Khamis, 30 Januari 2014

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

Asia rings in Year of the Horse with fireworks, festivities
Rough ride home for CNY
PM: Gallop to have more babies

Asia rings in Year of the Horse with fireworks, festivities

Posted: 30 Jan 2014 09:00 PM PST

BEIJING, Jan 31, 2014 (AFP) - Fireworks illuminated the skies across Asia and millions of families gathered together Friday to usher in the Year of the Horse, kicking off a week of celebrations that included a performance by Braveheart actress Sophie Marceau on China's annual televised gala.

Residents from China's small towns and villages to its sprawling megacities rang in the Lunar New Year, the country's most important holiday, by indulging in feasts of dumplings and rice cakes and exchanging hongbao, red envelopes stuffed with "lucky money".

Many of them were among the hundreds of millions of people, including 245 million migrant workers, who had crammed planes, trains and buses to return to their hometowns in what is the world's largest annual human migration.

Chinese communities across Asia also came together to celebrate, marking the holiday with flowers and offerings. Hong Kong was due to hold a massive fireworks display over Victoria Harbour on Saturday, the second day of the new year.

The lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon and through Chinese folklore ascribes 12 animals, one for each year in the rotating cycle. The horse is in the seventh position.

Chinese visitors touch the White Jade Horse statue at the Dongyue Temple in the hope that it brings them prosperity and good fortune for the Year of the Horse in Beijing on January 31, 2014. China welcomed in the Lunar New Year of the Horse which sees about 3.62 billion trips made by Chinese travelers during the 40-day Spring Festival travel period. - AFP

In China, the horse is traditionally associated with loyalty and energy, and is considered the second-most popular animal sign of the zodiac, after the dragon.

The phrase for "at once" in Chinese literally means "on horseback", and some popular New Year cards this year have featured money, houses or cars on horseback, expressing the sender's wish of speedy good fortune for the receiver.

This year, however, is set to be a dramatic one, according to Hong Kong feng-shui masters, as it is the Year of the Wood Horse - incorporating the dramatic element of fire.

Conflicts, disasters, record high temperatures, an economic chill in Asia and more trouble for pop star Justin Bieber all lie in wait this year, celebrity feng-shui master Alion Yeo told AFP earlier this week.

On Thursday, Beijing was a cacophany of light and sound as residents took to the streets to light firecrackers - traditionally believed to scare away evil spirits - into the wee hours of Friday.

But by morning, the capital was mostly quiet, as most of the migrant workers who comprise more than a third of its 20 million population had left the city to celebrate the new year in their ancestral homes.

This frame grab from CCTV taken on January 30, 2014 shows French actress Sophie Marceau (L) in a duet with Chinese pop star Liu Huan on Chinese state broadcaster CCTV's New Year gala, a show watched by hundreds of millions of people.

Beijing saw a slump in fireworks sales this year amid pollution concerns among residents and a move by city officials to cut the number of licensed firework retailers by 12 percent, the state-run China Daily reported.

Levels of the small particulate pollution known as PM2.5 ranged from 140 to 160 micrograms per cubic metre from 6 pm to midnight Thursday - a figure that was still well above the World Health Organisation's recommended level of 25 micrograms, but "much better" than the all-time peak of 1,000 recorded last Lunar New Year's Eve, Beijing's environmental watchdog said Friday.

State broadcaster CCTV aired its annual five-hour gala, a tradition dating back to 1983 and featuring comedians, dancers and singers. The hugely popular programme last year drew 750 million viewers in China alone, according to the broadcaster.

For 24 years it featured Peng Liyuan, the wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is a soprano singer with the rank of army general. She retired from the show shortly after her husband joined China's Politburo in 2007.

This year it featured French actress Marceau, who performed Edith Piaf's signature song, "La Vie En Rose", in a duet with Chinese pop star Liu Huan.

But Chinese rocker Cui Jian, who inspired the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement and was in talks to perform on the show, did not feature. The Beijing News daily quoted his manager as saying he had refused to "change the words" of his songs.

In additional to giving traditional hongbao, or red envelopes, some Chinese this year have taken to sending Lunar New Year money by smartphone.

The popular mobile chat app WeChat, which has more than 600 million subscribers, this week introduced a new feature allowing users to send an electronic new year "envelope" of up to 200 yuan ($33), the China Daily reported.

Rough ride home for CNY

Posted: 30 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

WUZHOU: The thrum of motorcycles echoes over a Chinese mountain road, where hundreds of thousands are shunning public transport to take the highway home during the world's largest annual human migration.

China's 245 million migrant workers – twice the entire population of Japan – generally have to travel on jam-packed trains or buses to get to their hometown to see their families for the Lunar New Year.

But this year more than 600,000 are expected to ride by motorcycle, according to state-run media, making gruelling journeys of several hundred kilometres for the country's biggest festival, while a hardened few are even cycling.

"I'm excited, I want to get back home as soon as possible," said Mo Renshuang, a shoe factory worker who stopped to stretch his legs at a rest stop several hours into his 700 kilometre trip.

He was heading from Guangdong, one of China's richest provinces, to Guangxi – one of its poorest regions. Mo has not seen his two children for half a year, he said, and had strapped a supermarket trolley to the back of his motorbike containing a suitcase, two toy cars, a toy horse and a pair of blue children's boots.

"Pretty creative, right?" he said.

More than 158,000 bikers have passed the rest stop in the last fortnight, police estimate, as riders sharing the same hometown drive together in convoys and stop for free cups of porridge.

"There are no buses to my village," said Lu Liangquan, 50, one of more than 3,000 to pass by yesterdaymorning, who had balanced a cardboard box of fruit on his bike. "Also, if you ride a motorbike you can carry on using it when you get home."

The two-wheeled journeys reflect huge growth in motorcycle ownership in China, which for years has been both the world's largest producer and consumer of the vehicles.

More than 23 million were sold in 2013 according to industry figures.

They have proved popular with workers migrating from China's poor countryside to its coastal manufacturing heartlands, who have seen wages rise by up to 10% annually in recent years but often still cannot afford a car.

China's rail and bus network is stretched to breaking point over the New Year, which authorities say will see 3.6 billion journeys, leaving many struggling to buy train tickets.

"Travelling by motorbike is quicker than taking the bus," said gardener Huang Zilin, 40, who pulled into the rest stop on a red Yamaha with his wife. "We set off at four in the morning, and my legs and feet ache," he added.

The riders – who travel on small roads to avoid heavy tolls, and wrap their feet in plastic bags to protect against cold and dirt – have been dubbed the "bike army" by the Chinese press.

Their steeds are an array of bargain-priced Chinese-branded vehicles, alongside Japanese Hondas and Suzukis.

But a handful of others were more ambitious and used pedal power alone.

"I have this returning home mood so I can stay awake. It's excitement I suppose," said Wang Zhekun, 30, an office worker for an autoparts company, who said he had cycled through the night on his red "Forever" mountain bike.

"I feel cooler than the motorbike drivers, because my engine is right here," he said, pointing to his wiry body.

Si Lingxiang, 21, wobbled up to the rest-stop on a light-framed blue bike he is riding on his 400 kilometre journey from the southern metropolis of Guangzhou to Pingnan in Guangxi.

"It's my fourth day of cycling, the seat is too small and my bottom aches," said Si, who slept the previous night in an abandoned school guardpost.

The rest stop in the city of Wuzhou has proved a publicity coup for the local Communist party committee, whose red banners jostled with posters promoting energy drinks to help with staying awake.

"Party cadres wish brothers and sisters returning home a safe journey," one read.

Nearby, on a public notice board where travellers inscribed their names with a black marker pen, one had written a short poem.

"My vehicle is cheap, I'm old and I have a lot of luggage, braving these windy roads needs courage," it read, signed "Worker returning home".

"If I'd known before I travelled this far, I'd long ago have bought an expensive car." — AFP

PM: Gallop to have more babies

Posted: 30 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged young couples to get off to a "galloping start" in the Year of the Horse by having more babies to boost flagging birth rates.

In his Lunar New Year message, Lee said the wealthy city-state needed "enough children to form the next generation" amid concerns over the influx of immigrants.

"Unfortunately, despite our efforts to promote marriage and parenthood, our birth rates are still too low," Lee, a father of four, said.

Lee said Singapore's current fertility rate is 1.19 babies per female, down from 1.29 in 2012.

The rate for ethnic Chinese Singaporeans, who make up 74% of the resident population, is lower, at 1.06.

"We must try to do better. I hope the Year of the Horse will see some improvement," he said.

The 61-year-old leader noted that Valen-tine's Day this year would coincide with the auspicious 15th day of Lunar New Year festivities known as "Chap Goh Mei".

"Almost 300 couples have registered to marry on this auspicious day, so we are off to a galloping start.

"I hope to hear more wedding bells and newborns' cries throughout the year."

Despite a series of so-called "baby bonuses" to encourage couples to have children, Singapore has not been able to boost its fertility rate to the 2.1 level needed to maintain the native-born population.

Its low birth rate has forced the government to rely on foreign workers. Foreigners now comprise a third of the 5.4 million population.

The influx, however, has sparked protests and prompted the government to tighten immigration flows in recent years.

Ethnic Chinese around the world will usher in the Year of the Horse today. — AFP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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Rwanda calls Congo 'crybaby' at UN, Congo says Rwanda 'arrogant'
Australia permits dredge dumping near Great Barrier Reef for major coal port
U.S. Republicans wary as they weigh immigration reforms

Rwanda calls Congo 'crybaby' at UN, Congo says Rwanda 'arrogant'

Posted: 30 Jan 2014 08:45 PM PST

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council stressed on Thursday that M23 rebels must be stopped from regrouping in Democratic Republic of Congo and expressed concern at Congolese soldiers aiding Rwandan Hutu militia, sparking a verbal clash between the countries' envoys.

Rwanda's U.N. ambassador, Eugene Gasana - a temporary member of the 15-member Security Council - accused Congo of "crying like small babies," while his Congolese counterpart, Ignace Gata Mavita wa Lufuta, said Rwanda's "arrogant behavior must stop."

Rwanda has repeatedly intervened in Congo, saying it had to hunt down Hutu militia, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which fled after Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Congo and Rwanda have fought two wars in two decades in eastern Congo.

The U.N. Security Council expressed its concerns about the violence in eastern Congo in a unanimously adopted resolution that renewed an arms embargo and targeted sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, on Democratic Republic of Congo.

The top U.N. official in Congo, Martin Kobler, has said there were credible reports that the M23 rebels appeared to be regrouping just two months after Congolese troops and U.N. peacekeepers defeated the Tutsi-led insurgency.

U.N. experts, who monitor violations of U.N. sanctions on Congo, and Democratic Republic of Congo have long accused Rwanda of backing M23, which ended its 20-month rebellion in November, a claim that Kigali has fiercely rejected.

Rwanda and the U.N. experts have accused Congolese troops of collaborating with the FDLR, which includes Hutus who fled Rwanda after the genocide of 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutus. Kinshasa denies the claim.

"These guys (Congo), just every other day, coming and crying like small babies," Gasana told reporters after the council meeting. "Rwanda, it's a small country. Congo is rich. Congo has everything. How come Rwanda is always the scapegoat?"

Gata Mavita wa Lufuta told the Security Council: "We are a sovereign country and we must be respected as such and this arrogant behavior (by Rwanda) must stop."

REPORTS OF CONGOLESE ARMY COLLABORATION

There was one thing both ambassadors agreed on: the U.N. Security Council was not the appropriate venue for their verbal spat.

Millions of people have died from violence, disease and hunger in Congo since the 1990s as armed groups have fought for control of the country's vast deposits of gold, diamonds, copper, cobalt and uranium.

The Security Council resolution noted "with deep concern reports indicating FARDC (Congolese army) collaboration with the FDLR at a local level, recalling that the FDLR is a group under U.N. sanctions whose leaders and members include perpetrators of the 1994 genocide."

It stressed the importance of "permanently addressing this threat."

A 20,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force in Congo received a boost last year with the unprecedented deployments of unarmed surveillance drones and an Intervention Brigade of 3,000 troops to help Congolese forces hunt down rebel groups.

After the military defeat of M23, the peacekeepers and the Congolese army have turned their attention to tackling the FDLR and the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan Islamist group.

The resolution asked the United Nations and international organizations to work with neighboring states to "urgently address the situation of former M23 combatants located in their territories, and stresses the importance of ensuring that the M23 does not regroup and resume military activities."

It also called upon countries in the region to take steps to ensure there is no support in or from their territories for armed groups in eastern Congo. U.N. experts have also accused Uganda of aiding Congolese rebels, which Kampala has denied.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Leslie Adler and Lisa Shumaker)

Australia permits dredge dumping near Great Barrier Reef for major coal port

Posted: 30 Jan 2014 08:20 PM PST

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia's Great Barrier Reef watchdog gave the green light on Friday for millions of cubic metres of dredged mud to be dumped near the fragile reef to create the world's biggest coal port and possibly unlock $28 billion in coal projects.

The dumping permit clears the way for a major expansion of the port of Abbot Point for two Indian firms and Australian billionaire miner Gina Rinehart, who together have $16 billion worth of coal projects in the untapped, inland Galilee Basin.

Environmentalists, scientists and tourist operators had fought the plan, which they fear will harm delicate corals and seagrasses and potentially double the ship traffic through the World Heritage marine park.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, an independent government agency charged with protecting the reef, acknowledged the concerns, but said expanding Abbot Point would require much less dredging than other port options.

"It's important to note the seafloor of the approved disposal area consists of sand, silt and clay and does not contain coral reefs or seagrass beds," the marine park authority's chairman, Russell Reichert, said in a statement.

The permit to dump 3 million cubic metres of mud within the marine park could place at risk the World Heritage-listing of the Great Barrier Reef, one of Australia's top tourist attractions generating an estimated $5.7 billion.

UNESCO, which awarded the reef its heritage listing, last year postponed a decision to June 2014 on whether to put the Great Barrier Reef on its "in danger" list or even cancel its World Heritage listing. It is awaiting a report from the national government on steps taken to address its concerns.

The permit allows North Queensland Bulk Ports Corp to dump dredged material in the reef marine park to deepen Abbot Point for two terminals planned by Adani Enterprises and GVK-Hancock, a joint venture between India's GVK conglomerate and Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting, which have long term plans to export 120 million tonnes a year of coal all together.

The marine park authority imposed strict conditions on the dumping permit, including no environmental, cultural or heritage damage to areas beyond 20 km (12 miles) from the disposal site, and urged the ports corporation to consider other dump sites.

If all the dredged material were dumped on land, the pile would be bigger than the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Even with the permit, it's unclear how soon the dredging will go ahead, as Adani and GVK-Hancock's plans have been delayed amid funding challenges in the face of sliding coal prices and China's efforts to cut coal use to battle smog.

"This approval is very important for them to achieve financial close for their projects," said a spokeswoman for North Queensland Bulk Ports, referring to GVK-Hancock and Adani.

(Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by Paul Tait and Michael Perry)

U.S. Republicans wary as they weigh immigration reforms

Posted: 30 Jan 2014 08:20 PM PST

CAMBRIDGE, Maryland (Reuters) - Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday proposed granting legal status to potentially millions of undocumented residents and citizenship to some children brought into the United States illegally by their parents.

The move, after months of preparing rank-and-file lawmakers for a new Republican Party approach toward immigration, was immediately met with opposition from conservatives who dominate the House.

The broad principles that were unveiled for debating immigration reform in the Republican-controlled House were aimed at gauging the party's willingness to tackle such a controversial issue during an election year in which all 435 House seats are at stake.

Republican leaders offered up the outline during a two-day retreat they were holding with their House members at a resort on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, about 85 miles (137 km) from Washington, D.C.

During a closed-door session, House Speaker John Boehner warned, "These standards are as far as we are willing to go," according to a source in the room.

That was a warning to President Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats in Congress that Republicans would not go along with the "pathway to citizenship" for the approximately 11 million undocumented residents that is a centerpiece of a bill passed by the Senate last June.

Instead, just a small fraction of those 11 million, the children who crossed U.S. borders illegally, would win citizenship under the House Republican initiative.

The House leaders' plan, spearheaded by Boehner, marked a significant shift from the Republican Party's 2012 campaign message that focused squarely on deporting the more than 11 million people who are living in the United States illegally.

A congressional aide told Reuters that the initiative sparked a heated discussion among House Republicans, some of whom strongly disagreed with the principles.

This set of ideas has a long way to go before being translated into actual legislation that could be debated on the House floor as an alternative to a bipartisan bill that passed the Democratic-controlled Senate last June. And there were no guarantees that it would even advance that far.

Reactions were varied to the broad principles House Republican leaders laid out in a one-page document.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, speaking for the largest U.S. labor organisation, blasted it as "a flimsy document that only serves to underscore the callous attitude Republicans have toward our nation's immigrants."

Trumka said that the establishment of a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million, which the House initiative denies except for children, was needed for any immigration bill that is enacted.

Another view came from a spokesman for the conservative group Heritage Action, Dan Holler, who said the language amounted to "amnesty" for some illegal immigrants.

Some prominent Democrats in Congress held out hope that Boehner has produced a catalyst for a deal.

"While these standards are certainly not everything we would agree with, they leave a real possibility that Democrats and Republicans, in both the House and Senate, can in some way come together and pass immigration reform," said Senator Charles Schumer of New York, a Democrat who was a main sponsor of the Senate-passed bill.

Meanwhile, Representative Luis Gutierrez of Illinois, a Democrat and an outspoken proponent of immigration reform, said in a statement that the most important priority now was to "stop the massive increase in deportations." He said he would await detailed legislation from Republicans before knowing whether he could support it.

Before any illegal immigrants could obtain legal status or citizenship, further steps would have to be taken to secure the southwestern U.S. border and to clamp down on undocumented workers already in the country, according to the Republican outline.

One House source said that the principles being floated could be changed, depending on how rank-and-file House Republicans react.

RALLYING AROUND AN OBAMACARE ALTERNATIVE

Early indications were that House Republicans were coalescing around advancing new healthcare legislation that they will present as an alternative to "Obamacare," which suffered a troubled rollout in October.

All signs pointed to the healthcare initiative becoming the Republicans' marquis legislative initiative for 2014, rather than immigration reform.

As with immigration reform, Republicans presented a general set of healthcare principles that they said would "inform" the effort - along with bills already introduced.

They emphasized affordability, access to care, and a choice of private options and doctors, but offered no specifics about how these goals would be accomplished.

But such consensus was not apparent on immigration reform. Some outspoken conservative Republicans pointedly disagreed with Boehner's desire to move forward on legislation.

"It's not just the conservatives. I think a majority of the conference" feel that now is "not the time to deal with the issue," Representative Raul Labrador of Idaho said in a telephone interview.

Labrador, who last year was part of a bipartisan group of lawmakers working on a comprehensive immigration deal, said some Republicans fear that getting bogged down in a contentious immigration debate this year could jeopardize the party's "great opportunity" to take control of the Senate away from Democrats in the November congressional elections.

Even allies of Boehner such as Representative Greg Walden of Oregon said that the first half of 2014 could go by without any action on the contentious immigration issue. "It's probably months out. I don't know," Walden said on the sidelines of the Republican conference.

(Additional reporting by David Lawder; Editing by David Storey, Mohammad Zargham, Andrew Hay and Lisa Shumaker)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

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Indonesia's Trade Minister resigns to focus on presidential campaign
Toyota tells US agency seat issue could lead to recall
New York private equity manager firm charged with US$9mil theft

Indonesia's Trade Minister resigns to focus on presidential campaign

Posted: 30 Jan 2014 07:22 PM PST

JAKARTA: Indonesian Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan said on Friday he will resign his post effective immediately to focus on his campaign to win the presidential nomination for the ruling Democratic Party.

"I already met the president two days ago and he accepted it," he told reporters.- Reuters

Toyota tells US agency seat issue could lead to recall

Posted: 30 Jan 2014 06:45 PM PST

DETROIT: Toyota Motor Corp has alerted U.S. safety officials that seat material in several vehicles, including its top-selling Camry sedan, fails to meet fire retardation standards and could result in a recall.

Toyota said on Thursday it had stopped selling eight recent-model vehicles equipped with seat heaters in North America following an advisory about fire risk from South Korean safety officials. The world largest automaker said it did not believe a recall was necessary, however.

South Korea applies the same fire retardation standards as those used in the United States, where the cars were built starting in August 2012. Some of the U.S.-built models were exported to South Korea.

The Japanese automaker said there have been no reports of fires or injuries related to the problem. The safety standard requires a certain burn rate as a flame moves across the seat heater's cloth pad.

Toyota said the number of affected vehicles at its U.S. dealers totaled about 36,000, or about 13 percent of dealer inventory, but that does not include vehicles in transit to dealers or those already sold to consumers. In the United States alone, the number of affected vehicles could top 111,000, according to research firm Kelley Blue Book.

From the hit it took to its quality reputation during past recalls related to unintended acceleration, Toyota has learned that it cannot delay action on these issues, Kelley Blue Book analysts said. But the decision to stop selling high-volume models with seat heaters will be costly.

"The timing of this issue, and its impact on Toyota's most popular models, couldn't be much worse," Kelley Blue Book senior analyst Karl Brauer said. "Given that much of the U.S. is currently in the grips of a record cold snap, there's sure to be high demand for models with seat heaters.

"Toyota officials appear confident there is no risk and as a result they feel any hit to the company's reputation would be short-lived and less costly than a full recall," he added.

From late 2009 to early 2011, Toyota recalled nearly 19 million vehicles globally related to unintended acceleration claims. In 2010, Toyota President Akio Toyoda apologized for the company's handling of the recalls and said he would insist on customer safety first.

Toyota was fined $17.35 million in December 2012 for being slow on a recall, still the single highest civil penalty ever paid to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for violations stemming from a recall.

In July 2013, a U.S. judge approved a settlement valued at more than $1.6 billion to resolve economic-loss claims resulting from the alleged safety defects. The company is still trying to settle related personal-injury lawsuits.

Toyota spokesman John Hanson said on Thursday the company has informed NHTSA of the fire retardation problem and would file an official report outlining the noncompliance with the standard. He added that Toyota did not feel a recall was necessary.

The petition that Toyota will file with NHTSA says the problem is "inconsequential" in terms of vehicle safety, even though the cars are no longer being sold by dealers because they do not meet U.S. safety standards, he said.

The U.S. safety agency said it was aware of the upcoming petition and would seek public comment once it had been filed.

"NHTSA is monitoring the risk associated with this noncompliance and will evaluate Toyota's petition once it is received," the agency said in an emailed statement. "As always, safety is our top priority and NHTSA will take appropriate action as warranted."

Affected vehicles are the 2012-2014 Camry mid-sized sedan and Camry hybrid; 2013-2014 Avalon sedan, Avalon hybrid, Sienna minivan, and Tacoma pickup truck; and 2014 Corolla subcompact and Tundra pickup truck equipped with seat heaters that have been sold since August 2012, when the fabric supplier was changed, Hanson and NHTSA said.

From the start of August 2012 through the end of 2013, Toyota in the United States sold 1,396,807 of the affected models, including those without seat heaters, according to Kelley Blue Book. Eight percent of the 2013 and 2014 model-year vehicles were sold with seat heaters, suggesting more than 111,000 in the United States have the noncompliant parts, KBB said.

Toyota dealers have been told to stop selling any of the affected vehicles until the seat heater can be replaced, Hanson said. The automaker will address requests by individual owners to replace the part at no cost on a case-by-case basis.- Reuters

New York private equity manager firm charged with US$9mil theft

Posted: 30 Jan 2014 06:39 PM PST

NEW YORK: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced on Thursday it has charged a New York private equity manager and his firm with stealing more than $9 million from fund investors.

The government has frozen the assets of Lawrence E. Penn III and his firm, Camelot Acquisitions Secondary Opportunity Management, another individual and three entities that may be related to the theft, according to an SEC release.

The SEC alleges that Penn used about $9.3 million from the fund to pay fake fees to Ssecurion, a company controlled by his longtime acquaintance, San Francisco-based Altura S. Ewers, who would then kick the money back to companies and accounts controlled by Penn.

Penn used the funds to rent luxury office space and pay commissions to third parties to secure investments from pension funds, according to the release.

Camelot's auditors began to become suspicious of the fees in 2013 after Penn and Ewers lied and forged documents in order to cover up their scheme, according to the SEC.

"Penn held himself out as an ultra-sophisticated and well-connected investor in the private equity world," Andrew M. Calamari, the director of the SEC's New York Regional Office said in a statement. "Behind the scenes, Penn disregarded his obligations to the fund's investors and treated their assets as his own personal and professional slush fund."

A Camelot representative was unavailable to comment on the SEC charges. Contact information for Penn and Ewers was not readily available.

The SEC's complaint, which was filed in a federal court in New York, charges Penn, two Camelot entities, Ewers and Ssecurion with violating U.S. securities laws. It seeks the disgorgement of ill-gotten gains with interest and applicable penalties.

Penn founded the private equity fund Camelot Acquisitions Secondary Opportunities LP in 2010, eventually securing capital commitments of roughly $120 million, according to the SEC. Camelot's investments are primarily growth-stage private companies that want to go public.- Reuters

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The Star Online: Nation

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Ten major outlets offering price cuts
Family of three detained for possessing drugs and firearms
Hashtag still going strong on Twitter

Ten major outlets offering price cuts

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

SERDANG: Ten major supermarkets and hypermarkets nationwide will reduce prices of 4,000 selected products by up to 70% to ease the burden of the rakyat due to the rising cost of living.

"Today, we are launching a Price Reduction Campaign and 10 major companies with 955 outlets nationwide will participate," Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said when launching the campaign at AEON Balakong here yesterday.

He said that discounts of between 15% and 70% would be offered on some 4,000 selected products for a period of six months.

"The price reductions are big and this will surely be felt and enjoyed by the rakyat," he said, adding that the exercise is part of the Government's effort to cushion the rising cost of living.

The companies participating in the campaign are AEON, AEON BIG, Econosave, Mydin, NSK, 99 Speedmart, Sego Fresh Mart, Giant, KK Mart and Tesco.

Price check: Najib touring the vegetable section of the AEON hypermarket in Balakong after launching the Price Reduction Campign. — FAIHAN GHANI / The Star

Among the 4,000 on the reduced-priced list are fresh produce, frozen food, dried food, canned food, drinks, baby and children products and non-food items.

"As an open economy, Malaysia is surely exposed to external factors that are beyond our control.

"The issue of rising prices must be tackled by all quarters as it was beyond one's control, including that of the Government," he said.

Najib said mandarin oranges from China were costing more this Chinese New Year as poor weather in China had greatly reduced the supply of the item.

"From what I had gathered, similar oranges imported from Pakistan are being sold two ringgit cheaper than those from China.

"I am giving this as an example so that consumers will make informed decisions," he added.

Family of three detained for possessing drugs and firearms

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

BALIK PULAU: Three family members have been detained for possession of drugs and firearms at their house in Pulau Betong here.

Acting on a tip-off, a team from the South-West district Narcotics CID found the items at various parts of the house during a raid.

Balik Pulau OCPD Supt Lai Fah Hin said the three suspects, all fishermen, comprised a 46-year-old man, his 18-year-old son and their 27-year-old relative.

"We found three small packets of powder suspected to be syabu (methamphetamine) weighing 4.1g, nine 12-bore shotgun bullets, seven packets of ketum juice, an air gun, a rifle, 50 ball bearings and a blade in the Monday evening raid.

"The father and son tested positive for methamphetamine while the other man had finished serving jail time for possessing stolen goods," he told a press conference at the district police headquarters here yesterday.

The three are on remand until Feb 3 to facilitate with investigation under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, Section 30(3) of the Poisons Act 1952 and Section 8 of the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act.

Police have also crippled two gangs and arrested seven men on Monday in connection with gang robbery and house break-ins.

Supt Lai said among those who were nabbed at a house in Sungai Pinang were four members of Gang Tocang.

"After investigation, we found that they had committed eight break-ins in the Balik Pulau area," he said.

In another case, police had arrested three suspects from Gang Vinod believed to have been responsible for seven gang robberies in various locations.

All three have criminal records and are expected to be charged at the Balik Pulau court today under Section 395/397 of the Penal Code for gang robbery.

Hashtag still going strong on Twitter

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

PETALING JAYA: On rapidly evolving social media platforms like Twitter, hashtags on some topics tend to diminish as quickly as they are created.

However, one local hashtag not only survived for three years, thanks to tweets from Malaysians, but made it to Twitter's worldwide trending list on Jan 28.

The hashtag #youknowyouremalaysianwhen was first used on Nov 5, 2011 when user @ashrafhilmy tweeted "#youknowyouremalaysianwhen you eat fat rice (nasi lemak) for breakfast".

Since then, many other users have contributed their tweets using the hashtag, sometimes to comment on typically Malaysian attitudes and quirks and, at other times, giving a comic twist to current affairs.

On the day the hashtag was trending, many users reposted an image which lamented a lack of "freedom to tweet", as users had to think many times before posting something "for fear of someone trying to spot our mistakes".

Other users also took a swipe at the recent spate of jokes related to "kangkung", as user @hri_my tweeted "#youknowyouremalaysianwhen you laugh at all the kangkung jokes".

Although the hashtag was created in 2011, it took a dip the following year, with only two tweets linked to it in 2012.

The hashtag regained popularity a few weeks after the 13th general election, when user Niresh Kaur tweeted "#YouKnowYoureMalaysianWhen you can swear in Chinese, Tamil, Punjabi and Malay #multiracial".

Usage of the hashtag escalated in November last year, with more comments focused on Malaysian practices.

Tobias Eaton (@NarryAllDWay) commented on the practice in schools where students were expected to stand and greet teachers as they enter the classroom.

"#youknowyouremalaysianwhen you have to stand up and greet the teachers every time they walk into your class and wait until you are allowed to sit," he said.

One recent tweet by user Mohd Ameer was "#youknowyouremalaysianwhen you put your handphone over your ears to hear a song, instead of using earphones".

The hashtag is an adaptation from similar ones used by other countries, such as #youknowyoureamericanwhen (United States), #youknowyourebritishwhen (Britain), and #youknowyoureaustralianwhen (Australia).

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

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Airwave assassins
Festive feast
Upping the ante on epics

Airwave assassins

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

Star RFM 988 DJs KK Wong and Cheryl Lee play a pair of lovestruck assassins in Bullets Over Petaling Street.

AS THEY are best known for their on-air chemistry and trademark fun banter, it was no surprise that Star RFM 988 DJs KK Wong and Cheryl Lee (who goes by Xin Yi on air) were roped into the cast of locally-produced Chinese action comedy movie Bullets Over Petaling Street.

The film, jointly made with Juita Viden and Golden Screen Cinemas, sees the DJ duo taking on the role of assassins – with Wong as Lee's mentor, who develops feelings for her after taking her under his wing.

"I think (our inclusion in the movie is because) the director felt that we can bring some humour to the film," said Lee during an interview with the two deejays in Petaling Jaya recently.

Although she enjoyed the filming process immensely, she also lamented that it could get rather difficult and challenging.

Star RFM 988 DJs KK Wong (right) and Cheryl Lee (Xin Yi) play assassins hired to kill Debbie Goh's triad boss lady, in Bullets Over Petaling Street.

Wong (right) as Lee's mentor, develops feelings for her after taking her under his wing.

"On the first day of filming itself, I was atop a moving vehicle, holding a gun while shooting at a certain angle. Even though the gun was only a replica, the weight and features of it were designed like the real weapon, so I really got a lot of bruises on my arm that day! I had no training beforehand, but thankfully I still exercise regularly to maintain my fitness," she explained.

Wong agreed that Lee's role was a lot more gruelling than his own, as he didn't have many action scenes. In fact, for the first half of the show, he is disguised as a photographer, with his secret identity as a killer only revealed later.

Just as the lead character Angel (played by actress Debbie Goh) undergoes a dozen different costume changes for each scene, Lee said she also has at least 10 different hairstyles for her part, which proved to be quite time-consuming. All the same, the vivacious 29-year-old, who previously played more genteel and girl-next-door roles, was also glad to be tackling the more aggressive personality of a hired assassin.

Meanwhile, Wong thinks that the movie turned out to be quite a breakthrough.

"Personally, I didn't harbour too high expectations of this film, but I've heard lots of compliments from those who have watched it. That is such a big relief," he said.

Both of them harbour hopes of becoming the main actor or actress one day in future films.

"Actually, I'm very versatile, and don't just play comedy-related roles. This is something I hope directors can see. In fact, I'm quite good at shedding tears, and being a crybaby!" Wong quipped playfully.

Known for their on-air banter, Wong (left) and Lee were the perfect choice to bring a little humour to the movie.

Wong also claimed that he was approached by a real triad boss while shooting a scene in Petaling Street, though he had no inkling who the well-dressed man was at the time.

"He happened to recognise me, so he called my name and asked why we never informed him that we were coming here to film. I was a little surprised, because I didn't know who he was. I thought he was just a fan! It was only later that I found out (who he was), when other crew members asked how I came to know a triad boss!" he recalled with a mock shudder.

Unlike previous years where the Kuala Lumpur native would usually spend the festive period travelling, Wong is staying put in the city this year, and will even be on duty on the first day of Chinese New Year.

Lee, who was born in Malacca but spent most of her formative years in Pahang, said her family is now living in Johor, but will be coming to visit her in KL so there are preparations to make at home.

Bullets Over Petaling Street opens in cinemas nationwide on Feb 13.

Festive feast

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

From beings of legend to figures of Lego, here's what to expect at the cinemas this season.

Ah Beng: Mission Impossible (now showing)

Director: Silver

Cast: Jack Lim, Jeff Chin, Gan Mei Yan

Distributor: Ram Entertainment

Just as everyone is preparing for the festive season, security guard Ah Beng (Lim) receives a call from his company. He is asked to cancel his Lunar New Year holiday for a "simple" mission, which infuriates him. However, Ah Beng immediately changes his mind when he discovers that the mission promises a handsome reward of one million ringgit!

Opening today:

The Monkey King

Cast: Donnie Yen, Chow Yun-Fat, Aaron Kwok

Director: Cheang Pou-Soi

Distributor: GSC Movies

Martial arts superstar Donnie Yen plays the titular Monkey King Sun Wukong, a monkey born from a heavenly stone who acquires supernatural powers. This first instalment in a trilogy of live-action 3D movies is actually a prequel to the classic Chinese literary work Journey To The West, telling the origin of Sun Wukong and ending with his imprisonment for his crimes under the Five-Peaked Mountain.

The Journey

Director: Chiu Keng Guan

Cast: Ben Andrew Pfeiffer, Lee Sai Peng, Joanne Yew Hong Im

Distributor: Mm2 Entertainment Sdn Bhd

Uncle Chuan (Lee) is an old-fashioned and conservative man staying alone in Cameron Highlands, leading a lonely retired life. When his only daughter Ah Bee (Yew) returns home from studying overseas and announces that she is marrying her foreign boyfriend Benji (Pfeiffer), Chuan reluctantly agrees under one condition – that Benji accompanies him on a journey all over Malaysia to deliver the wedding invitations to his 11 ex-primary schoolmates in person.

Chow Yun-Fat stars as a master gambler in From Vegas To Macau.

From Vegas to Macau

Cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Nicholas Tse, Chapman To, Tian Jing

Director: Wong Jing

Distributor: GSC Movies

Chow Yun-Fat returns to the poker table in a role that brings to mind his iconic God Of Gamblers movies. Chow plays Hendrick, a renowned gambler who has left behind his troubled past to work as a security consultant for a casino. When super hacker "Show Hand" (Tse) unwittingly gets Hendrick's daughter Charlie involved with a mafia boss named Ko, the two generations of swindlers must work together to bring down the bad guy and save Charlie.

Hello Babies

Cast: Raymond Wong, Eric Tsang, Sandra Ng, Alex Fong Chung-Sun, Raymond Lam Fung, Karena Lam

Director: Vincent Kok

Distributor: Lotus Five Star

A film about two married couples of different ages and backgrounds, and how they deal with issues related to procreation. One couple decides not to have children in order to maintain their peaceful lifestyle, while the other is still trying for a baby after many years of marriage. Their lives changed forever when a wealthy uncle is diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer's disease, and they find out that they would only inherit his vast fortune under one condition – that they have a baby.

Golden Chicken$$$

Director: Matt Chow

Cast: Sandra Ng, with cameos by Ivana Wong, Nick Cheung, Louis Koo, Ronald Cheng, Anthony Wong etc.

Distributor: GSC Movies

In this follow-up to 2002's Golden Chicken and 2003's Golden Chicken 2, Ng reprises her role as Ah Kam, a "mamasan" who manages a stable of high-end prostitutes. On the surface, she embraces the prosperity of the "New Hong Kong", but like many middle-class HK citizens, she laments the loss of the old Hong Kong that once belonged to the people. When her old flame, over-the-hill mob boss Gordon (Anthony Wong), is unable to cope with the new Hong Kong, the kind-hearted Kam takes it upon herself to help him rebuild his life.

Robocop (Joel Kinnaman) is unstoppable when it comes to catching the criminals in Robocop.

Robocop

Director: José Padilha

Cast: Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K. Williams, Jennifer Ehle, Jay Baruchel

Distributor: Sony Pictures

A remake of the cult 1987 hit, this updated version features a star-studded cast, and revolves around good cop and family man Alex Murphy (Kinnaman) being turned into a part-man, part-robot police officer by money-grubbing multinational conglomerate OmniCorp.

Huat Ah! Huat Ah! Huat! (Opens Feb 6)

Cast: Aniu, Joyce Cheng, KK Wong, Marcus Chin

Director: Tan Boon Huat

Distributor: GSC Movies

An inspirational comedy about a village lad with autism named Ah Huat (Aniu), who is inept at expressing himself. A typical down-to-earth lad trying to earn an honest living through hard work, Ah Huat lives by the motto of staying true to himself, and goes through a rite of passage in order to achieve success and find happiness.

'Ooh, look at that cute little fella. Well, hello, kitty – whoops, can I say that without infringing something?'

The Lego Movies (opens Feb 6)

Director: Phil Lord

Voice cast: Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman Emmet is an ordinary, happy little mini-figure who is mistaken for the Special, a Master Builder who can save the Lego universe from the evil Lord Business (Ferrel), who wants to superglue all the Lego pieces together. Helping Emmet on his quest to stop Lord Business is Vitruvius the wizard (Freeman), a girl with a wild style named, well, Wildstyle (Banks) and Batman (Arnett). Based on the trailer, our money is on this being the funniest movie featuring Batman ever.

Bullets Over Petaling Street (opens Feb 13)

Cast: Debbie Goh, Chen Han Wei, Irene Ang, Jeffrey Cheng, Steve Yap

Directors: Sampson Yuen, Ho Shih Phin

Distributor: GSC Movies

An action comedy about a movie star named Angel (Goh) who unwittingly becomes the leader of a triad in Petaling Street and becomes involved in an intense election war with three other gangs.

Dodging assassins and facing up to dangerous gangsters, Angel has to adapt to her new role while trying to rekindle her relationship with her ex-boyfriend Xie Da Xiang (Chen).

Upping the ante on epics

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

A big risk from Marvel, risky pics for two big-name stars, and the return of a beloved big lizard – it's all big in 2014!

HERE are some blockbusters likely to pull in the crowds in 2014. Surprise, surprise – there's a heck of a lot of CGI in them. Can two Biblical epics out-muscle superheroes, mutants and living robots at the box office?

> Noah: Darren Aronofsky's US$130m (RM428mil) Biblical epic arrives buffeted by Hurricane Sandy (which gatecrashed the production) and lashed by controversy (the director and studio have reportedly squabbled over the final cut). The omens are explosive and the anticipation is building. Russell Crowe looks on stentorian form as the pre-flood patriarch, reeling from portents of the apocalypse and determined to protect his wife (Jennifer Connelly), his adopted daughter (Emma Watson) and the animals of the world. But trouble is brewing; he's going to need a bigger boat.

> Godzilla: British director Gareth Edwards scored a low-budget breakthrough with 2010's Monsters. Now he's surging up through the gears to tackle arguably the biggest beast of them all. His remastered Godzilla finds the behemoth battling manmade goliaths while Aaron Taylor-Johnson strives (one assumes in vain) to maintain order. The eclectic supporting cast finds room for Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen, Sally Hawkins and Juliette Binoche.

> Exodus: Bible study, book two. Ridley Scott leads Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Aaron Paul and Sigourney Weaver through the wilderness with his story of Moses and the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. Bale plays Moses, Edgerton is Ramses, while Almeria in Spain offers up the path to Mount Sanai. Likely epic, almost certainly bombastic. And – given it's a Scott film – bloody as hell.

> Pompeii: Remake of the cheeky British TV sitcom that saw the Carry On lot romp – oh hold on, that's not right, let's try again: Huge CGI-riddled take on the destruction of the Roman city by the AD79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Kit Harington of Game Of Thrones plays Milo, a slave turned gladiator who must beat the arena and best mother nature to save his love, Cassia (Emily Browning). Plenty of bare flesh, loads of shonky special effects and a starring role for Kiefer Sutherland as an evil senator. Perhaps this is borrowing Up Pompeii!'s enjoyable trashiness after all?

> Captain America: Winter Soldier: America's old-school superhero continues his reinvention from Second World War propaganda tool to righteous modern age ass-kicker. Likeable lunk Chris Evans is back in the red, white and blue corner as Steve Rogers/Captain America, still struggling to adapt to the modern world after his abrupt resurrection at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger. Over on the dark side is the Winter Soldier, a former pal of his who has been turned into a brainwashed assassin. Superhero stories are still huge business (Iron Man 3 was 2013's highest-grossing film). No wonder Marvel keeps on churning them out. It'll be only a matter of seconds before another ... Oh! Look! ...

> Guardians Of The Galaxy: The 10th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Chris Pratt leads a rag-tag band of superheroes that include a talking raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and a sentient tree (Vin Diesel). John C. Reilly and Glenn Close are among the top brass of Nova Corps, the intergalatic police force that guides the Guardians through their very odd adventure. Less sleek than the X-Men, more risque than the Avengers. This promises to be Marvel's weirdest, riskiest manoeuvre yet.

> Transformers: Age Of Extinction: The Transformers franchise folds itself into a new shape with a fourth instalment featuring an honest-to-goodness star name – Mark Wahlberg – in the lead role. Age Of Extinction has Wahlberg playing an inventor and single dad powering down the Decepticons with the help of Optimus Prime and company. Nicola Peltz gets to play the woman who screams and runs away a lot, while Michael Bay returns to the director's chair. All together now: Boom Crunch! Arrrgh!

> The Amazing Spider-Man 2: The high school hero returns to take on Rhino (Paul Giamatti) and Electro (Jamie Foxx), the latest villains associated with shady tech company OsCorp. Andrew Garfield dons the costume for his second swing as Marvel's friendly neighbourhood cash cow. Emma Stone is back as Gwen Stacy, while Dane DeHaan steps aboard the franchise merry-go-round as Harry Osborn, pal of Peter, eventual arch-enemy of the webslinger. Bleat on, those of you still miffed at this reboot, which arrives a mere 10 years after Sam Raimi's original. Spidey's moving too fast to hear you.

> X-Men: Days of Future Past: The clue's in the baffling title. Fresh from their adventure with Matthew Vaughn in X-Men: First Class, the students of Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters team up (kind of) with their future selves to battle an evil force. Magneto and his mutant brotherhood are around too. It's an excuse to watch Jennifer Lawrence, Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender scamper around in spandex again basically. Why should cinema aim any higher than that? – Guardian News & Media

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

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First Marcel Wanders exhibition since 1999

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 06:40 PM PST

Biggest-ever Marcel Wanders design exhibition opens in Amsterdam.

THE first-ever large scale retrospective of Dutch designer Marcel Wanders 's work is set to go on show in Amsterdam in February.

Marcel Wanders: Pinned Up at the Stedelijk is the designer's first European public show since 1999 and the first major exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum since it reopened in 2012. More than 400 of the Moooi co-founder's designs will be on show, spanning 25 years in the spotlight.

Iconic Wanders pieces such as the Knotted Chair (1995-1996), the Egg vase (1997), the Lace Table (1997) and the Skygarden Lamp (2007) will all be on display, in addition to lesser-known new designs such as the Carbon Balloon Chair (2013), which will make its European debut during the exhibition.

A series of virtual "fantasy interiors" dreamed up by Wanders will also form part of the exhibit and the designer will personally hold a children's workshop on March 2. A series of talks and interviews focusing on his career will also take place at the museum.

A range of Wanders products will be on sale at the museum store and visitors can relax with a specially-designed "Pinned-Up" cocktail, created by the man himself in collaboration with beverage company Bols .

Marcel Wanders: Pinned Up at the Stedelijk will be opened by Amsterdam's Mayor Eberhard van der Laan on Jan 31 and will run until June 15. – AFP Relaxnews

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Divided Thailand set for chaotic election

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 05:58 PM PST

BANGKOK, Jan 30, 2014 (AFP) - Tens of thousands of police will be deployed across Thailand on Sunday for an election seen as a crucial test of the kingdom's fragile democracy, with opposition protesters threatening to lay siege to polling stations.

Experts warn the vote is unlikely to end a long-running cycle of political violence or mollify opponents of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra who fear the polls will only prolong her billionaire family's hold on power.

At least 10 people have been killed and hundreds injured in clashes, grenade attacks and drive-by shootings since mass opposition rallies against her government began three months ago.

"Thailand seems to be in a perpetual state of conflict right now and I don't see any end in sight," said Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher with New York-based Human Rights Watch.

The elite-backed opposition Democrat Party - which has not won an elected majority in around two decades - is boycotting the vote, tilting the odds toward another victory by Yingluck's party but reinforcing questions about whether the new parliament will have enough members to sit.

Protesters, who have occupied key intersections of Bangkok, are demanding Yingluck's elected government step down to make way for an unelected "people's council" that would oversee loosely defined reforms to tackle corruption and alleged vote-buying.

Yingluck's opponents say she is a puppet for her elder brother Thaksin Shinawatra, a controversial former prime minister who was ousted by the military in 2006 and lives in Dubai to avoid a prison term for graft.

The protests were initially triggered by a failed amnesty bill that could have allowed Thaksin to return without going to jail.

'Political limbo' looms

Fifty-three parties are taking part in Sunday's election, hoping to fill the void left by the Democrats, although there has been little sign of campaigning in the capital apart from a few defaced election posters.

Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, an opposition heavyweight, has urged supporters to do their utmost to prevent the polls taking place, raising fears of further violence.

His bold threat comes despite a 60-day state of emergency imposed in the capital and surrounding areas that gives authorities extra security powers.

Even if voters manage to cast their ballots, election officials warn that the poll result may not be known for months because of problems caused by the protests.

Disruption by demonstrators to candidate registrations means that if Yingluck wins she will remain in a caretaker role with limited power over government policy until by-elections are held to ensure there are enough MPs to convene parliament.

Thailand faces a "legal and political limbo that never happened before", warned Sunai.

"It's no longer necessary to have tanks on the street to remove one side of the political divide from the scene," he said. "Without a parliament there can be no elected government."

Advance voting in parts of the country, including Bangkok, on January 26 was marred by blockades by opposition protesters who stopped hundreds of thousands of people from casting ballots.

On Sunday 129,000 police will be deployed to protect ballot boxes and guard more than 93,500 polling stations, said deputy national police spokesman Anucha Romyanan.

'Elite clash of interests'

The backdrop to the protests is a years-long political struggle pitting the kingdom's royalist establishment - backed by the courts and the military - against Thaksin, a billionaire tycoon-turned-politician.

The dispute comes at a time of national anxiety about the health of 86-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and about who will be running the country when the revered but ailing monarch's more than six-decade reign comes to an end.

"You have in Thailand an elite clash of interests," said Paul Chambers, director of research at the Institute of Southeast Asian Affairs at Chiang Mai University in northern Thailand.

Thaksin and his allies rely on support among the rural poor to win elections, he said.

"On the other hand the royalists have the military and the judiciary. It's a never-ending struggle," Chambers said.

Pro-Thaksin parties have won every election since 2001, most recently with a landslide victory under Yingluck two years ago.

In addition to the 2006 coup, two pro-Thaksin premiers were forced from office in 2008 by the courts, angering the ousted leader's "Red Shirt" supporters who have vowed to rise up if another elected government is removed by the army or the judiciary.

When the Red Shirts took to the streets in 2010 demanding new elections, more than 90 people died and nearly 1,900 people were wounded in street clashes and a military crackdown under the previous government.

Driverless car to ply NUS campus

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

A new driverless car will start tooling around the National University of Singapore (NUS) campus in tests that may one day see such vehicles shuttling people from their homes to destinations like MRT stations.

The Singapore-made car, called the Shared Computer Operated Transport, or Scot, was launched on Tuesday by the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Techno-logy (Smart) and NUS.

Starting with a Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car, the researchers retrofitted it at a cost of S$30,000 (RM78,490) so it would drive programmed routes.

The car, which seats four and has a top speed of 130kph, uses laser sensors with a 30m range to detect and avoid obstacles in its path.

It also uses remote sensing technology that allows it to function without relying on the Global Positioning System.

The researchers also wrote the maps used by the Scot to get from place to place.

They intend it to be deployed on demand in future, shared by residents like taxis. It could help solve cities' "first- and last-mile problems" – the initial and final legs of journeys between home and transportation hubs that often cause congestion and air pollution.

Such vehicles could be especially relevant to Singapore given its ageing population, which means an increasing number of people with mobility issues, said Smart lead investigator Emilio Frazzoli.

"We are looking at this to provide wider access to mobility for the elderly population in Singa-pore," he said.

It would also make car-sharing more effective, he added. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

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Divided Thailand set for chaotic election
Driverless car to ply NUS campus
Scaffolding collapse leaves 11 hurt