Rabu, 28 Mei 2014

The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

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The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz


Très Jolie effect: Angelina through the years

Posted: 28 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Angelina Jolie has grown from being gothic and rebellious to becoming one of the most powerful and graceful women in Hollywood. Let's chart her maturity through her projects.

The Rock 'N' Roll Dreams Come Through (1994)

Before Jolie got herself onto the A-list, she was cast next to Meatloaf for this music video. Check it out: She's only 19, but there's no mistaking those lips and her eyes.

Hackers (1995)

This was the film in which Jolie met her first husband, British actor Jonny Lee Miller (now starring in the TV series Elementary). They were married shortly after the movie was done, and divorced four years later.

Gia (1998)

Jolie took on the challenging part of 1980s supermodel Gia Carangi, who rose to the top of the fashion world as quickly as she was struck down by her untimely death at age 26. For her effort, Jolie won a Golden Globe and received an Emmy nomination.

Pushing Tin (1999)

Jolie met her second husband, much older US actor Billy Bob Thornton, in this film. In their brief marriage, they provided fodder for the tabloids with their unusual public displays of affections (for example, wearing vials of each other's blood). They divorced in 2003 after four years.

Girl, Interrupted (1999)

Jolie won her first Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress with this film. She was lauded for portraying a mental patient with passion and insight, although her sanity was in question at the Oscars when she kissed her older brother James Haven on the lips, leaving him in tears during her acceptance speech and raising the eyebrows of everyone watching.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)

Fanboys finally learned that Jolie was as adept in action sequences as she was in dramatics, and this was the start of many action movies she would make. The film was a hit, despite Jolie's terrible British accent, as Lara Croft proved she was no archaeologist by trampling all things ancient.

Mr & Mrs Smith (2005)

Another film, another "husband". Brad Pitt's marriage to Jennifer Aniston was falling apart when Jolie met him on the set of this hit film. Yes, that fact is arguable, but there was a sex scene that had to be deleted for the film to earn it a PG-13 rating. You decide.

A Mighty Heart (2007)

Pitt produced this movie based on real events that shocked the world. Jolie took on the part of French freelance journalist Mariane Pearl, who went in search of her husband Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal reporter, when he was kidnapped (and ultimately murdered) by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002.

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Though Jolie did give her voice to another animated film, 2004's Shark Tale, she sounds much better here as the fearsome warrior-cat Tigress. She was also in the sequel Kung Fu Panda 2 and two other related short films, Kung Fu Panda Holiday and Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters.

Changeling (2008)

Directed by Clint Eastwood, the film based on real events received three Oscar nominations, including one for Jolie in the Best Actress category. The film stars Jolie as a working single mum in California in the 1920s, who is reunited with her missing son (by a corrupt police force) only to realise he is an impostor.

In The Land Of Blood And Honey (2011)

After directing the documentary, Jolie went on to direct this war drama set during the Bosnian War.

Unbroken (2014)

Other than Maleficent, Jolie has another movie this year that she directed. The feature film, scripted by Joel and Ethan Coen, chronicles the life of Louis Zamperini, a former Olympic track star who survived a plane crash in the Pacific theater, spent 47 days drifting on a raft, and then more than two and a half years as a prisoner of war in several brutal Japanese internment camps. 

Nightmare or dream? Ryan Gosling fantasy debut divides Cannes

Posted: 28 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Nightmare or dream? Ryan Gosling fantasy debut divides Cannes 

Hollywood heartthrob Ryan Gosling served up his hugely-anticipated directorial debut Lost River in Cannes last week, a psychedelic fantasy with strong David Lynch echoes that had some critics screaming in pain and others singing his praise.

Journalists jostled with movie-buffs to get into the festival hall's plush movie theatre for what was one of the most eagerly awaited events of the Cannes Film Festival, and many ended up being turned away.

"Dumb-foundingly poor", "a first-rate folie de grandeur", "mesmerising", "impressive"... Critics could not make their mind up over the 33-year-old's sombre, visually-stunning picture set in a decaying American ghost town called Lost River.

Mad Men star Christina Hendricks stars as Billy, a single mother-of-two who works at a local striptease joint, desperately trying to make ends meet to keep her rundown, mortgaged home.

She decides to take another, mysterious job touted by her sinister bank manager (Australia's Ben Mendelsohn) and discovers a shady, cabaret underworld where Cat (Eva Mendes) performs gory stunts to the delight of locals.

Meanwhile, her teenage son Bones (Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D actor Iain De Caestecker) spends his days tearing copper pipes out of derelict houses to earn some cash.

He grows close to his solitary neighbour Rat, played by rising Irish actress Saoirse Ronan, who lives in a ramshackle house with her mute grandmother and tells him about a curse over the town.

The film also stars British actor Matt Smith of Doctor Who fame as Bully, a rabid man-about-town who spreads terror in Lost River and likes to cut the lips off those who displease him.

Burning houses, graffiti-laden buildings, flooded streets, smoky corridors and a rousing, oppressive music score throughout ...

The film sucks the audience into a surreal world with strong – and perhaps too many – echoes of Lynch and Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, with whom Gosling worked on Drive and Only God Forgives, the ultra-violent film that competed for the top Palme d'Or prize last year and also divided viewers.

"This film is a present from directors I have been lucky to work with over the past few years," Gosling, who also wrote the screenplay, said in production notes.

"As an actor, I went from films deeply anchored in reality by Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine) to the imaginary world of Nicolas Winding Refn."

The film was shot in Detroit, the once-thriving Motor City that has since declared the largest bankruptcy in US history, leaving parts of the city near deserted and in shambles.

Gosling said he had taken his inspiration from the city when he went there to shoot George Clooney's political drama The Ides Of March.

"Even though I spent just a few days there, this city left a deep mark on me," he said.

"There were deserted districts stretching over 60 or so kilometres, and in some of the recesses of these districts, parents were trying to raise their children not far from burnt-down or demolished houses.

"At one time, (Detroit) was a postcard for the American dream, but today, for families in these districts, that dream has morphed into a nightmare," Gosling said. — AFP

Award-winning Lion Dance troupe's roaring success

Posted: 28 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

A new local movie tells the story of Malaysia's top lion dance troupe, Kun Seng Keng.

TEN-time Genting Lion Dance World Champions. 55 International Championship titles. 65 National Championship titles. It goes without saying that the world famous Kun Seng Keng (KSK) Lion and Dragon Dance Association is the undisputed king of the sport.

It is this impressive track record that inspired local filmmaker Matt Lai to make his directorial debut with an inspirational action movie titled The Great Lion – Kun Seng Keng.

"With their amazing record, it's a great concept to promote the lion dance culture in Malaysia. We are the world champions, so it's a good way to promote an achievement we can be proud of," Lai, 35, said during a recent interview in Kuala Lumpur, where he was accompanied by the movie's stars Thomas Kok and Henley Hii.

Invited by a friend to watch the Genting Lion Dance World Championship in 2012, Lai recalled how he was amazed by the fact that a team of two lion dancers could leap atop poles some two to three metres high, as well as distances of about two to three metres.

"That is not an easy thing to do. In fact, I think it is very, very difficult, especially since both dancers have to jump together."

Hard yet enjoyable: Henley Hii plays the lion tail in rival troupe Hei Long in the local Chinese movie The Great Lion - Kun Seng Keng.

Hard yet enjoyable: Henley Hii plays the lion tail in rival troupe Hei Long in the local Chinese movie The Great Lion – Kun Seng Keng.

After that, Lai did his research and found KSK's story to be so inspirational that he decided to make it his first directorial project, which he began filming in July 2013.

Based on the true story of KSK's "third-generation" lion dance troupe champions Chong Kok Fu and Si Tiam Yong, who contributed to 19 of the troupe's world championship titles, the coming-of-age sports film also stars Alan Kuo, Michael Chin, Chen Koon Tai and Angela Chan.

In film, Kok, 24, plays Si – the lion head of KSK, while Hii, 29, plays the lion tail of rival troupe Hei Long.

"We trained for months with Kun Seng Keng's award-winning team. It was then that we learnt what lion dance was really about. Many of the moves (we did) are awe-inspiring, and would probably take at least three years of training to be able to achieve," gushed Kok.

While the use of wire-work had to be incorporated in order for them to portray the sport accurately, Hii said, "The most important thing was to ensure that we demonstrated the 'form' and the spirit of lion dance."

Having to handle the tail end of the lion because he was larger in size (Chin played the lion head for Hei Long troupe), one of the challenges he faced was not being able to see what was in front of him.

"Being the one at the back, my line of sight was severely limited. Most of the time, all I could see were the pair of legs in front of me."

Another tough part of being the tail was having to bend over for the entire duration of the performance.

"There is a technique to it, but it is back-breaking work all the same," he added.

For Kok, however, the challenge was having to perform atop a pole. "It is bad enough having to perform while being perched atop a pole – the 'head' also gets lifted by the 'tail' during leaps and spins. So, the height does get to me, and it can get very scary sometimes. That was something I had to overcome."

The 'head' of the lion is also quite heavy, said Kok, who had sore arms by the end of every training session.

Kok hoped that through this movie, more Malaysians will appreciate the lion dance better.

"Malaysians love watching lion dance performances, but few know what an awesome craft it is. We hope they will learn to appreciate this age-old art through our movie," Kok said.

"The Great Lion – Kung Seng Keng" opens in local cinemas nationwide today.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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Snowden - 'no relationship' with Russian government

Posted: 28 May 2014 09:50 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden told a U.S. television interviewer on Wednesday he was not under the control of Russia's government and had given Moscow no intelligence documents after nearly a year of asylum there.

"I have no relationship with the Russian government at all," Snowden said in an interview with NBC News, his first with a U.S. television network. "I'm not supported by the Russian government. I'm not taking money from the Russian government. I'm not a spy."

The remarks by Snowden, whose leaks about highly classified U.S. surveillance programs shook the NSA and prompted limited reforms by President Barack Obama, were his most extensive to date on his relations with his host government.

Current and former U.S. intelligence officials have said it is unlikely Russian security services have not squeezed Snowden for secrets.

"I think he is now being manipulated by Russian intelligence," former NSA director Keith Alexander said last month.

But Snowden - who said he wants to return to the United States - said he destroyed classified materials before transiting to a Moscow airport, where he was prevented from onward travel.

"I took nothing to Russia, so I could give them nothing," he told NBC's Brian Williams in the hour-long interview.

Later in the interview, Snowden briefly criticised the crackdown on freedom of expression under Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Casting himself as a defender of privacy and civil liberties, he deemed it "frustrating" to "end up stuck in a place where those rights are being challenged in ways that I would consider deeply unfair."

Snowden, who fled to Hong Kong and then Moscow last year, is believed to have accessed about 1.5 million secret documents, U.S. officials have said, although how many he actually took is unclear. The leaked documents revealed massive programs run by the NSA that gathered information on emails, phone calls and Internet use including, in many cases, by Americans.

He was charged last year in the United States with theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defence information and wilful communication of classified intelligence to an unauthorized person.

"If I could go anywhere in the world, that place would be home," Snowden said.

U.S. officials said he was welcome to return to the United States if he wanted to face justice for leaking details of massive U.S. intelligence-gathering programs.

Secretary of State John Kerry invited Snowden to "man up and come back to the United States." "The bottom line is this is a man who has betrayed his country, who is sitting in Russia, an authoritarian country where he has taken refuge," Kerry told the CBS "This Morning" program on Wednesday.

Snowden made clear he would not return to the United States and hope for the best. He said he would not simply "walk into a jail cell," and that if his one-year asylum in Russia, which expires on Aug. 1, "looks like it's going to run out, then of course I would apply for an extension."

The Guardian newspaper quoted Ben Wizner, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union and legal adviser to Snowden, responding to Kerry's comments. Wizner said it would be impossible for Snowdon to argue that his disclosures had served the common good if he returned home to face the current Espionage Act charges.

He also said Snowden would run the risk of facing numerous additional charges for each document that has been published.

"The exposure that he faces is virtually unlimited under this," Wizner said.

In one odd moment in the NBC interview, Snowden expressed sympathy for working-level NSA employees who have been castigated as a result of his leaks.

"People have demonized the NSA to a point that's too extreme," he said, adding that the problem is with senior-level officials who expand their surveillance powers without public debate.

(Reporting by Peter Cooney and Warren Strobel; Editing by Ken Wills and Simon Cameron-Moore)

Iranian hackers use fake Facebook accounts to spy on U.S., others

Posted: 28 May 2014 09:35 PM PDT

BOSTON (Reuters) - In an unprecedented, three-year cyber espionage campaign, Iranian hackers created false social networking accounts and a fake news website to spy on military and political leaders in the United States, Israel and other countries, a cyber intelligence firm said on Thursday.

ISight Partners, which uncovered the operation, said the hackers' targets include a four-star U.S. Navy admiral, U.S. lawmakers and ambassadors, members of the U.S.-Israeli lobby, and personnel from Britain, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The firm declined to identify the victims and said it could not say what data had been stolen by the hackers, who were seeking credentials to access government and corporate networks, as well as infect machines with malicious software.

"If it's been going on for so long, clearly they have had success," iSight Executive Vice President Tiffany Jones told Reuters. The privately held company is based in Dallas, Texas and provides intelligence on cyber threats.

ISight dubbed the operation "Newscaster" because it said the Iranian hackers created six "personas" who appeared to work for a fake news site, NewsOnAir.org, which used content from the Associated Press, BBC, Reuters and other media outlets. The hackers created another eight personas who purported to work for defence contractors and other organizations, iSight said.

The hackers set up false accounts on Facebook and other online social networks for these 14 personas, populated their profiles with fictitious personal content, and then tried to befriend target victims, according to iSight.

The operation has been active since at least 2011, iSight said, noting that it was the most elaborate cyber espionage campaign using "social engineering" that has been uncovered to date from any nation.

To build credibility, the hackers would approach high-value targets by first establishing ties with the victims' friends, classmates, colleagues, relatives and other connections over social networks run by Facebook Inc, Google Inc and its YouTube, LinkedIn Corp and Twitter Inc.

The hackers would initially send the targets content that was not malicious, such as links to news articles on NewsOnAir.org, in a bid to establish trust. Then they would send links that infected PCs with malicious software, or direct targets to web portals that ask for network log-in credentials, iSight said.

The hackers used the 14 personas to make connections with more than 2,000 people, the firm said, adding that it believed the group ultimately targeted several hundred individuals.

"This campaign is not loud. It is low and slow," said Jones. "They want to be stealth. They want to be under the radar."

ISight said it had alerted some victims and social networking sites as well as the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and overseas authorities. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment.

Facebook Inc spokesman Jay Nancarrow said his company had discovered the hacking group while investigating suspicious friend requests and other activity on its website.

"We removed all of the offending profiles we found to be associated with the fake NewsOnAir organisation and we have used this case to further refine our systems that catch fake accounts at various points of interaction on the site and block malware from spreading," Nancarrow said.

LinkedIn spokesman Doug Madey said the site was investigating the report, though none of the 14 fake profiles uncovered by iSight were currently active.

Twitter declined to comment and Google could not immediately be reached for comment.

POST-STUXNET ERA

ISight disclosed its findings as evidence emerges that Iranian hacking groups are becoming increasingly aggressive.

Cybersecurity company FireEye Inc reported earlier this month that a group known as the Ajax Security Team has become the first Iranian hacking group to use custom-built malicious software for espionage.

Iranian hackers stepped up their activity in the wake of the Stuxnet attack on Tehran's nuclear program in 2010. The Stuxnet computer virus is widely believed to have been launched by the United States and Israel.

ISight said it could not ascertain whether the hackers were tied to the government in Tehran, though it believed they were supported by a nation state because of the complexity of the operation.

The firm said NewsOnAir.org was registered in Tehran and likely hosted by an Iranian provider. The Persian term "Parastoo" was used as a password for malware associated with the group, which appeared to work during business hours in Tehran, according to iSight.

Among the 14 false personas were reporters for NewsOnAir, including one with the same name as a Reuters journalist in Washington; six employees who purportedly worked for defence contractors; a systems administrator with the U.S. Navy; and an accountant working for a payment processor.

A spokesman for Thomson Reuters Corp, which owns Reuters, declined to comment.

(Reporting by Jim Finkle; Editing by Tiffany Wu)

As Asia frets over China, warmer welcome likely for Japan PM's push

Posted: 28 May 2014 09:15 PM PDT

SINGAPORE/TOKYO (Reuters) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's message of a bigger global security role for Japan when he speaks at a regional forum this week is likely to find a receptive audience as concerns grow in Asia about China - although some will refrain from clapping too loud for fear of offending Beijing.

While Japan has a festering dispute with China over islands in the sea between the two Asian economic giants, tensions have also spiked between Beijing and several Southeast Asian nations over rival claims to the oil and gas-rich South China Sea.

Abe is to deliver the keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Friday, a forum for defence and security experts from Asia, including the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United States and Australia.

The conservative prime minister is expected to explain his stepped-up push to lift a ban that has kept Japan's military from fighting overseas since World War Two.

Despite harsh memories of Japan's wartime occupation of much of Southeast Asia, several countries in the region may be in favour because of China's increasing assertiveness.

"The ASEAN countries which have disputes with China will support him," said Malcolm Cook, a senior fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.

"Japan can be much more forthright on its criticism of China than ASEAN as a grouping can be."

Some of the most trenchant criticism of China has come from the Philippines and more recently, Vietnam.

Earlier this month, China parked a huge oil rig in waters that are also claimed by Vietnam, and scores of ships from the two countries have been squaring off in its vicinity. On Tuesday, a Vietnamese fishing boat sank, prompting Hanoi and Beijing to trade barbs over who was to blame.

China has also angered the Philippines with reclamation work on a disputed island and the building of what appears to be an airstrip.

"We welcome Japan's contribution to the enhancement of security and stability in the region, including its plan to play a larger security role in the region," a senior Philippine defence official said.

WARY NATIONS

Other countries such as Malaysia, however, remain wary of angering China because of deep economic ties. Smaller nations in China's immediate neighbourhood, like Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos, are also unlikely to show solidarity with Japan.

Abe's speech is also expected to stress respect for the rule of law and opposition to changing the status quo by force - typically Japanese code for criticising Beijing.

Chinese delegates at the dialogue, led by the tough and articulate former deputy foreign minister Fu Ying, are expected to make the case that Japan, not China, threatens regional security, because of Abe's efforts to stretch the limits of Japan's post-war, pacifist constitution and bolster the military.

"China has elevated its representation at the dialogue, which has always been weaker than the other major players. I'm sure the decision to invite Abe played a role in that," Cook said.

Abe has made clear that he wants to re-interpret the constitution's pacifist Article 9 to enable Japan to exercise its right of collective self-defence, or militarily aiding a friendly country under attack. Previous governments have said Japan has the right under international law but that exercising it exceeds the bounds of the war-renouncing Article 9.

Abe said on Thursday he hoped for a decision in time to reflect the change in an update of U.S.-Japan defence cooperation guidelines the allies want to finish by year-end.

"It is desirable that (the cabinet) will make a decision in time for that," Kyodo news agency quoted him as telling a parliamentary panel debating the proposed shift.

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is trying to persuade its more dovish coalition partner to agree to the historic policy change, which surveys show a majority of Japanese voters oppose.

"At this time, he has to keep saying it's about the defence of Japan and our citizens, but in Singapore, he should be saying it's about regional security," said Narushige Michishita at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo.

"He'll be walking on a tightrope."

(Additional reporting by Manuel Mogato in Manila; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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'Vampire Diaries' spin-off keeps fans happy with action and romance

Posted: 28 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Daniel Gillies provides the old vampire charm to his character Elijah Mikaelson in The Originals.

THE vampire brothers Klaus and Elijah Mikeaelson can't be more different. While Klaus (Joseph Morgan) is known as the heartless monster, his brother – Elijah (Daniel Gillies) – remains Mr Nice Vampire.

We first met the Mikaelson brothers in The Vampire Diaires, when Klaus terrorised the residents of Mystic Falls whilst searching for the one thing that would break a curse that was cast upon him a very long time ago,

As soon as they appeared on that show, executive producer Julie Plec saw the potential of a spin-off revolving around the ancient siblings that other vampires call the Originals. And naturally, the show is titled The Originals.

In a transcript provided by HyppTV, Gillies recalled: "I remember seeing Julie watching (our scenes together) and saying, 'This has to be a show.' She was sitting there looking very giddy, so even back then I knew this show was going to happen."

The Originals revolves around Klaus, Elijah and their sister, Rebekah (Claire Holt), returning to their home in New Orleans – from which they were banished. The plot thickens with the presence of pregnant werewolf Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin); Klaus is the baby's daddy.

Since this baby has supernatural written all over it, the witches in the town are planning something for it.

Then there is Klaus' former protege – Marcel (Charles Michael Davis) – who has taken over the role of the ruler of the city, controlling both the humans and other supernatural inhabitants here.

According to Gillies, the first season is a little like a war. "In a sense, this mystical show is all about survival and we're heading to New Orleans to reclaim our former kingdom. That's going to require a lot of strategy, as well as a clever usurping of the power from Marcel."

Unfortunately, Klaus often loses his cool whenever he is faced with things that irk him, so it is up to brother Elijah to keep calm and sort things out especially when it concerns Hayley and Klaus' unborn child.

Sometimes in the series, Elijah comes off a little too serious for his own good. Gillies, however, disagreed that Elijah is straight-laced. "Personally, I think Elijah's always got a twinkle of humour in his eye. Everything he does has humour.

"He's more controlled than me and more economical with his movement, his voice, his poise, and everything – but he always has a joke in his eyes. I love that about him. I hope that's what he continues to do."

As with The Vampire Diaries, there's plenty of romance on The Originals as well. At the moment, it looks like there might be something more between Elijah and Hayley than just his concern over the mother of his brother's child.

But if there is one person Gillies would want his character to hook up with, who would it be?

"That's for Julie to master and design," answered Gillies. "It's difficult for me to say because I'm a married guy, so I don't ever think, 'Oh, I'd like to see my character get with this person or that person.' I don't look at it objectively. They will definitely hook Elijah up with somebody at some point, that's for damn sure." 

The Originals airs every Friday at 9pm on Warner TV (HyppTV Ch 613).

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Business

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US farm groups seek to exclude Japan from TPP talks

Posted: 28 May 2014 07:18 PM PDT

WASHINGTON: US farm groups said on Wednesday Japan should be suspended from Pacific trade talks if the Asian nation insists on keeping tariffs on sensitive agricultural sectors.

Japanese Economics Minister Akira Amari told Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trading partners at talks in Singapore last week that Japan will not agree to abolish all tariffs on wheat, rice, dairy, sugar, beef and pork.

US and Japanese negotiators will hold two more days of meetings in Washington on farm exports from Thursday and groups representing dairy, wheat, rice and pork farmers said they could still reach a deal.

"Failing that, the alternative is suspending negotiations with Japan for now and concluding a truly comprehensive agreement with those TPP partners that are willing to meet the originally contemplated level of ambition," the National Association of Wheat Growers, US Wheat Associates, USA Rice Federation, the National Pork Producers Council and the International Dairy Foods Association said in a statement.

"It is a big step but one that will be justified if Japan continues to refuse to open its agricultural sector to meaningful competition."

The joint statement is important because of the power the farm lobby wields in Washington. If farm groups refuse to support the TPP, which would create a 12-nation trade bloc covering 40% of the world economy, support in Congress could weaken further.

Beef producers from the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia have already demanded that the TPP eliminate all tariffs on beef, following reports that Japan might offer the United States a tariff reduction to around 9%.

Cattle farmers also want a guarantee Japan will offer the same terms it gives to the US to other trading partners.

Australia has separately agreed on a deal with Japan cutting tariffs on frozen beef to 19.5% and on fresh beef to 23.5%. The US has said the deal does not go far enough.

But US Trade Representative Michael Froman said after the Singapore meeting the US was pressing for tariff elimination to the "maximum extent possible," suggesting some room for flexibility.

A USTR spokesman said the office was confident it would secure a deal giving farmers new opportunities.

Japan, which levies average agriculture tariffs of 16.6%, wants to protect its politically powerful farmers although Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is keen for reforms to open Japan's economy and stimulate growth.

The Asian power's entry to the TPP last year was a game changer for many participants given its high-income population and relatively low import penetration, and excluding Japan would make the TPP less attractive for some countries.

Froman has said any decision on whether Japan should leave the TPP is up to Japan.

As well as cutting tariffs, the TPP seeks to set common standards on issues like intellectual property and labor. More than 140 members of Congress have signed a letter urging better protection for workers' rights, lawmakers said on Wednesday. – Reuters 

S. Korea current account surplus narrows in April

Posted: 28 May 2014 07:04 PM PDT

SEOUL: South Korea's current account surplus narrowed slightly in April, but strong car and steel exports kept it in the black for the 26th straight month, the central bank said Thursday.

The April surplus stood at US$7.12bil, down 2.2% from a revised US$7.29bil in March, the Bank of Korea (BoK) said.

Compared with a year earlier, the surplus was up 56.5% from US$2.57bil.

Asia's fourth-largest economy posted an all-time high surplus of US$79.88bil in 2013.

The current account is the broadest measure of cross-border trade. The service account, which includes outlays by South Koreans on overseas trips, logged a US$1.04bil deficit last month, up from a revised shortfall of US$647.8mil in March. – AFP

KLCI extends gains as plantations climb, E&O in focus

Posted: 28 May 2014 06:45 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's  blue chips extended their gains early Thursday, underpinned by gains in plantation stocks while Eastern & Oriental Bhd (E&O) was in focus after Sime Darby dispelled speculation of a takeover of the property company.

At 9.20am, the FBM KLCI was up 2.74 points to 1,874.40.  Turnover was 140.64 million shares valued at RM110mil. There were 201 gainers, 136 losers and 189 counters unchanged.

BIMB Securities Research reckons foreign based funds are returning into the region as values in the developed markets are now at the highs.

"Locally, the FBMKLCI gained 4.09 points at 1,871.66 on Wednesday from some foreign buying that saw a net inflow of almost RM209mil yesterday pushing net foreign inflows to RM354mil so far this week after a net inflow of RM999mil last week. We should expect some consolidation today but see the index to be flat," said the research house.

United Plantations rose34 sen to RM27.96 and KL Kepong 34 sen to RM24.54 following a recovery  in crude palm oil prices.

BAT was the top gainer, adding 60 sen to RM63 with just 200 shares done.

Insurer Alllianz added 44 sen to RM10.84 while Allianz-PA added 30 sen to  RM10.64.

E&O rose 18 sen to RM2.56 with 2.83 million shares done.

Sime Darby reduced its stake in E&O by 9.9% by selling it to Morning Crest Sdn Bhd, which is owned by E&O managing director Datuk Terry Tham Ka Hon for RM319mil, or RM2.90 per share. The move has dispelled market talk that the conglomerate planned to launch a takeover of E&O.

Other gainers were MESB, up  15 sen to  95 sen while  Naim Holdings gained 13 sen to RM4.04 and glove maker Kossan added 11 sen to RM4.09.

Nestle  extended its losses, down 52 sen to RM67. Prestariang lost eight sen to RM1.76 while IJM shed seven sen to RM6.78.

Bonia fell seven sen to RM51.2.  Its net profit for the nine months ended March 31, 2014 was in line with expectations, accounting for 75% of CIMB Equities Research's and 72% of consensus full-year forecasts.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Nation

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Difficult for traders to overcharge once GST implemented

Posted: 28 May 2014 07:30 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: The Goods and Services Tax, which will be implemented on April 1 next year, will make it difficult for unscrupulous traders to overcharge consumers.

Royal Malaysian Customs Department internal tax division director Datuk Subromaniam Tholasy said the GST improves the structural defects in the current sales tax system and helps ensure that consumers do not pay for any "hidden tax".

The current sales tax system, he explained, had a cascading effect on consumers.

"We are currently trapped under the old system as unscrupulous traders can take advantage by increasing their prices unfairly although the sales tax is imposed at the manufacturer's level.

"The GST is collected in piece meal from one stage to another. What you pay is the value-added tax.

"Unscrupulous traders can no longer take the cost of tax as the cost of goods. The prices will become more transparent and in the long run, more

stable," he said at a public forum entitled "Why GST?" organised by Universiti Malaya's International Institute of Public Policy and Management (Inpuma) here, Wednesday.

He said under the GST, consumers would not bear the cost of any "hidden tax" as the profit margin at each level from manufacturer right down to retailer would be known.

"Under the net Ringgit margin rule, the profit margin before and after the GST should not change. That will basically cap any profiteering exercise by these unscrupulous traders.

"It is easier to enforce the Anti-Profiteering Act under the GST environment as we know the margin at each level," he added.

The list of items taxable under GST, Subromaniam said, would be released as a "Shoppers Guide" three months before and three months after its implementation.

"If it is released too early, it might not reflect the actual basic price of the goods as the production cost might have changed before that period," he said, adding that the list would include popular consumer items.

Basic food and essential sectors such as public transport, health, housing and education are exempted from the GST.

The GST, he said, was a progressive tax where the burden on the lower income group was much lower than the higher income group.

Meet the people over Kidex, Wan Azizah tells Khalid

Posted: 28 May 2014 05:58 AM PDT

KAJANG: PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail wants Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim to meet residents affected by the Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) project.

"That's how it should be. The affected ones should be given a chance for a hearing," she told reporters at Kajang PKR service centre, on Wednesday.

Dr Wan Azizah, who is also Kajang assemblyman, acknowledged that there were concerns from the people who opposed the RM2.42bil project, and said that the Selangor mentri besar had yet to brief state lawmakers over the matter.

Kidex is a 14.9km elevated superhighway which aims to reduce travelling time between Damansara and Kinrara by 25 per cent.

When asked whether Khalid's support for the the  project was against Pakatan Rakyat's general elections 2013 manifesto to abolish tolled highways, Dr Wan Azizah said the project was approved "before Pakatan came into Selangor".

"The decision was made before Pakatan came to Selangor, but of course we want to hold on to our (election) promises," she said.

The approval of the project was in fact granted by the Khalid administration in 2012, four years after Pakatan first took over the state from Barisan Nasional.

Dr Wan Azizah however refused to comment further saying she needed more information on the impact of the project.

New Sultan of Perak to be proclaimed tomorrow

Posted: 28 May 2014 05:09 AM PDT

IPOH: The appointment and proclamation of the new Sultan of Perak will be made at the Balairong Seri (Throne Room) of the Istana Iskandariah in Kuala Kangsar Thursday evening, said Dewan Negara Perak secretary Datuk Ayob Hashim.

He said the ceremony would be held before the remains of the late Sultan Azlan Shah were laid to rest.

Sultan Azlan Shah passed away at 1.30 pm Wednesday at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur. His Royal Highness was 86.

Ayob also said that a special meeting of the Dewan Negara Perak would be held late Wednesday evening to determine the successor of Sultan Azlan Shah.

Orang Kaya Bendahara Seri Maharaja Gen (Rtd) Tan Sri Mohd Zahidi Zainuddin will chair the meeting at the Istana Iskandariah, he said.

The special meeting is convened in accordance with a provision in the Perak Constitution which states that the Perak Royal council must convene in Kuala Kangsar within 24 hours of the demise of a reigning monarch.

Ayob said the appointment and proclamation of the new sultan would take place after the dignitaries and the public had paid their last respects to the late sultan.

The remains of Sultan Azlan Shah will be laid to rest at the royal mausoleum in Kuala Kangsar on Thursday after the 'Asar' prayers in the late afternoon. – Bernama
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Exclusive Tiger Translate passes up for grabs

Posted: 25 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Be a witness to the collaboration of music and arts.

WHEN it comes to an exciting combination of art and music in one event, look no further than Tiger Translate. To be held on June 14 at Kenanga City in Kuala Lumpur, this event features live performances by English alternative band Editors, indie rock outfit Chochukmo and Manic Sheep. Local musician OJ Law will be bringing his signature electro-pop music to the event as well.

The event will also see graffiti artiste Kenji Chai, tattooist Lynda Chean with graphic designers Tsu Ann and Jayme from Kickatomic collaborating for a live art project.

Since 2005, Tiger Translate has been showcasing the best collaboration of music and arts in various cities including New York, London and Dubai.

The platform aims to celebrate global creativity through the exposure of various cultures and experiences.

The exclusive event is by–invitation only and Star2 wants you to be a part of it.

For a chance to walk away with a pair of passes to Tiger Translate Malaysia 2014, answer the following question: which country is the Editors from? There are 300 passes up for grabs.

Send your answer to contest@translate.my now! Don't forget to include your name, IC number and phone number. Contest ends June 6, 2014. Terms and conditions apply.

The Tiger Translate event in Kenanga City, Kuala Lumpur on June 14 is strictly open to non–Muslims aged 18 years and above. For more on Tiger Translate and its past events, please visit www.tigertranslate.com.my.

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China's Jade Rabbit moon rover 'alive but struggling'

Posted: 28 May 2014 06:38 AM PDT

BEIJING, May 28, 2014 (AFP) - China's troubled Jade Rabbit moon rover is still alive after more than five months on the moon but is heading for an icy death, state media reported on Wednesday.

The rover launched in December can still send data back to Earth, Xinhua news agency cited Li Benzheng, deputy commander-in-chief of China's lunar programme, as saying.

But it is unable to move after its wheels broke down, the report said, and is suffering from chills after solar panels for thermal insulation during freezing lunar nights stopped working.

"With each lunar night, the functionality of Yutu is yet again weakened," Li said, using the Chinese name for Jade Rabbit.

The rover turns dormant and stops sending signals during the lunar night - two-week periods when the part of the moon's surface on which it is sited rotates away from the sun and temperatures turn extremely cold.

The Jade Rabbit is named after the pet of a mythical goddess of the moon in Chinese mythology, and was deployed on the lunar surface on December 15.

But it experienced a "mechanical control abnormality" on January 25, leading to fears in China it might never revive. To the country's relief, it started sending signals again in mid-February.

China sees the space programme as a symbol of its rising global stature and technological advancement, as well as of the Communist Party's success in reversing the fortunes of the once-impoverished nation.

Fire kills six typhoon victims in Philippine tent city

Posted: 28 May 2014 03:56 AM PDT

MANILA, May 28, 2014 (AFP) - Six members of the same family died after a fire struck a tent city set up for survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines on Wednesday, a police official said.

The blaze broke out in a tent housing a couple and their six children in the central city of Tacloban after their home was destroyed by last year's typhoon, said Chief Superintendent Henry Losanes, the area's police chief.

The mother and her five children aged between four months and 12 years died while a sixth child was injured and is undergoing medical treatment, Losanes said.

The cause of the blaze is still being determined, he added.

The family was one of thousands left homeless when Haiyan, the most powerful typhoon ever to hit land, struck the central Philippines on November 6, 2013.

The typhoon killed 6,300 people and left 1,061 others missing, according to government records.

More than a million homes were also damaged by the storm and months afterwards, many of those affected are still huddling in vulnerable shelters like tents and makeshift shanties.

Reacting to the incident, President Benigno Aquino's special aide for Haiyan rehabilitation, Panfilo Lacson said that the government was already providing assistance to those affected and that residents of the tent city would soon be moved to "transitional shelters".

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Audience participation: You nail the culprit in 'Shear Madness'

Posted: 25 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

One murder, four suspects – and the audience gets to help in determining the guilty party.

TOMMY can't take it any more – it drives him mad, this incessant piano practising coming from the floor above his hair salon.

All he wants is for it to stop so he can trim, cut, shave in peace, air his opinions without being interrupted, tell his stories to all and sundry.

So what if Isabel Fernandez upstairs is a world-famous pianist – a hairdresser as charming and flamboyant as he deserves some quiet so he can shine the way he was born to.

"My character dreams of being a big star entertainer. It's challenging to play him because I'm not like him at all! He always wants to be the centre of attention, he is the life of the party," says Qahar Aqilah, who plays Tommy.

But does this flamboyant personality – however frustrated he is with the tinkling of the piano coming from the floor above – really have it in him to murder Isabel in return for the blissful silence he craves?

Well, Tommy is really at the mercy of the audience in this interactive whodunit. They can interrogate him, grill him, question him till he breaks.

But he is not the only one who is a suspect.

There's also Chanel (Marina Tan), the beautician working with him, Datin Violet Schubert (Junji Delfino), the socialite, and Eddie (Na'a Murad) the antiques dealer – all of whom are in the salon (and thus not allowed to leave) when the police (Jason Leong and Phoon Chi Ho) burst onto the scene.

Shear Madness Рbased on the play Scherenschnitt written by the late German playwright and writer Paul P̦rtner in 1963 to use as a study of how people perceive (or misperceive) reality Рincorporates improvisation, comedy and audience participation in the crime-solving process.

"It's a strange play, very unusual and a little odd – but it works," says director Richard Gardner of Gardner & Wife Theatre, presenter of Shear Madness.

"The detectives round up the four characters and then involve the audience who are encouraged to ask questions, point out mistakes, and interrogate them. As you go along, you find out that each of the four characters have a motif to kill Isabel."

Throw in a pair of scissors (hey, it's a hair salon after all), a criminal record and shady slinking around the toilet, and there you have it: an evening of laughs, madcap improvisation and mystery, spontaneous humour and you – a member audience – playing detective.

Even the interview this writer had with the actors gave no clue as to how this murder mystery and comedy will play out on stage.

"My character is very close to Isabel, so she doesn't like it when Tommy starts gossiping about her and putting her down. But it's a complicated relationship that she shares with this pianist, so there is a lot of drama," says Tan, who describes her Chanel as someone who "grew up in a rough part of town" but is slowly making her way up in life.

"Chanel has aspirations, she's not a bimbo ... but there's still some social graces that she lacks. She's fiesty, good company and very likeable, but I wouldn't trust her with your bank account number or husband because she's quick in seeing opportunities in life and isn't afraid to take advantage of that."

Watch carefully for clues and suspicious behaviour while the actors ham it up on stage, because during the play, and also during the intermission, the police will mingle with the audience and note down your observations and opinions.

Shear Madness, having played in theatres around the world for over three decades now, is unique in that the play is adjusted to the city in which it plays – hence, the setting this time around is Happy Gardens in Kuala Lumpur.

The play will also include references to current affairs and popular culture.

Come for the mystery, come for the comedy, come for the witty lines – but above all, come to get your finger in the pie.

Shear Madness is showing at PJ Live Arts Theatre at Level 2, Block K, Jaya One, Petaling Jaya, Selangor from May 28 to June 1, and June 3 to 14. Shows are at 8.30pm (Tuesday to Friday), 3pm and 8.30pm (Saturday) and 2pm and 7pm (Sunday). Tickets range from RM50 to RM90. For more info, visit www.gardnerandwifetheatre.com or www.pjlivearts.my or email boxoffice@pjlivearts.my. For ticket purchase, go to www.tix.my.

Win a chance to watch magic or a horror film

Posted: 25 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Tune in to Red FM or 988 to win tickets to watch illusionist Peter Marvey or Thai horror flick Make Me Shudder 2.

Peter Marvey is a magician and illusionist, who is best known for his combination of sleight of hand and large-scale stage illusions. He studied and practised seven years to create the illusion called "Dream Flying" which made his name in the magic business and eventually became his signature piece.

Marvey, who was the first magician who changed costume in mid-air, developed an illusion which allowed him to fly over the audience in 2002. In 2005, he designed a flying illusion for the singer, Ayumi Hamasaki.

Aside from flying illusions, he has also created many levitation systems. These include the levitation of spectators live on stage and floating objects which can be witnessed at close range. Other grand illusions in his shows include being cut in half at waist and shortening his legs to less than half the normal length.

Want to watch Peter Marvey's performance at Resort World Genting? Two lucky listeners who tune in to 988 Morning Up (weekdays, 6am to 10am), will walk away with a pair of VIP tickets each.

Over at Red FM, you stand to win VIP tickets when you tune in to WTF with JJ (weekdays, 6am to 10am) and the Red Fix with Terry and Azura.

Besides the chance to watch Peter Marvey's magnificent performance, winners are also entitled for a two-day/one-night stay at Genting's First World Hotel. If you miss your chance winning the tickets on air, you still stand the chance to win them online by logging on to www.red.fm and www.988.com.my.

Love horror flicks? Then tune in to 988 as the station is giving listeners the chance to watch the Thai horror movie, Make Me Shudder 2 at GSC Mid Valley on June 4.

To win four screening passes to the movie, be the first caller through to answer a simple question during Music Gets Crazy with Athena and Hau Min (weekdays, 12.30pm to 4pm). You can also win the screening passes by logging on to www.988.com.my.

Red FM is giving out tickets to American alternative rock band Vertical Horizon's performance in Malaysia on June 3. The band is best known for a string of hits including You're A God, Everything You Want and Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning). To win four Rock Zone tickets worth RM238 each, tune in to the Red Rave (weekdays, 10am to 2pm) and Red Fix (weekdays, 8pm to midnight) and be the first SMS through with the correct answer.

On Red Rush (weekdays, 5pm to 8pm), Adam C is giving out RM100, sponsored by Red Bull, in Battle Of The Sixes contest. All you need to do is name six things in six seconds. Tune in to Red FM on 106.4FM in Ipoh and 92.8FM in Johor Baru.

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One Direction to perform in Singapore

Posted: 27 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

The new National Stadium will host the quintet on their tour.

ENGLISH–IRISH boy band One Direction will be performing at a concert in Singapore on March 11, 2015. The new National Stadium in Singapore will host one of the band's stops in its On Their Road Again tour.

Formed during the boot camp stage of The X Factor reality show in 2010 in Britain, One Direction consists of youngsters Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan.

The group's debut single What Makes You Beautiful peaked at No. 1 on the British singles chart in 2011, which almost instantly made the boys world famous. The band is currently on tour promoting its latest album Midnight Memories which features hit singles Best Song Ever and Story Of My Life.

Organised by Live Nation Lushington, tickets to One Direction Live in Singapore will go on sale from June 11, 2014.

Tickets priced from S$88 (RM227) to S$388 (RM1,000), will be available at www.sportshubtix.sg. Check out www.facebook.com/lushingtonentertainments for more information.

Band of Skulls thinks big - new record is more danceable

Posted: 26 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

The band was inspired to do so after touring with some big names.

Having the word "Skulls" in your name requires that your band rocks to some moderate degree, which British trio Band Of Skulls manages to do.

The group, working in the heavy blues/ garage vein, followed its second album, Sweet Sour, by touring with Queens of the Stone Age and Muse and went home thinking big, thus the name of the new album, Himalayan.

"We started writing in London and we kind of set out with the intention to write the songs we felt were missing in our live set," says bassist-singer Emma Richardson. "We wanted it to be a faster-paced, more danceable record."

Working with producer Nick Launay of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the trio fashioned a record that strikes with the arena-style riffs of its tour mates.

"Yeah, there's a few heavy riffs in there, some of the heavier songs we've written," she says. "There's also some soulful, beautiful moments in there as well, and some kind of dancey pop songs, too. So it's a mixture like the last two."

Band Of Skulls formed in the mid-2000s with art student Richardson meeting singer-guitarist Russell Mardsen at the Winchester School of Art joining him and his longtime friend, drummer Matt Hayward.

A big part of the band's influences, she says, came from "what our mums, dads listened to around the house. My dad played drums in a blues band and Russ' dad, he liked more of the punk side of things, like Magazine, Television, Sex Pistols. We had a lot of different influences from early on."

She joined with little experience on bass, when the band was still called Fleeing New York. "They invited me to a rehearsal," she says. "I listened to them play for a day and it felt easy and natural. They had an unspoken connection."

Their break came early with a single, I Know What I Am, that drew comparisons to The Kills and Duke Spirit.

"We were recording our first record and we got a call that iTunes wanted to use one of our tracks for their single of the week and we finished the record and before we knew it, it was available worldwide, which was a massive deal for us."

Since then, Band of Skulls has had a lot of success with soundtrack and video game licensing, the biggest of which was placement on the chart-topping The Twilight Saga: New Moon album.

"I suppose it gave us recognition with the people who may not have heard us before," she says. "We didn't really know what it was all about, the Twilight phenomenon. Strange thing, isn't it?" – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

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China's Jade Rabbit moon rover 'alive but struggling'

Posted: 28 May 2014 06:38 AM PDT

BEIJING, May 28, 2014 (AFP) - China's troubled Jade Rabbit moon rover is still alive after more than five months on the moon but is heading for an icy death, state media reported on Wednesday.

The rover launched in December can still send data back to Earth, Xinhua news agency cited Li Benzheng, deputy commander-in-chief of China's lunar programme, as saying.

But it is unable to move after its wheels broke down, the report said, and is suffering from chills after solar panels for thermal insulation during freezing lunar nights stopped working.

"With each lunar night, the functionality of Yutu is yet again weakened," Li said, using the Chinese name for Jade Rabbit.

The rover turns dormant and stops sending signals during the lunar night - two-week periods when the part of the moon's surface on which it is sited rotates away from the sun and temperatures turn extremely cold.

The Jade Rabbit is named after the pet of a mythical goddess of the moon in Chinese mythology, and was deployed on the lunar surface on December 15.

But it experienced a "mechanical control abnormality" on January 25, leading to fears in China it might never revive. To the country's relief, it started sending signals again in mid-February.

China sees the space programme as a symbol of its rising global stature and technological advancement, as well as of the Communist Party's success in reversing the fortunes of the once-impoverished nation.

Fire kills six typhoon victims in Philippine tent city

Posted: 28 May 2014 03:56 AM PDT

MANILA, May 28, 2014 (AFP) - Six members of the same family died after a fire struck a tent city set up for survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines on Wednesday, a police official said.

The blaze broke out in a tent housing a couple and their six children in the central city of Tacloban after their home was destroyed by last year's typhoon, said Chief Superintendent Henry Losanes, the area's police chief.

The mother and her five children aged between four months and 12 years died while a sixth child was injured and is undergoing medical treatment, Losanes said.

The cause of the blaze is still being determined, he added.

The family was one of thousands left homeless when Haiyan, the most powerful typhoon ever to hit land, struck the central Philippines on November 6, 2013.

The typhoon killed 6,300 people and left 1,061 others missing, according to government records.

More than a million homes were also damaged by the storm and months afterwards, many of those affected are still huddling in vulnerable shelters like tents and makeshift shanties.

Reacting to the incident, President Benigno Aquino's special aide for Haiyan rehabilitation, Panfilo Lacson said that the government was already providing assistance to those affected and that residents of the tent city would soon be moved to "transitional shelters".

Daughter of fugitive Korean ferry tycoon arrested in France

Posted: 28 May 2014 03:51 AM PDT

PARIS, May 28, 2014 (AFP) - The daughter of a fugitive Korean tycoon accused of being responsible for last month's ferry disaster has been arrested in France and will appear before a judge Wednesday, judicial sources told AFP.

Yoo Som-Na, 47, was arrested Tuesday at her Paris residence under an international arrest warrant issued in connection with the investigation into a disaster that claimed around 300 lives, most of them schoolchildren.

A judge will decide later on Wednesday whether she should be detained in custody pending a decision on whether to extradite her to South Korea, which could take several months or longer if she contests it.

Yoo Som-Na is the daughter of Yoo Byung-Eun, the head of the family which controls Chonghaejin Marine Co., the company which owned and operated the Sewol ferry that capsized and sunk on April 16 with hundreds of high-school students on board.

Yoo and his eldest son Yoo Dae-Kyun are being hunted by Korean authorities who suspect breaches of legal safety standards may have led to a tragedy that moved the whole world.

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye on Tuesday denounced fugitive members of the family as the "root cause" of the disaster. The government has offered a half-million dollar reward for information leading to the arrest of the father and 100,000 dollars for Yoo Dae-Kyun.

Korean prosecutors want to question the two men, Yoo Som-Na and another son who lives in the United States in connection with possible charges of embezzlement, tax fraud and criminal negligence.

Yoo has no direct stake in Chonghaejin, but his children and close aides control it through a complex web of holding companies.

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