Asia Pacific For You

2010-06-22T17:07:00.000+07:00

There have place women be banned wearing trousers

2009-11-23T11:11:00.027+07:00

Aceh, Indonesia :

Starting from January 1, 2010, there will be no women wearing trousers in West Aceh district, part of Aceh province. West Aceh district imposed a ban on the use of pants tight jeans and style for women.

Ramli MS, West Aceh Regent has signed a bylaw which prohibits women in the regency from wear trousers.

To anticipate huge number of trousers to be cut by police during raids, the regency administration has prepared along 7,000 long skirts, which will be provided free to those caught wearing trousers.

Ramli MS was quoted by a newspaper last month as saying that "We have issued the regulation to further enforce Islamic sharia granted by the central government". "Put on pants, in West Aceh district was increased disobedience and we do socialization stage per stage," said the Ramli MS to reporters.

However, Ramli did not mention the increase in the number of immortal acts in the region. He also did not specify which type of disobedience occured. In addition to its disobedience, there is the main reason that the main reason for Ramli to implement this ban.

"I implement this rule because I am embarrassed by the central government, because I can not apply the rule of Islam completely," said Regent.
Not only that, Ramli also reasoned that the policy on the basis of a sense of responsibility he had. So not only responsibility to the central government, but also his relationship with God.

"As a magistrate I have a responsibility, I will be asked by God during my responsibility to led West Aceh, in addition to fulfill the desire of central government," said Ramli.

Used of pants are allowed on condition that should be tightly covered her eyes wide and legs. Pants can also be used as a long skirt depths wide.

The new bylaw on the banning of trousers adds to another controversial law in Aceh launched earlier in September under the Islamic bylaw system, which included articles on stoning alduterers to death and caning for premarital sex. Across the country, the new bylaw adds to many similar policies in other regions which rule on women's dress code and behavior.

Vice Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly, Ahmad Farhan Hamid, assessing ban women wearing jeans too far. Clothing issue, said the senator from Nangroe Aceh Darussalam, it was a private matter.

"I think an area makes the rules refer to the law" said Farhan. "Qanun to regulate their citizens should not be contrary to the law" said Farhan. But Farhan himself claims not read Qanun contains a ban on the use of the jeans. "I think that I will discuss with colleagues in parliament later" he said.

Indonesia Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Patrialis Akbar, not yet knowing there are rules prohibited girls in jeans in West Aceh. Patrialis will check the information first. "I'll comment later, please monitor what will be happened" said Patrialis. (Harian Rakyat Aceh/The Jakarta Post-Indraswari)

Tea pot collector from Vietnam

2009-11-22T09:11:00.001+07:00

Some of Vu's teapots collection

Thai Nguyen, Vietnam :

Mong Nong Vu, the tea collector was born and raised in dinh Hoa district, in a province celebrated for its tea Thai Ngu Yen. For mong Nong Vu, tea time has lasted nearly half of his life, he have collection around 300 teapots in various shapes and sizes , some 800 years old.

Vu has spent years researching and collecting the crockery, as well as drinking tea of course. Sometimes he wants a piece so badly, he is willing to fork out a sum ten times his monthly salary.

His job as director of the provincial Centre of Culture and Information, gives him the ideal conditions to pursue his obsession.

"These teapots show that since our ancestors' time, Vietnamese tea culture was different from Japanese and Chinese," he says, "the tradition still influence modern culture."

One of the gems in his collection is a teapot called Ga Than (Holy Cock), made around 800 years ago under Ly Dynasty. It has an interesting design - shaped like the head of a cock.
Other Vietnamese teapots in the collection date from Ly (1010 - 1225), Tran (1225 - 1400), and Le (1418 - 1788) dynasties, many shaped like dragons and phoenixes.
The collection also include teapots from China (since Song, Ming and Ching dynasty) and some have designs following Japanese style.

With his teapots collection, Vu hopes it will help others understand more about Vietnamese tea culture, and appreciate its beauty and complexity. (Vietnam News)

Ghost City

2009-11-21T13:36:00.000+07:00

Fengdu, China :

Located on the north bank of the Yangtze River , Fengdu is an ancient city with a long history, known as the "Ghost City" to most Chinese people.

It got its reputation as the "Ghost City" in the eastern Han Dynasty. Two officials from the Imperial court : Wang Faping and Ying Changsheng, got bored with political life in the court and came to Min Mountain outside the Fengdu city to practice Taoist teachings. Both of them later became immortal by carrying out self-cultivation. This story wide spread and makes Min mountain famous. When combined together, their surnames Yin and Wang, sound very much like "King of Hell" in Chinese, hence the people began to call Fengdu the "Ghost City".

According to superstitious legend, "the dead come to Fengdu and the devils go to hell". Since Tang Dynasty,
forty-eight temples had been built in this place, such as "the Hall of Jade Emperor", "the Palace of Hell", "the boundary between the Living and the Dead", "the Ridge of Helplessness and "the Balcony of Nostalgia".
All of temples there look quite magnificent while statues are extremely lifelike. (Shanghai daily/Eastday)

Manny Pacquiao made a new boxing history

2009-11-20T13:55:00.003+07:00

Manny Pacquiao after defeat Miguel Cotto

Las Vegas, US :

The Filipino, Manny Pacquiao made a new history by becoming the first fighter to win seven world titles in as many weight classes with a stunning final round technical knock out of Miguel Cotto from Puerto Rico.

Pacquiao dominated from the second round on, putting a stunning display of boxing skills and laying a savage beating on the Puerto Rican champion at the MGM Grand hotel and casino to claim Cotto's World Boxing Organization welterweight title last Sunday.

By the sixth round Cotto's face was showing signs of wear as both eyes became puffy. By the 11th round the champion was bleeding from both the mouth and nose as his white trunks starting turning a shade of red.

Cotto's trainer Joe Santiago asked his fighter if he wanted to stop the fight after the eight round and Cotto said no. His father, who works in his corner for every fight, tried to stop the fight after the 11th round but was voted down by the other members of the corner team.

Referee Kenny Bayless finally stopped the slaughter 55 seconds into the final round with Cotto unable to defend himself from Pacquiao's lightning quick combinations. (AFP/Saudi Gazette)

Siew Mai as China culinary

2009-11-19T11:48:00.001+07:00

Ingredients :
- 10 oz minced pork
- 0.5 lb prawns (shelled, deveined and cut)
- 2 oz boiled pork fat, finely cubed
- 4 tbsp boiled bamboo shoots, chopped finely
- 4 oz square egg skins (wantan skins), obtainable from China food store
- 1 tbsp chopped spring onions
- 0.5 tsp pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp ginger juice
- 2 tbsp corn flour
- 0.5 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sherry
- 1 tsp msg (as food enhancer) as optional

Directions :

Cut off the four corners of egg skins (wantan skins), blend other ingredients become one meat mixture. Put the meat mixture in the center of each egg skin. Enclose filling with egg skin, so that the top filling is seen. Put little piece of prawn in the top of meat, flatten base of each siew mai, brush steamer rack with oil, and space sew mai on the rack.
Steam over rapidly boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes or until cooked.
Serve hot with chili sauce and light soy sauce. (Shanghai Daily/East Day)

Ba Den Mountain

2009-11-18T10:30:00.001+07:00

Cao Cai Temple (Left) and Cable Car at Top Baden Mountain (Right)

Vietnam :

Ba Den Mountain the highest peak in the southern provinces at 986 m high and 24 sq. m wide, is a great place to be visited in the off season, we can enjoy the fresh air and the distance 100 km from Ho Chi Min city.

Ba Den which was recognized as a national historical and cultural heritage site by the Ministry of Information and Communication (now, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) in 1986, and surrounding Tay Ninh Town. We explored caves, pagodas, temples and war memorials, ate local delicacies, and literally climbed the mountain.

The bustling place of Ba Den is home to the pagoda of Trung, Thuong and Hang and the caves of Thanh Long, Ong Ho,Ba Co, Ba Tuan, Thien Tai, and Ong Ta. Three museums there house both relics and pictures of soldiers fighting in the American War. Tramcars (cable cars) connect it all, and lead to the foot of the mountain, at which point there are three options for ascent to Dien Ba (Ba Temple) and its famous lying Sakyamuni Buddha.

According the legend, the bronze statue of Ba Den names Ly Thi Thien Huong, a beautiful lady with swarthy complexion and much virtue, who was forced to marry with the son of a rich mandarin while her lover was fighting the aggressors. Refusing to marry a man she did not love, Huong threw herself from the mountain. Another legend tells the sinilar tragic story of a woman named Denh who worshiped in the Dien Ba.

Cao dai Great Temple located in Tay Ninh's Hoa Thanh District, 8 km from Ba Den mountain. The 22 m wide and 97.5 long temple and its peaceful place were built in the early 1920 and attract many local and foreign tourists. The temple has four towers : Tam Dai, Hiep Thien Dai, Trung Dai and Bat Quy Dai and in the centre, the rows of colonnade are decorated with dragons and coated in white, red and blue color.

The domed ceiling is divided into nine parts similar to a night sky full of stars. And, in the sanctuary, there's a giant star-speckled blue globe on which is painted the Divine Eye.

During the festival of Cao Daism, which occurs the first eight days of the Lunar New Year and in the eight lunar month, the place is alive with ceremonies and celebrations of the custom and lifestyle of residents in Tay Ninh Town. (Vietnam News)

The First World Innovation Summit for Education at Qatar

2009-11-17T16:48:00.001+07:00

HH Sheikha Mozah on World Innovation Summit for Education

Qatar :

Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bin Nasser al Misnad was opened first World Innovation Summit for Education by Qatar Foundation on 16 November 2009 at Ritz Carlton.

Around 1,000 educators, decision makers and opinion leaders from 120 countries of the globe are attending the meet.

The three days summit was focused on present-day issues and future challenges in three areas of pluralism, sustainability, and innovation in education with participants taking up these issues in a series of plenary and breakout sessions.

"It was everyone's responsibility to support the cause of education. I do not make a distinction between the powerful and the weak, nor between the developed and less developed; everybody is responsible and it's everyone's duty to raise the level of education" said HH Sheikha Mozah.

Director General UNESCO Irina Bukova, who was the guest of honour on the occasion, and Dr. Abdullah bin Ali al Thani, Chairman of WISE and Vice-President of Education in Qatar Foundation also addressed the gathering. "Education is the backbone of the new knowledge based human era and we have a joint responsibility when it comes to promoting human enrichment, " said Bokova.

Dr. Abdullah Ali al Thani said "Rapid growth of educational institutions in the country has paved the way for political, social economic and environmental changes and improvements in all spheres of life in the country".

The important topics that were discussed during the day where pluralism, globalization of education, preparing students for a global economy and Society, bridging of global inequalities, higher education for a sustainable world, innovation technology, e-learning and many more. (Gulf Times/Qatar Tribune)

The Boy who eat ants and earthworms

2009-11-15T09:28:00.000+07:00

Xiao Qiang, China :

A boy from an elementary student in Tianjin municipality, is more often than not spotted walking on all hours.
He isn't pretending to be a dog. He just loves eating ants and earthworms.

According to his classmates, Xiao rushes to the playground as soon as the bell for the recess goes off and all he does is search for ants and earthworms and he eat it.

The boy's mother consulted a psychiatrist, who said her son probably suffered from a syndrome called "pica", which due to lack of micro elements present in the body, causes problems in the neurotic system.

(Bohai Morning Post/China daily)

The Opening New Khalifa Bin Salman Port in Bahrain

2009-11-14T11:35:00.003+07:00

Bahrain :

The New Khalifa Bin Salman Port location in the heart of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will make Bahrain an ideal choice for carriers transshipping containers to the important and rapidly expanding Upper Gulf Region, particularly related with the market in Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and northern Iran.

APM terminals, which signed a 25-years concession for Khalifa bin salman and the existing port of Mina Salman in November 2006, has already invested in modern equipment and systems.
According to APM Terminals Bahrain managing director Steen Davidsen, the company had started "reaping the benefits before the move".
"When we took over the port was managing six to 10 container movements per hour" said Davidsen. "In the space of a year we have improved that a 30 container movements per hour".

The area approximately 900,000 sqm of land as known the Bahrain gateway, will have substantial space for growth over the current capacity at Mina Salman port.
With a draft alongside of 15 meters, the port will be able to handle post-panamax vessels or container ships with capacity of up to 8,000 TEU's compared to the current maximum capacity for 3,000 TEU ships.

Davidsen also says that while the move to the new port has been specifically designed to upgrade and increase the capacity for container and bulk cargo, the deep water facilities will also allow larger cruise ships to berth in a dedicated terminal.

Finance Minister Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa already inaugurated the new Khalifa bin Saman Port yesterday. (Gulf Weekly)

The Amazing Chongqing

2009-11-13T10:26:00.002+07:00

The amazing view in the night

Chongqing is located at transitional area between the Qinghai and Tibet plateau and the flat area from middle and lower reaches on the Yangtze River. The land under Chongqing's jurisdiction is 470 km from east to west and 450 km from north to south. It borders on Hubei and Hunan provinces in the east, Guizhou in the south, Sichuan in the west and north and Shaanxi Province as its northeast corner.

Chongqing was known as Jiangzhou in ancient times, and later was called Ba Prefecture, Chu Prefecture, Yu Prefecture and Gong Prefecture at different times. Chongqing as the center administrative as state Ba covered a large area include Sichuan province, southern Shaanxi province, western Hubei province, northwestern Hunan province, and northern Guizhou province. Human activities can be dated back to the end of the Old Stone Age about 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. In the 11th century B.C. when the Zhou Dynasty replaced the Shang Dynasty, the ba people established the state of Ba with present day Chongqing as its capital.

Chongqing is particularly rich in human landscape as well as in culture relics and historic sites. There are now 49 national, provincial and municipal preservation places of treasured historical in relics. In 1999, the UNESCO listed The Dazu Stone Sculptures on World Register of Culture Heritage. In its 12 museums and memorial halls displays and exhibitions are held every year. (The Shanghai Daily - Eastday)

Peacock Dance from China

2009-11-12T16:51:00.001+07:00

In the mind of the Dai ethnic group on the southwest border of China, the peacock as a totem worshipped and stands for auspiciousness and beauty. The excellent Peacock dance reflects their respect for peace, honesty, water and beauty. The Dai people believe in Hinayana that the Peacock Rajas (Bright King) is a Bodhisattva flying on a peacock, with lotus and peacock tail in hand. Therefore, the Dai people love peacocks, , tame peacocks and the peacock dance.

The Peacock Dance by a female group dance was first put on stage in 1956. According to folk custom, the peacock dance used to performed by males. They had to shoulder heavy stage props such as wings and, therefore, their actions were restrained.

Breaking through the boundaries of tradition, the creator tried to display peacock's beauty by giving the part to women. They got rid of the heavy wings and they wore long broad skirts decorated with peacock feathers.
When the dance debuted at the national dance festival in 1956, it found great favor with audiences for its uniqueness and elegance. The next year it won gold award in the World Youth Festival . In the dance, a "peacock", with its tail feathers spreading, rushes from a high hill. Its wings changed into the "peacock girls", who dance around "King of Birds" according to beat of foot drums and gongs. With this grateful rhythm, they drink, bathe and fly. (The Shanghai Daily - Eastday)

Disneyland in Shanghai on 2014

2009-11-11T14:14:00.001+07:00

Disneyland will open in Shanghai by 2014, it will be set on 1.5 square kilometers in the riverside Pudong District. The cost be estimated on 22.4 billion yuan (HK$ 25.5 billion) and the amount four times bigger than

Hong Kong Disneyland.

Tourism official gave a positive comments, claiming Shanghai park will complement Hong Kong operation. More than 17 million people have visited Hong Kong Disneyland since its opening in September 2005 up to this end of this May. One-third of visitors to Hong Kong Disneyland are from mainland, one - third local and one - third from overseas including Southeast Asia.

Related with the double of Shanghai and Hong Kong Disneyland, a Disney spokesman said :

"The United States with a quarter of the population of China , supports two Disney theme resorts with six parks all together. The China travel market is also expected to continue grow rapidly over the next 20 years.

The two China parks, like all of our theme parks, will draw from separate and distinct guest bases."

Paul Tang, chief economist at Bank of East Asia, told Reuters : "Visitors from Guangdong and southern China will still find Hong Kong Disneyland more convenient, while Shanghai Disneyland attract visitors from northern and eastern China." (The Standard - HK)

Diabetes for pregnant woman

2009-11-05T15:12:00.002+07:00

A doctor check up pregnant woman at a hospital in Katmandu

Diabetes mellitus is a condition in which the blood glucose too high (hyperglycaemia). It is due to insufficient insulin being produced or the cell in the body being unable to use insulin the way they should. Because without insulin, the blood glucose can not get into the body's cells accumulates in the bloodstream.

Diabetics pregnancies had invariably resulted in miscarriages or stillbirths until about three decades ago. Many diabetics get pregnant today, although there are potential complications. A healthy baby will result, provided there is good control of the blood glucose. This can be achieved by close partnership between the patient with her obstetrician and her physician or endocrinologist.

The body's changes during pregnancy make control of blood glucose more difficult. During the first trisemester, the insulin requirement may decrease slightly and can lead to hypoglycaemia which can affect brain function. Nausea and vomiting during this time affects carbohydrate absorption in the gut, thereby impacting on insulin dosing. Pre-existing diabetics complications may worsen during pregnancy.

Insulin requirements increase gradually between 16 to 20 weeks of pregnancy and then markedly. This is due to the placental hormones which are important for foetal growth but concomitantly, blocks the effect of insulin.
The insulin requirements will be less during labour as the body is working using glucose for its energy requirements. After birth, the body's insulin requirements decreases but it will take weeks or months before the body's changes are complete.

A routine urine screen for glucose is carried out at every antenatal visit to enable the doctor to decide who needs further investigation. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is diagnosed by an oral glucose tolerance test (GTT). After an overnight fast, the patient will be given a dose of oral glucose and the blood and urine checked for glucose at regular intervals.

The diabetes management plan during pregnancy includes : knowing and keeping the blood glucose level under control, healthy died, regularly moderate physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight gain, taking medications as prescribed , keeping records as advised by the doctor, and keeping appointments with the doctor as advised. (DR. MILTON LUM / The Star Online)

Fires on Australia's oil rig on Timor Sea

2009-11-03T15:31:00.005+07:00

West Atlas mobile offshore drilling platform catches fire after
ten weeks of leaking oil into the Timor Sea

A real fire has broken out on an Australian oil rig and delayed plan to plug the leak that has been spilling oil into the Timor Sea since August.

The blaze started on Sunday, when workers began pumping heavy mud into a leaking well casing. An estimated 400 barrels oil per day have flow out from the hole since 21 August, threatening marine wildlife over an area ten times the size of London.

Australia's government today promises an investigation, the latest drama in a ten week saga to plug the hole.
PTTEP Australasia, which operates the rig, said no one was injured and nonessential workers were evacuated after the fire broke out on the West Atlas rig and Montara wellhead platform.
PTTEP Australasia says efforts to stem the leak have already cost the company $ 167 million.

The Federal Government yesterday released a report revealing bird and marine species are at risk from spill, but it says the full impact can not be immediate determined. (Guardian.co.uk/ABC News)

China's Lady Singer Fall to Death

2009-11-02T14:08:00.002+07:00

Beijing :

China's lady singer, Chen Lin has died after fall from a building Saturday, according to Sina.com.cn.

Chen, 39, fall from the ninth floor of an apartment in Chaoyang District, Beijing. Her body was found by a local resident early Saturday morning.

The exact cause of the singer's death still under investigation. One of Chen's friends said the star was plagued by "emotional problems".

She was born in Chongqing in 1970 and rose became a star from the album "I Can Never Understand Your Love" in 1993. It reached the top of the album charts and sold over 1.5 million copies.

In hits songs like " I Choose What I Want" and "Give Up Your Love", Chen candidly expressed her own outlook on love and life.

She married Shen Yongge, bos of Zhu Shu Entertainment Ltd., in 1995. Both divorced in 2007, and Chen remarried singer Zhang Chaofeng two years later. (The Korea Times)

Yas Marina Circuit - Abu Dhabi ready for F1 Racing

2009-11-01T10:36:00.010+07:00

Abu Dhabi :

The Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management have shifted into top gear as they prepare to stage the first day night Formula One race on Sunday, at one of the most technologically advanced racing circuit in the world.

"We are ready" said Richard Cregan, CEO of Yas Marina Circuit as the security cover around Yas Island tightened and a massive mulyi media public service campaign was launched to mark the final days before the season ending finale of one of the wolds's most watched sport.

One of the keys areas that the organizers have been focusing on has been the travel and transport arrangements which is the fact that Yas Island on which the Yas Marina is built is a relatively new location while the huge numbers of over 50,000 plus fans makes the task that more difficult.

"Ensuring that everyone is able to get and from the track is shared responsibility across many public and private organizations. We would like to thank all of those partners, and on behalf of the partners we urge the race going public to take the time and plan their day."

"There are numerous ways to get to Yas Marina Circuit, and we ask that you think about what way will best suit you," said Cregan , as he awaits the final test of Abu Dhabi's first Formula One race on Sunday. (Gulf Daily News)

JAL starts consulting to seek help for reconstruction

2009-10-31T10:55:00.002+07:00

The transport Ministry and reconstruction said on Thursday that the struggling carrier like JAL need to go through reconstruction under the Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corp. (ETIC), after around a month evaluating Japan Airlines Corp's assets.

JAL released a statement saying it has begun consulting with ETICon seeking its help for reconstruction.

ETIC is a Tokyo based corporation jointly set up by the government and have 130 private sector financial institutions to rehabilitate debt ridden companies. ETIC, which began operating earlier this month, ia able to buy debt and invest in and provide loans to companies saddled with liabilities, deemed excessive, and can raise up to Yen 1.6 trillion in government guaranteed funds.

Transport minister Seiji Maehara stressed that ETIC will be in charge for reconstruction, so disclosing the task force's specific plan would be meaningless and could possibly make ETIC's job tougher.

The head of the task force, Shinjiro Takagi said separately that the public funds, loans and investments will be necessary to reconstruct JAL, but declined to specify the amount of financial aid necessary.

The task force's proposal reportedly centered on a capital reinforcement of up to Yen 300 billion and Yen 250 billion in debt waivers from JAL's creditors banks. The scheme include to decrease 13,000 of the JAL group workforce by the end of March 2015 and make restructuring 45 unprofitable domestic and international routes.

Asked why the task force did not propose that JAL resort to legal measures to eliminate its liabilities, such as applying for bankruptcy under the corporate rehabilitation law, Takagi said it would badly damage the company's reputation and thereby caused to much risk for Japan's top airline.

"Many JAL operations involve international dealings on credit, and JAL's business directly depends on passengers. So the risk to its reputation would be too big," Takagi said. Once JAL makes an official application, ETIC will reevaluate the carrier's assets and decide whether to provide financial aid, which could come before year's end.

With JAL facing a cash shortage as early as next month, the airline is likely to seek government guarantees of Yen 180 billion in bridge loans to be provided mainly by the government owned Development Bank of Japan. With its troubled management , JAL has suffered chronic deficits.

In 2007, it got Yen 140 billion to strengthen its capital through a public stock offering. It also issued Yen 150 billion worth of new shares to a third party in 2008.

JAL had to ask for a Yen 100 billion special loan in June, only to post a record April-June group net loss of Yen 99.04 billion.
(Kyodo - The Japan Times Online)

Nygard Cay - at Bahama

2009-10-30T16:08:00.011+07:00

Bahama Luxury Nygard Cay is a 10 acre dreamland at the end of Lyford Clay in New Providencia Bahamas that have 10 bedrooms with two pools, 5 jacuzzi/whirpools, tennis court, 2 volleyball courts, 2 hummers, a 82' yacht, and etc. (more information)

Shell to comply with oil price order

2009-10-30T09:28:00.006+07:00

Phillipines :
PILIPINAS Shell will comply with a directive to keep oil prices at October 15 levels but it not ruling out moves to bring the matter to court, said the company's vice president for communications Roberto Kanapi.

Shell will also ask the energy department to clarify some issues concerning Executive Order 839, such as the fuel products included, its period of effectivity, whether it refers to the suggested retail price or actual retail price, and the directive's coveragesince not all Luzon areas where affected by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng.

"While the intent of the order is to prevent unreasonable increases in prices of petroleum products during a state calamity, the consequences of the (EO 839) would be supply disruptions and a negative impact on the investment climate in our country. We will continue to discuss these issues with the Department of Energy - Department of Justice (DOE - DOJ) Task Force and other relevant government agencies," Kanapi said.

Kanapi said Shell expects the demand for petroleum products to go up since several players have indicated they may stop selling. Also, he added, commercial and industrial users of fuel, which are not covered by EO, may opt to buy from Shell retail stations to take advantage of the low prices.

In a statement, Shell in fact said it expects a "significant" shift in the fuel sourcing of commercial and industrial accounts from oil companies to retail sites.

Hence, in compliance with the EO and so that victims of calamities would be the ones to benefit from subsidized oil prices, Kanapi said Shell will ration the sale of petroleum products to retail stations, basing the volume on their average sales in recent months.

"We will not accommodate those big volume off-takers that would come to our stations with containers and trucks, unless they are regular customers. These lower rates at retail stations are meant for victims of calamities," added Kanapi.

Another oil company, Unioil Petroleum Philippines Inc., vowed to comply with directive.

"We would like to assure the public that Unioil has enough supply of petroleum products in our inventory to comply with the President's directive. There will be no problem in the normal flow of petroleum products in all our retails stations," Unioil general manager Chito Medina Cue said.

He said they can bring in fuel products from foreign suppliers within three days if there is a shortage of supply in the local market.

"There is nothing to be afraid of as there is no shortage of supply in the international market for finished petroleum products. To bring in the products, we will just need three days at the most as long as the appropriate government agencies will expedite the processing of documents for the release of the imported fuels," Medina Cue said.

Medina Cue said the energy department should monitor retail station of Unioil's competitors to make sure they are complying with the order.

Other oil firms have started to roll back prices by P2 per liter for diesel, P1.25 per liter for unloaded premium gasoline, P0.85 per liter for regular gasoline, and P1.50 per liter for kerozene in Luzon. (MSN/Sunnex/Sun Star - Philippines)

H1N1 vaccine in China

2009-10-29T10:38:00.003+07:00

More than 54 percent of Chinese people don't plan to receive the A/H1N1 flu vaccine, because they doubt it safety and quality, according to a new survey by China Daily and a major portal Sohu.com.

The initial results from 2,000 respondents stand it significant contrast with a survey conducted by Sohu.com two months ago in which 76 percent of 2,000 said they want the inoculation. It also marks the first time that more than half of a poll's respondents have shown a lack of trust in the vaccine.

Only 30 percent in the latest ongoing survey said they would like to be inoculated and a little more than 15 percent said they would follow others in deciding whether to get the jab.

Currently the inoculation is being scaled up nationwide and would cover 5 percent of population by the end of the year, said Health Minister Chen Zhu. The intensified effort comes as the outbreak is expected to peak around December in most area of the nation.

"Ten millions could be infected," warned Zeng Guang, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Starting from late September, China has so far inoculated more than 300,000 people , mainly young students and old people against H1N1, with 150 showing mild adverse reactions like swelling and fever.

Worldwide, nearly 5,000 people have reportedly died from H1N1 flu, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
US President Barack Obama also declared on Friday the H1N1 outbreak a national emergency.

The illness, unlike other flu strains, has been particularly tough on children and young adults and everyone is susceptible, experts said.

WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said the H1N1 vaccine had been used in seasonal flu shot formulation. He said the seasonal flu shot had been among the safest vaccines known to exist.
"The most important tool we have to fight this pandemic is the vaccine. Bad reactions are fully to be expected, especially the mild types though," he stressed. (China Daily/People's Daily Online)

China's Largest Property Developer get net profit up 30 %

2009-10-28T10:08:00.004+07:00

China :

China Vanke, the country's largest property developer by market value, said Sunday that it ranked in a net profit of 2.96 billion yuan (433.38 million U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters of this year, up 29.9 percent year on year.

The company's business revenue in the first three quarters surged 31.1 percent year on year to 29.54 billion yuan, it said in quarterly report to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

The Senzhen-based company sold 5.1 million square meters of housing nationwide during the January - September period, up 26.8 percent over the same period last year in terms of total sales space.

The company's housing sales totaled 5.57 million suare meters for the whole of 2008, down 9.2 percent year on year amid a stagnant property market. Its net profit declined 16.7 percent in 2008 from the previous year.

(People's Daily Online/Xinhua)

China, Japan and South Korea to mull FTA

2009-10-27T10:18:00.004+07:00

China, Japan and South Korea agreed on Sunday to begin joint research by academic, government and private-sector representatives on the possibility of forging a trilateral free trade agreement (FTA).

The accord was struck by the economic and trade ministers of the three countries in a meeting, on the sidelines of the series of summits involving the three countries and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). A tripartite working level meeting will study ways on how to proceed with the joint research early next year.

The agreement marks a step forward in Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's initiative to promote regional cooperation through an "East Asia Community". In line with the concept, Hatoyama has said Japan should cooperate with China and South Korea as much as possible.

So far, only private sector experts have been considering the possibility of the three countries forging a three-way FTA.

"Both China and South Korea want to launch walking level talks as soon as possible", Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Masayuki Naoshima told reporters.

The three ministers also agreed to effectively conclude an investment pack at an early date next year.

(People's Daily Online)

Rossi clinched the ninth world title MotoGP

2009-10-26T08:53:00.004+07:00

Sepang Circuit, Malaysia :

Valentino Rossi clinched the ninth world title of his career, by finishing third in last Sunday FIM MotoGP race in Sepang, Malaysia, behind Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa.

Stpner's second successive race victory was achieved with a yawning gap of 14.666 seconds back to Pedrosa.

Yet it was Rossi's achievement which dominated, as he duly defended the crown he won last year.

For Pedrosa, minor honours were accompanied by the statistic of a 78th career podium finish.

Torrential rain caused a 35 minutes delay and left behind a saturated track, on which Jorge Lorenzo was relegated from second to the back of the grid after a technical problem on the sighting lap.

The Spaniard nonetheless surged past Rossi, who started on pole but quickly dropped back to 10th.Lorenzo was eventually to finish fourth, just behind the Italian.

As Stoner began to grind out a huge advantage - four second in front after only two laps - Nicky Hayden, Lorenzo and Rossi jockeyed for their positions in behind.

Further back , Pedrosa and his Repsol Honda team mate Andrea Dovizioso were engaged in a duel for second until the latter slid off on lap 14 on a still greasy track.

Rossi was therefore up to third - and although he could never get Pedrosa, he had done enough.

"It's a great achievement - and for me it's the ninth championship, the seventh in MotoGP,"Rossi added.

(ESPNSTAR)

West Lake International Fireworks Fair 2009

2009-10-25T10:51:00.004+07:00

China :

Fireworks lights the night sky and West lake during a show of 2009 West Lake International Fireworks Fair in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, China on October 24, 2009.

(People's Daily Online/Xinhua - Zhu Yin Wei)

Traveling to Sailimu Lake

2009-10-24T09:43:00.003+07:00

Sailimu lake is located in the Boertalan Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture in the Xinjiang Uygurs Autonomous Region,China. Encompassing an area of about 460 squarekilometers, it is a fault basin at an elevation of 2,073 meters, the highest among the Xinjiang high mountain lakes and with a maximum depth of 91 meters.

(People's Daily Online - China, Photo : sina.com.cn)

Traveling to Samoa

2009-10-23T10:18:00.003+07:00

Samoa consist of nine islands, each one offering something different, some islands only inhabited by vegetation and wildlife. Covered by rugged volcanic mountain peaks in tropical rainforest, sprawling coastlines fringed with reefs and white sandy beaches that make Samoa have many beautiful scenery

The independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa, is a group of islands in the Polynesian region of the South Pacific. It is roughly halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. To be more precise it lies between longitudes 171 and 172 west, latitudes 13 and 14 south of the equator, and is just east of the International date Line.

The heaviest and most frequent rainfalls occur during the monsoon season, between November - April, and the December - January holiday season, Samoa have many tourist coming. (Samoa Observer)

Allianz, AMEX retain ICBC stake

2009-10-22T10:55:00.003+07:00

Allianz SE and American Express Co plan to keep their Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd stakes, which have a combined value of about $ 3.1 billion, past a lockup on the holding that expired yesterday.

Allianz and American Express have no immediate plans to sell, the companies and Beijing-based ICBC said in statements. Allianz has 3.22 billion Hong Kong-traded ICBC shares, worth HK$ 19.9 billion, while American Express owns 638 million shares with a value of HK$ 3.95 billion.

The agreement "is an indication that key shareholders are optimistic about ICBC's business and growth potential and will lend some support to its shares", said Victor Wang , an analyst at UBS AG in Hong Kong who rates ICBC a "buy".

ICBC is the world's biggest bank by market value and profit. It has more than 16,000 outlets nationwide, 112 branches overseas, and 190 million individual customers--equivalent to the combined populations of Japan and France.

The Beijing based bank's profit may rise 16 percent to a record 128.4 billion yuan this year, according to analyst surveyed by Bloomberg.

ICBC shares advanced 2.4 percent to HK$ 6.24 yesterday in Hong Kong trading, taking this year's gain to 55 percent.

Reevaluating holdings
"In case of a potential disposal in the future, Allianz will explore all potential methods of sale that would maximize value and minimize market impact, with a preference for a private to investors,"the companies said.

American Express "will reevaluate its shareholding from time to time depending on market conditions" and "has no current plans to sell its shares", ICBC and the New York-based company said in a separate statement.

Allianz would have a profit of $2 billion and American Express a $400-million profit if they sold their stakes, bought in April 2006, at the current market price.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Allianz and American Express purchased a total of 24.2 billion shares in ICBC at that time for about $3.8 billion, six months before the Chinese bank's initial public offering. They agreed to hold half their shares for three years, and the remainder for six months more.

Previous sale
Munich-based Allianz, Europe's second biggest insurer by market value, and American Express immediately sold half their original investments in ICBC after the first lockup period ended on April 28. Goldman Sachs extended the period it must hold 80 percent of its stake to April 2010 under a revised agreement. The New York-based bank sold some of its ICBC shares in June.

Allianz, which booked a gain of 658 million euros on the sale of the first half of its stake in ICBC in the second quarter, has provided the bank with expertise in asset and risk management, while American Express issued co-branded credit cards with the Chinese lender.

"Our partnership with ICBC offers a platform for expansion in our strategic growth market China and give us access to a huge number of Chinese customers," said Christoph John, a Singapore-based spokesman at Allianz.

Chinese banks "offer probably the clearest earning visibility" for 2010 among the nation's major industries, JP Morgan Chase & Co analysts led by Samuel Chen wrote in an Oct 11 report. They forecast 32 percent average earning growth for Chinese lenders next year, driven by loan expansion and a recovery in lending profitability. (People's Daily Online - China)

Secondhand Clothes at Jeddah

2009-10-21T08:52:00.003+07:00

Jeddah:

There was a time in the Kingdom when people shopping for clothes would only buy new. Saudis would never conceive buying secondhand clothing, something that has, however been growing in popularity in recent times.

Al-Sawareekh Souk (or called as the Rocket Market) is one of the biggest open air markets in the Kingdom, it also houses a huge clothing section.

The market is locally known as the dead-man's clothing market, since most of the clothes on sale previously belonged to people now dead. The clothing section is a jumble with piles of clothes and peddlers sitting on the ground and on sidewalks selling clothes.

Most sellers, who are mainly of African nationalities, begin selling after Friday prayers. Saudis and expatriates often donate old clothes, especially those belonging to deceased relatives, to African women during the week. Clothes on sale range from anything between SR2 to SR100 and even include designer brands.

Saudis once looked unfavorably at buying used clothing, this was the realm of expatriates, especially those who are of low-income. "The market is crowded with people who want to buy used clothes," said Abu Ghalib, a 53 year old Saudi who works there. "Most of our customers are Asian nationalities and they come here to buy gifts for their families in their home countries. They come here because they can buy bulk for cheap." Another worker said most people buy used clothes during summer. "Some expatriates buy them as gifts for people back home. Most of my customers are Filipinos and Arabs. We import these clothes from Europe and sometimes from Dubai," he said. He added that the specific sources of clothes are unknown. "Some of clothes are donated by people whose relatives recently died. Some people asked me whether the clothes they are buying belonged to dead people. I just tell them that all my clothes are imported from abroad," he added.

A Filipino shopper at the market said he comes just to buy wedding dresses. "I make a few changes to them and then send them to the Philippines. The dress are then rented out for occasions. It is a profitable business," he said . Umm Ahmad, who is of non-Saudi Arab nationality, said she comes here to buy clothes for her children as she has a budget on what she can buy.

"The clothes are good and there are many varieties and choices. I avoid buying used clothes, which belonged to dead people. I found a wedding dress for my daughter for SR90. If I bought it from a proper store then it would have cost me over SR3,000," she said.

Ahmad Mustapha, a skin disease specialist at a hospital, warned people against wearing used clothes saying this could lead to the spread of harmful bacteria and diseases. "I suggest people who buy used clothes wash them with hot water and put them under the sun,"he said. (arab news)

Glass Painting "Wayang" Never Extinct

2009-10-20T10:55:00.003+07:00

Buleleng, Bali :

The art of glass painting "wayang" (Indonesian heritage puppet) developed in Nagasepaha Village, Buleleng District, was not yet extinct. Painting on glass that appeared around the year 1927 it still has in one generation descendant to the painter, puppeteer Jro Dalang Diah (100).

In fact , during the last five years this painting back up and collected by collectors intellectuals from several areas, including Jakarta. In fact, in his prime, instead of the collector among coffee farmers and citrus farmers.

A curator and as a professor of art education from University of Ganesha, Singaraja, Buleleng, Hardiman said," The work of painting was re-entering the resurrection after struggling with modern art.

"In fact, the themes of glass painting from "wayang" puppet to develop a modern image, such as political developments or turbulent youth," he said at the opening of Glass Painting Exhibition at the Bentara Nagasepaha Culture, Bali on last Saturday (17/10) night.

He added, Jro Dalang Diah who became the first artist of this island resort has bequeathed their natural talents to the children and grand children. They, among others, is I Nyoman Subrata, Suamba Ketut, Kadek Nurining and Ketut Santosa. There are also Made Sukrawa, Sumadrawan Ketut, Kadek Suardi, Ketut Sekar, Arnawa Wayan, Gede Kenak Aryadi, and Kadek Wijana.

Similar expressed Suteja Neka Pande Wayan, collector and owner of the Neka Art Museum. He added, Nagasepaha style has their own uniqueness among other art styles in Bali, such as Kamasan, Bali and rocks.

Executive Director Bentara Budaya Bali, Efix Mulyadi supports efforts to contribute to preserve and develop culture and art such as glass painting original Balinese. According to him, this painting has unique process of workmanship and become meaningful , because of its rarity.

In the opening, Dean of the Faculty of Language and Arts Education University of Ganesha, DR. Made Sutama donate a "wayang" puppet sketch drawing on paper to be wrapped cement before painting "wayang" puppets to Bentara Budaya Bali. Made Sutama also said sketches are a rare collection of original strokes Jro Dalang Diah and currently only a few pieces of it.

In addition, also attended the opening of the exhibition a number of artists and collectors, including art collectors from Jakarta, Adrian Pala and Tossin Himawan. The exhibition shown 52 glass paintings and lasted until October 27 next.

(KOMPAS)

Swine Flu's Outbreak at Grenada

2009-10-19T11:26:00.003+07:00

Grenada :

Grenada could be on a verge of a major outbreak of swine flu. According to Health Minister, Ann Peters. A number of persons have tested positive for the influenza following tests carried out in the past view days at the CAREC laboratory in Trinidad and Tobago.

Ann Peters told a meeting of the Senate on Wednesday that although she could not give a specific figure, however some of those who tested positive could include students of secondary schools on the island, as well as health workers at St. George's General Hospital.

The alarm bell was sounded on Monday when the Ministry of Health was called in to investigate a possible outbreak of the influenza A (H1N1) at the Happy Hill Secondary School (HHSS) in St. George North-west. According to reports reaching this newspaper approximately 40 students at the school had to be send home early after they displayed flu like symptoms such as fever, headache and vomiting.

One student said that she arrived at the school on last Monday morning what she believed was the common cold but her condition soon deteriorated and was told to return home and to have her parents take her to a doctor. A team of senior health proffesionals was dispatched to HHSS to conduct the necessary testing and investigations. A spokesman for the Ministry of Health said that the health profesionals evaluated 13 students and it was discovered that three of them had elevated temperatures.

One official of the school who wished to to remain unnamed said that a decision was taken to send the students home as the result of increase body temperature and that they are expected to remain home until they have seen a medical doctor and their symptoms are cleared. There are also unconfirmed reports that the students from Grenada Boys Secondary School (GBSS) and Anglican High School (AHS) were also sent home this week for displaying symptoms of Swine Flu. The Spokesman from the Ministry of Health said that the protocol which was establish earlier this year when the H1N1 virus first surfaced was immediately kick into action by health care workers.

The Ministry of Health has repeated calls for the population to continue exercising proper personal hygiene, including the washing of hands properly and frequently and to cover nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing. Swine flu is a respiratory disease thought to spread through coughing and sneezing. Symptoms mimic those of normal flu.

The H1N1 virus is said to be the same strain that cause seasonal flu outbreaks in humans but the newly detected version contains genetic material from versions of flu which usually affect pigs and birds.

Image center : Grenada's Ministry of Health, Ann Peters (The Grenada Today/SPICE GRENADA.COM)

David Beckham have motivation to rejoin AC Milan

2009-10-18T11:40:00.002+07:00

England Midfielder David Beckham, is very likely to rejoin AC Milan on loan in January.

"It's highly probable that Beckham will arrive at Milan on Loan until June 30," Milan chief executive Adriano Galliana said. "But I'm not taking anything for granted until it's signed."

England manager Fabio Capello has said Beckham must return to a top European side from Los Angeles Galaxy to have any hope of making his squad for next year's World Cup finals in South Africa.

The 34 years old won back his international place during a successful loan period at Milan last season.

Beckham and LA Galaxy chief executive Tim Leiweke have both said recently that a deal to take him back to the San Siro was close to being finalize.

Image : David Beckham (Reuters/The Standard - HK)

Health check for Waubra wind farm

2009-10-17T09:04:00.003+07:00

Waubra, Victoria - Australia :

The Victoria Government will examine claims that Waubra's 128-turbine wind farm is harming the health of nearby residents.

Finance, Workcover and Transport Accident Commission Minister , Tim Holding, wrote to Western Victoria MLC Peter Kavanagh earlier this week to confirm that three government departments would examine "potential hazards" caused by sub-audible noise emitted by the turbines.

Mr. Kavanagh raised the issue in parliament on September 2, after meeting with several Waubra residents who claim the towers have caused headaches, nausea and sleep deprivation since they began operating in June.

"I did a tour of Waubra in late August and people there are very upset about the wind farm," Mr. Kavanagh said.

"Most of them were fairly happy to go along with the turbines before they were installed, but now I know of one family who won't live in their house.

"It certainly isn't an isolated incident."

WorkSafe Victoria, the Environmental Protection Authority and the Department of Human Services will work with local government to examine the issue raised by Mr. Kavanagh.

But a WorkSafe spokesman denied the move was a formal investigation.

"It's not an investigation. We are looking at specific claims made by a few local residents," he said.

"Questions have been asked of the minister and by getting other relevant departments involved we are trying to answer questions asked."

"It's in its very early stages and where it's goes we don't know."

A spokesman for Acciona Energy, the Spanish company behind the wind farm, said extensive studies of wind farms worldwide were yet to provide conclusive proof that they were harmful.

Acciona Energy is not aware any investigation but world willingly participate with confidence, knowing there is no clear, consistent scientific data, nor a peer-reviewed scientific consensus, to confirm a connection between modern wind turbines and health concerns," he said.

"The Waubra wind farm meets the stringent noise levels required by government."

The spokesman said the farm reach full generation capacity for the first time two weeks ago.
(The Courier-Australia)

Center Image : Waubra Wind Farm, Picture by J. Bannister

Ballon boy Falcon Heene

2009-10-16T10:53:00.002+07:00

Balloon boy Falcon Heene has added weight to speculation balloon drama was all a hoax.

Falcon hid in the attic of his family home after the homemade helium balloon broke loose and drifted for nearly two hours through the Colorado sky.

Fearing the boy was inside the balloon, or had dropped some thousands of feet from the sky, global media broadcast blanket coverage of the chase and search for a possible body.

Five hours later, after the balloon had landed with no sign of the boy, Falcon was found hiding in a box in the attic of the family's garage.

In an interview with CNN, a reporter asked his father Richard whether his son heard people calling his name during a frantic search for the six-year-old.

The boy claims he did hear calls, but deliberately ignored them.

"Why didn't you come out ?" his father asked during the interview.

After a small silence, Falcon said he stayed hidden because he thought "we did this for a show".

Another awkward silence followed, before his father said "yeah", before asking his son again why he didn't come out.

The CNN interviewer asked for clarification on Falcon's remarks, but his father dodged the question.

The interviewer also asked his mother Mayumi whether she thought Falcon was simply hiding and not on board the balloon.

She said she search "everywhere" for her son, but it wasn't unusual behavior for Falcon to hide when he was in trouble.

Earlier, reporters asked Mr. Heene whether the incident was a publicity stunt.

"That's horrible," Mr. Heene said. "After the crap we just went through, no, no, no. "

Earlier, it was revealed the balloon is actually a prototype for a new form of transport.

Falcon said he had been to scared to come out after his father yelled at him for getting inside the balloon, which was tethered in the backyard.

"I heard shouting, I didn't want to come out, I though I would get in trouble," he said.

Falcon's relieved parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene, today thanked the local police and the Larimer County Sheriff's office after their son's disappearance sparked a statewide search.

"I really, really want to thank the local police station, the sheriff's office. You guys are great," Mr. Heene said.

Mr. Heene said he had been measuring electricity flow through the balloon when he saw Falcon try to climb inside.

"I yelled at him for getting inside. It's potentially dangerous if you get inside and the electricity comes on," he said.

Mr. Heene describe the craft as an experimental vehicle that "people can pull out of their garage and hover above traffic 50 to 100 feet" but said the invention was in its early stages.

He declined to detail how it broke free of its moorings, saying only "there was a mishap".

"I'm not going to lay the blame on anybody," he said.

"It was supposed to be tethered down and it wasn't tethered down."

Falcon's older brother had reported seeing him climb inside a compartment attached to the balloon, which was built by his amateur scientist father and resembled a "flying saucer" spacecraft, before it floated away from the family's home in Fort Collins.

His father said that his older son has watched and videotaped Falcon climbing inside a box attached to the bottom of the apparatus.

"This little guy decided to go inside the utility compartment," Mr. Heene said of Falcon, who clung to his father during the press conference.

"Sure enough he got in but obviously he got out so we don't know.

"He said he was hiding in the attic."

"Ask by reporters if he would be billed for the massive search and rescue operation amid mounting outrage over the incident, he said simply: "I sure hope not."

The balloon gradually descended to the ground after a wild ride through the Colorado skies this morning, tracked by police and with breathtaking images shown lives on television.

The craft was airborne for more than two hours.

Kathy Messick, Larimer County's sheriff's spokeswoman, said Falcon's parents were "very traumatised" before he was found.

The bizarre scene played out live on television as the balloon rotated slowly in the wind, tipping precariously at times before gliding to the ground.

A radar gun had reportedly clocked the craft traveling at 40 km/h in heart-stopping images on live television which captured the world's attention.

Image of the silver mushroom-shape craft were transmitted by Denver television station KUSA, as it sped through the sky at altitudes of up to 2 km in the air and at some points hurtling toward the earth.

The Heene family - Richard, Mayumi and their three sons - featured on the American ABC's reality television show "Wife Swap".

On the ABC's website, Richard and Mayumi describe themselves as storm chasers who sleep in their clothes so they are ready to leave at a moment's notice.

The safety of boys Falcon, Bradford and Ryo became an issue in the show, with the "swap wife" who stayed with them objecting to the amount of time they spent playing unsupervised and their father's dangerous pasttimes. (AFP/Herald Sun-Australia)

States should leave land acquisition to investors

2009-10-15T10:33:00.002+07:00

Bhopal, India:

The states governments should leave it to industrialists to acquire land for their projects, especially for special economic zones (SEZs), Minister of state for Commerce and Industry Jyotiraditya Scindia said here on Wednesday.

Priority should also be given to make use of barren land in setting up of SEZs and industries, he told reporters.

"Also, the SEZ policy does not says that the state governments should acquire land. There would be no problem the day the state governments will leave it to the investor who should contact the owner of the land to be acquired directly and pay him as per the prevalent market rate."

Scindia said that Madhya Pradesh lags far behind in development for want of execution of ideas.

There is no death of ideas but they are of no use till they are executed properly. We hear of investor meets being organized every now and then in various cities of the states but not a single project has come up so far - only because there has been no proper follow up by the state government," he said.

There are several projects, like Guna-Etawah Railway project, which have been cleared by the central government but have remained incomplete for years as the state government has not execute them, he said.

(Headlines - India)

The World Media Summit 2009

2009-10-15T08:12:00.003+07:00

Beijing, China :

The World Media Summit had closed at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, on Oct. 10, 2009.

In the above photo pose for a group (from left to right) :

Kyodo News Agency President and Editor in Chief Satoshi Ishikawa, President and Managing Director of Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific Steve Marcopoto, News Corporation Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch's representative John Miller, Editor in Chief of Reuters David Schlesinger, Xinhua News Agency President Li Congjun, ITAR-TASS Director General Vitaly Ignatenko, Associated Press President and CEO Thomas Curley, Director of the BBC's Global News division Richard Sambrook, and Vice President of Google John Liu.

About 300 representatives from more than 170 media outlets around the world gathered in Beijing and discussed the seismic shifts and challenges in industry.

Here the brief review from World Media Summit 2009 :

China President, Hu Jin Tao speaks about some issues :
- to deepen understanding of people
- urges global media to promote world peace, development
- world's media should respect each other
- stick's to peaceful development, opening-up strategy
- urges world media to uphold social responsibilities
- pledges to safeguard rights, interests of foreign media in China
- calls on media to contribute to harmonious world

Another Speakers :

News Corporstion Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch said :

The world's media organization should "adapt and adopt" as they were confronted by "unprecedented change and challenge" amid a digital revolution.

"Media companies know that if you do not respond intelligently and creatively to the digital challenge, your future will be bleak indeed," Murdoch told the audiences.

The value of the content has been volatile in the past decade, but we are entering another decisive phase in which device makers are again courting the creators of content.

Modern China has a tremendous stake in a shared digital future, because its own wealth and success will depend on how well it responds to the challenges, nationally and internationally .

Corporate Vice President of the Greater China Operation at Google Inc John Liu said :

Various sectors including business, entertainment, traditional publishing industry and advertising would face changes, driven by development of new technologies.

According to the world's search engine giant, the Internet has changed the world profoundly over the past 10 years. Now, at least 2 billion people now search information online every day and 100 billion non spam emails and instant messages were sent every day.

Director of the BBC's News Global division Richard Sambrook said :

BBC has set up English Language Teaching (ELT) team and the website bbcukchina.com in China to gain audiences and awareness of its brand.
BBC also reinforced its partnership with Chinese media as it co-produced the well received natural history series --the Beautiful China, in UK as known Wild China.

"How a fuller airing of the views of the Chinese people on the big global forces that are shaping our world will give us new and fascinating perspectives on the full gamut of human experience from which we can all benefit."

Editor in Chief of Reuters David Schlesinger said :

Stressed the media's role in promoting a healthy market economy by providing transparency against the backdrop of global financial crisis. Efficiently informed and transparent financial markets are also healthy, sound, orderly, and internationally competitive financial markets. There were the lessons of the 1997 Asian crisis.
The role of financial media was central to delivering the objectives of informed and transparent financial markets, as well as the social stability that depend upon economic success.

President and Managing Director of Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific of

Time Warner company Steve Marcopoto said :

Time Warner is eyeing China's faster market expansion after the government issued a new plan to encourage private and foreign investment in the cultural sector.
The company is "particularly interested in the plan to lower market access

threshold for the entry of private and foreign capital to the cultural fields, and

"excited" to learn that multimedia broadcasting, Internet and mobile TV would be

promoted actively.

Kyodo News Agency President and Editor in Chief Satoshi Ishikawa said :

We believe the media have a social responsibility to promote world peace by sharing news and information about every day events and by furthering mutual understanding in a way that goes beyond the limits of countries and regions.
The globalization and progress in information and communications technologies put traditional paper-based media on the defensive, while permitting Internet search businesses to prosper and enabling hand held and mobile terminals such as smart phones to dominate the media market.
(People's Daily Online/Xin Hua - China)

Warm beef, tomatoes, capsicums with horseradish cream

2009-10-14T10:14:00.005+07:00

Ingredients :
- 30 ml olive oil, plus a little extra for drizzling
- freshly ground black pepper
- 500 gr piece beef eye fillet, trimmed
- 175 gr vine-ripened mini capsicums
- 1 red onion cut into wedges
- 250 gr truss tomatoes
- 2 handfuls tatsoi lettuce (or other gourmet mixed leaves)
- 1 tbsp capers, rinsed
- celery leaves, crisp-fried to garnish (optional)

Horseradish cream :
- 3 tbsp good-quality mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp sour cream
- 1 tbsp horseradish (from a jar)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- sea salt and freshly ground white pepper to season

Method :
Preheat oven into 200 C. Rub oil and pepper all over beef fillet and set aside. In a heavy-based frying pan over high heat, add beef and seal on all sides for four to five minutes. Remove and place on a roasting tray.
Places capsicums and onion wedges in the pan with a little extra oil and cook for five minutes until slightly softened. Place in the roasting tray, add tomatoes on the vine and drizzle with a little extra oil Cook vegetable in the oven with beef for eight minutes for medium rare. Remove beef and rest, leaving vegetable in the oven for a further 10 minutes, until just softened. Scatter Tatsoi over a serving platter and placed roasted vegetable.
Slice beef and arrange over the vegetables . Scater capers and celery leaves over the top.
Make the horseradish cream by combining all the ingredients. Adjust seasoning. Drizzle some offer the salad
(serve : 4 people)

(by Caroline Velik/photo : Marina Oliphant/ The Sydney Morning Herald - cuisine)

Boyzone star died on holiday in Spain

2009-10-13T14:52:00.003+07:00

Majorca, Spain (October 11, 2009)
Boyzone singer, Stephen Gately died while on holiday in Majorca off the coast of Spain.

"Stephen tragically died on Saturday while on holiday with his partner Andrew. The rest of the Boyz will be flying out today," the band said.

Gately, 33, became one of the first pop stars to come out, announcing in 1999 that he was gay and had a boyfriend, Andy Cowles.

Boyzone had a run of hits in the 1990's and reformed in 2007. They were to release a new album next year.

"It look like he went out for a few drinks, then he got back, fell asleep and never woke up," a friend of Gately was quoted as saying. (AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE/The Standard - HK)

Massa back behind Formula 1 wheel

2009-10-13T10:33:00.002+07:00

Ferrari's Felipe Massa was back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car for the first time since his horror crash in Hungary on July 25 2009.

The Brazilian took a privately owned F2007, pictured, for a spin around the constructor's test track at Fiorano, completing a few laps.

However, Ferrari had insisted on Sunday that the was not done with a view to Massa racing again the season, but rather as "an opportunity for Felipe to renew his acquaintance with his natural environment, namely the race track."

Massa suffered a terrible crash during the Hungarian Grand Prix in July, after which he spent several days in hospital. (AFP/The Standard-HK)

Survivor who cut off own foot at West Sumatra quake

2009-10-12T13:28:00.002+07:00

Ramlan, an 18 years old who sawed off his own foot to survive the massive earthquake that devastated West Sumatra, is tired of relentless media exposure.

"Sorry, he doesn't want to be interviewed about the quake ,"said Nur, a nember of the Yos Sudarso Hospital staff on Sunday." He is tired of repeatedly telling the same story.

"He might not mind the picture-taking through."

Nur said that Ramlan had been interviewed in the hospital's makeshift emergency tent almost every day since the disaster by reporters and relief workers asking about his traumatic experience.

Ramlan, who was working at a construction site in Padang when the quake struck, hacked off his right foot using basic tools after being pinned by a concrete girder.

Fearing aftershocks, he decided his only way to escape was by cutting off the trapped appendage with a hoe and saw.

Ramlan's inspirational story has since traveled around the world, featuring in newspaper as far away in London and New York.

When visited on Sunday, Ramlan was still recovering in bed at the hospital's emergency tent. Tended to by a relative, he looks relax ed while reading a newspaper.

However, he just smiled and did not say a word. (Antara/The Jakarta Post)

Asia is hot

2009-10-12T09:50:00.003+07:00

Geneva :

EFG International, the Swiss private bank that culled 7 per cent of its wealth managers in the first half of this year, plans to keep hiring in Asia as rivals from Zurich and Geneva target the region.

EFG will increase its 160 member team by as much as 30 per cent over the next three years, Asia chief executive officer Mr. Albert Chiu said in Hong Kong. This follows a 40 per cent expansion since January last year.

"We are determined to raise our profile in the region," said Mr. Chiu, adding that cancelled bonuses at other banks make it a good time to be hiring.

While the wealth of Asia Pacific millionaires slumped 22 per cent to US$ 7.4 trillion last year, their assets will top those of North American millionaires by 2013, according to a survey by Merrill Lynch and Capgemini.
This potential is encouraging Switzerland's biggest private banks, including Pictet & Cie, Julius Baer Group, UBS and Credit Suisse Group, to open offices in the region.

The Zurich-based EFG bank also had office in Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta, Manila, Seoul and Taipei. EFG won a license in August from the Chinese regulator to open an office in Shanghai before the end of the year.

Asia will be the main "driver" of growth in private banking, Credite Suisse's wealth management heal Walter Berchtold said.

The Zurich based bank has been hiring "experienced" private bankers in Asia this year after luring 2.6 billion francs of net new money in the region during the first quarter.

Hong Kong and Singapore are closing the gap on Switzerland as private banking centers as they develop financial infrastructure and secrecy safeguards, said Mr. Chiu.

"I'm confident the day will come when we will be at least a close competitor of Switzerland," said Mr. Chiu.

(Bloomberg/Today Online-Singapore)

The world most valuable company

2009-10-11T10:48:00.002+07:00

Chicago :

Exxon Mobil overtook PetroChina as the world's most valuable company, ending a four-month reign by Beijing oil producer after price controls in China failed to keep pace with rising crude costs.

State controlled PetroChina 's Shanghai traded share have declined 2.2 per cent since Sept 2, when the Chinese government last raised domestic prices for petrol and diesel. Exxon Mobil rose 0.7 per cent in the same period to a market capitalisation of US$ 330 billion, compared with PetroChina's US$ 325.4 billion.

Texas based Exxon Mobil lost the top ranking to PetroChina in May after China's stimulus plan caused a surge in the nation's stocks. The Shanghai Composite Index, which jump 87 per cent in this year's first seven months, has fallen 19 per cent since then. The Dow Jones Industrial Average of 30 blue-chip US stocks, including Exxon Mobil, has risen 6.1 per cent since the end of July.

PetriChina's 14 per cent return on capital is less than half of Exxon Mobil's 36 per cent return, the highest among the world's biggest 10 oil companies by sales.

Exxon Mobil's annual sales are more than twice those of PetroChina. The company had US$ 425 billion in sales last year, or US$ 60.45 for every person on the planet. (Bloomberg/Today Online-Singapore)

Vietnam halts sand exports to Singapore

2009-10-11T09:33:00.002+07:00

Singapore, It was deja vu for the building industry here, as Vietnam suspended sand exports to Singapore on worries that the pace of extraction would damage the Mekong Delta.

The move come just months after Cambodia banned overseas sales of sand in May on environmental concerns - a developing that, according to Bloomberg , sent Vietnam sand export to Singapore surging.

But this source, too, ran dry when the export paperwork was stopped on Tuesday, according to the head of the Ministry of Construction's Department for Construction Materials, Le Van Toi.

The Construction industry here has been anticipating this since news heralding the move broke in mid-September.

With most sand imports previously coming from Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam according to suppliers, this caused some worries.

Still, no impact has been felt yet, and players do not expect as drastic a hit as that Singapore took in 2007 when Indonesia banned sand exports, increasing construction costs by 1 per cent and creating a bottleneck in building timelines.

"If no sand is coming through from Vietnam, then surely there will be some shortage - but it would not be as acute as (in 2007) as we know have alternative sources and materials like quarry dust," said Dr Sujit Ghosh, president of the Ready Mix Concrete Association.

Back then, the supply crunch created by the Indonesian ban had seen concrete and sand prices roughly triple, as Singapore sought out alternative, distant sources.

Another difference between 2007 and now: "In 2007, the market was hit quite substantially as there were big ticket tenders out in the marketplace like the Integrated Resorts," noted Cushman and Wakefield Singapore managing director Donald Han.

"Now, there are hardly any billion-dollar projects, even the construction of the Sports Hub has been deferred; residential projects are not big ticket items and will not create competition for the sand."
Construction costs have come down by some 20 to 25 per cent since the peak in mid - 2008, he added.

A sand supplier whom MediaCorp spoke to, nonetheless, reckons "there will be an impact" - he estimated that about 25 per cent of sand supply comes from Vietnam each month. (TODAYonline - Singapore)

Liberated lady going slowly Gaga

2009-10-10T10:35:00.002+07:00

Feminism has become uncool all over again. This time it's out of favor with the least likely candidates : women.

While women were once proud to loudly associate themselves with the fight for genuine equality between the genders, those of younger generations have been less eager than expected to take up the mantle.

Or at least to take said mantle in the same direction. The reason for feminism's unpopularity seems to be the straitlaced stigma of the word.

Feminism is associated with a dour and comprehensive agenda of concerns. There is negotiation of fair salaries, the tragically unequal status of women in less-developed nations, reproductive rights, the trafficking of women for sex work... and the list continues.

Younger women, on the other hand, tend to be distracted by glamor and rhetoric of sexual freedom already achieved for them by previous waves of reformers.

At the forefront of this moment are trend-setting celebrities like Lady Gaga, a New York pop singer best known
for performing in outfits akin to knickers and heels.

Her appearance is aggressively sexual and in control, like many a male rock star. She has also attracted attention for her blatant rejection of feminism. In a recent interview she said : "I'm not a feminist - I hail men, I
love men. I celebrate American male culture, and beer, and bars and muscle cars."

In another interview, she equated feminism with man-hating. "I think it's great to be sexy, beautiful woman who can f--- her man after she makes him dinner. There's a stigma around feminism that's a little bit man-hating. And I don't promote hatred, ever." Her takes on what it does and doesn't mean to be a strong woman these days is not unique.

It's a common perception among young women that feminism will be unpopular with men or is somehow anti-men.

There has always been a tension between the pleasure to be found in femininity and the efforts necessary to achieves equality. Femininity seems to have captured more interest since young women who have grown up with the privilege of opportunities fought for by older generations now often prefer to be seen as sexy rather than progressive.

On the other hand, older generations of women are apparently renouncing this rebranding of feminism.

World-renowned feminist and author of The Handmaid's Tale , Margaret Atwood, recently confessed : "I don't know if I am a feminist." This one line answer sounds bad but came in a more complicated context in which she questioned the direction and breadth of the interests currently commanding feminism.

The British national treassure and actress, Judi Dench said : "No I wouldn't call my self a feminist at all really. I don't know what a feminist is." Fay Weldon, Who once immortalized the she-devil in her bestselling novel, now tells women to stops nagging men to clean up after themelves. Clean the "loo" and pick up men's socks, she says, because than we'll all be happier. These famous feminists with sudden misgivings still support the right of women to have opportunities that equal those available to men (Although Fay Weldon might be off on her own tangent), but questions remain about the direction and point of feminism.

It was therefore a timely reminder when an investigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman's office revealed that Australian women asking for maternity leave are at risk of being frozen out of their workplaces. Some new mothers who are being granted maternity leave find the office rearranged in their absence so that it becomes impossible for them to return. Their jobs have been filled or made unrecognizable and unwelcoming while they have been faffing about with the business of breastfeeding and expanding the nation.

The issue under investigation here is not a paid maternity leave scheme, which will be available to Australian women in 2011 - just a reasonable amount of time taken off from work to deal with the birth of a child.

Sexual liberation was a vital aspect of the feminist movement. It is an essential, wonderful freedom. But the current emphasis on the glitz of sex and image is a distraction.

Obstacles remain to equality and the new brand of feminism must prioritize social justice concerns such as the need to protect maternity leave. One need only follow the career path of Hillary Clinton to see that females in positions of power still face particular scrutiny.

As well, survey after survey reveal salaries among men and women in corporate jobs to be uneven and now and then women still get fired for trying to start a family. (by Emma Young, The Sydney Morning Herald)

Aburizal Bakrie Elected Chairman of Golkar

2009-10-10T09:18:00.002+07:00

Pekanbaru, Indonesia :
Aburizal Bakrie (called Ical) unanimously elected as Chairman of the Golkar Party 2009 - 2015.
Ical won more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round voting, in the VIII National Congress of the Golkar Party, which took place in the Ballroom of Hotel Labersa, Pekanbaru Riau, Thursday (8/10) morning.

Advocates of direct Ical surging embraced so the sound entering the 296 of 528 votes in the Party Congress, while 240 votes went to his strongest rival Surya Paloh. Other candindates Yuddy and Tommy failed totally a single vote. (Kompas/The Jakarta Globe)

Up Right Image :
Aburizal Bakrie in the VIII National Meeting of the Golkar Party Pekanbaru. Tuesday (6/10)
(Kompas - Indonesia)

Tsunami Alert in Fiji

2009-10-09T11:52:00.002+07:00

Fiji :

Fears come alive as another quake erupts

With memories of devastation in Samoa still fresh in their minds, thousands of people ran for their lives to higher ground after a tsunami alert was sounded yesterday morning.

The warning was the result of a major earthquake off Vanuatu which was measured 8.1 on the Richter scale.
The earthquake sparked panic in the Pacific, sending people fleeing to safety.

The tsunami alert was raised at 10:17 am by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center with the local authorities advising people to move to higher grounds a few minute later.
No one took any chance in the capital city.

"What happened in Samoa can easily happen in Fiji," Hainas Boutique director Radhika Chand said as she closed shop.
(Fiji Times)

King Father Norodom Sihanouk consider his own mortality

2009-10-09T10:37:00.002+07:00

Former King Norodom Sihanouk wants the world to stop wishing him a long life so he can die as soon as possible, according to a handwritten note posted on the elderly ex-monarch's personal website.

In the message, dated October 2, the King Father gently chastises well-wishers who tell him they hope he lives to be older than 100 years of age.

"I would like to everybody, Khmers and foreigners, know that they do not please me at all when they wish me a long life", Sihanouk wrote from Beijing, where he is undergoing medical treatment for cancer and other ailments. He added that his own father, King Suramarit, died of diabetes at the age of 64, and that his father in law, King Sisowath Monivong, died at the same age "from sadness" after Thailand annexed parts of Batambang and Siem Reap provinces from Cambodia with Japanese military backing in 1941.

"But for me, who sincerely wants to die as near in the future as possible, I have lived too long", he wrote.

"On October 31, 2009, I will be 87 years old. This lengthy longevity bears on me like an unbearable weight".

King Father Norodom Sihanouk has suffered from a number of ailments, including cancer, diabetes and hypertension. He left his throne in 2004, citing old age and health problems.

A lawmaker from the ruling Cambodian People's Party, however, said the letter merely showed the King Father was bored. "I see the King Father on television, and he was healthy enough to watch the parade during (China's 60th anniversary celebrations)", said lawmaker Cheam Yeap. "I wish the King Father a long life".

But the King Father was unequivocal. "What I want is to die as soon as possible, without having to infringe on the teachings of the august Buddha, who forbade suicide", he wrote. (Vong Sokheng, Phnom Penh Post)

Banana Split

2009-10-09T08:16:00.002+07:00

Ingredients :
- 6 eggs
- 300 gr caster sugar
- 1 kg vanilla yoghurt
- 2 white of eggs
- 4 pcs banana
- 150 gr dark chocolate
- 150 ml cream
- 50 ml water
- 4 tbsp granulated nuts

Store excess chocolate sauce in a squeezy bottle or plastic container and keep in the fridge. Warm in the microwave or in a saucepan of simmering water when you next want to indulge.

Method :
Whisk whole eggs and 150 gr caster sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Fold eggs through yoghurt in three batches. Whisk white of eggs with 50 gr caster sugar until soft peaks form, then fold through yoghurt. Chum and place in the freezer. In a small saucepan, bring water to the boil with the remaining 50 gr of sugar. Pour sugar syrup over chocolate and stir to melt chocolate. Stir through cream. Cut bananas in half lengthways, scoop on frozen yoghurt, drizzle with chocolate sauce and top with nuts.

Ready serve for : 4 portions

(Chef : Jane and Jeremy Strode, Photo: Jennifer Soo, The Sydney Morning Herald/cuisine.com.au)

26 die be caused mine lift dropped in China

2009-10-08T10:57:00.003+07:00

Twenty-six workers were killed in accident at a tin mine in Hunan province, China. The Xin Hua News Agency quoted rescuers are saying that 19 miners were killed instantly when two lift plunged due to a brake of the lift failure. Seven others died later of the injuried. (Xinhua/AFP/The Standard-HK)

8.1 Richter Magnitude Quake's Strike Vanuatu

2009-10-08T09:45:00.002+07:00

Vanuatu :

An 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the northwest Vanuatu, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Wednesday (October 7, 2009).

The epicenter of the quake was located 232 miles northwest of Santo, Vanuatu, at a depth of 25 miles, the agency said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damages and no tsunami warning was issued. (Reuters)

Search for survivors less than a week in Padang's quake

2009-10-07T10:42:00.002+07:00

Rescuers called off their search Monday for people trapped beneath the rubble of buildings that collapsed in last week's devastating earthquake in Padang (West Sumatra) and are now focusing on distributing aid to survivors.
Officials and rescuers workers said it was a "miracle" they had found anyone buried under the rubble at all more than five days after Wednesday's quake.

"Under International standards, search for survivors must only go for five days,"said Ade Edward, secretary of the provincial disaster mitigation task force.

"That's the limit at which people can survive without food and drink in a trapped position."

He added the search would continue for more bodies until next week, and could be extended another week once cleanup operations begin.

The official government lists at least 608 people confirmed dead as of Monday afternoon, but the death toll from the 7.6-magnitude quake is expected to soar into the thousands once the bodies of the missing have been recovered.

Rescuers said they have been hampered in their efforts by heavy rain since Sunday night that triggered a landslide Monday and forced aid teams to stay put in Padang, the city hardest hits by quake.

Helicopters are being used to airdrop aid and take the wounded to hospitals. Two helicopters have conducted six airdrops in isolated areas, delivering instant noodles, blankets, milk and dry food, AP reports.

With the stench of decomposing bodies now emanating from several collapsed buildings, preventing outbreak of disease is becoming a growing concern.

Health officials have begun distributing vaccines and spraying disinfectant.

Lucky Tjahyono, from the Health Ministry's Crisis Center, said Monday his office had vaccinated 119 rescue volunteers and disinfected 320 locations across the worst affected areas in Padang and Padang Pariaman regencies.

The Ministry has so far prepared 3,000 doses of vaccines.

West Sumatra Health Agency head Rosnini Savitri said the decomposing bodies could threaten water supplies, raising the risk of a diarrhea outbreak.

With more rain predicted for the next few days, the risk of disaster is heightened, she added.

Volunteers working among collapsed buildings are also exposed to tetanus, Rosnini said.

In Jakarta, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono critized local administrations in the quake-ravage areas of priotizing the assesment of financial losses over emergency measures to help quake victims.

"When I ask for reports from governor, mayors or regents in the disaster-hit areas, I don't want to hear about how much they need to rebuild, what buildings are damaged, or whatever just a day or two after the disaster," he fumed when opening a Cabinet meeting.

"What I want to know is , what rescue and recovery measures are being taken? Report on the overall situation first - the damage, search for the missing victims - then reports to me on what recovery efforts you're making"
(The Jakarta Post)

Upper Right image :
Russian medical staff take an earthquake victim to a makeshift hospital in Labuk Alung Pariaman, West Sumatra on Monday. While local and International rescue teams have poured into the province, assistance has not yet reached the province's remote areas. (JP/J. Adiguna)