Rabu, 12 Februari 2014

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

Obama to tour Japan, S. Korea, Malaysia, Philippines in April
Hefty fine for killing great white shark in Australia
China's Jade Rabbit rover comes 'back to life'

Obama to tour Japan, S. Korea, Malaysia, Philippines in April

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 05:55 PM PST

WASHINGTON, Feb 12, 2014 (AFP) - President Barack Obama will seek to ease questions over the staying power of his strategic shift to increasingly tense East Asia in April with stops in Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and South Korea.

Obama's visits to Manila and Kuala Lumpur are intended to make up for his no-show when he cancelled a previous Asia tour in October amid domestic political strife in Washington.

A subtext to his visit will be rising territorial tensions between several US allies and China, which deepened over Beijing's recent declaration of an "air defense identification zone" in the East China Sea.

Beijing was also angered last week when Washington stiffened its line on territorial disputes in the South China Sea, calling for it to adjust or clarify its claims.

Obama's stops in Japan and South Korea will also bolster close US alliances, at a time of aggravated political tensions between its two Northeast Asian friends.

It was an open secret that Obama would call in Japan in April, to take up an invitation from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who took office in December 2012.

But the decision to add South Korea to the trip came after rising pressure from Seoul and from the Asia policy community in Washington.

The move also reflects a desire to signal to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un that there are no gaps in US and South Korean resolve to counter Pyongyang's nuclear program and belligerent rhetoric.

It also indicates that Obama is keen to avoid dealing a political slight to South Korean President Park Geun-Hye that could result from a presidential visit to Tokyo and not one to Seoul.

Relations between the two nations were severely rattled by Abe's December visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors war criminals among Japan's war dead.

Obama's Asia itinerary also includes one noticeable exception - a stop in China. But he is expected to return to the region later in the year for regional summits in Australia, Beijing and Myanmar.

The White House said in a statement that Obama's April trip will highlight his "ongoing commitment to increase US diplomatic, economic and security engagement with countries in the Asia-Pacific region."

He is certain to try to push negotiations on a vast Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact that would include 12 nations, and is seen by some observers as an attempt to meet the economic challenge of a rising China.

The president however may encounter some skepticism from regional partners because Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid, a key Obama ally, has expressed skepticism about granting him expanded powers to negotiate trade deals.

In light of Reid's remarks, Pacific Rim nations may be loath to make concessions in the trade talks, fearing that any deal agreed may be modified by the US Congress.

Obama will stop first in Japan where he will meet Abe. Then he will travel to Seoul for talks with Park, likely to be dominated by North Korea's latest maneuvering on the divided peninsula.

Pyongyang is currently fuming at the prospect of annual US-South Korean military exercises starting later this month and that it views as an act of war.

From Seoul, Obama will head to Malaysia to meet Prime Minister Najib Razak to discuss deepening defense and military ties.

Obama's final stop will be Manila, where he will meet President Benigno Aquino and discuss evolving military relations designed to include rotations of US troops in the country.

The White House did not give exact dates for the trip, other than saying it would take place in late April.

Obama has declared he is America's first "Pacific President" and announced a rebalancing of military and strategic resources to the dynamic, fast-growing region.

But the cancellation of his trip last year, and the departure from his administration of big political hitters committed to the Asia pivot like former secretaries of state and defense Hillary Clinton and Robert Gates, have prompted some concern in the region over US staying power. - AFP

Hefty fine for killing great white shark in Australia

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 06:06 PM PST

SYDNEY, Feb 13, 2014 (AFP) - An Australian man has been fined Aus$18,000 (US$16,000) for killing a juvenile great white shark by ramming it with his boat then beating it to death with a metal pole, officials said Thursday.

Great whites are a protected species in Australia and it is illegal to catch, keep, buy, sell, possess or harm them.

The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries took action against the man, identified in media reports as Justin Clark, 40, after witnesses told fisheries officers he used his boat to herd the shark into shallow water in Sussex Inlet, south of Sydney, in January 2012.

Wollongong Local Court heard that he deliberately used his boat to ram the shark several times, with its main injuries caused by the propeller.

A rope was tied to the shark's tail and it was towed back to a boat ramp, where the department said it was beaten to death with a metal pole.

Clark was fined a total of Aus$18,103, with Department of Primary Industries director of fisheries compliance Glenn Tritton saying it was a warning to others.

"This conviction sends a strong message that harming of our threatened species will not be tolerated - everyone needs to know the rules and ignorance is no excuse," he said.

"Great white sharks are found along the NSW coastline and as apex predators at the top of the food chain, they play an important role in marine ecosystems."

Sharks are common in Australian waters, although they rarely prove fatal to humans, with only one of the average 15 attacks a year typically resulting in death.

In recent weeks, thousands of people have rallied around the country in protest at a controversial shark culling policy in Western Australia.

It allows sharks longer than three metres (10 feet) caught on bait lines off popular west coast beaches to be killed after six fatal attacks in the past two years.

The policy is designed to reduce risks to water users but has angered conservationists, who claim it flies in the face of international obligations to protect the great white.

Australia-animal-shark-conservation -AFP

China's Jade Rabbit rover comes 'back to life'

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 03:57 PM PST

BEIJING (AFP) - China's troubled Jade Rabbit lunar rover, which experienced mechanical difficulties last month, has come "back to life", state media reported Thursday.

"It came back to life! At least it is alive and so it is possible we could save it," the official Xinhua news agency quoted Pei Zhaoyu, spokesman for the lunar programme, as saying on a verified account on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter.

The probe, named Yutu or Jade Rabbit after the pet of Chang'e, the goddess of the moon in Chinese mythology, had experienced a "mechanical control abnormality" last month, provoking an outpouring of sympathy from weibo users.

Concerns were raised that the vehicle would not survive the bitter cold of the lunar night.

"The Jade Rabbit went into sleep under an abnormal status," Pei said according to Xinhua. "We initially worried that it might not be able to bear the extremely low temperatures during the lunar night."

An unverified weibo user "Jade Rabbit Lunar Rover", which has posted first-person accounts in the voice of the probe, made its first update since January, when it had declared: "Goodnight, Earth. Goodnight, humans."

"Hi, anybody there?" it said Thursday, prompting thousands of comments within minutes.
Xinhua has said the account is "believed to belong to space enthusiasts who have been following Yutu's journey to the moon".

The Jade Rabbit was deployed on the moon's surface on December 15, several hours after the Chang'e-3 probe landed.

The landing - the third such soft-landing in history, and the first of its kind since the Soviet Union's mission nearly four decades ago - was a huge source of pride in China, where millions across the country charted the rover's accomplishments.
China first sent an astronaut into space a decade ago and is the third country to complete a lunar rover mission after the United States and the former Soviet Union.

The landing was a key step forward in Beijing's ambitious military-run space programme, which include plans for a permanent orbiting station by 2020 and eventually sending a human to the moon.

The projects are seen as a symbol of China's rising global stature and technological advancement, as well as the Communist Party's success in reversing the fortunes of the once-impoverished nation.

The central government said the mission was "a milestone in the development of China's aerospace industry under the leadership of... Comrade Xi Jinping".

Earlier story

China's Jade Rabbit lunar rover 'dead': media

BEIJING (AFP) - China's troubled Jade Rabbit lunar rover has died on the surface of the moon, state media reported Wednesday, in a major setback for the country's ambitious space programme just weeks after its much-celebrated soft landing.

The country's first moon rover "could not be restored to full function on Monday as expected", the state-run China News Service said in a brief report, after the landmark mission suffered a mechanical malfunction last month.

The Jade Rabbit, or Yutu in Chinese, was deployed on the moon's surface on December 15 after the first lunar soft landing in nearly four decades and was seen as a symbol of China's rising global stature and technological advancement.

China is only the third country to complete a lunar rover mission after the United States and the former Soviet Union and the landing was a key step forward in Beijing's ambitious military-run space programme.

The silver rover experienced a "mechanical control abnormality" late January due to "the complicated lunar surface environment", according to the official Xinhua news agency, and was reportedly unable to function since then.

The rover - named Jade Rabbit after the pet of Chang'e, the goddess of the moon in Chinese mythology - was designed to spend about three months exploring for natural resources on the moon.

Condolences poured in on Weibo, China's hugely-popular Twitter-like service, China News Service said in its brief report titled "Loss of lunar rover".

Chinese state-run media have hailed the mission as a technological triumph and a symbol of national pride while millions across the country have been charting the rover's accomplishments.

The news of its landing - the first of its kind since the former Soviet Union's mission in 1976 - topped the list of searched items on popular Internet message boards.

And when state media broke the news of its troubles last month, web users flooded social media networks with condolence messages.

Giant leap

The Jade Rabbit rover had sent back its first pictures from the moon hours after it was deployed, as officials lauded the soft landing as a giant leap for "mankind as a whole".

The colour images showing the Chinese national flag on the rover were transmitted live to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center, where President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang watched the broadcast.

Images released by Xinhua also showed the lander, covered in golden foil, standing in the Sinus Iridum or Bay of Rainbows, its solar panels open to generate power.

The lunar mission came a decade after China first sent an astronaut into space and was seen as a symbol of the ruling Communist Party's success in reversing the fortunes of the once-impoverished nation.

"Exploration of outer space is an unremitting pursuit of mankind," China's space agency, the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND), said after the rover was deployed.

The mission reflects "the new glory of China to scale the peaks in world science and technology areas," it said.

The potential to extract the moon's resources has been touted as a key reason behind Beijing's space programme, with the moon believed to hold uranium, titanium, and other mineral resources, as well as offering the possibility of solar power generation.

But the phenomenal cost of missions means such projects are not economically viable, experts say.
Beijing plans to establish a permanent space station by 2020 and eventually send a human to the moon.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

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The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

3D 'Tarzan' movie in pre-production
Remembering Shirley Temple 1928-2014, child star who became diplomat
Five directors for one 'Cuak' of a movie

3D 'Tarzan' movie in pre-production

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 04:05 AM PST

Alexander Skarsgard, Margot Robbie, Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz are part of cast of movie slated to be out in July 2016.

WARNER Bros. has officially started pre-production on a new live-action 3D Tarzan movie that will star Alexander Skarsgard, Margot Robbie, Samuel L. Jackson and two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz, the studio announced on Tuesday.

David Yates, who directed the last four Harry Potter blockbusters, will direct from a screenplay based on the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Jerry Weintraub (WB's Ocean's trilogy) will produce with David Barron and Alan Riche, while Peter Riche will also be involved in a producing capacity.

WB's domestic distribution president Dan Fellman also announced that Tarzan will hit US theatres on July 1, 2016.

Skarsgard will play the legendary title character who was orphaned as a baby and raised in the jungle before he returns to London. The Wolf Of Wall Street breakout Robbie will play Tarzan's love interest Jane Porter, as TheWrap first reported.

"We have assembled a phenomenal international cast to tell this extraordinary story. Warner Bros. has also enjoyed long and successful collaborations with both David Yates and Jerry Weintraub, and we look forward to seeing what they and the entire team have in store for this timeless tale," said Greg Silverman, president of creative development and worldwide production for Warner Bros.

"Tarzan has been an enduring and enigmatic figure in literature and cinema for more than a century. The adventures of a man who was torn between two worlds have entertained and intrigued people young and old, and we are excited to bring him to the screen for a new generation," said Sue Kroll, WB's president of worldwide marketing and international distribution.

"This is a perfect entry for the summer movie season corridor, with a terrific combination of action, adventure, romance and suspense that is sure to appeal to a broad audience," added Fellman.

"I am so pleased to be reuniting with the team at Warner Bros. on this thrilling project. David Yates and I are going to be using the best of today's technology in creating this new adventure, and we can't wait to get started," said Weintraub. – Reuters

Remembering Shirley Temple 1928-2014, child star who became diplomat

Posted: 11 Feb 2014 10:25 PM PST

From her beginnings as an adorable child star to her illustrious adult career as a US diplomat, we take a look back at Shirley Temple Black's celebrated life.

SHIRLEY Temple Black, who lifted America's spirits as a bright-eyed, dimpled child movie star during the Great Depression and forged a second career as a US diplomat, died late on Monday evening at the age of 85.

Black, who lured millions to the movies in the 1930s, "peacefully passed away" at her Woodside, California, home from natural causes, surrounded by her family and caregivers, her family said in a statement on Tuesday.

"We salute her for a life of remarkable achievements as an actor, as a diplomat, and most importantly as our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and adored wife of 55 years," the statement said.

As actress Shirley Temple, she was precocious, bouncy and adorable with a head of curly hair, tap-dancing through songs like On The Good Ship Lollipop.

As Ambassador Shirley Temple Black, she was soft-spoken and earnest in postings in Czechoslovakia and Ghana, out to disprove concerns that her previous career made her a diplomatic lightweight.

"I have no trouble being taken seriously as a woman and a diplomat here," Black said after her appointment as US ambassador to Ghana in 1974. "My only problems have been with Americans who, in the beginning, refused to believe I had grown up since my movies."

Tributes to Black streamed in on Tuesday following the news of her death.

Former US President George H.W. Bush, who appointed Black as ambassador to the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic, said she excelled as both a child star and a diplomat.

"She captured the affections of millions around the world by her endearing performances on the silver screen as a young girl, but I also admired Shirley for her selfless service to our country later in her life," he said in a statement.

The Czech government praised Black, saying she became one of the symbols of the country's newly won freedom when she served as the US ambassador in Prague from 1989 until 1992.

"With her charm and openness, she greatly contributed to the renovation of an old friendship of our countries and nations," the Czech Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The entertainment world also mourned her death and turned to Twitter to express its sadness.

"Little Shirley Temple raised the spirits of a nation during the Great Depression. RIP," actress Mia Farrow tweeted.

Whoopi Goldberg referred to Black's signature song in her tribute to the former child star on Twitter. "The Good Ship Lollypop has sailed today with Shirley Temple aboard a true one of a kind," she wrote.

Actress Kristin Chenoweth praised Black as a "legendary child star and wonderful diplomat".

Black, born on April 23, 1928, started her entertainment career in the early 1930s and was famous by age six. She became a national institution, and her raging popularity spawned look-alike dolls, dresses and dozens of other Shirley Temple novelties as she became one of the first stars to enjoy the fruits of the growing marketing mentality.

A photo taken on June 26, 1937, shows US film star Shirley Temple arriving at the premiere of the film Wee Willie Winkie in Hollywood. During 1934-38, the actress appeared in more than 20 feature films and was consistently the top US movie star. – AFP/HO/ACME

Black was three when her mother put her in dance school, where a talent scout spotted her and got her in Baby Burlesk, a series of short movies with child actors spoofing adult movies.

Movie studio executives took notice. In 1934 she appeared in the film Stand Up And Cheer! and her song and dance number in Baby Take A Bow stole the show. Other movies in that year included Little Miss Marker and Bright Eyes – which featured On The Good Ship Lollipop – and in 1935 she received a special Oscar for her "outstanding contribution to screen entertainment".

She made some 40 feature films, including The Little Colonel, Poor Little Rich Girl, Heidi and Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm in 10 years, starring with big-name actors like Randolph Scott, Lionel Barrymore and Jimmy Durante.

She was a superstar before the term was invented. Black said she was about eight when adoring crowds shouting their love for her made her realise she was famous.

"I wondered why," she recalled. "I asked my mother, and she said, 'Because your films make them happy.'"

She was such a moneymaker that her mother – who would always tell her "Sparkle, Shirley!" before she appeared before an audience – and studio officials shaved a year off her age to maintain her child image.

Her child career came to an end at age 12. She tried a few roles as a teenager – including opposite future US President Ronald Reagan in That Hagen Girl – but retired from the screen in 1949 at age 21.

The Screen Actors Guild gave her its 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award. In her acceptance speech posted on the group's website, she said: "I have one piece of advice for those of you who want to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award: Start early!"

In 1998, she was a Kennedy Centre honouree, one of a select few to receive the annual award.

Shirley Temple Black backstage after receiving the Screen Actors Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, California, on Jan 29, 2006. The award recognised her years not only as a child star, but as a diplomat and humanitarian. – Reuters/Mario Anzuoni
Politics and diplomacy

Temple was only 17 in 1945 when she married for the first time to John Agar, who would eventually appear with her in two movies. Their five-year marriage produced a daughter.

In 1950, she wed Charles Black. Their marriage lasted until his death in 2005, and they had two children.

Black's interest in politics was sparked in the early 1950s when her husband was called back into the Navy to work in Washington.

She did volunteer work for the Republican Party while trying to make a comeback with two short-lived TV series, Shirley Temple's Storybook in 1959 and The Shirley Temple Theatre a year later.

Seven years after that, she ran unsuccessfully for Congress in California but stayed in politics, helping raise more than US$2mil for US President Richard Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign.

She was later named to the US delegation to the United Nations and found that her childhood popularity was an asset in her new career.

"Having been a film star can be very helpful on an international basis," Black once said. "Many people consider me an old friend."

Sometimes the public found it hard to accept her in diplomatic roles. But in 1989 she pointed out her 20 years in public service were more than the 19 she spent in Hollywood.

In 1974, US President Gerald Ford appointed Black ambassador to Ghana. Two years later, he made her chief of protocol. For the next decade she trained newly appointed ambassadors at the request of the State Department.

In 1989, President George H.W. Bush made Black ambassador to Prague – a sensitive Eastern European post normally reserved for career diplomats. Black had been in Prague in 1968, representing a group fighting multiple sclerosis at a conference, when Soviet-bloc tanks entered to crush an era of liberalisation known as the Prague Spring.

Czech President Gustav Husak did not seem daunted by the prospect of a US ambassador who had witnessed the invasion. He told her that he had been a fan of "Shirleyka".

In 1972, Black was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. She publicly discussed her surgery to educate women about the disease.

Black is survived by her children, Susan, Charlie Jr, and Lori; her granddaughter Teresa; and her great-granddaughters Lily and Emma, the family statement said. It said private funeral arrangements were pending. – Reuters

Five directors for one 'Cuak' of a movie

Posted: 11 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

Five directors, one movie. That's how Cuak weaves the romantic tapestry.

IS she the one, or should you run? This is the story of Adam who suffers from a bad case of wedding jitters. In fact, he experiences more than a fair bit of nervousness before his marriage to Brenda. It all goes to pieces moments at the couple's akad nikah (solemnisation) ceremony.

With meddlesome friends, insane in-laws, a suspicious stepbrother and unresolved ex-girlfriend issues, it's no wonder the quirky Adam has second thoughts about his marriage.

That's the gist of the movie Cuak, a cleverly stitched film that features five directors pulling together and weaving the frantic tale of Adam, played by the animated Ghafir Akbar. His love interest – the headstrong and confident Brenda – is played by the multi-talented Dawn Cheong.

Apart from romance, Cuak, which roughly translates into "second thoughts", is also filled with action, mystery and drama.

Cuak features the works of five local directors: (from left) Lim Benji, Shamaine Othman, Khairil M Bahar, Tony Pietra Arjuna and Manesh Nesaratnam.

"This film is really an experiment. The idea behind Cuak has been in my mind since 2005. It is about getting very different directors together to tell one story. It's not an anthology of short films, this is one story," said Michael Chen, 31, the movie's producer.

Cuak is a one-of-a-kind movie, indeed. It's basically five young local directors – Manesh Nesaratnam, Tony Pietra Arjuna, Khairil M Bahar, Shamaine Othman and Lim Benji – on board to take viewers through five different film genres in one movie sitting. The movie was produced by Garang Indie Pictures, the independent arm of Garang Pictures.

"It's not your standard comedy or love story, it's a whole mix of different genres," he added.

Cuak, as the producer proudly mentions, centres on the collaborative approach.

"This approach seems to be working best for indie-feel efforts lately such as the recent Kolumpo and can be seen as far back as Pete Teo's 15Malaysia.

"Not only are we including several directors, but the actors, scripting and execution with the shooting of a single narrative has brought together quite a diverse bunch of artists to work together."

Brenda's paranoid father (Patrick Teoh) with his eccentric fortune teller (Kuah Jenhan) in Manesh Nesaratnam's Consent.

But not to worry, Chen assures you that the all five segments will be put together to make one seamless narrative.

"To an audience member, I'm hoping that you won't even realise that the genres have changed. I'm hoping that you'll just watch it and you'll be engaged with the story," said Chen.

Chen also added that Cuak will resonate with all Malaysians – young and old.

"It's the same reason why you love watching the late filmmaker Yasmin Ahmad's movies. People will watch her films and they're like, 'Yeah, that's my story.'"

Khairil also pointed out that Cuak has characters Malaysians would recognise.

"It comes from a very honest place and the characters are people you recognise – they talk like people you know and sound like people you know. I can see people reacting to it because they relate to it. I love that people will comment that the lead is insensitive or the female lead gets angry a lot, because they're not perfect people," he said.

Khairil gives an example of his opening scene: "It is very Malaysian because the characters speak in multiple languages in the same sentence. Even if I subtitle it, it will not make sense to somebody who does not speak Malay."

Here's the five stories, as told by their respective directors, in Cuak to bring homegrown spark to this year's Valentine's Day at the cinemas.

Meet the in-laws

Any impending marriage will sooner or later involve a visit to the in-laws.

Adam discovers how much of a test a visit to the in-laws is, after he meets Brenda's nymphomaniac aunt (Bernie Chan), penny-pinching mother (Dong Chae Lian) and paranoid father (Patrick Teoh) with his eccentric fortune teller (Kuah Jenhan).

Director of the segment, Manesh Nesaratnam, shot the whole segment in a studio and made the room from scratch.

"I wanted to do a bit of an absurdist, dark comedy. The visuals of Sherlock (television series) and some of Tim Burton's work is something I wanted to try out in my own piece. I've never done anything like this, so it was really like an experiment," said Manesh.

When asked what was his inspiration behind his segment, the 33-year-old filmmaker revealed that meeting your future in-laws to ask for consent to marry their daughter is a terrifying experience for any guy.

"I just wanted to play with this idea of meeting your crazy in-laws. There are superstitious parents, money-conscious parents, parents who are worried if you're going to take care of their daughter and if you're going to be faithful. So, I exaggerated on all these characteristics and that is why I have such crazy characters in my piece," said Manesh.

"I also played with the idea of a man having to go through a series of tests. Adam had to go through an exterminator test. In the script, Adam had to kill a flying cockroach, a river rat and a lizard," he said with a laugh.

'It's not your standard comedy or love story, it's a whole mix of different genres,' says Michael Chen, the producer of the movie.

The half-brother

Director Tony Pietra Arjuna chose to film his segment noir style, told from Adam's half-brother Mikail's (Tony Eusoff) point of view.

The story shows how Mikail, an emotionally unstable customs agent, instantly distrusts Brenda and believes that she will betray Adam the way Mikail's ex-lover betrayed him.

"While the plot is still grounded in the two main characters, which are Adam and Brenda, essentially in my segment, Mikail is the protagonist. But not a favourable one," said Pietra.

"It's basically told from Mikail's point of view. Mikail has marriage issues due to his deep rooted emotional problems, especially where women are concerned. He has never trusted women and has always been betrayed by them. And he feels that his brother is setting himself up for the same fate," explained the 35-year-old.

Pietra reveals that Mikail's character has what psychologists call "borderline personality disorder".

"What I'm hoping is that when people watch this, they have a better understanding of what this condition entails. Find out a little bit more about their problem, don't cast them out or treat them like a plague," he said.

The bachelor party

Creative director Khairil M Bahar, 33, envisioned his segment to be about a bunch of friends talking.

Adam (Ghafir Akbar) and his best friends hang out and play pool at his bachelor party in Khairil N Bahar's swinging The Bachelor Party.

"I've always been a fan of dialogue with the camera moving constantly. I like those situations where you have a bunch of buddies talking and there are no lies between them," said Khairil, citing American filmmaker/producer Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mallrats, Dogma) as one of his inspirations.

Khairil's segment talks about the seeds of doubt planted in Adam's head at his bachelor party by his friends as they share their opinions on how much things change when you get married.

In many ways, he drew experience from his own life when filming his segment.

"I would always hang out and play pool with a friend of mine, but after he got married we stopped doing that."

"It's totally understandable, we both haven't got the time to do that anymore. But that was kind of the impetus for my segment," said Khairil.

Mikail (Tony Eusoff), Adam's half-brother, instantly distrusts Brenda and believes that she will betray Adam the way Mikail's ex-lover betrayed him. Still from Tony Pietra Arjuna's Issues.

The ex-girlfriend

Director Lim Benji's segment is filmed in the found footage genre, where we learn that before Adam was Brenda's fiance, he was the boyfriend of Brenda's housemate Nurul (Ani Juliana Ibrahim).

The found footage segment shows Adam documenting a surprise date he had planned for Nurul. Through this blast from the past, we discover how Adam treated relationships in the past.

Filmmaker Lim Benji's The Ex piece sees Adam (Ghafir Akbar) and Nurul (Ani Juliana Ibrahim) in flashback mode.

Lim said that he got the idea for his segment after having dinner with his dad.

"I was actually texting an old flame of mine while we were eating and my dad asked me who I was texting. I told him who it was and how there isn't anything going on anymore, and he said: "She has a younger sister right? Never mind! Older sister cannot tackle, you tackle the younger sister!"

"And so the first draft of the script essentially told the story of how Adam was initially going out with Brenda's older sister. But as I had more discussions with my writer, Priya Kulasagaran, the script evolved to Adam's ex being Brenda's roommate rather than sister," said the 29-year-old director.

The couple

Cuak is Shamaine Othman's first directing gig, and her segment is the most naturalistic in comparison with the others. The audience is brought into the couple's personal space and we see how they function in the relationship.

"My style of writing is that I write what I know. I've been in relationships where everything was going fine and then one day you have a discussion or argument which throws everything off balance," the 30-year-old director. When writing the script for her segment, Shamaine looked at life around her to find inspiration.

"I chose conversion as the topic of the fight because I was in a relationship where the guy would have to convert if he wanted to marry me," she said "The subject of conversion is close to me because I am the product of mixed parentage so it's very much part of my life," added Shamaine.

> Cuak opens at cinemas nationwide on Feb 14.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates

South Korea rejects North's demand for delay of joint drills with U.S.
For South China Sea claimants, a legal venue to battle China
At least three killed by gunfire at Venezuela protests

South Korea rejects North's demand for delay of joint drills with U.S.

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 08:35 PM PST

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea has rejected a demand by its northern neighbour to postpone this month's military drills with the United States to avoid overlap with planned reunions of families separated during the Korean War, an official said on Thursday.

The demand, made at a rare high-level meeting on Wednesday between the North and South, raised the possibility that the family reunion event might be scuttled and deal a setback to weeks of confidence-building efforts by Seoul.

"North Korea persistently demanded the postponement of the joint exercise for two days where it overlaps the reunions," South Korea's Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae told parliament. "As far as we're concerned, it's impossible."

Ryoo is the South's top policymaker on the North.

The demand appears to be a step back by the North, which had called for the cancellation of the drills and is the latest example of conflicting signals from Pyongyang, which included an abrupt cancellation of an invitation for a U.S. envoy to visit.

The North says the drills are a rehearsal for war by the United States, despite consistent denials by Seoul and Washington, which say they are routine exercises.

South Korea's defence ministry said the drills would be held as scheduled later this month as troops and equipment have already started mobilizing and also on the grounds that legitimate defence activities should not be linked to a humanitarian event.

The two Koreas are scheduled to hold reunions of family members separated since the Korean War at the Mount Kumgang resort just inside the North.

Several lawmakers expressed concern that the North would once again scrap the reunions as it did in September. An expert on the North said it was too optimistic to expect the North was genuinely seeking reconciliation with the South.

"North Korea in the first place has no willingness to hold reunions and it looks likely to fall apart," said Lee Ji-sue of Myongji University in Seoul. "Even if it goes ahead, the reunions will end up being an one-off event."

The North has previously threatened to cancel the reunions, citing a sortie last week by a nuclear-capable U.S. B-52 bomber near the Korean peninsula. The United States has about 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea.

North Korea has cancelled an invitation for U.S. human rights envoy Robert King to visit Pyongyang to discuss the release of imprisoned U.S. missionary Kenneth Bae, which had been expected to come as early as this week.

(Reporting by Jack Kim and Ju-min Park; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

For South China Sea claimants, a legal venue to battle China

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 06:55 PM PST

HONG KONG (Reuters) - When Philippine President Benigno Aquino compared China to the Germany of 1938 and called for global support as his country battles Beijing's claims in the South China Sea, he put the focus on a case that Manila has filed in an international court.

The Philippines has taken its dispute with China to arbitration under the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea and its lawyers say that the tribunal has discretionary powers to allow other states to join the action.

China is refusing to participate and has already warned Vietnam against joining the case being heard at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, sources have said. Hanoi has so far kept its options open.

Any final ruling by the court on the dispute, one of the most tense flashpoints in Asia, cannot be enforced but will carry considerable moral and political weight, analysts say.

"If a large number of countries, including members of ASEAN, speak out in support of the application of international law to resolve disputes, Beijing might conclude that flouting the ruling of the tribunal is too costly, even if China's nine-dash line is found to be illegal," said Bonnie Glaser at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, groups four of the claimants to the sea - Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam - and six other countries in the region.

China, and also Taiwan, claim much of the sea through a nine-dash line on Chinese maps that encompasses about 90 percent of its 3.5 million sq km (1.35 million sq mile) waters. The sea provides 10 percent of the global fisheries catch and carries $5 trillion in ship-borne trade each year.

In an interview with the New York Times last week, Aquino compared China's claims to Germany in 1938.

"At what point do you say, 'Enough is enough'? Well, the world has to say it — remember that the Sudetenland was given in an attempt to appease Hitler to prevent World War 2," he said.

Beijing has called the comparison outrageous.

Admiral Samuel Locklear, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, and Daniel Russel, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, both voiced support last week for the Philippines' action in seeking a peaceful, lawful solution.

The U.S. comments came after increasingly assertive moves by China in the South China Sea in recent weeks.

"There is a growing concern that this pattern of behaviour in the South China Sea reflects an incremental effort by China to assert control over the area contained in the so-called "nine-dash line," despite the objections of its neighbours and despite the lack of any explanation or apparent basis under international law regarding the scope of the claim itself," Russel said in testimony to a congressional sub-committee.

The issue could also come up when Secretary of State John Kerry visits Beijing this week.

ASSERTIVE BUT WARY

China's state media has reported a patrol by two destroyers and a large amphibious landing ship at the James Shoal - about 80 km (50 miles) off the coast of the Malaysian state of Sarawak.

While Malaysia's navy chief denied the reports, China's official Xinhua news agency has since described how the ships have continued south, passing through Indonesia's strategic Lombok and Makassar straits to reach the Indian Ocean.

Official Chinese reports last month also announced the basing of a 5,000-tonne civilian patrol ship in the Paracel Islands, which are claimed by Vietnam.

Provincial authorities on the Chinese island of Hainan, meanwhile, have extended fishing restrictions into international waters - a step that sparked protests from Hanoi and Manila.

Despite the lack of physical opposition to its moves, China appears to be wary about the proceedings in the court at The Hague.

Chinese officials have warned Hanoi against joining the case, Vietnamese officials have privately said.

Carl Thayer, a South China Sea expert at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra, said he had been told by Vietnamese officials that one such warning was delivered by Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a visit to Hanoi last September.

"Vietnam has so far stood up to the pressure and clearly reserved the right to take any step if it feels its national interests are at stake," Thayer said.

Luong Thanh Nghi, a spokesman for Vietnam's Foreign Ministry, did not comment directly on Chinese pressure, including specific warnings from Wang, but told Reuters that Hanoi was closely monitoring Manila's legal moves.

When asked whether Hanoi had decided on whether it would take part in the case, Nghi pointed to previous statements that Vietnam would apply "all necessary and appropriate peaceful means" to protect its sovereignty and national interests.

Other Vietnamese officials said while it was unlikely Hanoi would join the case given its close but complex relationship with China, they were scrutinising developments closely, including talking to foreign legal experts.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying reiterated China's objections to the Philippines' action and said China and Vietnam had reached an "important consensus" over how to resolve the South China Sea dispute.

"We are willing to maintain close touch with Vietnam and co-ordinate with them, to resolve the issue via friendly talks and consultation."

Manila's five U.S. and British lawyers are finalising submissions to be put to the court before a March 30 deadline to show that China's "nine-dash line" claim is invalid under the Law of the Sea.

Philippines' lead counsel Paul Reichler, a Washington-based lawyer with the law firm Foley Hoag, said the arbitration tribunal had adopted rules that effectively allowed other states to apply to intervene.

While no one had yet stepped forward "there is still plenty of time to do so," he told Reuters.

A copy of the rules obtained from the court by Reuters last week does not mention third country interventions but gives the tribunal judges the power to decide on outside issues not covered by the document.

Clive Schofield, a legal expert at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security at the University of Wollongong, said the wording of the rules allowed for considerable leeway.

"I do not believe that either one of the parties can block (third country) submissions should the tribunal members deem them to be helpful in determining the outcome of the case," he said.

(Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING, Manuel Mogato in MANILA and Stuart Grudgings in KUALA LUMPUR; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

At least three killed by gunfire at Venezuela protests

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 06:00 PM PST

CARACAS (Reuters) - At least three people were shot dead on Wednesday during anti-government protests in Caracas, escalating the worst bout of unrest in Venezuela since turmoil after President Nicolas Maduro's election last year.

The violence was a crescendo to weeks of sporadic demonstrations in the provinces led by opposition hardliners who denounce Maduro for failing to control inflation, crime and product shortages and vow to push him from office.

The government says the opposition is sowing violence to stage a coup similar to the one a decade ago that briefly ousted late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, though there are few signs that the current melees could topple Maduro.

The country's top prosecutor confirmed the death of a student and a pro-government community leader amid chaotic scenes as marches by opposition and government sympathizers ended just a few blocks apart in the city centre.

Maduro said another student suffered serious brain damage and was in critical condition after being shot in the head.

"This violent group had failed until now in their attempts to fill Venezuela with death and blood," Maduro said in a speech outside Caracas to commemorate an independence-era battle.

"Today we lament the death of two young Venezuelans."

Reuters reporters on the scene heard gunshots and saw one man carried away dead with blood gushing from his head.

Twenty-three people were injured, 25 arrested, four police vehicles burnt, and some government offices vandalized in violence throughout the day, officials said.

The mayor of stridently opposition municipality of Chacao, in the east of the city, said on Twitter that a third person had been shot dead in his district.

Social networks quickly fell into a familiar pattern of recriminations, with both sides blaming the other based on little clear information about what had happened.

Opposition activists said armed government supporters belonging to hardline groups known as "colectivos" had fired on the peaceful march. Government officials pinned the deaths on "fascists" who they said had planned violence from the start.

"THE EXIT"

As night fell, soldiers fired tear gas at several hundred young demonstrators who burned tires and blocked the main avenue of Chacao, where the third death occurred.

"We're staying in the streets until this government falls," said student Jose Jimenez, 22, protesting in Chacao with a shirt tied round his face to protect him from tear gas.

In 2002, opposition leaders began what would become years of constant protests as part of failed efforts to oust the late Chavez, which included a bungled coup, a two-month oil industry shutdown and an unsuccessful recall referendum.

"They cannot take us back to the scenes of 2002," Maduro said during a speech before the shooting broke out.

Sporadic political protests of varying intensity have been common over the last decade, but they frequently fizzle out within several days as citizens grow weary of blocked streets and the smell of burning debris.

Hardline opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, a photogenic U.S.-educated former mayor, has led a renewed wave of demonstrations over the last two weeks under the banner "The Exit," in reference to Maduro's departure.

He is seeking to tap into the frustration of Maduro's critics who say state institutions including courts and the electoral council are so controlled by the ruling Socialist Party as to make democracy impossible.

"This movement of people in the streets is going to grow. It's like a wave that will keep growing," Lopez told a Colombian television station.

OPPOSITION UNITY COLLAPSES

The opposition rallied around state governor Henrique Capriles last year after he staged a better-than-expected showing against Maduro in the April election to replace Chavez, but has since stepped out of the limelight to focus on local issues.

Wednesday's violence may formally mark a widening rift between hardliners and those who favour returning to bread-and-butter issues such as sporadic trash collection, filthy streets and pot-holed highways.

Opposition moderates note that their biggest successes, such as turning pro-Chavez strongholds into opposition territory, resulted from leaders stepping away from theatrical street protests to focus on voters' concerns.

The constant protests have also helped the government cement an image of the opposition as saboteurs. Many are wary of being cast in that light again.

"While there are plenty of reasons to protest, there does not seem to be an agenda for the current wave. #LaSalida (The Exit) is not a strategy. It's a hashtag!" complained the anti-government blog Caracas Chronicles.

"The street protests, along with the public bickering they are engendering, are creating a false sense that our actions can undo the regime."

(Additional reporting by Caracas bureau reporters; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Brian Ellsworth, Kieran Murray and Lisa Shumaker)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

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