Jumaat, 7 Februari 2014

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro


Flights cancelled as heavy snow hits Tokyo

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:11 PM PST

TOKYO, Feb 08, 2014 (AFP) - Heavy snow struck Tokyo and other areas across Japan on Saturday, grounding nearly 300 flights and suspending some train services as the weather agency issued a severe storm warning for the capital.

Local media reported that at least 43 people were injured due to snow-related accidents.

As much as four centimetres (1.6 inches) of snow was recorded Saturday morning in Tokyo, with a rapidly developing low pressure front heading toward eastern Japan, the meteorological agency said.

Employees were hurriedly removing snow from the pavement in front of their shops and restaurants in Tokyo's bustling Ginza district.

Television footage showed hundreds of passengers queuing for reimbursement or a change of flights at Tokyo's Haneda airport with departure boards indicating the cancellation of many flights.

Further snowfall is expected Saturday afternoon in Tokyo, with up to 20 centimetres of snow expected, the weather agency said.

A bullet train leaves JR Tokyo Station in the snow on February 8, 2014. Wide areas of Japan were hit by snowfall with central Tokyo covered with snow in the morning. - AFP

A bullet train leaves JR Tokyo Station in the snow on February 8, 2014. Wide areas of Japan were hit by snowfall with central Tokyo covered with snow in the morning.  - AFP


The agency issued a heavy snow warning for Tokyo, the first such warning for the capital in 13 years, calling on residents not to go out unless necessary.

Japan Airlines cancelled 265 domestic flights on Saturday due to heavy snow, public broadcaster NHK said.

All Nippon Airways separately cancelled 33 flights, a company spokesman said, adding that more cancellations were expected Saturday afternoon.

Airports in the western cities of Hiroshima and Kagawa were closed as operators were removing snow from the runways.

Railway operators temporarily suspended services of Shinkansen bullet trains in western Japan, NHK said.

Some sections of expressways in central Japan were also closed due to the snow, Kyodo News said.

In Tokyo, several universities delayed the starting times of their entrance examinations for the new academic year that begins in April, Kyodo added.

26 vie to be first Singaporean to fly into space

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

A 15-YEAR-OLD girl, a former soldier who has climbed Mount Everest and Singapore Airlines (SIA) pilots are among 26 Singaporeans vying to become the first citizen to pilot a craft into near space – more than 20km above sea level.

Seven of them were picked to face the nation for the first time yesterday at the Global Space & Technology Convention held at Sheraton To­­wers.

Whittled down from an initial list of 126 are 22 men, 20 of whom are currently pilots for SIA. The women include two Nanyang Technological University (NTU) undergraduates and a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the United States.

One of the 26 will be chosen by April next year to be launched into the atmosphere on National Day, Aug 9, 2015 – Singapore's 50th birthday – according to plans by the Science Centre Board, the Singapore Space and Technology Association, and IN.Genius, a local firm focusing on high-tech energy solutions.

The project is privately funded and has not received backing from the Government, though organisers still hope to secure this. They have so far declined to reveal funding details. The vessel will be a helium stratospheric balloon similar to one flown by Austrian skydiver Felix Baum­gartner in his 2012 record free fall from 39km.

Space and rocket enthusiast and Tanjong Katong Girls' School student Cherie Lim, 15, said she would strive to be fearless if chosen, despite her youth.

"Not everyone gets to do this. I'm looking at it as an adventure." The daughter of an aeronautical engineer, who said her parents are supportive, plans to get her pilot licence after her year-end examinations.

SIA pilot Kevin Lee, 35, said there was some "competitiveness" bet­ween the remaining hopefuls. He felt that his experience in the air and as a naval diver might give him an edge, especially with the gruelling rounds of selection tests still to come.

The 26 will be put through advanced confidence courses, deep diving, para-jumping and a helium balloon pilot course over the next year – with weaker candidates weeded out along the way.

But physical prowess is not the only requirement for a ticket to space. "I want to look for someone with heart, who wants to do this to make Singapore proud," said IN.Genius director Lim Seng, one of seven in the selection panel that also includes former chief defence scientist Lui Pao Chuen and former US Nasa engineer Timothy Kauffman.

Professor Lui said the choice would be a role model for Singaporeans.

"He or she must demonstrate that they can dream about great things, and go through hardship to realise their dreams." — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Indonesia grants Corby parole

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

KEROBOKAN: Australian drug trafficker Schapelle Corby (pic) was granted parole by Indonesian authorities as mobs of journalists camped outside her Bali prison and a bidding war heated up for her first post-jail interview.

Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin announced that Corby, whose case has attracted huge public sympathy and media attention in Australia, was among a batch of prisoners whose parole applications had been finalised.

The justice ministry added in a statement that "Corby has been approved to receive parole" as she had fulfilled the requirements as set out in the law.

Syamsuddin refused to comment when asked when Corby, who was arrested at the airport on the resort island of Bali with marijuana stashed in her surfing gear in 2004, might walk out of prison.

However, it is expected to be in the coming days once she has completed some final administrative steps.

As anticipation built in recent days that her release was imminent, hordes of Australian media flocked to Bali. A crowd of some 60 reporters, camera crew and photographers were outside the prison yesterday.

Channel Seven has reportedly sent the biggest crew to Bali, with 17 staff dispatched from Australia and another seven Indonesians on board.

Her sister Mercedes, with whom Corby will live on Bali once she is out on parole, arrived in the morning on a motorbike and had to fight her way through the scrum.

A media bidding war is reportedly in full swing in Australia that could see Corby earn millions of dollars for her tell-all story if she is released.

There have been claims that the bidders would pay as much as A$3mil (RM8.9mil), although The Australian broadsheet said informed sources had told it that a more realistic price would be A$1mil (RM3.3mil).

Corby has rarely spoken to media during her time in Kerobokan, reportedly holding out for a lucrative interview on her release.

The 36-year-old will not be able to return to Australia until 2017, however. Her sentence ends in 2016 and then she must stay for another year to comply with the conditions of her parole.

During this period, she will live on the resort island with her sister.

Corby, who has always insisted that the 4.1kg of marijuana found in her body board bag were planted, will emerge a changed woman after years in Bali's Kerobokan prison.

Prisoners often live side by side in overcrowded cells, and drug abuse, fighting between prisoners and beatings by jail wardens are reportedly common.

She has suffered from mental health problems in prison and needed hospital treatment for depression.

Corby was convicted and jailed for 20 years in 2005.

The end of her sentence was brought forward to 2016 after she received several remissions for good behaviour, and a five-year cut following an appeal for clemency to the Indonesian president.

Her parole bid was a complex, months-long process which repeatedly ran into bureaucratic hurdles. The process sped up in the past week when a justice ministry parole board in Jakarta finally heard her case. — AFP

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The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

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Paul Bettany strengthens'The Avengers' as Vision

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 06:05 PM PST

Actor has already lent voice to JARVIS in Iron Man trilogy.

BRITISH actor Paul Bettany will lend his face to that of The Vision in Marvel's spring 2015 blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Bettany finds a place in the superhero line-up by playing the solar-powered android, says Variety.

Up until now, the 42-year-old actor had merely lent his voice to JARVIS, Tony Stark's digital assistant in the Iron Man trilogy and the first of the Avengers films.

Less known than Captain America or Thor, The Vision actually started out as a villain in the Marvel universe before being redesigned and fighting for good.

The character will cross swords with another robotic combatant, Ultron, the film's main antagonist as voiced by James Spader.

Joss Whedon, director of the first Avengers, is also in the chair for The Avengers: Age of Ultron from March.

Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Hawk-Eye and Black Widow will unite to face off the threat of a new world order, aided by the twins Quicksilver and The Scarlet Witch, played by fellow newcomers to the fold, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen. – AFP Relaxnews

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio


Jay Leno 'Tonight Show' goodbye gets more viewers than first farewell

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 07:30 PM PST

Viewer numbers equal the time he interviewed Barrack Obama.

JAY Leno's send-off as the host of NBC's late-night talk show the Tonight Show drew 14.6 million viewers, Nielsen Media Research said on Feb 7, topping the audience that bid adieu to the host when he left the show for the first time in 2009.

Leno's emotional farewell on Feb 6 was the comedian's fourth-largest Tonight Show audience since he took the reins from Johnny Carson in 1992.

The finale attracted the same number of viewers who tuned in to watch Leno interview US President Barack Obama in 2009, in what was the first ever appearance of a sitting president on a late-night talk show.

Carson, who led the show for 30 years, attracted 42 million viewers for his final show in 1992, in an era when broadcast television commanded far greater audiences than today.

Viewership of the Tonight Show, which has been the top-rated late night show under Leno's guidance since 1995, was also helped by NBC's lead-in coverage of the first day of Winter Olympics on the same day.

Leno, 63, was given a star-studded good-bye with comedian-actor Billy Crystal as the featured guest and surprise appearances by Oprah Winfrey, Jack Black, Carol Burnett and Kim Kardashian, among others.

Audiences during Leno's final week rose to nearly five million per episode compared to the season average of 3.9 million.

Guests on the show in the past week included actors Sandra Bullock, Matthew McConaughey, comedian Jimmy Fallon, former NBA basketball player Charles Barkley and musical performances from country singers Blake Shelton and Lyle Lovett.

Current Late Night host Fallon, 39, will take over for Leno on Feb 17 as Comcast Corp-owned NBC attempts to transition the show to the younger, under-50 demographic most coveted by advertisers while keeping its grip atop the ratings.

It is not known if Leno will pursue another show in television once his contract with NBC expires in September, but the comedian will tour his stand-up show as he has done in years past.

O'Brien's final jab

Leno's highest-rated show drew 22.4 million viewers in 1993, a year into his tenure, and was tied to the finale of the NBC comedy series Cheers, which was one of the most-watched TV episodes in US history.

Other notable episodes during Leno's reign include his first telecast in 1992, which attracted 16.1 million viewers, and 15 million viewers tuned in to watch the show after the 1998 finale of popular sitcom Seinfeld.

NBC previously attempted to make the passage to a younger audience in 2009 by slotting Leno into primetime and giving its marquee Tonight Show to comedian Conan O'Brien, who had been the host of Late Night.

Some 11.9 million people watched Leno's final show in 2009 before handing off to O'Brien. But the failure of the Leno-O'Brien gambit led NBC to reinstal Leno as Tonight Show host after just eight months and forced O'Brien to end his contract with NBC, resulting in a very public, bitter feud.

Leno's departure aroused congratulations, a wry mention and a jab from his late-night talk show rivals.

O'Brien, who was groomed for Leno's seat only to be pushed out by the network and the host, said on his TBS cable programme that he would allow himself a single joke at Leno's expense.

"The Olympics start airing tonight on NBC ... NBC will finally get to show somebody who is OK with passing the torch," the comedian quipped.

CBS' David Letterman, beaten out by Leno for the Tonight Show chair in 1992, ultimately straining their friendship, noted that Leno's 22 years on the show were "remarkable" and congratulated him on a "wonderful run". ABC's Jimmy Kimmel, who has been highly critical of Leno's brand of middle-brow humour, the treatment of O'Brien and the handling of his departures, tweeted out a congratulatory note on Twitter.

"Issues aside, 20 years at #1 is a remarkable achievement. Congratulations and best wishes to @jayleno on an incredible run," the Jimmy Kimmel Live host wrote. – Reuters

Shawn Pyfrom opens up about addiction

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

Desperate Housewives alum talks about his struggles with alcohol and drugs.

CAPOTE star Philip Seymour Hoffman's tragic death on Feb 2 of an apparent drug overdose has inspired former Desperate Housewives actor Shawn Pyfrom to open up about his own struggles with addiction.

Pyfrom, who played Bree Van de Kamp's son Andrew on the drama, admits that he's an alcoholic and drug addict in a post on his Tumblr account, saying that he's admitting his addictions "against the advice of others".

The actor, who said that he's now five months sober and "relatively new" to sobriety, writes in the post that he made his admission to encourage others to conquer their addictions.

"I even question whether or not I should publish this, as I type out these words. But if these words can encourage someone to hold on to their life, to keep from ever using, or to find the strength to stop, then it's more important that these words are shared," Pyfrom wrote. "I've considered what's at stake for myself by sharing this – but I find myself without regard for that. I won't allow my selfish needs to get in the way of potentially reaching another human being's life."

The actor, 26, said that he "lived for drugs" for several years.

"I thought more about using, than I thought about any other 'pleasures'," the actor wrote. "I put myself in places I never would have ended up otherwise for the sake of getting high.

"There are countless nights of blacking out, and making poor decisions as a result of my overusing. I wasted the time of valuable people, who worked so hard to pull my career to a higher place, by allowing my addictions to tug me out of their grip. I worried the people that care about me. My friends. My parents. My siblings. All for the sake of something that I believed I had control over. I didn't even realise how low drugs and alcohol had pulled me."

Pyfrom concluded his message by writing that he hopes it gives the reader strength to avoid addiction.

"I hope you can save your life," Pyfrom wrote.

Hoffman, 46, was found dead in his New York City apartment. The actor, who had a history of addiction, entered a detox programme after suffering a relapse last year. – Reuters

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The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

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Paul Bettany strengthens'The Avengers' as Vision

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 06:05 PM PST

Actor has already lent voice to JARVIS in Iron Man trilogy.

BRITISH actor Paul Bettany will lend his face to that of The Vision in Marvel's spring 2015 blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Bettany finds a place in the superhero line-up by playing the solar-powered android, says Variety.

Up until now, the 42-year-old actor had merely lent his voice to JARVIS, Tony Stark's digital assistant in the Iron Man trilogy and the first of the Avengers films.

Less known than Captain America or Thor, The Vision actually started out as a villain in the Marvel universe before being redesigned and fighting for good.

The character will cross swords with another robotic combatant, Ultron, the film's main antagonist as voiced by James Spader.

Joss Whedon, director of the first Avengers, is also in the chair for The Avengers: Age of Ultron from March.

Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Hawk-Eye and Black Widow will unite to face off the threat of a new world order, aided by the twins Quicksilver and The Scarlet Witch, played by fellow newcomers to the fold, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen. – AFP Relaxnews

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates


Obama aide Rice says recent troubles shouldn't derail U.S.-India ties

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 07:25 PM PST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top White House adviser attempted to smooth over troubled ties between the United States and India on Friday, saying the two countries should not allow the dispute over an Indian diplomat to "derail the future we are working diligently to build."

The diplomat, Devyani Khobragade, was arrested on December 12 on charges of visa fraud and lying to U.S. authorities about what she paid her housekeeper. She was stripped-searched while detained in a Manhattan federal courthouse, an incident that triggered a major rift between India and the United States.

The controversy interrupted what had been a warming in U.S.-Indian relations as part of a U.S. pivot toward Asia.

President Barack Obama's national security adviser, Susan Rice, addressing the Aspen Institute U.S.-India Dialogue, said recent events had drawn more attention to disagreements than cooperative efforts.

"But those difficulties should be minor compared to the breadth of our relationship and the magnitude of what we can accomplish together. We must also deal with our differences in a constructive manner, commensurate with a relationship of this importance," she said.

The two countries cooperate on a wide range of issues including counterterrorism, regional security and defense. India is also a major market for U.S. weapons.

"We cannot allow such challenges to derail the future we are working diligently to build — a future of greater prosperity, greater security, and consistent adherence to our shared values," Rice said.

Rice also said the United States is confident that, whatever the outcome of India's upcoming national elections, the cooperation and strategic partnership between the two nations will continue to grow.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Ken Wills)

Egypt's top TV satirist returns, criticizes public for lionizing Sisi

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:40 PM PST

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's top satirist returned to television on Friday for the first airing of his show since it was pulled three months ago, and he skewered the public and media for lionizing the army chief widely expected to be the country's next president.

In taking aim at the frenzy of support for Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Bassem Youssef went further in his criticism of the army-backed political order than anyone else currently allowed on the airwaves.

Pledging not to discuss political issues that got his wildly popular show "The Program" yanked by private broadcaster CBC in November, Youssef showed that all topics in the country lead back to Sisi, who overthrew Islamist President Mohamed Mursi last year.

After attempting in a mock game show to explore subjects ranging from cooking to sports, Youssef asked with exasperation, "So what are we going to talk about?"

"There's not another subject to talk about," he concluded, adding that he would flip through Egyptian television to find another topic.

This led to a montage of Egyptians of all ages and various backgrounds, from talk show hosts to belly dancers, expressing their love for Sisi. When the clip ended, the heart surgeon-turned-comedian stuck a fake gun to his temple.

Youssef first poked fun at Egyptians for idolizing Sisi three months ago in the first episode of the show broadcast since Mursi's ouster. The CBC channel then suspended his show, saying it had caused discontent and violated editorial policy.

Since then, a state crackdown on Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood has escalated and expanded to include other critics of the army-backed interim government. The Brotherhood was declared a terrorist organization in December.

Several foreign journalists have been charged with aiding Egyptians belonging to a "terrorist organization," demonstrating that simply interviewing or interacting with members of the Brotherhood could earn reporters jail time.

State and private media speak with reverence about Sisi and cast anyone who dares critique him, including Youssef, a traitor.

Sisi is expected to announce his candidacy for president any day and to win by a landslide in an election due within six months. Many compare him to Gamal Abdel Nasser, the charismatic colonel who led a coup against the monarchy in 1952.

In Friday's program, broadcast by privately owned MBC Masr, Youssef promised to continue his show. "We won't fear anyone," he said as the unmistakable profile of Sisi appeared behind him.

"It's better we don't say anything about him," he said quickly. "That's not fear, that's respect."

There is no need for political satire, he then told the audience, because "the world is stable and everything is stable in the country."

In the seven months since Mursi's ouster, hundreds of his supporters have been killed by security forces and thousands have been jailed.

Bombings and assassinations of security officials have spread from the Sinai Peninsula to cities including Cairo as the state struggles to tame militant violence. At least 250 police have been killed in militant attacks since Mursi was overthrown.

As in the episode broadcast before his show was pulled, Youssef did not touch on the bloody events of recent months.

"He again focused on extreme forms of admiration and over-exultation ... when it comes to Sisi, but there is also a subtle criticism of Sisi himself," Egyptian political commentator Bassem Sabry said after the show.

Youssef, who has drawn inspiration from U.S. comedian Jon Stewart, rose to fame with a satirical online show after the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

His popularity skyrocketed when his TV program took aim at Mursi, drawing the ire of his government. Youssef was investigated on allegations of insulting Islam and the president. Critics of the Mursi government saw this as an attempt to stifle dissent. The charges were ultimately dropped.

Egypt's army-backed leaders now face even harsher criticism from local and international human rights groups.

Whether Youssef will be allowed to stay on air if he keeps up his sharp commentary was another topic of the broadcast.

"Second episode?" Youssef asked before bursting into laughter.

(The story corrects "skewed" to "skewered" in the first paragraph)

(Reporting By Ali Abdelatti; Writing by Maggie Fick; Editing by Toni Reinhold)

U.S. missionary said moved back to North Korean labour camp

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:20 PM PST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. missionary being held in North Korea was moved from a hospital back to a labour camp last month on the same day he made a public appeal for Washington to help get him home, the U.S. State Department said on Friday, citing Swedish diplomats who met the prisoner.

Kenneth Bae, 45, has been held for more than a year in North Korea after being sentenced to 15 years of hard labour for trying to overthrow the state. From last summer until January 20, he had been kept at Friendship Hospital in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, his family said.

"The Department of State has learned that the DPRK transferred Mr. Bae from a hospital to a labour camp, a development with which we are deeply concerned," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

"We also remain gravely concerned about Mr. Bae's health, and we continue to urge DPRK authorities to grant Mr Bae special amnesty and immediate release on humanitarian grounds," she said, referring to North Korea by the acronym of its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Psaki said Swedish Embassy representatives had met Bae 10 times since his detention, most recently on Friday in a labour camp.

"We continue to work actively to secure Mr. Bae's release," Psaki said, adding that Washington remained prepared to send its human rights envoy for North Korea, Robert King, to Pyongyang for that purpose.

North Korea has rejected this offer in the past and withdrew an invitation for King to visit Pyongyang last August.

Bae said in an interview with a pro-North Korea newspaper published in Japan that a Swedish Embassy official had visited him on Friday and told him King would visit as early as Monday and by the end of the month at the latest.

The United States had offered to send civil rights activist Jessie Jackson but North Korea has instead approved the visit by King, Bae said in the interview with the Choson Sinbo newspaper issued on Friday. It did not have further details on King or Jackson's plans.

A State Department official said Bae was moved back to the labour camp on January 20.

Bae's sister, Terri Chung, told Reuters Bae had been held in a labour camp from May 14 last year until August 5, when he was moved to the hospital.

She said the family did not know where the camp was, except that it was far from Pyongyang and Bae was working eight hours a day, six days a week.

HEALTH WORRY

Chung said her brother suffered from a variety of health issues, including diabetes, an enlarged heart, kidney stones and severe back pain.

"We are very concerned about his health," she said.

Bae, a Korean American, last appeared in public at Pyongyang Friendship Hospital on January 20 when he was paraded in front of a group of reporters and asked Washington to help him get home.

Bae's media appearance was his second since his arrest in 2012 when he led a tour group into the country. North Korea's state KCNA news agency reported Bae himself had asked to hold the news conference.

Bae has acknowledged being a missionary and has said he conducted religious services in the North, one of the most isolated states on earth and long hostile to Westerners advocating religious causes.

On Thursday, President Barack Obama offered prayers for Bae and U.S. prisoners held in other countries during remarks at an annual prayer breakfast that highlighted his Christian faith.

"His family wants him home. And the United States will continue to do everything in our power to secure his release," Obama said.

On Tuesday, the last surviving members of the U.S. Congress to have served in the Korean War sent a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un asking him to release Bae.

North Korea in December released 85-year-old Korean War veteran Merrill E. Newman, a former U.S. special forces soldier who had been held since October after visiting the country as a tourist, and the members of Congress applauded that in the letter seeking Bae's freedom.

The letter, signed by Democratic Representative Charles Rangel from New York, Democratic Representative John Conyers Jr. from Michigan, Republican Representative Sam Johnson from Texas and Republican Representative Howard Coble from North Carolina, is not seen as having nearly as much influence on the North Korean leaders as a possible visit from a U.S. envoy.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Business

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UEM Sunrise, KLK team up to develop each other's land in Iskandar

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: UEM Sunrise Bhd and Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd (KLK) are pooling their resources to develop 1,215ha of each other's landbank in Johor's Iskandar Malaysia with a total gross development value (GDV) of RM20bil.

This marks plantation giant KLK's maiden foray as a property developer in Iskandar Malaysia, but it is the second such project for the company's chief executive officer, Tan Sri Lee Oi Hian.

Lee had teamed up with tycoons Tan Sri Surin Upatkoon, Tan Sri Wan Azmi Wan Hamzah and Singaporean magnate Wee Ee Chao in January last year to buy a 17.8ha plot in Puteri Harbour from UEM Sunrise for RM401mil via Liberty Bridge Sdn Bhd.

The deals inked yesterday involve UEM Sunrise's land in Gerbang Nusajaya and KLK's vast plantation estate north of Iskandar Malaysia in Kulai, both of which are freehold.

KLK would lead the development in Gerbang Nusajaya under a 60:40 joint venture (JV) called Scope Energy Sdn Bhd with UEM Sunrise, while's KLK's Kulai land, dubbed Fraser Metropolis, was to be managed by Aura Muhibah Sdn Bhd, a 60:40 unit of UEM Sunrise and KLK, both companies said in filings with the stock exchange.

The Gerbang Nusajaya project, measuring 202ha is worth some RM5bil. The much larger 1,011ha Fraser Metropolis is expected to generate a GDV of RM15bil.

Both parties have agreed to develop phase 1 of Fraser Metropolis using half of its 2,022ha landbank, although KLK has granted Aura Muhibah the option to acquire a further 202ha there.

UEM Sunrise and KLK are planning a mixed development for Fraser Metropolis, which has been earmarked to be the next residential, commercial and industrial hub in the northern tip of Iskandar Malaysia and 30 minutes drive from Johor Baru. The Gerbang Nusajaya project will also be mixed-use. The land titles for the respective plots will be parked under the JV companies.

UEM Sunrise told Bursa Malaysia that it expected to book RM380mil in land sale gains from paring down its stake in Gerbang Nusajaya. KLK will also see a net gain on disposal of RM816.8mil from the Fraser Metropolis land.

Notably, UEM Sunrise and KLK are to exchange their land at the same price tag of RM871.2mil, but the parcels in Gerbang Nusajaya were valued at a higher RM40 per sq ft versus Fraser Metropolis's RM8 per sq ft.

This was to compensate for the existing infrastructure in Gerbang Nusajaya, RHB Research Institute analyst Loong Kok Wen told StarBizWeek.

UEM Sunrise executive director Datuk Izzaddin Idris told the media at a briefing that the properties were scheduled to be launched in the second half of next year, targeting Malaysians as well as foreign buyers.

Loong believes the JV is a win-win for both parties because it would allow KLK to unlock value from its massive plantation landbank, while giving the latter's property arm a reputable partner in UEM Sunrise, the master developer of Iskandar Malaysia's Nusajaya.

The collaboration would also help UEM Sunrise spread out the risk in Gerbang Nusajaya, which was too huge for the company to complete on its own, a PublicInvest Research analyst said.

But demand for the properties may be hard to gauge as the market is going through a soft patch due to the various cooling measures, according to the analyst.

Work on Fraser Metropolis is scheduled to start in 2017 and be staggered over 15 years. The project in Gerbang Nusajaya, also slated to begin in 2017, has an eight-year timeframe.

Separately, Izzaddin said UEM Sunrise planned to roll-out affordable homes in Gerbang Nusajaya next month priced at between RM150,000 and RM200,000.

The group was aiming for sales of RM3bil this year, but Izzaddin noted that it was "conscious of market conditions."

Some 2,022ha out of UEM Sunrise's 4,451ha landbank in Nusajaya had yet to be developed, he added.

FGV denies report on land sale talks with Tadmax

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

PETALING JAYA: Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd (FGV) has denied being in discussions with Tadmax Resources Bhd over the sale of the latter's land in Indonesia.

"However, the company previously in 2013, had very preliminary exploratory discussions with Tadmax on this matter but no definitive terms were discussed, negotiated and agreed upon," it said in its filing with Bursa Malaysia yesterday.

FGV was responding to an article published by an English daily on Thursday that said it was involved in a land disposal exercise by Tadmax, that could be worth as much as RM1bil.

The article said that FGV was seen as the front-runner for ownership of the land. It added that Tadmax would also be involved in the felling of trees in the virgin land as well as in replantation efforts.

Tadmax had issued a statement to Bursa on Thursday that it was in preliminary discussions with various parties, including FGV to sell its holdings in Indonesia.

"No definitive terms have been discussed with any party to date and discussions have been generally exploratory," it had said referring to the article.

Formerly known as Wijaya Baru Global Bhd, Tadmax reportedly owns 80,000ha in Irian Jaya, Indonesia, which is suitable for rubber, sugar cane and oil palm plantations. It also has a felling licence from the Indonesian government to cut down trees in the concession area.

The daily reported that Tadmax would first extract timber from the forested land before converting it into an oil palm plantation. It also stated that K&N Kenanga Holdings Bhd was believed to be advising Tadmax on the deal.

"The company also further wishes to state that it has not appointed any investment banker for the purpose. As such the company wishes to inform that there is no basis for the contents of the aforesaid article," Tadmax said in its filing on Thursday.

According to the article, Tadmax bought the land for US$80mil (RM264mil) and could probably sell it for as much as US$200mil with the right buyer. Also, it was mentioned that other parties including Tan Sri Ling Chiong Ho, who controls Sarawak Palm Oils Bhd, and Rimbunan Hijau's Tan Sri Tiong Hiew King, had showed interest in the land.

Apac Effie announces heads of jury

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

ASIA-PACIFIC (Apac) Effie has confirmed four heads of jury, including Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Malaysia (4As) vice-president Nicky Lim, for its 2014 award programme.

Lim, who is Geometry Global regional director for the Asean region, joins Aditya Birla Group chief marketing officer (financial services) Ajay Kakar, McCann Worldgroup Singapore chief executive officer Ben Lightfoot, and Draftfcb Greater China chairman and CEO Pully Chau on the judging committee.

4As says in a statement that Lim was jury chairman for Malaysia Effie Awards in 2012 and 2013. Prior to his current position at the WPP shopper activation agency, he was Grey Group's area director for Malaysia and Thailand.

"Having been involved in the Effie Awards in the past two years, I am thrilled for the opportunity to be part of this effectiveness awards once again, and this time on a regional scale," Lim says. "It will be exciting to look at the great works from the bright minds in the industry. I look forward to contributing my perspectives and a rewarding experience with Apac Effie."

Meanwhile, Kakar has chaired the Effie India Awards for the last three years. Before joining the Aditya Birla Group, he worked at Ogilvy & Mather for 14 years across three key disciplines – direct marketing, advertising, and public relations.

"The need and demand for work that succeeds in the marketplace have given the Effie Awards a pride of place on the shelves of agencies and marketers. I look forward to the exciting opportunity to review the most insightful and impactful campaigns from across the region," Kakar says.

Lightfoot, chairman of the 2013 Singapore Effie Awards, has 18 years' experience in the advertising and communications industries. Pully Chau, who has been named Advertising Person of the Year for China twice, has a deep history of involvement with the Effie programme with multiple years of experience judging for Effie China as both a judge and jury leader.

The heads of jury will form the judging committee, together with Connie Chan, the awards and judging chairman for Apac Effie Awards 2014.

Organised by the Confederation of Asian Advertising Agency Associations and Tenasia Group, APAC Effie Awards honours the region's most outstanding marketing communication works that have proven results in meeting strategic objectives.

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Car thief nabbed after being mobbed at parking lot

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

PETALING JAYA: A man who was set upon by a group of people for attempting to steal a car has been arrested.

"He tried to break into a car with the help of an accomplice at a parking lot of a supermarket," South Klang OCPD Asst Comm Kamarul Zaman Mamat said.

"However, passers-by who saw them in the act stopped them," he said.

ACP Kamarul Zaman said the man was soon arrested near the supermarket at Bukit Tinggi, Klang, on Sunday.

The man, he said, had retaliated against the passers-by by attacking them with a stick.

"One of them was struck in the head," ACP Kamarul Zaman said.

He said the passers-by managed to subdue the man and tied him up.

"Unfortunately, his accomplice fled before anyone could catch him," said ACP Kamarul Zaman.

A video recording of the incident, which went viral on Facebook, showed the man being beaten up by people.

"Police arrived at the scene soon after to break up the fight.

"The suspect was brought to the Klang police station to assist in investigations," ACP Kamarul Zaman added.

K-pop group 2NE1 set to rock KL

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

PETALING JAYA: South Korean girl group 2NE1 will perform their first full-fledged concert in Malaysia on May 23, which is slated to take place at Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur.

The "2014 2NE1 World Tour All Or Nothing" is the group's second global outing.

Members CL, Dara, Bom and Minzy will perform their previous chart-topping hits and the latest singles such as Falling In Love and Missing You, and fans can also anticipate new songs from their upcoming album, All Or Nothing.

According to 2NE1's official Facebook page, the tour's production team will include co-directors Travis Payne and Stacy Walker, who worked on label-mate G-Dragon's "One Of a Kind" world tour in 2013.

The tour will kick off on March 1 with a two-day concert at SK Handball Stadium in Seoul and will continue in 13 cities in nine countries, with a total of 17 shows at this point.

Known for their diverse musical stylings, which are influenced by genres such as hip-hop, reggae and Korean teurouteu (trot), the fashion-forward female members have made their mark in the frenetic K-pop scene since their 2009 debut with the hit single, Fire.

On March 23 last year, 2NE1 performed several of their hits, including Can't Nobody and Lonely, at the two-day Twin Towers Alive 2013 concert in Plaza KLCC.

In 2012, their Dec 8 appearance at Stadium Malawati in Shah Alam was cancelled, with organiser Running Into The Sun attributing the cancellation of the "2NE1 Global Tour 2012 In Malaysia New Evolution" to technical issues.

H1N1 alert at Sabah hospital

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

KOTA KINABALU: A ward of the Likas Women and Children's Hospital has been quarantined after two adults and five children there were tested positive for the H1N1 flu virus.

Sabah Health Department director Dr Christina Rundi said the entire Melur 2 ward at the hospital has been quarantined following discovery of the virus on Monday.

Dr Christina said another case of the disease had also been reported in the east coast Sandakan district.

"Medical officials were alerted of the possible H1N1 outbreak at the hospital on Monday resulting in 31 people being screened for the disease.

"All seven individuals who were tested positive for H1N1 had shown typical symptoms of the ailment," Dr Christina added.

She said anti-viral treatments had been given to the affected patients while screening was being carried out on all those exposed to the disease including hospital staff.

She said face-masks had been provided to patients, staff and visitors to the affected ward while all leave for hospital personnel had been frozen for now.

Dr Christina said there were 944 cases of the disease reported in the state in 2009 and the figure dropped to 154 cases a year later.

The number of H1N1 cases in Sabah subsequently plummeted to just six for the whole of last year.

"The situation as of now is under control and everything is being done to control the spread," she added.

The highly contagious H1N1 virus was responsible for the global flu pandemic in 2009. Similar to other flu strains, H1N1 is an infectious respiratory virus that can begin in the nose, throat, or lungs.

Related story:

Deputy D-G: H1N1 virus flu no longer a pandemic

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Pakistan treason court summons Musharraf on February 18

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 03:00 AM PST

ISLAMABAD: A court trying Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf for treason Friday ordered him to appear on February 18, the latest postponement in the long-delayed case.

The 70-year-old is facing treason charges, which can carry the death penalty, over his imposition of a state of emergency in 2007 while he was president.

He was first ordered before the tribunal on December 24 but has yet to put in an appearance, with bomb scares and health problems keeping him away.

The former general has been in a military hospital since falling ill with heart trouble while travelling to court on January 2.

On January 31 the court refused to grant him permission to go abroad for medical treatment and ordered him to appear on Friday.

But at Friday's hearing Judge Faisal Arab accepted a request from Musharraf's lawyers that he be excused until February 18.

The next hearing in the case will be on February 10, but Musharraf is not required to attend.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was the man Musharraf ousted from power in his 1999 coup, and his lawyers have said the treason case is an attempt to settle old scores through the courts.

They have also challenged the civilian court's right to try a former army chief, saying he is entitled to be dealt with by a military tribunal.

Security analyst Talat Masood, himself a former general, said Musharraf's failure to answer the court's call was degrading.

"He is giving an impression that he is defying law of the land and he is trying to run away from the rule of law," Masood told AFP.

"This is not a gentlemanly behaviour. His conduct should be more of an officer and a gentleman than a defiant person."

Musharraf has endured a torrid time since returning to Pakistan in March last year on an ill-fated mission to run in the general election.

Almost as soon as he landed he was barred from contesting the vote and hit with a barrage of legal cases dating back to his 1999-2008 rule.

The charges against him include the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in December 2007.

So far, nothing has come of rumours that a backroom deal would be struck to get Musharraf out of the country before trial, to avoid a destabilising clash between the government and the powerful armed forces. -AFP

Australian drug convict to learn Indonesia parole decision

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 08:07 PM PST

KEROBOKAN, Indonesia, Feb 07, 2014 (AFP) - Australian drug trafficker Schapelle Corby is expected to learn Friday whether Indonesian authorities have agreed to grant her parole from a Bali prison.

Corby, whose case attracted huge public sympathy in Australia, will find out whether she is to walk free after nine years behind bars when Indonesian Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin announces his decision in the afternoon.

She was sentenced to 20 years in jail in 2005 after being caught trying to smuggle 4.1 kilograms (nine pounds) of marijuana into the resort island of Bali hidden in her surfing gear the previous year.

Syamsuddin has said in the past he does not oppose parole for the 36-year-old although he insisted this week she will not get "special treatment".

As anticipation built in recent days that her release was imminent, hordes of Australian media have flocked to Bali and set up camp outside the infamous Kerobokan jail where she is held.

A crowd of some 60 reporters, cameramen and photographers were outside the prison Friday, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

Channel Seven has reportedly sent the biggest crew to Bali, with 17 staff dispatched from Australia and another seven locals on board.

Her sister Mercedes, with whom Corby will live on Bali if she is granted parole, arrived in the morning on a motorbike and had to fight her way through the scrum.

A media bidding war is reportedly in full swing in Australia that could see Corby earn millions of dollars for her tell-all story if she is released.

Syamsuddin has said he will strictly follow the law when deciding whether to grant Corby parole. He will base his decision on a recent assessment by a justice ministry parole board, whose views have not been made public.

"As long as she fulfils all the requirements and has the recommendation from the parole board... she will get her rights," he said.

If granted parole, Corby is expected to walk out of Kerobokan, in south Bali, within a short space of time, possibly by the weekend, after completing necessary paperwork.

But she will not be able to return to Australia until 2017. She needs to first complete her sentence and then remain in Indonesia for an additional year to fulfil the conditions of her parole.

The former beauty school student will instead live on Bali with Mercedes, who has a Balinese husband.

Corby, who has always steadfastly maintained her innocence, had her original sentence cut substantially. She received several remissions for good behaviour and a five-year reduction from the Indonesian president after an appeal for clemency.

Her parole bid was a complex, months-long process and speculation began mounting last year that she was on the verge of release, only for it to again run into problems. It sped up in the past week after the parole board finally heard her application.

The process has been complicated by the fact it is rare for Indonesia to release foreigners on parole. However Corby's bid received a boost last month when a French drug smuggler was given an early release.

While many in Australia support her early release, some in Indonesia have been against it, saying it amounts to special treatment.

Eight lawmakers on Thursday handed a letter of protest to Syamsuddin voicing opposition to Corby getting parole.

They said a decision to grant her early release would run counter to Jakarta's tough anti-drugs laws and would be inappropriate at a time when Australia-Indonesia ties were at a low after a row over spying. - AFP

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Gaetano Pesce design classics go on sale at Sotheby's Paris

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 06:15 PM PST

Italian creative known for innovative and contradictory designs.

A RETROSPECTIVE of anti-conformist designer Gaetano Pesce's work has gone on sale at the Paris branch of the exclusive art dealership Sotheby's .

The Italian creative, 73, is known for his innovative and contradictory designs, which are at times both whimsical and political. He has worked on projects all over the world and his designs have been displayed by New York's MoMA and Metropolitan Museum, Germany's Vitra Museum, London's Victoria and Albert Museum and Paris's Pompidou Center.

Among the iconic pieces on display at the gallery is Pesce's "Up 5" chair, which was originally designed for furniture studio B&B Italia in 1969. Instantly recognisable thanks to its bold feminine curves and ball-and-chain accessory, the chair is a powerful statement on sexual equality and is one of Pesce's most overtly political works.

"Forty-five years ago women were prisoners," explained Pesce during a tour of his exhibition. "But for me, expressing that through an article had less impact than expressing it through an object that people could see and touch. It is a magnificent object."

The designer also revealed that an enormous 8m-high interactive version of the chair is set to go on display in London in the near future, allowing visitors to wander around inside and view video installations.

In addition to a recreated wooden version of the chair, Pesce has designed a bold fabric version, titled Up Dressed, exclusively for the retrospective. It sits alongside the object's traditional red fabric versions.

Other famous designs on show include the giant-scaled Moloch Lamp from 1970, fabricated from light alloy and iron, and the Senzia Fine Unica, a colorful abstract seat made from elasticated polyurethane tendrils which has something of a biomedical air. Also up for sale are a plethora of the designer's sketches, maquettes and paintings.

The Gaetano Pesce exhibition and sale will be on display at Sotheby's Paris through Feb 15. All prices upon request. – AFP Relaxnews

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Yoghurt consumption linked to lower diabetes risk

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 05:30 PM PST

Findings after 11-year study in Norfolk, Britain.

EATING yoghurt and low-fat cheese can cut the risk of developing diabetes by around a quarter compared with consuming none, according to a study of 3,500 Britons published on Feb 5.

The evidence comes from a long-term health survey of men and women living in the eastern county of Norfolk, whose eating and drinking habits were detailed at the start of the investigation.

During the study's 11-year span, 753 people in the group developed adult-onset, also called Type 2, diabetes.

Those who ate low-fat fermented dairy products – a category that includes yoghurts, fromage frais and low-fat cottage cheese – were 24% less likely to develop the disease compared to counterparts who ate none of these products.

When examined separately from the other low-fat dairy products, yoghurt by itself was associated with a 28% reduced risk.

People in this category ate on average four and a half standard 125g pots of yoghurt each week.

Those who ate a yoghurt for a snack, instead of a packet of crisps, had a whopping 47% reduction in the probability of developing diabetes.

Only low-fat, fermented dairy products were associated with the fall in risk. Consumption of high-fat fermented products, and of milk, had no impact.

The research, published in the specialist journal Diabetologia, was not designed to probe why eating low-fat fermented dairy products appears to be so beneficial.

One future line of inquiry is whether the impact comes from probiotic bacteria and a special form of Vitamin K they contain, according to the paper, headed by Nita Forouhi, an epidemiologist at the University of Cambridge.

"At a time when we have a lot of other evidence that consuming high amounts of certain foods, such as added sugars and sugary drinks, is bad for our health, it is very reassuring to have messages about other foods like yoghurt and low-fat fermented dairy products that could be good for our health," said Forouhi.

The study took into account factors such as obesity and a family history of diabetes that could potentially skew the results.

But, its authors acknowledged, it also had a limitation.

Volunteers' eating habits were recorded in exacting detail at the start of the study but this information was not updated during the ensuing 11 years. So it was unknown if or how they changed their diet over this time.

Those who ate low-fat fermented dairy products were 24% less likely to develop diabetes compared to counterparts who ate none of these products. – AFP Relaxnews

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Pakistan treason court summons Musharraf on February 18

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 03:00 AM PST

ISLAMABAD: A court trying Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf for treason Friday ordered him to appear on February 18, the latest postponement in the long-delayed case.

The 70-year-old is facing treason charges, which can carry the death penalty, over his imposition of a state of emergency in 2007 while he was president.

He was first ordered before the tribunal on December 24 but has yet to put in an appearance, with bomb scares and health problems keeping him away.

The former general has been in a military hospital since falling ill with heart trouble while travelling to court on January 2.

On January 31 the court refused to grant him permission to go abroad for medical treatment and ordered him to appear on Friday.

But at Friday's hearing Judge Faisal Arab accepted a request from Musharraf's lawyers that he be excused until February 18.

The next hearing in the case will be on February 10, but Musharraf is not required to attend.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was the man Musharraf ousted from power in his 1999 coup, and his lawyers have said the treason case is an attempt to settle old scores through the courts.

They have also challenged the civilian court's right to try a former army chief, saying he is entitled to be dealt with by a military tribunal.

Security analyst Talat Masood, himself a former general, said Musharraf's failure to answer the court's call was degrading.

"He is giving an impression that he is defying law of the land and he is trying to run away from the rule of law," Masood told AFP.

"This is not a gentlemanly behaviour. His conduct should be more of an officer and a gentleman than a defiant person."

Musharraf has endured a torrid time since returning to Pakistan in March last year on an ill-fated mission to run in the general election.

Almost as soon as he landed he was barred from contesting the vote and hit with a barrage of legal cases dating back to his 1999-2008 rule.

The charges against him include the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in December 2007.

So far, nothing has come of rumours that a backroom deal would be struck to get Musharraf out of the country before trial, to avoid a destabilising clash between the government and the powerful armed forces. -AFP

Australian drug convict to learn Indonesia parole decision

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 08:07 PM PST

KEROBOKAN, Indonesia, Feb 07, 2014 (AFP) - Australian drug trafficker Schapelle Corby is expected to learn Friday whether Indonesian authorities have agreed to grant her parole from a Bali prison.

Corby, whose case attracted huge public sympathy in Australia, will find out whether she is to walk free after nine years behind bars when Indonesian Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin announces his decision in the afternoon.

She was sentenced to 20 years in jail in 2005 after being caught trying to smuggle 4.1 kilograms (nine pounds) of marijuana into the resort island of Bali hidden in her surfing gear the previous year.

Syamsuddin has said in the past he does not oppose parole for the 36-year-old although he insisted this week she will not get "special treatment".

As anticipation built in recent days that her release was imminent, hordes of Australian media have flocked to Bali and set up camp outside the infamous Kerobokan jail where she is held.

A crowd of some 60 reporters, cameramen and photographers were outside the prison Friday, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

Channel Seven has reportedly sent the biggest crew to Bali, with 17 staff dispatched from Australia and another seven locals on board.

Her sister Mercedes, with whom Corby will live on Bali if she is granted parole, arrived in the morning on a motorbike and had to fight her way through the scrum.

A media bidding war is reportedly in full swing in Australia that could see Corby earn millions of dollars for her tell-all story if she is released.

Syamsuddin has said he will strictly follow the law when deciding whether to grant Corby parole. He will base his decision on a recent assessment by a justice ministry parole board, whose views have not been made public.

"As long as she fulfils all the requirements and has the recommendation from the parole board... she will get her rights," he said.

If granted parole, Corby is expected to walk out of Kerobokan, in south Bali, within a short space of time, possibly by the weekend, after completing necessary paperwork.

But she will not be able to return to Australia until 2017. She needs to first complete her sentence and then remain in Indonesia for an additional year to fulfil the conditions of her parole.

The former beauty school student will instead live on Bali with Mercedes, who has a Balinese husband.

Corby, who has always steadfastly maintained her innocence, had her original sentence cut substantially. She received several remissions for good behaviour and a five-year reduction from the Indonesian president after an appeal for clemency.

Her parole bid was a complex, months-long process and speculation began mounting last year that she was on the verge of release, only for it to again run into problems. It sped up in the past week after the parole board finally heard her application.

The process has been complicated by the fact it is rare for Indonesia to release foreigners on parole. However Corby's bid received a boost last month when a French drug smuggler was given an early release.

While many in Australia support her early release, some in Indonesia have been against it, saying it amounts to special treatment.

Eight lawmakers on Thursday handed a letter of protest to Syamsuddin voicing opposition to Corby getting parole.

They said a decision to grant her early release would run counter to Jakarta's tough anti-drugs laws and would be inappropriate at a time when Australia-Indonesia ties were at a low after a row over spying. - AFP

Seoul wins battle against Japan for US textbooks

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 11:34 PM PST

WASHINGTON: Virginia's state legislature approved Thursday a bill requiring school textbooks to include the Korean name for the sea between Japan and South Korea, in a major win for Seoul.

The two key US allies, battling renewed tensions dating from imperial Japan, fought a proxy battle over the textbook change, with their respective ambassadors visiting the Southern state's capital Richmond repeatedly.

Korean American activists gained the upper hand in their effort to address historical grievances with Japan - that rouse deep passions in South Korea - at the local level in the United States.

The Virginia House of Delegates voted 81-15 to approve the measure requiring "that all textbooks approved by the Board of Education (after July 1, 2014) when referring to the Sea of Japan, shall note that it is also referred to as the East Sea".

The bill, which has already cleared the Senate, now awaits the signature of Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe, who is widely expected to sign it into law.

There was no immediate response from Japan, but the South Korean government, which had enthusiastically supported the bill, welcomed its passage.

"This is the result of efforts by our compatriots in the US to make the name of the East Sea used more widely, and we highly appreciate it," said foreign ministry spokesman Cho Tai-Young.

Japan, which opposed the textbook change and hired a team of lobbyists to defend its position, had stressed that "Sea of Japan" was the only name for the body of water that was recognized by the United Nations and the International Hydrographic Organization.

"Sea of Japan" was already in common usage in the world in the early 19th century, when the country had an isolationist policy and prior to Japanese colonial rule.

Koreans say the name is a legacy of Japanese colonialism, and prefer to use "East Sea".

The Virginia battle was an unenviable choice for the state, where Asian Americans are increasingly seen as a critical voting bloc for President Barack Obama's Democratic Party but where Japan is by far a larger trading partner, investing nearly $1 billion in the past five years - second only to Germany. -AFP

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