Khamis, 27 Mac 2014

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

S. Korea sends back remains of Chinese Korean War dead
Australia first banknote fetches RM1m
Little India riot inquiry: Alcohol a factor in mayhem

S. Korea sends back remains of Chinese Korean War dead

Posted: 27 Mar 2014 06:22 PM PDT

SEOUL, March 28, 2014 (AFP) - South Korea flew the remains of 437 Chinese soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War back to China on Friday for final burial in their homeland.

The small coffins, draped in the Chinese flag, were carried by Chinese soldiers and loaded on a plane at Incheon airport, to be flown to the northeastern city of Shenyang where China has a state cemetery for its war dead.

"This is a new milestone in bilateral relations and is expected to serve as a good example of promoting peace in Northeast Asia," said defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok.

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye had offered to return the bodies as a goodwill gesture during her visit to Beijing in June last year.

China fought alongside North Korea in the 1950-53 conflict - its dramatic and crucial intervention coming after US-led forces had pushed the North Korean army into the far north of the peninsula.

Casualty figures remain disputed but Western estimates commonly cite a figure of 400,000 Chinese deaths, while Chinese sources mention a toll of about 180,000.

The bodies were initially buried in small plots scattered around the country.

In 1996, Seoul designated a special cemetery plot in Paju, just south of the heavily-fortified border with North Korea, where all the remains of Chinese and North Korean soldiers still on South Korean soil could be buried together.

Work on exhuming the Chinese remains at Paju for repatriation began back in December.

While some graves are named, most are identified only by nationality.

More than 700 North Korean soldiers are also interred at the cemetery. But the North has ignored the South's offer to return the bodies despite sporadic talks on the issue.

The bodies of more than two dozen North Korean commandos killed in a daring but unsuccessful 1968 attack on the presidential palace in Seoul are buried there.

Also there is the body of a North Korean agent responsible for the 1987 bombing of a South Korean airliner that killed 115 people.

Australia first banknote fetches RM1m

Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

SYDNEY: The only surviving example of Australia's first official banknote exceeded expectations when it was auctioned for A$334,000 (RM1mil), officials said.

The 10 shilling note – one of 100 issued in 1817 by the Bank of New South Wales (now called Westpac) on the day it opened – attracted bids from around the world, said Jim Noble of Noble Numismatics, which handled the sale.

"It's a record for a colonial banknote," he said yesterday.

"It will stay in Australia (but) I've no idea what the gentleman who bought it plans to do, he's a high up executive in a big organisation.

"It would be exciting to see it on public display, it's a great thing."

The auction price easily exceeded its A$250,000 (RM760,000) estimate, with Noble attributing the interest to its unique historical value.

"It's the only one of its kind, even Westpac does not have one."

Noble said the note was discovered in a private collection in Scotland in 2005, with Scots-born former New South Wales governor Lachlan Macquarie or one of his staff thought to have taken it there.

It was later bought by a private collector who sold it at Wednesday night's auction. — AFP

Little India riot inquiry: Alcohol a factor in mayhem

Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

WHILE the Little India riot was caused by a confluence of factors, alcohol played a major role in the mayhem on Dec 8 last year, the final witness of the public hearing into the mayhem told the Committee of Inquiry (COI).

Lead investigator Adam Fashe Huddin said that evidence presented by different groups throughout the five-week inquiry – including the huge demand for alcohol before the riot, and that rioters were losing their balance and had smelt of alcohol – meant intoxication played a large role in the violence that night.

"It is apparent that beer bottles were the most common projectiles that night – alcohol bottles were literally raining down on police during a large part of the incident," said Adam, who is from the Central Narcotics Bureau.

"The investigations team concludes that alcohol was a major contributory factor to how the riot unfolded."

On the other hand, there was no evidence that the actions of the rioters arose from widespread abuse of foreign workers here or employment-related problems, said the senior narcotics officer.

None of the foreign workers who took the stand said their salary was delayed, and that the 20 men interviewed by the committee who were repatriated for their involvement in the riot said they were happy working here, and had "no deep-seated unhappiness".

None of the men charged with being involved in the riot said late salary was to blame, he added.

The observations that Adam placed before the committee included extending the Little India Bus Services to Sunday mornings and Saturdays, so as to spread the load of workers who visit the Indian enclave on the weekend, and extra police manpower to deal with potential hotspots like Geylang.

There should also be more sensitivity training for bus drivers and timekeepers plying the Little India route, while more focus has to be given to educating foreign workers here on local norms and the heavy penalties that accompany anti-social behaviour like urinating and vomiting. — The Straits Times/ Asia News Network

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

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The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

'Noah' puts Darren Aronofsky's box office appeal to the test
'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' reveals human vulnerabilities of a superhero
Ty Burrell: From 'Modern Family' man to busy movie guy

'Noah' puts Darren Aronofsky's box office appeal to the test

Posted: 27 Mar 2014 01:15 AM PDT

Costing RM412mil, the Biblical epic Noah is director Aronofsky's most expensive movie so far – but can he convince audiences the money was well spent?

Rain lashes down from the heavens while hungry followers of Cain trample over each other for a spot on Noah's massive wooden ark. The end is inevitable and, of course, not pretty.

Director Darren Aronofsky, best known for dark and unrelenting dramas such as the Oscar-nominated Black Swan, would have it no other way in the biblical epic Noah, which stars Russell Crowe and is set to be released in US and Canadian theatres, as well as several other countries, on Friday.

Can this man turn Noah into a blockbuster? Film director Darren Aronofsky poses during a photocall at the 12th Marrakesh International Film Festival in 2012. Reuters/Stringer.

"There's something elemental about the water," Aronofsky said. "Water has an incredible power to destroy and it also gives rebirth. It's an amazing force. So, I've just always wondered why no one ever brought it to the big screen."

The film distributed by Viacom Inc's Paramount Pictures is the auteur director's first big test of whether he can guide a big-budget spectacle to box office success.

And the risk-taking Aronofsky, 45, is sure to unsettle some along the way as the film blends one of the best-known Old Testament tales with the trademark psychological torment to which he routinely submits protagonists.

"We all have the Noah story inside of us since we were very young," the director said, making the case for why his challenging film can have wide appeal. "It's so deep, a part of not just Western culture, but everyone on the planet has heard of the Noah story. Even if it's not part of your belief system, you have a flood story."

The film also stars Jennifer Connelly as Noah's wife, Naameh, Anthony Hopkins as Noah's grandfather, Methuselah, and Emma Watson as Ila, the wife of Noah's eldest son, Shem, who is portrayed by Douglas Booth.

While faithful to the slim four chapters in the Bible, Noah also takes a detour into fantasy with the biblical Nephilim. Aronofsky explains the giant fallen angels made of rocks as a representation of a pre-flood Earth that was home to alternate possibilities of life.

Wrestling with darkness

The decision to include the fallen angels, called the 'Watchers' in the film, is one of the reasons why Noah will be challenging, even for religious audiences, said Rebecca Cusey, an editor of the religious website Patheos.com and film critic.

"This movie takes it more seriously than a lot of people who teach it in Sunday school. We have to admit that this story is really dark, and (it is) wrestling with the darkness and having different strains of theology."

Paramount said Noah had a US$125mil (RM412mil) budget. The film is tracking to gross a respectable US$41mil in its opening weekend domestically, according to Boxoffice.com.

The film also represents a string of bets Hollywood has made on Bible stories.

Studio 20th Century Fox is set to release director Ridley Scott's epic Exodus in time for Christmas, with Christian Bale as Moses. The studio also released Son Of God last month, an adaptation of 2013's successful The Bible TV miniseries.

For Anthony Hopkins, the revival of Biblical epics on the big screen speaks to the global economic and political upheaval since 2008 financial crisis.

"Maybe it's a resurgence of a desire for certainty in an uncertain world," the Oscar-winning actor wondered, adding that biblical epics tend to give audiences hope in chaotic times.

But Bible stories also dovetail with the action films that make significant money for Hollywood studios, said Craig Detweiler, a professor at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.

After all, Noah serves up plenty of action, special effects, blood and violence.

"Perhaps Hollywood is reaching back to Old Testament stories because of the brawny nature of the conflicts," said Detweiler, who has worked for studios as a consultant on religious topics.

"It is the ultimate way to get teenage boys who otherwise would have no interest in this subject into one of our culture's largest shaping stories," he added. "It's like a graphic novelisation of one of the most seminal texts in civilisation." – Reuters

'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' reveals human vulnerabilities of a superhero

Posted: 26 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Bringing down the shield: Chris Evens is back in uniform to defend his country in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

In a world where superheroes and supervillains live among regular folks, things can get a little messy sometimes. Power struggles, displaced loyalties and dark secrets uncovered are just some of the problems that turn up in Marvel's latest offering, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which is the ninth instalment in the superhero film franchise.

In the movie, the seemingly impenetrable world of SHIELD – or Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division – is turned inside out, and all its major players are under threat of public scrutiny... and worse. The new villain is someone whom people claim "does not exist", yet somehow always manages to leave a trail of dead bodies in his invincible wake.

The biggest worry, though, comes in the form of a doubtful Steve Rogers aka Captain America, who begins to question his existence, the work that he does and the people around him. He also still seems a little lost in the modern world, hanging on to memories of his very distant past in any way he could.

You feel a little sorry for the guy.

"Nobody he knows from his previous life is around anymore, so he's in a very isolated place. The first half of the movie deals with the fact that he feels a sense of isolation and disconnect from everyone else," said director Anthony Russo, who worked on The Winter Soldier with his brother, Joe. The duo was in Beijing this week to promote the film with its stars, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L Jackson.

The Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff played by Scarlett Johansson.

Natasha Romanoff aka The Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson.

The Russos insist that the movie isn't your typical superhero action flick. It's a character-driven action-packed spy thriller with a bit of drama thrown in for good measure.

"That's what we like to make. A thriller needs to have stakes and you can't have stakes if you don't have a character for the audience to care about. We wanted to make (Captain America) empathetic and relatable, and one way to do it was to show that he's lost and isolated. People can identify with that," Joe explained.

"It's great that you get to see this side of Cap, and for me, it's easy to do because once you've played the character, you sort of know what's going on with him and how he's going to react to certain things," said Evans.

Fortunately, the directors managed to achieve all that they need to with Captain America without making him seem weak, or turning him into a completely different character from the original. The Russos also did a credible job of creating a Marvel movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the film.

"Marvel's done so many good movies now that in order for the franchise to move forward, we really needed to work hard to find ways to push things into new territory. Cap doesn't fly across the world like Iron Man, he doesn't turn green like The Hulk, and he doesn't come from another universe like Thor. He's human, only slightly more so.

Sebastian Stan is the deadly Winter Soldier.

"We wanted to come up with a tonal and visual style that played to the fact that Cap is just a guy. This is why we shot some scenes with handheld cameras, to give it that cinema verite feel. We wanted to get into the character intimately not just via his fighting styles but emotionally too," Joe described.

He also revealed that The Winter Soldier is just "part one" of this particular story, and that Captain America 3, which the brothers will also be directing, shall bind several puzzle pieces together as well as tie some loose ends. For now, however, nothing else can be said, which is pretty typical of a Marvel project.

Speaking of fight scenes, the film boasts numerous hand-to-hand combat sequences between Captain America and the villains, most notably with the Winter Soldier (played by Sebastian Stan) and Batroc the Leaper (Georges St Pierre).

Anthony shared that the actors, including Johansson (Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow), did a lot of the hand-to-hand combat sequences themselves.

Johansson, 30, said: "I don't think it's anymore of a challenge for me than any of the other guys just because I'm a girl. Making an action movie is hard, I think for all of us, but I like the physical challenge of it. It helps me extend myself in ways I didn't know I could."

"As far as being the only female superhero in the franchise so far, I just don't think of it much. I surround myself with powerful women in my life, Chris Evans being one of them," she added half-jokingly as Evans, 31, took a bow.

Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury.

The actors were in very good spirits during the interviews and press conference, teasing one another, finishing off each other's sentences and making jokes.

"Are you calling me fat?" said Evans, feigning a hurt and offended look when we asked him whether or not he ever had body image issues, having to star alongside so many other buff actors – Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor, being one of them. "We all get body image issues when Chris Hemsworth is around," said Johansson.

The actors' camaraderie that day proved Jackson's description of what the Marvel Avengers universe is like: one big Halloween party.

"It's like the biggest Halloween party ever. We're like these kids in a neighbourhood and we all have our costumes and powers. Then we go on a vacation, or do other movies or something, and we come back to our neighbourhood when it's time.

"Then someone comes around with a new game plan and says, 'Hi kids! Here's the new game, so now go play, OK?' and we go 'Yay!'," said Jackson who, despite playing the ever-so-serious and commanding Nick Fury in the Avengers world, was very easy-going and approachable during our interview.

Jackson, 66, and Johansson have been part of the franchise for quite some time now, appearing in the same films together, while Evans joined the Marvel Avengers universe in 2011 as the "Golden Age" Captain America in the first film. New to the Avengers is Anthony Mackie, 35, who plays Sam Wilson aka The Falcon.

"Anthony's the new kid on the block, and because of that he's got a lot of enthusiasm in him which was really quite infectious. Scarlett, Chris and I have been part of so many of these movies that we're starting to get a bit complacent. Anthony's so enthusiastic that he kind of reminded us what was exciting about being in the Avengers world. We love him!" said Jackson of his co-star.

The other "newbie" in the film is Robert Redford, 78, who plays Fury's boss in SHIELD. The directors claimed that when Redford's name was first mentioned at early casting meetings, they immediately knew that he would be perfect for the role. Anthony shared: "When we went to his place to pitch this movie role to him, he said, 'You know what, this looks great, but I honestly have no idea what these movies are about... But my grandson does'."

In two weeks, Jackson, Johansson and Evans will join the rest of the Avengers gang – namely Robert Downey Jr, Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner – and director Joss Whedon for Avengers: Age of Ultron, set to be released next year. Guess it's back to the ol' neighbourhood, then.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier opens in cinemas nationwide today.

Ty Burrell: From 'Modern Family' man to busy movie guy

Posted: 24 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

The actor is in Mr Peabody & Sherman and Muppets Most Wanted.

From the balcony of his room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Ty Burrell can see two young girls darting across the traffic-filled Wilshire Boulevard. His attention is drawn away from talking about his work in Muppets Most Wanted until it's clear they've safely crossed the street.

It's that paternal instinct that drives Burrell's life these days. Not only is he the father to two girls, but he stars in the top network TV comedy Modern Family. And his latest work includes the family friendly Muppets movie and the voice of the talking dog inventor in the animated Mr. Peabody & Sherman.

In Muppets Most Wanted, Burrell plays a French detective who tries to unravel the mystery behind a series of break-ins at museums that happen to be at the same location where the Muppets are performing.

Even Burrell's connection to the Muppets is a family matter.

"The first time I can remember seeing the Muppets was watching the TV series. My first memory of the show is my dad laughing at Statler and Waldorf. I remember my ears perking up at my dad laughing and thinking I have to really pay attention to this because he thinks this is funny," Burrell says.

The first time Burrell tried to make people laugh was when he and his younger brother would do comedy bits for the family. Generally, it was the same two characters – his much smaller brother as a domineering boss to a very naive and innocent character played by Burrell. He smiles and says that character eventually grew up to be his Modern Family character of Phil Dunphy.

For Muppets Most Wanted, Burrell called on the Pink Panther films he watched growing up to find the right level of silliness to play the French detective.

"There is a very conscious nod to Clouseau in this," Burrell says. "James Bobin, our director, was very clear from the beginning that this is meant to be a sort of collection of French characters and other French inspector. But, there was no way to play a French detective with a pencil-thin mustache and not be ripping of Clouseau to a degree.

"I was lucky because Jim told me that this is the Muppets so anything goes. Just have as much fun with the character as I want."

Family duties don't let up just because Burrell's in the middle of promoting the movie. He receives a text from his former Out Of Practice co-star, Christopher Gorham, to arrange a playdate for their kids.

The way both Out Of Practice and Back To You were cancelled so quickly almost turned Burrell off to television. He couldn't understand how he could be part of two shows with such strong casts and support from the critics that didn't survive.

It was Modern Family that restored his faith. Not only did the series show him a good show could last, the award-winning ABC series also opened up a lot of opportunities for Burrell.

He had always wanted to do voice work, but he couldn't break into that world. He admits that it isn't a coincidence that as soon as Modern Family became a hit, he started getting calls to do voice work for TV shows like Doc McStuffins and the upcoming feature film Finding Dory.

Between family, a successful TV show and two movies in theaters at the same time, Burrell feels like he's having one of those great moments he doesn't want to forget.

"Not that you aren't always feeling grateful, but in times like this you have to take a beat to be consciously grateful and be really mindful of how lucky this is," Burrell says. – The Fresno Bee/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

> Mr Peabody & Sherman is playing in cinemas nationwide. Muppets Most Wanted is scheduled to open on April 24.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

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The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

'Noah' puts Darren Aronofsky's box office appeal to the test
'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' reveals human vulnerabilities of a superhero
Ty Burrell: From 'Modern Family' man to busy movie guy

'Noah' puts Darren Aronofsky's box office appeal to the test

Posted: 27 Mar 2014 01:15 AM PDT

Costing RM412mil, the Biblical epic Noah is director Aronofsky's most expensive movie so far – but can he convince audiences the money was well spent?

Rain lashes down from the heavens while hungry followers of Cain trample over each other for a spot on Noah's massive wooden ark. The end is inevitable and, of course, not pretty.

Can this man turn Noah into a blockbuster? Film director Darren Aronofsky poses during a photocall at the 12th Marrakesh International Film Festival in 2012. Reuters/Stringer.

The film distributed by Viacom Inc's Paramount Pictures is the auteur director's first big test of whether he can guide a big-budget spectacle to box office success.

Wrestling with darkness

Paramount said Noah had a US$125mil (RM412mil) budget. The film is tracking to gross a respectable US$41mil in its opening weekend domestically, according to Boxoffice.com.

The film also represents a string of bets Hollywood has made on Bible stories.

For Anthony Hopkins, the revival of Biblical epics on the big screen speaks to the global economic and political upheaval since 2008 financial crisis.

"Maybe it's a resurgence of a desire for certainty in an uncertain world," the Oscar-winning actor wondered, adding that biblical epics tend to give audiences hope in chaotic times.

But Bible stories also dovetail with the action films that make significant money for Hollywood studios, said Craig Detweiler, a professor at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.

After all, Noah serves up plenty of action, special effects, blood and violence.

"Perhaps Hollywood is reaching back to Old Testament stories because of the brawny nature of the conflicts," said Detweiler, who has worked for studios as a consultant on religious topics.

'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' reveals human vulnerabilities of a superhero

Posted: 26 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Bringing down the shield: Chris Evens is back in uniform to defend his country in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

You feel a little sorry for the guy.

Natasha Romanoff aka The Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson.

The Russos insist that the movie isn't your typical superhero action flick. It's a character-driven action-packed spy thriller with a bit of drama thrown in for good measure.

Sebastian Stan is the deadly Winter Soldier.

Anthony shared that the actors, including Johansson (Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow), did a lot of the hand-to-hand combat sequences themselves.

Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury.

The actors were in very good spirits during the interviews and press conference, teasing one another, finishing off each other's sentences and making jokes.

The actors' camaraderie that day proved Jackson's description of what the Marvel Avengers universe is like: one big Halloween party.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier opens in cinemas nationwide today.

Ty Burrell: From 'Modern Family' man to busy movie guy

Posted: 24 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

The actor is in Mr Peabody & Sherman and Muppets Most Wanted.

Even Burrell's connection to the Muppets is a family matter.

For Muppets Most Wanted, Burrell called on the Pink Panther films he watched growing up to find the right level of silliness to play the French detective.

"I was lucky because Jim told me that this is the Muppets so anything goes. Just have as much fun with the character as I want."

It was Modern Family that restored his faith. Not only did the series show him a good show could last, the award-winning ABC series also opened up a lot of opportunities for Burrell.

Between family, a successful TV show and two movies in theaters at the same time, Burrell feels like he's having one of those great moments he doesn't want to forget.

> Mr Peabody & Sherman is playing in cinemas nationwide. Muppets Most Wanted is scheduled to open on April 24.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

Karim Raslan's docu 'Ceritalah Indonesia' gives voices to the people on the ground

Posted: 26 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

The Star columnist Karim Raslan explores Indonesia from the ground up in his new documentary Ceritalah Indonesia, and says he felt a personal connection with the people.

"All the stories I tell must have a personal connection. Without that, I would rather not write about it," declares Karim Raslan.

The well-travelled, prolific writer and Southeast Asia commentator has certainly told a lot of stories. In fact, he continues to do so through Ceritalah, his weekly Tuesday column in The Star, as well as his other writings published in Singapore and Indonesia. He has authored five books, and appeared as a commentator on Southeast Asia on the BBC, CNN, Al-Jazeera and Bloomberg.

Karim has added another feather in his cap with the launch of Ceritalah Indonesia, a four-part documentary on the country's past, present and future, from the perspective of ordinary citizens. Directed by Tony Trimarsanto and produced by Mariza Hamid, the series is based on Karim's writings and have been translated into "visual essays".

"It's a great opportunity that all started from the writing of the columns. It tells the story of how Indonesia has changed over the past few years, especially from 1998, when it was a nation under threat, with a lot of challenges in terms of security, politically and financially, and how it has transformed itself," said Karim during a press conference after the launch of the series.

"Ceritalah Indonesia are stories from the ground up, stories told with Pak Tony, my director. Without him, they would have made no sense," he said. "I've been writing about Indonesia for nearly 20 years, and in the past 10 years, I've been spending a lot of time down there. Then I told Mariza that I wanted to do something more visual, and she said, 'Why don't we try this?'"

The first episode, which aired on Astro Awani on March 21, took viewers to Solo and focused Sumartono, a 59-year-old social activist whom Karim says has gotten affiliated and involved in more NGO movements in Solo than anyone he knows.

"Pak Sumartono was actually one of the victims of the riots in 1998. After that, he doubled his contributions to the community. He is truly and extraordinary man," said Karim.

In tomorrow's episode, Karim heads to Aceh, which was devastated by the 2004 tsunami. There, he meets becak driver Pak David and local media practitioner Bulqaini, who take him through the city's rebuilding efforts.

"Pak Bulqaini helped me to understand what happened in Aceh, especially after the tsunami," Karim said. "It was amazing to see Aceh now. It had so much trouble with the tsunami and violence, and now people are going there as tourists. I tell everyone, go visit Aceh, it's amazing."

Subesequently, Karim will bring the show to Ambon, part of the Maluku chain of islands that was the scene of a bloody slaughter caused by religious tensions from 1999 to 2002. The series will then end in Surabaya, where he meets another influential individual, Ustad Khoiron and his wife Raudhatul, have been working to transform their neighbourhood, located right smack in the red light district of Surabaya.

"I like to tell stories about people I know very well, and I've known Pak Ustad for more than 12 years now," said Karim. "(The show) all started from the writing, and all the writing is about these individuals. The amazing thing is the stories (of these individuals), and it's just a small slice of 240 million people."

Karim added that Indonesia has undergone a very exciting transformation and he was honoured to have been able to observe and write about it.

"This is my perspective of Indonesia," he said. "And in a way, for Malaysians, I always feel so much of our heritage comes from there and we should acknowledge that. For Malaysians, there are a lot of interesting parallels for us."

After Ceritalah Indonesia, Karim's next project will be Ceritalah Heroes in 2015, which will explore the lives and leadership lessons of prominent Southeast Asian leaders such as Indonesia's President Sukarno, Corazon Aquino of the Philippines, and Malaysia's former PM Tun Abdul Razak.

"Ceritalah Indonesia" airs on Astro Awani (Astro Ch 501) on March 28, April 4 and 11 at 9:30pm. Condensed versions of the episodes are also available for viewing at The Star Online until April 16.

Class in session: Things you learn from the telly

Posted: 25 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Learn a thing or two from your favourite TV shows.

WHO says watching television is a waste of time? Apart from its entertainment value, there are so many lessons we can take away from the various series on TV. From comedies to dramas to ... OK, not reality television perhaps, we learn a lot consciously or not. This week, we have guest Spud Mumtaj – another self-confessed TV addict – to share in the fun.

1. Lessons in politics

Presidents, like girls, just wanna have fun. In Scandal, President Fitzgerald Grant (Tony Goldwyn) may be the leader of the free world but he acts like a frat boy. He seems to have a whole lot of time on his hands to cavort around the many rooms of the White House with his mistress Oliver "the fixer" Pope (Kerry Washington).

President or a frat boy? Come on, Mr President... romancing your fixer doesn't fix anything.

Don't get into politics unless you are willing to wheel, deal, steal and maybe kill a couple of people who get in your way. In wildy popular drama House Of Cards, Vice President Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and his wife Claire (Robin Wright) have taught us that for politicians, serving the people comes only after self service!

2. Lessons in love

If you have to date someone you work with, keep it on the down-low. Don't tell a soul because the moment it becomes public knowledge, things go south ... fast. The latest casualties? Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) from crime drama Castle. The show has gone from charming and funny to just plain boring.

The two love birds have ceased to be stand alone characters; they are now just one big pile of mush.

And for some reason, beloved supporting characters like Martha Rodgers (Susan Sullivan), Javier Esposito (Jon Huertas) and Kevin Ryan (Seamus Dever) hardly have any screen time.

Gag! Gag! .. Oliver and Laurel look pained to be in close proximity with each other ... imagine our pain watching them. Gag!

Other shows with this problem include House (Dr House and Dr Cuddy should never have been boyfriend-girlfriend) and Arrow (OK, Oliver and Laurel hooked up for all of ONE episode .... but it scarred us badly. Shudder.)

The only way around this curse is if you live in Nashville — even when relationships don't work out, there will be a great country song in the making.

3. Lessons about teenagers

Innocent? Hah! As we found out from Pretty Little Liars, teenage girls can perpetuate a lie for years.

The series is into its fourth season, and we're still not sure what these girls are trying to cover up (sometimes you wonder if they know what they're covering up). Adults be warned: be wary of anything teenagers say to you.

But not all teenagers are bratty. Some have substance. Take Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer) from Game Of Thrones – she can manipulate even the oldest and more experienced people in her house. The ratty Prince Joffrey has no idea what's up his future queen's sleeve! (Serves him right.)

4. Lessons on who to trust

Don't be rude to your psychiatrist. Or reveal too much information about yourself. Psychiatrists are never who they seem. Like Hannibal – who is a serial killer first, chef second and psychiatrist third.

Also, be careful if you see a cute, doughnut-bearing blood splatter analyst in your local police department – remember Dexter? He looked like a geek for God's sake. What a great human suit!

Trust no one: Do you really want to pour out your secrets and desires to your psychiatrist? Think twice ...

As for the harmless-looking new-boy-in-town who looks lost and needs a friend (or a hug)? RUN! He's probably a Psycho. Geddit? (Norman Bates, in case you didn't.) Boys don't need friends when they have a tablet or smartphone!

5. Lessons on surviving the supernatural

If you encounter zombies, you have to watch out for a guy in a Sheriff's hat or the fella holding a crossbow. The chances of you surviving is better with these two around – we know because we watch The Walking Dead.

Now in the case of ghosts, shape shifters, vampires, angels, demons and the creepy guy next door, it would be ideal if you could turn to the deliciously cute Winchester brothers who make (the) Supernatural look so cool.

But this is real life, so the best you can do is arm yourself with a revolver (something like the "Colt" made by paranormal hunter Samuel Colt) which can kill any creature you can imagine. Also, you might need to learn how to make money fast because chasing supernatural beings may take up all your time which means you won't be able to work.

Stick close to these two — with or without zombies around — life is so much better that way.

The Winchester brothers lived on credit card fraud, winnings from poker and hustling pool games. Now, we're not saying break the law, necessarily – just get creative.

And lastly, you have to have a cool ride. A 1967 Chevrolet Impala like the one Dean Winchester drives will cost you an arm and a leg so maybe something less expensive but just as cool ... like a Suzuki Swift?

> The other half of the original Spudnik team, Ann Marie Chandy, is busy jumping on a trampoline (a newfound hobby) to watch TV.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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Grenade attack on Thai anti-graft office ahead of PM hearing
Mudslide deaths expected to soar; some question disaster response
China sacks ally of former security chief as graft probe widens

Grenade attack on Thai anti-graft office ahead of PM hearing

Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:00 PM PDT

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Grenades were thrown at the offices of Thailand's anti-corruption agency, which has summoned the prime minister to answer charges of dereliction of duty next week, as protesters trying to oust her prepared for a big weekend rally.

Nobody was injured in the overnight attack, the second on the agency's offices this week, police said on Friday. It was not clear who threw the grenades. Supporters of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra have been demonstrating at the building this week.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission is examining the alleged failure of Yingluck to stop corruption and stem huge losses in a government rice-buying programme.

It is widely expected to recommend her impeachment by the Senate. If the Senate takes up the case, Yingluck will have to step aside, with a deputy prime minister expected to take over. If she is found guilty by the Senate, she has to step down.

Her supporters, who have been restrained during five months of anti-government protests in the capital, are starting to mobilise and are planning their own big rally, or series of rallies, on April 5.

Anti-government demonstrators resumed street protests on Monday after lying low for weeks. Their rally on Saturday is expected to draw up to 50,000 people Paradorn Pattanathabutr, a security adviser to the prime minister, told Reuters.

"We don't expect any violence at the rally but provocateurs might try to stir trouble to discredit the government side," Paradorn said.

Thailand has been in crisis since former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck's brother, was ousted in a 2006 coup. The conflict broadly pits the Bangkok-based middle class and royalist establishment against the mostly poorer, rural supporters of the Shinawatras.

The turmoil entered a fresh phase in November, when anti-government protesters first took to the streets, with 23 people killed during the political violence over the following months

The protesters disrupted a general election on February 2 and the ballot was annulled by the Constitutional Court this month.

Yingluck heads a caretaker administration with limited powers, unable to take any big policy decisions binding on the next government.

The political paralysis is hurting the economy.

Data on Friday showed factory output fell 4.42 percent in February from a year before, the 11th fall in a row.

And although customs data on Wednesday logged a 2.4 percent rise in exports in February compared with a year before, imports plunged 16.6 percent after a 15.5 percent drop in January, showing the weakness of domestic demand and the reluctance of industry to invest in capital goods because of the crisis.

(Additional reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Writing by Alan Raybould)

Mudslide deaths expected to soar; some question disaster response

Posted: 27 Mar 2014 08:40 PM PDT

DARRINGTON, Washington (Reuters) - Rescuers searching for 90 people still missing five days after a massive mudslide in Washington state braced the public on Thursday for an impending steep rise in the death toll even as they sought to deflect criticism about the early disaster response.

At least 25 people are known to have died when a rain-soaked hillside collapsed without warning on Saturday, unleashing a wall of mud that engulfed dozens of homes in a river valley near the rural town of Oso, 55 miles (89 km) northeast of Seattle.

Only the first 16 victims recovered and examined by coroners have been formally counted among the dead, though local fire district chief Travis Hots said that figure would soon climb sharply higher. Nine more bodies that have since been found have yet to be added to the official toll.

"In the next 24 to 48 hours, as the medical examiner's office catches up with the difficult work that they have to do, you're going to see these numbers increase substantially," he said.

Snohomish County officials said on Wednesday about 90 people remained missing, down from 176, and Hots said on Thursday the revised figure was holding. An estimated 180 people lived in the path of the landslide.

Authorities have acknowledged there is little chance of finding any more survivors in the square-mile heap of mud-caked debris and muck left by the landslide, and that the remains of some victims may never be recovered.

Everyone who was discovered alive in the mud was rescued by helicopter within the first few hours after the landslide, and rescuers have not found further signs of life, officials said.

Still, Hots said a round-the-clock search effort by more than 200 people, who were painstakingly combing through a disaster site that included "clay balls the size of ambulances," would press on indefinitely.

"We're not changing the pace of this. And we're going to exhaust all options to try to find somebody alive," he said. "If we find just one more person that's alive, to me, that's worth it."

GRIEF AND RECRIMINATIONS

Tom Minor, commander of a search-and-rescue team from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, struck a similar chord when asked about the chances of finding a survivor, saying, "I would say there's always some hope."

As the scope of the tragedy sank in, many area residents have voiced anger that local officials refused to allow volunteers to join the search for victims immediately after the slide, when chances for finding survivors were greatest.

While some used their intimate knowledge of the area to sneak into the disaster zone to help, others said they returned home feeling frustrated and helpless.

"I went the first day, but we got roadblocked," said Calvin Burlingame, a retired lumber mill worker whose nephew is missing. "I'm upset that they did that because they weren't in full control yet and ... the community could have done a lot on our own."

Burlingame, 62, said he understood the risks involved but said it would have been worthwhile: "If we give up something to get something for somebody else, then that's OK."

State police spokesman Bob Calkins said conditions were simply too dangerous to allow non-professional volunteers into the disaster zone immediately after the slide.

"We wish they could have helped, too," Calkins said. "It would not have been safe, and we'd have had more victims."

Authorities finally agreed on Tuesday to start allowing volunteers to join the official rescue teams.

Members of the public were not the only ones with recriminations about how the early response was handled.

Two local politicians, state Representative Elizabeth Scott and Snohomish County Councilman Ken Klein, told the Seattle Times that county authorities had wasted time by failing to quickly recognize the scope of the disaster and opting to handle it on their own, without seeking more experienced outside help.

The state National Guard's commanding officer offered to deploy a 50-member search team on Saturday, an offer local emergency management officials did not accept until Monday, a spokeswoman for the Washington Military Department said.

'WE NEED A MIRACLE'

Military department spokeswoman Karina Shagren said while county officials did not initially grasp the magnitude of the devastation, there was no room for more personnel because of quicksand-like conditions and fears of further slides.

"There wasn't a resources issue, there was a safety issue," she told Reuters.

FEMA's Minor also defended the handling of the situation, saying the first day of any disaster is always marked by a level of confusion and disarray. He called Snohomish County's response "outstanding."

"They knew what they wanted. They asked for it. And when we got here, they knew what our mission was and they gave us our mission. And that doesn't always happen," Minor said. "To say that we could've, should've or might have been here earlier - no, it's about what it takes."

He said the hours required to mobilize a distant FEMA and National Guard team means that "we aren't going to be here on day one." The FEMA crew was activated on Monday, he said.

As authorities investigated the cause of the mudslide Washington State Department of Natural Resources said it would review recent forestry activities in the area to determine if they could have contributed to the slide.

The U.S. Geological Survey said there was no indication that an earthquake had brought the hillside down.

With spirits dimming as they days wore on, emotions were running raw among loved ones of the dead and missing, and the crews of people searching for them.

Jessica Neal, 30, said she found comfort from Wednesday's recovery of the body of her father-in-law, Steve Neal, a hot water heater installer who was working at a house hit by the slide, and in learning that he apparently did not suffer long.

"The coroner had details that it was fast," she said as she fought back tears.

Community members assembled late Wednesday to offer prayers for the missing.

"We know, and most of us, I think, are accepting that many of our people are not going to make it," Megan Fanning, 41, said at the gathering in nearby Darrington. "But please, we need a miracle. Just one. One little miracle would be wonderful."

(Additional reporting by Eric Johnson in Arlington, Washington and Steve Gorman and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Jonathan Oatis, Bernadette Baum and Ken Wills)

China sacks ally of former security chief as graft probe widens

Posted: 27 Mar 2014 08:10 PM PDT

BEIJING (Reuters) - A former aide to China's retired domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang was sacked on Thursday after authorities opened a corruption probe, state media said, the latest move targeting associates of Zhou, who is also under investigation for graft.

The official Xinhua news agency said Ji Wenlin had been removed from his post as a vice governor of the southern island province of Hainan.

The ruling Communist Party's anti-corruption watchdog announced in February that Ji was being investigated for suspected serious breaches of party discipline and the law, the usual euphemism it uses for graft.

The government has given no other details and it has not been possible to reach Ji for comment. Sources have told Reuters that Zhou has been put under virtual house arrest.

President Xi Jinping has launched a sweeping crackdown on corruption since taking power, warning corruption is a threat to the Communist Party's survival.

Ji worked with Zhou when Zhou was land resources minister in the late 1990s. He then followed Zhou to Sichuan province and became one of his secretaries when Zhou was provincial party boss, Ji's official resume shows.

The two also worked together in the Ministry of Public Security in the early 2000s. In late 2010, Ji was shifted to Hainan province, known in China for its pristine beaches and resorts.

The party also fired Yao Mugen, the vice governor of the eastern province of Jiangxi, for "suspected severe violations of discipline", state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday.

The Xinhua report, which cited the ruling party's central Organisation Department, said his case was handled "in line with procedures". The term "discipline violation" is also generally used to denote corruption.

Several of Zhou's political allies have been held in custody and questioned over corruption, including former Vice Minister of Public Security Li Dongsheng and Jiang Jiemin, who was the top regulator of state-owned enterprises for just five months until September.

It is unclear if the government will put Zhou on trial and risk embarrassing public revelations about China's elite, potentially undermining confidence in the party.

Zhou was a patron of former high-flying politician Bo Xilai, who was jailed for life in September for corruption and abuse of power in the worst political scandal since the 1976 downfall of the Gang of Four led by the widow of former leader Mao Zedong at the end of the Cultural Revolution.

Zhou retired in 2012. He was last seen at an alumni celebration at the China University of Petroleum on October 1.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Paul Tait)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Business

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Hyundai-Sime Darby hopes new i30 will drive sales
Green Packet falls as no bumper dividend from P1 sale
The great Indian election - It's about jobs

Hyundai-Sime Darby hopes new i30 will drive sales

Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM), the official distributor of Hyundai vehicles in Malaysia, is expecting good response to its latest i30 model which was launched yesterday.

HSDM managing director Lau Yit Mun said the car's sporty design and features would appeal to Malaysian car buyers.

The i30 is Hyundai's best-selling model in Europe and features the South Korean marque's fluidic sculpture design, which gives it an athletic look.

Globally, more than 1.5 million units of the car have been sold.

The i30 boasts an impressive array of features such as a panoramic sunroof, six airbags, a smart key with a start/stop push button, a parking assist system and Bluetooth hands-free connectivity.

It comes in two variants – the 1.8L Executive and 1.8L Sport – which are priced at RM127,888 and RM132,888, respectively, on-the-road with insurance.

The car was launched together with the opening of HSDM's new 3S centre in Cheras, operated by Mawanis Sdn Bhd.

Green Packet falls as no bumper dividend from P1 sale

Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:09 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: Shares of Green Packet and its warrants fell on Friday as shareholders were disappointed over the absence of a bumper dividend from the sale of Packet One (P1) to Telekom Malaysia (TM).

At 9.53am, Green Packet was down four sen to 48 sen. It was the most active with 52.85 million shares done at prices ranging from 47 sen to 52 sen.

Green Packet warrants, GPacket-WA, fell two sen to 13 sen with 18.14 million units done.

The FBM KLCI fell 3.04 points to 1,843.83. Turnover was 463.92 million shares valued at RM293.81mil. There were 184 gainers, 200 losers and 237 counters unchanged.

TM fell six sen to RM6.14. Turnover was 6.10 million shares done at prices ranging from RM6.05 to RM6.17.

Hwang DBS Vickers Research (HDBSVR) said the corporate exercise would only involve fresh capital injection into P1.

"Green Packet shareholders previously hoping for bumper dividend payments arising from a potential direct divestment of its P1 stake could be disappointed," it pointed out.

Meanwhile, Affin Investment Research was positive on TM's acquisition of a 57% stake in P1 as it expands TM's scope of providing broadband solutions.

It said P1 should complement TM's existing business while there is limited overlap in terms of TM and P1's existing network coverage.

"While the deal will have negative implications in the near term, we do not expect this to be persistent. Moreover, management has assured that TM's dividend capability will not be impacted," it said.

Affin Research said TM's RM1.55bil investment will be paced out over the next few years and over a couple of instruments although the initial outlay will be via a capital injection of RM350mil into P1.

The great Indian election - It's about jobs

Posted: 27 Mar 2014 06:29 PM PDT

PATNA, India: Old enough to vote for the first time, student Sheeba Shamim, the daughter of a middle class family, and young construction workers sweating on a nearby building site are impatient for a government in India that delivers jobs and hope for the future.

They are among more than 100 million registered new voters, who will cast their ballots when the world's biggest democracy holds a general election that will run from April 7 to May 12.

The election comes as India struggles through its longest period of sub-5 percent economic growth since the 1980s. Job growth has slowed and infrastructure projects stalled just as the biggest youth bulge the world has ever seen nears its peak in a country where more than half its 1.2 billion people are aged under 25.

Shamim, a 20-year-old undergraduate in media studies at university in Patna, the capital of Bihar, one of the states that make up India's Hindi speaking heartland, is hungry for change.

"I want India to become the world's biggest economy. I want my country to be at the top. If we get a perfect, strong leader, that day is not far away when we actually get there," Shamim told Reuters in a leafy college campus.

In five years, Shamim aims to anchor a national news show.

A few hundred metres away, 22-year-old construction worker Ashok Tiwari dreams of becoming a music star. Right now, he earns $3 a day building luxury flats for the newly wealthy in what is one of the world's fastest growing cities.

"There are many issues that require urgent attention. Corruption is the most important of them," Tiwari says. "You have to make sure that jobs don't go to only those who have money and can pay for them."

Having led the country for a decade, octogenarian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is due to retire, leaving behind a Congress Party dogged by graft scandals and pilloried for its poor handling of the economy.

India needs far faster economic growth rates than the 4.9 percent expected for the fiscal year that ends on March 31, but it also needs to reduce inflation, currently running at just over 8 percent.

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram says economic growth averaging 8 percent is required to generate jobs for the increasing numbers of youth joining the workforce. Some 200 million people will reach working age over the next two decades.

How well the next government does on that score will decide whether India will follow China's dynamic growth path or resemble Brazil in the 1980s, politically fragile and poor. Even by the government's own estimates 270 million Indians still live in poverty despite gains made in the past decade.

The ambitions of youngsters like Shamim and Tiwari reflect changes taking place in giant northern states like Bihar and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, which have a combined population almost that of the United States but have seen their development lag while other regions have flourished.

Semi-urban sprawl and new roads blur boundaries between villages and towns, while migration, new media, mobile phones, and of course television, mean people are more keenly aware of how the lives of others are improving faster than their own.

"Information has been democratised," said Saibal Dasgupta of the Asia Development Research Institute, a think tank in Patna. "Aspirations have no upper limits now. Even provincial India has become aspirational."

"WE SHOULD BE LIKE CHINA..."

This mood seems to favour opposition candidate Narendra Modi. The leader of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has marketed himself as the man who will kickstart the economy, bring in factories, and educate the densely populated and still-poor heartland states.

"We should be like China or America," said Ravi Prakash Shukla, 23, a science graduate who recently joined the BJP youth wing to support Modi's campaign.

"I feel we can do better because we are young," he told Reuters at a rally in Uttar Pradesh.

A BJP official involved in drafting the party's manifesto, due to be released next week, said it would include ambitious goals to create 250 million jobs over the next decade, build 100 'smart' cities, and construct a high speed rail network.

Critics acknowledge Modi's credentials as an economic manager, but say he is autocratic and has sectarian tendencies that could alienate India's large Muslim minority.

Opinion polls say support for Modi to become India's next prime minister is at least double that of his nearest rival - the Congress party's Rahul Gandhi.

Modi, 63, is even more popular among the young.

India is still largely rural, but a government jobs survey shows that, for the first time, the number of people working on farms has declined over the past decade, reflecting greater opportunities to study or seek higher-status work.

However, the same 2013 data shows that construction work, much of it on basic rural building sites, has been almost the only employment created on a large scale since the Congress party took power in 2004.

Tiwari, who supports Modi, is part of a wave of migrants drawn back to Bihar by a construction boom, having spent years zig-zagging across the country, working in an ice-cream factory and a steel mill.

BEWARE OF THE NEW

India's fractured political landscape, with its dozens of regional parties, makes it hard to be sure whether the BJP will win enough seats for Modi to become prime minister. For all his appeal to people's economic aspirations, regional and caste politics will play a big part in how people vote.

Whatever government emerges, it will almost certainly be an ideologically diverse coalition, and it will not be an easy task to create all the jobs needed.

Investment growth is set for an 11-year low, and government finances are tight, with a fiscal deficit equivalent to 4.6 percent of gross domestic product only achieved with the help of some creative accounting.

In the past three years, India slipped from being the best to the worst in terms of improved productivity among large emerging markets. In 2013, productivity actually dropped, according to data released in January by U.S. business research group the Conference Board.

Modi has campaigned hard in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, contrasting their poverty with the success of his industrialised home state of Gujarat, which enjoys relatively high per-capita income and low unemployment.

Not everyone is ready for Modi. The supervisor at Tiwari's building site advised the young man to resist the attraction of believing too readily that Modi could solve his problems.

"You can only have one father. Tomorrow you can't start calling someone else your father," supervisor Kaushal Kishore Singh told him. But then Singh is 72 years old.- Reuters

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Khamis, 27 Mac 2014