Sabtu, 8 Mac 2014

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

Singapore the costliest city? That’s rich
Sri Lanka warns developing nations
US firm says 20 employees on missing Malaysia plane

Singapore the costliest city? That’s rich

Posted: 08 Mar 2014 08:00 AM PST

SINGAPORE: A study out last week naming Singapore as the world's most expensive city has become a major talking point around town.

Many people say the study confirms that the cost of living here has spiralled. But others argue that the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report does not reflect the consumption patterns of ordinary Singaporeans. Rather, it focuses on high-living expats, they say.

Included in the basket of items the study used to compute the cost of living in 131 cities worldwide were imported cheese, filet mignon, the four best seats in a theatre and Cointreau liquor – hardly regular buys of the average local.

The EIU seemed to focus on high-end options for clothing, which it says costs more in Singapore than anywhere else.

The study says a white business shirt costs S$259 (RM668), a daytime dress S$485 (RM1,250) and a Burberry-type raincoat for men costs S$2,295 (RM5,917) at a department store.

The study also took into account taxi fares and the costs of buying and running a car but excluded public transport. And it included fees at various international schools as part of the overall cost of living.

Other costs in the study were based on the habits of Western expats.

For example, the report states that the monthly electricity bill for a family of four would be between S$938.96 (RM2,420.75) and S$1,433.32 (RM3,695.30), far higher than the utilities bill for most families here.

The editor of the EIU report, Jon Copestake, told The Straits Times that electricity bills tend to be high for expats living in warm climates such as in Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore as they often use air-conditioning.

Former Nominated Member of Parliament Calvin Cheng said: "Rental rates for the survey are taken from average rates of locations like Orchard Road and River Valley, where most Singaporeans do not live in. Most locals live in HDB flats which they own."

Since the survey compares the cost of living for expatriates across different cities, it focuses on factors that do not affect the cost of living for Singaporeans.

Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam pointed out that the Singapore dollar has strengthened over the years, which means that the city is more expensive for someone who is paid in a foreign currency.

However, for Singaporeans, it improves their purchasing power, as it means imported goods are cheaper, and helps when they travel.

Indeed, a study by the Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI) at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy last year showed that while Singapore is the most expensive place in the world for expats, it is only the 60th most expensive for the average resident.

It came to this finding by taking into account, for example, the costs of hawker food, government schools and public hospitals.

But high-end goods and city apartments aside, the study has struck a chord with ordinary Singaporeans, who reckon that the prices of everyday goods have been rising too.

Sathiyasivan Balakrishnan, 25, who works in the hospitality sector, said: "Most of us, if we eat out, eat at hawker centres. But hawker food prices have been increasing every year too."

A measure of how much prices have risen is core inflation, which excludes the cost of private road transport and accommodation. It rose 1.7% last year on top of 2.5% in 2012.

Companies do feel that Singapore is an expensive place to conduct business, noted Singapore Business Federation chief operating officer Victor Tay.

"This might be negative to companies considering Singapore as a potential investment destination," he said, adding that the government should look at measures to stabilise business costs.

Studies such as this may also make it harder for Singapore to attract top talent from around the world, he said.

Still, economist Selena Ling said the study is unlikely to hurt Singapore's competitiveness.

"Singapore has never been a cheap place. So the question is whether the value that Singapore adds to your business outweighs the costs."

DBS economist Irvin Seah agreed.

"We know we can't compete on costs, and the cost of business here such as rental and labour is on the high side compared to regional countries," he said.

Sri Lanka warns developing nations

Posted: 08 Mar 2014 08:00 AM PST

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka warned that US efforts to force an international investigation into alleged war crimes on the island could have an "adverse impact" on all developing nations.

The Colombo government told the ongoing UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva that a draft resolution against Sri Lanka could set a "bad precedent".

The US has given notice of a resolution backing UN rights chief Navi Pillay's call for an external probe into charges that Sri Lankan troops killed up to 40,000 civilians while crushing Tamil rebels in 2009.

"Being intrusive, politicised and in clear contravention of accepted principles of conduct in the council, the resolution sets a bad precedent, and can in the medium-to-long term have an adverse impact on all developing countries in the council," Sri Lanka's envoy in Geneva, Ravi Aryasinha, said.

In his statement to the council, a copy of which was released in Colombo, Aryasinha said the draft resolution was also a violation of Sri Lanka's sovereignty as well as its constitution.

Dozens of pro-government women staged a demonstration outside the US embassy in Colombo, denouncing the US-led censure move at the UNHRC.

International rights groups and UN experts had said there are "credible allegations" that up to 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed after government forces ordered them into a no-fire zone in 2009.

The US-led resolution asked Pillay to give an oral report on progress to the council at its 27th session in September, and provide a written report by March 2015.

The draft also called on Sri Lanka to investigate allegations of military excesses and expressed "serious concern" over continuing reports of human rights violations five years after the end of the decades-long separatist war. — AFP

US firm says 20 employees on missing Malaysia plane

Posted: 08 Mar 2014 04:33 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A Texas semiconductor firm said Saturday that 20 of its employees were confirmed passengers aboard a missing Malaysia Airlines jet that has abruptly vanished.

Among the Freescale Semiconductor employees aboard Flight MH370 were 12 people from Malaysia and another eight from China, president and CEO Gregg Lowe said.

"At present, we are solely focused on our employees and their families," he added in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this tragic event."

Rescuers were still hunting for the whereabouts of the twin-engine plane that was carrying 239 people aboard as it traveled from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing more than 24 hours after it slipped off radar screens somewhere between Malaysia's east coast and southern Vietnam, triggering an international search effort.

The 153 Chinese passengers aboard the plane included an infant, while 38 Malaysians and seven Indonesians were aboard.

Six Australians, five Indians, four French nationals and three Americans, including an infant, were also among those listed and the Dutch Foreign Ministry said one Dutch passenger was on the plane.

"The entire Freescale Semiconductor community is deeply saddened by this news. The company is continuing to monitor the situation and will provide more information as it becomes available," the Austin, Texas-based firm said.

Freescale said it was making counselors and other professionals available to employees as part of "around-the-clock support for those impacted by this tragedy."

The company's products serve the automotive, consumer, industrial and networking markets.
They include microprocessors, microcontrollers and sensors, as well as analog integrated circuits and connectivity.

Freescale has design, research and development, manufacturing and sales operations around the world. - AFP

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The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates

Libya threatens to bomb North Korean tanker if it ships oil from rebel port
North Korean-flagged tanker loads oil at seized Libyan port-officials
Mickey Mouse and armed men: surreal scenes on Kiev protest square

Libya threatens to bomb North Korean tanker if it ships oil from rebel port

Posted: 08 Mar 2014 08:30 PM PST

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya threatened on Saturday to bomb a North Korean-flagged tanker if it tried to ship oil from a rebel-controlled port, in a major escalation of a standoff over the country's petroleum wealth.

The rebels, who have seized three major Libyan ports since August to press their demands for more autonomy, warned Tripoli against staging an attack to halt the oil sale after the tanker docked at Es Sider terminal, one of the country's biggest. The vessel started loading crude late at night, oil officials said.

The oil dispute is just one facet of the deepening turmoil in the North African OPEC member, where the government is struggling to control militias that helped topple Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 but kept their weapons and now challenge state authority.

A local television station controlled by protesters showed footage of pro-autonomy rebels holding a lengthy ceremony and slaughtering a camel to celebrate their first oil shipment. In the distance stood a tanker. The station said the ceremony took place in Es Sider.

Prime Minister Ali Zeidan appeared on television to warn the tanker's crew. "The tanker will be bombed if it doesn't follow orders when leaving (the port). This will be an environmental disaster," Zeidan said.

"They are now trying to load oil," he said, denouncing it as a criminal act. Authorities have ordered the arrest of the tanker's crew.

There was no immediate sign of the country's armed forces moving toward the port. Analysts say the military, still in training, would struggle to overcome rebels battle-hardened from the eight-month uprising against Gaddafi.

Zeidan acknowledged the army had failed to implement his orders last week to stop the protesters sending reinforcements from their base in Ajdabiyah, west of the regional capital Benghazi, to Es Sider.

"Nothing was done," Zeidan said, adding that political opponents in parliament were obstructing his government. He said North Korea had asked the ship's captain to sail away from the port but armed protesters had prevented that.

Abb-Rabbo Albarassi, the eastern autonomy movement's self-declared prime minister, said Zeidan's government had failed to meet its demands to share oil wealth, to investigate oil corruption and to grant the regional autonomy.

"We tried to reach a deal with the government, but they and parliament ... were too busy with themselves and didn't even discuss our demands," he said at the televised ceremony.

"If anyone attacks, we will respond to that."

A successful independent oil shipment would be a blow to the government. Tripoli had said earlier it would destroy tankers trying to buy oil from Ibrahim Jathran, a former anti-Gaddafi rebel who seized the port and two others with thousands of his men in August.

Jathran, who was seen attending the televised ceremony, had commanded a brigade of former rebels paid by the state to protect petroleum facilities. He defected with his troops, however, to take over the ports.

In January, the Libyan navy fired on a Maltese-flagged tanker that it said had tried to load oil from the protesters in Es Sider.

The North Korean-flagged Morning Glory, which was previously flagged in Liberia, had been circling off the Libyan coast for days. It tried to dock at Es Sider on Tuesday, when port workers still loyal to the central government told the crew to turn back.

Storage tanks at Es Sider and other seized ports are full, according to oil sources.

It is extremely unusual for an oil tanker flagged in secretive North Korea to operate in the Mediterranean, shipping sources said.

A spokesman for state-run National Oil Corp (NOC) said the Morning Glory was owned by a Saudi company. It had changed ownership in the past few weeks and previously been called Gulf Glory, according to a shipping source.

The Saudi embassy in Tripoli said in a statement that the kingdom's government had nothing to do with the tanker, without saying who owned it.

PROTESTS

Western powers worry Libya will slide into deeper instability or even break apart as the government, paralysed by political battles in parliament, struggles to assert control of a vast country awash with arms and militias.

At a Libya conference this week in Rome, Western countries voiced concern that tensions in Libya could slip out of control in the absence of a functioning political system, and urged the government and rival factions to start talking.

U.S. Ambassador to Libya Deborah Jones said in a series of tweets on Saturday that the only parties authorized to sell Libya's oil are the National Oil Corp and its subsidiaries and partners.

"Any purchase of oil within Libya from anyone other than those entities amounts to theft from the Libyan people," she said, adding that companies that engage in illicit trade with separatist groups in Libya risk liability in multiple jurisdictions.

Libya's government has tried to end a wave of protests at oil ports and fields across the vast desert state that have slashed oil output, the country's lifeline, to 230,000 barrels per day (bpd), from 1.4 million bpd in July.

Tripoli has held indirect talks with Jathran, who seized the port, but his demand for a greater share of oil revenues for the east, like the region had under Gaddafi's predecessor King Idris, is sensitive for a government that worries this might lead to secession.

Jathran has teamed up with another set of protesters blocking oil exports at the 110,000-bpd Hariga port in Tobruk, also located in the east.

Libya's defence minister held talks this week with protesters blocking the 340,000-bpd El Sharara oilfield in the south but there is no word on whether it will reopen soon.

The protesters, from a tribal minority, want national identity cards and a local council, demands the minister has promised to study.

(Additional reporting by Ghaith Shennib and Ayman al-Warfalli and Timothy Gardner in Washington; Editing by Patrick Markey, Andrew Roche and Lisa Shumaker)

North Korean-flagged tanker loads oil at seized Libyan port-officials

Posted: 08 Mar 2014 01:50 PM PST

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A North Korean-flagged tanker has started loading oil at a Libyan port seized by rebels in the east of the country, port and oil officials said on Saturday.

The Libyan government threatened earlier on Saturday to bomb the vessel if it tried to ship the cargo out of Es Sider port. The rebels want to sell the oil to bypass the government and get a greater share of the country's oil wealth.

"The loading has started," a port worker told Reuters. A spokesman for state-run National Oil Corp (NOC) confirmed this.

(Reporting by Feras Bosalum; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Andrew Roche)

Mickey Mouse and armed men: surreal scenes on Kiev protest square

Posted: 08 Mar 2014 01:30 PM PST

KIEV (Reuters) - Two weeks after Ukraine's president was overthrown, the cradle of the uprising is a surreal place as children play alongside diehard protesters still dressed in combat gear.

Dozens of people were killed last month defending the barricades and fortified tent camp in Kiev's Independence Square, some of them shot by snipers in bloody clashes.

Their main goal was achieved when President Viktor Yanukovich fell, but hundreds of grizzled protesters are still on the square. Most have taken off their helmets and put away their flak jackets, but some still have their clubs at their side.

"We're not leaving here till all our demands have been met,"

said Andriy Gritsko on Saturday, drawing on a cigarette outside his large tent just off the main square in the heart of the Ukrainian capital.

"We're definitely not going before the presidential election, before May 25."

A comrade-in-arms, dressed in similar green and brown combat fatigues, held a thick metal rod in one hand and beat it menacingly in the palm of his other.

"This new bunch of leaders we've got are just the same as the last ones, and the ones before that. They all think like they're Soviet. We're staying put till we get what we want," he said, declining to say what that was, or to give his name.

As he spoke, a popular Soviet-era children's song blared out of a loudspeaker and parents ushered giggling toddlers onto a carousel nearby.

Someone dressed in a Mickey Mouse costume walked past, hoping to attract custom to a photographer offering instant photos at a good price.

Further down the main avenue leading to the square, men played table tennis in the spring sunshine and a middle-aged man hawked blue and yellow national flags. Another sold souvenirs on a mat he had rolled out on the ground.

By the huge barricade of tyres, furniture and sandbags at the far end of the avenue, children climbed up onto a blue police van, captured during the protests, to have their photos taken by their parents.

HEAVENLY HUNDRED

After three months of protests which began over Yanukovich's decision to spurn a political and trade pact with the European Union, the ordinary is juxtaposed with the extraordinary in many parts of Independence Square - or Maidan, The Square, as it is better known.

On the other side of the square from the long avenue where children played on Saturday, there is a more sombre atmosphere. The steep hill rising up from Maidan has been turned into a memorial with tens of thousands of flowers, where families come on what is akin to a pilgrimage.

The street - now called the Avenue of the Glory of the Heavenly Hundred - is full of makeshift shrines where victims' portraits lie among the flowers above candles. A wall is plastered with children's drawings that honour the dead.

"We're here because we're proud of what these people did. We've come to show respect," said Galina Kupovich, out strolling with her husband Bohdan, and fighting back tears.

Despite the sombre mood on this side of the square, few people show any sign of concern that Ukraine could be about to go to war with Moscow over Russian forces' seizure of Crimea.

It is, however, at the back of some people's minds.

"We've achieved what we wanted, we've got rid of Yanukovich, so we're happy about that. But it's tempered by the fact that so many people died and now we've got Russia to deal with," said Bohdan Kupovich.

Referring to the wars in former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, he said: "I never thought our country could ever become like the Balkans, but now I'm not so sure."

In a hotel overlooking the square, one man shared a much gloomier view with reporters.

As the children played down below, and families strolled though the shrines, far-right leader Dmytro Yarosh, one of the protest leaders, issued a warning: "Ukraine is in a state of war with Russia and the danger of a broader occupation remains."

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The Star Online: Business

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The Star Online: Business

China Feb exports tumble amid global uncertainties

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 09:19 PM PST

BEIJING: China's exports in February tumbled 18.1 percent from a year earlier, official data showed, raising questions about the health of the world's second-largest economy despite officials blaming Lunar New Year holidays for the unexpected slide.

Imports rose 10.1 percent in February from a year earlier, producing a trade deficit of $23 billion for the month, theGeneral Administration of Customs said on Saturday.

That compared with market expectations in a Reuters poll of a rise of 6.8 percent in exports, an 8 percent rise in imports and a trade surplus of $14.5 billion.

Analysts cautioned against reading too much into single monthly figures for January or February, given possible distortions caused by the Lunar New Year holiday, which began on Jan. 31 and covered early February. Many plants and offices shut for extended periods during the festival.

Putting January and February together, exports still fell 1.6 percent from a year earlier, versus a 7.9 percent full-year rise in 2013. Imports rose 10 percent year-on-year in the first two months, which compared to a 7.3 percent rise in 2013.

"February export numbers were a surprise on the downside, and even combined January-February numbers were below market expectations," said Li Heng, an economist at Minsheng Securities in Beijing.

"The data shows that the economy faces relatively big downward pressures and macro-policies need to be loosened a bit."

The government may step up fiscal spending to support some investment projects if growth slows further, given there is limited room for the central bank to loosen policy, Li said.

China's trade outlook is widely expected to be rosier this year in line with a recovery in developed countries.

China is fully confident of achieving its 7.5 percent growth target in total trade this year, Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng said on Friday, citing an improving global economic environment.

China's combined exports and imports grew 7.6 percent in 2013, just short of the official target of 8 percent.China's goods trade in 2013 hit $4.16 trillion, overtaking the United States for the first time to become the world's largest goods trading nation, Gao said on Friday. - Reuters

Goldman Sachs unit, Vestar near $1.1 deal for Hearthside Food

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 09:11 PM PST

NEW YORK:The private equity arm of Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Vestar Capital Partners are nearing a deal to buy Hearthside Food Solutions LLC for more than $1.1 billion, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The consortium of Goldman Sachs and Vestar is in the final stage of negotiating an agreement with Hearthside's private equity owner, Wind Point Partners, and is working toward an announcement in the coming days, the people said.

The buyout groups emerged as the winning bidder for the largest U.S. food contract manufacturer, following an auction that also attracted bids from BC Partners LLC and Oak Hill Capital Partners, the people said.

The sources asked not to be identified because the deal was not yet public. Representatives for Hearthside, Goldman Sachs, Vestar, Wind Point Partners, BC Partners and Oak Hill Capital did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Wind Point had asked Barclays Plc to run an auction for Hearthside, hoping to fetch more than $1 billion, Reuters reported in October.

Hearthside produces baked foods and snacks out of 20 manufacturing facilities in eight U.S. states for the world's premier food companies, employing more than 7,500 full-time workers, according to its website.

The company, based in Downers Grove, Illinois, was created in 2009 by Wind Point and Rich Scalise, a former Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products president and veteran of ConAgra Foods Inc . Scalise now serves as Hearthside's chairman and chief executive officer.

Last year, Hearthside agreed to sell Golden Temple, its ready-to-eat cereals and granola-making business, to Post Holdings Inc for $158 million in cash. - Reuters

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The Star Online: Nation

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The Star Online: Nation

Liow: Older generation can still serve
‘Govt has no influence on court decisions’
Certs issued to Indian nationals

Liow: Older generation can still serve

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 08:00 AM PST

KUANTAN: MCA members who are not nominated as local councillors and village chiefs can still serve in an advisory capacity, said party president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

He said there were conditions that had to be fulfilled for candidates to be selected, with the younger generation being given priority.

"The older generation has to make way for the new faces in order for renewal to happen.

"But they can still contribute by advising the new candidates.

"They do not have to be in the front line all the time to serve the people," Liow said after visiting the SM Chong Hwa Kuantan's temporary classroom in Gambang here yesterday.

"When asked about the state exco members' posts for MCA assemblymen in Pahang," Liow declined to comment and said that he would announce it at another time.

On Monday, Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob reiterated that there were no more seats available in the state executive council.

MCA previously had two seats in the council before the 13th general election.

On the Chinese independent school's development, Liow said the first phase, costing RM20mil, would be completed by the end of the year.

"Students will be able to move in to the new premises then.

"The SM Chong Hwa committee requires an additional RM30mil for the development of the second phase," he said.

Liow said to that end, the Gelang Patah MCA division had taken the initiative to organise a fund-raising dinner, featuring Singaporean artistes, on March 28.

The division chairman Jason Teoh Sew Hock said the proceeds from the fund-raiser would be divided between SM Chong Hwa Kuantan and the Southern University College.

"We aim to collect between RM800,000 to RM1mil," said Teoh.

‘Govt has no influence on court decisions’

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 08:00 AM PST

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian judiciary is independent and the Government has no influence in court decisions, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

"Malaysia has an independent judiciary and the judges will have reached their verdict only after considering all the evidence in a balanced and objective manner.

"Therefore, to respect the legal process and the rights of those involved, it would be inappropriate for the Government to comment further," the statement read.

Certs issued to Indian nationals

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 08:00 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: The Indian High Commission has issued 681 emergency certificates to Indian nationals detained at various camps in the country.

It said that 542 persons were detained during Operasi Bersepadu by Malaysian authorities in January, while the rest were detained earlier.

In a statement, the High Commission said that a total of 83 Indian nationals who had overstayed were given clearance by the Immigration Department to return home.

It said that consular officers had also visited the detention camps at KLIA, Semenyih, Pekan Nenas, Bukit Jalil, Juru, Langkap, Putrajaya, Machap Umboo, Lenggeng and Ajil.

The High Commission has also set up a help desk to provide assistance and guidance to Indian nationals.

Detailed information is available at the High Commission's website www.indianhighcommission.com.my.

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

Patrick Teoh plays contract killer

Posted: 05 Mar 2014 08:00 AM PST

The actor and radio personality on his role in the new movie Take Me To Dinner.

ACTOR and prominent radio personality Patrick Teoh revealed that he had been ragging long-time friend Gavin Yap for ... well, a long time to bring his film ideas to life. When asked what took Yap so long to come up with a feature film, he gave one simple reason with his trademark deadpan delivery: "Because he's a lazy b*stard."

"Both of us have been talking about making this movie for about five, six years now," Teoh said in an interview in Petaling Jaya recently. "It's a matter of timing. He finally had the time do sit down and do it last year. He said if he didn't do it then, then it will probably never happen. He called me up and asked if I wanted to do it and I said 'let's go'." Actor and theatre director Yap will make his feature film debut with Take Me To Dinner, a drama starring Teoh and Susan Lankester. The film tells the story of Edward, an ageing contract killer contemplating retirement.

"My character Edward starts to think about his life. He is estranged from his child because of his work and he lost his marriage. Then he realises that he doesn't want to do the work anymore. So he accepts one more contract and thinks that would be it," said Teoh.

Problems arise when Edward unexpectedly falls in love with his last contract.

"He falls in love with his contract, a woman (played by Lankester). Because of that, he decides to pull out from the deal that he initially agreed to, which is to kill the woman."

But it's not easy for Edward to get out of the contract.

"Among the 'contractors', it's a terrible thing to do when you pull out from a contract. When that happens, to protect the interest of others in the profession, the contractors have to kill Edward," he explained.

Another problem for Edward is that he can't get out of his job alive.

"It's also in the contractors' code that nobody can quit, and if anyone decides to do so, the others have to kill that person in order to protect their secrets."

He added: "So Edward calls his friends – a group of contractors – and says, 'I'm going to have my dinner now.' It's a code for his friends to take him to his last supper."

Edward's group of contractor friends are played by theatre regulars Thor Kah Hoong, U-En Ng, Ben Tan and Michael Chen. Teoh stressed that his character is not the typical Hollywood depiction of an assassin.

'As a writer and director, Gavin (Yap) is very weird. Which is one of the reasons I like to work with him,' says Teoh.

"To say that I play an assassin might give the audience the impression that Take Me To Dinner is an action-packed film with Chow Yun-Fat rolling around going bang bang bang. If you pay my character enough, he will either kill somebody for you or break his arms. He is actually a gangster."

Take Me To Dinner was shot in a period of 12 days at various locations in Kuala Lumpur.

"To say it was shot on a low budget is an overstatement. It was actually shot with no budget at all. Everybody worked on the film as a project of passion. Nobody was getting paid."

Whether or not he eventually gets paid, Teoh said it doesn't matter. He simply relished the opportunity to work with Yap again.

"As a writer and director, Gavin is very weird. Which is one of the reasons I like to work with him. Take Me To Dinner could have easily become a very commercial blood and gore kind of film. But Gavin's ideas are sometimes quite dark and different. I like it."

It also helps that Teoh has a passion for acting.

"You do it for the love of the craft. If the script is very appealing, then you would do it without considering how much you're getting paid for it. Still, you do hope that the story you tell will be able to touch the audiences' hearts and put bums on seats in cinemas."

The radio deejay also shared what song he thinks best describes Take Me To Dinner: "The Sound Of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel."

Take Me To Dinner opens in selected GSC cinemas on March 13.

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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion

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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion

The camera never lies: World Press Photo winners capture life as we should know

Posted: 05 Mar 2014 06:00 PM PST

African migrants desperate for a phone signal, Syrian rebels attacking a government checkpoint, Filipino typhoon survivors rescuing religious icons – these are the pictures claiming top prizes at this year's World Press Photo.

A picture of African migrants standing on the shore of Djibouti City at night, their glimmering phones held aloft to catch a weak signal, won the World Press Photo prize recently for American photographer John Stanmeyer of the VII Photo Agency.

The silhouetted figures facing seawards are straining to pick up a cheaper mobile signal from neighbouring Somalia, hoping to establish a tenuous link with relatives abroad. "So many pictures of migrants show them as bedraggled and pathetic ... but this photo is not so much romantic, as dignified," says jury member Susan Linfield.

Djibouti is a common stop-off point for migrants heading from nearby countries like Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea in search of a better life in Europe and the Middle East. "It opens up discussions about technology, globalisation, migration, poverty, desperation, alienation, humanity," says jury member Jillian Edelstein of the photo, which was commissioned by National Geographic magazine.

Reuters photographer Goran Tomasevic, from Serbia, won first prize in the spot news stories category for a dramatic narrative series from Syria depicting a rebel attack on a government checkpoint.

France's Phillipe Lopez of Agence France-Presse won the spot news singles category with a photograph of typhoon survivors in Tolosa, the Philippines, carrying religious iconography in front of a field of rubble.

Getty's Brent Stirton, a South African, topped the category for single staged portraits with a picture of five blind albino boys from West Bengal, India. Dressed in matching pink shirts and blue trousers, they appear to gaze stiffly at the camera. – Reuters

Serbian photographer Goran Tomasevic, Reuters, won 1st Prize in the Spot News Stories category. Shot on Jan 30, 2013, the picture shows Syrian rebel fighters taking cover amid flying debris and shrapnel as a tank shell, fired towards them by the Syrian Army, explodes on a wall after their comrade was shot by sniper fire, during heavy fighting in the Ain Tarma neighbourhood of Damascus. EPA/Goran Tomasevic/Reuters

French photographer Phillipe Lopez, Agence France-Presse, won 1st Prize in the Spot News Singles category. This picture taken on Nov 18, 2013, shows survivors of typhoon Haiyan marching during a religious procession in Tolosa, on the eastern island of Leyte. One of the strongest cyclones ever recorded, Haiyan left 8,000 people dead and missing, and more than four million homeless after it hit the central Philippines. The photograph, with a devastated landscape as its backdrop, had already been chosen by Time magazine as one of the top 10 images of 2013. EPA/Philippe Lopez/AFP

South African photographer Brent Stirton, Getty Images, won 1st Prize in the People Staged Portraits Singles category. This image taken on Sept 25, 2013, shows a group of blind albino boys photographed in their boarding room at the Vivekananda mission school for the blind in West Bengal, in one of the very few schools for the blind in India today. EPA/Brent Stirton/Getty Images

US photographer Sara Naomi Lewkowicz won 1st Prize in the Contemporary Issues Stories category. This portrait taken for Time magazine on Nov 17, 2012, for a series on domestic violence in the US, shows Shane and Maggie fighting as Memphis ran into the room in Lancaster, Ohio. As the fight continued to rage, Shane told Maggie that she could choose between getting beaten in the kitchen, or going with him to the basement so they could talk privately. EPA/Sara Naomi Lewkowicz/Time

German photographer Julius Schrank for Dutch magazine de Volkskrant won 1st Prize in the Daily Life Singles category. Taken on Mar 15, 2013, the picture shows Kachin Independence Army fighters in Myanmar drinking and celebrating at a funeral of one of their commanders who died that day before. The city is under siege by the Myanmar army. EPA/Julius Schrank/De Volkskrant

German photographer Markus Schreiber, Associated Press, won 1st Prize in the People Observed Portraits Singles category. This moment taken on Dec 13, 2013, shows a woman reacting in disappointment after access to see former South Africa President Nelson Mandela was closed on the third and final days of his casket lying in state, outside Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa. EPA/Markus Schreiber/AP

Argentinean photographer Emiliano Lasalvia won 1st prize in the Sports Action Singles category with this image that shows Pablo Mac Donough of Dolfina falling from his horse during the Argentine Polo Open in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Dec 1, 2013. The picture was provided by La Nacion newspaper. EPA/Emiliomo Lasalvia/La Nacion

This picture taken by Dutch photographer Carla Kogelman on July 19, 2012, won 1st Prize in the People Observed Portraits Stories category. Entitled 'Ich bin Waldviertel', it shows two sisters, Hannah and Alena, living in the rural village of Merkenbrechts, northern Austria. EPA/Carla Kogelman

Swedish photographer Peter Holgersson won 1st Prize in the Sports Feature Stories category with this picture of Swedish athlete Nadja Casadei feeling better just before her last treatment in Lidingö, Sweden on Dec 19, 2013. Casadei has participated in the World and European Championships in heptathlon. In autumn 2013, she was diagnosed with cancer and by Jan 2014 she completed her chemotherapy. She has continued to train throughout her illness, hoping to be healthy and ready by the summer for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. EPA/Peter Holgersson

Italian photographer Alessandro Penso, OnOffPicture, won 1st Prize in the General News Singles category with this image taken on Nov 21, 2013, of a temporary accommodation for Syrian refugees in Sofia, Bulgaria. Military Ramp, an emergency centre in an abandoned school, provides housing for about 800 Syrian refugees, including 390 children. EPA/Alessandro Penso/OnOffPicture

US photographer Steve Winter, National Geographic, won 1st Prize in the Nature Stories category with this shot of a cougar walking a trail in Los Angeles' Griffith Park, captured by a camera trap on Mar 2, 2013. To reach the park, which has been the cougar's home for the last two years, it had to cross two of the busiest highways in the US. EPA/Steve Winter/National Geographic

This picture taken on Aug 10, 2013, by photographer Fred Ramos, El Salvador, won 1st Prize in the Daily Life Stories category. It shows clothes found on Feb 1, 2013 at 3:45pm at a sugar plantation in Apopa, San Salvador. The items are believed to belong to a missing girl aged between 17 and 18 whose time disappearance is still unknown. The North Central American Triangle (Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador) is one of the most violent regions in the world. In many cases, clothes that are found become the only means to identify victims. EPA/Fred Ramos

US photographer Tyler Hicks, New York Times, won 2nd Prize in the Spot News Stories category with this moment showing a woman and children hiding in the upscale Westgate mall in Nairobi after gunmen opened fire on Sept 21, 2013, killing at least 39 people in one of the worst terrorist attacks in Kenya's history. They escaped unharmed. EPA/Tyler Hicks/New York Times

This image for Time magazine, by French photographer William Daniels, Panos Pictures, won 2nd Prize in the General News Stories category. Taken on Nov 17, 2013, it shows demonstrators gathering on a street in Bangui, Central African Republic, to call for the resignation of interim President Michel Djotodia following the murder of Judge Modeste Martineau Bria by members of Seleka. EPA/William Daniels/Panos Pictures/Time

Polish photographer Andrzej Grygiel, PAP-Polska Agencja Prasowa, won 2nd Prize in the Sports Action Singles category with this shot of a competitor at a slalom contest during the International Ski Championship in Szczyrk, Poland, on Mar 24, 2013. EPA/ Andrzej Grygiel/PAP

French photographer Denis Dailleux, Agence Vu, won 2nd Prize in the People Staged Portraits Stories category for this image of Ali, a young Egyptian bodybuilder, posing with his mother in Cairo, on Feb 3, 2011. EPA/Denis Dailleux/Agence Vu

Exploring domestic violence through bharatanatyam

Posted: 05 Mar 2014 08:00 AM PST

Using the power of movement, bharatanatyam dancer Kamini Manikam explored the issue of domestic violence in Lipstick.

THE art of movement is one of the oldest art forms. The human body instinctively responds to situations through movement before the mind and tongue can verbalise an answer. For centuries, people have danced in response to an instinctual need for emotional expression.

As a tribute to women and to highlight the issue of domestic violence, the Tanjai Kamaala Indira Dance School presented a new age bharatanatyam recital at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre last weekend.

Featuring soloist Kamini Manikam in five repertoires, Lipstick: Celebrating Womanhood Series 1 – Spectrum Of Estrogenic Love, explored the power and beauty of a woman's love.

The show started promisingly with Kamini performing the invocatory item, Woman, Thou Art Beautiful. Moving with dignified grace, she was angelic, alluring, and cheeky. Her footwork and abhinayas were clear as she danced from one stanza to the next, describing the beauty of the face, limbs and figure.

A tender touch: Instead of full-on dancing, Kamini chose to illustrate her story through gestures like cradling a baby. – RICKY LAI/The Star

In Two Becomes One, she tried to blend bharatanatyam with Peranakan culture, danced to a Malay pantun and English song. Kamini mostly walked around stage holding a pretty umbrella and sat on a box, pondering. While the effort was commendable to incorporate Malay and Western music genres, it was jarring and I couldn't decipher the concept of romantic love here.

The highlight of the night was obviously Epitaph Of Broken Vows. Dressed in black, and with long, flowing hair, Kamini, portraying an abused victim, launched into an emotionally charged monologue on marriage and relationship. Facial expressions are often easier when words are uttered so it was hard to see the concept of abhinaya projected here. Though a bit melodramatic, her acting was convincing enough as some audience shed tears.

Her monologue ended when video clips of two abused victims were screened on stage. One of the victims (name withheld), then appeared on stage and shared her story. The distraught woman, 32, depicted how she was punched, kicked, beaten, slammed against the wall, raped for 14 years and had a thumb chopped off before she successfully fled from her husband.

"Only my hand is cacat (handicap), not my soul," she said, amidst hushed silence. "With my nine fingers, I'm still able to provide for my children. My willpower and strength helped me through. Instead of feeling bitter, I have to look at the brighter side of life so please don't feel sorry for my fate."

After the climax, the next two numbers were mild, as the choreography was kept simple. The fusion of the various Malaysian and Western lullabies didn't work too well either. Instead of dancing full-on, Kamini chose to illustrate the movements by using simple gestures and a background video.

Perhaps her intention was to ensure the masses understood what she was portraying. Yes, the storyline was clear but it left me wanting more.

Moving with dignified grace, Kamini Manikam was angelic, alluring and cheeky in the opening number.

Some of the musical interludes by the live musicians led by carnatic vocalist, Bhavani Logeswaran, were far too long and unnecessary. This was presumably to allow Kamini time for a costume change.

In Intimacy With God, Kamini did well in the thillana, the final part of a traditional bharatanatyam repertoire. The thillana was presented in praise of the various religions practised in Malaysia. Her attractive white costume brought out the spiritual nature of the religions and she excelled when dancing the Hindu, as that is her forte. But again, one could make out the other religions only because of the backdrop (for instance, the picture of a mosque or church would be shown as she danced) and the music.

This being her first solo production, Kamini's effort is admirable, especially since she was the choreographer, producer, director and costume designer. With some fine-tuning, the second instalment of Lipstick: Celebrating Womanhood Series 2 should be better.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

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World’s best press photos on display at Raffles Hotel

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 08:00 AM PST

The world's best press photos will go on display at the Raffles Hotel from today until the end of March.

Dubbed the Oscars of photojournalism, the World Press Photo exhibition will feature 154 award-winning photographs by 54 top photographers.

These were judged to be the best out of 103,481 images submitted by 5,666 photographers.

The Straits Times is the official media partner of the exhibition, which last came to Singapore in 2006. This year, Singapore is the last stop for the roving exhibition, which has travelled to 45 countries so far.

Admission is free, and visitors can download an audio app for a virtual tour of the photos on display. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Malaysia Airlines hunts for missing plane carrying 239

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 07:31 PM PST

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia Airlines said a flight carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing went missing early Saturday, and the airline was notifying next of kin in a sign it feared the worst.

The airline said flight MH370 disappeared at 2:40 am local time (1840 GMT Friday), about two hours after leaving Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It had been due to arrive in Beijing at 6:30 am local time (2230 GMT Friday).

The Boeing 777-200 was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, from 13 different nationalities, and 12 crew members.

China's state television said 158 of the passengers were Chinese. Some 160 Chinese had been due to be on the flight but two missed it, according to Xinhua, quoting China's Civil Aviation Administration.

"We deeply regret that we have lost all contacts with flight MH370 which departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41 am earlier this morning bound for Beijing," Malaysia Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said in a statement.

The statement said the Malaysian flag carrier was working with authorities, who had launched an effort to locate the aircraft.

"Our team is currently calling the next-of-kin of passengers and crew," Ahmad Jauhari said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members."

The airline's Kuala Lumpur-Beijing route passes over the South China Sea, and remote parts of the Indochinese peninsula before entering southern Chinese airspace.

A Malaysian Airlines spokeswoman said she could not immediately provide further details, but the airline said it would soon hold a press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

"This news has made us all very worried," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Beijing.

"We hope every one of the passengers is safe. We are doing all we can to get more details."

'Contact lost over Vietnam airspace'

A report by China's Xinhua news agency said contact was lost with the plane while it was over Vietnamese airspace.

Xinhua also quoted Chinese aviation authorities saying the plane did not enter China's air traffic control sphere.
A spokeswoman with a Thai agency that monitors the country's airspace told AFP the plane also did not cross over Thailand. Vietnamese officials said they had no information on the plane.

A Beijing airport spokeswoman said the facility had activated an emergency response system. Screens at the airport indicated the flight was "delayed".

An accident would be a huge blow for the carrier, which has bled money for years as its struggles to fend off competition from rivals such as fast-growing AirAsia.

It recorded its fourth straight quarterly loss during the final three months of 2013 and warned of a "challenging" year ahead due to intense competition.

The carrier admitted in 2012 it was in "crisis", forcing it to implement a cost-cutting campaign centred on slashing routes and other measures.

In 2011, it chalked up a record 2.5 billion ringgit ($767 million) loss.

In July 2013, a Boeing 777-200 operated by South Korea's Asiana Airlines skidded off the runway upon landing at San Francisco's international airport after it clipped a seawall before touching down.

Three people died.

"We're closely monitoring reports on Malaysia flight MH370. Our thoughts are with everyone on board," the manufacturer said in a statement on its Twitter feed.

Boeing has been beset by problems with its high-tech 787 Dreamliners put into service two years ago, including a months-long global grounding over battery problems last year.

The information vacuum regarding the flight touched off a frenzy on social media, which saw an outpouring of concern for passengers and unconfirmed rumours that the plane had landed safely in southern China.

Malaysian Airlines has said those rumours were false, The Star newspaper reported.

A spokesman told the Sydney Morning Herald that Australian passengers were on board but could not confirm how many.

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has suffered few accidents in its history.

One of its jets crashed in 1977 in southern Malaysia, killing all 93 passengers and seven crew.

A smaller Twin Otter aircraft, operated by its unit MASwings, crashed upon landing in Malaysia's Sabah state on Borneo island last October, killing a co-pilot and a passenger.

There were no immediate signs of passenger relatives descending in large numbers on Beijing's airport.
An AFP journalist saw one woman enter the arrivals zone at the airport and break down in tears. She was led away by police.-AFP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

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World’s best press photos on display at Raffles Hotel
Malaysia Airlines hunts for missing plane carrying 239
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