Isnin, 2 Jun 2014

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro


Hunger Games salute becomes symbol of Thai resistance

Posted: 02 Jun 2014 10:42 PM PDT

BANGKOK, June 03, 2014 (AFP) - Opponents of Thailand's military coup are risking arrest by flashing the three-finger salute from the "Hunger Games" movies to defy a junta that has banned all public protests.

The gesture has become the unofficial symbol of resistance against a military regime that has suspended democracy and severely curtailed freedom of expression. "Showing three fingers has become a symbol to call for basic political rights in a country ruled by one person as if with the most sovereign power, who is General Prayut Chan-O-Cha," Sombat Boonngamanong, a prominent activist wanted by the junta, wrote on Facebook.

Critics of the May 22 coup, including the youngest daughter of ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, have posted photographs of themselves flashing three fingers on Facebook and other social media sites.

"Dear #HungerGames. We've taken your sign as our own. Our struggle is non-fiction," wrote one Twitter user. In the "Hunger Games" movies, the residents of a dystopian future North America - who are forced to compete in a televised death match - initially use the gesture to mean thanks, admiration and good-bye to someone they love.

It later becomes a more general symbol of their uprising against a wealthy, totalitarian regime. In Thailand some protesters say the salute is also a nod to the French revolutionary motto "liberty, equality and fraternity".

The military - which has imposed martial law, controls on the media and a night-time curfew - has warned that people flashing three fingers could face arrest under its ban on public protests. "If they gather as more than five people and show the symbol of three fingers then it's against the law," army spokesman Winthai Suvaree told reporters.

But he suggested that people posting photos on the Internet were unlikely to be detained, saying coup makers were "not paying any attention" to the three-finger salute by Thaksin's daughter. 

Protest crackdown

The junta mounted a show of military strength over the weekend to deter small but defiant anti-coup flashmob rallies that popped up outside shopping malls and near train stations in the capital Bangkok.

Some people have taken to the streets reading George Orwell's dystopian novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four". Six people were arrested, included a woman shoved into a taxi by undercover police apparently disguised as journalists.

Security forces, many carrying riot shields, were deployed, backed briefly by an armoured humvee with a soldier manning a mounted machine gun. The army has warned protesters that they - and even their families - face punishment under strict martial law, which has imposed sweeping curbs on freedoms. The harsh response "reveals a totalitarian mindset that discounts respect for human rights as a hindrance to exercise of power," said Brad Adams, Asia director of New York-based Human Rights Watch.

"The Bangkok street protesters' three-fingered Hunger Games salute is a symbolic act of peaceful defiance by those who recognise - like those in the rebellious districts in the movie - that they face overwhelming odds but decide to bravely raise their voices nonetheless."

The coup makers said they were forced to seize power after nearly seven months of anti-government protests which saw 28 people killed and hundreds of others wounded. Prayut, the army chief, has said elections are not expected to be held for at least a year to allow a new constitution to be drawn up in an effort to end a political crisis stretching back almost a decade.

Critics accuse the junta of using the violence as a pretext for a long-planned power grab by the military-backed royalist establishment which loathes Thaksin, who was himself ousted in a coup in 2006. The billionaire tycoon-turned-populist politician lives in self-exile in Dubai to avoid jail for a corruption conviction.

Thaksin or his allies have won every election in more than a decade, including in 2011 under his younger sister Yingluck Shinawatra, helped by strong support among voters in the northern half of the country.

Emirates chief asks why no fighter jet tracked MH370

Posted: 02 Jun 2014 09:37 PM PDT

SYDNEY: Emirates chief Tim Clark has reportedly questioned why fighter jets did not intercept Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 when it veered widely off course, but said he believed the missing plane will be found.

Clark said that more information on the disappearance of the Boeing jet, which was carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, was needed before the industry changes its aircraft tracking procedures.

The Emirates boss told The Australian Financial Review at an annual airlines conference in Doha that the plane would have been intercepted by military aircraft if it had flown off course over other countries.

"If you were to fly from London to Oslo and then over the North Sea you turned off and then went west to Ireland, within two minutes you'd have Tornadoes, Eurofighters, everything up around you," he said.

"Even if you did that over Australia and the US, there would be something up. I'm not quite sure where primary radar was in all of this."

His comments came as the International Air Transport Association conference looked at ways of improving the tracking of aircraft through flight data transmissions or technologies to monitor their movements.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation has also formed a working group to explore tracking methods.

"In my view we are all plunging down a path that (says) 'we have got to fix this'," Clark said. "This is the door closing after the horse has gone 25 miles down the track.

"We need to know more about what actually happened to this aeroplane and do a forensic second-by-second analysis of it. I think we will find it and get to the bottom of it."

Australia is leading the hunt for MH370, which is believed to have crashed in the Indian Ocean, but there have been no signs of the plane since it vanished over the South China Sea on March 8 despite an intense air, sea and underwater search.

Malaysia's air force has acknowledged that military radar tracked what it called an "unidentified object" - later determined to be MH370 - crossing back through Malaysian airspace and out toward the Indian Ocean after the plane diverted.

The air force said it took no action because the aircraft was not deemed "hostile", drawing heavy criticism over the lost opportunity to intercept or further track the plane.

Malaysia's government has defended the air force decision, without elaborating on how it was made, but Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has said military procedures would be reviewed in the wake of MH370. -AFP

New India minister killed in car accident

Posted: 02 Jun 2014 09:33 PM PDT

NEW DELHI: A new Indian minister was killed Tuesday in a car accident in the capital just days after being sworn into government, officials said.

Gopinath Munde, rural development and water and sanitation minister, died in hospital after his car was involved in an accident en route to New Delhi's airport early Tuesday.

"His car was hit by another car which gave him a shock and Munde himself asked his driver to rush him to the hospital," fellow minister Nitin Gadkari told reporters outside the AIIMS hospital.

Munde, 64, was among ministers sworn in on Monday last week after their right-wing party's landslide victory over the left-wing Congress party at the general election.

A veteran politician and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Munde hailed from western Maharashtra where he was a former deputy chief minister of the state between 1995 and 1999.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among those to pay tribute to Munde, saying his death was a "major loss" for the country.

"Extremely saddened & shocked by the demise of my friend & colleague Gopinath Munde ji," Modi said in a tweet on his official account.

"His demise is a major loss for the Nation & the Govt," the premier said.

A doctor at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) said Munde was declared dead shortly after being brought to the emergency department.

"When he was brought to the hospital there was no spontaneous breathing, pulse and cardiac activity," AIIMS spokesman Amit Gupta told reporters.

"We tried to resuscitate him but despite all efforts Munde couldn't be revived and was declared dead at 7:30am," he said. -AFP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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India's Modi faces battle with states to fix power crisis

Posted: 02 Jun 2014 10:00 PM PDT

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Swathes of India's most populous state plunged into darkness for 12 hours a day last week as temperatures in Delhi hit their highest in 16 years, with the disruptions underlining the tough challenge a new government faces in keeping the lights on.

Two years after one of the world's biggest blackouts deprived at least 300 million people of power, India still suffers from frequent cuts that undermine efforts to revive the third-largest economy in Asia.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)stormed to office last month on promises to boost the economy and improve basic services for the millions of Indians who still lack running water and electricity.

One of his first steps in tackling the energy crunch has been to unite the portfolios of power, coal and renewable energy under a single minister, Piyush Goyal.

But the power sector also shows the limits to what the central government can do, with key decisions devolved to the country's 29 states.

While Modi is expected to fast-track new projects to boost output and press states to stop politicians from giving away electricity to voters, the task of translating extra capacity into reliable supply falls on state governments.

"We have a situation where there is enough idle power generation capacity in the country but states are witnessing power cuts," said Umesh Agrawal, a power expert at PwC.

"The problem today is not a lack of supply but lack of willingness from state utilities to procure power."

The BJP has blamed last week's outages in Uttar Pradesh on the party that rules the northern state, saying it is punishing constituents who voted for other parties in the general election. The local government rejects the charge and says it is not getting enough power from the centre to meet demand.

Temperatures in north India have surged past 40 degrees Celsius, while a dust storm in the capital damaged power lines last Friday, further straining energy infrastructure.

REFORM PUSH

India's power generation has grown - the peak deficit is down to 5.4 percent from 16.6 percent in 2008, government data shows - but getting the supply to end consumers is far trickier.

Regional politicians tell distributors to prioritise supply to favoured constituents, while popular pressure for cheap or free power has kept theft high and prices artificially low, straining utilities' finances and curbing new investment.

Those factors will hamper any reform push by Modi, who campaigned on his record as chief minister of the western state of Gujarat, which enjoys a surplus of power.

Reforms in Gujarat a decade ago cut theft, restructured distributors and split tariffs between different users. Goyal has vowed to tour the state to learn about its reforms.

But the power to make decisions about tariffs, subsidies and collection rests with states, limiting New Delhi's influence.

Modi must also tackle shortages of coal and gas that have left new plants operating below capacity - India's second-largest gas-powered plant, Bawana, is producing a fifth of its capacity, because it cannot get hold of gas.

"Our entire power projects are stalled," said Madhu Terdal, group chief financial officer of GMR Group, which has delayed making an investment of $3 billion in its plants because of the shortages and because its costs exceed the price it can get for selling electricity.

"You either subsidise the distributors or you subsidise the generators, but you have to do something," Terdal said.

(Reporting by Tommy Wilkes; Additional reporting by Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Clarence Fernandez)

Polls open in Syrian presidential election

Posted: 02 Jun 2014 09:40 PM PDT

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syrians began voting on Tuesday in an election expected to deliver an overwhelming victory to President Bashar al-Assad in the midst of a civil war that has fractured the country and killed more than 160,000 people.

Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) in parts of Syria under Assad's government control.

"We hope for security and stability," said Hussam al-Din al Aws, an Arabic teacher who was the first person to vote at one polling station at a Damascus secondary school. Asked who would win, he responded: "God willing, President Bashar al-Assad."

Assad is running against two relatively unknown challengers who were approved by parliament to participate in the election, which his international opponents have dismissed as a sham.

The election is taking place more than three years after protests first broke out in Syria, calling for reform after four decades of Assad family rule. Authorities responded with force and the uprising descended into civil war.

Assad's forces, backed by allies including Iran and Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah, have consolidated their control in central Syria but the rebels and foreign jihadi fighters hold vast areas of northern and eastern Syria.

(Reporting by Marwan Makdesi; Editing by Matt Driskill and Jeremy Laurence)

For fallen soldiers' families, Bergdahl release stirs resentment

Posted: 02 Jun 2014 09:30 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - (Note: Strong language in final paragraph)

Robert Andrews believes his own son might still be alive if U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl had not gone missing from his Afghan guard post on June 30, 2009.

As Bergdahl emerges from five years of Taliban captivity, former comrades are accusing him of walking away from his unit and prompting a massive manhunt they say cost the lives of at least six fellow soldiers, including Andrews' 34-year-old son, Darryn, a second lieutenant.

    "Basically, my son died unnecessarily, hunting for a guy that we shouldn't even have been hunting for," Andrews told Reuters.

The sense of pride expressed by Obama administration officials over Bergdahl's release in exchange for five Taliban prisoners on Saturday is not shared by many of those who served alongside him in Afghanistan or the families of those said to have died trying to bring him back.

    The U.S. military has not said how Bergdahl fell into the insurgents' hands, but several of those from his unit say he became disillusioned with the war and abandoned his post during a nighttime guard shift, an act of desertion that would normally incur severe punishment.

    "I think he wanted to get away from our side of the war," commented Greg Leatherman, who says he was in charge of Bergdahl's unit the night he disappeared.

By contrast, Bergdahl's home town is treating him like a hero, planning a June 28 rally in support of him. Balloons, symbolic yellow ribbons and celebratory signs sprouted up in Hailey, Idaho, after the news of his release over the weekend.

Bob Bergdahl, fighting back tears as he appeared to address his son directly in a public appearance in Boise, Idaho, on Sunday, said he was proud of "your desire and your action to serve this country in a very difficult, long war."

Colonel Tim Marsano, of the Idaho National Guard, who acts as the Bergdahl family's media liaison, said they would have no comment on the accusations made by former soldiers and relatives of those who may have been killed in the hunt for him.

"The Bergdahls are aware of the current controversy, they have been for years, and they don't have anything to say about it," Marsano told Reuters on Monday.

Military officials have investigated Bergdahl's disappearance but have never publicly offered an explanation, in part, they say, because they have not had a chance to question the man.

    "We do not know the circumstances under which he left his base," Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said. "What we're focused on now is getting him the care he needs."

    Another Defense Department spokesman, Colonel Steve Warren, declined to confirm reports from former soldiers that at least six of their comrades were lost in the long hunt for Bergdahl.

    CHARGES UNLIKELY

Neighbors in rural Idaho said Bergdahl was a bookish loner known as a good athlete with a penchant for long mountain hikes. 

When he disappeared in Afghanistan, he did so quietly and left behind his flak jacket and heavy fighting equipment, according to online accounts by soldiers who served with him. 

    After Bergdahl failed to show up for roll call, U.S. officials picked up radio communication between Taliban insurgents who said "an American soldier with a camera is looking for someone who speaks English," according to U.S. diplomatic cables.

    Military officials have indicated that Bergdahl, who was flown to a military hospital in Germany over the weekend to undergo a full physical and mental assessment, is unlikely to face charges, whatever the army finds about his capture, because they believe he has suffered enough.

    Others say he should be held accountable.

While Leatherman says he is glad to see Bergdahl home safe, he is blunt about the need for an investigation. "If a military court finds him guilty, then he should be punished accordingly."

    The terms of Bergdahl's freedom also irk parents and soldiers, who question whether the release of five senior Taliban commanders accused in deadly attacks on U.S. forces is too high a price to pay.

    "How many guys were killed capturing these Taliban, and then we just throw them loose? What are we doing negotiating with terrorists in the first place?" Andrews asked.

     INTENSE MANHUNT

     Bergdahl's disappearance unleashed a massive air and ground search that lasted for weeks, exposing U.S. forces to Taliban attack and disrupting other operations, his former comrades say.

     The attention showered on Bergdahl since his release has compounded their resentment over those who died during the lengthy search.

On September 4, 2009, a little over two months after Bergdahl went missing, Darryn Andrews was part of a patrol searching for him when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb and a rocket-propelled grenade in a district of Afghanistan's southeastern Paktika province, near the Pakistan border, according to accounts of soldiers and their families.

Private First Class Matthew Martinek, 20, died in the same attack.

    "This opens up the wounds again," said Kenneth Luccioni, Martinek's stepfather. "There were a lot of people who risked their lives for this young man, and we want the truth."

    He said he learned that his stepson had died hunting for Bergdahl not from the Pentagon but by word of mouth from fellow soldiers months afterwards.

The army encouraged soldiers in Bergdahl's unit to sign a non-disclosure agreement on the grounds that it could endanger his safety while in captivity, several soldiers said, but now that he is free some have begun to speak out.

    "He walked away from his guard post while on duty," said former Private First Class Jose Baggett, who served in Bergdahl's company. "Then we lost men looking for him. I'm not saying he should not be back in America but he has done nothing heroic. The people who died looking for his dumb a** – they are the heroes.'

(Additional reporting by Phil Stewart and Laura Zuckerman, editing by Jason Szep and Peter Henderson)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

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Director selected for Bruce Lee biopic

Posted: 02 Jun 2014 08:00 PM PDT

Born in the USA, raised in Hong Kong: martial artist and film star Bruce Lee.

George Nolfi will direct film based on life of the martial artist.

George Nolfi of The Adjustment Bureau is in line to direct Birth of the Dragon, a biographical film based on the life of martial artist Bruce Lee.

Birth of the Dragon is to centre upon a 1964 showdown between Lee, who was resident in San Francisco at the time, and kung fu tutor Wong Jack Man, according to Variety.

Accounts of the face-off vary in terms of the reasons behind its instigation, its length and even its eventual outcome, but it was a turning point for Lee, who then decided to create a new fighting style, having previously trained under Wing Chun master Yip Man.

George Nolfi at the premiere of The Adjustment Bureau in New York on Feb 14, 2011. – Reuters

Lee had demonstrated little hesitation in tangling with Triad members during his teenage years in Hong Kong, and Birth of the Dragon, told from the perspective of Lee's student Steve Macklin, will see the influential martial artist tackle organised crime in San Francisco's Chinatown.

The film's screenwriters have already collaborated on Nixon and Ali, while Nolfi enhanced his own reputation as a writer with The Bourne Ultimatum and Ocean's Twelve. His other current directorial engagement is for XOXO, a thriller based on social network romance gone bad from the writer of Black Swan. – AFP Relaxnews

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

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Director selected for Bruce Lee biopic

Posted: 02 Jun 2014 08:00 PM PDT

Born in the USA, raised in Hong Kong: martial artist and film star Bruce Lee.

George Nolfi will direct film based on life of the martial artist.

George Nolfi of The Adjustment Bureau is in line to direct Birth of the Dragon, a biographical film based on the life of martial artist Bruce Lee.

Birth of the Dragon is to centre upon a 1964 showdown between Lee, who was resident in San Francisco at the time, and kung fu tutor Wong Jack Man, according to Variety.

Accounts of the face-off vary in terms of the reasons behind its instigation, its length and even its eventual outcome, but it was a turning point for Lee, who then decided to create a new fighting style, having previously trained under Wing Chun master Yip Man.

George Nolfi at the premiere of The Adjustment Bureau in New York on Feb 14, 2011. – Reuters

Lee had demonstrated little hesitation in tangling with Triad members during his teenage years in Hong Kong, and Birth of the Dragon, told from the perspective of Lee's student Steve Macklin, will see the influential martial artist tackle organised crime in San Francisco's Chinatown.

The film's screenwriters have already collaborated on Nixon and Ali, while Nolfi enhanced his own reputation as a writer with The Bourne Ultimatum and Ocean's Twelve. His other current directorial engagement is for XOXO, a thriller based on social network romance gone bad from the writer of Black Swan. – AFP Relaxnews

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Business

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Diary Malaysia June 3 Tuesday

Posted: 02 Jun 2014 05:55 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: ALL TIMES ARE PROVISIONAL AND IN LOCAL TIME FOLLOWED BY GMT IN BRACKETS

TUESDAY, JUNE 3

KUALA LUMPUR - YTL Corporation Bhd Group Managing Director Francis Yeoh and YTL Communications Deputy Chief Executive Officer Jacob Yeoh attend Pemandu's Global Malaysia Series -- We Are Family: We Are Global -- at the Conference Hall, Securities Commission, Bukit Kiara, at 0900am (0100).

KUALA LUMPUR - US Ambassador to Malaysia Joseph Y. Yun attends US-Asean Business Alliance for Competitive SMEs Workshop, at the Grand Prince Ballroom, Level 3, Prince Hotel & Residence, at 0900am (0100).

KUALA LUMPUR - SME Corp Malaysia Chief Executive Officer Hafsah Hashim attends US-Asean Business Alliance for Competitive SMEs Workshop, at the Grand Prince Ballroom, Level 3, Prince Hotel & Residence, at 0900am (0100).

KUALA LUMPUR - Supermax Corporation Bhd annual general meeting, at Eastin Hotel, Petaling Jaya, at 1000am (0200).

KUALA LUMPUR - Kuala Lumpur Mayor Ahmad Phesal Talib attends Seminar in Universal Design and Accessibility for Local Authorities at Mestika Perdana Hall, Institut Latihan DBKL, Bandar Tun Razak, at 0815am (0015).

KUALA LUMPUR - Health Minister S.Subramaniam launches International Health Conference and Exhibition organised by the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia (APHM), at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre at 0815am (0015).

KUALA LUMPUR - Works Minister Fadillah Yusof gives Excellence Service Award medals for his ministry at Tan Sri Mahfoz Khalid Hall, Kompleks Kerja Raya, Jalan Sultan Salahuddin, at 0900am (0100).

FRIDAY, JUNE 6

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Bank Negara's International Bank Reserves as at 30 May 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

FRIDAY, JUNE 6

KUALA LUMPUR - Release of External Trade Data as at Apr 2014 at 1201pm (0401 GMT)

SATURDAY, JUNE 7

KUALA LUMPUR- Market and Public Holiday- His Majesty's Birthday

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Index of Industrial Production Data as of Apr 2014 at 1201pm (0401).

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of CPI Data as of May 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

FRIDAY, JUNE 20

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Bank Negara's International Bank Reserves as at 13 Jun 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

MONDAY, JUNE 30

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Money Supply Data June 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

MONDAY, JUNE 30

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Detailed Disclosure of International Reserves as at end May 2014 at 1200pm (0400 GMT)

FRIDAY, JULY 4

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of External Trade Data as at May 2014 at 1201pm (0401 GMT)

MONDAY, JULY 7,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Bank Negara's International Bank Reserves as at 30 Jun 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

THURSDAY, JULY 10

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Index of Industrial Production Data as of May 2014 at 1201pm (0401).

THRUSDAY, JULY 10

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Interest Rates Decision(Overnight Policy Rates) at 18:00pm(1000 GMT)

TUESDAY, JULY 15,

KUALA LUMPUR- Market and Public Holiday- Nuzul Al-Quran

WEDNESDAY, JULY 16

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of CPI Data as of Jun 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

TUESDAY, JULY 22,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Bank Negara's International Bank Reserves as at 15 Jul 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

MONDAY, JULY 28,

KUALA LUMPUR- Market and Public Holiday-Aidil Fitri

TUESDAY, JULY 29,

KUALA LUMPUR- Market and Public Holiday-Aidil Fitri

THURSDAY, JULY 31,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Money Supply Data July 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Detailed Disclosure of International Reserves as at end June 2014 1200pm (0400 GMT)

WEDNESDAY, AUG 6

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of External Trade Data as at Jun 2014 at 1201pm (0401 GMT)

THURSDAY, AUG 7

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Bank Negara's International Bank Reserves as at 31 Jul 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

MONDAY, AUG 11

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Index of Industrial Production Data as of Jun 2014 at 1201pm (0401).

WEDNESDAY, AUG 20

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of CPI Data as of Jul 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

FRIDAY, AUG 22,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Bank Negara's International Bank Reserves as at 15 Aug 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

FRIDAY, AUG 29,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Detailed Disclosure of International Reserves as at end July 2014 at 1200pm (0400 GMT)

FRIDAY, AUG 29,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of 2nd Quarter 2014 GDP (Not Later Than) at 1800pm (1000 GMT)

FRIDAY, AUG 29,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Money Supply Data August 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

SUNDAY, AUG 31,

KUALA LUMPUR- Market and Public Holiday- National Day

FRIDAY, SEP 5

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of External Trade Data as at Jul 2014 at 1201pm (0401 GMT)

MONDAY, SEP 8,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Bank Negara's International Bank Reserves as at 29 Aug 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

THURSDAY, SEP 11

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Index of Industrial Production Data as of Jul 2014 at 1201pm (0401).

TUESDAY, SEP 16,

KUALA LUMPUR- Market and Public Holiday- Malaysia Day

WEDNESDAY, SEP 17

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of CPI Data as of Aug 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

THURSDAY, SEP 18

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Interest Rates Decision(Overnight Policy Rates) at 18:00pm(1000 GMT)

TUESDAY, SEP 23,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Bank Negara's International Bank Reserves as at 15 Sep 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

TUESDAY, SEP 30, KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Money Supply Data September 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

TUESDAY, SEP 30,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Detailed Disclosure of International Reserves as at end August 2014 at 1200pm (0400 GMT)

TUESDAY, OCT 07

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of External Trade Data as at Aug 2014 at 1201pm (0401 GMT)

WEDNESDAY, OCT 8,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Bank Negara's International Bank Reserves as at 30 Sep 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

FRIDAY, OCT 10

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Index of Industrial Production Data as of Aug 2014 at 1201pm (0401).

WEDNESDAY, OCT 22,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Bank Negara's International Bank Reserves as at 15 Oct 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

WEDNESDAY, OCT 22,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of CPI Data as of Sept 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

THURSDAY, OCT 23,

KUALA LUMPUR- Market and Public Holiday- Deepavali

SATURDAY, OCT 25,

KUALA LUMPUR- Market and Public Holiday- Islamic New Year 1436H

FRIDAY, OCT 31,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Detailed Disclosure of International Reserves as at end September 2014 at 1200pm (0400 GMT)

FRIDAY, OCT 31,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Money Supply Data October 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

THURSDAY, NOV 6,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Interest Rates Decision(Overnight Policy Rates) at 18:00pm(1000 GMT)

FRIDAY, NOV 7,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Bank Negara's International Bank Reserves as at 31 Oct 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

FRIDAY, NOV 7,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of External Trade Data as at Sept 2014 at 1201pm (0401 GMT)

TUESDAY, NOV 11,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Index of Industrial Production Data as of Sept 2014 at 1201pm (0401).

WEDNESDAY, NOV 19,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of CPI Data as of Oct 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

FRIDAY, NOV 21,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Bank Negara's International Bank Reserves as at 14 Nov 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

FRIDAY, NOV 28,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of 3rd Quarter 2014 GDP (Not Later Than) at 1800pm (1000 GMT)

FRIDAY, NOV 28,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Detailed Disclosure of International Reserves as at end October 2014 at 1200pm (0400 GMT)

FRIDAY, NOV 28,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Money Supply Data November 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

FRIDAY, DEC 5,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Bank Negara's International Bank Reserves as at 28 Nov 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

FRIDAY, DEC 5,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of External Trade Data as at Oct 2014 at 1201pm (0401 GMT)

THURSDAY, DEC 11

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Index of Industrial Production Data as of Sept 2014 at 1201pm (0401).

WEDNESDAY, DEC 17

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of CPI Data as of Nov 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

MONDAY, DEC 22,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Bank Negara's International Bank Reserves as at 15 Dec 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

THURSDAY, DEC 25,

KUALA LUMPUR- Market and Public Holiday- Christmas Day

WEDNESDAY, DEC 31,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Money Supply Data December 2014 at 1700pm(0900 GMT)

WEDNESDAY, DEC 31,

KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Detailed Disclosure of International Reserves as at end November 2014 at 1200pm (0400 GMT)

NOTE: The inclusion of diary items does not necessarily mean that Reuters will file a story based on the event.- Reuters

Nikkei leads in early Asian trade Tuesday after solid US data

Posted: 02 Jun 2014 05:50 PM PDT

NEW YORK: Nikkei led Asian shares higher on Tuesday, supported by solid U.S. and Chinese manufacturing data, while the euro dragged its feet near a 3 1/2-month low on expectations of fresh monetary easing by the European Central Bank.

Japan's Nikkei rose 1.0 percent to hit a two-month high while MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was flat, not far from one-year high hit last week.

Asian shares were bolstered by the U.S. Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing activity index May rising to 55.4 in May from 54.9 in April.

The data initially caused some confusion in U.S. trade because the ISM initially announced a far weaker 53.2 and took nearly three hours to issue a correction.

In the end, though, the corrected figure was nearly in line with expectations. Coupled with other data showing a rise in construction spending, it suggested a healthy recovery after the first quarter's weather-related contraction.

The data followed a gauge of China's factory activity showing expansion at the fastest pace in five months in May, helping to lift MSCI's world index <.MIWD00000PUS> to a 6-1/2-year intraday high about 1.5 percent away from its lifetime record set in late 2007.

"On the whole, the world's economy is looking up, growing at a moderate pace," said Ayako Sera, senior market economist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank.

As solid gains in equity prices undermined the allure of safe-haven assets, gold flirted with four-month low of $1,240.65 an ounce hit on Monday, having fallen for five days in a row. It last traded at $1,244.79.

Silver also stood near one-year low of $18.60 hit on Friday, changing hands at $18.74.

The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasuries posted the largest daily advance in more than six weeks on Monday, jumping back to 2.53 percent compared to 11-month low of 2.40 percent hit on Thursday.

Global bond yields had fallen sharply in the past few weeks partly on expectations that the European Central Bank will adopt a series of easing measures at its meeting on June 5.

Such expectations have driven the euro down, and the common currency stood at $1.3596, just a hair above its 3 1/2-month low of $1.3586 hit on Thursday.

In contrast, the dollar index <.DXY> rose to its highest level since Feb 13 at 80.681, and last stood at 80.631, helped by the solid U.S. data.

Against the yen, the dollar rose to 102.49 yen overnight, its highest in a month, though the currency is still stuck in a familiar range.

The dollar's resurgence put some emerging market currencies under pressure.

The Brazilian real fell to two-month low of 2.2770 to the dollar also due to the worsening economic outlook in the biggest economy in South America and uncertainty on the central bank's currency intervention program.

The South African rand also hit a two-month low of 10.6960 to the dollar on Thursday, hurt by a recent raft of weak data. In Asia the Indonesian rupiah hit a three-month low of 11,785 to the dollar on an unexpected trade deficit in April.

In Asia, the Australian and Indian central banks hold policy meetings later in the day, though neither of them is expected to change its policy rate- Reuters

Palm oil/Vegoils: Market factors to watch June 3 Tuesday

Posted: 02 Jun 2014 05:47 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: The following factors are likely to influence Malaysian palm oil futures and other vegetable oil markets on Tuesday.
    
FUNDAMENTALS
* Malaysian palm oil futures fell for a seventh straight session on Monday to
hit their lowest in nearly seven-and-a-half months, as weak soyoil prices and
disappointing export data dragged on the tropical oil. 
* U.S. soybean futures rose on Monday on signs of strong export demand that
threatened to further deplete thin U.S. supplies, traders said. 
* Brent and U.S. crude oil futures fell in choppy trading on Monday, weighed on
by a stronger dollar and recent data showing rising OPEC oil production. 
    
MARKET NEWS
* Nikkei led Asian shares higher on Tuesday, supported by solid U.S. and Chinese
manufacturing data, while the euro dragged its feet near a 3 1/2-month low on
expectations of fresh monetary easing by the European Central Bank. 
    
    
RELATED   
> Weather favours Black Sea grain crops, brightens forecasts 
> Strategie Grains lifts EU rapeseed crop outlook to 21.8 MT  
> Malaysia's May palm exports up 7.8 pct m/m-ITS             
    
DATA/EVENTS    
> Cargo surveyors Intertek Testing Services and Societe Generale de Surveillance
to release Malaysia's June 1-10 palm oil export data on June 10. 
> Industry regulator the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) to release data on
Malaysia's end-May palm oil stocks, exports and production on June 10.

  Palm, soy and crude oil prices at 0044 GMT
                                                                          
  Contract        Month    Last   Change     Low    High  Volume
  MY PALM OIL      JUN4       0    +0.00       0       0       0
  MY PALM OIL      JUL4       0    +0.00       0       0       0
  MY PALM OIL      AUG4       0    +0.00       0       0       0
  CHINA PALM OLEIN SEP4       0    +0.00       0       0       0
  CHINA SOYOIL     SEP4       0    +0.00       0       0       0
  CBOT SOY OIL     JUL4   38.31    +0.00   38.28   38.40     649
  NYMEX CRUDE      JUL4  102.47    +0.01  102.36  102.65    2370
                                                                          
  Palm oil prices in Malaysian ringgit per tonne
  CBOT soy oil in U.S. cents per pound
  Dalian soy oil and RBD palm olein in Chinese yuan per tonne
  Crude in U.S. dollars per barrel
 - Reuters

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Rule of Law paramount in handling South China Sea issues, says Najib

Posted: 02 Jun 2014 08:24 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: The rule of law must reign supreme in resolving issues in the South China Sea, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The Prime Minister said he was "concerned and deeply worried" that measures taken by the engaged parties to affirm their declared rights, no matter how small they might be, would only complicate matters and would not be in anyone's interest in the long run.

"We must hold steadfast to the principles of non-use of force and the peaceful settlement of disputes.

"There should not be any action taken to further aggravate the situation and increase tensions," he said in a speech read by Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid at the opening of the 28th Asia Pacific Roundtable here, Monday.

Najib, however, expressed confidence that "the bonds of friendship that bind us are stronger and more durable that the differences that divide us".

The parties involved should not stray from the proven path of dialogue and peaceful resolution of conflicts, he said, adding that he remained hopeful that good sense would prevail.

Najib expressed Malaysia's strong commitment towards the recent Joint Declaration of the Asean Defence Ministers on Defence Cooperation towards a Peaceful and Prosperous Asean Community.

He described it as a significant step forward in strengthening the political-security pillar of the Asean Community.

"It's only with the assurance of peace that it would be possible for this region to attract investments, encourage innovation and create jobs for its people," he said.

Najib noted that Southeast Asian nations wanted peace, prosperity and predictability besides being independent, strong and economically vibrant.

"Our aim is to have a region where nations respect each other while observing rules and norms, and where honour and dignity are manifested by peaceful intentions, visionary policies and good leadership.

"We aspire to a region where the strongest guarantees of peace and prosperity lie in nations working together, not against each other," the Prime Minister said.

Najib also touched on the need to maintain and enhance the habit of cooperation, like the one seen in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370, across a whole range of issues.

"Countering the threat of terrorism, for example, requires a great deal of intelligence-sharing and coordination among our security agencies," he said.

Najib alluded to the recent detention by Malaysian police of foreign nationals believed to be involved in planning terrorist attacks on foreign consulates in India, including the American consulate-general in Chennai.

Elaborating on the disappearance of MH370 with 239 people on board on March 8, Najib said that never before had people witnessed such intense cooperation between so many countries in this region.

"Although MH370 has not yet been found – and I'm confident that we will eventually find it – our joint and coordinated efforts have already shown the value of harnessing the collective strengths of countries in times of need," he said. – Bernama

Four-year-old boy chokes to death on fishball

Posted: 02 Jun 2014 08:13 AM PDT

SUNGAI PETANI: A four-year-old boy choked to death after eating a fishball which he had taken from his mother.

The incident occurred at about 4pm Monday at the boy's relative's house at Resort Home in Persiaran Cinta Sayang here.

It is learnt that the deceased, identified as Lim Wei Kiat, ate the fishball, which was the size of a 50 sen coin, in a hurried manner.

A relative, identified only as Wong, rushed the child to the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital for emergency treatment where he died three hours later from oxygen deprivation.

It is understood that medical assistants at the hospital's emergency unit attempted to carry out emergency rescue procedures to save the boy but were unsuccessful.

When contacted, Kuala Muda district police chief Assistant Commissioner of Police Khalil Arifin confirmed the case and said that it had been classified as sudden death.

Government willing to negotiate oil royalties increase with Sarawak, says Najib

Posted: 02 Jun 2014 07:26 AM PDT

MIRI: The Federal Government is willing to negotiate Sarawak's request to increase oil royalties from 5% to 20%, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

"The State Assembly has approved a motion to seek an increase of oil royalties from 5% to 20%. Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan (Satem) has whispered in my ears about this," said Najib at the National Level Gawai Dayak celebrations in Miri, Monday night.

"We are willing to listen and talk. Whether it will be such an increase in oil royalties or whether we can look at other forms of increasing the allocation direct into the state accounts, let us consider."

Najib referred to Putrajaya and Sarawak's excellent working relationship and stated that the Federal Government would have no problem negotiating the matter.

The Sarawak state assembly sitting in May approved a special motion to seek royalties from the state's oil and gas revenue to be increased from 5% cent to 20%.

The Prime Minister is on a two-day visit to the state. On Monday morning, he visited the Orang Ulus in Long Silat, Ulu Baram before gracing the national level Gawai Dayak Open House grand celebrations at the Miri City Fan Recreational Park in the evening.
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&#39;Homecoming&#39;: Family matters

Posted: 29 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Love and forgiveness takes centre stage in local play Homecoming.

MOST of us are familiar with the story of the prodigal son. For those who are not familiar with the tale, the parable of the prodigal son is about a son who goes astray, indulges in sin and vice, falls to despicable depths and returns home, repentant. Much to the dismay of the other brother, the father receives his errant son with open arms and throws a feast.

It is essentially a story about love and forgiveness and most importantly, family.

And it is exactly this that Andy Darrel Gomes, a speech and drama teacher, wants audiences to bring back with them when they watch Homecoming, a play the 24-year-old penned and directed.

"I wanted to reach out to Malaysians with something that is universal, and family and love is universal. It is what we call the people language," said Gomes.

Inspired by the parable of the prodigal son, Homecoming, which opens today, is a collaborative work between Gomes' Thirty Fold Productions and Youth With A Mission Philippines to raise funds for the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan at Tacloban, Philippines.

Magician Zlwin Chew and electric violinist Dr Joanne Yeoh and Dennis Lau will be part of the opening act for the event.

To make the story relevant and relatable, Gomes kept it "as home as possible" and gave it a modern twist with a "pinch of surrealism".

"I wanted to skip out of the dimension of realism and get into things which are a bit more abstract. So, in the play, there are times when as much as it is real, there is also a very disturbing dimension of things coming in and going out of place," the aspiring playwright pointed out.

An ardent admirer of the works of the late filmmaker Yasmin Ahmad, Gomes said he tailored his story around her scriptwriting style.

"She doesn't believe in creating something, but she believes in adapting things from real life. For Yasmin, to adapt things from real life is to make yourself small and when you make yourself small, you suddenly become bigger," asserted Gomes.

Unlike the original story, there are three brothers instead of two and we get to see the mother as well.

Thasha Gunaseelan, who plays the mother, identifies well with her character.

"The kancheong-ness (panic) and everything else is very much me. And I find it very interesting that no matter what goes on, it looks like she rules and she's the power behind the men. But you will see scenes where she seeks comfort from her husband.

"He's the person who actually runs the show and he's the one who brings it all together in the end," explained Thasha.

And for the 32-year-old drama trainer, Homecoming, is about the freedom one enjoys in the family to be their true self and not be judged for it.

"Regardless who you are and what sort of person you are in the world, you know that there's family that loves you for just you," said Thasha.

And this made the rehearsal process even more delightful for Victor Chen who will be playing one of the sons.

"We all come from different backgrounds, but when we are together, all that doesn't matter anymore. Just like in any family, we can be ourselves," said Chen, 20.

In a society where family is losing its value and individualism is prized, Homecoming serves as a reminder on the importance of the family unit. And maybe, just maybe, as it was for Gomes, the play will be a "supernatural journey" for the audience.

Homecoming opens today at the EX8 Hall, City Harvest Church, Subang Jaya, Selangor and will run till June 1. Showtime: 8pm (May 30-31, June 1) and 3pm (May 31). Tickets are priced at RM30 (adults) and RM25 (students). Free admission for children 10 years and below. For ticketing, donations and inquiries email hctp2014@gmail.com or call 0163550393/0149314909.

British singer Sarah-Louise Young: Life of the party

Posted: 28 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

With Sarah-Louise Young, the model of an English eccentric, is in good hands.

A new found love affair with fish head curry – eyeballs and all – is hardly a topic one would expect from a show with the classy title The English Tongue.

But funnily enough, when British cabaret performer, actress, singer, writer and self-confessed foodie Sarah-Louise Young jokes about forming automatic "relationships" with anything upon making eye contact with it – fish head curry included – the banter fitted perfectly into the performance.

The English Tongue, which Young described as a celebration of the English language through song, ran at Intimate Encounters@Theatre Lounge Cafe in Kuala Lumpur last Saturday, serving a large dose of English humour at its best – wit, self-deprecation and deadpan delivery ... check!

Young, 39, kicked-off the show with Making Whoopie (which the audience helped localise to Making Walau-eh).

Accompanied by two young, talented pianists, she presented some 15 compositions – including one of her own, in the two-hour performance.

Broken into two acts and peppered with impersonations of Carol Burnett, Liza Minnelli and Audrey Hepburn, The English Tongue featured the works of greats like Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim, the Gershwin and Sherman brothers and "composers people should know about".

Taking her time with songs like Someone To Watch Over Me, The Girls Of Summer, Could I Leave You, Accentuate The Positive, Let's Do It, Let's Fall In Love, Ring Them Bells, Maybe This Time, The Physician and Jolly Holiday, Young's crisp diction and enunciation made listening to the tunes a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

"I'm doing two Sondheim numbers because I can and I'm not doing anything from Andrew Lloyd Webber because we've had enough of him, haven't we?" she said, tongue firmly in cheek.

If the intention was to pay homage to the some of the most memorable lyricists of our time, she succeeded beautifully in her flawless delivery.

In a musical era dominated by inaudible mumbles, ear-piercing screams and rapid fire rapping, her singing definitely brought out the best of the English language.

Perhaps inspired by her English-teacher-mother or the many Shakespeare productions she watched growing up, Young's appreciation for language, history and music was evident.

She explained the words, history of the songs and other interesting nuggets of information behind the birth of the compositions before delivering near-perfect renditions of the classics.

Interestingly, she told of how the late Walt Disney would ask the Sherman brothers' to perform Feed The Birds (from Mary Poppins) for him everyday for two years because he loved the song so much.

Exposed to Bob Dylan and Tina Turner (thanks to her mother) and four older brothers who listened to everything from Kate Bush to New Order and "weird techno", Young shared how she learnt about a myriad of musical genres at home.

Telling the crowd of her days as a gawky, white 14-year-old girl listening to Edith Piaf and Aretha Franklin, she had the room in stitches when she broke into the latter's signature: "R.E.S.P.E.C.T."

Introducing Tom Lehrer's The Masochism Tango, she said it was the one song she wished she had written.

"You know what masochism is right? It's kinda what I do for a living. This song was introduced to me by one of my brothers – he's the black sheep of the family.

"He lives in Poland and I'm the only one who still speaks to him," she said, deadpan.

Donning an elegant sequined black dress, she needed no props to distract the audience from her talent.

Standing on a small stage set against a blood red curtain and a shiny black piano, the show was all about Young and how she made the songs hers.

Singing Let's Not Fall In Love, a number she wrote with Michael Roulston, she requested the crowd to snap their fingers.

"I made you pay for a ticket and now I'm getting you to provide the percussion music. Shocking isn't it?" she said in mock horror.

Cajoling the crowd to join her on Edelweiss, she insisted that everyone can sing – just to different tuning forks.

Like her fellow countrymen, Young admits to needing her afternoon tea fix and always wanting to talk about the weather.

And, true to form, the show ended with a weather medley encore featuring a rainbow mash-up of rainy clouds and sunny skies.

You Are My Sunshine, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, It's Raining Men and Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me were just some of the many song snippets she threw together seamlessly – leave it to the Brits to make the weather fun!

Sarah-Louise Young's My Favourite Things (May 30-June 1) will be showing at Intimate Encounters@Theatre Lounge Cafe (B1-3A, Plaza Damas 3, 63, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1, Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur). Shows are at 9pm daily with a cover charge of RM100. For details and seating purchase, call 012-236 9100 or 03-6211 3000 or visit www.theatreloungecafe.com.

The art of collecting

Posted: 27 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Western art dealers take a new approach to Hong Kong, by going small.

AS THE Hong Kong art market has blossomed in the past several years, a range of Western art galleries, including global players such as Gagosian, White Cube, Sundaram Tagore and Lehmann Maupin, have opened large outposts in the city, with varying degrees of success.

This month, to coincide with the Art Basel in Hong Kong art fair, two more prominent Western art dealers – Axel Vervoordt of Antwerp and the Pace Gallery of New York – will also open doors to new spaces in Hong Kong. But, taking note of some of the lessons learned by earlier Western pioneers, they are taking a slightly different approach: going small.

Both galleries will be opening in the Entertainment Building at 30 Queen's Road, part of the Central district arts scene, about one minute's walk from the Pedder Building which houses the Gagosian, Lehmann Maupin, Pearl Lam and Simon Lee galleries. Unlike their predecessors down the block which each occupy about 372 to 465sq, however, these spaces are only about 65sqm – very small by art gallery standards.

"It's a shoebox size and that's why we want to have just one artist installation or show one artist's work every time," said Boris Vervoordt, director of Axel Vervoordt NV, which deals in art and antiques and also has an interior design business. "It's not the kind of space where you can do a retrospective show. It gives us a conversation starter."

A woman looks at an artwork by Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto entitled Rem(a)inders. Art Basel is in its second year in Hong Kong and features 245 galleries from 39 countries. Hong Kong is the third largest art market in the world by auction revenue.

A woman looks at an artwork by Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto entitled Rem(a)inders. Art Basel is in its second year in Hong Kong and features 245 galleries from 39 countries. Hong Kong is the third largest art market in the world by auction revenue.

Vervoordt, a son of Axel Vervoordt, the company's founder, said he thought of the space as an extension of the company's Belgium gallery, which sells works by international contemporary artists, and as a venue to "explore a dialogue between East and West." The Hong Kong gallery's inaugural exhibition, Theory Of Se, is a series of three commissioned works by the Ghanaian artist El Anatsui, who has created tapestry-like sculptures from recycled liquor-bottle caps.

"We felt we needed a gateway to Asia for the European artists we are representing, and to have a presence in Asia for the Japanese artists that we represent," Boris Vervoordt said. The choice to open the gallery with an exhibition by a Ghanaian artist also reflects a desire to be truly global. "For us as a European gallery, to bring an artist from Africa to Asia is great," he said. "I'm proud of that."

For Pace Gallery, the new space "is more like an office and a large private viewing room, though it's certainly open to the public," said Arne Glimcher, the chairman. "We'll have exhibitions about four or five times a year, but an exhibition can be three works or four works, or if it's watercolours or works on paper or small sculptures, it can be 10 works."

Pace, a Manhattan-based gallery with spaces in London and Menlo Park, California, opened a 2,043sqm Beijing gallery in a former munitions factory in 2008. The Hong Kong space, Glimcher said, will be linked to the Beijing space, allowing the gallery to sell Chinese contemporary art to clients throughout Asia in a free port, which does not charge import or export tariffs.

"Beijing is always going to be our flagship in Asia, and I think this is an important extra," he said.

Unlike other Western galleries in Hong Kong, Pace will not be using the space to sell art by the Western artists on its roster, which includes Mark Rothko, Donald Judd, Robert Ryman and Alexander Calder.

In Hong Kong, it will focus on Asian contemporary art by artists such as the Shanghai-based sculptor Liu Jianhua and the Japanese neo-pop artist Yoshitomo Nara. For its inaugural show, which opened May 14, Pace Hong Kong presented oil paintings on paper by the contemporary artist Zhang Xiaogang, who explores memory in his images using a combination of Western surrealist and Eastern classical art motifs.

"We didn't come in as carpetbaggers to sell our wares; we came in to support a wonderful burgeoning art world," Glimcher said. "Our Asian clients who are interested in Western art come to the States. Our role in Asia is to support the Chinese art scene, because we totally believe in it."

Glimcher said Pace made the decision to go small after observing some of the earlier Western gallery forays into Hong Kong. "I think several of them regret the scale at which they've opened," he said, "and some have realised that their galleries are mostly visited during the art fair and the auctions, mostly by people from other parts of Asia or Europe or America."

Those events, he said, only draw international art world connoisseurs to Hong Kong twice a year, and the local market for art does not yet sustain an ongoing program of large exhibitions. "One can have a very large opening, and then almost nobody comes to the exhibition," he said.

Glimcher also said he thought some of the other galleries might have miscalculated the level of interest in Western art. "These people put millions and millions of dollars into these huge spaces thinking that they were going to make a killing and filling it with international art," he said. "But that's not what Asia's about right now. The Asians realise that they have something really extraordinary going on: the art that's there. And they are buying it."

For Vervoordt, after observing other galleries' operations in Hong Kong in the past few years and talking to colleagues in the trade, the art world there may still be a little like the Wild East.

"The local market is not very trustworthy, it's not very easy, it's a completely different mentality," he said. "People might come in and buy something at the opening and cancel it at the end of the show or restart the negotiations; it's a tough and complicated market."

But he finds that challenge exciting, he added: "I've never been very calculated in any of my decisions. I really feel we should do this and we'll see how things go from there."

Glimcher is confident that the art scene in Hong Kong will continue to grow, and that, over time, more locals will start visiting art galleries as part of their social life, as people do in New York or London. "Hong Kong is such a business town and such a transient town that's it's not part of the culture yet," he said, "but I think it will be. Hong Kong is very carefully considered for us as a necessity, but we're going to grow slowly as the art scene there grows." – International New York Times

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Wikipedia unreliable source for health info, study says

Posted: 01 Jun 2014 11:20 PM PDT

Doctors scour online encyclopedia's health-related pages; find errors in nine of 10 articles.

At the first signs of illness, many of us don't hesitate to look up our symptoms and corresponding conditions on Wikipedia. But according to a study published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, the vast majority of health-related pages on the open online encyclopedia are laden with errors.

Carried out by a group of 18 doctors with various affiliations around US, the study identified the 10 most costly conditions in the country, in terms of both public and private spending. The Wikipedia entry on each of these conditions was then scoured line by line and compared to trusted, peer-reviewed sources of medical information.

A health-related entry on Wikipedia.

And the results are discouraging for fans of the online encyclopedia: errors were found in nine of the 10 articles. Coronary artery disease, lung cancer, osteoarthritis, hypertension, diabetes, back pain ... The only exception to the rule was the article on trauma-related disorders, which was accurate at the time of review, according to the experts, although errors could of course be added at any time.

These conclusions underscore the necessity of double-checking information found on Wikipedia, which allows anyone to add to and modify entries. Alarmingly, the study also revealed that 47% to 70% of doctors and medical students admit to using the online encyclopedia as a reference. – AFP Relaxnews

5 tips for getting kids to eat more fruit

Posted: 01 Jun 2014 11:15 PM PDT

Encourage even the pickiest eaters to up their fruit and vegetable intake.

Getting children to eat enough fruit can be a challenge.

Only 2% of American children meet the CDC's recommended targets for fruit and vegetable intake, according to the website of the Fruits and Veggies – More Matters initiative. And while vegetables can sometimes be a hard sell, most children actually enjoy eating fruit. Here are five tips for encouraging them to eat more of it.

1. Serve children the fruits they like, even if it is at the expense of variety. There is no reason why kids who love bananas shouldn't have one every day. Eventually, parents can add variety by combining a favourite fruit with new ones.

2. Fruit can be eaten at any time of day as a snack, and not just as a dessert. Consider serving fruit to kids with breakfast, as an after-school snack, or even in a salad with dinner.

3. Set a good example. It is well established that children tend to imitate their parents' behaviour, particularly at mealtimes. So parents should set the example by eating plenty of fruit themselves.

4. Prepare fruit in front of children or involve them in the process. Whether it's scooping out melon balls for fruit salad, washing berries, or coring apples, giving children a task in preparing fruit will make them more likely to enjoy eating the result.

5. Provide easy access to fruit. Keep a bowl of fruit on the kitchen table and allow kids to help themselves. For children who enjoy eating fruit, sometimes the best way to boost their intake is simply to remind them to eat it when they're hungry. – AFP Relaxnews

Calming the anxious mind

Posted: 01 Jun 2014 09:00 AM PDT

A mindfulness course changed everything for one woman who spent a lifetime suffering from anxiety.

IS ANYONE genuinely surprised by the findings of a report suggesting that mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is effective in treating depression and anxiety? Almost four years ago, I went to my doctor, Jonty Heaversedge, because the anxiety that had dogged me all my life had reached a frightening level.

Jonty – who happened to have written a book about mindfulness – got me a place on a six-week, National Health Service funded MBCT course at the Maudsley hospital in south London. And that course, and the meditation practice I've done every single day since, changed my life.

The Scream painted by Edvard Munch is said by some to symbolise an attack of anxiety.

The Scream painted by Edvard Munch is said by some to symbolise an attack of anxiety.

I was always an anxious child, hurtling from one terror to another. I was afraid that the house would burn down. Or burglars would come. Or that a dress my mum liked me to wear would suffocate me as it was pulled over my head. For as long as it fitted me, the presence of that dress in my wardrobe haunted me.

And it didn't stop there. Darkness, water, wolves and ghosts, illness, poison and death. Standard child fears, perhaps, but I devoted serious time to them. Afraid to sit on toilets in case a rat emerged from the U-bend, at school I also had to leave the cubicle door unlocked for fear of being accidentally locked in all night.

A book that showed Joan of Arc burning to death at the stake had to be put on a high shelf – though I still had to work on not glancing up at the shelf. I bit my nails. I joggled my legs. I jumped when the toast popped up. At night I would lie awake and stroke the dark nylon fur on my panda's nose and whisper to him that everything was "all right". But who was I trying to reassure – him, or myself?

Imagination

If I sound like a miserable specimen, there were upsides. A fierce and entertaining imagination, a sense of humour and a healthy dollop of optimism meant I would have called myself happy. Which, largely, I was.

I quaked and hoped and goofed through my teens, emerging into adulthood as someone who gave a good impression of being, if not exactly relaxed, then able to cope. Getting through university, working in the theatre, falling in and out of love and then, finally, having my babies and even achieving my dream of becoming a published writer – all of these were actively happy experiences that, in some vital manner, calmed me down.

"Why are your novels so dark when you're so bright and happy?" people sometimes asked me. I understood the question – but the answer? Wasn't I just lucky to be allowed to explore my deepest fears in fiction, a safe place where I dared to peer over the edge of the abyss, and could even use what I saw there? This saved me from being a neurotic, anxious pain in the neck – didn't it?

I had a blip in my 30s. Writing my third novel, with three small children, a supportive partner and a mostly calm and happy life, I woke one dark middle of the night gasping for air. The fear was inexplicable and intense.

Over a few months, I had several episodes of tachycardia (an abnormally fast heart rate), one time ending up in a hospital's accident and emergency department because my heart would not calm down.

Finally, given a totally clean bill of physical health, I was asked if anything was stressing me. I had recently trained as a counsellor for Childline, and some of the calls were grim. It was suggested that I stop and, reluctantly, I did. And so did the tachycardia.

And then, of course, my late 40s. A few years of intense stress over drug-taking in our family, followed by a sustained attack by the press on the book I had intended as an honest discussion of that subject. Overwhelmed by guilt and responsibility for the damage I'd inflicted on those I love, I started to believe everything I'd been told: I was a bad mother, a bad person, a bad writer – my every reason for existence undermined. I stayed as strong as I could while the storm raged, but months later, when it had all subsided, I fell apart.

I drove off shopping one morning and, only yards down the road, was overwhelmed with panic. My husband had to come and rescue me. I tried to shake it off but it happened again and again – once, scarily, causing a minor prang on a country road.

Fraught with risk

Appalled by this untrustworthy and dangerous new self, I proceeded to lose my nerve about everything else. Live TV and radio, something I'd previously loved, seemed suddenly fraught with risk. What if I felt trapped and had to tear my microphone off and flee the studio? Theatres were unbearably claustrophobic; cinemas barely less so. I could not even think about the tube. Buses had seemed a gloriously safe alternative to cars, but I found myself watching the doors between stops just in case.

In the classic mode of chronically anxious people, I began to avoid all situations that felt threatening. Stranded in a sea of possible triggers, the piece of land I was standing on grew smaller and smaller. It was when I realised I could not even ride the escalator in a shop without a mounting panic that I knew I had to get help.

Which is how I found myself sitting in a circle in a small room at the end of a long corridor at the Maudsley one rainy Tuesday evening in January 2010. Two reassuringly stern yet affable psychiatrists in suits – Dr Florian Ruths and Dr Stirling Moorey – faced 20 or so of us, and guided us through a series of exercises.

I think we lay on the floor and did a 45-minute "body scan" meditation. It was uncomfortable, boring and a bit embarrassing. My foot itched. One or two of the men dropped off and snored.

The first sitting-down meditation was excruciating. A whole 40 minutes sitting in a chair and doing absolutely nothing, while Dr Ruths talked us through it. I was bored, restless and had to fight an impulse to run from the room.

As we sat in our circle and shared the reasons that had brought us all there, my memory is that I was the only one suffering from anxiety, and also that I definitely came across as the "maddest" – there was no one else in that room who had trouble staying on a bus.

Some people in the group shared expansively, some less so. One or two never spoke. But the sense of kindness, openness and acceptance was inspiring and comforting. We were sent home with daily homework: progress sheets to fill in and various guided meditations on CDs. I did mine diligently – I wanted, very badly, to get better. But I was also beginning to remember why I'd resisted the idea of meditation for so many years: it was difficult, dull and uncomfortable. What was the point?

Quite how this changed is hard to say. Somehow, somewhere, across those six weeks, something happened inside me and I began to understand. Sitting still became a boon and a comfort, even a luxury, rather than a threat or an irritation. And the present moment, right here, right now, began to seem a very comfortable place to be, bereft of dread and full of the possibility of peace and calm.

Most importantly, I seemed to be developing a whole new relationship with my thoughts. It wasn't that they'd really changed; they were still the same old wolf- and fire- and death-fearing thoughts, but I could see that they were simply that: thoughts.

I did not have to judge them, act on them or indeed do anything very much about them. Sometimes they were interesting, sometimes less so, but they were no more than "events" that arose in the mind and then dispersed again. They did not, as I'd previously imagined, have the power to undo me. Only someone who has suffered from chronic, debilitating anxiety will understand quite how exhilarating this realisation felt. I had made peace with the workings of my mind. I was no longer afraid of myself.

Thoughts

It didn't feel as if I had done much to make this happen, apart from turning up and being prepared to sit there. But that, of course, was everything. Still, it felt oddly effortless, as if something in my head had been subtly rerouted. And it turned out that there was far more space in there than I'd ever realised. Like finding a whole new room in your home that you never knew existed, I could wander around my mind and luxuriate in the boundless space.

Once the course was over, I continued to meditate. Every day, without fail, I sit, usually for 10 minutes, or if I can, for 20. Sometimes I love it. Other times it feels harder. Now and then, the capricious cacophony of my mind still amazes me: all those thoughts and worries and ideas and fears swirling around in there.

But the point is that it doesn't matter. As our teachers memorably told us, there is no such thing as a "bad" meditation, apart from the one you don't do. Mindfulness is not about trying to change things, but accepting them as they are, non-judgmentally, with as much kindness and gentleness as possible.

And I now do just about everything I had ceased to be able to do. All right, driving on fast roads still eludes me – but one day. The most telling thing, perhaps, is that I don't waste any time worrying about it. As I once so kindly tried to reassure my panda: everything's going to be all right. — Guardian News & Media

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