kueytoc

With US support, SKorea cuts trade with North By JEAN H. LEE, Associated Press Writer - 31 minutes ago SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea's president slashed trade to impoverished North Korea and pledged to haul Pyongyang before the U.N. Security Council, vowing Monday to make Pyongyang "pay a price" for a torpedo attack that killed 46 sailors. President Barack Obama offered his full support for South Korea's moves, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton conferred with China _ a veto-wielding permanent seat holder on the Security Council _ on the next step in what she called a "highly precarious" security situation. The March 26 sinking of the Cheonan in the Yellow Sea off the west coast was one of South Korea's worst military disaster since the 1950-53 Korean War. A torpedo fired from a North Korean submarine tore the ship in two, an international team of investigators concluded last week. President Lee Myung-bak called the attack the latest in a series of provocations from the North, and aimed to strike Pyongyang financially by cutting trade with the country in desperate need for hard currency. South Korea has been North Korea's No. 2 trading partner, behind China, and the measure will cost Pyongyang about $200 million a year, said Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at South Korea's Kyungnam University. The move deals a direct and painful blow to the cash-hungry North, the state-run Korea Development Institute said. "We have always tolerated North Korea's brutality, time and again. We did so because we have always had a genuine longing for peace on the Korean peninsula," he said in a solemn speech to the nation from the halls of the country's War Memorial. "But now things are different. North Korea will pay a price corresponding to its provocative acts," he said, calling it a "critical turning point" on the tense Korean peninsula, still technically in a state of war because the fighting ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. Clinton said North Korea's neighbors _ including Pyongyang ally China, which has refrained from criticizing its neighbor _ understand the seriousness of the matter. She would not say whether such action would include new international sanctions against the North. "We are working hard to avoid an escalation of belligerence and provocation," Clinton said. Pyongyang also disputes the maritime border unilaterally drawn by U.N. forces at the close of the war, and the Koreas have fought three bloody skirmishes there, most recently in November. The Cheonan went down not far from the Koreas' sea border. Defense Minister Kim Tae-young said the U.S. and South Korea would hold anti-submarine military exercises in the waters. The U.S. has 28,500 troops in South Korea, a major sore point for the North. In Washington, an Obama administration official said military commanders were coordinating closely with South Korea on how the U.S. can help if North Korea continues its threatening behavior. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the discussions are continuing, said that would likely include U.S. assistance with military training exercises. South Korea's military will also resume blaring anti-North Korean propaganda back over the border _ a sensitive practice suspended in 2004 amid warming ties, officials said. Lee called the sinking of the Cheonan yet another example of "incessant" provocation by communist North Korea, accused in a 1983 attack on a presidential delegation that killed 21 people and the bombing of an airliner in 1987 that claimed 115 lives. North Korea routinely denies involvement in the attacks, and has steadfastly denied responsibility for the Cheonan sinking. Naval spokesman Col. Pak In Ho warned last week in comments to broadcaster APTN that any move to retaliate or punish Pyongyang would draw "all-out war." Pyongyang regularly issues belligerent warnings of war if provoked by the South or the U.S. On Monday, the powerful National Defense Commission criticized Lee's speech as a "clumsy farce," according to the official Korean Central News Agency. "This is an open breach of the inter-Korean military agreement, a grave military provocation and a serious incident driving the inter-Korean relations to the worst phase," a news anchor said on North Korean state TV. One 23-year-old university student in Seoul said she feared war. "I'm genuinely scared that this will escalate into a full-on war," Do Yoon-hee said as she watched a replay of the president's address on her cell phone. "I don't feel that these countermeasures keep us safer." Businessman Park Joo-shin, however, doubted fighting would break out again on the Korean peninsula. "An all-out war would be suicidal for Pyongyang," he said. The truce prohibits South Korea from waging a unilateral military attack, so Seoul sought Friday to strike at Pyongyang's faltering economy. Seoul carried out $1.68 billion in trade with North Korea in 2009, about 33 percent of Pyongyang's total trade, according to the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency. China is North Korea's biggest trading partner, with commerce totaling $2.68 billion last year _ about 53 percent of the North's total, KOTRA said. Imports of sand and other goods will be halted, and North Korean cargo ships will be denied permission to pass through South Korean waters, Unification Minister Hyun In-taek said. The biggest source of trade _ a joint factory park in the North Korean border town of Kaesong where some 110 South Korean firms employ about 42,000 North Koreans _ will remain open, Hyun said. The suspension of imports will deal a "direct blow" to North Korea, the state-run Korea Development Institute said. Lim predicted, however, that the North would make up the loss by finding Chinese partners. Associated Press writers Hyung-jin Kim, Sangwon Yoon and Kelly Olsen in Seoul and Matthew Lee in Beijing contributed to this report.

Thai capital gets back to business after protests AFP - Tuesday, May 25 BANGKOK (AFP) - – Thailand's capital whirred back into life on Monday after last week's deadly unrest, as businesses and schools reopened and citizens returned to streets cleared of debris left by arson and looting. Thoroughfares which for six weeks had been occupied by "Red Shirts" anti-government protesters, who established a fortified encampment in the top shopping district, were finally open to traffic. Office workers returned to their jobs, children went to school and retailers rolled back shutters after the worst civil unrest in recent memory, which since mid-March has left 88 dead and nearly 1,900 injured. Two foreign journalists were killed, including Italian photographer Fabio Polenghi, whose body was cremated in a solemn ceremony Monday at a Buddhist temple. The Reds, who are campaigning for fresh elections to replace a government they condemn as illegitimate, disbanded last Wednesday in the face of a military offensive that forced their leaders to surrender. Enraged militants within the movement went on a rampage of looting and arson that left 36 major buildings ablaze including the stock exchange and Thailand's biggest mall, Central World, which now stands in ruins. Downtown Bangkok was scrubbed clean over the weekend in a frenzied operation involving thousands of city workers wielding brooms and power hoses, as well as enthusiastic volunteers including foreigners. But everywhere there were reminders of the chaos, and large crowds gathered outside Central World, solemnly snapping photos of the wreckage. "Almost every weekend my family and I came here to go shopping, see movies and eat some food. Now everything is gone, so I'm very sad," said Mito Shiko, a Japanese construction company owner who has lived in Bangkok for two decades. New economic data said the Thai economy grew at a breakneck pace of 12 percent in the first quarter, but that the deadly unrest would clip the full-year performance by 1.5 percentage points. "The Thai economy has repeatedly experienced crisis and managed to revive, but whether it can achieve that this time or not depends on our people," Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters. Share prices tumbled 2.77 percent as trade resumed after the stock exchange was forced to close mid-way through Wednesday's session when it came under attack from the arsonists. Opposition lawmakers allied with the Red Shirts movement on Monday filed a motion to censure Abhisit and five other ministers over the handling of the crisis. No date has been set for the debate, but the motion is largely symbolic as Abhisit's coalition has a majority in the parliament. While Bangkok is fast returning to normal, a curfew has been in force in Bangkok and 23 other provinces, and authorities said they would recommend the government extend the measures for another week. The Reds are mostly supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup. The billionaire was accused of gross rights abuses and corruption, but won grass-roots support with his populist policies. Thaksin's elected allies were later ejected in a controversial court ruling, paving the way for Abhisit's administration to be appointed in a 2008 army-backed parliamentary vote. Thailand's criminal court will rule Tuesday on whether to issue a warrant to arrest Thaksin on terrorism charges in connection with the deadly unrest, as the government seeks to bolster attempts to extradite him.

"]Mourinho to sign for Real Madrid - reports AFP - Monday, May 24 MADRID (AFP) - Jose Mourinho, fresh from guiding Inter Milan to Champions League glory, will sign a four-year deal with Real Madrid worth 10 million euros a year, Spanish newspapers reported Sunday. AS claimed the Portuguese coach had come to an agreement with Real president Florentino Perez on Friday, the day before Mourinho's Inter Milan side beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the Champions League final in Madrid. Marca, which headlined "Real Madrid recruits a champion", said the new coach of the Spanish giants would be unveiled on either Tuesday or Wednesday. The two sports dailies concurred that the length of the contract would be four years, with the former Chelsea coach netting 10 million euros a season. Some Inter players could also follow Mourinho to Madrid, according to the papers, notably Brazilian right-back Maicon and Argentinian striker Diego Milito, the former Zaragoza player who scored a brace against Bayern on Saturday. Related article: Italy's loss to be Spain's gain as Mourinho walks Mourinho, who also guided Porto to European glory in 2004, follows Ernst Happel and Ottmar Hitzfeld as a member of the select band of coaches to have won the Champions League with two different clubs. The Portuguese, who joined Inter two years ago, has also won two Serie A titles and an Italian Cup. And speaking after the Champions League final, he acknowledged to having his eye on making history and confirmed that he would meet Perez on Monday. "I want to be the only coach to win the Champions League with three different clubs," he said. "It's more likely that I will leave rather than stay. "Only Real are interested in me but I haven't spoken with anyone and I haven't signed anything," said the Portuguese coach, who has delivered Inter's first European title since 1965. "When I win I don't stop and in Italy I have won everything. I've won the Champions League with two clubs and I can do it with three. "There are many things (in Italy) that I haven't liked and for three to four months I've been thinking of going." He said that only after speaking to Perez will he know if Real can offer him what he wants. "I don't know their project yet, I need to know it first and that's why I can't (yet) say I'm the coach of Madrid," he said.

Glad to be juz one of the 'MEN WITHOUT HATS'.

Dun introduce other tangy until AT stabilises for 2 mths.

You may want to feed using different types of food such as Flakes, Seaweed, etc.

Nice AT with vivid teardrop.

A Royal Salute to one of SINGAPORE's Founding Fathers !!! Remembering Dr. Goh Keng Swee By Angela Lim – May 14th, 2010 Singapore’s former Deputy Prime Minister and chief economic architect, Dr. Goh Keng Swee, has passed away after a long illness. He was 91. Dr Goh is best remembered as one of the key architects behind Singapore’s economic success. His daughter-in-law, Tan Siok Sun described the story of his life in the new book Goh Keng Swee: A Portrait. The biography features many of the key milestones in Singapore’s journey from sleepy backwater to a globalised, First-World city. He is survived by his wife, son, daughter-in-law, two grandsons and three great grandchildren. Born into a rich Malacca family, his father, Goh Leng Inn, managed a rubber plantation and his mother was from a family that produced famous Malaysian politicians like Tan Cheng Lock and his son Tan Siew Sin. Dr. Goh came to Singapore at the age of two, and was later educated at Anglo Chinese School before going on to study economics at Raffles College. He was active in post-war administration after joining the Department of Social Welfare in 1946. He then tendered his resignation from the civil service to enter politics in 1959. Elected as the People’s Action Party (PAP)’s representative for the Kreta Ayer Constituency, he only retired from the position in 1984. In 1959, upon taking up the post of Minister of Finance, he once famously described the state of Singapore’s economy as “wretched”. Thanks to his efforts, however, the economy did not stay that way for long. Twelve years later, in 1979, Dr. Goh made significant contributions to Singapore’s education system, introducing key policies like religious education and streaming in primary schools. Apart from his role as the Finance Minister, Dr. Goh also became the Minister for Interior and Defence until 1967 following Singapore’s independence. One of the key policies he is credited for is the creation of National Service. Due to personal reasons, Dr. Goh stepped down as Deputy Prime Minister in 1984. By then, he had been in the Cabinet for 25 years, serving the last 11 as Deputy Prime Minister. Famed for his legendary thriftiness, President S.R. Nathan, who once worked with Goh in the defence ministry in the 1970s, observed that he was so averse to the idea of spending that he would carry soap flakes to wash his clothing in the hotel bathroom whenever he travelled. Retired civil servant Oon Lye Kim, 70, told Yahoo! Singapore, “Dr. Goh wasn’t much of a talker but he was a brilliant economist. He really laid the foundations for Singapore’s economic success. He was also instrumental in developing Jurong Island, then just a wild jungle, thereby giving jobs to thousands.” Another retiree, Paul Loh, 63 said, “He was a very tough but also prudent man, especially when Singapore broke away from Malaysia and we were left on our own. People respect him for what he has done.” My condolences to his family. Thank you, Dr. Goh. Rest in peace. Editor’s note: Former DPM Goh Keng Swee will receive a state funeral. On Monday and Tuesday, Dr. Goh’s body will lie at Parliament House before the state funeral.

SWEE !...at least yours is a growing baby birdy. Mine decided to turn 'featherless'.

Mmmmm...seems like nouns beginning with "SUN" is now ya favorite 'Catch-Word of the Month' ! Oooops !...shhh.

HTC strikes back at Apple with patent complaint AFP - Thursday, May 13 WASHINGTON (AFP) - – Taiwan-based mobile phone maker HTC Corp. filed a patent infringement complaint against Apple on Wednesday seeking a ban on imports of Asian-manufactured iPhones, iPods and iPads into the United States. HTC, the target of a patent suit by Apple in March alleging infringement of 20 iPhone patents, said it had filed its complaint with the Washington-based US International Trade Commission. The HTC action alleges that Apple products infringed five HTC patents and seeks to have them barred from being imported into the United States from their manufacturing facilities in Asia. "We are taking this action against Apple to protect our intellectual property, our industry partners, and most importantly our customers that use HTC phones," HTC vice president of North America Jason Mackenzie said. "HTC believes the industry should be driven by healthy competition and innovation that offer consumers the best, most accessible mobile experiences possible," Mackenzie said in a statement. HTC, which stands for High Tech Computer Corp., is Taiwan's leading smartphone maker. The company makes handsets for a number of leading US companies and is the manufacturer of the Nexus One unveiled by Apple rival Google in January. Apple in March accused HTC of infringing on 20 Apple patents related to the "user interface, underlying architecture and hardware" of the iPhone. Apple, which is based in Cupertino, California, filed the lawsuit in a US District Court in the state of Delaware and with the US International Trade Commission. In the suit, Apple, which has sold more than 50 million iPhones worldwide, asked for unspecified damages and an injunction to prevent HTC from making or selling products using the patents in dispute. Patent lawsuits are a regular occurrence among technology giants and Apple is currently being sued by Nokia for patent infringement. Apple has fired back a countersuit against the Finnish mobile phone giant. Canada's Research in Motion, maker of the Blackberry, has also had its share of patent woes and was accused of patent infringement by US mobile phone maker Motorola in a suit filed in January.

HINT: Time to clear ya stocks position FAST...! Boss of palm oil giant Sime Darby departs AFP - Friday, May 14 KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - – Malaysian conglomerate Sime Darby said Thursday it had asked its chief executive to take leave of absence after huge cost overruns in its energy and utilities division. Sime Darby, the world's largest listed palm oil producer, said it was braced for losses of 964 million ringgit (300 million dollars) due to problems with projects such as the controversial Bakun mega-dam in Borneo. "The board has seriously considered the implications... and is taking immediate and stringent measures to correct the deficiencies identified," it said. President and group CEO Ahmad Zubir Murshid "has been asked to take leave of absence prior to the expiry of his contract on 26 November 2010", a company statement said. Company officials said that the overruns, uncovered when Sime Darby set up a work group to look into its troubled energy and utilities division, would be recognised in third-quarter results due out May 27. They said that after posting profits of 1.11 billion ringgit in the first half of the 2010 financial year, the firm was likely to report its first ever quarterly loss. Sime Darby said that the Bakun dam project, in which Sime Engineering holds a 35.7 percent interest, was awarded in September 2002 and initially scheduled for completion in September 2007. "However, due to various factors, completion has been delayed and costs have escalated. Management estimates that there could be a potential additional cost attributable to the Group in the financial year 2010 results of 450 million ringgit." The dam, which involves flooding an area the size of Singapore, has attracted fierce criticism of its impact on the environment and the forced relocation of some 10,000 indigenous people. The management shake-up comes barely two years after two senior officials, including the conglomerate's chief financial officer, were dismissed after one of Sime Darby's palm oil processing units was discovered to have incurred massive losses from derivatives trading. Trade in Sime Darby's shares was halted Thursday ahead of the announcement. "The losses were bigger than expected and may hurt sentiment for the stock," Ivy Ng, senior analyst at CIMB Investment Bank, told Dow Jones Newswires, adding that any delay in finding a successor would depress the share price. "It will be a tall bill to find a good replacement," said Yeh Kim Leng, chief economist with RAM Holdings, because of the firm's widely diversified nature. "I think the investors would like to see a new, capable and credible successor to manage the world's largest oil palm plantation company as well as a company that has diversified business in oil and gas and property."

Sand exports to Singapore harm Cambodia: watchdog AFP - Wednesday, May 12 PHNOM PENH (AFP) - – Cambodia is engaged in destructive sand exports to fuel Singapore's rapid expansion despite a supposed government ban on the practice, an environmental watchdog said Tuesday. London-based Global Witness said Cambodia was making a "mockery of the government's supposed May 2009 ban on sand-dredging", risking devastation to its coasts, endangered species, fish stocks and local livelihoods. "There is no evidence that basic environmental safeguards have been applied, with boats reportedly turning up and dredging sand, often in protected areas, with no local consultation," said its new report, entitled "Shifting Sands". The group, which has made many allegations of Cambodian cronyism in recent years, said Mong Reththy and Ly Yong Phat -- senators known to have close ties to premier Hun Sen -- have been covertly awarded licences to dredge sand. "This situation highlights the continued failure of Cambodia's international donors to use their leverage to hold the small elite surrounding the prime minister to account," said George Boden, campaigner at Global Witness. The report said investigators tracked sand-filled boats from Cambodia to Singapore, estimating concessions from southwestern Koh Kong province alone netted 20 million dollars per month for some 796,000 tonnes of sand. Global Witness added that figures from other concessions along Cambodia's coast were not known, and there was no way to track whether revenues from sand exports reached the national treasury. "In addition, Global Witness has seen Cambodian sand dredging and export licences which bear the stamp and signature of a representative of the Singapore Embassy in Cambodia," the report said. Cambodian government officials contacted by AFP refused to comment on the allegations, while others told local media that the ban on sand dredging for export was still in place but some was permitted to serve local needs. Mong Reththy denied exporting sand to Singapore and said he had only conducted dredging to allow passage of ships to his private sea port. "I have never sold sand (to Singapore). They would not even buy the sand because it is not good quality," Mong Reththy told AFP. Singapore's Ministry of National Development also rejected the Global Witness allegations, saying the government was committed to protection of the environment and did "not condone the illegal export or smuggling of sand." "The report suggests that the Singapore government seeks to import sand without due regard to the law or environmental impact of the source country, in this case Cambodia. This is not true," the ministry said in a statement. Singapore has expanded its surface area by 22 percent since the 1960s, said the report, requiring vast quantities of imported sand from neighbours in southeast Asia. Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam have halted sand exports to the city-state over concerns the practice depleted fish stocks and caused erosion. The Cambodian government has banned past reports by Global Witness, which also accused donors of ignoring graft among elites who have allegedly been involved in illegal logging as well as shady oil and mining deals.

Malaysia Anwar accuser says sodomised more than once Reuters - Thursday, May 13 By Razak Ahmad KUALA LUMPUR - A former aide to Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim told a Kuala Lumpur court on Thursday that he had been sodomised by the former deputy prime minister on more than one occasion. Anwar, 63, has been charged with one count of consensual sodomy with Saiful Bukhari Azlan, now aged 25, relating to an incident in June 2008 in a Kuala Lumpur condominium and denies the charge which he says is politically motivated. "I was sodomised by Anwar in this country and also outside the country, in Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok," Saiful told the court under defence cross-examination. All homosexual acts are illegal in this mainly Muslim Southeast Asian country and Anwar was found guilty of sodomy in 2000 after he was dismissed as deputy prime minister in 1998, although the conviction was quashed on appeal. The court case is scheduled to last until August and Anwar's lawyers have complained that he is not getting a fair trial as the judge has not released what they say is key evidence. A conviction in the trial could carry a 20-year jail term, ending the career of the one politician who is seen to be capable of ending the 52-year rule of the National Front government that has ruled Malaysia since independence from Britain. Malaysian media have lapped up lurid details of the politically charged trial and have published photos showing "in camera" trial proceedings that prompted complaints by the opposition of bias. Karpal Singh, Anwar's lead lawyer, accused Saiful of lying and said he had concocted the charges with Najib Razak, now the country's premier and who was deputy prime minister in 2008, and who has admitted meeting the accuser. "We are saying there is a political conspiracy. He went to see the then deputy prime minister... There can be no doubt there is a political conspiracy," Karpal said. PUBLIC PERCEPTION BATTLE Analysts say the sensational media coverage signals a more important battle over the case that is being waged in the court of public opinion between the Anwar-led opposition and Najib's ruling coalition. Anwar leads a three-party opposition group that denied the ruling coalition control in five of Malaysia's 13 states in elections in 2008 but was hit by a series of recent setbacks, including the resignation of four opposition MPs. The Malaysian Insider news website reported on Wednesday that more lawmakers were poised to quit the People's Alliance and that it could lose control of a second state government. It lost one of the five states it ruled to defections last year. Victory last month by the ruling National Front coalition in its first parliamentary by-election since the 2008 general election has also boosted the government's confidence. But analysts say the country's non-Muslim minorities who abandoned the government due to alienation have yet to swing back to them. Tensions have also gone up due to a row over the use of the word "Allah" by Christians to describe God. Najib took office in April 2009 pledging political and economic reforms to revive his ailing coalition and win back foreign investment. Political uncertainties and diminishing competitiveness against the likes of China and Vietnam have helped dent foreign investment. Net portfolio and direct investment outflows reached $61 billion in 2008 and 2009, according to official data. Flows have returned to the Malaysian bond market, with official data showing foreign ownership of Malaysian government bonds rose to 55.4 billion Malaysian ringgit as of March 10 from 41 billion ringgit, largely after a central bank rate hike and speculation of a Chinese currency revaluation.

Accuser says Malaysia's Anwar sodomized him abroad By EILEEN NG,Associated Press Writer - Thursday, May 13 KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – The man who accused Anwar Ibrahim of sodomizing him testified in court Thursday that the Malaysian opposition leader had sex with him in Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand. Anwar is charged with sodomizing his 24-year-old former aide, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, at a Kuala Lumpur condominium in June 2008, but Saiful claimed he had been a victim of Anwar's sexual advances on other occasions after they met during campaigning for general elections earlier that year. "I had been sodomized by Anwar several times, in and out of the country, in Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok," Saiful told the Kuala Lumpur High Court during cross-examination by Anwar's defense team. Saiful did not elaborate, but Anwar made various trips abroad after March 2008 national polls, when he led a three-party opposition alliance to unprecedented electoral gains. Anwar, a married 62-year-old with six children, denies the sodomy charge, saying it is a plot by Prime Minister Najib Razak's administration to cripple the opposition. Najib denies any conspiracy but has acknowledged meeting Saiful two days before he was allegedly sodomized for the final time. Anwar's sodomy trial centers on a claim that Anwar and Saiful had sex on June 26, 2008. Anwar is charged under a law that punishes ana-l sex by up to 20 years in this Muslim-majority nation. On Thursday, Saiful denied he fabricated the accusation against Anwar with the help of Najib and police. Anwar's chief attorney, Karpal Singh, questioned why Saiful waited two days after being allegedly sodomized for the final time before making a police complaint. Saiful said he wanted to obtain advice from other people, including political and religious figures, because "this affects my dignity and my future." The judge agreed to a defense request for the remainder of Thursday's cross-examination to be held without public observers or the media because it would likely include graphic description by Saiful of the alleged sodomy. Trial hearings, which began in February, are then scheduled to take a break until May 31. It is the second time Anwar has been charged for sodomy. In 1998, Anwar lost his post as deputy prime minister and spent six years in jail after being convicted of sodomizing his family's former driver and abusing his power. He was freed in 2004 when a court overturned the sodomy conviction. Anwar denied all charges.

China drug addicts struggle to kick the habit AFP - Friday, May 14 KUNMING, China (AFP) - – The first time Wan Yannan took drugs eight years ago, she was a recent nursing graduate with a coveted job at a hospital -- a life that went up in a puff of heroin smoke. Now a tired-looking 28, Wan lost her boyfriend, job and was nearly cut off by her family after getting hooked and then suffering repeated relapses despite years of treatment at Chinese rehabilitation centres. "All I wanted was drugs. The first thing I thought when I woke up each day was getting money for drugs. My life was pitch-dark," said Wan. Now in her fifth stint in rehab in the southwestern city of Kunming, Wan is one of many Chinese struggling to kick the habit as drug use rises amid allegations of sub-par and even abusive treatment at state facilities. Wan's current home is the Kunming Municipal Compulsory Rehabilitation Centre in Yunnan province -- on the front lines of China's drug scourge as it borders the heroin-producing "Golden Triangle," where Burma, Laos and Thailand meet. The 21-year-old centre, which claims to be China's oldest, largest and most modern facility, provided AFP a rare glimpse inside. Treatment consists of a mixture of Chinese herbal medicines to help addicts detoxify, followed by "purifying" martial arts exercises, and "skills training" for future jobs. The 52-acre (20-hectare) site consists of a living area for its 2,500 addicts with the pleasant name "Harmonious Home", and vegetable gardens where they grow some of their own food. Areas where most addicts appeared to be, however, were off-limits, with little explanation. AFP reporters were unable to witness treatment in action at the police-run centre. One fact is not hidden: the facility's general failure to prevent relapse. Xia Jianxun, a police official who serves as the centre's spokesman, said the relapse rate of its addicts -- known as "trainees" -- was 75 percent. It took two decades for the centre to bring that down from 86 percent. "That was a huge effort," admits Xia, while noting that relapse rates are high worldwide. Drug use was virtually eliminated after the Communist rise to power in 1949, but the scourge has returned since the country began opening up to the world again three decades ago. The number of criminal drug cases rose to 77,000 last year, up 26 percent from 2008, according to official figures. China has 1.3 million registered drug addicts -- independent estimates say the actual number is far higher -- with more than 170,000 people in rehab centres. But state media reports have said relapse rates are as high as 90 percent. In a January report, Human Rights Watch blamed a rehabilitation system it says is marked by sub-standard and even punitive treatment. Many former addicts interviewed by the New York-based watchdog group said they suffered human rights violations such as forced labour, confinement, and other abuses. "I think the key structural problem is this is a medical issue, a medical problem which has been turned over to the police. They are the institution being asked to make medical decisions," Phelim Kine, Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch, told AFP. The result is "a spiral in which you can repeat the whole situation again." Xia said he knew nothing of those charges, and none of the "trainees" put forward by the Kunming centre -- all of whom were there "voluntarily" -- claimed any such abuses. Centre officials monitored every interview. But the pain of relapse is evident and common. Yang Likun came back to the centre on her own two years after her fourth relapse. Now 34, she looks a decade older after 12 years of heroin abuse. Trained as a dancer, she hopes to teach dance to children someday, and even marry, but fears leaving the centre's cocoon and risking another backslide. She said many young Chinese first try drugs out of a fascination with a habit they see as a sign of modern prosperity and decadence, and that not enough is done in China to warn them about the dangers. "I didn't know it was addictive and by the time I found that out, it was too late," she said.

N.Korean women up for sale in China: activist AFP - Thursday, May 13 SEOUL (AFP) - – Young female refugees from North Korea are increasingly becoming a commodity in China, where they are sold to farmers for up to 1,500 dollars a head, according to a Seoul campaigner. The human trafficking is far from new but has become more prevalent as prices soar amid a shortage of Chinese women in the countryside, said Reverend Chun Ki-Won, head of the Durihana Association, which offers aid to refugees. Chun, who has helped more than 900 North Koreans escape from China, said women are forced to live "like animals" because of Beijing's policy of repatriating the refugees as economic migrants. "China is now a responsible nation. It should care about national prestige through solving human rights issues," he told AFP. If the women were not in danger of being sent back "they would not have to live such an inhumane life as this" in China, he said. Men escaping the impoverished hardline North increasingly fall victim to tighter border controls or to bounties offered to Chinese for turning them in. Women can find safer shelter across the border because of their economic value. Nowadays they make up around 80 percent of the tens of thousands of North Koreans hiding in China, Chun said. More than 90 percent of them fall victim to human trafficking, he said. The process starts at the border, where Chinese brokers bribe the North's border guards to let the women through, the 53-year-old pastor said -- usually between 500 and 1,000 yuan (75-150 dollars) for each. One of two fates awaits the women who make it through: marriage to a farmer, often elderly or disabled, or taking their clothes off for Internet sex shows. About 20-30 percent are destined for marriage and are resold to another broker for about 2,000 yuan. They are then sold to farmers, normally for 5,000-10,000 yuan, but the trafficking does not necessarily end there. If the customer does not like his wife, he can resell her and add about 2,000 yuan to the original price. Some women are sold seven or eight times, Chun said. The women rarely know what is in store for them, Chun said. "Most of the time, they are just told they will get a good job in China and will be able to earn a lot of money." Women destined to appear on Internet sex shows are promised a job at a "computer company". The reality is confinement in a tiny room with a webcam so they can engage in a "body chat" with clients worldwide. They earn a maximum of 2,000 yuan per month but most of this is confiscated to repay the cost of smuggling them into China. Women cannot complain about their treatment for fear of being sent back to North Korea, where they risk harsh punishment. Children fathered by Chinese men and North Korean women are the biggest problem, Chun said. "The Chinese government does not recognise children whose mother is not registered. If the mother runs away or is taken back to North Korea, the children are left with nothing -- no nationality, no parents and no identity." The children can be officially registered if the father pays a fine but most cannot afford this. The computer stripping does offer a gleam of hope. "When South Korean clients get in touch with these women, they become friends and help the women find organisations that would rescue them," Chun told AFP. "Other than the 'chat' itself, women send e-mails or use online message services to ask for help." China's forced repatriation policy has been strongly criticised by rights groups who say the North Koreans should have refugee status. At a Washington press conference in April last year, North Korean women who escaped the sex trade in China said brokers there treated them like livestock, selling them on to one or more "husbands".

Rogue Thai general aiding Red Shirts shot in head By THANYARAT DOKSONE,Associated Press Writer - 6 minutes ago BANGKOK – A renegade army general accused of leading a paramilitary force among Thailand's Red Shirt protesters was shot in the head Thursday, apparently by a sniper , an aide said, after the government warned it would shoot "terrorists." In an interview with The Associated Press about 90 minutes before he was shot, Maj. Gen. Khattiya Sawasdiphol said he anticipated a military crackdown soon _ as security forces moved to seal an area of central Bangkok which has been occupied by thousands of the protesters for weeks. "It's either dusk or dawn when the troops will go in," he said. He was shot soon after night fell. An aide who answered Khattiya's mobile phone described the injury as "severe." The AP called Khattiya's phone after several gunshots and explosions were heard late Thursday from the vicinity of the Red Shirt's redoubt in the upscale Rajprasong district. "Seh Daeng was shot in the head," said the aide, referring to Khattiya by his nickname. The aide hung up without identifying himself. The government's medical emergency center confirmed that Khattiya was shot in the head and admitted to the intensive care unit at a hospital. It was not possible to verify the aide's claim that Khattiya was shot by a sniper. Calls to police and army spokesmen seeking comment were not answered. The Red Shirts, many from the rural poor, are demanding an immediate dissolution of Parliament. They believe Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's coalition government came to power illegitimately through manipulation of the courts and the backing of the powerful military. Tens of thousands of them streamed into the capital on March 12 and occupied an area in the historic district of Bangkok. An army attempt to clear them on April 10 led to clashes that killed 25 people and wounded more than 800. Another four people were killed in related clashes in the following weeks. Thursday's shooting will only deepen fears of more bloodshed. Khattiya is a renegade army major general whom the government has labeled a "terrorist" and a mastermind behind some of the violence. He bitterly opposed reconciling with the government and had recently become critical of Red Shirt leaders, some of whom had wanted to accept a government proposal to end Thailand's political crisis. The firing came after the government said it will impose a military lockdown on the Rajprasong area to evict the protesters. Khattiya, who helped construct the Red Shirt barricades of sharpened bamboo stakes and tires around the protest area, was accused of creating a paramilitary force among the anti-government protesters and had vowed to battle against the army if it should launch a crackdown. In the AP interview, he accused Red Shirt leaders of taking government bribes to accept Abhisit's reconciliation plan to hold elections on Nov. 14. However, the plan was abandoned after the Red Shirts made new demands and refused to leave. "The prime minister and the Red Shirts were on the verge of striking a deal but then I came in. Suddenly, I became an important person," he said. "This time, the people's army will fight the army. There is no need to teach the people how to fight. There are no forms or plan of attack. You let them fight with their own strategies," he said. Khattiya was suspended from the army in January and became a fugitive from justice last month after when an arrest warrant was issued against him and two dozen others linked to the Red Shirts for their purported roles in the violence. Yet he has wandered freely through the protest zone, signing autographs just yards (meters) from security forces keeping watch over the protesters. Earlier Thursday, an army spokesman, Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, said security forces were preparing to impose a lockdown on the 1-square-mile (3-square-kilometer) area where the Red Shirts have barricaded themselves in a posh area of shopping malls, hotels and upscale apartments. A reporter for TNN television said electricity went out late Thursday. Sansern said armored personnel carriers and snipers will surround the area. Power, public transport and mobile phone service in the area was also suspended. Sansern said troops will use rubber bullets first but will not hesitate to use live ammunition in self-defense if attacked. "In addition, another unit of ... sharpshooters will be on the lookout and will shoot terrorists who carry weapons," he said. The Red Shirts see Abhisit's government as serving an elite insensitive to the plight of most Thais. The protesters include many supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a populist leader accused of corruption and abuse of power and ousted in a 2006 military coup. Thaksin, a former telecommunications billionaire who fled overseas to avoid a corruption conviction, is widely believed to be helping to bankroll the protests. He claims to be a victim of political persecution. Associated Press writers Jocelyn Gecker, Vijay Joshi and Grant Peck contributed to this report, with additional research by Warangkana Tempati.

Red shirt military advisor wounded in Thai capital Reuters - 1 hour 17 minutes ago By Martin Petty and Chalathip Thirasoonthrakul BANGKOK - The chief military advisor of Thailand's anti-government protesters was injured in the head, after an explosion and bursts of automatic gunfire were heard near Bangkok's business district on Thursday night. Khattiya Sawasdipol, a suspended army specialist in charge of security at an encampment occupied by thousands of "red shirt" demonstrators, was admitted to an intensive care ward after being shot, said the state Narenthorn Emergency Medical Service. It had no other details. Khattiya, better known as "Seh Daeng" enjoys a cult following among some red shirts and soldiers, but has been dubbed a "terrorist" by Thailand's government, which accuses him of involvement in dozens of grenade attacks that have injured more than 100 people. The army had earlier said it was planning a huge lockdown around the fortified encampment of the red shirts, who have defied warnings to end their five-week occupation of an upmarket Bangkok shopping district. The Thai military said it would deploy armoured vehicles and shut roads surrounding thousands of defiant protesters on Thursday, forcing businesses to evacuate workers as tensions rise in the deadliest political crisis in two decades. The army said its armoured vehicles will bolster checkpoints, stopping protesters from entering the area, and urged businesses on roads leading into the protesters' 3 sq-km fortified encampment to close on Friday. Army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said authorities tasked with resolving the crisis will also seek cabinet approval to invoke a state of emergency in 15 northern and northeastern provinces, which are stronghold of protesters to prevent any mobilisation. SURROUND MILITARY VEHICLES The mostly rural and urban poor protesters refused to leave as their leaders challenged the government from behind medieval-like walls made from tyres and wooden staves soaked in kerosene and topped by razor wire. The government estimated the crowd size at 10,000 but Reuters witnessses put it at more than 20,000. "We will send out groups to surround these vehicles to prevent them from advancing," Jatuporn Prompan, a protest leader, told supporters. "We believe the army will try to crack down this evening or tomorrow morning." Companies and embassies across the area told employees to leave work early and activated back-up plans for Friday. Several stations in an elevated train system were shutting early. Public transportation was being diverted from the area. The mood at the protest site turned quickly in the afternoon from festive to tense. Leaders took turns on the stage to call for more protesters to come to the encampment, chanting "come out, come out" and threatening to lay siege to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's house and an infantry barracks where he has taken refuge if there is a crackdown. Abhisit is under enormous pressure to end the two-month crisis that has killed 29 people, wounded more than 1,000, paralysed parts of Bangkok and slowed growth in Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy. But analysts and an army source close to Army Chief Anupong Paochinda said an immediate crackdown is unlikely despite the threats. "It's hard to say if or when the crackdown will be because we have to evaluate by the hour. We don't want casualties so we have to keep the pressure up so people are too tired to resist. "Casualties will be bad for us as well." Analysts said potentially high casualties have prevented the army from going in. CONSUMER CONFIDENCE FALLS The turmoil is shattering consumer confidence, a survey showed on Thursday, suggesting spending in shops and department stores is drying up as the crisis grinds on, a troubling sign for a sector that accounts for half the economy. The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce said its consumer confidence index fell by a record 2.6 points in April, the lowest since July 2009. Confidence has fallen for three straight months after rising steadily since the middle of 2009. The Thai baht fell sharply immediately after the army's announcement, though witnesses saw no unusual activity around the sprawling red shirt encampment. The red-shirted protesters are mostly supporters of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted in a 2006 coup. They say Abhisit lacks a popular mandate after coming to power in a controversial parliamentary vote 17 months ago with support from the military. The prime minister on Wednesday cancelled a proposed November 14 election under his "national reconciliation" plan and called off talks with the protesters, raising speculation of a crackdown. Foreign investors have turned negative since violence flared in April and have sold $584 million in Thai shares in the past six sessions, cutting their net buying so far this year to $607.6 million as of Wednesday. "The markets have no idea what to make of the situation. It seems like we're heading back to square one," said Sukit Udomsirikul, a senior analyst at brokerage Siam City Securities. Disparate views among protest leaders -- from radical former communists to academics and aspiring lawmakers -- make it difficult to reach consensus. Many face criminal charges for defying an emergency decree and some face terrorism charges carrying a maximum penalty of death. Several harbour political ambitions and need to appease rank-and-file supporters. Others fear ending the protest now would be a one-way ticket to jail. Some hardliners advocate stepping up the protests to win the fight once and for all. The red-shirted protesters, have said they would only disperse if a deputy prime minister faces criminal charges over a deadly April clash between troops and protesters.

Scientists stunned as grey whale sighted off Israel AFP - Wednesday, May 12 JERUSALEM (AFP) - – The appearance of a grey whale off the coast of Israel has stunned scientists, in what was thought to be the first time the giant mammal has been seen outside the Pacific in several hundred years. The whale, which was first sighted off Herzliya in central Israel on Saturday, is believed to have travelled thousands of miles from the north Pacific after losing its way in search of food. "It's an unbelievable event which has been described as one of the most important whale sightings ever," said Dr Aviad Scheinin, chairman of the Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center which identified the creature. A population of grey whales once inhabited the north Atlantic but became extinct in the 17th or 18th centuries and has not been seen there since. The remaining colonies live in the western and eastern sectors of the north Pacific. "What has amazed the entire marine mammal research community is there haven't been any grey whales in the Atlantic since the 18th century," he said. Scheinin said the creature, a mature whale measuring some 12 metres (39 feet) and weighing around 20 tonnes, probably reached the Atlantic through the Northwest Passage, an Arctic sea route that connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and is normally covered with ice. "Here you have an animal that is supposed to live in the Pacific and because the ice in the Arctic is melting, it managed to get through this corridor near the Bering Strait," Scheinin told AFP. The population which lives in the northeastern Pacific normally migrates southwards in around October, heading for warmer waters around the Gulf of California in a huge round trip of at least 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometres). So when autumn came, this particular grey whale began travelling south, keeping the land mass on the left and heading for the Californian Gulf with the aim of "turning left" into the bay. But instead, it reached Gibraltar and turned left into the Mediterranean and ended up off the shores of Israel, Scheinin said. "The question now is: are we going to see the re-colonisation of the Atlantic?" he said. "This is very important ecologically because of the change of habitat. It emphasises the climate change that we are going through." So far, the whale seems to be happy enough in the waters off the shores of Israel, he said. "It is pretty thin, which indicates the trip was quite harsh, but we think it can survive here," he said. "Grey whales are very generalist in what they feed on." Now experts are mulling the possibility of tracking the whale by satellite -- a costly operation that would need outside funding and expertise, Scheinin said. "It's quite a big operation to do this. If it stays around here for the next month, it's worth having someone come in and do this professionally," he said. "It will be interesting to see where it goes and to follow it."

Looks like no more space for HOEKSEMAI & SUNSET MONTIS liao...heh heh

Bro, show some pics of ya swee-swee alpha LINEATUS.

India studies yogic power for life without food AFP - Thursday, April 29 AHMEDABAD, India (AFP) - – A team of military doctors backed by India's national defence research centre is studying an 83-year-old holy man who claims to have spent seven decades surviving without food or water. The long-haired and bearded yogi, Prahlad Jani, has been sealed in a hospital in the western city of Ahmedabad where he is under 24-hour observation by 30 doctors and will be subjected to a series of medical tests. "The observation from this study may throw light on human survival without food and water," doctor G. Ilavazahagan, director of India's Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), told AFP. The DIPAS is part of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, India's state defence and military research institute also behind a grenade packed with chilli powder that recently hit headlines. "This may help in working out strategies for survival during natural calamities, extreme stressful conditions and extra-terrestrial explorations like future missions to the Moon and Mars by the human race," Ilavazahagan said. The tests on Jani include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, measuring brain and heart activity with electrodes and other neuro-physiological studies, in addition to blood tests. The experiment started on April 22 and will take 15-20 days. Since the beginning, Jani has neither eaten nor drunk and has not been to the toilet, Ilavazahagan said. "The exercise of taking this yogi under the medical scanner is to understand what energy supports his existence," he added, explaining that soldiers could benefit from his apparent ability to survive. "Jani says he meditates to get energy. Our soldiers will not be able to meditate, but we would still like to find out more about the man and his body," he said. Neurologist Sudhir Shah, who studied Jani in 2003 and is part of the new experiment, said that the extremely skinny but apparently active man faced round-the-clock observation. "Two stationary 24-hour video cameras have been set up in his room, while a mobile video camera follows him whenever he needs to step outside," he said. Jani, who dresses in red and wears a nose ring, grew up in Charod village in the Mehsana district in Gujarat and claims to have been blessed by a goddess aged eight, which has enabled him to survive without sustenance. Shah said that Jani told him the key to his survival was a mystical and unexplained process by which he receives drops of water through a hole in his palate. Analysis of data, to determine his secret or expose his fraudulence, will take at least two months, the doctors said. Fasting is a part of Indian culture, made famous by independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, who brought himself to the brink of death on several occasions by refusing food and water to protest against colonial rule. A monk from India's minority Jain religion -- devout followers of which undertake frequent fasts, sometimes to death -- claims to have deprived himself of food for one year, which is believed to be a record "If you're busy with something you don't feel hunger, thirst, or the heat and cold," said Sri Sahaj Muni Maharaj, who took daily glasses of warm water during his fast which ended on May 1998. "I'm busy contemplating the infinite," he told India's Outlook magazine one month before the end of his experiment.

Green Kenya Tree, Aquacultured, ORA (Nephthea sp.) The common name for this beauty is either Kenya Tree or Capnella. It is a soft (leather) coral from the Pacific ocean. A quick grower given proper lighting and good water flow. Capnella will grow back from the tiniest bit of flesh left behind and holds fast to any substrate to which it attaches. Like most “Leather” corals, Capnella will routinely shed a “mucous tunic” to clear itself of algae, debris, etc.This is generally observed by the colony closing for a period of hours to days, followed by a shedding of a thin clear film that may take one to several days to complete. Colonies kept in higher flow areas will “shed” less often. Diet Requirements: May take up planktonic organisms through normal polyp feeding, and/or dissolved organics through it’s mucous net/flesh. However, Capnella harbors zooxanthellae and can subsist and thrive entirely without any direct feeding. Lighting: Normal output lighting may be sufficient for certain individual colonies to survive if they are also provided with supplemental nutrition. However, reef lighting should be used for a good chance for success. Difficulty Level: Easy Photosynthetic: Yes, no feeding required QUICK STATS Care Level: Easy Temperament: Peaceful Lighting: Moderate Waterflow: Medium to Strong Placement: Middle to Top Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.023-1.025 Color Form: Green Supplements: Strontium, Iodine, Trace Elements Origin: Aquacultured - Drs. Foster & Smith Family: Nephtheidae

Second feels strange 09/05/2010 18:25 For the first time in his United career, Patrice Evra has played a full campaign without winning the league - and he doesn't like the feeling one bit. The Frenchman's honours list at Old Trafford is now book-ended by two Carling Cups - the victory in Cardiff just weeks after he joined the club during the January 2006 transfer window and this year's triumph over Aston Villa at Wembley. Naturally he'd much prefer to be looking at a fourth consecutive league title as his latest success. "It was very painful at half-time when I knew that Chelsea were winning 3-0. It’s hard {to take], it’s a sad day today," Evra told MUTV. "I can say congratulations to all my team-mates because it was not easy this year and to finish second is good. "But it’s not my mentality. I’ve always said that if I don’t finish first in the league, I will feel like I didn’t do my job very well for Man United. When you play for Man United, you must always win. I’ve been here four years and this is my first [full] year when I haven’t won the league. I feel strange. Today is a very, very sad day for me." When asked why United had fallen short of a fourth title in a row, albeit by just one point, Patrice replied: "We lost too many games this season. We shouldn’t have lost to Chelsea here and then we drew with Blackburn away and dropped some more points. "There were other games we lost when we shouldn't have, like Burnley at the beginning of the season. I think that was the key, but still I congratulate Chelsea for winning the league." Evra is vowing to fight win back the title next year, saying: "I want to win every year and next year will be the same. Every year I play for Man United I want to be the best."