Ahad, 30 Mac 2014

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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Beefing up security at Woodlands, Tuas checkpoints

Posted: 30 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

THE police want to beef up security at both of Singapore's land checkpoints with a new perimeter detection system.

Vendors were invited from March 13 to submit proposals for a Peri­meter Intrusion Detection Sys­tem for the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints. The system will provide an additional layer of security to existing fencing at the checkpoints.

It must be able to immediately detect and locate any physical intrusion at the checkpoint fences, whet­her by someone attempting to scale or cut the fence. It should also be able to detect when and where sensors or electronic parts are being tampered with.

A police spokesman said the new system would improve checkpoint security by pinpointing the location of any attempted intrusion, thus allowing security forces to respond "in a timely manner".

He added that the idea for such an intrusion detection system came from a review in 2012.

The Woodlands checkpoint suffered two recent security breaches, which prompted calls for stronger security measures. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Many in Geylang speak of undercurrent of fear

Posted: 30 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

AT dusk, like clockwork, streetwalkers in skimpy outfits emerge from alleyways. They flirt with men, both foreign and local. Off-corner massage parlours and hotels with hourly rates do a roaring trade.

Nearby, peddlers sell sex drugs with names such as Super Magic and Tiger's Prestigious Life.

This is Geylang, Singapore's notorious red-light district and another foreign worker hot spot now in the spotlight after police commissioner Ng Joo Hee said last week that the area was a bigger concern than Little India, where last December's riot took place.

"If Singaporeans are irked by the littering, the noise and the jaywalking in Little India, they'll certainly sense that there exists a hint of lawlessness in Geylang," he told the Committee of Inquiry into the riot.

Last year, Special Operations Com­mand forces were deployed to Gey­lang on 41 occasions, compared with 16 in Little India.

Hooligans, Ng said, are not afraid of standing in the way of police work. He recalled how an officer was once beaten up when he tried to detain an illegal gambling stall operator.

Residents say some shops in Gey­lang are just fronts for criminal activities. Yet Geylang is also home to many migrant workers.

Electrician Chai Zhi Yuan, 41, from Jiangsu, China, admits it could get "chaotic" at night and on weekends.

Bangladeshi construction worker Tarikul Islam, 20, prefers to stay in at night.

"When I go out to buy food at night, the police often stop me and ask for my permit," said Tarikul.

"Maybe I am somewhere, not doing anything bad or causing trouble, but because they see me there, they think I'm also trouble."

Although MPs, grassroots activists and most residents are calling for Geylang to be cleaned up, the businesses have a different perspective.

One provision shop owner said: "I really think no shop in Geylang will tell you, I want all this crime to stop. All these activities attract people, attract money."

Added a liquor wholesaler: "Yes, police patrols will be good to bolster security, but it won't do us any good if the vice is completely stamped out either." — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Japanese brace for sales tax hike

Posted: 30 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

TOKYO: Japan is bracing for its first sales tax rise in years, with last minute shoppers buying up a host of goods from gold to ice cream, as the government tries to tackle its crushing national debt.

Millions of shoppers are making a mad dash to stores ahead of tomorrow's tax rise to 8% from the current 5% amid fears the increase could spark the return of a protracted economic slump.

The last time Japan brought in a higher levy in 1997, it was followed by years of deflation and tepid economic growth.

On Friday, fresh data showed Japanese consumer prices rose again in February, suggesting Tokyo's efforts to slay 15 years of deflation was gathering steam.

But the increase was largely driven by rising post-Fukushima energy import costs, rather prices going up on the back of strong, across-the-board consumer demand – dubbed "good" inflation by some economists.

A key worry is that Japan's last tax rise deterred consumers and foreshadowed the drop into a cycle of falling prices – although other factors, including the Asian financial crisis, were also blamed.

The slowdown saw Japan's powerhouse economy descend into a protracted slump.

Opinion is mixed over whether history will repeat itself.

Tokyo's special budget to counter a tax-linked slowdown and the Bank of Japan's unprecedented monetary easing were likely to offset a drop in spending, according to some analysts.

"Daily necessities may not be affected very much by the tax hike, but demand for cars, furniture and houses is likely to drop temporarily," said Kenji Yumoto, vice-chairman of the Japan Research Institute.

"We'll see whether the inflation is good or bad only after we see the impact of the tax hike. If demand later recovers, that could lead to good inflation."

Few shoppers seemed inclined to wait for prices to go up in a country where consumers have become used to paying pretty much the same, year after year, for their televisions, beer and sushi.

Falling or static prices may sound great for household budgets, but Japanese wages have barely moved over the years and the cycle has meant shoppers tended to hold off buying in the hope of getting goods cheaper down the road.

That, in turn, hurt producers and slowed economic growth.

The tax rise – a seemingly modest increase compared with many countries' consumption levies – has ushered in some less-than-typical shopping habits.

Staff at jewellery chain Tanaka Kikinzoku watched wide-eyed as gold sales surged five-fold this month from a year ago with customers converging on a shop in Tokyo's glitzy Ginza district so they could buy 500g bars for 2.3 million yen (RM73,379) apiece.

"We've seen unusual demand for gold," Tomoko Ishibashi, a spokeswoman for parent company Tanaka Holdings, said.

With prices on the rise across the nation of 128 million, some gold-hungry customers may be betting on the perceived safety of the yellow metal, she said. — AFP

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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Amy Acker to guest star on 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D'

Posted: 27 Mar 2014 10:30 PM PDT

The actress is set to play the mysterious "cellist" in Marvel's popular television series.

We'll go deeper into Coulson's (Clark Gregg) past when Amy Acker guest stars on ABC's Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Acker will play Audrey, who Marvel fans refer to as "the cellist", on at least one episode, a network representative told TheWrap.

Fans first heard of the cello player in The Avengers movie: She was a woman who Coulson previously dated and was the love of his life ... and she played the cello.

We've already learned on S.H.I.E.L.D that she has no idea that Coulson is alive and that she was racked with grief over his apparent death. We'll come to find out that he's protecting her from a very dangerous foe from her past who's re-emerging.

Best known as quirky Fred on The WB and Joss Whedon's Angel, Acker most recently appeared on CBS's Person Of Interest. She has also starred on Fox's Dollhouse and ABC's Alias. — Reuters

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The Star Online: World Updates

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North Korea starts firing drill off west coast - media

Posted: 30 Mar 2014 08:50 PM PDT

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has started a firing drill off its west coast, South Korean media reported on Monday, hours after Pyongyang notified Seoul and issued a warning to shipping to avoid an area near a disputed maritime border between the two countries.

Shells appeared to have landed in the water north of one of the populated South Korean islands off the west coast of the peninsula but it was not clear whether they fell in South Korean waters, YTN news television said.

(Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by David Chance)

China to crack down on videos, audios promoting terrorism

Posted: 30 Mar 2014 07:35 PM PDT

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will crack down on videos and audio recordings that promote terrorism, religious extremism and separatism, the government said on Monday.

The notice, published by judicial, cultural and public security organs, said it is forbidden to spread such video and audio recordings on the web, via mobile phone, on social media and online marketplaces, among other means.

Early this month, 29 people were knifed to death at a train station in the southern city of Kunming, an attack that China says was carried out by extremists from the far western region of Xinjiang, home to the Uighur ethnic minority group.

China says it faces violent threats from separatist militants in the region, who it says are motivated by religious extremism.

Exiled Uighur rights advocates say China's own repressive policies, which make it difficult for Uighurs to practice religion, maintain their traditions and enter certain professions, are to blame for stoking resentment. Beijing has reacted with anger at this suggestion.

(Reporting By Megha Rajagopalan; Editing by Michael Perry)

North Korea declares no-sail warning off coast to conduct firing drills

Posted: 30 Mar 2014 07:35 PM PDT

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea declared a no-sail warning on Monday for areas off its west coast near a disputed border with South Korea and has notified the South that it will conduct firing drills, a South Korean government official said.

The area is near the so-called Northern Limit Line, drawn up at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, which the North has refused to recognise. Past clashes between the two navies in the area killed scores of sailors on both sides.

The warning comes amid heightened tensions surrounding the North after the U.N. Security Council condemned Pyongyang for its mid-range missile launches last week, just as the leaders of South Korea, Japan and the United States met to discuss the North's arms programme.

The areas marked by the North are north of the naval border but lie close to islands populated by civilians, said the official, who requested anonymity. South Korea's military will be watching closely for any infringement of its waters, he said.

The standoff marks the latest incident in a long line of conflict arising from the a sea border bitterly contested by the rivals in one of the world's most heavily armed regions, with about 1.8 million soldiers.

"It's up to the two militaries either to recognise or reject their own claimed line, and challenge the other's - this goes back and forth, so this is probably another episode of that," said Daniel Pinkston of the International Crisis Group.

At the weekend, North Korea accused the South of "gangster-like" behaviour by "abducting" one of its fishing boat and threatened to retaliate.

South Korea returned the boat, which had drifted across the maritime border, and its three crew members on Friday and said the vessel had experienced engine failure.

A South Korean navy ship was sunk in 2010 by what Seoul said was a torpedo attack by the North that killed 46 sailors, an attack that led to the suspension of most exchanges across the border. Pyongyang denies any role and calls the accusation "a farce".

The North bombed one of the islands near the border later that year, killing four people.

(Reporting by Jack Kim and James Pearson; Editing by Paul Tait)

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The Star Online: Business

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Planning for early retirement crucial to avert playing catch-up

Posted: 30 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

WHENIwas in the university, I never liked to be behind in my revisions or exam preparations.The thought of having to play catch-up in my studies was enough to get me studying consistently.

When it comes to our financial health, it should be the same. Every part of your financial life needs to have a plan so that no sudden surprises will catch you off guard.

Life is so full of surprises a sudden illness or disability, a long-drawn expensive divorce settlement, death of a spouse, an unexpected retrenchment, and manymore. We need to plan early, for sure.

Playing catch-up can be stressful. It maymean we have to take on more risk in order to make back the time we have lost.

Sometimes, that may not be the prudent thing to do and you're stuck with few options.

I have met retirees or those close to retirement who lament that they only realise now that their savings may not last so long, especiallywith the escalating cost ofliving. If their medical and hospitalisation coverage is insufficient, savings will deplete at an even faster rate.

They feel that if they had started to plan for their retirement earlier, theywould have been better off in their retirement years.

When you hear such lamentations, there are lessons to learn. If you are young, start with a plan that disallows you to withdraw the money over the course of time until you are retired. The Private Retirement Scheme is a great start.

But if you are close to retirement and know that you are still financially insecure, you may really need to play catch-up now.

What can you do?

Here are seven use ful thoughts to work on:

1. Work longer and harder. Retire later.

2. Quit giving money to your adult able bodied children.

3. Accept a lower lifestyle than what you had planned for.

4. Review your investments if you have been too risk averse and not growing your money.

5. Stop thinking that your finances are 'a OK'. See them in the light of rising prices and interest rates.

6. Stop going into risky or speculative quick profit schemes just to play catchup.

7. Speak to a reliable planner who understands your goals. Avoid product pushers or those who sell based on dividend declarations.

The writer can be contacted at info@successconcepts.biz

Bumi Armada JV secures RM9.5b FPSO contract off Angola

Posted: 30 Mar 2014 07:00 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: Bumi Armada Bhd has received a letter of intent from Italy's eni Angola S.p.A for a RM9.5bil floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) contract at Block 15/06, East Hub off Angola.

In a statement on Monday, Bumi Armada said the letter of intent was issued to its subsidiary Bumi Armada Offshore Holdings Ltd and Angoil Bumi JV Lda.

The letter authorises Bumi Armada to start engineering and procurement work on the FPSO immediately on March 28,2014.

"First oil is scheduled for end October 2016," it said.

Bumi Armada chief executive officer Hassan Basma said the letter of intent is its second largest capital expenditure of more than US$1bil FPSO award in six months and underscores its successful migration into the large-project FPSO sector.

"This is the second time eni has turned to Bumi Armada for an FPSO in West Africa and we will continue to collaborate with our tried and tested value-chain, as we have done in the past, to successfully deliver this project for our repeat customer.

"This project is our first VLCC-tanker conversion. The Armada Ali will be used for conversion. The 15/06 FPSO will be delivered in 31 months and this project will take Bumi Armada's FPSO fleet to eight, clearly moving us into the top-tier of global FPSO players," he said.

Bumi Armada said eni Angola is a unit of eni S.p.A., an Italy-based multinational oil and gas company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Block 15/06 is operated by eni Angola (35%) with SSI Fifteen Ltd (25%), Sonangol P&P (30%), Falcon Oil Holdings Angola SA (5%) and Statoil Angola Block 15/06 (5%).

The contract is expected to contribute positively to the revenue and earnings of the Bumi Armada for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2014. 

Japan factory output slides, sales tax looms

Posted: 30 Mar 2014 06:58 PM PDT

TOKYO: Japan's factory output unexpectedly fell in February at the fastest pace in eight months in a possible sign that the benefits from last-minute demand before an impending sales tax hike may have run their course.

The data adds to growing concerns of a stumble in the economy, and comes on the heels of a separate survey showing manufacturing activity expanded at a slower pace in March.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) said industrial output fell 2.3% in February from the previous month, compared with a 0.3% rise expected by economists in a Reuters poll.

The weak result followed a solid 3.8% gain in January, which was driven by brisk production of cars and household appliances.

Manufacturers surveyed by the ministry expect output to rise 0.9% in March but decrease 0.6% in April, the METI data showed, suggesting a lack of confidence in domestic demand.

The data comes a day before the national sales tax rises to 8% from 5% on Tuesday.

Analysts are also looking out for the Bank of Japan's key tankan survey due on Tuesday, which may offer clues on any impacts of the sales tax hike on business sentiment in the three months to March and their outlook in the following quarter.

"Companies are curbing production to keep inventories low because they are worried about demand after the sales tax hike," said Norio Miyagawa, senior economist at Mizuho Securities Research & Consulting Co.

"This suggests the economy may not rebound quickly, and the burden may fall on the BOJ as the government has already committed to fiscal stimulus spending."

Auto-makers, manufacturers of mobile phones, personal computers and heavy machinery led declines in industrial production, the data showed.

Unusually cold weather and snowstorms also weighed on output, Miyagawa said.

The METI stuck to its assessment that industrial output is picking up, and in a press briefing noted that the weakness in February was largely a one-off event due to bad weather.

A survey of manufacturing released earlier in the day also showed weather-related impacts. The Markit/JMMA Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) fell to a seasonally adjusted 53.9 in March from 55.5 in February, keeping above the 50 threshold that separates expansion from contraction for a 13th consecutive month.

Analysts believe factory output is maintaining a rising trend, underpinned by firm domestic conditions and a pickup in external demand and reinforcing expectations that the economy can weather the sales tax rise.

Last-minute demand for big-ticket items such as cars and housing has peaked, with growth in housing starts seen decelerating sharply in February.

Still, rising sales of household appliances and non-durables such as foods and clothing before the tax hike are expected to fuel growth in the current quarter, analysts say.

The Japanese economy is expected to contract in the April-June quarter as consumer spending dips after the sales tax hike takes effect, before rebounding in July-September. – Reuters 

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The Star Online: Nation

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Former US athlete on track at F1 race

Posted: 29 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

SEPANG: Edwin Moses, the US athlete who struck gold in 400m hurdles in the 1976 and 1984 Olympics, doesn't seem to want to run away from the Malaysian warmth.

He said he had been in Malaysia for about a week and the support and hospitality was "just wonderful".

"The people here are so friendly and my wife and I are having a blast here," he said.

Moses, 59, came to attend the Laureus World Sports Awards on Wednesday but he decided to extend his stay to watch the Petronas Malaysia Formula One Grand Prix.

"It has been a while since I have been to a circuit to watch a race and I am glad to be here.

"When I was working with McLaren about 10 years ago, things used to be so different.

"The technology is constantly changing and upgrading," he said when met at the Sepang International Circuit yesterday.

Moses said he used to be an engineer and the science and technology that goes into these cars was amazing.

"I have worked as an engineer in the aerospace industry and I know just how much of work goes into these cars," he said.

The Petronas Formula One Grand Prix takes place at 4pm today.

Showcasing much more for students

Posted: 29 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

GEORGE TOWN: Education is not just about wanting to become a doctor, engineer, lawyer or accountant. It's much more.

This message has been drummed across by Deputy Education Minister II P. Kamalanathan and he could not have chosen a better stage than the The Star Education Fair 2014's opening to do so.

"We need to tell the children that life is beyond this. We need an exhibition like this to provide search and exploration of education pathways," he said in his speech before opening the fair at the Subterranean Penang International Convention and Exhi­­bition Centre (formerly known as Pisa) in Relau.

Kamalanathan said the fair was in line with one of the 11 shifts in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025.

"The Education Fair is what we need to encourage partnership with parents, communities and the private sector to support children's learning and to deliver a change in our education system.

"I believe everyone here recognises the importance of higher education, helping the young fulfil their potential and enhancing the quality of life.

"I thank The Star for this great initiative. The Star fits in as the perfect role, giving opportunity for children to continue their dream, and that is something not many people can do. We really appreciate it," he said.

He also touched on The Star Edu­cation Fund, which has more than 30 partners offering over 230 scholarships worth close to RM10mil this year. "For the northern region alone, covering Penang and Ipoh, The Star has seven partners offering 58 scholarships worth over RM1mil," Kamalanathan said.

The Star senior regional manager (operations) David Yeoh said the fair had evolved into a significant event in the country.

"As the People's Paper, we are glad that we have been able to help and guide thousands of students in the country through the years in promoting higher education, nurturing thinking and building a more knowledgeable society. We hope to contribute to a more prosperous and progressive nation in the years to come," he added.

Also present were The Star deputy group chief editor Leanne Goh and The Star Education Fund and events manager Susanna Kuan.

This year's one-stop education extravaganza in Penang features over 90 exhibitors comprising Malaysian and foreign institutions.

Major exhibitors include KDU Col­lege Penang, INTI International Uni­versity & Col­leges, Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, ASA Overseas Education Spe­cialist, Quest International University Perak, SEGi University Group and Sentral College Penang.

The 27th edition of the fair continues today from 11am to 7pm. Admission is free.

Search aircraft report more sightings of objects

Posted: 29 Mar 2014 09:00 AM PDT

PETALING JAYA: The search and rescue mission continued with Chinese vessels trawling the vast new area in the Indian Ocean.

The hunt for MH370 logo 2603

The search yesterday yielded some results after aircraft continued to report sightings of objects similar to those reported on Friday in the area, 1,100km north of the previous search area off Australian waters.

New analysis of radar and satellite data concluded that MH370 had travelled faster and for a shorter distance.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) said the Haixun 01 vessel of China and HMAS Success of Australia reported that they had retrieved a number of objects from the ocean but so far none has been confirmed to be related to MH370.

The authority which is coordinating the search mission in the southern Indian Ocean said a Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft spotted three objects in the area.

"A Royal Australian Air Force P3 Orion also reported sighting multiple objects in a different part of the search area.

"The objects sighted by the aircraft cannot be verified or discounted as being from MH370 until they are relocated and recovered by ships," it said in a statement.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the teams faced a formidable task.

"We should not underestimate the difficulty of this work; it is an extraordinarily remote location.

"We are trying to find small bits of wreckage in a vast ocean. While we're throwing everything we have at it, the task goes on," he was quoted by AFP as saying.

Amsa said four ships – HMAS Success, Haixun 01, Nanhaijiu and Jinggangshan – were in the new search area and a further five ships should arrive today.

It said a second Australian navy ship, HMAS Toowoomba, had left the port near Perth to join the search in a journey which would take about three days.

Xinhua news agency reported that Jinggangshan was expected to focus on searching for plane surfaces, oil slick and life jackets in an area covering 6,900 sq km.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: Central

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Indonesian Islamic parties head for poll drubbing

Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:08 AM PDT

Jakarta (AFP) - Nisa Ariyani staunchly supported Indonesia's Muslim parties her whole life, throughout decades of authoritarian rule and at the three legislative elections after the country became democratic.

But when tens of millions vote in parliamentary polls in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country on April 9, the 42-year-old teacher is set to join a growing number who will not cast their ballot for an Islamic party.

Indonesia's five main Muslim parties are heading for their worst ever showing at the elections, hit by explosive scandals and a growing trend among voters not to pick parties purely on religious grounds.

"I have lost my faith in Islamic parties, and I will vote for nobody," said Ariyani, who lives in the capital Jakarta and has worn a headscarf all her life, even during the long rule of dictator Suharto when it was uncommon in Indonesia.

Her change of heart is due to a specific case -- a sordid scandal involving clandestine hotel room sex and huge kickbacks that rocked the party she had supported at previous elections, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

Before supporting the PKS, Indonesia's biggest Islamic party, she backed the United Development Party, one of the few opposition groups allowed by Suharto and still around now.

- Paradoxical shift? -

The decline in support for Muslim parties -- which range from moderate groups to more extreme ones that want to introduce Islamic sharia law -- since the end of authoritarian rule in 1998 seems at first glance a paradox, analysts say.

Since the downfall of Suharto, who backed a secular state and was against the strong influence of Islam in public life, Indonesia has appeared to have become more Islamic, not less.

An increasing number of women wear the headscarf, Islam-influenced goods -- from fashion brands to apps that remind you when to pray -- are all the rage, while some people have even chosen to live in strict Islamic communities, rejecting the trappings of modern life.

The tumultuous years following the end of Suharto's regime were also accompanied by an upsurge in Islamic extremism, notably the 2002 Bali bombings, in which 202 people -- mostly foreign tourists -- were killed.

A crackdown over the past decade has weakened the most dangerous groups but Islamic extremists still regularly target domestic security forces.

Despite this, the country's five main Islamic parties -- among 12 running in the parliamentary elections -- have seen their popularity slide in the sprawling archipelago nation where more than 90 percent of the population is Muslim.

Their combined share of the vote fell to around 26 percent at the 2009 legislative polls from around 34 percent a decade earlier.

Dodi Ambardi, a director at the Indonesian Survey Institute, predicts their support will fall to only 15 percent in the coming elections, particularly due to a drop for the PKS, which won almost eight percent in 2009.

No Islamic party is expected to do well enough to put a candidate forward for the presidential polls in July. A party or coalition of parties must win 20 percent of the seats in parliament or 25 percent of the national vote at the April elections to do so.

- Savvy voters -

But growing sophistication among voters who no longer simply focus on religion is a greater factor in the parties' declining support, analysts say.

"In choosing which party they will vote for, Muslim voters no longer think of their religion but rather the party's track record and policies," Ambardi told AFP.

In this regard, Islamic parties have notably failed.

They have not developed into well-run organisations and have relied on the mistaken belief that pious Muslims would vote for them regardless, said Noorhaidi Hasan, an expert in Islam and politics.

"Islamic parties are too ideological, offering an Islamic ideology but no other action," said Hasan, from Sunan Kalijaga Islamic university in Yogyakarta, on the main island of Java.

He also said increasing signs of Islam in everyday life did not necessarily mean people were becoming more Islamic and would automatically vote for Muslim parties -- simply that they were now free to express their faith publicly and they had the financial means to do so.

"Middle-class Muslims are not expressing their religion for the sake of religion -- but for social status and lifestyle," he said.

Despite their travails, Muslim parties are still likely to attract some support and the PKS is convinced many have already forgotten last year's controversy, which saw its ex-president jailed for 16 years.

"Support for the PKS is like a pillow -- once a burden is lifted, it will return to its normal shape quickly and easily," said party spokesman Dedi Supriadi.

And Islamic parties could still remain influential by providing support to the bigger parties, observers believe.

Coalition governments are the norm under Indonesia's complex electoral system, and there are currently four Islamic parties in the six-party coalition of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. - AFP

China's Xi begins Belgium visit on last leg of Europe tour

Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:23 AM PDT

Brussels (AFP) - Chinese leader Xi Jinping began a three-day visit to Belgium Sunday on the last leg of his European tour that will include meeting the Belgian royals and seeing giant pandas ahead of an historic EU visit, the first ever by a Chinese president.

Xi was welcomed at the airport by Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo and he is set to go to the royal palace in central Brussels to meet Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde.

The tiny country is presenting a showcase royal touch for Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan, with the power couple rolling up to the Brussels palace escorted by officers on horseback, and dining in the castle's halls on the city outskirts Monday.

King Philippe, who ascended to the throne last year, and glamorous wife Queen Mathilde will join the Chinese pair for the official opening Sunday of a special park for two giant pandas on loan from China for the next 15 years.

Xi's maiden swing through Europe as president has taken him to the Netherlands, France and Germany for bilateral talks and mega business deals, as well as to last week's Nuclear Security Summit where he met US President Barack Obama.

In a tour of many firsts, his three days in Belgium will see a Chinese president visit European Union headquarters for the first time, when he meets Monday with European Council president Herman Van Rompuy, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and European Parliament president Martin Schulz.

Business has loomed large through the tour, and with the European bloc as China's largest trading partner -- two-way trade is at more than a billion euros a day -- economic issues are likely to dominate too at the EU, though human rights and diplomacy, in particular Ukraine, will also come up.

- Pandas divide Belgium -

The Chinese leader's trip to the park to see female Hao Hao and companion Xing Hui, who arrived in Belgium in February, is an acknowledgement of China's "panda diplomacy".

But the two furry national treasures have unwittingly opened a new rift in the longtime turmoil dividing Belgium's rival Dutch- and French-speaking communities.

The problem is that the rare bears, a reliable draw for visitors, are in a zoo in French-speaking southern Wallonia, some 60 kilometres (37 miles) from Brussels, not far from the city of Mons whose last mayor is none other than Di Rupo.

The Pairi Daiza zoo has since seen its ticket sales boom and share price soar, angering Belgium's oldest and most well-known zoo, located in the heart of the port city of Antwerp in northern Flanders.

In other bilateral encounters with Belgium's leaders, Xi will hold talks with Di Rupo and parliament leaders on Monday, and Tuesday visit the largest Chinese-owned company in Belgium, carmaker Volvo in Ghent, bought by Geely from Ford in 2010.

Belgium will be hoping for new investments.

Though it has sought to sell itself to Beijing investors as "a gateway to Europe", there has been little interest up until now though trade has grown and the balance improved in Belgium's favour due to a 65 percent hike in exports in the last five years.

On the wider European front, talks between Xi and the EU's top officials Monday are likely to take place in an easier atmosphere than expected after both sides took steps in recent days to settle trade tiffs.

The 28-member EU is China's biggest trading partner, but relations have seen periodic turmoil over trade and human rights. Trade totalled $559 billion in 2013, according to China.

Days ahead of Xi's landmark EU visit, the European Commission announced it was dropping plans to open anti-dumping and anti-subsidy inquiries into Chinese telecom firms, which though not named would have targeted Huawei and ZTE.

And the European move followed Beijing's own announcement on the eve of the president's departure to Europe that it was ending an anti-dumping inquiry into EU wine imports, the second trade dispute settled in less than a week after China said it had reached an agreement on exports of polysilicon from Europe.

Both the polysilicon and wine disputes were widely seen as resulting from a fierce 2013 battle over the dumping of Chinese solar panels on the European market.

Polysilicon is an important element in some types of solar panels, while China's announcement that it was probing if European wine was being sold below cost and enjoyed unfair subsidies came a day after the Commission said it would slap tariffs on Chinese producers of solar panels. - AFP

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Indonesian Islamic parties head for poll drubbing

Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:08 AM PDT

Jakarta (AFP) - Nisa Ariyani staunchly supported Indonesia's Muslim parties her whole life, throughout decades of authoritarian rule and at the three legislative elections after the country became democratic.

But when tens of millions vote in parliamentary polls in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country on April 9, the 42-year-old teacher is set to join a growing number who will not cast their ballot for an Islamic party.

Indonesia's five main Muslim parties are heading for their worst ever showing at the elections, hit by explosive scandals and a growing trend among voters not to pick parties purely on religious grounds.

"I have lost my faith in Islamic parties, and I will vote for nobody," said Ariyani, who lives in the capital Jakarta and has worn a headscarf all her life, even during the long rule of dictator Suharto when it was uncommon in Indonesia.

Her change of heart is due to a specific case -- a sordid scandal involving clandestine hotel room sex and huge kickbacks that rocked the party she had supported at previous elections, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

Before supporting the PKS, Indonesia's biggest Islamic party, she backed the United Development Party, one of the few opposition groups allowed by Suharto and still around now.

- Paradoxical shift? -

The decline in support for Muslim parties -- which range from moderate groups to more extreme ones that want to introduce Islamic sharia law -- since the end of authoritarian rule in 1998 seems at first glance a paradox, analysts say.

Since the downfall of Suharto, who backed a secular state and was against the strong influence of Islam in public life, Indonesia has appeared to have become more Islamic, not less.

An increasing number of women wear the headscarf, Islam-influenced goods -- from fashion brands to apps that remind you when to pray -- are all the rage, while some people have even chosen to live in strict Islamic communities, rejecting the trappings of modern life.

The tumultuous years following the end of Suharto's regime were also accompanied by an upsurge in Islamic extremism, notably the 2002 Bali bombings, in which 202 people -- mostly foreign tourists -- were killed.

A crackdown over the past decade has weakened the most dangerous groups but Islamic extremists still regularly target domestic security forces.

Despite this, the country's five main Islamic parties -- among 12 running in the parliamentary elections -- have seen their popularity slide in the sprawling archipelago nation where more than 90 percent of the population is Muslim.

Their combined share of the vote fell to around 26 percent at the 2009 legislative polls from around 34 percent a decade earlier.

Dodi Ambardi, a director at the Indonesian Survey Institute, predicts their support will fall to only 15 percent in the coming elections, particularly due to a drop for the PKS, which won almost eight percent in 2009.

No Islamic party is expected to do well enough to put a candidate forward for the presidential polls in July. A party or coalition of parties must win 20 percent of the seats in parliament or 25 percent of the national vote at the April elections to do so.

- Savvy voters -

But growing sophistication among voters who no longer simply focus on religion is a greater factor in the parties' declining support, analysts say.

"In choosing which party they will vote for, Muslim voters no longer think of their religion but rather the party's track record and policies," Ambardi told AFP.

In this regard, Islamic parties have notably failed.

They have not developed into well-run organisations and have relied on the mistaken belief that pious Muslims would vote for them regardless, said Noorhaidi Hasan, an expert in Islam and politics.

"Islamic parties are too ideological, offering an Islamic ideology but no other action," said Hasan, from Sunan Kalijaga Islamic university in Yogyakarta, on the main island of Java.

He also said increasing signs of Islam in everyday life did not necessarily mean people were becoming more Islamic and would automatically vote for Muslim parties -- simply that they were now free to express their faith publicly and they had the financial means to do so.

"Middle-class Muslims are not expressing their religion for the sake of religion -- but for social status and lifestyle," he said.

Despite their travails, Muslim parties are still likely to attract some support and the PKS is convinced many have already forgotten last year's controversy, which saw its ex-president jailed for 16 years.

"Support for the PKS is like a pillow -- once a burden is lifted, it will return to its normal shape quickly and easily," said party spokesman Dedi Supriadi.

And Islamic parties could still remain influential by providing support to the bigger parties, observers believe.

Coalition governments are the norm under Indonesia's complex electoral system, and there are currently four Islamic parties in the six-party coalition of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. - AFP

China's Xi begins Belgium visit on last leg of Europe tour

Posted: 30 Mar 2014 04:23 AM PDT

Brussels (AFP) - Chinese leader Xi Jinping began a three-day visit to Belgium Sunday on the last leg of his European tour that will include meeting the Belgian royals and seeing giant pandas ahead of an historic EU visit, the first ever by a Chinese president.

Xi was welcomed at the airport by Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo and he is set to go to the royal palace in central Brussels to meet Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde.

The tiny country is presenting a showcase royal touch for Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan, with the power couple rolling up to the Brussels palace escorted by officers on horseback, and dining in the castle's halls on the city outskirts Monday.

King Philippe, who ascended to the throne last year, and glamorous wife Queen Mathilde will join the Chinese pair for the official opening Sunday of a special park for two giant pandas on loan from China for the next 15 years.

Xi's maiden swing through Europe as president has taken him to the Netherlands, France and Germany for bilateral talks and mega business deals, as well as to last week's Nuclear Security Summit where he met US President Barack Obama.

In a tour of many firsts, his three days in Belgium will see a Chinese president visit European Union headquarters for the first time, when he meets Monday with European Council president Herman Van Rompuy, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and European Parliament president Martin Schulz.

Business has loomed large through the tour, and with the European bloc as China's largest trading partner -- two-way trade is at more than a billion euros a day -- economic issues are likely to dominate too at the EU, though human rights and diplomacy, in particular Ukraine, will also come up.

- Pandas divide Belgium -

The Chinese leader's trip to the park to see female Hao Hao and companion Xing Hui, who arrived in Belgium in February, is an acknowledgement of China's "panda diplomacy".

But the two furry national treasures have unwittingly opened a new rift in the longtime turmoil dividing Belgium's rival Dutch- and French-speaking communities.

The problem is that the rare bears, a reliable draw for visitors, are in a zoo in French-speaking southern Wallonia, some 60 kilometres (37 miles) from Brussels, not far from the city of Mons whose last mayor is none other than Di Rupo.

The Pairi Daiza zoo has since seen its ticket sales boom and share price soar, angering Belgium's oldest and most well-known zoo, located in the heart of the port city of Antwerp in northern Flanders.

In other bilateral encounters with Belgium's leaders, Xi will hold talks with Di Rupo and parliament leaders on Monday, and Tuesday visit the largest Chinese-owned company in Belgium, carmaker Volvo in Ghent, bought by Geely from Ford in 2010.

Belgium will be hoping for new investments.

Though it has sought to sell itself to Beijing investors as "a gateway to Europe", there has been little interest up until now though trade has grown and the balance improved in Belgium's favour due to a 65 percent hike in exports in the last five years.

On the wider European front, talks between Xi and the EU's top officials Monday are likely to take place in an easier atmosphere than expected after both sides took steps in recent days to settle trade tiffs.

The 28-member EU is China's biggest trading partner, but relations have seen periodic turmoil over trade and human rights. Trade totalled $559 billion in 2013, according to China.

Days ahead of Xi's landmark EU visit, the European Commission announced it was dropping plans to open anti-dumping and anti-subsidy inquiries into Chinese telecom firms, which though not named would have targeted Huawei and ZTE.

And the European move followed Beijing's own announcement on the eve of the president's departure to Europe that it was ending an anti-dumping inquiry into EU wine imports, the second trade dispute settled in less than a week after China said it had reached an agreement on exports of polysilicon from Europe.

Both the polysilicon and wine disputes were widely seen as resulting from a fierce 2013 battle over the dumping of Chinese solar panels on the European market.

Polysilicon is an important element in some types of solar panels, while China's announcement that it was probing if European wine was being sold below cost and enjoyed unfair subsidies came a day after the Commission said it would slap tariffs on Chinese producers of solar panels. - AFP

Tensions as Myanmar embarks on first census in 30 years

Posted: 29 Mar 2014 10:32 PM PDT

SITTWE, Myanmar: Tens of thousands of census-takers fanned out across Myanmar on Sunday to gather data for a rare snapshot of the former junta-ruled nation that is already stoking sectarian tensions.

Groups of schoolteachers and local officials began the 12-day population survey - the first since 1983 - travelling from house to house in an ambitious drive aimed at counting everyone across the poverty-stricken nation.

But the census was called into question before it even started in Rakhine state, the site of deadly religious conflict. A main point of contention is that Muslims will not be able to register as "Rohingya".

Buddhist nationalists have threatened to boycott the tally over fears it could lead to official recognition for the Rohingya, viewed by the United Nations as among the world's most persecuted minorities.

"Fill in the form that you are Rohingya," read a sign scrawled on a wall in one of the bleak displacement camps clustered on the outskirts of the Rakhine capital Sittwe.

Muslims in the camps, made homeless in two major bouts of fighting two years ago, expressed determination to defy the government edict to register as "Bengali", a term used by the authorities, who view most Rohingya as illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh.

"We do not want any problems. I was born here and my parents were also born here. I was born a Myanmar national. For me, I will not register as 'Bengali', I will register as 'Rohingya'," Hla Myint, 58, told AFP.

Foreign aid workers fled Rakhine during the week after Buddhist mobs attacked their offices as tensions escalated in the run-up to the census. 

An 11-year-old girl was killed by a stray bullet after police fired warning shots to disperse angry crowds in the state capital Sittwe.

Humanitarian workers in the region have come under increasing pressure from Buddhist nationalists who accuse them of bias in favour of local Muslims. 

Rakhine state tense

The state remained tense on Sunday as Buddhists sought confirmation that the Rohingya term would not be allowed.

Myanmar's first census in three decades, which is backed by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), is aimed at plugging an information deficit in the former military dictatorship.

Critics, who have called for the exercise to be postponed, accuse the organisers of focusing on the technical aspects of the survey and neglecting political concerns.

They say the inclusion of ethnic and religious questions will further fan the flames of unrest and threaten fragile peace talks with minority rebel groups.

Many locals, long subject to repressive policies under authoritarian rule, have also expressed suspicion of the move to collect a wide variety of household information - including questions on movement and economic activity. 

But the survey-taking was seen to be proceeding smoothly in some areas on Sunday, with teams visiting homes in Thaketa township on the outskirts of the commercial hub Yangon.

"I have no problem. They are asking the right questions and I gave them a true answer. It's good because there will be exact information about who is who and where they live," Tin Shwe, 48, told AFP after completing the questionnaire. -AFP

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