riots in Australia's detention centres.

"FIERCE CONTEST"

Morrison confirmed that the government last month quietly made contract changes that protect navy personnel from individual criminal sanctions for any action taken under Operation Sovereign Borders, putting them on a similar footing to military personnel fighting a war.

The U.N. refugee agency has asked for information from the government, warning that Australia could be breaking international law if it is forcing boats back to Indonesia without proper regard for refugees' safety.

Abbott has himself likened the battle to stop the boats as a war, while claiming secrecy is important to prevent "the enemy" receiving information.

"In the end, we are in a fierce contest with these people-smugglers," Abbott said.

Lieutenant General Angus Campbell, who is in charge of Operation Sovereign Borders, confirmed reports that the navy had bought hard-top life boats for use in the mission.

Campbell declined, however, to confirm reports the vessels would be used to return asylum seekers to Indonesia, fuelling criticism from the opposition Labor Party.

"Tony Abbott promised to stop the boats, but all he's done is stop the briefings and hide the boats," Michelle Rowland, the opposition's spokeswoman for immigration, said in a statement.

(Editing by Jane Wardell and Robert Birsel)

Western spies contact Damascus to discuss security, Syria says

Posted: 14 Jan 2014 09:10 PM PST

DUBAI (Reuters) - The intelligence services of some Western countries opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have visited Damascus to discuss security cooperation with his government, Syria's deputy foreign minister said in remarks broadcast on Wednesday.

"I will not specify (which countries) but many of them have visited Damascus, yes," the deputy minister, Faisal Mekdad, said in an interview with the BBC.

Mekdad said that the contacts appeared to show a rift between the political and security authorities in some countries opposed to Assad.

Western powers have supported the opposition with rhetoric but have backed away from material aid as al Qaeda-linked groups take advantage of a power vacuum in rebel-held regions.

Western countries are worried about the presence in rebel ranks of foreign Islamist militants who have travelled to Syria to join a near three-year-old struggle to topple Assad.

"Frankly speaking the spirit has changed," Mekdad added.

"When these countries ask us for security cooperation, then it seems to me there is a schism between the political and security leaderships."

Asked if he was confirming that British intelligence had been in contact with Syria, he declined a direct reply.

"I am saying that many of these countries have contacted us to coordinate security measures," he added.

Syria plunged into civil war after an uprising against four decades of Assad family rule erupted in March 2011 and descended into an armed insurgency after the army cracked down on protests.

(Reporting by William Maclean and Rania El Gamal, Editing by Eric Walsh)

Japan says it will approve Fukushima operator's revival plan

Posted: 14 Jan 2014 09:05 PM PST

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's trade ministry said it would approve on Wednesday a revival plan for the utility responsible for the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Tokyo Electric Power Co, its second attempt at restoring battered finances.

The plan hinges on Tokyo Electric (Tepco) restarting its Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear plant to cut fossil fuel costs, a contentious issue staunchly opposed by the local governor.

An earlier plan by Tepco outlining a revival after its Fukushima plant was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011, triggering triple meltdowns at the site, had to be torn up because it could not restart Kashiwazaki.

Japan's trade minister Toshimitsu Motegi is scheduled to meet Tepco president at 1700 JST on Wednesday to officially approve the plan.

Tepco is also pledging to cut costs by reducing fuel spending and forming partnerships with other utilities, as well as upgrading fossil fuel plants, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Wednesday. The company is majority owned by the government after an earlier bailout.

Tepco's previous revival plan revolved around a Kashiwazaki restart in early 2013. The new plan envisages a restart of two reactors at the station in July and the utility hopes all seven reactors will go online by fiscal 2016.

The disaster at Fukushima, the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986 eventually brought about the halt of all nuclear power plants in Japan so they could be vetted under tougher new standards.

Opposition to atomic power remains strong in the country and is set to become a major issue in an election next month for governorship of metropolitan Tokyo, which owns a stake in Tepco.

Most candidates are opposed to restarting nuclear power plants and one, former prime minister Morihiro Hosokawa has received the strong backing from Junichiro Koizumi, one of Japan's most popular leaders, who ruled between 2001 and 2006.

In the nearly three years since the disaster, the utility has been plagued by a string of setbacks at the Fukushima station north of Tokyo, including leaks of highly radioactive water last year, prompting the government to step in with more support.

The local governor in Niigata, where Kashiwazaki is located, has been a vocal opponent of Tepco's management and has questioned whether the company has the ability to operate a nuclear station, following the failings in its preparation and response to the disaster. He has publicly called for the Tepco's liquidation.

Tepco is aiming to have all seven reactors at the Niigata plant, the world's biggest atomic station, operating by fiscal year 2016.

(Reporting by Mari Saito and Kentaro Hamada; Editing by Aaron Sheldrick and Jeremy Laurence)

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The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

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The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews


'American Hustle' wins big at Golden Globes

Posted: 12 Jan 2014 09:05 PM PST

Jennifer Lawrence wins another acting award, this time for her role as a ditzy housewife in American Hustle.

Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron won best director for his existential space thriller, Gravity, a film starring Sandra Bullock as an astronaut tumbling through space that has won praise for its groundbreaking technical advances. Director Spike Jonze took home the Globe for best screenplay for his quirky computer-age comedy Her, starring Joaquin Phoenix.

The Golden Globes, under the purview of some 90 journalists in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), have outsized clout in the awards race as buzz around these first honours influences members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in their voting for the Oscars. Oscar nominations will be announced on Thursday, but voting has already concluded.

Leto (left) and Christoph Waltz. -- AFP

The Globes have a mixed record when it comes to predicting the Oscar best picture, though last year's best drama winner, Argo, did go on to win the Academy Award for best movie. The show, telecast live on Comcast Corp's NBC, was hosted by comic actors Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and reunited Hollywood's A-listers and its powerbrokers, who all took playful pokes from the duo in their second straight gig at the Globes.

The HFPA honoured Woody Allen with the Cecil B. DeMille award recognising outstanding contribution to the entertainment field. Famously averse to awards shows, the 78-year-old Allen sent one of his favourite actresses, Diane Keaton, to stand in for him. — Reuters

Here are the winners at the 71st Golden Globe Awards:

FILM

Best film, drama: 12 Years A Slave

Best comedy or musical: American Hustle

Best actor, drama: Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club

Best actress, drama: Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine

Best actor, comedy or musical: Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf Of Wall Street

Best actress, comedy or musical: Amy Adams for American Hustle

Best supporting actor: Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club

Best supporting actress: Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle

Best director: Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity

Best foreign language film: The Great Beauty, Italy

Best animated film: Frozen

Best screenplay: Spike Jonze for Her

Best original score: Alex Ebert for All Is Lost from Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom

Best original song: Ordinary Love from Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, by U2

Cecil B. DeMille award: Woody Allen

TELEVISION

Best drama: Breaking Bad

Best comedy: Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Best actor, drama: Bryan Cranston for Breaking Bad

Best actress, drama: Robin Wright for House Of Cards

Best actor, comedy: Andy Samberg for Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Best actress, comedy: Amy Poehler for Parks And Recreation

Best TV film or miniseries: Behind The Candelabra

Best actor, TV film or miniseries: Michael Douglas for Behind The Candelabra

Best actress, TV film or miniseries: Elisabeth Moss for Top Of The Lake

Best supporting actor, TV film or miniseries: Jon Voight for Ray Donovan

Best supporting actress, TV film or miniseries: Jacqueline Bisset for Dancing On The Edge

Woody Allen (left) directing Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine. The filmmaker received the Cecil B. DeMille award at the Golden Globes, while Blanchett won the best actress in a motion picture (drama) prize. 

Goofy duo: Jimmy Fallon "receiving" Melissa McCarthy's clutch as a prize at the awards. -- EPA

Vibrant colours at the Globes

Posted: 12 Jan 2014 09:55 PM PST

Stars showed their individuality on the red carpet at this morning's awards.

Bold reds, shimmering metallics and vibrant floral hues blossomed on the Golden Globes red carpet earlier today, as the world's biggest stars shirked trends in favour of individual statements on one of the most watched Hollywood runways.

Red hues, sometimes avoided for being too similar to the red carpet, were represented in a variety of silhouettes, such as American Hustle best film comedy actress nominee Amy Adams in a plunging halter Valentino in an homage to the 1970s style of the film, saying "I am kind of influenced by my character."

Newcomer Lupita Nyong'o, nominated for best supporting actress in a film for 12 Years A Slave, stunned fans with her fitted red Ralph Lauren gown with caped sleeves. Other stars opting for the bold hue included Berenice Bejo in a lace Giambattista Valli gown, Nebraska nominee June Squibb in a beaded velvet Tadashi Shoji, and Emma Watson spinning a twist on the traditional gown with a red Christian Dior tunic and pants combination.

Emma Watson in Christian Dior. -- EPA 

Well, hello there, pants. -- AFP

"The dress has pants, which I thought was the coolest thing ever. I feel so comfortable," Watson told Reuters.

Vibrant hues also came in the form of a jade green column dress on Reese Witherspoon, pregnant Olivia Wilde donned a form-fitted sparkling emerald Gucci gown, and Scandal actress Kerry Washington, also pregnant with her first child, opted for a mint green Balenciaga. 

Meanwhile, Masters Of Sex actress Caitlin FitzGerald wore a turquoise blue Emilia Wickstead gown, while Modern Family star Sarah Hyland opted for a peach Georges Hobeika dress.

"I was very impressed with the diversity, by the lack of trend and the somewhat unconventional choices on the red carpet this year. No one colour or shape or designer dominated," Hal Rubenstein, InStyle's editor-at-large, told Reuters.

Emilia Clarke in Proenza Schouler. -- AFP 

Pale golds and silvers were dotted among the vibrant tones. New Girl best TV comedy actress nominee Zooey Deschanel wore a pale gold beaded flowing Oscar de la Renta dress, and Downton Abbey best TV drama actress nominee Michelle Dockery also wore a strapless silver and gold beaded gown by the designer. 

Mila Kunis rocked a sleeveless Emilio Pucci beaded silver gown, while Breaking Bad actress Anna Gunn wore a blush gold Donna Karan Atelier gown and actress Sally Hawkins from Blue Jasmine wore a vintage cream beaded Dior gown from the design house's archives.

House Of Cards star Robin Wright picked up the best TV drama actress award in a shimmering gold Reem Acra gown. "If you're going to do a shiny dress with sparkle, it has to be understated, or else it'll look garish. If you're going to go glittery, you have to pare it down," Rubenstein said.

Robin Wright in Reem Acra, with Ben Foster who wore... a suit. -- AFP

Jennifer Lawrence, who picked up the first award of the night for her best supporting role in American Hustle, wore a white strapless Dior haute couture dress with tiers divided by black belts, while Australian actress Margot Robbie from The Wolf Of Wall Street donned a fitted cream Gucci gown with green crystal details. 

In contrast to the vibrant hues, Blue Jasmine actress Cate Blanchett led the stars in black, in a high-neck fitted lace Armani Prive dress, while The Good Wife star Julianna Margulies opted for a V-neck wide-skirted black gown with gold embroidery by Andrew Gn.

Saving Mr Banks actress Emma Thompson also opted for a gold and black combination with a vintage embroidered Lanvin dress. August: Osage County star Meryl Streep chose an understated satin black Vivienne Westwood dress, while her co-star, Julia Roberts, added a white-sleeved shirt to her black strapless Dolce & Gabbana dress, while Girls actress Allison Williams wore a form-fitted Alexander McQueen black and white column gown.

Rubenstein picked Blanchett, Robbie, Nyong'o, Williams and FitzGerald among his picks for best-dressed, but added that he felt everyone made an effort to look individual this year. — Reuters

Cate Blanchett is happy with her win, as well as her wardrobe choice. -- EPA


Into the other realm

Posted: 12 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

The cast and crew of local Chinese horror flick The Transcend share creepy tales of the things that are best left unseen.

WHAT if you could see ghosts? Would you want to have that sort of ability? How would you deal with the spirits? Local Chinese supernatural thriller The Transcend explores all this and more.

In the movie, there is a girl who can see ghosts but wishes she could not, and a guy who writes about ghosts and wishes that he could actually see them.

The girl is Le Le, a funeral troupe trainee who lives in a nunnery and has been seeing ghosts since childhood. The guy is Yan Dong, a cocky author of ghost stories who hopes to be able to see the dead to enhance his storytelling skills. Though his wish does come true, he soon finds that there is more at stake.

Since her special ability has brought her only sadness and pain, Le Le tries her best to ignore all the spooks that appear around her. Yan Dong, on the other hand, empathises with the spirits he sees and tries his best to help them achieve closure and move on.

Produced by veteran actor James Wong and directed by award-winning scriptwriter Ryon Lee, The Transcend stars Mindee Ong, Teddy Chin, Cheng Kam Cheong, Susan Leong, Yenn Teoh, Sean Lee, Koe Yeet and Wong.

James Wong (left) and Teddy Chin in The Transcend.

The movie, which took two years to make, is said to be based on real-life incidents of hauntings and ghostly sightings.

At a press conference in Kuala Lumpur to launch the movie last week, Wong and Lee divulged that they had coincidentally hired the same funeral troupe from Penang to conduct the burial rites for their dearly departed. "It was a colourful and eye-opening experience. We decided to include those scenes in the movie so that young people could learn about culture and tradition, and how these Chinese customs help us practise filial piety," offered actor/producer Wong, whose big-screen oeuvre includes The Legacy Of A Lost Love (2008) and The Cycle Of Love (2010).

As part of his research, writer/director Lee spent substantial time talking to the medium who served as the consultant on the set of The Transcend.

"He would describe all the things that one could see in the other realm, the beings and the scenery. And I would carefully take notes in order to recreate some of these scenes," shared Lee, who won Best Script for Namewee's Nasi Lemak 2.0 (2011) at last year's inaugural Golden Wau Awards, Malaysia's first Chinese-language film awards. Lee also scripted director Chiu Keng Guan's top-grossing movies Woohoo (2010) and Great Day (2011).

Why did he not just ask to have his "third eye" opened and save all that trouble?

"The sifu actually did offer to open my 'third eye' for me. But there was a long list of conditions attached. None of which I was able to fulfil. Moreover, the minimum duration was at least three months, not just three hours or even three days. That was so much more than I was prepared for. So I decided to pass," disclosed Lee.

"I remember questioning the existence of ghosts once during the filming. I walked by the room and stood at the door looking at a lighting fixture. Then I thought, 'If you do exist, then prove to me with a sign.' At that very instant, the light started to turn around and slowly move to face me," related Lee, who was so spooked by that incident that he never again questioned the existence of otherworldly beings during the shoot.

Singaporean actress Mindee Ong, who plays the female lead Le Le, reported a smooth and stress-free shoot for the film. "Armed with several Buddhist rosaries, I felt very safe at all times. Teddy, however, had a more 'eventful' time," Ong gestured to her co-star.

Prompted by Ong, local social media celebrity Teddy Chin shared his own scary stories while portraying the main character Yan Dong. "I still remember the creepy scene where I had to balance atop three coconuts at an intersection at midnight in order to see ghosts. I was only later told that it was indeed a way to see spirits," recounted Chin, who also disclosed that his encounters with apparitions in the movie were based on his own experiences.

"Just like the scenes in the movie, I'd had experiences where I only saw the mouth and legs descending from above. I regretted shutting my eyes then as the eerie whispers and heavy breathing in my ears were even creepier!" Chin recalled.

Koe Yeet, who plays one of the wraiths in the movie, revealed that she had had her own share of spooky moments. "Mine was a very scary scene, which required me to be alone inside the room, with the camera located just outside the door. That room was where babies were aborted and I was asked to stand in the exact corner said to be haunted by the spirit of a girl who died during a botched abortion," shared the young actress, who added that she rapidly wrapped up her scenes and make a quick exit.

  • The Transcend is playing in cinemas nationwide.
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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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Banshee, place of interest

Posted: 09 Jan 2014 07:50 PM PST

Series creator Greg Yaitanes provides teasers for second season.

THE Cinemax original series Banshee is all set to roll out its second season on Jan 17 at 11pm on Astro Ch 412. The Star met with executive producer and creator Greg Yaitanes in Los Angeles to get more than a few morsels on what is coming up in the action-packed series.

Yaitanes teases that the episodes never quite go in the direction that the audience thinks the storyline might be headed.

The series has garnered fans not only for its more-than-abundant fight scenes, but also how it has been exploring storytelling in various media. There is a comic book called Banshee: Origins that looks at the background of the main characters before one was captured by the police and sent to prison for 15 years, while the other ended up living the life of a good wife and mother in the town of Banshee.

Like its first season, Banshee continues to tell a mini-story in its title sequence, which gives access to more clues on its official site: Welcome to Banshee. (For season two, the site also features Origins' short videos to accompany each episode in season two, which has a more direct relevance to an episode.)

As for the title sequence, Yaitanes shares that he wanted one that would change every week. "I wanted a title sequence to be social, I want it to change every week, and I want it to tell a story.

"Each character's card tells the story of the character and the photographs change every week and there are bits of animation (that change). The numbers on the dial were significant last year as they actually unlock content to some of the meaning behind the photographs. This year especially, none of the number you see anywhere, like on the phone, are insignificant; 62 is one of the numbers this year, and one of the characters picks up the phone and the time on the phone is 62 minutes before midnight. This year, the number in the title sequence is significant throughout the season.

"Fans took to Twitter to find out the significance of the number and for us, it is important that everything means something. We have put in clues no matter how deep you want to go, we've put something there for the fans."

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The Star Online: Business

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Petronas's overseas ventures driven by value, contributed RM114bil to revenue in 2012

Posted: 14 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: Petroliam Nasional Bhd's (Petronas) decision to invest overseas is driven by value while adhering to very strict and disciplined investment criteria and processes, according to executive vice-president (exploration and production business) Datuk Wee Yiaw Hin.

He said international business contributed RM114.1bil to Petronas' revenue in 2012 and the company would continue to scout for opportunities that would bring value as well as meeting the stringent investment criteria.       

"Over time, we will continue to assess our investments and make portfolio decisions accordingly. We would withdraw if we feel the business environment in that particular market is no longer conducive for us to continue our investments," he said.

Petronas has a presence in over 30 countries in a myriad of upstream and downstream activities including the recent RM16bil acquisition of Canada's natural gas producer, Progress Energy Resources.

However, the company had in recent years announced that it was pulling out of its exploration and production operations in India, Venezuela and Uzbekistan, but would maintain its operation in trouble-plagued Sudan.       

"Sudan is a country where Petronas has been successful, albeit with some challenges in the last few years due to the political situation in the now Sudan and South Sudan.

"Production stalled for more than a year but resumed in March last year. The acreages in which we have interest are currently producing about 250,000 barrels of oil per day, whereby our share of production is about 110,000 barrels per day," he said.

Wee said while expanding its overseas footprint, Petronas was aggressively increasing domestic exploration and production activities through the implementation of new contract mechanism and advanced technology.

Among the improvement is the introduction of progressive volume-based (PVB) terms on new production sharing contract (PSC), which is currently applied to Kinabalu Oil PSC awarded to Talisman Malaysia Ltd and Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd.

He said the PVB PSC had a fiscal system designed to provide incentives that commensurated with the level of risks associated with the redevelopment of brownfields to sustain and prolong production towards the tail-end of the fields.

He said the implementation of the PVB PSC was expected to contribute to the overall increase of Malaysia's production output in the medium to long term.       

"Malaysia's basins are considered mature but we believe the potential still exists," he explained.       

Wee is also positive that more discoveries will be made in the future as demonstrated by the recent discovery of an onshore oilfield, Adong Kecil West, 20km northeast of Miri by JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration (Onshore Sarawak) Ltd and Petronas Carigali. – Bernama

China's Huawei says unaudited 2013 operating profit rose over 40%

Posted: 14 Jan 2014 07:07 PM PST

BEIJING: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd posted an over 40 percent rise in annual operating profit as the Chinese telecom equipment maker expanded its presence in emerging markets, countering reduced revenue growth hit by accusations of cyber-espionage.

Huawei, the world's No.2 telecom equipment maker, has had a turbulent year in which it was shut out of multi-billion dollar network opportunities in the United States and Australia and drew the scrutiny of British authorities over cyber security issues.

To counteract this, the unlisted company has placed its hopes in developing markets and its business inEurope, where it has made headway building fourth-generation mobile networks.

Huawei, which has repeatedly said it has no spying links with the Chinese government, on Wednesday reported unaudited 2013 operating profit of 28.6 billion yuan to 29.4 billion yuan. That compared with an audited 2012 operating profit of 19.96 billion yuan - an increase of 43.3 percent.

Revenue reached 238 billion yuan to 240 billion yuan, or an increase of 8 percent compared with a target of 10 percent, the company said.

Huawei, which ranks behind Sweden's Ericsson <ERICb.ST> in telecom gear sales, will release audited financial results for last year in the second quarter of this year.

Huawei, founded in 1987, is known for aggressively gaining sales in the telecom equipment sector by edging out rivals such as Cisco Systems Inc <CSCO.O>, Alcatel-Lucent SA <ALUA.PA>, Nokia Siemens Networks <NOKI.UL> and ZTE Corp <000063.SZ> <0763.HK>.

The company's flagship carrier business, which accounted for almost three quarters of revenue in 2012, sells equipment to telecom operators.

In the U.S., the company is trying to stake a claim to the country's mature smartphone market following its highly politicised forced retreat from network construction, but it will face a tough battle against established competition such as Apple Inc <AAPL.O> and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd <005930.KS>.

Huawei said smartphone shipments reached 52 million units worldwide last year compared with the company's 60 million unit target.

Huawei was the third-largest smartphone maker globally in the third quarter of 2013, according to Strategy Analytics, with a 5.1 percent market share. However, the company is dwarfed by Samsung and Apple, which have a 35.2 percent and 13.4 percent share respectively.

The company's third area of operations - its enterprise segment - builds and sells communications equipment to businesses and institutions.- Reuters

Deutsche Bank suspends trader suspected of forex rigging

Posted: 14 Jan 2014 07:04 PM PST

FRANKFURT: Deutsche Bank has suspended at least one currency trader on suspicion of manipulating benchmark forex rates, a German paper reported.

German daily Die Welt, citing people familiar with the investigations, said the trader worked in New York and traded Argentine pesos.

According to sources at the bank, emails were found that led to suspicion that rates had possibly been manipulated, the paper said in a story published in its Wednesday edition. There are indications there may be further cases of possible manipulation, Die Welt added.

Deutsche Bank said it would not comment on individuals. In a statement, it said it was cooperating with investigations and would take disciplinary measures with regard to individuals if merited.

Last year, Britain's Financial Conduct Authority began a formal investigation into possible manipulation in the $5.3 trillion-a-day global FX market. The U.S. Justice Department is also engaged in an active investigation of possible manipulation of the market, the world's largest.

Benchmark foreign exchange rates, often referred to as fixes, are a cornerstone of global financial markets, used to price trillions of dollars worth of investments and deals and relied upon by companies, investors and central banks.

Deutsche Bank, Citigroup <C.N>, UBS <UBSN.VX>, Barclays <BARC.L> and Royal Bank of Scotland<RBS.L> have all said they were cooperating with regulators scrutinizing the market. Citigroup, RBS, JP Morgan <JPM.N> and Standard Chartered <STAN.L> have put currency traders on leave.- Reuters

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&#39;American Hustle&#39; wins big at Golden Globes

Posted: 12 Jan 2014 09:05 PM PST

Jennifer Lawrence wins another acting award, this time for her role as a ditzy housewife in American Hustle.

Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron won best director for his existential space thriller, Gravity, a film starring Sandra Bullock as an astronaut tumbling through space that has won praise for its groundbreaking technical advances. Director Spike Jonze took home the Globe for best screenplay for his quirky computer-age comedy Her, starring Joaquin Phoenix.

The Golden Globes, under the purview of some 90 journalists in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), have outsized clout in the awards race as buzz around these first honours influences members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in their voting for the Oscars. Oscar nominations will be announced on Thursday, but voting has already concluded.

Leto (left) and Christoph Waltz. -- AFP

The Globes have a mixed record when it comes to predicting the Oscar best picture, though last year's best drama winner, Argo, did go on to win the Academy Award for best movie. The show, telecast live on Comcast Corp's NBC, was hosted by comic actors Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and reunited Hollywood's A-listers and its powerbrokers, who all took playful pokes from the duo in their second straight gig at the Globes.

The HFPA honoured Woody Allen with the Cecil B. DeMille award recognising outstanding contribution to the entertainment field. Famously averse to awards shows, the 78-year-old Allen sent one of his favourite actresses, Diane Keaton, to stand in for him. — Reuters

Here are the winners at the 71st Golden Globe Awards:

FILM

Best film, drama: 12 Years A Slave

Best comedy or musical: American Hustle

Best actor, drama: Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club

Best actress, drama: Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine

Best actor, comedy or musical: Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf Of Wall Street

Best actress, comedy or musical: Amy Adams for American Hustle

Best supporting actor: Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club

Best supporting actress: Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle

Best director: Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity

Best foreign language film: The Great Beauty, Italy

Best animated film: Frozen

Best screenplay: Spike Jonze for Her

Best original score: Alex Ebert for All Is Lost from Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom

Best original song: Ordinary Love from Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, by U2

Cecil B. DeMille award: Woody Allen

TELEVISION

Best drama: Breaking Bad

Best comedy: Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Best actor, drama: Bryan Cranston for Breaking Bad

Best actress, drama: Robin Wright for House Of Cards

Best actor, comedy: Andy Samberg for Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Best actress, comedy: Amy Poehler for Parks And Recreation

Best TV film or miniseries: Behind The Candelabra

Best actor, TV film or miniseries: Michael Douglas for Behind The Candelabra

Best actress, TV film or miniseries: Elisabeth Moss for Top Of The Lake

Best supporting actor, TV film or miniseries: Jon Voight for Ray Donovan

Best supporting actress, TV film or miniseries: Jacqueline Bisset for Dancing On The Edge

Woody Allen (left) directing Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine. The filmmaker received the Cecil B. DeMille award at the Golden Globes, while Blanchett won the best actress in a motion picture (drama) prize. 

Goofy duo: Jimmy Fallon "receiving" Melissa McCarthy's clutch as a prize at the awards. -- EPA

Vibrant colours at the Globes

Posted: 12 Jan 2014 09:55 PM PST

Stars showed their individuality on the red carpet at this morning's awards.

Bold reds, shimmering metallics and vibrant floral hues blossomed on the Golden Globes red carpet earlier today, as the world's biggest stars shirked trends in favour of individual statements on one of the most watched Hollywood runways.

Red hues, sometimes avoided for being too similar to the red carpet, were represented in a variety of silhouettes, such as American Hustle best film comedy actress nominee Amy Adams in a plunging halter Valentino in an homage to the 1970s style of the film, saying "I am kind of influenced by my character."

Newcomer Lupita Nyong'o, nominated for best supporting actress in a film for 12 Years A Slave, stunned fans with her fitted red Ralph Lauren gown with caped sleeves. Other stars opting for the bold hue included Berenice Bejo in a lace Giambattista Valli gown, Nebraska nominee June Squibb in a beaded velvet Tadashi Shoji, and Emma Watson spinning a twist on the traditional gown with a red Christian Dior tunic and pants combination.

Emma Watson in Christian Dior. -- EPA 

Well, hello there, pants. -- AFP

"The dress has pants, which I thought was the coolest thing ever. I feel so comfortable," Watson told Reuters.

Vibrant hues also came in the form of a jade green column dress on Reese Witherspoon, pregnant Olivia Wilde donned a form-fitted sparkling emerald Gucci gown, and Scandal actress Kerry Washington, also pregnant with her first child, opted for a mint green Balenciaga. 

Meanwhile, Masters Of Sex actress Caitlin FitzGerald wore a turquoise blue Emilia Wickstead gown, while Modern Family star Sarah Hyland opted for a peach Georges Hobeika dress.

"I was very impressed with the diversity, by the lack of trend and the somewhat unconventional choices on the red carpet this year. No one colour or shape or designer dominated," Hal Rubenstein, InStyle's editor-at-large, told Reuters.

Emilia Clarke in Proenza Schouler. -- AFP 

Pale golds and silvers were dotted among the vibrant tones. New Girl best TV comedy actress nominee Zooey Deschanel wore a pale gold beaded flowing Oscar de la Renta dress, and Downton Abbey best TV drama actress nominee Michelle Dockery also wore a strapless silver and gold beaded gown by the designer. 

Mila Kunis rocked a sleeveless Emilio Pucci beaded silver gown, while Breaking Bad actress Anna Gunn wore a blush gold Donna Karan Atelier gown and actress Sally Hawkins from Blue Jasmine wore a vintage cream beaded Dior gown from the design house's archives.

House Of Cards star Robin Wright picked up the best TV drama actress award in a shimmering gold Reem Acra gown. "If you're going to do a shiny dress with sparkle, it has to be understated, or else it'll look garish. If you're going to go glittery, you have to pare it down," Rubenstein said.

Robin Wright in Reem Acra, with Ben Foster who wore... a suit. -- AFP

Jennifer Lawrence, who picked up the first award of the night for her best supporting role in American Hustle, wore a white strapless Dior haute couture dress with tiers divided by black belts, while Australian actress Margot Robbie from The Wolf Of Wall Street donned a fitted cream Gucci gown with green crystal details. 

In contrast to the vibrant hues, Blue Jasmine actress Cate Blanchett led the stars in black, in a high-neck fitted lace Armani Prive dress, while The Good Wife star Julianna Margulies opted for a V-neck wide-skirted black gown with gold embroidery by Andrew Gn.

Saving Mr Banks actress Emma Thompson also opted for a gold and black combination with a vintage embroidered Lanvin dress. August: Osage County star Meryl Streep chose an understated satin black Vivienne Westwood dress, while her co-star, Julia Roberts, added a white-sleeved shirt to her black strapless Dolce & Gabbana dress, while Girls actress Allison Williams wore a form-fitted Alexander McQueen black and white column gown.

Rubenstein picked Blanchett, Robbie, Nyong'o, Williams and FitzGerald among his picks for best-dressed, but added that he felt everyone made an effort to look individual this year. — Reuters

Cate Blanchett is happy with her win, as well as her wardrobe choice. -- EPA


Into the other realm

Posted: 12 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

The cast and crew of local Chinese horror flick The Transcend share creepy tales of the things that are best left unseen.

WHAT if you could see ghosts? Would you want to have that sort of ability? How would you deal with the spirits? Local Chinese supernatural thriller The Transcend explores all this and more.

In the movie, there is a girl who can see ghosts but wishes she could not, and a guy who writes about ghosts and wishes that he could actually see them.

The girl is Le Le, a funeral troupe trainee who lives in a nunnery and has been seeing ghosts since childhood. The guy is Yan Dong, a cocky author of ghost stories who hopes to be able to see the dead to enhance his storytelling skills. Though his wish does come true, he soon finds that there is more at stake.

Since her special ability has brought her only sadness and pain, Le Le tries her best to ignore all the spooks that appear around her. Yan Dong, on the other hand, empathises with the spirits he sees and tries his best to help them achieve closure and move on.

Produced by veteran actor James Wong and directed by award-winning scriptwriter Ryon Lee, The Transcend stars Mindee Ong, Teddy Chin, Cheng Kam Cheong, Susan Leong, Yenn Teoh, Sean Lee, Koe Yeet and Wong.

James Wong (left) and Teddy Chin in The Transcend.

The movie, which took two years to make, is said to be based on real-life incidents of hauntings and ghostly sightings.

At a press conference in Kuala Lumpur to launch the movie last week, Wong and Lee divulged that they had coincidentally hired the same funeral troupe from Penang to conduct the burial rites for their dearly departed. "It was a colourful and eye-opening experience. We decided to include those scenes in the movie so that young people could learn about culture and tradition, and how these Chinese customs help us practise filial piety," offered actor/producer Wong, whose big-screen oeuvre includes The Legacy Of A Lost Love (2008) and The Cycle Of Love (2010).

As part of his research, writer/director Lee spent substantial time talking to the medium who served as the consultant on the set of The Transcend.

"He would describe all the things that one could see in the other realm, the beings and the scenery. And I would carefully take notes in order to recreate some of these scenes," shared Lee, who won Best Script for Namewee's Nasi Lemak 2.0 (2011) at last year's inaugural Golden Wau Awards, Malaysia's first Chinese-language film awards. Lee also scripted director Chiu Keng Guan's top-grossing movies Woohoo (2010) and Great Day (2011).

Why did he not just ask to have his "third eye" opened and save all that trouble?

"The sifu actually did offer to open my 'third eye' for me. But there was a long list of conditions attached. None of which I was able to fulfil. Moreover, the minimum duration was at least three months, not just three hours or even three days. That was so much more than I was prepared for. So I decided to pass," disclosed Lee.

"I remember questioning the existence of ghosts once during the filming. I walked by the room and stood at the door looking at a lighting fixture. Then I thought, 'If you do exist, then prove to me with a sign.' At that very instant, the light started to turn around and slowly move to face me," related Lee, who was so spooked by that incident that he never again questioned the existence of otherworldly beings during the shoot.

Singaporean actress Mindee Ong, who plays the female lead Le Le, reported a smooth and stress-free shoot for the film. "Armed with several Buddhist rosaries, I felt very safe at all times. Teddy, however, had a more 'eventful' time," Ong gestured to her co-star.

Prompted by Ong, local social media celebrity Teddy Chin shared his own scary stories while portraying the main character Yan Dong. "I still remember the creepy scene where I had to balance atop three coconuts at an intersection at midnight in order to see ghosts. I was only later told that it was indeed a way to see spirits," recounted Chin, who also disclosed that his encounters with apparitions in the movie were based on his own experiences.

"Just like the scenes in the movie, I'd had experiences where I only saw the mouth and legs descending from above. I regretted shutting my eyes then as the eerie whispers and heavy breathing in my ears were even creepier!" Chin recalled.

Koe Yeet, who plays one of the wraiths in the movie, revealed that she had had her own share of spooky moments. "Mine was a very scary scene, which required me to be alone inside the room, with the camera located just outside the door. That room was where babies were aborted and I was asked to stand in the exact corner said to be haunted by the spirit of a girl who died during a botched abortion," shared the young actress, who added that she rapidly wrapped up her scenes and make a quick exit.

  • The Transcend is playing in cinemas nationwide.
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Four NS hostels need upgrades

Posted: 13 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

MALACCA: Four National Service (NS) camp operators have been given 18 months to upgrade their hostel facilities to the latest standards set by the authorities.

NS Training Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil said the camps, one each in Kedah and Malacca and two in Pahang were told on Jan 1 to start building larger dormitories for female and male trainees.

"At present, each dormitory can only accommodate seven to eight trainees at a time, and it is not suitable for training. The new facility should be able to accommodate between 25 and 30 trainees," he told reporters after visiting the NS Hutan Rekreasi training camp in Ayer Keroh here yesterday.

Abdul Hadi said larger dormitories would ensure a more balanced racial composition among trainees.

"Trainees occupying each dormitory would have 60% Malays, 28% Chinese, 10% Indians and 2% from other ethnic groups," he said.

Asked if the trainees would need to be relocated during the upgrade, Abdul Hadi said it would be decided later when the operators have finalised the dates, duration and details of the required work, pending the department's approval.

"The operators are not allowed to conduct upgrading work that would compromise safety, training and other needs.

"The operators will risk having their contracts terminated if they fail to complete the upgrade in time, or if the outcome is not according to the given standards," he said.

Abdul Hadi noted that the operators of the four camps – one of them in Kuantan, Pahang – that has been ordered earlier to stop operations for not complying with safety guidelines, would bear the costs of upgrading.

Abdul Hadi also said that trainees would have their Chinese New Year holiday from Jan 30 to Feb 2 and applications to extend the holiday are not allowed.

Two men remanded over death of policeman

Posted: 13 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

KUANTAN: Two men have been remanded for a week to assist investigations into the shooting of policeman Kpl Abdul Halim Md Ali (pic).

Magistrate Noor Zaihan Mohamad Ali granted the remand order for the two men, aged 19 and 33, until Jan 19.

Pahang CID chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Mohd Zakaria Ahmad said the men were detained on Sunday but declined to comment further.

On Jan 6, Kpl Abdul Halim was found dead, after he went missing the day before while pursuing two suspects believed to be armed.

He had been on a crime prevention patrol with three other policemen in the LKPP plantation in Jaya Gading here when they spotted two men who appeared to be holding shotguns.

During the pursuit, Kpl Abdul Halim's colleagues lost sight of him and could not contact him via walkie-talkie or cellphone.

His body wad found in the oil palm plantation with shotgun wounds in the face and chest.

Day of surprises at the Globes

Posted: 13 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

LOS ANGELES: Red Granite Films co-founder Riza Aziz was excited during the red carpet ceremony in the 71st Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel here.

The Hollywood based-Malaysian producer, who invested in The Wolf Of Wall Street that won Leonardo DiCaprio the Best Actor in A Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical award in the Sunday event, took a minute or two to speak to The Star, which is the only Malaysian media invited to cover the prestigious event.

When Riza found out that a Malaysian media was present at the Golden Globes red carpet, he cried: "No way!"

He explained that working with DiCaprio was a pleasant experience and that the actor was an ultimate professional.

He said that The Wolf Of Wall Street was a comedy, a cautionary tale about men, money and greed.

Riza is the son of Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

American Hustle emerged the lead winner at the awards ceremony above the rest, especially 12 Years A Slave, which led the way with seven nominations.

American Hustle won the Best Picture in the Comedy or Musical category, as well as producing the Best Actress (Amy Adams) and Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Lawrence).

Organised by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Golden Globes typically kicks off the awards season, and is an early indicator of a movie's potential at the Academy Awards (the Oscars).

Among the winners of the night who spoke to The Star were Lawrence, Adams, Michael Douglas, Chiwetel Ejiofor and the cast of TV show Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

When The Star asked Lawrence how she stays grounded as it must be hard for a young actress like her not to go astray, she said: "I just have a good group of friends that I have had for a very long time and an amazing family, and I am just always busy working. I don't have time to get into trouble."

Veteran actor Douglas, who won Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture for his saucy portrayal of Liberace, when asked which was more fun to play, baddies or good guys, said: "I've always enjoyed playing bad guys more because I don't know of any good guys. I have always been intrigued by the ambivalence of characters."

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MoMA to expand

Posted: 13 Jan 2014 10:55 PM PST

The New York museum's expansion will see the American Folk Art Museum demolished.

The American Folk Art Museum is to be demolished and replaced by a contemporary structure as part of ambitious expansion plans for the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), it was confirmed this week.

The 13-year-old building in downtown New York, which is known for its distinctive beaten copper facade, will be torn down to make way for MoMA's glass-fronted structure housing two flexible exhibition and performance spaces. The new building will feature a glass wall which can be raised to allow direct access to a ticket-free area of the museum directly from street level.

The redesign and expansion is being carried out by architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and construction is set to begin in summer 2014. It is estimated that the project will enlarge MoMA's current gallery space by around 3,700 sq m.

The decision to raze the folk museum, procured by MoMA in 2011, was met with backlash within the architectural world when the news was originally announced in April 2013, and plans were revised to investigate ways of incorporating the existing building.

However, MoMA Director Glenn Lowry said in a statement released that the building could not be preserved without losing its integrity.

"The architects have been exploring the site holistically, with the goal of generating as many options as possible for achieving a thoughtfully resolved set of galleries and public spaces for the museum," said Lowry. "After a lengthy and rigorous analysis, we have approved Diller Scofidio + Renfro's recommendation for a new building on the site of the former museum." — AFP Relaxnews

Shifting sound shapes

Posted: 11 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

Sound as an art form is gaining prominence and acceptance in museums and galleries around the world.

The sounds of Indian activists chanting and reciting poems fill Tate Modern's Project Space in London, part of Amar Kanwar's A Night Of Prophecy (2002). Nearby, Lawrence Abu Hamdan's voice map, Conflicted Phonemes (2012), explores the influence of accent on Somali asylum seekers, offering a visual interpretation of their speech.

The two works were part of last year's sound-art exhibition Word. Sound. Power. that, according to Tate Modern's website, "takes a moment to listen to the harmony and dissonance of voices rising".

Tate Modern is not alone in exploring art through the ears.

"Sound art is having a moment right now," said Gascia Ouzounian, a lecturer at the Sonic Arts Research Center at Queen's University Belfast, by e-mail. "A wave of recent exhibitions has very much brought sound art to the attention of the wider public."

That attention was captured with the opening of Soundings: A Contemporary Score last August, the first-ever major exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York dedicated to sound art. But the form is gaining prominence and acceptance in museums and galleries around the world, with the success of SoundFjord, a London gallery dedicated exclusively to sonic exhibitions and research; the exhibition RPM: Sound Art China which travelled to Shanghai from Hamilton, New York, in October; and a slew of recent exhibitions in locations as diverse as Hong Kong, Paris and Karlsruhe in Germany.

"Artists brought sound into their work a long time ago," explained Barbara London, the curator of the Soundings show at the Museum of Modern Art, "yet working with the 'material' of sound as an art form and its conceptualization has recently expanded dramatically."

The phenomenon is not limited to the United States.

"In New York, as well as Stockholm, London, Milan, Kobe, Melbourne and Delhi, art centres known as 'Alternative spaces' emerged and for decades have supported the evolving sonic arts," said London. "Sound art is a global phenomenon."

Sound is at the heart of Dajuin Yao's work. He is based in Hangzhou, China.

"China is one of the noisiest countries in the world," said Yao, "and 'sound art' plays a very crucial and ironic role in the society here."

In Garden Of Buddhahood, a piece by Yao, the audience walks between lotus lamps that play recordings of monks chanting. It is, the artist said, a subconscious tribute to Steve Reich's celebrated Come Out – which uses a single source, a recording of Daniel Hamm, injured in the Harlem riots of 1964.

According to research by Seth Cluett of Princeton University, there were 128 sound art exhibitions in museums worldwide from 2000 to 2009, up from just 21 from 1970 to 1979; and Ouzounian said that over the past four years the number of sound art exhibitions has continued to rise rapidly. That expansion can, in many ways, be attributed to advances in technology, but also to a desire to push the boundaries of art.

In an international art world dominated by visual works, sound has long been perceived as a challenging and esoteric medium.

Traditionally, the term has been used to describe works by artists who choose sound or hearing as a topic or medium, generally without musical notations or musicians to interpret. As far back as 1913, the Italian Futurist Luigi Rusollo wrote a manifesto titled The Art Of Noises, in which he described the modern urban soundscape and its musicality.

Many artists and curators today have opted for a more flexible definition of the art form, rejecting experimental music or composition as a requisite but allowing for strong visual or conceptual components. In some cases, sound art has no aural elements at all.

At the Museum of Modern Art, for instance, some exhibits, like Camille Norment's Triplight are silent. That piece features an excavated, brightly lit 1955 Shure microphone that casts a pattern of flickering shadows.

Haroon Mirza, a London-based artist who was awarded the Silver Lion at the 54th Venice Biennale for his installations Sick and The National Apvailion Of Then And Now, suggests these flexible boundaries can mask a superficial disdain from the visual art world toward sound.

"I think the art world sometimes likes to take the easy option," said Mirza. He warned that the recent interest in sound art may be of limited duration.

"I would argue that the interest in sound art is more of a fad partly related to the 100th birthday of John Cage in 2012," he said. Cage challenged conventional definitions of music, and his 4:33, a work of silence, was considered by many to be more a philosophical statement than a musical composition.

Even at institutions of higher learning with a history of fairly traditional approaches to the arts, sound has made its way onto the curriculum.

Columbia University in New York began offering last autumn a master's degree in Sound Art, a joint program of its department of music and its school of the arts.

Degrees in sound art are also available at the University of Brighton in England; at the Nordic Sound Art Program, which offers a master's degree in partnership with various institutions in Scandinavia, and the Sonic Arts Research Center in Belfast, among others.

While sound-recording technology has been around for over a century, innovations continue to open fresh avenues of artistic exploration. For Voice, one of the pieces at the Word. Sound. Power. show at Tate Modern, for instance, the French-Norwegian artist Caroline Bergvall used a transducer that transforms the surface it is placed on into an output speaker.

"Placed on my entrance window," she said, "the viewer walks through a relocated voice. This technology was not available even a few years ago."

"We now see artists making use of new technologies including multichannel audio systems, computer-programming software, and computer-mediated sound spatialization, for example in installations by the French artist Cédric Maridet," said Yang Yeung, a Hong Kong-based curator and the founder of an organisation called Soundpocket.

Even a mobile phone can become a creative force. Surabhi Saraf, an Indian sound artist and performer, attaches a tiny stereo microphone to hers.

Saraf's Grains, shown at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco in May, explored the idea of a single grain of sound. Layers of Saraf's vocals were combined with recordings of trickling grains, and the auditory experience was enhanced by live image projections.

The growing affordability of recording devices, combined with innovative new technologies, has helped sound become an increasingly entrenched part of the gallery and museum world, said Bergvall.

While some works consist of a simple file in MP3 format, installations can pose unique challenges for buyers and curators, as they can incorporate complex technological or gargantuan sculptural elements. Many museums and galleries remain wary of the medium because sound is deemed more intrusive than a sculpture or painting.

So far, neither Christie's nor Sotheby's has sold a work of sound art. But Benjamin Godsill, a contemporary art specialist at the auction house Phillips, sees strong potential for the sale of works featuring sound to private buyers.

"The market has a tremendous ability to take the avant garde and find sellable items within it," he said.

The Danish sound artist Jacob Kirkegaard has sold installations, images and recordings of his work.

"It is possible to change and adapt works of sound for different spaces," Kirkegaard pointed out. "If you ask me, a sound art piece can be many things; photos, objects or things that only sound occasionally, or very, very quietly."

In 2008, Kirkegaard sold four photos of the recording sites of his installation Aion, now at the Museum of Modern Art, to a private buyer. Aion features recordings created in abandoned spaces in Chernobyl, Ukraine.

If the visual art world continues to turn toward sound, more sales and commissions could follow – especially if sound artists are willing to adapt their works to different spaces.

"I do hope that artists who are less known within the mainstream visual art world, but who have been influential within sound art will find increasingly sustained support," said Ouzounian, mentioning the works of artists like Anna Friz, Christina Kubisch and Kaffe Matthews.

Still, it seems for many artists, sales are not the ultimate goal.

"A lot of sound art is not made from an intention to be sold," said Saraf. "It is more about the act of listening and experiencing the space in relation to the sound." — IHT

Dissolving borders

Posted: 11 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

The 9th Angkor Photo Festival in Siem Reap, Cambodia, highlighted promising talents from this region while promoting compelling photography.

FOR the last eight days of November last year, the elegant FCC (Foreign Correspondents Club) Angkor, on the banks of Siem Reap River, Cambodia, was the setting for the Angkor Photo Festival's nightly slideshows.

The French colonial property, once a stomping ground for foreign correspondents, had been taken over by photographers showcasing their beautiful, haunting and powerful visual tales of the world around us.

On opening night, works from 23 photographers were featured, among them images of Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk's funeral, sombre photographs of the Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh (when a garment factory collapsed) and surreal shots of post Soviet high-rises. The night air was balmy with star-studded skies above as viewers sprawled on the grass or lounged on chairs, some chatting quietly, most gazing contemplatively at the screen. It was this magic of place and spirit that beckoned Che' Ahmad Azhar to return to the festival for the second time.

"It is an amazing experience, you can hang out in the open air while looking at great photography. The environment is so beautiful and relaxed," said the Malaysian photographer and lecturer.

The Angkor Photo Festival exhibitions and slideshows were free and open to the public, so anyone could wander over to the lush Raffles Grand Hotel dâ¿¿Angkor Gardens in Siem Reap, Cambodia. - Oyen Rodriguez

The Angkor Photo Festival exhibitions and slideshows were free, so anyone could wander over to the lush Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor Gardens in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Over about one week, the Angkor Photo Festival presented a visual feast. It had eight exhibitions and seven slideshow presentations featuring 130 photographers, over half of whom are from Asia.

The exhibitions and slideshows were free and open to the public, so anyone could wander over to the lush Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor Gardens and view Liu Jie's portraits of rural Chinese families torn apart by emigration. Or take in Herbie Yamaguchi's quiet reflection on Japan during its post-war recovery at the McDermott Gallery. Over at The Loft, the festival's current headquarters and meeting point, festival-goers gathered and mingled beside temporary corrugated walls displaying images of the Palestine struggle.

On several nights, everyone gathered at the FCC Angkor for the slideshows, curated by programme director Francoise Callier. There were two guest curators in 2013, Shahidul Alam, director of the biennial Chobi Mela festival in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Jean-Francois Leroy, director of Visa pour l'image in Perpignan, France.

Shahidul presented Taking Humour Seriously for a lighter-hearted take on photography, while Leroy curated a series of photojournalistic and social documentary works, which included David Guttenfelder's inside view of North Korea and Fausto Podavini's compelling series on Alzheimer's, which won him a World Press Photo award.

The Angkor Photo Fesival was founded by Jean-Yves Navel, Gary Knight of the VII Agency and a group of photographer friends in 2005 to support the emerging photography scene in the region. Navel is the festival director, and Francoise Callier came on board in 2006 as the festival's programme director. The festival has grown in its nine years, attracting increasing numbers of participants and attendees to become the longest running and arguably the most important (photography) festival in the South-East Asian region.

"Asian photographers sometimes have difficulty crossing borders, so this festival helps to bridge that by giving them exposure. We try to be a bridge between the continents and the work showcased here often travels around the world to countries like Japan, China and France," explained Callier.

Nightly slideshows at the lush FCC Angkor venue. -  Oyen Rodriguez

Nightly slideshows were held at the lush FCC Angkor venue. — OYEN RODRIGUEZ

"It is not a very big festival, but it is an important one for discoveries and to showcase young photographers. We are always looking for unknown stories and emerging talents that nobody knows," she continued.

One of the biggest draws of the festival has always been the Angkor Photo Workshops, a critical scholarship to recognise and train promising emerging photographers from Asia. Each year, young photographers below the age of 28 are chosen to undergo an intense workshop under the tutelage of prominent photographers like Patrick de Noirmont, Kosuke Okahara and Antoine D'Agata.

In 2013, the festival committee had over 250 applications and 30 candidates were picked for the programme, including one from Malaysia. "We chose the participants based on quality and their dedication," said Jessica Lim, the festival coordinator.

The workshops culminated in a screening of the young photographers' projects on closing night at the Raffles Grand Hotel D'Angkor with a winner for the best photo story prize. The 2013 winner was Neak Sophal, a graduate from Phnom Penh's Royal University of Fine Arts. Her entry, Hang On, is an intriguing portrayal of the hardships of Cambodian daily lives.

"Out of the 30 students, some will go on to success. They have talent, of course, but the festival gives them a foot in the door," said Callier.

She remembered discovering Sean Lee, then a quiet 21-year-old Singaporean who had presented a series of 12 photographs of his family in his application. The images' quietude and sense of alienation impressed her and she signed him up for the workshop.

Lee has since embarked on a successful photography career, winning awards and accolades, as well as exhibiting widely in Singapore and around the region; he currently has a solo exhibition at the Singapore Biennale with a new work entitled Gardens (the biennale is on at various locations in Singapore until Feb 16; visit singaporebiennale.org).

One of Japanese leading photographer Herbie Yamaguchi's monochromatic photographs (taken during the late 1960s/early 1970s) featured at the Angkor Photo Festival.

One of Japanese photographer Herbie Yamaguchi's monochromatic photos (taken during the late 1960s/early 1970s) featured at the Angkor Photo Festival.

Other alumni have gone on to carve a name for themselves, too. Anshika Varma Kohli has photographed for her local edition of National Geographic in India, while Kuala Lumpur-based Rahman Roslan is a photojournalist who has worked for Getty Images, Bloomberg and The New York Times. The participants remain involved with the festival, returning as tutors in the Anjali Photo Workshops.

"I was a workshop participant three years ago, and when I came back this time, I wasn't sure if anyone would remember me. But as I walked into The Loft, there was such a warm welcome. It was really nice. It's like belonging to a family and a community, which I think is really important to us. We learn and grown from each other," said Kohli, a freelance photographer based in New Delhi, India.

"The festival is like a big family and we try to make it accessible. It is extremely important we keep the festival informal," said Callier.

The informality and easy-going nature of the festival is what makes it special. It gives promising young photographers the rare opportunity to rub shoulders and seek advice from the likes of John Vink and Antoine D'Agata, both from renowned Magnum Photos, whether it is at the nightly social gatherings or during portfolio reviews.

"Free portfolio reviews for five days is a dream come true for many emerging and even established photographers," said visitor Ryan Libre, a photographer, filmmaker and founder of the Chiang Mai Documentary Arts Festival. "This was my second time here and I enjoyed it even more than the first, and will be back next year for sure."

With some sectors heralding the death of professional photography in the face of camera phones and increasingly accessible technology, a festival such as Angkor Photo Festival reaffirmed its importance while lending support to the regional community.

Callier summed it up: "The Liberation in France published an issue with no photographs, and it had a huge impact. With photography, you can sometimes take it for granted. But once you see something powerful, it remains with you forever."

More info at www.angkor-photo.com.

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Connecting through workshops

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