THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT !!!

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I am my own man: Kenneth Jeyaretnam

Channel NewsAsia - Thursday, April 8

SINGAPORE: It has been almost a year since Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam was persuaded to take over the leadership of the Reform Party, following the death of its founder — his father JB Jeyaretnam (JBJ). The 50—year—old former hedge fund manager, who gave up his job to focus on politics full—time, says that at the time the Opposition party was a "drifting, rudderless empty vessel".

While Mr Jeyaretnam sees his work as a continuation of his father’s lifelong mission, he also wants to be seen as "his own man" with his own brand of "economically—competent" politics. And perhaps having witnessed firsthand his father’s costly legal battles, he recently told Loh Chee Kong that he wants the Reform Party to steer clear of legal minefields.

’I’ve got nothing to hide’

Why did you enter politics? Was it what your father expected of you? And is the JBJ legacy a boon or a bane to your own political career?

My father had always hoped that one of us (Kenneth or his younger brother Philip Jeyaretnam) would follow him into politics ... My father’s legacy is not really an issue any more because I’m seen as my own man.

When we did our walkabout with the Singapore Democratic Alliance last Sunday, I was sitting with my members at a table (at the void deck of a block of flats) and a guy at the next table said: "Hi Kenneth, how’s it going?" People do come up and approach me now.

You had previously kept a low profile. Were you prepared for the media scrutiny?

I’m ready for any scrutiny — I’ve got nothing to hide. Obviously, it’s an uphill struggle to get your message across in the mainstream media. But because of the rise of the new media, we’ve been getting our message across ... but we have to be in control of the content.

One of the things I’m concerned about is that we don’t put out anything that is potentially libellous, inflammatory or seditious, that could lead to potential legal problems.

You have spent a large part of your life overseas. Will that count against you getting elected? Can you relate to the average Singaporean?

Let’s get it straight: Do you think that I left Singapore by choice? I couldn’t get a job here.

I had a "double first" (first—class honours in two separate subjects) from Cambridge. After I graduated in 1983 — which was two years after my father was elected into Parliament — I wanted to return to Singapore.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore rejected my application after one round of interviews. A lot of financial institutions and banks also rejected my applications.

Anyway, I’m not here to whine. I’ve succeeded in London. I’ve built a successful career in the financial sector and in hedge fund management. It has given me a perspective of seeing how an open, democratic society operates.

People find me approachable, proactive, capable — even though some people say I speak with an English accent.

’The party was in a bad state’

It’s been almost a year since you took over leadership of the Reform Party. What was the experience like?

When I was elected as secretary—general, it was actually a bit of a shock because I found the party was in quite a bad state. It was like a drifting, rudderless empty vessel. Morale had dwindled, the number of members had decreased and there hadn’t been central executive committee meetings for about four or five months ...

But since then, the responses I’ve gotten have been much more than I expected. We’ve definitely created a watershed in Singapore politics. For the first time, you’ve got an Opposition party that is perceived as economically competent, credible, and proposing alternative policies that could really make a difference or change Singapore.

With your brand of politics, are you trying to appeal to the intelligentsia?

We appeal to all sections of Singapore. I went on a house—to—house visit in West Coast GRC recently in a low—income area. We got a very enthusiastic response there ... there haven’t been elections there for 20 years.

We appeal to the professional classes because of our economic policies and perceived economic competence. We definitely appeal to most Singaporeans who think there should be more opposition in Parliament — that we need to move towards a two—party system.

Rising property prices is one area that the Reform Party is concerned about. How would the party do things differently from the Government?

There’s a conflict of interest in the Government’s role as the owner of 79 per cent of the land and the provider of housing ... they have a vested interest in seeing property prices rise. We’ve said that we would like to see more private sector competition with the HDB in the provision of low—cost housing.

I don’t think this would lead to lower quality because first, you have a regulator to ensure that standards are maintained. Second, competition usually leads to higher quality.

If you get into Parliament, do you see yourself as a full—time Member of Parliament? What would your priorities be?

I’m already a full—time politician and I’ll certainly devote the major part of my time. Being an MP is not the ultimate objective, because every political party’s objective should be to get to be the government and that’s what I’ll be working for.

The PAP may be against the two—party system but it’s inevitable, as we have seen in Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia. The problem with the one—party system is not corruption — at least not in Singapore because the Government is not corrupt — but it leads to a society closed to new ideas, with too many "yes men".

’We are fairly united’

What is your take on the state of Opposition unity here?

You can’t force Opposition unity but I think it will definitely happen. That’s the basis of our purported alliance with the SDA (Singapore Democratic Alliance) — it would not be to just fight an election but to coordinate our actions in Parliament.

We don’t all have to agree on exactly the same policies, but we all have the same objective, so it would be wrong to talk about Opposition disunity. We are fairly united.

If you team up with the SDA’s Chiam See Tong to contest a Group Representation Constituency, wouldn’t you find yourself in the shadow of a veteran Opposition figure?

Mr Chiam is much—loved and respected by his constituents. He has done a great job in Potong Pasir. But let’s be frank: In a democratic country, if a party has failed for 25 years to expand its base beyond one seat in Parliament then I think the leaders would have been voted out.

Mr Chiam and I share the same view that the purpose of a political party is to form a government. He has spoken many times about the Opposition forming, not at the next General Election but by the election after that, to be in a position to be seen as an alternative government — which is something the Reform Party has also said.

I can’t comment on our election strategy. It’s completely shocking that we haven’t seen the boundaries ... that is grossly unfair to the Opposition.

What do you hope Singaporeans see Kenneth Jeyaretnam as?

I hope that I’ll be seen as somebody who transformed Singapore politics — I hope that doesn’t sound too arrogant — and who made (participating in politics) seem like a normal and patriotic duty, rather than something to be shunned or avoided out of fear.

The writer is a freelance correspondent.

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Malaysian gets flogging for acid attack on wife

By SEAN YOONG, Associated Press Writer - Tuesday, April 13

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – A court sentenced a Malaysian man to six years in prison and ordered him to be flogged with a rattan cane after he splashed acid on his wife for refusing to have sex with him, an official said Tuesday.

Supian Hani Ismail began serving the prison term Monday after a district court judge in eastern Pahang state issued the sentence, a court official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements.

The unemployed 47-year-old had pleaded guilty to a charge of "causing grievous hurt" to his wife by splashing a bottle of acid on her after she rebuffed his demand for sex on the night of April 7 at their home, the official said.

Supian will also receive two lashes of a thick rattan stick, which generally leaves lifelong scars.

Supian's wife was recovering in a hospital after suffering burns on her face, hands and other parts of her body, the national news agency Bernama said.

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S.Korea seeks law to protect actresses from sexual advances

AFP - Thursday, April 29

SEOUL (AFP) - – South Korea is to bring in legislation to protect actresses after a survey found 60 percent of them said they had been pressured to have sex to further their careers, an official said Wednesday.

The law will lay down strict rules on the establishment of entertainment agencies, a culture ministry official told AFP, adding unregistered agencies would be shut down.

"The government will enact a law, this year if possible, to protect their rights," he said on condition of anonymity.

On Tuesday the National Human Rights Commission published a survey conducted last year of 111 actresses and 240 aspiring actresses. Some 60 percent reported receiving sexual advances from people who could influence their careers.

Such offers from wealthy businessmen, television programme makers, movie producers and politicians come through colleagues, entertainment agency officials and brokers, the state rights body said.

In answer to specific questions, 22 percent of those interviewed said they were "forced or requested" by their agents to provide sexual favours while more than six percent said they were sexually assaulted.

The survey showed 45 percent were forced to drink with influential figures, while 32 percent said they had experienced unwanted physical contact or sexual harassment.

More than half said they had been offered "sponsorship" -- a secret contract under which they receive financial support from rich men in exchange for having regular sexual relations.

The report included an account from an unnamed actress in her mid-20s, who said she is still suffering from a nightmarish experience with the boss of her agency.

The actress said she was dragged into a hotel after the boss allowed her to buy expensive clothes and accessories. "He told me that I should know more about men if I want to be successful in this community," she said.

The commission said the survey was conducted to raise public awareness following the suicide of an actress last year.

Jang Ja-Yeon killed herself after suggesting she had been forced to have sex with influential figures to promote her career.

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Lack of sleep linked to early death: study

AFP - Thursday, May 6

LONDON (AFP) – People who get less than six hours sleep per night have an increased risk of dying prematurely, researchers said on Wednesday.

Those who slumbered for less than that amount of time were 12 percent more likely to die early, though researchers also found a link between sleeping more than nine hours and premature death.

"If you sleep little, you can develop diabetes, obesity, hypertension and high cholesterol," Francesco Cappuccio, who led research on the subject at Britain's University of Warwick, told AFP.

The study, conducted with the Federico II University in Naples, Italy, aggregated decade-long studies from around the world involving more than 1.3 million people and found "unequivocal evidence of the direct link" between lack of sleep and premature death.

"We think that the relation between little sleep and illness is due to a series of hormonal and metabolical mechanisms," Cappuccio said.

The findings of the study were published in the Sleep journal.

Cappuccio believes the duration of sleep is a public health issue and should be considered as a behavioural risk factor by doctors.

"Society pushes us to sleep less and less," Cappuccio said, adding that about 20 percent of the population in the United States and Britain sleeps less than five hours.

Sleeping less than six hours is "more common amongst full-time workers, suggesting that it may be due to societal pressures for longer working hours and more shift work"

The study also found a link between sleeping more than nine hours per night and premature death, but Cappuccio said oversleeping is more likely to be an effect of illness, rather than a cause.

"Doctors never ask how much one sleeps, but that could be an indicator that something is wrong," said Cappuccio, who heads the Sleep, Health and Society Programme at the University of Warwick.

Research showed no adverse effects for those sleeping between six and eight hours per day.

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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.

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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."

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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".

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

[kueytoc]

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.

[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.

[kueytoc]

Foyce Le: Call me a gold-digger, I don’t care

By Angela Lim – May 31st, 2010

29-year-old singer-actress Foyce Le, better known as one of the women involved in the Jack Neo scandal, is making headlines again.

Le announced that she would be getting married on her Facebook page two weeks ago. However, the identity of her would-be suitor remains a mystery.

In an interview with The New Paper, Le revealed that the marriage proposal she expects on her birthday on Tuesday comes barely a month after they began dating.

She tells TNP, “I won’t call him my boyfriend because we’ve never been together. He’s a decisive man who has told me he wants to marry me.”

All that she revealed about Mr. A, her 30-year-old, 1.73m tall mystery man, is that he is an oil tycoon’s son who owns a high-end jewellery store on Orchard Road, has “three houses on Newton Road and owns many cars”.

Le did not hesitate to tell the paper that she was attracted by his wealth and “high social status”.

The two had lost touch with each other until earlier this year when Le made the headlines for claiming local director Jack Neo made advances on her six years ago. In the midst of the saga, Mr. A found her on Facebook and sent her a message.

And so began their whirlwind month-long romance. Then just two weeks ago, he told her he would propose with a rare pink diamond ring on her birthday.

So why would she think of marrying someone she’s only been seeing for a month?

“I definitely would enjoy being a tai tai (lady of luxury). Yes Mr. A is very suited for me. We enjoy the same kind of lifestyle,” she told the paper.

She also reveals that previous boyfriends dumped her because of her “princess-like” behaviour.

“I expect my boyfriend to wait for me and pick me up from work often. Perhaps this is what guys mean when they complain that I am too ‘princess-like’. I also like to dress up and be wined and dined at nice places,” she explains.

And yet, the singer-actress has no qualms about appearing materialistic.

She says, “I know a lot of people will say that I’m a gold-digger but I don’t care. I have very high expectations of my partner. Let’s just say I’ve been wanting to get married for a very long time.”

This is not the first time Le has made headlines. During the recent scandal earlier this year involving film-director Neo, she claimed he was invited by her then J-Team boss to a hotel room in 2004.

Some accused her of cashing in on the scandal to gain fame. She also filed a police report in the wake of the scandal, claiming her life had been threatened.

[kueytoc]

Singaporeans slammed for being rude in Australian newspaper

By Angela Lim – June 2nd, 2010

It’s no secret that Singapore is a “campaign city”.

The National Courtesy Campaign, Speak Good English Movement, the Singapore Kindness Movement and even toilet campaigns like “Aim Right”, “Wash Your Hands Right”, “Don’t Wet The Floor” are clear testaments to this.

But Sydney Morning Herald writer Tamara Thiessen takes this a step further in a provocative piece entitled “Singaporeans asked to chew on their manners” that was published on the newspaper’s website on May 31.

In it, she questions the level of courtesy and graciousness in Singaporeans as well as how constant reminders to be courteous have to be “thrust down their thoats daily”. The article further goes to portray Singapore as a regimentally law-abiding and clean country, where “happiness and civility need…outside enforcement”.

But despite the city-state’s spick-and-span spaces free of chewing gum and spit, “there is no assurance of finding good manners and a caring society”, she writes.

An IT manager from Sydney who is based in Singapore, Paul Stapleton, is quoted in the article saying, “They (Singaporeans) are the rudest f***ing people I have ever seen; they need some basic training in civic awareness. They don’t feel that anyone else exists outside this tiny island.”

Another long-time British resident staying here added, “The problem is the sole concern of most Singaporeans is money and economic well-being. The only reason the churches here are packed to the rafters is because people attend in order to network.”

General manager of the Singapore Kindness Movement, Teh Thien Yew, is also quoted in the paper as saying, ”Levels of indifference and unhappiness are still high … we are all concerned about graciousness in our country.”

Invariably, every society has its fair share of bad social graces. But is it fair for an Australian or Briton to pass judgement on Singaporeans as a whole based on personal experience and a few opinions?

A 24-year-old Singaporean student, who wanted to be known as Jen, told Yahoo! Singapore that Thiessen’s article is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

“Who is the writer to say that Singaporeans make up an ungracious society? Yes, there may be some rude people in Singapore. But there are always bad eggs in every society. Personally, I’ve met my fair share of rude Australians while studying there, but I don’t dismiss Australia as a country of ungracious people.”

To Singaporeans’ credit, according to the State of Graciousness in Singapore Survey, people here conducted themselves better on public transport over the past year. Also, the country’s “Graciousness Index” — an indication of how citizens rate the level of graciousness within society — climbed 3 points from 58 to 61 in the same time.

Having said that, while Thiessen’s article borders on being one-sided and slightly extreme, could the ugly truth be that she’s actually right?

After all, in the same survey, only 37% out of 1,000 Singaporeans interviewed were happy with the level of graciousness in the city-state.

In light of such harsh criticism, do you agree that the level of courtesy and graciousness in Singapore society leaves much to be desired? Are state campaigns effective in inculcating kindness and consideration in local citizens?

[kueytoc]

How to open a wine bottle with a shoe ???

[peacemaker]

Very interesting!

[kueytoc]

Oooops !...his arse gonna be 'PAIN-PAIN'.

Swiss vandal sentenced to five months, three strokes of the cane

By yahoosingapore – June 21st, 2010

Swiss national Oliver Fricker has been sentenced to five months’ jail and three strokes of the cane.

Earlier in the day, the 32-year-old software consultant pleaded guilty to two charges of entering a protected place and vandalising an SMRT train.

For entering a protected place, he could have been fined up to $1,000 and jailed up to two years.

He was facing a fine of up to $2,000 or a jail term of up to three years and at least three strokes of the cane for the vandalism charge.

Fricker’s lawyer Derek Kang told Yahoo! Singapore that he would be filing an appeal on his client’s behalf.

“We are filing an appeal because we feel the sentence is a bit on the high side.”

The 33-year-old lawyer from law firm Rodyk & Davidson LLP said the appeal hearing would take at the very earliest “a few weeks.” When asked if the appeal would succeed, he said he has to be “hopeful” it will.

Acknowledging the huge media interest in the case, Kang also said he was initially taken aback.

“Before the first time, I probably wasn’t aware of how much attention this case had attracted. But I was forewarned that a lot of foreign media would be covering it.”

Kang also added he was in touch with the Swiss embassy, who are providing consular support for his client.

The Straits Times earlier detailed how Fricker and his British accomplice, Dane Alexander Lloyd, carried out their vandalism act on May 15.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sharon Lim said the pair came to know each other in Australia about three years ago, and had been keeping in touch occasionally through e-mail. Earlier this year, the 29-year-old Briton told Fricker he would be coming here for a visit for some “non-legal things”.

On the day of the act, the pair collected delivery of a carton of paint at City Hall MRT. By then, Fricker had already used Google to recce where the Changi SMRT depot was and where all the MRT trains were parked.

Later that evening, both men, each carrying a small bag with a few cans of spray entred the depot after cutting a hole in the fence.

After each had spray-painted the words “McKoy Banos” on the MRT carriages, they took some photographs of their work before leaving the same way they came.

Fricker was arrested on May 25, while Lloyd is still at large.

Comparisons have been made to the Michael Fay incident in 1994.

Fay, then 18, was an American student studying at the Singapore American School. He was subsequently found guilty of stealing road signs and vandalising several cars with spray paint a year earlier. After pleading guilty, he was sentenced to four months in jail, a fine of S$3,500 and six strokes of the cane.

The case catapulted Fay and Singapore into the global media spotlight and then U.S. President Bill Clinton even appealed for clemency on Fay’s behalf. His sentence was eventually reduced to four strokes of the cane by then Singapore President Ong Teng Cheong as a gesture of respect to Clinton.

[kueytoc]

S$1,200 RWS fish dish shocker

By Angela Lim – June 30th, 2010

A 35-year-old diner and four friends feasted on a steamed fish dish at a restaurant in Resorts World Sentosa (RWS). At the end of the meal, upon receiving the bill, his jaw hit the ground.

What seemed like a simple dish ended up costing a whopping S$1,224.

The diner, who only wanted to be known as Mr Liu, took his four friends to RWS’ Feng Shui Inn restaurant on June 12. He had initially asked for marble goby, better known locally as “soon hock”, but was told there was no stock for the fish.

A waiter then recommended the white sultan fish instead. The group agreed, without enquiring about the cost of the dish. But when the bill arrived, the five diners were shocked to find that the single sultan fish, weighing 1.8kg, set them back by a staggering S$1,224.

“(The waiter) didn’t mention the price (of the fish), and we also didn’t think too much about it and just said okay,” Mr Liu told Lianhe Wanbao.

He complained about the price of the fish during payment and the restaurant responded by giving him a 15% discount on the bill as a gesture of goodwill.

“The customer has the right to know and the restaurant should have made clear its price so we could decide whether it was worth it,” Mr Liu said.

In response to the incident, an RWS spokesman claims that the practice of not disclosing menu prices is common in upscale restaurants. “It is not always appropriate to state menu prices to high-end customers who have come to expect a certain discretion when they entertain high-level guests, ” he explains.

RWS conceded that the incident could have been a “lapse of judgement” but it was smoothed over quickly with an on-the-spot discount.

But is S$68 per 100g for a sultan fish a reasonable amount?

A quick comparison with Capital Restaurant, which has been selling sultan fish for 36 years, reveals that the dish can go for as low as S$6 per 100g. This is less than a tenth of Fengshui Inn’s price tag on the fish.

Chef Pung Lu Tin, 50, of Seafood International Market and Restaurant, explained the sultan fish is sought-after because it was not easy to catch. He added that its meat was “very smooth”.

“The flesh is tender and snow white. It’s a wild river fish, so it eats fruits that drops from trees and bears the fragrance of fruit,” Chef Huang Ching Biao, 58, kitchen operations director at Jin Shan restaurant at MBS told The New Paper.

But despite its draw, both chefs added that they have not come across any commanding such a high price. One seafood distributor known only as Mr Lee even described the price of the fish at Fengshui Inn as “outrageous”.

This seafood shocker is reminiscent of an incident that occurred in March last year, where six American tourists were charged S$239 for a mere eight tiger prawns at Newton hawker centre.

The stall involved had its licence suspended for three months by the National Environment Agency (NEA) for breaching licencing conditions.

Incidents like these throw the spotlight on questionable charging practices in Singapore. For a country positioning itself as a tourism hub, these bad dining experiences are sure to leave a bitter after-taste.

[kueytoc]

Report: Landon Donovan's Wife "Supportive" After News Of Love-Child

The USA star likely to be served paternity claim by British woman.

Jun 28, 2010 9:24:00 PM

Goal.com

It appears that there may still be a chance for USA star Landon Donovan to reconcile with his estranged wife Bianca Kajlich, even after reports that another women in England may be carrying his first child.

Kajlich and Donovan married on New Year's Eve, just as 2007 was starting, but separated in 2009 over reasons that were never disclosed. The pair have no children. The break was said to be amicable. Though the two split, the divorce was never finalized and the couple shared custody of their pets and spoke regularly.

During the World Cup, after scoring his second goal of the tournament versus Algeria, the Los Angeles Galaxy player blew a kiss to the camera and said, "Hi, Bianca."

Reporters then questioned whether the couple were in the process of starting anew and Donovan did not deny that, saying, "We spoke last night, it was nice," according to a Yahoo News article.

“It would surprise no one if Landon and Bianca were back together very soon,” said an unnamed source to Yahoo as well.

News broke soon after the USA's exit from the tournament, however, that a woman in Britain was planning to go public in the tabloids there that Donovan was the father of her as-yet-unborn child.

Donovan went on loan to Everton in Liverpool, England, during the early part of this year, so if the pregnancy took place then, the still-anonymous woman would be around four months along. According to an SI.com report, Donovan has pledged to take responsibility if the child is indeed his.

Now, US Magazine reports that Kajlich was apparently informed by Donovan about the whole situation. "She was not blindsided by this and isn’t angry," a source told the magazine.

Kajlich, an actress who stars on the television show Rules of Engagement, was described by the source as, "extremely supportive of Donovan."

[kueytoc]

World Cup 2010 - Cristiano Ronaldo becomes a father

Reuters - Sun, 04 Jul 12:32:00 2010

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Sunday he has fathered a baby boy with a woman who has chosen to remain anonymous and with whom he has agreed to keep exclusive guardianship of the child.

"It is with great joy and emotion that I inform I have recently become father to a baby boy," Ronaldo, the world's most expensive player, said on his Facebook page.

"As agreed with the baby's mother, who prefers to have her identity kept confidential, my son will be under my exclusive guardianship."

The Real Madrid forward said no further information will be provided on the subject and asked "everyone to fully respect my right to privacy, and that of the child, at least on issues as personal as these".

Ronaldo, 25, captained Portugal during their World Cup campaign in South Africa, which ended with a 1-0 defeat to neighbours Spain in the second round last Tuesday.

The winger, who moved to Real Madrid from Manchester United for a record fee of 80 million pounds last year, played in all four of Portugal's World Cup matches, scoring one goal.

[kueytoc]

How to get arrested in Dubai

By Laura Tait

A British DJ was sentenced to four years in prison by a Dubai court this week after tests revealed traces of cannabis in his blood. Sure, it's not exactly legal at home, but FOUR years?!

Of course he's not the first Brit to wind up behind bars or deported because they're not clued up about the strict United Arab Emirates laws.

According to the Foreign Office, 1.1 million Britons visited the UAE last year and 294 of them were arrested or detained by police - making it more likely to happen there than in any other country in the world.

So if getting banged up abroad is on your 'to do' list of life experiences, here are some easy ways to break the law in Dubai...

Do some dirty dancing

Ever thought your dance moves ought to be illegal? Then head to Dubai, where they just very well might be. Unless you're at a licensed club or in the privacy of your hotel room then dancing is considered indecent and provocative and could get you arrested. During Ramadan you won't even find a dancefloor to throw some shapes on risk-free - dancing, loud music and live music are forbidden during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, so nightclubs usually close and all the bands go on holiday.

Give someone the finger

Back home it's just a bit rude but making insulting gestures in Dubai is regarded as obscene and totally unacceptable – as 56-year-old Brit Simon Andrew discovered in March this year when he was accused of showing an aviation student his middle finger during a row and was arrested. He denies flipping the bird but has had his passport confiscated while awaiting trial. It has been known for offenders to get a 6-month sentence for such an act and some have been deported.

Have sex on the beach

For a surefire way to wind up behind bars, break a couple of laws at once. Because of their strict laws about indecency, public sex is beyond unacceptable and do it with someone you're not married to – a crime that entails prosecution, imprisonment and/or a fine and deportation – and you're firing on all cylinders. Michelle Palmer, 36, of Oakham, Rutland, and Vince Acors, 34, of Bromley, SE London, did just that last year and were banged up for three months before being deported, as well as fined 1,000 dirhams (about £180).

Snog in a restaurant

Don't assume you have to go all the way to infringe on their decency regulations – the law extends to kissing and even holding hands, unless you're married. British marketing executive Ayman Najafi and Charlotte Adams – both in their 20s - were arrested and accused of public indecency after an Emirati woman claimed they exchanged a passionate kiss in a restaurant. They were given a one-month jail sentence for public indecency and illegal drinking, fined 1,000 dirhams, then deported. The pair maintain it was merely a peck on the cheek.

Drink Sex on the Beach

If you thought we were talking about the vodka-based cocktail before, that could work too. Buying drinks in licensed hotels or bars is allowed but drinking – or being drunk – is illegal in public. You'll stand out particularly well in the resort of Sharjah where booze is banned full stop, apart from for residents with a licence to drink at home. It is also an offence in the UAE to drink and drive, no matter how tiny the amount. If you're arrested on alcohol-related offences you'll likely be jailed while you await trial and penalties entail hefty jail sentences and large fines.

Smoke some wacky baccy

Drugs are almost always a law breaker, but Dubai is about as far from Amsterdam as you can get. Possession and consumption is treated very seriously in the UAE and – as the British DJ who had no drugs on him recently discovered – possession includes anything in your system, so even if you have a cheeky joint before you get on the Dubai-bound plane and you could end up falling foul of their regulations, and wind up with their mandatory minimum of four years in jail.

Other laws you should know about

Shopping in shorts could attract attention from the authorities - unless you're on the beach or by the pool, then anything tight, transparent, short or displaying your stomach, shoulders or back if you're a woman, is considered indecent. Same if you're a man in shorts or displaying a bare chest. Photography of certain government buildings is also illegal, as is perusing any form of pornographic material. If all else fails, smuggle in a bacon sandwich – pork is banned – and a poppy seed roll will add to the criminality of the action, as poppy seeds are also on the UAE's forbidden list.

[kueytoc]

Russian conductor charged with raping boy in Thailand

AFP - 48 minutes ago

BANGKOK (AFP) – Grammy-award-winning Russian conductor Mikhail Pletnev has been charged in Thailand with raping a 14-year-old boy, a crime that carries a penalty of up to 20 years in jail, police said Wednesday.

Pletnev, artistic director of the acclaimed Russian National Orchestra, was released Tuesday after he posted 300,000 baht (9,300 dollars) bail following his arrest in the Thai resort of Pattaya.

"He was initially charged with raping a boy under 15 which carries a jail term of four to 20 years," Lieutenant Colonel Omsin Sukkanka told AFP.

He said police were considering whether to also file charges of illegal detention of a juvenile against Pletnev.

"He has to report to the court every 12 days and if he wants to travel overseas he has to seek court permission because we already notified the immigration authority," Omsin said.

Supagon Noja, a worker with a non-governmental organisation in Pattaya who has been actively involved in the case, said the victim was still in school. He said Pletnev denied the charge.

"The victim filed a complaint with us. We cooperated with police to investigate and obtained a court arrest warrant," Supagon said.

Pletnev is a long-time resident of the resort town -- famous for its raunchy nightlife -- where he has a spa business, music school and owns several houses, he added.

The musician first shot to fame as a virtuoso pianist, winning the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1978 at the age of 21.

In the early 1980s he started conducting and in recent years gave up piano concerts in favour of his increasingly in-demand conducting activities.

His recordings with the RNO of the Russian classics, notably symphonies by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov, have been hailed by critics.

He is a member of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's advisory council on culture and art and in 2005 won a Grammy award for best chamber music performance.

The Russian government has sent an "urgent order" to its embassy in Thailand to look into the situation and provide consular assistance to Pletnev, according to a statement carried by the Interfax news agency.

"The Russian ministry of culture has learned about the situation... of the world famous musician Mikhail Pletnev with great concern," it added.

Police told Pletnev that some Thais who had been arrested for paedophilia and producing child-porno had given evidence against him, a Russian consular official in Thailand told news agency RIA Novosti.

"The police conducted a search together with Pletnev of his house, where nothing suspicious was found," said the official, Andrei Dvornikov.

The consul added that Pletnev, 53, and his Thai lawyer would on Wednesday go to court to ask permission for the conductor to leave the country so he could take part in his orchestra's forthcoming tours.

Thailand is infamous for its flourishing prostitution and child sex trafficking.

It has made efforts to clean up its image and in 2008 expelled former glam rocker and convicted paedophile Gary Glitter to his native Britain after he had served nearly three years in a Vietnamese prison.

Viola player Yuri Bashmet, another Russian musician who grew up through the Soviet system to become an international classical star, said he was "in shock" at the news of Pletnev's arrest.

"If it is true then he will have to answer according to the law," Bashmet told Russia's Komsomolskaya Pravda.

[kueytoc]

ⓛⓞⓥⓔ Desperado !!!

Ronaldo Jr's mum is ordinary American waitress: report

Mon 19 Jul 11:26 SGT

By Ewen Boey

The much-discussed identity of the mother of Cristiano Ronaldo's baby son has finally been revealed: she is reportedly an ordinary American waitress.

The Portuguese star became a father on June 17 but the identity of the mother has remained a mystery after she was reportedly paid S$21 million (£10 million) to keep quiet.

Now British newspaper The Sunday Mirror reports that Ronaldo met the unnamed woman in a Los Angeles restaurant last year, and the birth was a result of a one-night stand with the "penniless" waitress.

Ronaldo was reported to have told his friends, "I feel like Boris Becker", the tennis star who fathered an illegitimate child after having sex once in a London restaurant, which resulted in a £20 million settlement and an end to his marriage.

Apparently, the 25-year-old Real Madrid megastar approached the woman at a Los Angeles restaurant with a dirty pick-up line she could not understand.

So Ronaldo resorted to drawing a love heart on a misted-up window near his table and said: "Me, you, kiss!" They then made their way back to a hotel. Nine months later, what do you know, Ronaldo is a father.

Initial reports said Ronaldo had paid a surrogate mother to have his child but now it's reported that the waitress tracked Ronaldo down through his agent, Jorge Mendes, after discovering she was pregnant.

It was agreed that the player would give DNA for a paternity test once the baby was born and provide support for the mother and child if it was his. A friend told the Sunday Mirror: "Cristiano was told the result while he was away at the World Cup."

Ronaldo had announced the birth on what is billed as his official Facebook page earlier this month before revealing he had named the little boy Cristiano Ronaldo Jr.

The Real Madrid star reportedly then used his best friend to help broker an exclusive paternity deal in New York, supervised by his mother Dolores Aveiro, to bring the baby back to Portugal. Ronaldo has apparently told friends that he will not reveal to his son the identity of his mother until he turns 18.

A statement read: "It is with great joy and emotion that I inform I have recently become father to a baby boy.

"As agreed with the baby's mother, who prefers to have her identity kept confidential, my son will be under my exclusive guardianship.

"No further information will be provided on this subject and I request everyone to fully respect my right to privacy (and that of the child) at least on issues as personal as these are."

If the story is indeed true, you've got to say "ouch" for Ronaldo, who's been linked with a string of models and celebrities, including Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian.

Even though the "player" currently earns about S$440,000 per week in wages, paying S$21 million for one night's fun, is, er, no fun.

[kueytoc]

'Marina Barrage helped prevent more flooding’

By yahoosingapore – July 19th, 2010

Environment and Water Resources Minister Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim says the opening of the Marina Barrage in 2008 helped prevent flooding in many low-lying areas around the city during the recent floods.

Dr. Yaacob was replying to Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Sylvia Lim’s question on the role of the barrage in the recent flash floods which hit Singapore.

He said the $226 million barrage receives water from a large 10,000 hectare network of canals and drains. But areas located more centrally or further north could still be vulnerable to floods if the drains there do not have the capacity to contain water during an intense downpour.

He added that the barrage played three main roles, that of a freshwater reservoir, to prevent floods as well as for recreational activities.

Questions about the recent floods and how they can be prevented in future dominated Monday’s parliament session.

Saturday morning’s flash floods, the fourth in recent months, prompted the government to bring forward plans to improve drainage in major canals and drains in flood-prone areas.

1. Review of Stamford Canal ‘top priority’

First and foremost, the government has ordered an immediate review of the Stamford Canal, which overflowed and caused the June 16 and July 17 floods in Orchard Road.

The government says that a blocked drain due to litter was not the main cause of the floods which hit Orchard Road. Rather, it was the design and capacity of the major canal which could not cope with the high amount of rainfall which was the central problem.

Depending on the findings, the 4-km-long Stamford Canal which stretches from Tanglin Road to Raffles Avenue may be widened or deepened.

2. Review of all major drains and canals in Singapore

The review of Stamford Canal will be part of a multi-agency taskforce study of all major drains and canals in Singapore.

Dr. Yaacob said the study will consider all measures but within the constraints of “cost effectiveness and competing uses for limited land in Singapore.”

Improvement works for waterways along the Geylang River, Bukit Timah First Diversion Candal and Rochor Canal have also been planned.

3. SMS alert for shops along Orchard Road, general public

The government has urged businesses along Singapore’s main shopping belt to sign up for an SMS alert service by the PUB which is activated when sensors in the Stamford Canal detect high water levels.

Dr Yaacob said authorities are also looking into extending the warning system to the general public living in flood-prone areas of Singapore.

4. Installation of flood barriers

Dr Yaacob also said his ministry will be studying if flood barriers and road humps should be installed to protect basement car parks or even basement shops along Orchard Road, like those in Liat Towers or the Wisma Atria stretch.

Building owners and managing committees have also been encouraged to improve their communication and evacuation procedures as part of their emergency response plans for flood incidents.