Selasa, 29 April 2014

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro


Fears for three Germans missing on New Zealand yacht trip

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 10:13 PM PDT

WELLINGTON, April 30, 2014 (AFP) - New Zealand police said Wednesday they held "very real concerns" about the fate of three Germans who went missing on a sailing trip two weeks ago.

The trio, including two 19-year-olds in New Zealand on a gap-year holiday, have not been heard from since April 16, when they set off on the 7.5-metre (25-foot) yacht Munetra from Bluff, on the southern coast of the South Island.

An intensive aerial search involving two helicopters and an air force P-3 Orion failed to find any trace of the missing vessel and has now been called off, police said.

"Obviously police continue to have very real concerns for the safety of the occupants on the yacht and are working to piece together information about the three occupants on board," inspector Lane Todd said.

He said the missing were Lea Tietz and Veronika Steudler, both aged 19, and the boat's owner Andre Kinzler.

Tietz and Steudler, from Gorlitz in eastern Germany, had both been in New Zealand since September last year and were due to return home next month.

Kinzler, 33, also a German national, had been working on a South island farm for the past four years.

He is believed to have met the teenagers last month and invited them to sail on his yacht.

Todd said there was no evidence of foul play, with police looking at Kinzler's lack of sailing experience as a possible reason for the disappearance.

"We know that he purchased the boat within the past 12 months but the information we've gathered to date suggests his previous sailing experience may have been limited," he said.


Sultan of Brunei announces Syariah law to start Thursday

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 09:55 PM PDT

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: The Sultan of Brunei announced that a controversial new penal code featuring tough Islamic criminal punishments that has been criticised by United Nations (UN) human rights officials would be phased in from Thursday.

"Today... I place my faith in and am grateful to Allah the almighty to announce that tomorrow, Thursday, May 1, 2014, will see the enforcement of Syariah law phase one, to be followed by the other phases," Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah said in a speech.

Syariah law penalties will be introduced over time and will eventually include flogging, severing of limbs and death by stoning for various crimes.

The 67-year-old Sultan, an absolute ruler and one of the world's wealthiest men, is a father-figure whose word is unquestioned in the sleepy oil-rich country of 400,000.

While many members of the Muslim ethnic Malay majority have voiced cautious support, the Syariah move has sparked concern among many non-Muslim citizens and led to a rare burst of criticism by Brunei social-media users earlier this year.

The Sultan responded by ordering a halt to such criticism, which has largely gone silent.

But authorities appear to have been taken aback by the reaction, and a planned April 22 start was postponed without explanation.

"Theory states that Allah's law is harsh and unfair, but Allah himself has said that his law is indeed fair," the Sultan said in comments apparently aimed at critics.

The UN's human rights office said earlier in April it was "deeply concerned", adding that penalties such stoning are classified under international law as "torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment".

Nearly 70% of Brunei's 400,000 people are Muslim Malays while about 15% are non-Muslim ethnic Chinese.

Officials have said Syariah cases would require an extremely high burden of proof and judges would have wide discretion to avoid Syariah punishments.

The Sultan has warned of pernicious foreign influences such as the Internet and indicated he intends to place more emphasis on Islam in the conservative Muslim country. - AFP

Planned changes to Australian race law spark bigotry fears

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 09:46 PM PDT

SYDNEY, April 30, 2014 (AFP) - Ethnic minorities warned Wednesday that changes to an Australian law banning racial slights could give licence to bigotry and stir tensions, as community consultation on the proposal closed.

The government plans to repeal a section of the Racial Discrimination Act that makes it illegal to "offend, insult or humiliate another" because of their race, saying it should not be used to stifle free speech.

It proposes inserting a new clause into the law to ban racial vilification - defined as inciting hatred against racial groups - rather than simply offending them.

"It will give licence to racism," Kirstie Parker, from the indigenous group National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, told Sky News. "We believe people will think it's open slather."

The Arab Council of Australia's Randa Kattan also views the proposal with deep concern, saying it threatens social inclusion and the government's relations with the Arab-Australian community.

"We've all seen what happened during the Cronulla riots - it doesn't take much to stir racism but it takes a long time to put it out," she said, referring to the ugly race riots between white and Lebanese Australians at Sydney's Cronulla Beach in 2005.

"So when the government says it's okay that people have the right to be bigots ... and then we follow up with these pretty severe changes to the Racial Discrimination Act, it's quite concerning."

Tri Vo, President of the Vietnamese Community in Australia, said the changes would put the country back 20 years.

"Instead of going ahead and with international communities and all that, living harmoniously with each other, we're going backwards," he told the ABC.

Attorney-General George Brandis has said he wants Australia to remain a fair, free and tolerant society where racism has no place, but has also defended the right of Australians to "be bigots".

"People do have a right to be bigots, you know," he told parliament in March. "In a free country, people do have rights to say things that other people find insulting or offensive or bigoted."

Brandis is expected to develop a draft bill for the cabinet in coming weeks.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

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Cast of 'Star Wars: Episode VII' announced

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 08:10 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES: The original Star Wars movie blasted its way onto screens a long time ago, in a cinema galaxy seemingly far, far away - but Han, Luke and Leia will be back soon.

On Tuesday, Disney announced the cast of the film just now entering production under the name Star Wars: Episode VII, after months of frenzied speculation among the sci-fi saga's passionate fans.

At 71, Harrison Ford may no longer have space smuggler Han Solo's roguish good looks and thick head of hair.

And 62-year-old co-star Mark Hamill will fill out Luke Skywalker's flowing Jedi robes a little more thoroughly than he once did.

But fans of the saga - many of them disappointed by a series of prequels to the three-decade-old original trilogy - will welcome their return and that of 57-year-old Carrie Fisher's feisty Princess Leia.

Disney, the new owner of pioneering director George Lucas' record-breaking franchise, has recruited blockbuster director J.J. Abrams to bring these fan favourites back to the screen.

His trio of stars may have aged, but he will have access to a much more powerful array of computerized special effects than Lucas had when he launched the series in 1977.

And the original cast, including Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker as androids C3PO and R2-D2 and Peter Mayhew as the hairy "Wookie" warrior Chewbacca, will be joined by new, mainly younger talent.

Andy Serkis, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson, plus Hollywood veteran Max von Sydow join the Star Wars team.

Actors joining the original cast for Star Wars: Episode VII include (top row, form left) Andy Serkis, Adam Driver and John Boyega, (bottom row, from left) Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson and Max von Sydow. - AFP

Serkis is well known but not the most recognisable, as his biggest roles have been as the voice and movements behind motion-capture animated characters like the villainous Gollum in The Lord of the Rings.

Cast members appeared in a photo of a script reading, alongside Abrams and R2-D2, the loyal robot mechanic that has accompanied the heroes through all six movies to date.

"It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again," Abrams said.

"We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud," he promised.

Abrams is a respected mainstream director who has already won plaudits for reviving a beloved space opera franchise, taking the captain's chair on the successful 2009 Star Trek re-boot.

But Star Wars is, if anything, an even bigger challenge.

The two previous trilogies were released between 1977-2005 and inspired spin-off books, comics, toys, videogames and cartoons - earning US$4.4bil (RM14.37bil).

But, while the stories still have a massive popular audience, many purists were disappointed by the prequel trilogy, which they felt failed to capture the mythic feel of the originals.

Filming on Episode VII will begin next month at London's Pinewood Studios. Reports in local media in Abu Dhabi have suggested that some sets have also been constructed in the Arabian desert.

Scriptwriter Lawrence Kasdan returns to the sage, having previously written the second and third films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Music will once again come from Oscar-winning composer John Williams, whose epic score - one of the most recognizable in cinema history - soars over the iconic opening narrative crawl of each film.

The new Star Wars movie is due for worldwide release on Dec 18, 2015. - AFP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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Shootouts claim 14 lives in northern Mexican border city

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 08:50 PM PDT

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - At least 14 people were killed in a series of shootouts in the northern Mexican border city of Reynosa on Tuesday as gunmen battled police in a region racked by violence between warring drug gangs.

Assailants in armoured vehicles opened fire on federal police and military officers in three shootouts in Tamaulipas, an unruly state on the U.S. border where the brutal Zetas drug gang has fought the Gulf Cartel for control.

The death toll in Reynosa, which is directly across the border from Hidalgo, Texas, included 10 gunmen, two federal police officers as well two young adults who were caught in the crossfire while driving in separate vehicles.

It was not immediately clear if the gunmen were affiliated with any drug cartels, which vie for control of lucrative smuggling routes into the United States.

Some of the slain gunmen were killed while still in their trucks, while others were found dead on the street, a security official told Reuters.

Drug violence in Mexico has claimed more than 85,000 lives since the start of 2007 when then-President Felipe Calderon ordered the military to engage the cartels.

Calderon's successor, President Enrique Pena Nieto, pledged to end the violence when he took office in December 2012. But although police data shows killings have dropped somewhat, large areas of the country are still convulsed by cartel violence.

(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Dave Graham & Kim Coghill)

Cast of 'Star Wars: Episode VII' announced

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 08:10 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES: The original Star Wars movie blasted its way onto screens a long time ago, in a cinema galaxy seemingly far, far away - but Han, Luke and Leia will be back soon.

On Tuesday, Disney announced the cast of the film just now entering production under the name Star Wars: Episode VII, after months of frenzied speculation among the sci-fi saga's passionate fans.

At 71, Harrison Ford may no longer have space smuggler Han Solo's roguish good looks and thick head of hair.

And 62-year-old co-star Mark Hamill will fill out Luke Skywalker's flowing Jedi robes a little more thoroughly than he once did.

But fans of the saga - many of them disappointed by a series of prequels to the three-decade-old original trilogy - will welcome their return and that of 57-year-old Carrie Fisher's feisty Princess Leia.

Disney, the new owner of pioneering director George Lucas' record-breaking franchise, has recruited blockbuster director J.J. Abrams to bring these fan favourites back to the screen.

His trio of stars may have aged, but he will have access to a much more powerful array of computerized special effects than Lucas had when he launched the series in 1977.

And the original cast, including Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker as androids C3PO and R2-D2 and Peter Mayhew as the hairy "Wookie" warrior Chewbacca, will be joined by new, mainly younger talent.

Andy Serkis, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson, plus Hollywood veteran Max von Sydow join the Star Wars team.

Actors joining the original cast for Star Wars: Episode VII include (top row, form left) Andy Serkis, Adam Driver and John Boyega, (bottom row, from left) Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson and Max von Sydow. - AFP

Serkis is well known but not the most recognisable, as his biggest roles have been as the voice and movements behind motion-capture animated characters like the villainous Gollum in The Lord of the Rings.

Cast members appeared in a photo of a script reading, alongside Abrams and R2-D2, the loyal robot mechanic that has accompanied the heroes through all six movies to date.

"It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again," Abrams said.

"We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud," he promised.

Abrams is a respected mainstream director who has already won plaudits for reviving a beloved space opera franchise, taking the captain's chair on the successful 2009 Star Trek re-boot.

But Star Wars is, if anything, an even bigger challenge.

The two previous trilogies were released between 1977-2005 and inspired spin-off books, comics, toys, videogames and cartoons - earning US$4.4bil (RM14.37bil).

But, while the stories still have a massive popular audience, many purists were disappointed by the prequel trilogy, which they felt failed to capture the mythic feel of the originals.

Filming on Episode VII will begin next month at London's Pinewood Studios. Reports in local media in Abu Dhabi have suggested that some sets have also been constructed in the Arabian desert.

Scriptwriter Lawrence Kasdan returns to the sage, having previously written the second and third films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Music will once again come from Oscar-winning composer John Williams, whose epic score - one of the most recognizable in cinema history - soars over the iconic opening narrative crawl of each film.

The new Star Wars movie is due for worldwide release on Dec 18, 2015. - AFP

Santos holds lead in Colombia election opinion poll but rival gains

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 08:00 PM PDT

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos maintained his clear lead in voting intentions ahead of May 25 elections, a Gallup poll published on Tuesday showed, but his nearest rival, Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, continued to gain support.

Santos would win 32 percent of the vote, down half a point from the pollster's March survey, while Zuluaga, the anointed candidate of still-popular former President Alvaro Uribe, jumped 5 percentage points to 20.5 percent.

Santos would beat Zuluaga in a second round of voting by 46 percent of votes versus 34 percent for his rival.

Though all leading candidates appear to differ little on broad economic themes, a choice between Santos and Zuluaga is likely for many voters to come down to who's approach to ending a five-decade conflict with leftist guerrillas they prefer.

Santos initiated talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia at the end of 2012 and the negotiations have made slow but promising progress. Zuluaga has indicated he would likely call the talks off or impose tougher conditions under which the government would be prepared to negotiate.

Like Zuluaga, Santos gained a lot of support from the public backing of then out-going president Uribe, who decimated the guerrilla's ranks during his two mandates in office with support from the United States. Santos' decision to engage with the FARC in peace talks has since turned the two bitter enemies.

Support for the Green Alliance's candidate, and former Bogota mayor, Enrique Penalosa fell to 10.1 percent of voting intentions down from 11.3 percent last month, causing him to slip to fourth place behind the Conservative Party candidate Marta Lucia Ramirez who has 11.2 percent support.

Clara Lopez of the left-wing Polo Democratico came last in the poll with 7.1 percent of voting intentions, down from 8.6 percent in March.

The percentage who plan to make a blank or protest vote by choosing none of the candidates, fell 4 percentage points to 15.9 percent of voters.

The survey of 1,200 respondents in 50 different towns carried out between April 23 and April 27, has a 3 percent margin of error.

(Reporting by Peter Murphy; Editing by Michael Perry)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio


'Atlantis' is a bit on the 'meh' side but watchable nonetheless

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Review: New TV series Atlantis resurfaces with a modern twist to ancient characters.

A couple of months ago, Diva Universal ran a series of promotional ads depicting various women gushing over "Jason". According to these women, Jason is ridiculously good-looking, has perfect hair, and a British accent. 

To add a little sense of anticipation, these promos didn't show you what Jason looks like – which annoyed me.

Then, Atlantis premiered early this month and viewers finally got to see the mystery man (he's nothing like how he was described).

Played by Jack Donnelly, Jason is a modern-day lad who ends up in the city of Atlantis. Confused and bewildered by the knowledge that Atlantis is a fictional island that has sunk to the bottom of the ocean, Jason has a little bit of adjusting to do. 

Thankfully, newfound friends Pythagoras (Robert Emms) and Hercules (Mark Addy) are there to get him sorted out.

Jason then meets the Oracle (Juliet Stevenson) and finds out that it was destiny that brought him to Atlantis. However, the Oracle can't possibly tell Jason everything she knows.

Later when Jason leaves the Oracle, viewers learn that the former withheld information in order to protect Jason's life.

While viewers may not get to know so much about Jason yet, what we do know is the young lad is indeed a noble man.

A tradition in Atlantis requires seven commoners to be sacrificed to the Minotaur to appease the god Poseidon; Jason volunteers to be one. On his way to the Minotaur's lair, Pythagoras tells him that he doesn't have to do it. Then, Jason delivers one of the best reasons to tune in to the show, a hilarious one-liner.

"Pythagoras, your theory about the triangle is going to make millions of children bored ... that is your destiny and this is mine."

Just like that, he boldly walks away and Pythagoras looks on in confusion.

The sarcastic Jason also takes a jibe at Hercules. In one episode, Hercules chases a panic-stricken woman through the woods with the intention of helping her. He explains to his friends that the woman just kept on running and screaming.

"She was clearly terrified," says Hercules.

A nonchalant Jason says: "Not surprised if you were the one chasing her through the woods".

You see, Hercules in this series is not as mighty or brave as Greek mythology depicts him to be. When he actually does something noble, he complains about the consequences and vows to never do it again. Hercules describes himself best: "I'm not fat, I'm big-boned!".

Inspired by Greek mythology, Atlantis introduces us to more famous characters we have read in books. In the second episode, Jason rescues a woman from being taken by a fanatical cult.

Later, she (Jemima Rooper) introduced herself as Medusa and Jason wonders why that name sounds familiar. Viewers with Greek mythology knowledge will know Medusa as the monster with venomous snakes for hair. Medusa is still in her human form, but that might change in later episodes.

Some aspects in the show could use a little bit of improvement, though. For example, the special effects. The Minotaur looks comical next to a chubby Hercules. Scenes depicting Jason jumping over a raging bull looked like it was filmed in the 1970s. 

I'm now worried about Medusa's transformation.

Even with all those flaws, Atlantis is watchable; there are moments of danger and intrigue, but its characters help to lighten up the mood.

> Catch Atlantis every Sunday at 7pm on Diva Universal (Astro Ch 702). E-mail your comments to entertainment@thestar.com.my.

Bearded Austrian drag queen determined to shine on Eurovision

Posted: 27 Apr 2014 08:50 PM PDT

Strutting her stuff in heels on stage, the singer shrugs off criticism from countries like Russia, Belarus and Armenia.

Drag queen Conchita Wurst will take to the European stage as Austria's contender for Eurovision Song Contest, the song contest that pits nation versus nation and launched the global careers of ABBA and Celine Dion, Wurst's idol.

Sporting high heels, butterfly eyelashes and a full beard, Wurst – real name Tom Neuwirth – is an unlikely contestant for conservative Austria, which has triumphed just once before, in 1966, with Udo Juergens' gentle chanson Merci, Cherie.

The annual Eurovision Song Contest, which has a huge gay following, could be the perfect platform for the singer to launch an international career. Israeli transgender singer Dana International won the contest in 1998 with Diva.

But her entry has highlighted Europe's geographical divide on attitudes to homosexuality. Unlikely to raise much controversy in the West, her appearance has prompted criticism by some in the East where anti-gay rhetoric remains more common.

Conchita Wurst will be representing Austria with the original song Rise Like A Phoenix at the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest in May. -- EPA/Sander Koning 

Online petitions have been started in Belarus, Armenia and Russia – whose government passed a law last year banning "gay propaganda" among minors – to have Wurst removed or edited out of broadcasts in their countries.

Armenian Eurovision contender Aram MP3, a 30-year-old man whose real name is Aram Sargsyan, said Wurst's way of life was "not natural" and she should decide to be a woman or a man.

Wurst shot back: "I told him I don't want to be a woman. I am just a working queen and a very lazy boy at home." Aram MP3 has since apologised, saying his comments were intended as a joke.

Wurst's song entry Rise Like A Phoenix, which bookmakers say is in the top 10 favourites to win, is a power ballad that the singer sees as a defiant metaphor for her journey from a rural boyhood to her budding career as a bearded drag queen.

"The beard is a statement to say that you can achieve anything, no matter who you are or how you look," she told Reuters in an interview.

Wurst says the Austrian mountains were a perfect childhood environment for a boy, but things became more difficult. "Being a teenager, a gay teenager, in such a small village is not that much fun. I am part of the gay community and most gays have a similar story to mine," said Wurst, now 25.

Neuwirth moved to Graz at the age of 14 to study fashion design and created the persona of Conchita Wurst at an Austrian talent competition in 2011.

Eurovision, one of the world's longest-running television programmes, was started in the 1950s to help foster a spirit of unity after World War II. It has expanded from an original seven countries to 37 this year, many from outside Europe.

Despite its peaceful intentions, voting is often political and points are now awarded half by professional judges and half by the public via phone and SMS. — Reuters

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

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Cast of 'Star Wars: Episode VII' announced

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 08:10 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES: The original Star Wars movie blasted its way onto screens a long time ago, in a cinema galaxy seemingly far, far away - but Han, Luke and Leia will be back soon.

On Tuesday, Disney announced the cast of the film just now entering production under the name Star Wars: Episode VII, after months of frenzied speculation among the sci-fi saga's passionate fans.

At 71, Harrison Ford may no longer have space smuggler Han Solo's roguish good looks and thick head of hair.

And 62-year-old co-star Mark Hamill will fill out Luke Skywalker's flowing Jedi robes a little more thoroughly than he once did.

But fans of the saga - many of them disappointed by a series of prequels to the three-decade-old original trilogy - will welcome their return and that of 57-year-old Carrie Fisher's feisty Princess Leia.

Disney, the new owner of pioneering director George Lucas' record-breaking franchise, has recruited blockbuster director J.J. Abrams to bring these fan favourites back to the screen.

His trio of stars may have aged, but he will have access to a much more powerful array of computerized special effects than Lucas had when he launched the series in 1977.

And the original cast, including Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker as androids C3PO and R2-D2 and Peter Mayhew as the hairy "Wookie" warrior Chewbacca, will be joined by new, mainly younger talent.

Andy Serkis, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson, plus Hollywood veteran Max von Sydow join the Star Wars team.

Actors joining the original cast for Star Wars: Episode VII include (top row, form left) Andy Serkis, Adam Driver and John Boyega, (bottom row, from left) Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson and Max von Sydow. - AFP

Serkis is well known but not the most recognisable, as his biggest roles have been as the voice and movements behind motion-capture animated characters like the villainous Gollum in The Lord of the Rings.

Cast members appeared in a photo of a script reading, alongside Abrams and R2-D2, the loyal robot mechanic that has accompanied the heroes through all six movies to date.

"It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again," Abrams said.

"We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud," he promised.

Abrams is a respected mainstream director who has already won plaudits for reviving a beloved space opera franchise, taking the captain's chair on the successful 2009 Star Trek re-boot.

But Star Wars is, if anything, an even bigger challenge.

The two previous trilogies were released between 1977-2005 and inspired spin-off books, comics, toys, videogames and cartoons - earning US$4.4bil (RM14.37bil).

But, while the stories still have a massive popular audience, many purists were disappointed by the prequel trilogy, which they felt failed to capture the mythic feel of the originals.

Filming on Episode VII will begin next month at London's Pinewood Studios. Reports in local media in Abu Dhabi have suggested that some sets have also been constructed in the Arabian desert.

Scriptwriter Lawrence Kasdan returns to the sage, having previously written the second and third films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Music will once again come from Oscar-winning composer John Williams, whose epic score - one of the most recognizable in cinema history - soars over the iconic opening narrative crawl of each film.

The new Star Wars movie is due for worldwide release on Dec 18, 2015. - AFP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Business

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Microsoft's Xbox One console to go on sale in China in September

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 06:23 PM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft Corp will begin selling its Xbox One video game console in China in September through its partnership with Chinese Internet TV company BesTV New Media Co, the company said on Tuesday.

The partners will also kickstart a program to help developers create, publish and sell Xbox One games in China and other markets where the console is sold, Microsoft said in a statement.

In September last year, Microsoft and BesTV, a subsidiary of Shanghai Media Group, formed a joint venture and invested $237 million in "family games and related services."

Last week, Shanghai's government said console makers such as Microsoft, Sony Corp and Nintendo Co will be able to manufacture and sell consoles in China through "foreign-invested enterprises" in Shanghai's free trade zone.

China had banned game consoles in 2000, citing their negative effect on the mental health of its youth. It temporarily lifted the ban in January.

Pirated and smuggled consoles have been available in China during the ban, but they sold poorly as Chinese gamers predominantly play PC and mobile games.

Microsoft has sold more than 5 million Xbox One video game consoles to retailers since its launch in November.

The announcement was first reported by Re/code on Tuesday. - Reuters

US INDUSTRY Summary

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 06:20 PM PDT

Univision says Comcast buy of TWC could be 'bad for Hispanic audiences'

The head of the Spanish-language television network Univision [UVN.UL] said on Monday that Comcast Corp's plan to buy rival Time Warner Cable Inc could be "bad for Hispanic audiences."

PR Newswire agrees to curb early access for high frequency traders

NEW YORK (Reuters) - PR Newswire will require customers that receive direct feeds of its market-moving releases to certify they will not engage in high-frequency trading on the information, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said late Tuesday.

Glam Media changes name to Mode, expands into online video

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Glam Media, the online lifestyle publishing company, is changing its name to Mode Media and heading into the increasingly crowded market offering original online video programming.

Publicis, Omnicom seek to resolve leadership spat over CFO job - sources

The chief executives of advertising companies Publicis <PUBP.PA> and Omnicom Group <OMC.N> are working together to resolve a seven-month-old struggle over who will be chief financial officer of their combined group if the $35 billion merger is completed, three people close to the deal said on Sunday.

Mediaset confirms foreign interest for its pay TV business

Italian broadcaster Mediaset <MS.MI> confirmed it had received expressions of interest from foreign players for its pay-TV business - though it gave no names - as media speculation grows a tie-up could be on the horizon.

WPP thumps forecasts with strong Q1 organic growth

WPP <WPP.L>, the world's largest advertising group, reported a much better than expected 7 percent rise in first quarter like-for-like revenue growth and said it had seen a surge in new client wins due to changes in the industry.

Ebay says foreign cash needed for US growth, buybacks

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 06:15 PM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO: Ebay Inc said on Tuesday that access to foreign earnings will allow the e-commerce giant to take advantage of growing opportunities in the U.S. market while also completing $5 billion in share buybacks.

The company, which also reported better-than-expected earnings, will take a $3 billion non-tax charge to repatriate foreign earnings. This will result in an additional $6 billion to eBay's U.S. cash pile. - Reuters

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies


&#39;Avengers&#39; director Joss Whedon releases paranormal romance online

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 04:40 AM PDT

Avengers director Joss Whedon released his newest film In Your Eyes online just as it premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, joining the ranks of filmmakers experimenting with straight-to-consumer digital distribution.

In a surprise video message to fans, Whedon said he was disappointed he could not be in New York for the debut of the paranormal love story that he wrote and which was directed by Brin Hill. But then he noted it was available worldwide and online for a US$5 (RM17) fee.

The film is available at inyoureyesmovie.com and the US-based video-sharing website Vimeo.

"It is exciting for us because it means we get to explore yet another new form of distribution – and we get US$5," said the director behind the blockbuster Avengers franchise from Marvel.

In Your Eyes is the love story of an East Coast housewife named Rebecca, played by Zoe Kazan who is strangely connected with an ex-con played by Michael Stahl-David, who lives in New Mexico.

Zoe Kazan (above) and Michael Stahl-David (below) star in In Your Eyes

It is the second feature film by Los Angeles-based Bellwether Pictures, which was founded by Whedon and producer Kai Cole to bring micro-budget films directly to the audience. The company released Much Ado About Nothing, a retelling of the Shakespearean comedy, in 2012.

The Avengers the film that united Marvel superheroes in 2012, grossed more than US$1.46bil worldwide. Whedon's sequel Avengers: Age of Ultron is due out in 2015. – Reuters

&#39;Bhaag Milkha Bhaag&#39; wins big at International Indian Film Academy Awards

Posted: 27 Apr 2014 08:40 PM PDT

The best in Indian movies were honoured on Bollywood's biggest event, held in Florida in the US last weekend.

The Indian film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag led winners of the "Bollywood Oscars" last weekend, nabbing five of the top honours including best picture and best director as the awards made their first-ever US stop in Tampa, Florida.

Hollywood celebrities including Kevin Spacey and John Travolta and dignitaries from India and the United States attended the International Indian Film Academy Awards – which had been likened to the Super Bowl in terms of its security needs, traffic management and planning.

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, a biographical sports drama based on the life of Milkha Singh, an Indian athlete who was a national champion runner and an Olympian, led the winners at the awards which capped four days of events and celebrations aimed at creating deeper ties between India and the US.

Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (far right) handing the best picture award to celebrated Indian athlete and Olympian Milkha Singh (in turban), whose life story was told in the winning film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Hrithik Roshan performing at the awards. 

(from left) US actor Kevin Spacey, and Bollywood actors Shahdid Kapoor and Deepika Padukone hamming it up on stage at the Raymond James Stadium during the awards. -- AFP/Jewel Samad 

Besides the awards for best picture and director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, the film won the best actor award for Farhan Akhtar, best supporting actress to Divya Dutta and best story. It also collected a host of technical awards.

The prize for best actress went to Deepika Padukone for Chennai Express, and she was also named entertainer of the year.

"2013 was an amazing year for me," Padukone said after her win. "I left home with a suitcase and a dream, and I thank my parents for allowing me to follow my dream."

Hollywood star Travolta received a special award for outstanding contribution to international cinema, saying he was "honoured and humbled to be put in this category".

"I believe that as human being we are alike and this is a medium to celebrate our similarities," Travolta said.

The award for performance by an actor in a supporting role went to Aditya Roy Kapoor for Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. Shatrughan Sinha was honoured for lifetime achievement.

The film Aashiqui 2 scored a host of musical prizes, including those for best lyrics and best male and female singers. Honours for newcomers were won by actor and actress Dhanush and Vani Kapoor.

The four-day event, with an expected worldwide viewership of 800 million, drew tens of thousands of visitors to the area and was expected to generate about US$11mil (RM35.2mil) in revenue, organisers said.

The US$2bil (RM6.4bil) Indian film industry has a wide global reach and produces more movies each year than Hollywood, though the US film industry generates five times more revenue, according to the Tampa Bay Times. — Reuters

Priyanka Chopra flying high!


Farkhan Akhtar, who stars in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, receiving his best actor award.


Madhuri Dixit-Nene showing off her dancing skills.


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APFT investigating cause of Piper Warrior crash

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 07:21 AM PDT

KOTA BARU: Asia-Pacific Flight Training (APFT) is looking into what caused its Piper Warrior II light aircraft to crash in Taman Kurnia Jaya, here on Monday.

Principal of the flying school, Capt Mohd Shahrin Abu Hassan said he could not provide new information on the incident.

"I believe that the Piper Warrior II had engine problems," he told Bernama when contacted, Tuesday.

Trainee pilot M. Shankar, 20, was hurt in the leg and head when the aircraft crashed in an open area at 12.30pm on Monday.

Shankar is still undergoing treatment at Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital in Kubang Kerian.

Mohd Shahrin said Shankar has experience to fly the light aircraft alone.

"In our syllabus, we have solo flying and flying accompanied by trainer," he added. – Bernama

Court acquits six Mat Rempit of murder

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 06:40 AM PDT

SHAH ALAM: "You have caused your parents untold troubles and to shed tears. And it is your illegal racing which has landed you in court today.

"After this I hope you repent and examine your relationship with God and the human race," High Court Judge Datuk Abdul Alim Abdullah advised six "mat rempit" (illegal racers) before they were released here Tuesday.

Abdul Alim held that the defence had raised a reasonable doubt on the prosecution's case against the six youths charged with the murder of a man three years ago.

The youths, Mohd Ezwan Amanshah, 26, Mazly Sulaiman, 24, Abdul Rahman Abdul Latif, 24, and three teenagers (17 and 18 at the time), who are now 20 and 21, were jointly accused of killing R. Sasikumar, 21, at the Pandamaran Sports Complex in Klang near here at about 3am on Sept 18, 2011.

They were charged under S302 of the Penal Code which provides for the mandatory death sentence, upon conviction.

In his judgement, Abdul Alim said the court believed the defence of Mohd Ezwan, Mazly and Abdul Rahman who had presented notice and witnesses for their alibi of not being at the crime scene.

"As for the fifth and sixth accused, the court finds their defence a mere denial but the element of guilt under S149 of the Penal Code was not proven.

"The court does not believe the fourth accused's defence either but the prosecution failed to challenge it," he said.

Eight prosecution and 11 defence witnesses were called to testify throughout the trial.

The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Norhani Muhamad Adzhar, while the youths were represented by lawyers Gerard Lazarus, Tan Choong Hong, Cheng Poh Heng, K.N.Logendran and R.Vijayan. – Bernama

Trader denies murdering French tourist

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 06:01 AM PDT

KUANTAN: Trader Asni Omar has denied that he was the one who murdered French tourist Stephanie Foray, even though he had shown police where her body was located.

In his testimony, Asni, 39, said he had been reluctant to point police to the cave where Foray's body was found due to the implications.

"I tried to buy time by stopping at my mother's house when the police wanted me to lead them to the body.

"I was not willing to show them because of the impact, which is what is happening to me now," he told the High Court on Tuesday.

When asked by his lawyer Datuk Ng See Teong whether he had been ordered by investigating officer Insp Mohd Zairi Badderul to point to the spot, Asni said he had had no choice but to comply.

"I did not want to show them but Insp Zairi said to just do it because nothing would happen," he said.

Asni is charged with murdering Foray, 30, at an unnumbered house in Kampung Tekek, Pulau Tioman, between 8pm on May 10 and noon on May 12, 2011.

Asni said that on Aug 8, 2011, the police had asked him to sign a paper, stating that he would show them the location of Foray's remains.

But that does not mean I killed or hurt her," he stressed.

Asni, who ran a business selling swimming equipment, said he first discovered the body on May 11, 2011, after his elder brother Radzi Omar and one Zulhaili Akash had they stumbled upon it.

He also told the court that he first met Foray on May 10, 2011, when she approached him to rent a room at his house.

Asni said he took Foray to have dinner at a restaurant after she had stored her belongings in his house.

He said that he had wanted to go home soon after dinner to chat with his girlfriend on the telephone. Asni said that Foray had however, wanted to go to Taman Laut and he had taken her and left her there.

"While I was at Taman Laut, I noticed a few students but I am not sure whether they saw me or not," he said.

Asni said he had then gone home, chatted with his girlfriend, and then, fallen off to sleep.

"When I woke up in the morning, I did not notice whether Foray had come back or not," he said.

The trial continues Wednesday.
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Overwhelmed: Work, Love, And Play When No One Has The Time

Posted: 28 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

WHEN I was a student in the 1980s, the future seemed so peachy. The conventional wisdom was that my generation would be the first not to work more than 40 hours a week. Indeed, we'd be only doing half of that – if we were unlucky. In the 21st century, computers would do all our work for us, freeing us up for the kind of bountiful leisure time denied to our parents and grandparents.

It turns out that computers became our masters. We became slaves to the machines. And, for a variety of reasons, we're working longer hours than ever.

Overwhelmed author Brigid Schulte cites stats that reveal today's working parents in the prime of their lives in the United States work about an additional month per year, as tabulated by hours, then their toiling parents at the same age.

I want to hug Ms Schulte – an award-winning journalist for The Washington Post – for highlighting the most pernicious disorder of our era.

Overwhelmed: Work, Love And Play When No One Has The Time is a fastidiously researched – yet jargon-free – study of how top-down policies and societal pressures have shredded our leisure time into useless bits of time fragments, dehumanizing us and damaging the health of countless millions. 

Part pop-psychology book, part self-help guide, she's on the side of the "scattered, fragmented, exhausted" soul who chooses not to be a workaholic, and seeks a more satisfying work-life balance. 

The author talks to sociologists and scientists around the globe to illustrate how serious and widespread the situation is. Among many surveys, she a cites one of workers with families in which 90% report moderate to high levels of "role overload", or trying to do too many things at once. 

The depressing picture sprawls across socioeconomic boundaries. While poorer parents are overwhelmed trying to cobble together several part-time jobs to make the rent, affluent families are working insane hours, with a knock-on effect on their children's mental health. 

One of the most shocking statements in the book is: "The US is the only advanced economy that doesn't guarantee workers paid time off," Schulte notes. "Nearly one-quarter of all American workers get no paid vacation." Although this is an America-centric observation, it contains an important point. "Presenteeism" is today's virtue. 

By the way, this from Nickipedia, the biochemical analogue computer inside my skull that only forgets the important stuff. I like to remind people of the very first country in the world to introduce paid leave as a legal requirement for all employers. The country no longer exists, but is was the Soviet Union. Dubbed the "Evil Empire" by that uber-capitalist US president, the late Ronald Reagan, in my book – and Schulte's – there's also something evil about any society in which children don't see enough of their parents because they're always working. 

Which brings us to Scandinavia, a region that gets high marks from Schulte for its government-mandated family-friendly policies. Indeed, it's no surprise that the Nordic countries always top global-happiness surveys. A sound work-life balance – guaranteed by the state – surely has something to do with that. It certainly can't be the weather. 

One of the most thought-provoking parts of this book is the section on the aforementioned "presenteeism", in which Schulte chides employers for believing that there is a direct correlation between time spent at one's desk and productivity yield.

This is a fallacy. Voluminous research has proved that most people can only do eight to nine hours of quality work a day. After those productive hours, the company is paying the worker for "recreational browsing" or fantasising about the relationship between the boss and a medieval torture device. 

It not all the fault of our stone-hearted employers, though. The relatively well-off have to take some responsibility for venerating overwork and our perennial "busy, busy" state. It's a non-virture Schulte calls "busier than thou". 

So, what is the answer? Schulte makes it simple. It's up to you to decide if you want – or sufficiently value – "busier than thou" bragging rights. There are only 24 hours in a day, 16, if you include enough sleep – and sufficient sleep is a major prerequisite of sound physical and mental health. Prioritise what is important to you. 

As obvious as the solution might be, the lead-up to this conclusion is well worth reading through and ruminating over. It's a reality-check for the busy professional, and a highly readable one. 

A crucial message here, and especially close to home for time-crunched Malaysians, is that pure free time – uninterrupted, soul-restoring intervals of meaningful duration, when one can totally relax and marvel at the miracle of life – is much more precious than most realise. 

Another is that one of our favourite (but now well-aged) buzzwords, "multitasking", is grossly overvalued. One of the studies the author cites in her book has found that every one-minute digital interruption – a tweet, an SMS message, an e-mail – requires 10-20 minutes to return our focus to the task that it interrupted.

Our brains are not hard-wired to multitask. But they are highly amenable to being awed by life's myriad wonders or play with our children or shooting the breeze with cherished friends (not office frenemies) ... provided we make the time. 

Schulte has delivered a life-affirming and wonderful book that, unfortunately, won't be read by the very people who most need to heed its wisdom.

Bad Houses

Posted: 28 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

THE things you own end up owning you. 

This quote, from cult book and film Fight Club, is a scathing indictment of our modern materialistic culture. Bad Houses, Sara Ryan's first full-length graphic novel, takes a gentler, more reflective approach in addressing the issue, but in its own way, can be no less potent when it wants to be. 

Set in Failin, Oregon, a formerly bustling small town that has long since lost its sheen, Bad Houses is a story about the things we collect, the things we leave behind, and what those things say about us. 

The story begins with an estate sale where a person with no real bearing to the story is introduced to the reader through the objects she has left behind in death. We're never told what these things actually meant to the deceased, but to Lewis and his mother Cat, who are running the estate sale, they represent a financial opportunity – as they also apparently do to Fred, an aggressive antiques dealer who is an old hand at acquiring bargains at such sales.

To Anne, however, who shows up at the sale out of curiosity, the left-behind items hold both fascination and revulsion. With her mother Danica being a compulsive hoarder, Anne has an innate aversion to keeping things, and yet she is also strangely drawn to what these objects say about the people who used to own them. 

It is at this estate sale that Anne and Lewis meet, and this sets in motion a journey of discovery, of Anne and Lewis' present and their mothers' pasts, all linked in ways that only life in a small town can allow. The story ingeniously uses the very objects it questions to unravel how each of them came to be where they are. As each mother grapples with her own neuroses, their children both mirror them and simultaneously distance themselves. 

(A "bad house", Lewis explains to Anne, is a house that requires a lot of work before being able to have a sale – like that of a hoarder, for instance.) 

Carla Speed McNeil's artwork is a major part of Bad Houses' appeal. Her dynamic black and white illustrations bringing the characters' emotions to vivid life, particularly with Anne, whom McNeil depicts with large luminous eyes and an incredibly expressive face. 
She also excels at filling the panels with details, giving, for instance, Danica's house a claustrophobic air, but in contrast, creates a palpable sense of relief and freedom when Anne finds herself in empty spaces. 

Where the graphic novel sometimes falters is in its depiction of Anne and Lewis' romance, mostly owing to the weak development of the latter's character. While Anne is extremely engaging, Lewis remains removed, defined only by how others react to him. Perhaps this was intentional, but it also makes their relationship less interesting.

Danica, too, deserves more attention that the story gives her. While her relationship with AJ (whose mother lives at the assisted living care centre she works at) is intriguing, her character is never developed beyond Anne's impression of her. 

Yet, Bad Houses ends up telling a story that feels very familiar, and in its tangled relationships we see ourselves and the way we relate to the things we hold dear. Yes, the things you own do end up exerting a hold on you, but, Bad Houses seems to suggest, but you also imbue the objects you own with an unexplainable something. And which of those two forces ends up being stronger may decide whether you leave behind a "bad house" or not.

Snowblind

Posted: 28 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

THIS ghost story reads like it was meant to be adapted into an event miniseries. The flawed/troubled characters audiences will just love, the shadowy threat that comes upon a small Massachusetts town during a winter storm, the haunting loss suffered as a result of this, the Healing Time, and the sudden re-emergence of the Very Bad Things. 

And yes, I've capitalised the appropriate words in keeping with the big blurb on the book's front cover by none other than Stephen King, who calls it "the REAL DEAL". Which would be very true if he's referring to a TV deal.

It's not that Snowblind is not deserving of some praise or of being turned into a three-night television event, starring a mix of up-and-coming stars and veteran TV luminaries. Just that it plays things very safe.

If you like your scary tales brutal and edgy, or appreciate the didn't-see-that-coming excesses of (for example) Simon Clark or Brian Keene, well, you won't be getting any of that here.

What you will get in Snowblind are some nicely-sketched characters, some of them even likeable ones, and you will come to cheer for these folks, that they get through the nightmare. The last 50 or so pages are whiplash-inducing page-turners, as the story's principal players try to do just that. In fact, the whole of Snowblind moves at a fairly fast pace, with very few passages that beg you to skip past. 

The prologue tells of one dark, wintry night when something accompanies a severe storm to the town of Coventry. People die that night. Some even disappear. Bizarre and terrifying figures are glimpsed in the blizzard. And then, just like that, it's over.

Twelve years later, the survivors have picked up their lives ... mostly ... and are preparing for another cold season. As is customary of characters in spooky tales like this, they can sense something "not quite right" about the approaching snowstorms. Winter is coming, and all that.

Since that fateful night, any snowstorm is enough to give more than just temperature-related chills to the folks who lost people. This year, however, it's compounded by strange happenings – when people they know (and sometimes, don't know) come up to them and show an uncanny knowledge of events from a dozen years previously.

Struggling musician/electrician T.J. Farrelly takes notice when his 11-year-old daughter Grace suddenly starts talking like an adult ... and one eerily familiar to him, at that. Troubled police detective Joe Keenan, who witnessed several deaths that night, is suddenly taunted by a rookie cop who knows a little too much about what went down in the snow.

And police photographer Jake Schapiro – who saw a creature straight out of a nightmare claim his younger brother Isaac's life back then – is stunned when a young boy winds up in his home, talking and acting just like his slain sibling.

It's obvious from these and other similar scenes playing out in town that the spirits of those claimed by the storm have somehow come back. As their purpose becomes clear, and the nasty stuff portended by their return starts to happen, the book picks up a bit and barrels toward that page-turning finale mentioned earlier.

I am only familiar with Golden's work from his Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Hellboy novels – oh, and his novelisation of the Peter Jackson King Kong movie – but Snowblind just didn't grab me enough to put me on to his other stuff. 

It's half a fully-realised story; its key characters, flawed and broken as some are, make you actually give a darn about them, and that's usually the hardest part. But it doesn't go anywhere with its core premise, or present anything truly horrifying. Rather than dash out into the darkness and lead the reader on a scary trek into the unknown, it seems to prefer the secure confines of familiar (and thus predictable) ghost yarns.

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Banksy disses unauthorised London auction of his graffiti art

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 05:35 AM PDT

The reclusive British street artist Banksy disassociated himself from an exhibition of his urban art murals that have been removed from walls and put up for auction in London without his consent.

Among the seven works included in the exhibition called Stealing Banksy? and sale organised by the Sincura Group are Berlin Door, No Ball Games, Liverpool Rat and Girl With Balloon.

In a statement posted on www.banksy.co.uk, the artist, who has kept his identity a closely guarded secret and often paints his wall murals in the dead of night, said he had no connection with the sale. The statement can be seen below.

The statement has since been replaced with an unaccompanied image entitled Meat Truck, seen below.

The exhibition and sale have been organised by the Sincura Group, which is charging admission to see the works and says an auction using online and sealed bids will conclude on April 27.

Tony Baxter, the director of Sincura Group, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, a selection of works by elusive British graffiti artist Banksy, including the Mariachi Player and his Rat stencils, are going on sale in June, a Beverly Hills auction house said.

It said it expects the piece to fetch between US$150,000 (RM490,000) and US$200,000, the highest valuation of the five works up for auction.

The news of the auction comes a day after Banksy put a statement on his official website slamming a London sale of his works.

A spokeswoman for Julien's Auctions said all the five Banksy pieces were put up for sale by international collectors of the artist's work. Their identities are being kept private, and the spokeswoman said she was not sure if Banksy himself is aware of the sale.

The Mariachi Player, a mural of a mariachi musician playing a guitar and bearing the artist's signature, was stencilled with black aerosol paint on a wall in Mexico by the artist in 2001, Julien's Auctions said.

Banksy's Rat stencils will also hit the auction block in June, including the Anarchy Rat mural that was spray-painted onto the walls of a military graveyard in Berlin around 2003 and 2004. The auction house estimates it would sell for between US$50,000 and US$70,000.

Rapper Rat, stencilled on a piece of plywood that boarded a wall in Bristol, is expected to sell for between US$30,000 and US$50,000, and Gangsta Rat (seen below), spray-painted onto a triangular yellow car wheel clamp, between US$20,000 and US$40,000.

The final Banksy piece up for auction is the Bomb-Hugger (seen above, with Julien's Auction's warehouse manager, Ricky Limon), a stencil of a little girl hugging a missile with the word 'NO' painted on a piece of cardboard, valued between US$3,000 and US$5,000. The piece is one of many that were handed out by the artist during an anti-war protest in London in February 2003.

Many auctions and sales of his works have been mired in controversy because they were removed from their original site without Banksy's knowledge or approval. But the practice continues as Banksy's works have been commanding higher prices as he has become better known to collectors in the US and continental Europe. 

At a recent event in London held by an art exchange that allows investors to buys shares in works of art, one of the most sought-after pieces was a stencilled painting on canvas by Banksy called Heavy Artillery that features an elephant weighed down by a missile strapped to its back. Its 1,000 shares were listed at £120 (RM660) each.

A mural entitled Kissing Coppers sold for US$575,000 at a Miami auction earlier this year, while Flower Girl, which was painted on the side of a Los Angeles gas station, sold for US$209,000 in December. – Reuters

&#39;Privacy&#39; shows theatre audience it hasn&#39;t got much in digital age

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 03:25 AM PDT

Privacy may well be the first play to ask audience members to leave their mobile phones turned on – and its treatment of the subject matter strongly suggests that it doesn't exist anymore.

Those smart phones are among the stars of the new play by British playwright James Graham, which opened this week at London's intimate Donmar Warehouse. And like a late-generation phone, Privacy is crammed with an awful lot of features.

They include a vast number of characters, ranging from British foreign minister William Hague to British civil liberties advocate Shami Chakrabarti to the Guardian newspaper's defence and intelligence correspondent, Ewen MacAskill, who was part of the team that broke the Edward Snowden NSA leaks story.

Those and at least a dozen more are played for the two hour and 30-minute running time by a half dozen actors and actresses.

None has a more important line than the one who repeats Hague's famous rationale for the government's wholesale collection of data on private citizens, exposed by the Snowden leaks: If you are a law-abiding citizen "you have nothing to fear" from intelligence services listening in.

The rest of the evening is devoted to showing how wrong Hague was. People who haven't done anything wrong might still worry about strangers being able to track their movements down to the addresses they have visited recently and how long they spent there, or about advertisers using nuggets of information about their tastes and preferences littered across the Internet to promote a product until they finally cave in and buy it.

One of the play's darkly comic revelations shows that shoppers using Amazon in the United States to buy a baseball bat get offers to add a baseball glove. British purchasers get a suggestion to add a balaclava – a useful disguise for somebody using a bat as a weapon.

Mining mobiles

All the while, a young man seated onstage at a desk with an Apple notebook computer has been using the theatre's WiFi to mine the audience's mobile phones. He finds out their professions and where they live and, a bit later, provides a quick slide-show montage projected onstage of their houses, as taken from the images available on Google Earth.

All this is a bit like an old-time magic show, with the smart phone replacing the rabbit in the hat. It is all loosely strung on a narrative about a character called 'The Writer', played by Joshua McGuire, who is a Luddite resisting all things digital and social networky. He is being goaded by 'The Director', played with almost sadistic gusto by Michelle Terry, to deliver a play about, what else – privacy.

The play touches on many facets of the privacy issue in the digital age, from government snooping to commercial use of data. "When you use a service that is free, you are the product being sold," one of the characters says.

Where it falls short is in building a case, on one side or the other. Is trading off free services and greater security worth the commercial exploitation of personal data and wholesale government collection of personal communications?

"For all its urgent topicality, I felt the play short-circuited the crucial debate about how we guarantee a measure of privacy in the digital age," reviewer Michael Billington wrote in The Guardian. "What I longed for was a real intellectual tussle between those who see our essential privacy as under threat and those –
there are some – who argue that is the price we pay for security from external threat." – Reuters

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