Rabu, 19 Mac 2014

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro


Desperate asylum seekers trapped in Nepal by high visa fines

Posted: 19 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

KATHMANDU: Amir Hussain, a Rohingya Muslim, lost a dozen members of his family to sectarian violence in Myanmar last year. He fled to Nepal where the country's policy on refugees has left him among hundreds trapped, jobless and mired in debt.

He lives with his family in a tiny room in a house where walls have collapsed, water drips through holes in the roof and an open concrete stairwell is a potential deathtrap for his two young children.

"If I go back to Burma (Myanmar), I will be killed," he said. "When I came to Nepal, I felt safe but we found many problems."

Hundreds of desperate refugees are trapped in Nepal, told they must pay fines as high as US$100,000 (RM327,255) before they can be resettled to the West. Barred from working, many have spent years waiting for the government to let them leave.

The biggest problem: that despite being offered new lives in the West by the UN's refugee agency, most refugees – who number around 400 in the capital Kathmandu – have been trapped here for years by Nepal's rules, which are decried by rights groups.

Nepal is neither a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, nor has it established a clear legal framework to deal with asylum-seekers or refugees.

The refugees are fined US$5 (RM16.3) for every day they overstay their 30-day tourist visa and the debt must be cleared before they leave. Many families have amassed tens of thousands of dollars in fines.

The government does not waive the visa overstay fee even after the UNHCR has organised resettlement, which is usually to the United States or Canada.

And since the government does not recognise their refugee status, they must find the money while being barred from working, leaving them in a perpetual limbo.        

Nawid Ahmad, 42, from Lahore in Pakistan, has a fine of over US$100,000 (RM327,255) hanging over him and his family.

He is a member of the Ahmadi sect of Islam, which is officially heretical in Pakistan. Ahmadis can face three years in jail just for saying the traditional Islamic greeting of "As-Salaam-Alaikum". Their mosque in Lahore was bombed in 2010, killing around 80 people.

Ahmad decided to leave in 2004 after he was shot four times – in the leg, chest and hip – in an unprovoked attack while out shopping.

"I miss everything. My heart and soul is in Pakistan, but we could not stay," he said at his home in Kathmandu.

"This place is beautiful," he added, gesturing towards the snow-capped Himalayas that lined the horizon. "But for us, it has become a hilly prison. We just wait and wait and wait."

Even more tragic is the case of the Somali community. Many came in 2007 when smugglers promised them a new life in the Italian city of "Naples".

"When we arrived here, the smuggler said it was just a stop-over. In the morning, he had disappeared," said "Khalid", who fled Mogadishu after his father, brother and sister were all killed by a rival clan. He requested that his real name not be used.

He has been offered relocation to the United States, and is looking for a loan shark to pay the US$19,000 (RM62,178) in visa fines he owes for his family, a tactic employed by many refugees desperate to leave.

The loan could mean a long period of indentured servitude for Khalid, but he says: "I won't hesitate. My children will get a better education and better life."               

All are grateful for the peace and religious tolerance of Nepal.

Although there is occasional discrimination – particularly against dark-skinned Somalis – it is nothing compared to the brutal violence they faced at home. — AFP

Pre-school plan leads to big gains for disadvantaged children

Posted: 19 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

THE six-year-old boy used to be hyperactive and aggressive and lagged behind his peers in English and maths. But he became more focused and did better in his studies after an educational therapist taught him to focus better.

"Now in Primary 1, my son's behaviour has improved, he is able to focus on his studies," said his security guard mother, who took on a new job with more stable hours to spend more time with him.

The mother and son are participants in a scheme that ropes in educational therapists, social workers and pre-school teachers to help disadvantaged children and their families, and has already seen results.

Called Circle of Care and piloted by welfare organisation Care Corner and philanthropic group the Lien Foundation, the scheme has led to big gains in learning for children after just one year.

Under the scheme, which started in February last year, 159 pre-school children from two childcare centres at Leng Kee and Admiralty received a high-quality pre-school education, which included music and movement classes, field trips and literacy and numeracy programmes.

The Leng Kee centre charges S$560 (RM1,450) a month for full-day childcare, but needy families pay just S$3 (RM7) to S$6 (RM16) a month.

Children who need help in areas from learning to health and finance were identified early by social workers.

They and their families were given appropriate help, often at the centre itself.

For instance, the six-year-old boy was taught how to focus better and given help to develop his reading and maths skills; his mother learnt effective parenting techniques, including how to coach her son.

The scheme has had encouraging results. Not only did the children go to pre-school more often, but they also showed big jumps in reading and numeracy skills.

Children at the Leng Kee centre used to attend class only five days a month on average. Now they attend an average 12 days a month.

Twenty-four children at the two centres, who could read only a few words such as "I" or "me", also received educational therapy.

Among other things, they were taught reading and told stories by students from Wheelock College, a pre-school teacher training institute.

After more than six months, the children could recognise the sounds that accompany the letters of the alphabet, noted early childhood expert Khoo Kim Choo, who designed the curriculum and trained the teachers.

The centres also ran talks and workshops for parents and invited them on field trips. This has made the parents more involved in their children's education.

For a start, they are taking their children to the centres on time, at 9am. Previously some would arrive as late as 4pm.

And before the programme started at Leng Kee, only one parent turned up to meet her child's teacher.

Last year, 25 parents attended the meeting.

Lee Poh Wah, chief executive of the Lien Foundation which has pledged S$1.8mil (RM4.6mil) to run the programme for four years, said the results so far have shown that the pilot scheme, which brings together various kinds of help for children, can improve outcomes for pre-schoolers from disadvantaged backgrounds. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Indo-Aussie ties still at a low

Posted: 19 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

JAKARTA: Australia's defence minister conceded during a visit to Jakarta there was still no "breakthrough" in improving relations with Indonesia which have been damaged by a row over spying.

Ties between Jakarta and Canberra have sunk to their lowest point for years following allegations that Australian spies tried to tap the phones of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his inner circle.

The spying claims, which emerged in news reports in November, prompted Indonesia to recall its ambassador and halt cooperation on people-smuggling and with Australia's military.

During a visit to Jakarta for an annual defence conference yesterday, Defence Minister David Johnston insisted the relationship remained "very close, very friendly".

"The senior leadership on both sides has a very close working relationship," said John­ston.

Johnston was due to hold talks with his Indonesian counterpart Purnomo Yusgian­toro later in the day.

However he conceded that the relationship with Jakarta was at a "go-slow", adding: "I don't think we are in a breakthrough situation."

Indonesia has demanded that Australia agree on a code of conduct before ties can return to normal, and officials are in the process of trying to hammer one out.

Jakarta has also been angered by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's policies on stemming the flow of asylum-seekers.

Canberra has established a military-led operation to stop the boatpeople arriving, a flashpoint political issue in Australia, which sees the navy turning boats back to Indonesia when it is safe to do so.

Jakarta has halted cooperation with Canberra on the issue, but Johnston insisted: "People-smuggling is a serious problem in our region and Australia is really keen to work with Indonesia." — AFP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

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Stephen Chow wants to work with Anne Hathaway

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 10:25 PM PDT

The famous Hong Kong actor-director dishes on the perfect fight scene for the Hollywood actress.

Stephen Chow conquered the Chinese box office last year with Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons, which became his country's top-grossing film.

While he has no plans of abandoning China for Hollywood, the martial arts actor and director says he's now setting his sights on working with American actress Anne Hathaway. Yet, he's worried the Les Miserables star might not mesh with his particular brand of action comedy.

"I heard that she got married, so I don't have a chance anymore," Chow joked to TheWrap.

Journey To The West is alternately funny, thrilling and horrifying. It loosely updates a Chinese fable about a pair of demon hunters, but puts a fresh spin on the oft-told tale with dazzling action sequences and special effects.

"Imagination is the key," Chow said, explaining the secret to cooking up one of his genre-defying fight sequences.

Chinese audiences ate it up, shelling out more than US$200mil (RM640mil) at the box office. In the United States, Journey To The West debuted on video on demand this month and rolled out in a handful of theatres.

Though Chow cites American directors such as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese as influences, the tone of his movie veers between Laurel and Hardy and Kill Bill. Yet, it's too early to tell if Journey To The West will click with US audiences, and make good on its title.

Chow contends that the secret to the film's appeal in China was that "my movie is suitable to audiences of all ages". Given that the movie opens with a scene of a little girl watching as her father is gobbled up by a sea monster, before she becomes the beast's latest meal, what's appropriate for children may get lost in translation. — Reuters

Snoopy steals the limelight from Charlie Brown in the teaser for 'Peanuts'

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 05:25 PM PDT

Watch the trailer here.

A new teaser unveils the CGI versions of the famous dog Snoopy, his despondent master Charlie Brown and their feathered friend Woodstock.

Opening with a parody of 2001: A Space Odyssey, the new video from Fox Family Entertainment introduces the big-screen debut of Charles M. Schulz's classic characters.

The CGI adaptation, made with the permission of Schulz's estate, is directed by Steve Martino of BlueSky Studios, who helmed Horton Hears a Who and Ice Age: Continental Drift. The movie will hit theatres worldwide in late 2015.

Since being created in 1950, the Peanuts comic strip has become an American pop culture icon. The adventures of Charlie Brown, his pets and his friends have been read in over 75 countries. – AFP Relaxnews

New trailer alert: The Boxtrolls

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:10 PM PDT

This animated feature from the folks who brought us Coraline and ParaNorman takes a look at a group of misunderstood night creatures, the Boxtrolls.

The Boxtrolls is set in Cheesebridge, a small Victorian-era town obsessed with wealth, class and the stinkiest of cheeses. Beneath its charming cobblestone streets live creepy monsters called the Boxtrolls, who crawl out of the sewers at night to kidnap children and steal er, cheese.

At least that's the legend residents have always believed in anyway.

The truth is that the Boxtrolls are simply an underground cavern-dwelling community of quirky and lovable oddballs who wear recycled cardboard boxes as clothes. The Boxtrolls found an abandoned baby a few years ago and have since raised him – who they call "Eggs" – to be one of their own.

When the gang is targeted by an exterminator named Archibald Snatcher who is bent on eradicating them, the Boxtrolls decide to let Eggs return to his own kind and teach the humans about who they really are. Helping him out is the adventurous rich girl Winnie.

This movie opens in Malaysia in September and features the voices of Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Elle Fanning, Ben Kingsley, Simon Pegg, Richard Ayoade, Nick Frost, Jared Harris and Tracy Morgan. Directed by Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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Devious Maids: Good help is hard to find

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Marc Cherry employs desperate measures to look for another hit show.

I WAS a huge fan of Desperate Housewives up until it finished its run in 2012. So you can imagine my excitement when I heard creator Marc Cherry was coming up with a new show, sporting an oh-so-juicy title, Devious Maids.

Based on a Mexican TV series, and no doubt with influences from Desperate Housewives, the series centres on the lives of five maids scrubbing and cleaning the posh, opulent homes of Beverly Hills, California. But of course, things are not as they seem.

The first season revolves around the mysterious murder of the young and beautiful help, Flora Hernandez (Paula Garces). In the pilot, she dramatically bursts through a second-storey window and falls into a swimming pool in the middle of a posh dinner party.

The mystery begins to unravel with the arrival of the show's lead character, Marisol Duarte (Ana Ortiz). She befriends a close-knit group of maids comprising Carmen Luna (Roselyn Sanchez) who harbours hope of being a singer, Rosie Falta (Dania Ramirez) who longs to bring her son over from Mexico and the quarrelsome mother-daughter team Zoila (Judy Reyes) and Valentina Diaz (Edy Ganem).

By the end of Episode One, we discover what brings Marisol to the neighbourhood. A waiter at the dinner party, with a bloody knife in hand, was arrested for allegedly killing Flora, who as it turns out ... is Marisol's son.

Determined to prove his innocence, Marisol puts on an apron and places herself strategically as a maid in an insightful household to scour for evidence.

As the series progresses, we learn more about the secrets that these homeowners keep behind the heavy, mahogany doors of their lavish homes, with the help of these maids of course.

At first glance, it seems there's plenty of similarities between both of Cherry's creations. They both start with a mysterious death. They both feature an (attractive) all-female cast. And they both have plenty of dirty laundry to air. But that's where the similarities end.

Devious Maids, unfortunately, is a poor man's version of Desperate Housewives ... at best. First up, the series has little depth. Yes, I'm fully aware that I'm comparing it to a show that owes some of its success to the barrage of scantily clad housewives and half-naked handymen prancing around in it.

But beyond that, Desperate Housewives explores hard-hitting, everyday issues such as divorce, cancer, abortion, to name a few.

To be fair, Devious Maids does shed light on life as an immigrant and life as a single mother plus the disparity between the upper and lower class but there are only so many times you can play those cards.

Most of the time, we're looking at affairs, unrequited love and, err, some strange fetishes. There is also little emphasis on friendship between the girls, at this point.

Also, the show just isn't relatable. For starters, these helps look way too glamorous to be helps. Even in their (figure-hugging) uniforms, they look more like seductresses than anything.

The show has also courted controversy for employing an all-Latino cast, stereotyping the Hispanic community in the United States. Helps come in all shapes, sizes and races.

Devious Maids also feels cheesy mostly because the cast has a tendency to overact. There's a lot of gaping jaws and harden gazes, what with daytime soap opera queen Susan Lucci joining the cast as a divorcee looking for her seventh husband.

The only thing the show has going for it (though by no means should be regarded as a redeeming quality) is leading lady Ortiz who manages to pull off playing a dramatic role following her stint in Ugly Betty as Betty's nosy sister, Hilda.

Perhaps, it's unfair to pit Devious Maids with Desperate Housewives but it's hard not to. After all, they are both from the same creator. I expected another Desperate Housewives but even if it fell short, at the very least, I expect to see something with a little more heart.

Devious Maids airs every Tuesday at 9.40pm on Star World (Astro Ch 711). Forward your feedback to entertainment@thestar.com.my.

Felicity Huffman in new drama series

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Felicity Huffman, known for playing Lynette Scavo on Desperate Housewives, could soon return to TV as the female lead in a series written and produced by 12 Years A Slave screenwriter John Ridley.

According to Deadline.com, negotiations are underway between Huffman and the producers of the ABC drama pilot American Crime.

Written by the screenwriter behind 12 Years A Slave, who took home the Oscar for best adapted screenplay at the recent Academy Awards, the project will revolve around the racially charged murder of a war veteran and the subsequent trial, focusing on the family members of both the victim and the accused.

Timothy Hutton, formerly of the TNT series Leverage, has been cast as the male lead, Chuck Skokie, the victim's father.

After appearing on ABC from 2004 to 2012 in Desperate Housewives, Huffman attempted a return to TV with Boomerang, a project that failed to make it past the pilot stage at Fox in 2013. – AFP Relaxnews

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

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Stephen Chow wants to work with Anne Hathaway

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 10:25 PM PDT

The famous Hong Kong actor-director dishes on the perfect fight scene for the Hollywood actress.

Stephen Chow conquered the Chinese box office last year with Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons, which became his country's top-grossing film.

While he has no plans of abandoning China for Hollywood, the martial arts actor and director says he's now setting his sights on working with American actress Anne Hathaway. Yet, he's worried the Les Miserables star might not mesh with his particular brand of action comedy.

"I heard that she got married, so I don't have a chance anymore," Chow joked to TheWrap.

Journey To The West is alternately funny, thrilling and horrifying. It loosely updates a Chinese fable about a pair of demon hunters, but puts a fresh spin on the oft-told tale with dazzling action sequences and special effects.

"Imagination is the key," Chow said, explaining the secret to cooking up one of his genre-defying fight sequences.

Chinese audiences ate it up, shelling out more than US$200mil (RM640mil) at the box office. In the United States, Journey To The West debuted on video on demand this month and rolled out in a handful of theatres.

Though Chow cites American directors such as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese as influences, the tone of his movie veers between Laurel and Hardy and Kill Bill. Yet, it's too early to tell if Journey To The West will click with US audiences, and make good on its title.

Chow contends that the secret to the film's appeal in China was that "my movie is suitable to audiences of all ages". Given that the movie opens with a scene of a little girl watching as her father is gobbled up by a sea monster, before she becomes the beast's latest meal, what's appropriate for children may get lost in translation. — Reuters

Snoopy steals the limelight from Charlie Brown in the teaser for 'Peanuts'

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 05:25 PM PDT

Watch the trailer here.

A new teaser unveils the CGI versions of the famous dog Snoopy, his despondent master Charlie Brown and their feathered friend Woodstock.

Opening with a parody of 2001: A Space Odyssey, the new video from Fox Family Entertainment introduces the big-screen debut of Charles M. Schulz's classic characters.

The CGI adaptation, made with the permission of Schulz's estate, is directed by Steve Martino of BlueSky Studios, who helmed Horton Hears a Who and Ice Age: Continental Drift. The movie will hit theatres worldwide in late 2015.

Since being created in 1950, the Peanuts comic strip has become an American pop culture icon. The adventures of Charlie Brown, his pets and his friends have been read in over 75 countries. – AFP Relaxnews

New trailer alert: The Boxtrolls

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:10 PM PDT

This animated feature from the folks who brought us Coraline and ParaNorman takes a look at a group of misunderstood night creatures, the Boxtrolls.

The Boxtrolls is set in Cheesebridge, a small Victorian-era town obsessed with wealth, class and the stinkiest of cheeses. Beneath its charming cobblestone streets live creepy monsters called the Boxtrolls, who crawl out of the sewers at night to kidnap children and steal er, cheese.

At least that's the legend residents have always believed in anyway.

The truth is that the Boxtrolls are simply an underground cavern-dwelling community of quirky and lovable oddballs who wear recycled cardboard boxes as clothes. The Boxtrolls found an abandoned baby a few years ago and have since raised him – who they call "Eggs" – to be one of their own.

When the gang is targeted by an exterminator named Archibald Snatcher who is bent on eradicating them, the Boxtrolls decide to let Eggs return to his own kind and teach the humans about who they really are. Helping him out is the adventurous rich girl Winnie.

This movie opens in Malaysia in September and features the voices of Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Elle Fanning, Ben Kingsley, Simon Pegg, Richard Ayoade, Nick Frost, Jared Harris and Tracy Morgan. Directed by Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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Alberta Premier Redford resigns following expenses scandal

Posted: 19 Mar 2014 08:45 PM PDT

CALGARY (Reuters) - Alberta Premier Alison Redford said on Wednesday she would resign as leader of the oil-rich Canadian province following an expenses scandal that sank her party's popularity.

Redford became Alberta's first female premier when she won leadership of the ruling Progressive Conservative party in 2011. She came from behind in the polls to win a majority government in an election the following year.

"Too much time has been spent over the last few weeks on questions of loyalties and allegiances," she told reporters in Alberta's provincial capital Edmonton.

"I am not prepared to allow party and caucus infighting to get in the way of building a better future for our province and for all Albertans and that is why today I am announcing, with profound optimism for Alberta's future, I am resigning as premier of Alberta effective this Sunday evening."

Redford's departure comes after the Progressive Conservative government, which has run the Western Canadian province for more than four decades, suffered another defection on Monday in the latest protest against her leadership.

Donna Kennedy-Glans, a junior member of Redford's cabinet, said on Monday she would resign as associate minister for electricity and renewable energy and sit as an independent in the provincial legislature.

The resignation was the second from the Progressive Conservative caucus in less than a week and followed a series of controversies related to Redford's travel and spending habits.

Redford agreed earlier this month to repay C$45,000 ($40,300) spent on first-class tickets for her and an aide to attend Nelson Mandela's funeral. During her career as a lawyer Redford briefly worked with the former South African leader.

She also repaid the costs of taking her daughter's friends on government aircraft. She has been criticized for using the planes to attend party fundraising events.

Last week Len Webber resigned from the Progressive Conservative caucus to sit as an independent. Like Kennedy-Glans, Webber represents a constituency in Calgary, the province's largest city and home to most of its oil industry.

While announcing his departure, Webber said Redford was "not a nice lady."

CBC News reported on Monday that 10 members met in secret on the weekend to consider whether they would leave Redford's government and sit as independents.

Even so, Redford's abrupt resignation came as a surprise to some observers. She will remain a member of the legislative assembly.

"Despite the pressure she has been under I thought if she was going to resign she would do it in a month or so and have a plan set out in terms of a new leader," said Bruce Cameron, a pollster with consultancy Return on Insight in Calgary.

"It may have been motivated by some potential high-level defections that were threatened."

NEXT LEADER

Speculation now turns to who will take over as leader of Canada's wealthiest province.

Alberta, the largest source of oil imported into the United States, is flush with cash from production from the oil sands in the northern part of the province around Fort McMurray.

But while the Alberta government's operating budget is in surplus, Redford spent heavily on capital programs to cope with rapid population growth. This added billions in debt to a province that prided itself on being debt-free before her election.

Redford won 61 of 87 seats with 44 percent of the vote in the last election. An Angus Reid online poll published on Monday by the Edmonton Journal pegged current support for the party at just 23 percent, half of that commanded by the opposition Wildrose Party.

The Progressive Conservative caucus will elect an interim leader by Sunday and is likely to elect a new leader within four to six months, Cameron said.

Potential leadership candidates include Deputy Premier Dave Hancock, Finance Minister Doug Horner, Solicitor General Jonathan Dennis and Minister of Service Alberta Doug Griffiths.

One of the key tasks facing the new leader will be helping Alberta's energy industry secure access to new markets and alleviate pipeline congestion that has weighed on oil prices and eaten into government royalties.

Redford made progress last year in reaching a tentative agreement with British Columbia Premier Christy Clark on the conditions that would need to met for controversial pipelines to be built to the Pacific Coast.

"We ... made significant progress in bilateral relations between our provinces, helping to secure our shared economic and environmental future," Clark said in a statement following Redford's resignation.

(Additional reporting by Julie Gordon in Vancouver; Additional writing by Jeffrey Hodgson in Toronto; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Venezuela arrests opposition mayor for 'rebellion'

Posted: 19 Mar 2014 08:45 PM PDT

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan intelligence agents arrested the opposition mayor of San Cristobal on Wednesday for "civil rebellion," accusing him of stoking violence in the city hit harder than anywhere by more than a month of unrest.

Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres, who also heads the national intelligence service Sebin, told state TV that Sebin agents detained Daniel Ceballos while acting on an order from a court in western Tachira state.

"This is an act of justice for a mayor who not only failed to meet his obligations under the law, but also facilitated and supported all the irrational violence in this city," he said.

"In the coming hours he will be presented before the corresponding tribunals to begin the judgment process."

A man identifying himself as an aide to the mayor said via his Twitter account, @Daniel_Ceballos, that he was arrested in Caracas. According to a post on his Facebook page earlier, Ceballos was in the capital for a meeting of opposition mayors.

San Cristobal, home to some 250,000 people in Tachira near the Colombian border, has been the focus of the most sustained fights between demonstrators barricading roads, pro-government radicals, and the security forces.

Torres said a member of the National Guard was shot dead in the city on Wednesday during what he called "vandalistic acts" by protesters targeting a national armed forces university.

Earlier, prosecutors said a Caracas municipal worker was killed by multiple gunshots late on Tuesday as he and others dismantled a street barrier set up by opposition demonstrators.

On Monday, the Supreme Court ordered the opposition mayors of four municipalities, including San Cristobal, to remove street barricades rigged up by protesters.

At least 31 people have died since February 12 when three people were shot dead in clashes after an opposition rally in Caracas.

STUDENTS TO MARCH

The protesters are demanding socialist President Nicolas Maduro resign, while he says his foes want to create chaos and trigger a coup, like the one 12 years ago that briefly ousted his predecessor and mentor, the late Hugo Chavez.

Pro-opposition students said they planned to march in the capital on Thursday to demand Ceballos' release, in what will be the latest of daily rallies by both sides around the politically polarized country.

The move against the San Cristobal mayor comes a day after the ruling Socialist Party-dominated Congress voted to ask the state prosecutor to investigate an opposition deputy for crimes including treason in relation to the protests.

Maria Corina Machado, a 46-year-old engineer, has been one of the most visible leaders of the demonstrations.

The move by "Chavista" legislators, which seeks eventually to strip her of her parliamentary immunity, followed the arrest a month ago of hardline opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez.

Along with Machado, Lopez launched a national movement at the start of the year under the banner "The Exit," meaning an end to 15 years of socialist rule. It has seen peaceful marches as well as melees between hooded demonstrators and riot police.

Lopez handed himself in to face charges of fomenting the unrest. A senior colleague from his Popular Will party is on the run after being accused in connection with the violence.

They have called on supporters to stay in the streets to keep protesting against high inflation, shortages of basic foods, and one of the worst rates of violent crime in the world.

The protesters are far fewer than those who took to the streets in 2002 to topple Chavez, albeit briefly, and opposition leaders are deeply divided over the current confrontations.

(Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

Colombian president confirms ouster of Bogota mayor

Posted: 19 Mar 2014 08:01 PM PDT

BOGOTA (Reuters) - The mayor of Colombia's capital city Bogota was ousted from his post on Wednesday, President Juan Manuel Santos said in a controversial decision that could affect May presidential elections and a peace process with left-wing rebels.

Gustavo Petro, 53, a former guerrilla, was dismissed from his post by the inspector general in December last year over mismanagement but stayed pending a run of judicial appeals, the last of which ended on Tuesday and did not reverse the decision.

His dismissal and a 15-year ban from holding public office was viewed as too harsh, even among those who did not support Petro. The case has become a political hot potato amid perceptions the decision may have sought to undermine leftists.

The Inter-American Commission of Human Rights called late on Tuesday for the decision by Colombia's highest judicial authority judging cases involving government bodies to suspend its decision and allow Petro to serve the rest of his mandate.

But in a declaration naming Labor Minister Rafael Pardo Rueda interim mayor, Santos said that request was not legally binding, that Petro's appeal process had been exhaustive and his dismissal was now unavoidable.

"I have received official communication from the inspector general in which he solicits the dismissal by decree of the mayor of Bogota, Gustavo Petro Urrego, and I have to proceed in conformity with the constitution and the laws," Santos said.

Santos said the Council of State, the last entity to hear the judicial appeal, had informed Petro that he still had other mechanisms of judicial defense to which he could turn, without giving further detail.

ELECTIONS LOOM

Petro's dismissal was declared in December by right-wing prosecutor Alejandro Ordonez over the mayor's ill-fated attempt to reclaim management of waste collection from private operators. Poor planning resulted in garbage amassing in the streets before the duties were returned to private contractors.

But trash quickly became a side issue as Colombians questioned whether the harsh sentence, especially the long ban from public office, was really intended to sideline the political left and bar a potential 2018 presidential candidate.

"(Santos' decision) shows that he is unable to bring peace to Colombia," Petro said in a speech from the balcony of the city hall, adding that the political establishment was unable to accept "diversity". He branded the decision "a political, electoral calculation".

Santos initiated peace talks with the main guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in November 2012, with the rebels' political participation one of the five points on the agenda on which partial agreement has been reached.

Centre-right Santos will seek a second four-year term at elections on May 25 during which he hopes to complete the peace process aimed at ending a five-decade conflict that has killed around 220,000.

Though few details have been released on how the group would enter the political system, it could dent the guerrilla's trust after witnessing the unilateral removal of a prominent former guerrilla from a position of power.

Surveys show Santos is the clear front-runner in the upcoming election and far ahead of Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, the chosen candidate of ex-President Alvaro Uribe. Uribe staunchly opposes peace negotiations and advocates continuing the policy of his 2002-2010 term of defeating the guerrillas militarily.

Whether Santos dismissed or tried to maintain Petro in his post, he was certain to draw the ire of politicians further to the left or right and the case could potentially cost him votes among some left-leaning voters.

(Additional reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Peter Murphy; Editing by Bernard Orr and Eric Walsh)

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ASNB declares 6.6 sen dividend for ASM investors

Posted: 19 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd (ASNB), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB), has announced a 6.6 sen dividend for a unit of Amanah Saham Malaysia (ASM) for the financial year ending March 31.

Last year, it declared 6.5 sen normal dividend and 0.3 sen special dividend per unit.

PNB chairman Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid said the income distribution entailed RM947.1mil total payout, up from RM913.85mil last year.

The payment would benefit 530,000 unitholders, who currently held 14.34 billion ASM units, he told a press conference.

President and chief executive officer Tan Sri Hamad Kama Piah Che Othman said the income distribution could have been as high as 8.8 sen per unit, but the group decided to carry forward the remaining 2.2 sen per unit to the next financial year.

Until March 17, ASM had recorded a gross income of RM1.16bil, while profit from the sale of shares contributed 46.8% of the gross income.

Dividend income from investment in companies contributed 37.4%, with the remaining 15.8% coming from investments in short-term instruments.

The income distribution will be reinvested in additional units and be automatically credited into unitholders' accounts on April 1 to enable them to benefit on the return from the growth of the ASM fund units.

ASM transactions at all branches and agents nationwide will be suspended on March 23-31 to facilitate the calculation of income distribution, and unitholders can update their investment books beginning April 1.

On the progress of PNB's Menara Warisan Merdeka that is estimated to be valued at RM5bil, Hamad Kama Piah said piling works were ongoing and that the structure would be completed by end-2018. — Bernama

KLCI falls, Petronas stocks, TM and Sime slip

Posted: 19 Mar 2014 06:15 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI came under some selling pressure early Thursday after the overnight fall on Wall Street as sentiment was cautious following as the US Federal Reserve's rate hike comment.

At 9am, the KLCI was down 3.3 points to 1,814.14. Turnover was 36.08 million shares valued at RM13.57mil. There were 105 gainers, 66 losers and 128 counters unchanged.

Hwang DBS Vickers Research said Malaysian equities could face renewed selling pressure.

"On the chart, the benchmark KLCI could pull back towards the psychological support mark of 1,800" it said.

Overnight on Wall Street, major indices fell between 0.6% and 0.7% following the US Federal Open Market Committee meeting outcome.

HDBSVR said the policymakers decided to make a further measured reduction in the pace of its asset purchases by an additional US$10bil per month beginning April.

"Still, a shift in investors' expectations of faster-than-anticipated interest rate hikes in 2015 and 2016 then spooked sentiment," it said.

Petronas Dagangan fell 22 sen to RM29.82 and Petronas Chemicals 10 sen to RM6.62 while Petronas Gas was down eight sen to RM23.

Among plantations, KLKepong fell 18 sen to RM23.54 and Sime Darby six sen to RM9.14. AmBank was the top loser among the bank stocks, falling five sen to RM7.07.

TM lost 10 sen to RM5.80.

Genting Plantations jumped 40 sen to RM11.10  while United Plantations added 26 sen to RM25.26 and SOP 23 sen to RM6.55 while PPB Group gained 18 sen to RM16.48. Trading volume was very thin with 100 shares done for these counters.

Kimlun-WA, which was listed on Wednesday, added 28.5 sen to 59 sen.

EcoWorld rose10 sen to RM4.79 as investors were positive on its purchase of 308.7 acres of land in South Klang for RM470.7mil from Tropicana Corp.

Recovery of S. Sudan oil output to take time; Petronas among producers

Posted: 19 Mar 2014 05:33 PM PDT

JUBA: South Sudan's oil production is steady at about 160,000 barrels per day and will take time to recover to previous levels, an oil ministry official said, after oil facilities in Unity state were burned in fighting between political factions.

Oil firms in South Sudan, a country roughly the size of France, include China National Petroleum Corp, India's ONGC Videsh and Malaysia's Petronas .

Production on Monday was 162,000 bpd from fields in Upper Nile state, said the oil ministry official who asked not to be identified. That level, little changed from the start of the year, is down about a third from the 245,000 bpd recorded before the conflict flared up in mid-December.

Oil facilities in Unity state have been shut since supporters of President Salva Kiir fought defectors who backed his sacked deputy, Riek Machar.

"They set the facility ablaze. It will take long to restart," the official said.

Oil companies evacuated Unity state after some local oil workers were killed in the fighting as the defectors captured the capital Bentiu. Government forces have since recaptured the town.

The firms have yet to resume operations, however, while the government strives to ensure security and to assess the damage, according to a senior official at a foreign oil company.

"Right now the efforts to restart Unity production are going on, but until now the report (on the extent of the damage) is not finished. The paperwork to resume until now is not finished; there is no change there in security," the senior official said.

"They (the government) don't control all the oil fields there, so we hope this can change. But now it remains just a hope because with technical people, without security nobody will go there."

Sporadic battles have been fought since a ceasefire deal was reached on Jan. 23, with some of the fiercest fighting in Malakal, the capital of Upper Nile state. But production from the Upper Nile fields has held steady.

Upper Nile fields produce Dar blend crude, which is a heavy and sour blend. The lighter and sweeter Nile blend produced from the Unity fields tends to sell at a premium to Dar.

The two blends usually go to Chinese and Indian refiners, which can process a variety of crudes. Some Nile blend is also shipped to Japan where it is burned by utilities.

Any variation in production of South Sudan's crudes can impact the price of some other grades such as Indonesian, Angolan and some Australian crudes.

Oil firms in South Sudan, a country roughly the size of France, include China National Petroleum Corp, India's ONGC Videsh and Malaysia's Petronas .

All of South Sudan's exports run via a pipeline through Sudan to the Red Sea. South Sudan split from Sudan in 2011, and the two nations have often argued since then over oil transit fees, border security and other issues. - Reuters

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Missing MH370: All signals can be killed by accessing electronics system

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

PETALING JAYA: Communications could be lost if the electronics system, located below the passenger deck of the missing Flight MH370 is tampered with, says an industry source.

He said a person with aviation knowledge would know where to head to access the electronics system.

"The person can pull any circuit breaker, including (the one for) communications. You can disconnect anything that can transmit signals from the aircraft. This would cut off all communication system, including the phones on board," he told The Star yesterday.

The lower compartment, which is located in the belly of the plane, can be accessed through a trapdoor found at the business class section.

"The entry to the lower compartment is right underneath the plane's front door as passengers board the plane," the source added.

He said the standard practice to passengers asking them to switch off mobile phones during take-off and landing was to avoid interrupting signals from the cockpit.

When asked if the manipulation of the electronics system could interrupt the control systems in the cockpit, the source said: "Yes, of course."

The source was responding to a news report by The New York Times that said passengers of the missing flight MH370 could have been prevented from making calls from their mobile phones due to high altitude.

It quoted Vincent Lau, an electronics professor specialising in wireless communications at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, who said the high altitude might have prevented the mobile phones from connecting to base stations on the ground.

The report compared the "silence" on Flight MH370, which until today, has no records of phone calls, Twitter, Weibo or Instagram postings by its passengers, to the four airplanes that were hijacked on Sept 11, 2001.

The New York Times said passengers and flight attendants on the four flights turned on cellphones and airphones and made frantic calls to the outside world as the planes flew low across the countryside toward New York and Washington.

"Base station signals spread out considerably over a distance. So cellphones in a plane a few miles up, like Flight 370, would receive little if any signal," he said.

The Chinese news media have reported some instances of people calling cellphones of passengers of the missing plane and hearing ring tones but telecommunications experts have dismissed the notion that the handphones were still in use.

Missing MH370: ‘US doing all it can to help Malaysia’

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

PETALING JAYA: The United States is using relevant information from its military and civilian satellites to help the Government in the search and rescue (SAR) operations to locate the missing MH370 jetliner.

"I know the Malaysian Government is using all the information they can get. We are assisting as much as possible," said US 7th Fleet public affairs officer Commander William J. Marks yesterday. Support is pouring in for Malaysia from countries involved in the SAR effort to locate the plane which went off the radar while flying to Beijing on March 8.

Marks said over the last week, the US with its assets had virtually scoured over the northern Indian Ocean and the Andaman Sea and would now expand its search to the southern Indian Ocean.

"A P3 Orion plane will be based in Thailand and a P8 plane will be based in Australia to cover more ground," he said.

He said the USS Kidd navy ship had finished its search mission from the Straits of Malacca to the northern Andaman sea but did not find any debris or wreckage.

Senior Colonel Titawat Satiantip, the defence and army attaché with the Royal Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, said the Thai Armed Forces would provide necessary data from its radar system to Malaysia in order to confirm the passing of MH370.

"Such information may need time to be analysed as well. The air force said its radar system had not detected the plane," Satiantip said.

He said the Thai armed forces would continue to cooperate with Malaysia until the plane is found.

Bangladesh High Commission defence attaché Mohd Abul Bashar said his country is committed to help Malaysia in the operations.

"We thank the Malaysian Government for sharing their data with us and we would also share our data if needed," said Mohd Abul.

A total of 26 countries are involved in the operation to locate the jetliner which disappeared on March 8 carrying 239 passengers and crew.

British High Commissioner to Malaysia Simon Featherstone said the United Kingdom would continue to assist the Malaysian investigation team in its effort to locate the plane.

He said a team with a Rolls Royce engine expert deployed by the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) was already in Malaysia assisting the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation.

"The AAIB team and experts from Inmarsat have worked closely with Malaysian and US experts to identify flight MH370's likely final destination along an arc ranging from Kazakhstan to the southern Indian Ocean."

Missing MH370: Impossible to hide plane with electronic warfare tech, says expert

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

PETALING JAYA: It is "impossible" for the MH370 aircraft to be hidden from radar using electronic warfare technology, said an electromagnetics expert.

University of Toronto researcher Dr George Eleftheriades, an expert in cloaking technology, explained that the technology was still in its infancy and thus not easily available.

"This invisibility technology is still in the laboratory stage and not readily available. Moreover, it would seem impossible to fit the airplane with such a cloak while in flight.

"Therefore, I firmly believe such a possibility is out of the question in explaining the disappearance of the plane," he said.

Speculations have been rife, especially on various news portals, about the possibility that the missing aircraft could have been "hidden" using cutting-edge electronic warfare technology that can hide a plane from the radar.

Fuelling further speculation was the fact that there were 20 experts from US-based company Freescale Semiconductor, which manufactures hi-tech weapons systems and aircraft navigation, on the plane.

CNN reported in November last year on a cloaking technology for large objects by Eleftheriades and Michael Selvanayagam.

The researchers found a new way to cloak an object using tiny antennas and published a paper on it in the journal Physical Review X.

This method does not make objects invisible to the human eye but makes them undetectable by radar.

While the researchers said the technology only worked for radio waves at the moment, they said the same principles could be applied to other waves and potentially hide an object from the human eye.

Another report by Fox News in November last year stated that China and the United States were racing to develop a new technology that can make airplanes invisible not only to radar but also to the human eye.

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'The Maze Runner' trailer plunges teens into high stakes struggle

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:30 PM PDT

First look at James Dasher's dystopian future tale.

Young adult fiction continues to prove a rich vein for film adaptation prospectors: a debut trailer for The Maze Runner provides us with the first look at James Dasher's dystopian future tale.

Thomas wakes up with no memory of his past and as the latest anonymous recruit to a group of teenage boys camping out on the edge of a towering labyrinth.

No one really knows what's on the other side – only that once you're in, you're not coming back – but everyone wants to get out and find out what lies beyond.

Directed by feature film first-timer Wes Ball and starring Dylan O'Brien (Stiles from the Teen Wolf TV series), the movie's supporting cast includes Brazilian-English actress Kaya Scodelario (Skins, Moon), Ki Hong-Lee (The Nine Lives of Chloe King), Will Poulter (We're The Millers) and Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Jojen Reed from Game of Thrones).

The Maze Runner is tracking for a Sept 19 debut in the US, with a swathe of international releases the same week, including screens in South American and South-East Asian regions; a few territories will have to wait longer, including France (Oct 15), the UK and Ireland (Oct 24) and Japan (Feb 20, 2015). – AFP Relaxnews

Seven celebs who want your money for their projects

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 10:25 PM PDT

As Veronica Mars the movie hits cinemas in the US, other celebrities are now jumping on the crowd-funding bandwagon.

There had been other celebrity-driven Kickstarter campaigns, but it was the wild, US$5.2mil (RM16.64mil) success of Kristen Bell and Rob Thomas' drive for a Veronica Mars movie adaptation that really clued in Hollywood to the fiscal might and possibilities of crowdfunding.

Now, a year later, it seems like everyone is asking fans for cash.

Zach Braff got much attention for his request that fans kick in US$3mil/RM9.6mil (of a US$5mil/RM16mil budget) for Wish I Was Here, which debuted at Sundance and sold to Focus Features for a reported US$3mil or so. Spike Lee, too, used the site for his next joint, just passing his US$1.25mil (RM4mil) goal.

In recent weeks, several more big names have humbled themselves in pitch videos and brief explanatory notes in order to flatter and entice fans into funding their ambitions.

Shaquille O'Neal

The all-time great NBA centre and multimedia personality made over US$300mil (RM960mil) in his career, when playing contracts and endorsements are tallied up, and he continues to cash cheques by appearing on television and pitching products. But the big Diesel is still asking fans and gamers to pitch in US$450,000 (RM1.44mil), via Indiegogo, toward the development of a sequel to his 1994 fighting console game.

"Let's get one thing straight. It's going to take more than US$450,000 to fund the game. Yes, I am putting my money into the game. And the fans have always been my partners," O'Neal told The Wrap at SXSW. "We just wanted to use it as a measuring source, to see if there's some excitement, and there has been a lot of excitement."

With 38 days left, the campaign has raised about US$90,000 (RM288,000). If you donate US$600 (RM1,920), Shaq will follow you on Twitter.

Zachary Levi

A favourite amongst geeks for his role in Chuck and obvious love for nerdy things otherwise, Levi is asking his adoring fans for US$1mil (RM3.2mil) to stage another Nerd HQ festival adjacent to San Diego Comic-Con. It is an event thrown by his company, The Nerd Machine, at Petco Park every year, where they hold four days of dance parties and panel discussions and other activities that can be built by a giant machine of nerds.

Zachary Levi as the lovable nerd in Chuck.

It is a free event, but it costs a pretty penny, and apparently they couldn't get the funding to make it happen this year. So, in order to keep the spirit of the nerd burning, Levi and his machine need US$1mil, for "venue, staging, production crew, event lighting, video, audio, staff, security, and activations", according to the Indiegogo page for their campaign.

The event raises money for Operation Smile, a popular charity, so basically, donations are being made toward raising money (and doing fun stuff, too).

There are no prizes for people who donate, other than getting their names written on a big wall of people who donated, but the nerd machine will keep on chugging!

Katherine Heigl

The principal photography on the ZZZquil pitchwoman and ZyZZyx Road actress' next movie, a romantic dramedy called Jenny's Wedding, is already complete. But the film, which co-stars Alexis Bledel, needs an additional US$150,000 (RM480,000) to get through post-production.

And so, the Jenny's Wedding crew is turning to Indiegogo for the cash. So far, they've taken in US$48,000 (RM153,600) and have 15 days left to get the money.

Matt Walsh

A founder of Upright Citizens Brigade and a hero to all comedy nerds, Walsh is finally getting recognition for his on-screen talents, with a regular role in Veep and a starring turn in David Cross' Sundance film Hits. Now, he's in the filmmaking business, and is looking for just a little over US$52,000 (RM166,400) to finish post on his improv-driven movie, A Better You.

So, why should fans donate? "One, I'm not truly famous, I'm more of a 'Hey, I know that guy' celebrity," he wrote on his Indiegogo page. "Two: I'm not rich and my wife and I have three kids so the money I make – I can't tell you where it all goes, but it's not for champagne or tropical vacations."

Neil Young

It took just one day for the rock legend to raise almost double the stated goal of US$800,000 (RM2.56mil) to launch Pono, his high-quality digital music player and marketplace. It didn't hurt that he had a slate of other leading lights – including Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Kid Rock, Dave Grohl, T-Bone Burnett, Rick Rubin, and Eddie Vedder – vouching for the sophisticated audio experience that Young is promising.

With 32 days to go, he's now up to over US$3mil and counting. More like knocking on heaven's safe, am I right?

Scott Ian

The guitarist of the heavy metal band Anthrax went on a spoken word tour, and now he's looking to fans to bankroll the DVD release of his act, which is creatively titled Speaking Words. He's up to 31% of an unspecified goal, but it must be somewhat sizable; he's offering to take a fan out for a wild night in Las Vegas for a US$25,000 (RM80,000) pledge. For the more frugal Anthrax enthusiast, a guitar built from wood from the church in Night Of The Living Dead is available for a mere US$12,500 (RM40,000).

So, get it while it's hot, if you're into Henry Rollins and/or fake church guitars.

Matthew Modine

The veteran actor is looking for US$5mil for a movie called The Rocking Horsemen, a coming-of-age stories set in the 1960s. But instead of just asking calling for some generosity and offering some small prizes in return, he's offering them a stake in the possible profits, through a site called Slated.

It's not all that often that films that size make much money, but at least there's a shot. — Reuters

Chris Pine admits New Zealand drink driving charge

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 06:55 PM PDT

Actor's licence suspended for six months.

Star Trek actor Chris Pine pleaded guilty on March 17 to drink driving in New Zealand and had his licence suspended for six months, reports said.

Pine, 33, was charged after he failed a breath test this month in the South Island town of Methven, where he had been attending a party after completing the science fiction film Z for Zachariah, New Zealand Newswire reported.

Judge Joanna Maze denied an application from the American's lawyers to discharge him without conviction, saying she was "obliged to treat offenders alike".

She suspended Pine's New Zealand driver's licence for six months and fined him NZ$93 (RM260) Fairfax New Zealand reported.

Pine, who is best known for playing Captain Kirk in director J.J. Abrams's Star Trek reboot, declined to speak to media outside the Ashburton courthouse before being driven away. – AFP

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Maldives police probe reports of MH370 sighting

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 10:42 PM PDT

NEW DELHI: Police in the Maldives are probing reports that islanders in the tourism paradise saw a "low-flying jumbo jet" on the day the missing Malaysia Airlines plane vanished.

In a statement released late Tuesday, police said they were investigating a report on the Haveeru news website that local residents had spotted a large plane flying over the remote southern island of Kuda Huvadhoo on March 8.

"The police are looking into the reports in the media saying that a low-flying airplane was sighted above Kuda Huvadhoo," the statement said.

Several alleged sightings of the Boeing 777, which vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur with 239 people on board, have proved to be false alarms and reports of debris at sea have also turned up nothing.

Haveeru said witnesses on Kuda Huvadhoo had seen a white aircraft with red stripes flying towards the southern tip of the Maldives.

"I've never seen a jet flying so low over our island before. We've seen seaplanes, but I'm sure that this was not one of those. I could even make out the doors on the plane clearly," the website quoted one witness as saying.

Haveeru journalist Farah Ahmed said several witnesses had given similar accounts.

"These people first heard a very loud noise from a plane flying unusually low and they came out to see it," Ahmed told AFP by phone from the Maldives capital Male, whose international airport daily handles dozens of wide-body jets bringing in thousands of tourists.

The hunt for the missing passenger jet now focuses on two vast search areas - a northern one spanning south and central Asia, and a southern corridor stretching deep into the southern Indian Ocean towards Australia.

The Maldives, located far from both arcs, is not among the 26 countries currently involved in the massive international search operation. -AFP

Pakistani militant kills self, family in DIY bomb accident

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 10:46 PM PDT

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan: A militant commander and five family members including a child were killed when a bomb he was tinkering with exploded at his home in northwest Pakistan, officials said on Wednesday.

Aalim Deen Mehsud, a local commander of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the North Waziristan tribal area, was trying to remove explosive material from a mortar shell, triggering the blast, a security official said.

"He was trying to cut the shell with a hand saw and take out the explosives when the explosion occurred, killing himself, four women and a child of his family," the official told AFP.

Two other children were injured in the blast, the official said.

A local in the village of Talib Jan, where the incident happened, confirmed the deaths.

"Aalim Deen Mehsud and five members of his family have been killed in an explosion at his house," said Gul Hajjan, a resident of the village which is close to the Afghan border.

North Waziristan is one of Pakistan's seven semi-autonomous tribal regions which Washington consider to be a major hub of Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants plotting attacks on the West and in Afghanistan.

The government opened negotiations with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) last month in a bid to end a bloody insurgency which has cost thousands of lives and cost the economy tens of billions of dollars.

The process broke down for more than two weeks after militants killed 23 kidnapped soldiers, but later resumed after the Taliban announced a month-long ceasefire. -AFP

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