Sabtu, 8 Februari 2014

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro


Five dead, 600 injured as snow storm hits Japan

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 06:05 PM PST

TOKYO: The heaviest snow in decades in Tokyo and other areas of Japan has left at least five dead and 600 injured across the country by early Sunday, reports said.

As much as 27 centimetres (10.6 inches) of snow was recorded in Tokyo by late Saturday, the heaviest fall in the capital for 45 years, according to the meteorological agency.

The snow storm hit the capital on the eve of its gubernatorial election. Observers say the heavy snowfall may affect voter turnout in the city of 13 million people.

As a depression moved along the Pacific coast north Saturday, the northeastern city of Sendai saw 35 centimetres (13.8 inches) of snow, the heaviest in 78 years.

Local media said at least five people have been killed in snow-linked accidents - mostly crashes after their cars skidded on icy roads.

Public broadcaster NHK reported more than 600 people were injured across the nation. 

More than 20,000 households were still without electricity early Sunday while airlines cancelled 200 domestic flights a day after more than 740 flights were grounded Saturday.

Nearly 5,000 people were stranded at Narita airport Saturday as traffic linking the airport to the capital was disrupted, NHK said.

Further snowfall is expected Sunday in northern Japan, the weather agency said. -AFP

Poll: 52% of youth fear terror attack

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

MORE than half of young people in Singapore fear being caught up in a terrorist attack here – yet few are likely to help prevent one, says a survey.

Among residents aged 16 to 35, 52% worry about personally encountering a terror attack, yet only one in five said they would investigate or report suspicious activity, a poll by the National Security Co­­ordination Secretariat (NSCS) found.

However, 68% trust the government to protect the country from such incidents.

The online survey, conducted last September and released on Wednesday, studied attitudes towards terrorism among 314 Singaporeans and permanent residents across different races and housing types.

More than seven in 10 respondents felt that terrorism is constantly changing its form.

Singapore has been the target of terrorist activities before.

In 2001 and 2002, the Internal Security Department picked up 36 men and uncovered plans to attack various targets.

In 2010, a map of the MRT network, with Orchard station circled, was found in the home of a terror suspect in Indonesia.

NSCS deputy director Loh Kean Wah said that while large terrorist organisations continue to pose threats, there is an increasing risk of "attacks perpetuated by self-radicalised individuals".

He said: "The proliferation of radical online platforms means individuals have easier access to extreme rhetoric."

To raise awareness about how to stay vigilant, the NSCS launched the "Let's Stand Together" movement last year.

Last month, it launched a campaign focused on terrorism with a series of installations at Raffles Place Park and various MRT stations depicting suspicious objects that had been camouflaged.

It also launched an online game called "Terror Watch", in which users race to foil a terrorist's plans to cripple Singapore.

Players at the site – letsstandtogether.sg/terrorwatch – can win prizes every week until Feb 19.

Said Loh: "Protecting Singapore against this evolving self-radicalisation threat requires the concerted effort of both the government and the individual."

However, the message does not seem to have raised the level of cautiousness among young people The Straits Times spoke to.

Civil servant Eugene Tan, 28, said: "There is the chance of a terrorist attack here but less than in other countries."

Audrey Peng, 18, who is waiting for her A-level results, said that if she saw anything suspicious, she "would not know what to do so I wouldn't report it".

To provide information or seek advice on security awareness, people can call the ISD Counter-Terrorism Centre 24-hour helpline on 1800-262-6473. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

New N. Korean defectors breed fury

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

Former residents of the gulag state share their stories of murder, famine and loved ones left behind.

CLARA Park makes her living introducing her homeland to tourists from around the world. But instead of trumpeting its attractions like an ambassador, the wife of a former North Korean party cadre shares what it is like to live on food waste and work for no pay in the reclusive state.

The 48-year-old is one of four defectors now working for Panmunjom Travel Centre, the only agency that offers tourists a meeting with a North Korean defector on a visit to the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ). The Q&A session takes place at Odusan Unification Observatory, which overlooks Imjingang, the river that flows along the tense border. Tourists are seated on child-sized furniture in a mock classroom adorned with portraits of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, as a defector fields questions from the curious.

This job earns defectors like Park an average of US$2,000 (about RM6,700) a month – a good supplement to the generous benefits they already receive from the South Korean government.

But money is not their only motivation.

"Our defector staff have a sense of mission... They want to help bring about positive changes to their homeland," says Kim Bong-ki, the agency's owner. "That's why they are sharing the reality in North Korea despite facing a certain level of danger."

Park and her colleagues are part of a growing community of defectors who are increasingly vocal about the hunger and torture they experienced in North Korea. Kang Chul-hwan and Shin Dong-hyuk also brought to light their brutal suffering in North Korea's prison camps in their respective books: The Aquarium of Pyongyang and Escape from Camp 14. Shin, who last year addressed the European Parliament, is so far the only escapee known to have been born in the North's notorious jail for political dissidents.

Growing up on a diet of corn porridge, soup and rats, Shin was so hungry that whenever given a choice between hunger and a beating as punishment, he would always opt for the beating.

As a child, he was so jealous to find his mother cooking rice - an extremely rare treat - for his brother one night that he turned both of them in for conspiring to escape, leading to their executions right before his eyes. Other civilian defectors have stepped into the limelight in other ways.

Kim Ha-na, for instance, shared her odyssey while competing on the reality show Masterchef Korea. Lee Hyeon-seo made a mark at the global TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference last year, sharing her struggle with identity issues. "I see tourists as my messengers. I hope they will walk away with a better understanding of my pain, and tell the world on my behalf about the necessity of reunification," Park says. "I strongly believe reunification is the only way to stop the North Korean tragedy."

The cool-headed Park escaped from the North in 2011, after plotting her route for more than two years without her husband's knowledge.

"I could not bring this up with him ... We think very differently," Park said in response to a tourist's question on why she had left without her husband. He has since been forced into early retirement, according to Park's friends from the North.

Park decided to leave after Pyongyang's currency revaluation exercise in 2009, when North Koreans were made to swap their old banknotes – up to just 100,000 North Korean won (RM142) in the black market) – for new ones.

The move, widely seen as a bid by the government to wipe out the "new rich", rendered the bulk of Park's savings – three million won in cash – worthless.

It spurred her to set off on a gruelling five-month journey to South Korea via China and Thailand, taking with her only her teenage daughter and rat poison – in case they got caught. Their courage paid off.

After surviving three months of grilling by South Korea's intelligence officers - a procedure to weed out potential spies - they were inducted into their new capitalist home, and have been coping well.

But Park is still struggling to overcome some hard-wired instincts. "I am still apprehensive about saying anything negative about the Kim family. I get worried even when talking to a close friend."

More than 26,000 North Koreans have resettled in the South since the armistice in the 1950-'53 Korean War, latest figures from Seoul's unification ministry show.

Dr Song Jiyoung, a political science professor at the Singapore Management University, says the vast majority of defectors need not be overly anxious about their safety, although "the infiltration of North Korean spies through mass defection to the South has happened in recent years".

The North Korean government tried to assassinate the late Hwang Jang-yup, a former teacher and adviser of Kim Jong-il, but did not succeed.

To Dr Song, the real problem is whether northerners can integrate into the highly competitive South Korean world.

Gina Lee, a tour guide with Panmunjom Travel, shares the same concern. "Even I found it difficult to fit in," says Lee, a South Korean who had lived in the United States for 20 years before returning to Seoul. "Over here, it's always hurry, hurry, hurry ... People also tend to be more cliquish. It's not easy for outsiders to feel at home."

The growing number of arrivals from the North might also be a source of brewing unhappiness among South Koreans, who might see red over the costly affirmative action programme for defectors.

The issue of housing is likely to be particularly contentious. While defectors are given decent apartments of about 70 sq m, Seoul's expensive properties remain out of reach for many natives despite a lifetime of hard work, Lee explains.

But Park is optimistic about her stay in South Korea. "My daughter is studying hard and doing well, so I see a bright future for my family."

She now has just two wishes. One, a happy marriage for her daughter. The other might never come true, but she lives in hope of seeing her husband and living with him again. — The Straits Times/ Asia News Network

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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Japan's nuclear re-start bogged down in safety checks and paperwork

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 08:40 PM PST

TOKYO (Reuters) - Hundreds of technicians and engineers are camped out in Tokyo hotels trying to revive Japan's nuclear industry, shut down in the wake of the Fukushima disaster almost three years ago.

It's proving a hard slog. A new, more independent regulator is in place, asking difficult questions and seeking to impose tougher safety rules on powerful utilities that were largely their own masters for the past 50 years.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) was created in 2012 and set new safety guidelines in July last year. It now has four teams vetting reactors at nine nuclear power stations on a list of those seeking to re-start. A deadline to complete the checks has been missed as the NRA is still asking for reams of information. No one is able to predict when the first of 48 reactors will be turned back on.

The delays are biting the utilities which are having to spend billions of dollars to import fossil fuels to keep the power on, pushing Japan into a record trade deficit and risking undermining Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's polices to end years of stagnant growth.

"All the utilities are in a similar situation and, unless outstanding issues are resolved, we can't judge that they are in compliance with the standards," Tomoya Ichimura, an NRA director, told Reuters.

SLOW PROGRESS

The regulator and staff from the utilities and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd, a leading supplier of nuclear plant equipment, are ploughing through mountains of paperwork on the technical specifications of reactors and their vulnerability to natural disasters such as the earthquake and tsunami that knocked out the Fukushima Daiichi station in March 2011.

All lack experience in carrying out such detailed safety checks because of the lax regime that existed before Fukushima.

"Only the framework of the safety criteria was decided, not the details, so the dialogue between the NRA and power companies to work out the specifics is taking time," said Seiichi Nakata, Project Leader, Department of Policy, Communication and International Affairs at the Japan Atomic Industry Forum.

And once the checks are done, reactors must undergo planned inspections, which took as long as two months under the previous regime, as well as get the go-ahead from local authorities before they can be turned back on. The plants are being treated as if they have just been built and are seeking certification to start operating for the first time.

Interviews with utility and nuclear industry staff, regulators and government officials reveal a climate of uncertainty, frustration and long hours.

A taskforce of some 90 NRA inspectors dispatch orders and requests to hundreds of staff from regional utilities seconded to the capital and camped out for months in business hotels near the regulator's headquarters. As many as 2,800 staff at Mitsubishi Heavy are involved in dealing with utilities' requests on specifications and other data, the company said.

LONG HOURS

Kyushu Electric Power Co, Hokkaido Electric Power Co, Kansai Electric Power Co and Shikoku Electric Power Co say they have each stationed scores of employees in Tokyo to respond to queries from the regulator.

A typical working day for them lasts from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. They stay in cheap business hotels within a quick commute of the NRA headquarters in a leafy district of central Tokyo. One of those, the Hotel Unizo in Shimbashi, a bustling district of bars and restaurants, charges 11,000 yen ($110) a night. To keep costs in check, some companies offer staff a daily allowance of as little as 1,500 yen for meals, and no laundry, said one person close to the safety review process.

Any downtime not spent returning home to visit families is used to prepare for more meetings with the regulator.

"Everyone involved in the safety reviews is irritated and it is mentally draining," said one staffer at a regional utility, who has been stationed in Tokyo since July and has missed key dates on his children's school calendar.

"I can't read books or watch TV. There's no time to relax," he said, adding he rarely has time even to wash his clothes. "I have 20 sets of underwear and socks bought from convenient stores rolled up like sushi in my office," he said.

PAPER ... AND MORE PAPER

The utilities also rent office space for staff to prepare paperwork for the regulator, said an official who oversees the process at a regional utility. Asked when he expected reactors to be re-started, he replied: "That's what we want to know."

Utilities must submit thousands of pages of documents outlining their compliance and readiness on a checklist of 27 main items required by the NRA, covering everything from quake protection to their emergency responses. Kyushu Electric, which has applied to re-start four reactors, has alone submitted more than 10,000 pages of documents to the regulator, said spokesman Hiroki Yamaguchi.

The regulator is still feeling its way and often changes the criteria for compliance, forcing utilities to submit more documentation, people in the industry said. The utilities then take their requests to Mitsubishi Heavy, which is struggling to meet deadlines.

"Mitsubishi Heavy basically handles safety assessments of the plants, and the utilities vie with each other to get help from them, creating a bottleneck," said the person involved in the checks at a regional utility.

Mitsubishi Heavy declined to comment on claims that it was the reason for some delays.

The cost to Japan's economy and the utilities' finances is heavy. Japan imported a record 87.5 million tonnes of LNG last year, at a cost of $69 billion, according to customs-cleared import data. Imports of thermal coal were also at record levels.

"There's a growing consensus from a purely economic perspective that Japan needs to re-start as many reactors as it can in order to build out the diversification of its power sources and reduce fuel prices," said Tom O'Sullivan, founder of independent energy consultancy Mathyos Japan.

Forecasts that the first nuclear reactor would be back in operation by the middle of this year are misplaced, said Tetsuo Yuhara, a director at The Canon Institute of Global Studies, who previously spent 30 years at Mitsubishi Heavy.

"I have no forecast for re-starts. It's the same situation as a year ago, as two years ago. Nothing has changed."

(Additional reporting and writing by Aaron Sheldrick; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)

China decries U.S. comments on South China Sea as 'not constructive'

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 07:15 PM PST

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has accused the United States of undermining peace and development in the Asia-Pacific after a senior U.S. official said concern was mounting over China's claims in the South China Sea.

"These actions are not constructive", Hong Lei, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said in a statement issued late on Saturday.

"We urge the U.S. to hold a rational and fair attitude, so as to have a constructive role in the peace and development of the region, and not the opposite," Lei said.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Danny Russel told a congressional testimony on Wednesday the United States had "growing concerns" that China's maritime claims were an effort to gain creeping control of oceans in the region.

China's claims had "created uncertainty, insecurity and instability", Russel said.

China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei all claim parts of the sea that provides 10 percent of global fish catches and carries $5 trillion in ship-borne trade.

China also railed against what it called "outrageous" comments on Friday by Philippine President Benigno Aquino, who compared the maritime dispute with appeasement of Nazi Germany before World War Two.

China claims about 90 percent of the 3.5 million square km (1.35 million square miles) South China Sea, depicting what it sees as its area on maps with a so-called nine-dash line, looping far out over the sea from south China.

(Reporting by Paul Carsten; Editing by Robert Birsel)

U.N. disappointed by attack on Syria aid convoy, vows to keep trying to bring help

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 06:45 PM PST

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos expressed deep disappointment on Saturday after an aid convoy came under fire in a besieged rebel district of the Syrian city Homs, though she vowed to keep pushing to deliver humanitarian assistance to Syria's neediest.

"I am deeply disappointed that the three-day humanitarian pause agreed between the parties to the conflict was broken today and aid workers deliberately targeted," Amos said in a statement.

"Today's events serve as a stark reminder of the dangers that civilians and aid workers face every day across Syria," she said.

Saturday's attack threatened a United Nations-led operation to bring food and medicine to 2,500 people in Homs and evacuate civilians trapped by months of fighting in the Syrian city.

The Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) said mortar fire landed close to its convoy and shots were fired at its trucks, wounding one of its drivers.

"I continue to call on those engaged in this brutal conflict to respect the humanitarian pause, ensure the protection of civilians and facilitate the safe delivery of aid," she said. "The United Nations and our humanitarian partners will not be deterred from doing the best we can to bring aid to those needing our help."

Syrian authorities blamed the attacks on rebels but opposition activists said President Bashar al-Assad's forces were responsible for them, as well as earlier mortar fire that delayed the start of the operation on Saturday morning.

The humanitarian deal for Homs was the first concrete result of talks launched two weeks ago in Geneva to try to end the country's nearly three-year-old civil war that has killed over 136,000 people.

(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Dan Grebler)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Business

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China to extend subsidies on electric cars past 2015

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 01:08 AM PST

BEIJING: China's Finance Ministry said on Saturday it will extend a programme of subsidies for buyers of electric-powered vehicles after the current subsidy regime, part of efforts to combat pollution in cities, expires in 2015.

The existing subsidies will be phased out by 2015 as planned, with a new regime to take effect after that date "to preserve policy continuity", the ministry said in a statement on its website. Details of the new subsidies would follow at an unspecified date.

The subsidies were designed to help China meet a goal of putting half a million new-energy vehicles, defined as all-electric battery vehicles and heavily electrified "near all-electric" plug-in hybrids, on the road by 2015 and 5 million by 2020.

Pollution in cities, in part caused by an explosion in car sales in recent years, is a hot-button issue for China's leaders, and several measures have been introduced, including curbs on sales of petrol-engined vehicles.

The current subsidies of up to 60,000 yuan ($9,800) are available for the purchase of an all-electric battery car and up to 35,000 yuan for a "near all-electric" plug-in vehicle were extended for a further three years at the end of 2012. - Reuters

Toyota close to $1 bln deal to settle US probe

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 01:02 AM PST

NEW YORK: Toyota Motor Corp is close to a deal to pay $1 billion to settle a US criminal investigation into how it disclosed customers' complaints about unintended acceleration years ago, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing anonymous sources.

Toyota could reach a deal with U.S. authorities within weeks, the Journal quoted the sources as saying, ending a four-year probe into one of the Japanese automaker's most embarrassing international episodes.

The deal under negotiation could still collapse, or the settlement amount could change, the sources were cited as saying.

"Toyota continues to cooperate with the U.S. attorney's office in this matter," spokeswoman Julie Hamp said in an emailed statement. "And in the nearly four years since this inquiry began, we've made fundamental changes to become more responsive and customer focused, and we're committed to continue to improve."

Prosecutors in the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office are looking into whether Toyota made false or incomplete disclosures to U.S. regulators about possible car defects, the Journal cited people familiar with the matter as saying. They are also looking into possible mail and wire fraud violations connected to alleged false disclosures, the Journal said without elaborating.

Toyota is facing hundreds of lawsuits over acceleration issues, which gained public attention after the deaths of a California highway patrolman and his family that was reportedly caused by the unintended acceleration of his Lexus.

That prompted the Japanese automaker to recall millions of vehicles starting in 2009. At the time, the recall and resulting lawsuits were a surprise for a company long associated with quality and reliability.

Toyota has been hit with more than 200 proposed class action and 500 individual lawsuits alleging personal injuries or property damage caused by the alleged acceleration problems.

The Japanese company has maintained the electronic throttle control system was not at fault, blaming ill-fitting floor mats and sticky gas pedals.

A study by federal safety officials at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and NASA found no link between reports of unintended acceleration and Toyota's electronic throttle control system. - Reuters

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies


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

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The Star Online: Nation

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Miyazono recounts Japanese myth in George Town mural

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

GEORGE TOWN: There is a new wall painting in town and this time, it tells a folk tale from a far-flung island in Okinawa, Japan.

Located at an alley on Stewart Lane here, the mural by Japanese backpacker Takayuki Miyazono depicts the story of Kigimuna, which are mischievous, fairy-like spirits that inhabit large banyan trees.

"Kigimuna – also known as tree fairies – have red hair and are about the size and shape of a little boy," Miyazono said.

"The story of Kigimuna is a very important part of Okinawan culture.

"These stories have been told to children as a fairytale by their parents and grandparents."

"Besides being good fishermen, the Kigimuna are sometimes seen wandering along beaches and river banks. They usually sit under trees and they like people," he said.

The 33-year-old Okinawan truck driver, whose hobby is painting, said he was inspired by the various murals he had seen in Penang since arriving in September.

Miyazono, who started on his painting on Dec 4, said he would work from morning until evening using acrylic paint.

The painting – comprising four frames — also has a pair of Shisa, mythical animals resembling a cross between a lion and a dog.

"Shisa is a traditional decoration, which are placed in pairs near the door or on roof tops. It is believed that these lion-dog guardians protect homes by warding off evil spirits," Miyazono said.

"The left animal has its mouth shut to keep in the good while the right has its open to fend off evil."

In his free time, Miyazono loves to hike and jog at the Penang Botanical Gardens and Monkey Beach in Teluk Bahang.

Having travelled to countries including China, Sri Lanka and parts of South East Asia, Miyazono, who made his first trip to Penang four years ago, said he loved the island for its "friendly people".

"This is my longest stay during my travels so far. I really love it here. Penang is very similar to Okinawa.

"I have also visited Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi.

"Food in Penang is great," said Miyazono, adding that his favourites were nasi kandar, hokkien mee and char koay teow.

Miyazono said he hoped to be able to stay in Penang permanently in the future.

"Currently, I back-pack for six months a year and work the rest."

RMAF officer claims trial to charges

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: A Royal Malaysian Air Force officer who made statements to the media over the indelible ink used in the last general election has claimed trial at a court martial here to seven charges under the Armed Forces Act 1972.

Mej Zaidi Ahmad, 47, who was attached to the Butterworth air base, stood before a six-man panel headed by Kol Saadon Hasnan at the Sungai Besi Air Force Base here yesterday.

He faces two charges over making a media statement on his dissatisfaction with the indelible ink when it should be investigated by the Armed Forces, and for making a statement without the approval of the Defence Ministry.

The two offences were allegedly committed at the Kepala Batas police station on May 1 last year.

The third charge is for broadcasting official information via an "attachment out" signal to the media without the approval of the Armed Forces Council.

The fourth and fifth charges claimed that he made media statements on the same matter via the Armed Forces channel and without Defence Ministry's consent, respectively.

Mej Zaidi is said to have committed the last three offences at Taman Bertam Indah, Kepala Batas, on May 3 last year, thus breaching the Armed Forces Council Order, Discipline and Security – Communication of Information and Publication of Articles by Members of the Armed Forces paras 3, 5 and 13.

Mej Zaidi, who is accused under Sections 50(2) and 51 of the Armed Forces Act 1972, also claimed trial to sending two SMSes said to be politically motivated while on duty at the Butterworth air base on May 1 last year.

The prosecution was led by Mej Ahmad Sanusi Ali, while Dr Syed Iskandar Syed Jaafar acted for Mej Zaidi.

Hearing was fixed for April 8, 9 and 10.

Teoh family granted stay pending appeal outcome

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has allowed an application by the family of Teoh Beng Hock to stay the proceedings in their civil suit against the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Government over his death.

Justice Rosnaini Saub stayed the proceedings after 13 witnesses testified for the family in the trial.

The family's lead counsel Gobind Singh Deo said the judge had granted a stay pending the outcome of their appeal at the Court of Appeal against the Shah Alam High Court's refusal to review the coroner's decision from one of open verdict to homicide.

Gobind said the appeal at the Court of Appeal was scheduled to be heard on March 28, adding that the panel of judges would be going for a site visit in Shah Alam on March 18.

Teoh, 30, the political secretary to Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on July 16, 2009, on the fifth floor corridor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam after giving a statement at the Selangor MACC's office on the 14th floor of the building.

In January 2011, coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas gave an open verdict on the death, ruling that it was neither due to suicide nor homicide. Senior Federal Counsel Azizan Md Arshad, who appeared for the defendants, said it had no objections. Justice Rosnaini set April 29 for case management.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: Central

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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

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The Star Online: Metro: South & East

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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: TV Tracks

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

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 03:22 AM PST

Viewer numbers equal the time he interviewed Barrack Obama.

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Shawn Pyfrom opens up about addiction

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 03:52 PM PST

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

'Tonight Show' host Jay Leno signs off after 22 years

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 06:02 AM PST

WASHINGTON, Feb 07, 2014 (AFP) - Talk show icon Jay Leno bid farewell to his remarkable 22-year run at the top of the late-night US television heap on Thursday when he signed off from NBC's "The Tonight Show" for the last time.

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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Parenting

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Simple routines keep families happy

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

Sick of hearing yourself say 'no'? Have a Yes Day to counteract the negatives.

To counteract the negatives, she filled a cup with six "Have a nice day" slips of paper and a single "Have a Yes Day" one. If Aurora draws the latter at breakfast, her requests (Can I stay up late? Can I watch TV before breakfast?) get a yes. And so do Suzy and Lorene's: Will you walk the dog with me? Will you try a little bite of fish? Yes!

Why it's awesome: It's not just that there aren't any nos on Yes Days, it's that there are fewer nos every day, since Aurora tends to save up all her asking. And Yes Days have turned out to be more about individual stretching and family togetherness than the anticipated screen and junk-food excesses. "I love the unspoken 'within reason' part," Suzy says. Aurora keeps it reasonable, says Suzy, because she knows there will always be another Yes Day.

Who does it: Lorraine (LiEr) Teigland, blogger, ikatbag.com; spouse, David; Emily, age 9; Jenna, 7; Kate, 5.

What they do: LiEr is known for turning out gorgeous craft projects on her blog, but each week she calls a time-out to have tea with her three daughters. It's an idea inspired by her own childhood in Singapore.

"The kids are especially famished after being at school all day, and we miss each other during the week." So every Friday, they do a special tea to mark the end of the school week in a ceremonious way. Sometimes LiEr bakes scones, and they set out a pretty cloth and the tiered serving trays; other times it's store-bought muffins on a bare table or hot chocolate at Barnes & Noble.

Why it's awesome: Sitting down together to break bread – or scones – has proven benefits but, says LiEr, "It's not so much about the eating," it's about giving her girls an occasion they can count on, a moment to breathe, even when life gets busy with school.

"We play card games and talk about our week, maybe plan for the weekend," LiEr explains. "It's something special they look forward to."

Who does it: Emily Neuburger, author of Show Me A Story; spouse, Tom; Leah, age 8; Hazel, 6. (Baby Oliver isn't quite ready to participate.)

Use movies to spark discussion. (Shannon Greer/FamilyFun Magazine/MCT)

Use movies to spark discussion.

What they do: Emily prolongs the fun of family getaways by curating a digital vacation slide show, complete with a songs-of-the-moment soundtrack. The crew sits down together to savour it, then works back through past slide shows to see the same shots in different years: seaside ice cream, mini golf, the girls in the backseat of the car.

"They clamour to watch last year's, and the year before, and it's like a rabbit hole. They love it. And we get to see how much they've changed."

Why it's awesome: "We're making meaning and memories for them," Emily explains. Indeed, according to happiness expert Lyubomirsky, reminiscing about wonderful times is another one of those research-proven mood boosters.

"When we asked people to think about the best day in their life and replay it in their mind, like a videotape, that increased their happiness levels," she says.

Movie nights

Who does it: David Vienna, blogger, thedaddycomplex.com; spouse, Larissa; Wyatt and Boone, age 5.

What they do: "Before we had kids, every night was Movie Night," recalls David. "Except, we just called it 'night'." And now this "total movie nerd" is sharing the love with his twin boys. Once a weekend, the family orders in a pizza and watches whatever movie strikes the boys' fancies.

"We finish every screening by talking about what the story taught us. And the wonderful thing is, even if we've seen it before, the lesson may differ."

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Get siblings to bond over board games. (Shannon Greer/FamilyFun Magazine/MCT)

Get siblings to bond over board games

When they watched The Sword In The Stone, for example, the first time they talked about how Wart learned that brains often defeat brawn; after the second viewing, they discussed how practice helps you master a skill. "Seriously, I think my boys could skip school and just watch this movie on repeat to learn everything I want them to know."

Why it's awesome: For David, the post-movie chitchat is key. "When a movie ends, we say, 'OK, guys, what did we learn? How did you interpret it?'" He thinks such discussions will give them skills to find lessons in the films' stories and in their life experiences.

Of course, the big ideas come with a load of giggles, and that helps, too. Studies show that laughing together can build stronger relationships.

Board games bonding

Who does it: Elizabeth Foy Larsen, co-author of Unbored: The Essential Field Guide To Serious Fun; spouse, Walter; Peter, age 14; Henrik, 11; Luisa, 9.

What they do: Board games are not just unboring for Elizabeth's family. They're an instant, low-cost way to bridge the family's sometimes tricky spread of ages and interests and serve as a mood booster during dark, endless Minnesota winters.

Why it's awesome: Playing brings the siblings closer – but without calling attention to itself as a bonding experience. You might say that the pointlessness of a game is its point exactly.

"We get instantly very, very silly, and then we're laughing together again, and we're all just softening toward each other. I notice that there's a nice little afterglow when we spend that time together."

Plus, putting screens aside in the evening and having some unplugged fun (another Healthy Habit!) promotes better sleep for all.

Kindness ritual

Who does it: Christine Carter, sociologist, happiness expert, and author of the book Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps For More Joyful Kids And Happier Parents; spouse, Mark; Fiona, age 13; Molly, 11.

What they do: Four times a year, Fiona, Molly, and their grandfather fill ziplock bags with essentials (socks, bottled water, an energy bar, lip balm, sunscreen, and a tangerine) and distribute them, in person, to homeless people.

"Sometimes, they call it a Kindness Scavenger Hunt," Christine explains. They started including lip balm because one of the girls noticed that homeless people often have chapped lips. One of the kids wrote a note that said simply: "We see you and we care."

Why it's awesome: Multiple studies have shown that doing good deeds increases feelings of well-being and connectedness. For Christine's family, "it's an act of empathy and imagination."

Making and delivering those care packages benefits people in need, of course, but it has also given the girls "a really deep gratitude for their own home, and they experience their own power, their ability to help," Christine says. "Is it weird to say it's so much fun? But it really is! And the people are so appreciative. It's so positive for everybody." – Family Fun Magazine/ McClatchy Tribune Information Services

Coming to the table

Posted: 06 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

Life unfolds around tables in this household.

DINING tables are important to us, so we have four in our Sydney home. We dine at our tables daily – breakfast, lunch and dinner.

On winter nights, we usually seat ourselves cosily around the table in the living room where the heater is. This table stands in front of big bookshelves filled with books and photo frames. We love this spot as it oversees the maple tree in our front yard.

The light is dim here, compounding the rather 'romantic ambience". Sitting so close to my beloved husband and children gives me a romantic feeling because we all feel love.

Eating together at a table and away from the television (or gadgets) is important. It is the only time of the day when we are together, chatting and laughing away life's trivialities, though, at times, there are sorrows to be shared and acknowledged too. But on Friday nights, when the weather is cold, we confine ourselves to the house and have dinner at the coffee table in front of the television.

A good show and steaming hot food draw happiness out of our pores, binding our young family in love and humour.

In spring and summer, we love to munch our food slowly in the garden. That's where our third dining table is. No house is complete without a good al fresco deck, and we have a table and benches in the garden surrounded by blooming flowers. The pealing of wind chime accompanies our laughter and the occasional sneezing with spring's pollen wafting in the air. We love our garden – a pretty one – one that we promised our kids we would have.

Years ago, this corner of the house was a crumbling courtyard. Now, after much work, it has become an essential extension to our house, much loved by my kids as they laze in the hammock or do their stuff at the table. But when it comes to breakfast, everything on the table must go, because we wouldn't want to miss eating and chatting there.

It is a blessing to be able to sit and have a meal together. For those who lead busy lives, this is such a luxury. I rarely sat with my son when we were living a hectic pace in Kuala Lumpur. Then, we'd eat buffet-style, and I always ate alone. It was not until we moved to Sydney that we had proper dining tables, cutleries and placemats for formal and family meals. Five years of eating together has strengthened our bond.

"Never miss a meal together," my husband always says to our kids. And that is also a way to draw our children home when they become teenagers. The fun we have at mealtimes around our dining tables will lure them back, I am sure.

"What do we have for dinner?" is always the question from my children. It is a good question because they seem to look forward to dinnertime.

"But I have not had my dinner?" my daughter frowned one night shortly before bedtime. She felt something amiss as we had had our dinner early in a restaurant. She missed our dinner routine and felt weird.

So, I served her a small bowl of soup with some leftover rice. She tucked into her meal on the high chair at the marble table in the kitchen. This fourth table of ours was custom made. It is the centrepiece of our kitchen, providing us plenty of room to cook, work, read, write and eat.

The children have had countless bowls of soup at this table and countless more of porridge when flu strikes and hay fever disrupts life. It is at this table that we dish out medicine and vitamins. It is also at this table that we joke about each other's doodles.

Yet another table indeed, and the day when it was installed was the day we officially settled in as a family. I have vowed to make ours a household of humour and love. Tables pull us together, and in our home, there are more than dining tables. The most popular work desk is mine as my children love to muck around in my study or simply sit next to me, doodling.

The most charming table is a refurbished round stool I picked up from a flea market. It holds the first lamp we bought, a lamp that provides my kids comfort when they get up in the middle of a chilly night.

There is a makeshift table, too. It is none other than a big storage box under a pretty quilt. My daughter used to draw there when she was little and short. All these tables, and whatever is in or on them, are our household treasures. Around them sit our family, living with light-heartedness and understanding.

Tables, tables, tables ... I believe there is still room for one more.

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