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Roca brothers reopen Hotel Omm restaurant in Barcelona Posted: 09 Feb 2013 10:16 PM PST A dish from the newly revamped Roca Moo in Barcelona. — Afp pic BARCELONA, Feb 10 — Spain's gastronomic siblings the Roca brothers have re-opened their decades-old restaurant in Barcelona's Hotel Omm, revamping the menu for the single Michelin-starred eatery now rechristened Roca Moo.  Joan, Josep and Jordi, who already helm what's been described as the second best restaurant in the world El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, have reopened their Hotel Omm residence which now offers three tasting menus — the Joan Roca, seasonal, and vegetarian menu — themed around modern, Catalan fare.  The trio has also taken over the downstairs lobby bar now called Roca Bar which will serve "street-style" food the way only Michelin-starred chefs would serve it.  The menu includes tapas, sandwiches and dishes to share. Another hotly anticipated opening in Barcelona likewise comes from another star-powered sibling duo, Albert and Ferran Adrià, who are poised to open their Japanese-Peruvian restaurant Pakta in March. — Afp-Relaxnews

New Formosa: Double the Chinese New Year joy Posted: 09 Feb 2013 04:02 PM PST The delectable 'three combination' dish of butter eel, mussels, and seaweed is a hit at the New Formosa Restaurant. - All pictures by Eu Hooi Khaw PETALING JAYA, Feb 10 — It was a case of double good luck at our dinner at the New Formosa Restaurant recently. First, we "lou sang" with the traditional Yee Sang, and then once again at the end of the meal with a bowl of colourful yam balls in a sweet soup together with red beans, green beans and kidney beans.  The sauce for the Yee Sang tasted lighter and more fruity, and better than before (I have been a regular at New Formosa in SS2, PJ for years). We had the Jellyfish Yee Sang; the jellyfish combined with the fresh shredded vegetables and fruits was a lovely texture experience.  The Jiu Fen Yam Balls is a popular Taiwanese dessert that has made its mark in Malaysia. At the end of dinner, the Jiu Fen Yam Balls were brought out in a bowl of crushed ice. The yam balls are a street dessert in Jiu Fen in the north-east of Taiwan, which used to be the centre of gold-mining."They are a famous dessert in Taiwan," said restaurant owner Jeanie Lee, who minutes before this was served, was seen behind a screen putting the finishing touches to the red, orange and white yam balls.  The New Formosa owner, Jeanie Lee We happily tossed these together with the beans, savouring the lovely smooth, sticky balls and the soft, mushy beans. This dessert is so popular in the restaurant that one customer has had it six times in the two weeks they started serving it!  Then there was the Butter Eel, Three Cup New Zealand Mussels and Seaweed Roll in The Formosa Three Combination dish we had as starters. The melt-in-the-mouth pieces of eel had been spiced up with cili padi and curry leaves.  The Taiwanese "three cup" style of cooking, usually with chicken, refers to one cup soya sauce, one cup wine and another of sesame oil. "But of course we don't use those proportions anymore," said Jeanie. Her judicious use of these ingredients together with sweet basil and chilli turned out some luscious, tasty mussels.  Seaweed rolled up with a paste of chicken and pork seasoned with ginger and scallion juice made for some flavourful bites. It's the Taiwanese take on sushi as Taiwan was under Japanese rule from 1895 to 1945.  Nutritious winter melon soup It took skill to turn out the Simmered Wintermelon Soup we had next. It was a soup with clear, sublime flavour. A choice winter melon with thick flesh was hollowed out, and filled with superior stock, chicken breast (marinated before), mushrooms, ginkgo nuts and fish bladder, and steamed for four hours. "You have to watch the fire or else the soup will turn sour, or the melon will get smashed up," said Jeanie. We scooped up the melon inside and enjoyed them in the sweet soup.  The soup is nutritious too — think of banishing heatiness from eating a lot of fried and oil food during this time, and clearing your kidneys.  The 100 Plus Silver Pomfret is a treat The 100 Plus Silver Pomfret is really steamed fish with this isotonic drink. It was Jeanie's creation — her mother back in Taiwan would never eat steamed fish but she had a favourite isotonic drink there. So the inventive cook thought of a fish steamed with this drink, together with lots of lemon slices, sweetbasil and cili padi.  Her mother liked it, and so did we — this sweet, sour, hot and fragrant "soup" the fish was bathed in.  A Chinese New Year outing at New Formosa is not the same without the Feng Sha Chicken. This "wind and sand" chicken is so called because the deep-fried stuffed chicken has a crispy brown skin, and the deep-fried garlic scattered over it resembles sand.  Feng Sha chicken is a must-have at the New Formosa restaurant Cut up the aromatic chicken and a scrumptious stuffing tumbles out, made up of brown and red rice, and black glutinous rice, fried dried prawns, minced pork, chestnut and minced pork.  I have a thing for Stuffed Lotus Root, slices of which would have their holes stuffed with fish paste and pan-fried. This time New Formosa chef Lee Weng Eng added chilli and other seasonings to the fish paste, lifting the flavour and texture to another plane. In the centre of the platter was a heap of stir-fried bean sheets, seaweed, enoki mushrooms and petola. Altogether it was so yummy.  Besides the yam balls, we also had the Oh Nee for dessert. It's a delectable, creamy yam mash with pumpkin, studded with ginkgo nuts.  The Lotus Root is a gorgeous vegetable dish with fish paste, chillies, and special seasoning. The prices: The Fengsha Chicken is RM50-RM55 (depending on size), Jellyfish Yee Sang RM29, Stuffed Lotus Root RM20, Three Combination RM50 to RM65 (depending on the items), 100 Plus Silver Pomfret (market price), Winter melon Soup RM45 to RM55, Yam Balls RM18, Oh Nee RM15.  New Formosa is at 46, SS2/24, Petaling Jaya, tel: 03-7875 1894, 019 335 3274.

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Bayern crush Schalke 4-0 to go 15 points clear Posted: 09 Feb 2013 02:55 PM PST Bayern Munich's Mario Gomez celebrates with team mate Arjen Robben (right) after he scored while Schalke 04's Benedikt Hoewedes looks on during their German Bundesliga first division soccer match in Munich February 9, 2013. – Reuters pic BERLIN, Feb 10 – Bayern Munich demolished Schalke 04 4-0 with two goals from David Alaba to open a 15-point gap at the top of the Bundesliga yesterday as champions Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen slipped up. Left back Alaba scored either side of a sensational Bastian Schweinsteiger free kick with Mario Gomez, starting ahead of top scorer Mario Mandzukic, drilling in the fourth as Bayern made it four straight wins this year without conceding a goal. In another impressive display of fluid, attacking football, Bayern outplayed Schalke, launching an avalanche of pressure from the start and missing several other clear chances as they chase their first title after two failed campaigns. Bayern move on to 54 points with their 17th win in 21 league games while fellow Champions League competitors Schalke, badly missing a string of injured players and having notched only one win in their last 10 games, dropped to ninth. "In the first 20 minutes it was tough against a hard-working Schalke defence," Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes told reporters. "After we scored our first goal I knew Schalke would need to come out a bit more and that is where we played really well. It is great fun working with this team at the moment." Second-placed Dortmund suffered a surprise 4-1 drubbing at the hands of visiting Hamburg SV to remain on 39 points. Latvian Artjoms Rudnevs and South Korea international Son Heung-min each scored twice and both teams finished with 10 men after Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski and Hamburg's Jeffrey Bruma were shown straight red cards for foul play. Leverkusen looked to be heading for victory after twice coming from behind to lead 3-2 against Borussia Moenchengladbach but an 86th minute equaliser from Patrick Hermann secured a point for the hosts, leaving Leverkusen in third on 38. Werder Bremen beat VfB Stuttgart 4-1 with the home side left licking their wounds after a fifth straight defeat that incrases the pressure on coach Bruno Labbadia, who last month extended his deal to 2015. VfL Wolfsburg climbed further away from the relegation zone with a 1-0 win over bottom side Greuther Fuerth thanks to Bas Dost's eight goal of the season to move up to 12th on 26 points. TOUGH START Heynckes made three changes to the Bayern side that won the last three league games, bringing in Arjen Robben, forward Mario Gomez for top scorer Mario Mandzukic and defender Jerome Boateng. It was initially hard work against a crowded Schalke defence and the hosts needed Franck Ribery's explosive skills to set them up for the opener. Ribery toyed with two defenders in the area before being brought down as he tried to charge past them and Alaba coolly converted the spot kick, sending Timo Hildebrand the wrong way. It did not take long for the hosts to increase their lead on a freezing Munich evening, with Schweinsteiger smoothly curling a free kick over the wall and in off the post. Schalke, missing injured central defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos as well as forwards Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Ibrahim Afellay and Ciprian Marica among others, could do little to stop the Bayern charge. Alaba got his second goal of the evening, drilling in with his left foot after a layoff by Gomez, who got on the scoresheet himself in the 63rd with his third goal of the campaign. "We're enjoying ourselves as a team and we showed it on the pitch again today," said Austria international Alaba. – Reuters

If only I had a right foot, moans perfectionist Bale Posted: 09 Feb 2013 07:47 AM PST Bale with his lethal left foot scores his second goal against Newcastle United at White Hart Lane. — Reuters pic LONDON, Feb 9 — Flaws in Gareth Bale's game are few and far between but panicked Premier League defences at least now know that making him shoot with his weaker right foot will give them a chance. The Welshman scored twice in Tottenham Hotspur's 2-1 home win over Newcastle United today to make it four in three league matches but he could so easily have grabbed a hat-trick had an injury-time opportunity not fallen on his right foot. Instead of the goal-of-the-season contenders he is accustomed to score, his wild effort over the bar with the net at his mercy was possibly one of the misses of the campaign. "I'm disappointed with the one I missed, I need to work on that," he told Sky television with a smirk. "I'm enjoying my football, that's the most important thing." The 23-year-old, who also netted for Wales in midweek, is at the peak of his powers and moved on to 13 league goals for the season after an early dipping free-kick and a 78th-minute winner that owed much to his long legs and clinical finishing. Spurs boss Andre-Villas Boas, whose side are in the mix for the Champions League places, has shifted his tactics of late to allow Bale to operate in the centre of midfield as well as on the left wing but that may have contributed to his late miss. Bale, coveted by some of the world's top clubs and constantly linked with a move away if Spurs do not start becoming true Premier League and European contenders, will use his right foot more often in his new role and will improve. "We gave him more freedom and things worked out better second half," the Portuguese coach said. "We are just fortunate to have a player, another player, like this." Newcastle boss Alan Pardew hailed the speedy Bale for outwitting a lowly side who had won their previous two games to ease relegation worries after a raft of French signings in the transfer window. "He is difficult to contain. He was always going to get some freedom and he is in electric form," said Pardew, who added that injured goalscorer Yoan Gouffran had gone to hospital for an x-ray on a sore shin. — Reuters

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Bionic eye gives hope to the blind Posted: 09 Feb 2013 07:35 AM PST WASHINGTON, Feb 9 — After years of research, the first bionic eye has seen the light of day in the United States, giving hope to the blind around the world. Developed by Second Sight Medical Products, the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System has helped more than sixty people recover partial sight, with some experiencing better results than others. Consisting of 60 electrodes implanted in the retina and glasses fitted with a special mini camera, Argus II has already won the approval of European regulators. The US Food and Drug Administration is soon expected to follow suit, making this bionic eye the world's first to become widely available. "It's the first bionic eye to go on the market in the world, the first in Europe and the first one in the US," said Brian Mech, the California-based company's vice president of business development. Those to benefit from Argus II are people with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare genetic disease, affecting about 100,000 people in the US, that results in the degeneration of the retinal photoreceptors. The photoreceptor cells convert light into electrochemical impulses that are transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve, where they are decoded into images. "The way the prosthesis works (is) it replaces the function of the photoreceptors," Mech told AFP. Thirty people aged 28 to 77 took part in the clinical trial for the product, all of whom were completely blind. Mech said the outcomes varied by participant. "We had some patients who got just a little bit of benefit and others who could do amazing things like reading newspaper headlines," he said. In some cases, the subjects could even see in color. "Mostly they see in black and white, but we have demonstrated more recently we can produce color vision as well," Mech said. According to Mech, Argus II is already available in several European countries for 73,000 euros (RM302,236). A US price has not been set but is likely to be higher, he said. "Now we are (at) around 60 patients... We have tons of surgeries scheduled, the number is growing almost daily," he said. Other researchers are also vying to develop bionic eyes of their own, that would offer higher resolution images with more electrodes implanted in the retina. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a team lead by John Wyatt is working on a system that would have up to 400 electrodes. Daniel Palanker of California's Stanford University is proposing a different approach based on tiny photovoltaic cells instead of electrodes. "We're thinking about implanting up to 5,000 of these cells at the back of the eye that would theoretically allow for a resolution that is ten times better," George Goetz, a member of Palanker's team, told AFP. This system would also help individuals who lost their sight due to age-related macular degeneration, he added. These photovoltaic cells convert light into electrical impulses that stimulate the nerve cells in the retina, which then transmit the signals to the brain. This system has successfully been tested in rats, and the first clinical trial could begin in a year, probably in France. Palanker is linked with French company Pixium Vision based in Paris. Grace Shen, of the National Eye Institute that has supported both the Argus and Palanker projects, said work on stem cells and optogenetics were also important areas to focus on in developing treatments or the prevention of blindness. Through optogenetics, retina cells can be genetically modified to render them light-sensitive again. "I think the bionic eye is something that is going to work in some patients and is not going to work with all patients, but it's an exciting time ahead," said Shen. "We know it's feasible, it can work, but we still have a long way to go." — AFP-Relaxnews Joan LAU Déconnexion Saturday February 9 23:34:27 (+08:00 GMT) Health/fitness apps: US Athlete, Tap and Track, Step Out Gisele Bundchen and other famous faces of Chanel Fashion trends on the slopes: urban styles, narrow silhouettes, and color blocks Health/fitness apps: SOS Condoms, iSpin, Moves Health/fitness apps: myPill Birth Control Reminder, Lotus Bud Meditation Timer Health/fitness apps: Hundreds Pushups, Best Sex Tips Fight the winter blahs with all-natural mood-boosting foods Top connected health and fitness gadgets at CES Health/fitness apps: Aquaplan, Since iQuit, NC Decibel Nine popular hangover remedies from around the world Health/fitness apps: UP by Jawbone, Digipill Health/fitness apps: Sex Counter: wEmotion, FitnessBuilder Health/fitness apps: David Gandy Fitness and Training, WiScale Six techy gift ideas for fitness and health buffs Health/fitness apps: Adrian James Boot Camp, BodyFate Workout Health/fitness apps: iWaterDrink, Slow Carb Diet Tools Health/fitness apps: Stopwatch +, Sprout Health/fitness apps: iHome Zen, Alcotest, Runtastic PushUps PRO Top health/fitness apps: v.SOS, Movember Mobile Top health/fitness apps: South Beach Diet, The Mindfulness App Bond girl beauty icons - from Ursula Andress to Olga Kurylenko Top health/fitness apps: WebMD Pain Coach, Ambiscience Seven James Bond-worthy ski gadgets and gear Chanel N°5: The iconic campaigns Top health/fitness apps: Zappybaby, Snoring U, WomanLog Top health/fitness apps: <30 Days, SleepLantern, 6 Pack Promise Lookbook index: top 10 street styles from around the world Get the look: Emmy Rossum Top trend: bouclé jackets Ronaldo, Beckham, Nakata and more: footballers and their briefs Rising brand: Bimba & Lola Creative directors: a celebrity cast Lookbook index: top 10 street styles from around the world Top trend: black and white stripes Top toys crowned at Nuremberg Toy Awards Get the look: Rihanna Hermès & Comme des Garçons unveil Black & White Collection Model in the museum Get the look: Lauren Conrad Lookbook index: top 10 street styles from around the world Rising brand: Chloé Haute couture Paris fashion week: highlights from day 3 Haute couture Paris fashion week: looks from day 2 Top trend: fur bags Haute couture Paris fashion week: highlights from the first shows Most buzz-worthy restaurant designs around the world Paris men's fashion week: weekend recap Top trend: printed scarves Audrey Hepburn's style Lookbook index: top 10 street styles from around the world Audrey Hepburn's style and the stars of today Paris men's fashion week: day 2 'The Art of the Surreal' at Christie's London Gallery: 'Albrecht Dürer - Masterpieces from a Private Collection,' Christie's New York 'Color, Line, Light:' French drawings and watercolors in Washington DC 'Rembrandt's Century' at the de Young through June 2 'Manet: Portraying Life' at Royal Academy of Arts From Jennifer Lawrence to Charlotte Gainsbourg, 10 actreses to watch in 2013 From Leonardo DiCaprio to Nicolas Hoult, 10 actors to watch in 2013 David Bowie restrospective at London's V&A Golden Globe winners - television Golden Globe winners - film Golden Globes 2013: the 11 stars to watch Incredible photographic moments of 2012 A look back at the headline makers of 2012 Mike Kelley retrospective opens in Amsterdam 'Lego City Undercover' screenshots show life on the beat 'Matisse: In Search of True Painting' at the Met, New-York, Dec 4 - March 17, 2013 Paris Photo 2012 in pictures A century of press photos up for auction 'Caravaggio and His Legacy' in Los Angeles 'Stanley Kubrick' at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art 'Skyfall': a preview of 007's international destinations Upcoming video game releases: 'Resident Evil 6,' 'Pokémon Black & White 2,' 'NBA 2K13' Edward Hopper retrospective in Paris Video game releases: 'FIFA 13,' 'PES 2013,' 'Angry Birds' and 'Bad Piggies' 'Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years' at the Met Upcoming video game releases: 'New Super Mario Bros. 2,' 'Transformers,' 'Madden NFL' Top Mardi Gras carnivals around the world Foods to usher in wealth and prosperity for Chinese New Year 'James Bond' Aston Martin goes on sale for £3 million Which car will be crowned at 2013 World Car Awards? Images of the week: Moscow, New Delhi, New Orleans New York's Grand Central Terminal celebrates its centenary What the best beef and fish dishes in the world look like World Pastry Cup crowns best pastry chefs on the planet Images of the week: Kiev, Caracas, Karachi The Miele Guide Asia Top 5 restaurants 2013 Top 10 green cars at the Detroit auto show Images of the week: Berlin, Singapore, Nicaragua Dubai: land of the tallest, largest and the mosts 100 years of Aston Martin North American International Auto Show: the must-see cars Top 10 hotels in the world: TripAdvisor Images of the week: Moscow, Jerusalem, New York Seven top wellness spas to de-winterize body and mind London's Tube turns 150 Images of the week: Singapore, Sofia, Mexico City Most photographed places on Instagram in 2012 Images of the week: Rio, Ibi, Beirut Happy birthday Corvette Images of the week: California, Tel Aviv, Puri Costa Rica and Ghana among 2013 ethical tourism destinations Images of the week: Sevilla, Kuala Lumpur, Rio Second Sight FR 2012 Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System - Artificial Retina - Bionic Eye screenshot - ©2013 YouTube, LLC [Health, Psych & Sex] 16:12 [Embed] Bionic eye gives hope to the blind Puma ACTV leggings - ©Puma - ©AFP/Antonio Scorza Runkeeper - ©Google play Russia a year away from Sochi Winter Olympics - ©AFP Mobium Women's Elite - ©Puma Plus Fours at the ready in "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14" - ©All rights reserved - EA Sports Gisele Bündchen in the new campaign for Chanel's Les Beiges. - ©You Tube Breezing - ©All rights reserved Adidas Boost image released on Facebook - ©Adidas - Facebook MIO Alpha - ©All rights reserved Sochi venues take shape ahead of Winter Olympics - ©AFP Moustache implants taking Istanbul by storm - ©AFP Screenshot from Kandee Johnson's video "SUPERBOWL MAKE-UP" - ©2013 YouTube, LLC GAIN Fitness iPhone App - ©Apple The Overade collapsible bike helmet - ©All rights reserved The annual Sia Snow Show opens in Denver on Thursday, January 31. - ©Ski Industries of America (SIA) Snow Show Durex SOS - ©Apple BodyMedia Core 2 - ©All rights reserved HealthSpot Station - ©HealthSpot - ©AFP PHOTO / GREG WOOD Breasts to bums, Thais suffer in pursuit of beauty - ©AFP Screenshot of "Easy Kisses Valentine's Day Nail Tutorial" - ©2013 YouTube, LLC Screenshot from the "Active Desk" video - ©2013 Vimeo, LLC. All rights reserved. The Rand McNally Foris 850 - ©All rights reserved Fitness professionals respond to Coca-Cola's new ads addressing its role in the obesity epidemic. - ©2013 YouTube, LLC "Full Fitness - iFitness Pro" iPhone App - ©Apple Tabitha Simmons Spring/Summer 2013 - ©Tabitha Simmons - Vimeo, Screengrab (http://vimeo.com/59094872) Pepe Jeans has hired models Cara Delevingne and Jeremy Young and actress Mia Goth for its new campaign. - ©Josh Olins / Pepe Jeans David Beckham on set in LA (his body double hidden away). - ©H&M Stills from Prada's Spring/Summer 2013 collection - ©Steven Meisel & Prada Romeo Beckham features in a second campaign for Burberry. - ©Mario Testino Vans x Metallica Signature band shoes - ©Vans Provocations Campaign Film -- Featuring Alexander Skarsgård screenshot video - ©2013 YouTube, LLC A behind-the-scenes shot of the Guy Ritchie/David Beckham H&M campaign - ©H&M Marc Jacobs is the creative director for Diet Coke for 2013. - ©Coca-Cola Light The Dyson Airblade Tap is a tap that washes and dries hands. - ©Dyson Burberry Chinese New Year wallet - ©Burberry Georgia May Jagger has been the Hudson Jeans brand ambassador for four years. - ©David Mushegain - Hudson Jeans The first "Tribute to René" polo shirt kit by Lacoste for its 80th birthday. - ©Lacoste Google Science Fair 2013 - ©All Rights Reserved British model Cara Delevingne on the runway for Paul & Joe - ©AFP PHOTO/MARTIN BUREAU Fontani di Trevi - The Trevi Fountains - ©Fendi LANVIN SUMMER / ETE 2013 AD CAMPAIGN - ©2013 YouTube, LLC Bon Qui Qui Spring 2013 T by Alexander Wang screenshot video - ©2013 YouTube, LLC Blackberry, formerly Research in Motion CEO Thorsten Heins, as officially unveils the BlackBerry 10 mobile platform - ©AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY A. 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CLARY Peter Dundas design for Emilio Pucci - ©Emilo Pucci Film from Pathé archives, November 1932 - Inside CHANEL screenshot video - ©2013 YouTube, LLC HTC Mini - ©HTC Justin Timberlake's new single 'Suit and Tie' - ©All Rights Reserved Lingerie brand brings French thrills and frills - ©AFP A World of 3D Sensing by PrimeSense screenshot video - ©2013 YouTube, LLC "Guerra e pace" the new album from Fabri Fibra - ©All Rights Reserved US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift - ©AFP PHOTO / JOE KLAMAR 'MCII,' the forthcoming album from Mikal Cronin - ©All Rights Reserved Concept art for 'Destiny' indicates a futuristic, steampunk-esque design. - ©All rights reserved - Bungie Wash Buckler (L) with Blast Zone's legs in 'Skylanders: Swap Force' - ©All rights reserved - Activision The cover for Justin Timberlake's forthcoming album 'The 20/20 Experience' - ©All Rights Reserved One Direction's album - "Up All Night" - ©All rights reserved 'Recover' the forthcoming EP from Scottish electro-pop act CHVRCHES - ©All Rights Reserved Video screenshot: The Witcher 3 title reveal trailer - ©All rights reserved - CD Projekt Red Return to Hoth on this Episode V table for "Star Wars Pinball" - ©All rights reserved - Zen Studios Players will contest a share of the $1m prize in Call of Duty: Black Ops II's April Championship - ©All rights reserved - Activision US actress Kate Hudson - ©AFP /Tiziana Fabi 'No One' the latest track from L.A. artist Moon Boots - ©All Rights Reserved British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran - ©AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL Chase McCain of "Lego City Undercover" - ©All rights reserved - TT Games / Warner Bros Neil Gaiman - ©Kimberly Butler Audiovisual game "Dyad" is confirmed for PC release in March. - ©All rights reserved - Shawn McGrath 'Needs' the forthcoming album from Giraffage - ©All Rights Reserved Leiji Matsumoto presented the "Space Pirate Captain Harlock" project during the 2011 Annecy International Animated Film Festival. - ©AFP PHOTO / JEAN-PIERRE CLATOT 'Real Racing 3' is to sport Time Shift Multiplayer. - ©All rights reserved - Firemonkeys / EA "Under the Dome" wil aire in June on CBS. - ©All Rights Reserved Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp will star in "The Lone Ranger" set for worldwide release this Summer. - ©Disney Enterprises, Inc. and Jerry Bruckheimer Inc. All Rights Reserved. ""My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)" the new single from Fall Out Boy - ©YouTube.com 'Giant Tortoise' is the new single from Pond. - ©All Rights Reserved 'Solace,' the debut release from London's Fyfe - ©All Rights Reserved India displays rare Gandhi letters - ©AFP Graffiti tours turn London into an open-air museum - ©AFP [Destinations] 15:15 Graffiti tours turn London into an open-air museum International students flock to French patisserie school - ©AFP Uruguay's 79 year old Carnival Queen - ©AFP Family love awaits weary New Year traveller - ©AFP McLaren P1 - ©McLaren Automotive - ©Lizard/shutterstock.com Indian appetite grows for meat - ©AFP Green shoots in Australia's bush tucker boom - ©AFP Dom Pérignon Rosé 2002 - ©Moet Hennessy Transforming Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park: a virtual tour. - ©2013 Vimeo, LLC. All rights reserved. London reaches new heights - ©AFP Alfa MiTo SBK in the Undertaker - ©Alfa Romeo Sushi boot camp for aspiring Japan chefs - ©AFP First Barbie-themed restaurant opens in Taiwan - ©AFP - ©e2dan/shutterstock.com Wine making takes root in long-isolated Myanmar - ©AFP Hong Kong: home of world's cheapest Michelin restaurants - ©AFP Edvard Munch's painting "The scream" in the Munch Museum in Oslo in 2008 - ©AFP PHOTO Stian Lysberg Solum / Scanpix Norway Beer baths a hit at Czech spa - ©AFP The Audi A7 Sportback piloted parking demonstrator - ©Audi "El Cellar de Can Roca" will be released this spring. - ©All Rights Reserved Shackleton Antarctic expedition starts - ©AFP - ©2013 YouTube, LLC - ©Robuchon Au Dome Chef vies to become first US winner of top prize - ©AFP - © 3dvin.shutterstock.com Sydney Festival draws thousands of people - ©AFP

Love in 3rd century BC: It was a lot like now Posted: 08 Feb 2013 09:49 PM PST A statue of "Sleeping Eros" is on display during a press preview of the Sleeping Eros exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. NEW YORK, Feb 9 — A plump, naughty looking winged baby with a bow and arrow: sounds like the illustration on a Valentine's Day card, right? Wrong: it's a two-thousand-year-old statue on show in New York. A new exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, "Changing Image of Eros, Ancient Greek God of Love, from Antiquity to Renaissance," demonstrates that love as we know it doesn't just last forever — it's been around forever too. The centrepiece of the exhibit, which opened last week and runs through June 23, is a remarkable, life size bronze sculpture of Eros shown as a sleeping baby. His chubby legs are draped over a stone. One of his wings lies flat, the details of every feather visible, and the other is tucked up underneath. Unusually for Greek art, the god's eyes are shut. And in a touching nuance, the baby's mouth rests open, while his left hand lies limp, having dropped his famous bow. "He's in the midst of his labours and he's taking a nap," curator Sean Hemingway told AFP. Those labours, according to the Greek myth, were very much as doodling, lovesick teens might imagine them today: Eros firing arrows of love. Less well known is that the Greek Eros had two arrows — "either tipped with gold or tipped with lead," Hemingway said. "The golden ones gave burning desire and the lead ones," he added with a chuckle, "repelled people from burning desire." The image of Eros captured in the statue, which is dated to the 3rd-2nd centuries BC and comes from the island of Rhodes, spawned a remarkable dynasty of lookalikes, right from Roman art's Cupid to the winged cherubs of Renaissance paintings, and into our popular culture today. But Eros wasn't always so cuddly. Until the period when winged babies came out with their darts of passion, the god was depicted in Archaic Greek poetry as a "powerful, often cruel, and capricious being," the exhibit explains. The baby version meant love was "brought down to earth and disarmed." "The idea of love is a universal concept," said Hemingway, an archaeologist and the grandson of the novelist Ernest Hemingway. "For the Greeks, it was an important god and we continue to think of love, if not as a god, as important. Valentine's Day is coming up, so it's a good time to remember him." Hemingway called the piece a "great masterpiece" that has always "fascinated" him. It certainly fascinated the Romans, who made copies in large quantities, followed by the Renaissance artists whose rediscovery of Classical art inspired Europe's cultural explosion after the Middle Ages. "He was rediscovered in the Renaissance early on," Hemingway said. Incidentally, there's one more link between that ancient artwork and our modern cult of love: the statue's presumed birthplace. Rhodes, Hemingway pointed out, "means 'rose' in Greek." — AFP/Relaxnews

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‘Freaky’, Springsteen says of pre-Grammys tribute Posted: 09 Feb 2013 05:15 AM PST Springsteen accepting the award at the Los Angeles gala. — Reuters pic LOS ANGELES, Feb 9 — Bruce Springsteen was honoured as MusiCares Person of the Year yesterday at a star-studded pre-Grammys event where some of the biggest names in music such as Sting, Alabama Shakes and Neil Young paid homage to "The Boss". The annual event, now in its 23rd year, celebrates a star's musical achievements and philanthropic work, and is hosted by Grammy organisers to kick off the weekend of the awards show. The 55th annual Grammy Awards will air tomorrow on CBS. Past Musicares honorees include Bono, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin and ex-Beatle Paul McCartney. "It's kind of a freaky experience," said Springsteen, 63, as he accepted the award, saying it was "like the Italian wedding" he never had with his wife Patti Scialfa, or a "huge Bar Mitzvah". Scialfa later accompanied Springsteen on vocals and guitar, along with other members of his band, as he performed a set of his hits, including "We Take Care of Our Own", "Born to Run" and "Glory Days". Earlier in the night, he helped boost the value of an auctioned signed guitar. "With this guitar comes one free guitar lesson with me," he said to the audience to trigger more bids." Then he threw in a ride in the sidecar of his Harley motorcycle, and his mom's lasagna. The guitar sold for US$250,000 (RM773,750). All of the proceeds from the show and silent auction go to Musicares, which provides support to struggling musicians in financial, medical and personal need. Other artists including Ben Harper, Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne, John Legend and Patti Smith performed songs to honour Springsteen. Springsteen recently performed at the 12/12/12 Hurricane Sandy charity concert in Madison Square Garden to raise funds for the thousands affected by the superstorm. The singer-songwriter from New Jersey has sold more than 120 million albums worldwide and is vying for three Grammys tomorrow, including best rock album for "Wrecking Ball". His single "We Take Care of Our Own" is nominated for both Best Rock Song and Best Rock performance. President Barack Obama used "We Take Care of Our Own" as one of his top campaign songs in last year's election, in which he defeated Mitt Romney. — Reuters

Ellen Page to direct Anna Faris in her first film Posted: 08 Feb 2013 10:16 PM PST Ellen Page who was discovered in 'Juno' will soon be seen in 'The East' which was presented at Sundance in January. — Afp pic LOS ANGELES, Feb 9 — During the European Film Market, Anonymous Content and Gilbert Films announced that comedy "Miss Stevens" will be Canadian actress Ellen Page's first foray into directing.  Twenty-five-year-old Ellen Page will make her directorial debut in a film about education and students.  Anna Faris will play a professor who lacks confidence. She will regain control of her life by helping the drama students in her school take part in an interschool competition. For the time being no date has yet been set for filming.  Ellen Page is getting ready to take up the role of impalpable mutant Kitty Pryde in Bryan Singer's "X-Men: Days of Future Past".  Anna Faris is currently working on a Chuck Lorre series called "Mom" due on CBS. — Afp-Relaxnews

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British doctors to prescribe mood-boosting books to patients Posted: 09 Feb 2013 06:27 AM PST British doctors may now prescribe feel-good reads to their patients suffering from depression or anxiety. — shutterstock.com pic NEW YORK, Feb 9 — British general practitioners will soon be able to write prescriptions for self-help books and feel-good novels to patients struggling with depression or anxiety. Charitable organisation The Reading Agency has helped create the program, expected to launch in May in partnership with the Society of Chief Librarians, reports WebMD. Patients can access 30 pre-endorsed books on cognitive behavioral therapy, in addition to checking out "mood-boosting" novels and poetry. A similar program is already in place in Wales by Cardiff-based clinical psychologist Neil Frude, and several local initiatives have been set up in England, according to WebMD. New research has also found that a group of patients suffering from depression who received treatment in association with guided self-help books saw better results than those who received traditional therapy. That study was published last month in the open access journal PlosOne. Access: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0052735 If you're looking for a mood-boosting book, The Reading Agency offers a list on its website, including their latest update, mood-boosting books as selected by older people in reading groups. Here are a few recommended titles: "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho, "Bird Cloud: A Memoir of Place" by Annie Proulx, "The Builders" by Maeve Binchy, "Reading in Bed" by Sue Gee, "Selected Stories" by Anton Chekhov, and "The Snow Goose and The Small Miracle" by Paul Gallico. — AFP-Relaxnews

New book gives servants’ perspective in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ Posted: 08 Feb 2013 07:21 PM PST NEW YORK, Feb 9 — A British writer has written a book based on Jane Austen's classic novel "Pride and Prejudice" but told from the servants' point of view, its US publisher said on Thursday. In "Longbourn," which will be released later this year in the United States, writer Jo Baker (picture) focuses on a romance between the main characters, a newly arrived footman and a housemaid on the Bennet family estate. "While 'Longbourn' brings to life a different side of the world Austen first created, I was impressed even more by the way this novel stands as a transporting, fully realised work of fiction in its own right," Diane Coglianese, an editor at publisher Alfred K. Knopf, said in a statement. Baker describes the chaos downstairs among the Bennets' servants, the preparation for the lavish balls, the housekeeper's thoughts about the family patriarch and the tragedy of the Napoleonic wars. Baker, who was born and lives in Lancashire, England, has written other books, including "Offcomer," and "The Mermaid's Child." Random House Studio and Focus Features have purchased the film rights for "Longbourn." Transworld will publish the book in Britain and Random House is the Canadian publisher. — Reuters

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Very nice indeed Posted: 08 Feb 2013 05:17 PM PST FEB 9 — It's not every day that you're lucky enough to feel goose bumps at a concert. Even when watching an international act do their thing onstage, it's very rare that the experience becomes something so special that you're likely to remember it for the rest of your life. So when that happens at a local concert, not a big one with giant corporate backing, but a humble indie event with a marked focus on fringe local acts, it's simply a cause for celebration. Those clued in to the hipper side of the Malaysian indie scene would be familiar with the series of shows called "Mull; Debauch to Kuala Lumpur" which saw its third instalment last weekend. Their second show last year, held at the Actors Studio in Lot 10 was successful enough (especially for something this niche) that tickets were sold out. That's probably why they've opted for a slightly bigger venue this time around at Pentas 2, KL Performing Arts Centre, Sentul. A collaboration between Senipekik and The Wknd, they're joined this year by Converse as the event's presenters and there can be no doubting that the obvious highlight of this edition's lineup is an all-too rare performance by Kuching-based indie pop living legends Nice Stupid Playground. Contemporaries of OAG and part of that historic period when the indie label Positive Tone ruled the local English language music scene with not just their guitar bands but also plenty of historically important hip hop and R 'n' B acts like Poetic Ammo, Too Phat and Innuendo, Nice Stupid Playground felt even more special to us fans because they never made it big, despite an absolute gem of an album in their debut "My Life is My Parents' Biggest Television." Other bands in the lineup this time are equally exciting, like local post-rock pioneers Damn Dirty Apes from Penang, cult Ipoh band Shizuka (Ben Aman), They Will Kills Us All, Deepset, Man Under Zero Effort, our very own Arcade Fire-meets-Broken Social Scene multi-member band Khottal from Malacca and newbies Medinee from Johor Baru (made up of a few members of Laila's Lounge). But for a nostalgic fan of the 90s like me, when getting my band Couple's debut demo tape reviewed on the same page as Nice Stupid Playground's latest demo tape in The Sun newspaper in 1996 seemed like a very big deal, there's no getting around it — I was totally there for Nice Stupid Playground. I remember seeing them live in KL sometime in the early 2000s at a small venue with a really terrible sound system that didn't do their sweet brand of indie pop any justice at all. And I was just hoping that this time around I would finally see and hear the magic that all us fans have loved and found in their music, and boy, did we get more than we wished for! The biggest change from the last time I saw them live was that this time around singer Charles Rossem is no longer toting a guitar, opting to jump and dance around the stage like an enthusiastic teenager. And for a guy who's surely in his late thirties (I myself will be 36 this year, so he must be at least a few years older), that is such a refreshing and inspiring sight. Opening with "Girlfriday", which can be found on their debut album and also on that aforementioned demo tape, I was singing along immediately and bopping like a teenage fangirl. And that pace and excitement never wavered throughout their set, even when they played ballads, as Charles' wonderful voice is as steady as a rock, sounding almost exactly like it does on CD. But that goose-bump moment I was talking about arrived towards the end of their set. It first came during their rendition of single "Stereo Girl", which still has one of the best-looking music videos in Malaysian history. Charles had been egging the crowd to dance along with him all night, and probably decided to spread his enthusiasm by stepping off the stage and singing the whole song right there in the crowd. You simply had to be there to know and feel the euphoria in the room as everyone sang along, surrounding Charles, taking their own shots at singing into the microphone and lifting Charles around the room, all while he's still singing. If that was already a jolt of "what the hell happened there", what happened during their last song "Bedroom Window", in which Charles invited a member of the audience onstage to take the microphone and sing the song (with the audience loudly singing along of course) was simply an occasion too joyous for words. No disrespect to the other bands who played that night, but anyone who was there and witnessed these two goose-bump moments will surely agree with me, it was a night that will live long in our memories. Very Nice indeed. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist.

Sport’s twin evils Posted: 08 Feb 2013 05:05 PM PST FEB 9 — The integrity of sport — and football in particular — has been thrown into doubt in recent weeks with the emergence from the shadows of two serious credibility threats: doping and match-fixing. To begin with the former, Lance Armstrong's admission that he used performance-enhancing drugs throughout his cycling career has thrust the issue of doping firmly into the spotlight. During his infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey, Armstrong clearly implied that he wasn't alone: he was doping to give himself a "level playing field" — by which he clearly meant all his opponents were doping as well. Although Armstrong has proven himself to be a masterful liar, it's tough to doubt that he's telling the truth on this occasion; the likelihood is that cycling has been riddled with doping for many years. Even if Armstrong's case was extreme, it almost certainly wasn't unique. And if we accept that proposition, it would be naive in the extreme to argue that cycling was the only sport to have been affected. If cyclists and their teams found a way to enhance their physical capabilities without being detected in drugs tests, it would be entirely logical for that knowledge to find its way into other sports. In light of Armstrong's revelations, it's very difficult to argue that any sport is completely clean and now, slowly, one by one, other disciplines are coming under the microscope and the true scale of doping is being revealed. The most high-profile example is the ongoing legal case against 'doping doctor' Eufemiano Fuentes, who is currently on trial in Madrid after an enormous amount of evidence was seized from his premises in 2006. The case against Fuentes are complicated due to the specific laws that he is alleged to have broken, but the essential fact that he supplied a wide range of athletes — by no means simply restricted to cycling — is undisputed. Fuentes has openly admitted that he also 'worked with' athletes from other sports and, although he is forbidden from naming him due to the technicalities of the case, suspicions are being aired. First in the firing line is the Spanish Primera Division's Real Sociedad, whose former president Inaki Badiola has claimed that he uncovered evidence that the club had been buying doping products on the black market, probably from Fuentes, for six years prior to his arrival in 2008. Badiola's claims appear to be backed up by evidence: one of the codenames used by Fuentes in the documents seized by police was 'RSOC'. What else can that possibly mean if not shorthand for Real Sociedad? And if Sociedad were doping, can we really believe they were the only club in Spain to do so? And if Spanish clubs were successfully doping, surely that expertise and those products would have crossed the border into other European countries? And so it continues, potentially leading us to an Armstrong-type scenario whereby everyone was doping simply to keep up with everybody else. This week also saw an announcement by European police force Europol that they are investigating 680 football matches that took place between 2008 and 2011 for evidence of match-fixing, including a Champions' League tie between Liverpool and Hungarian side Debrecen. This appears to be an enormous number, far more than most people would have initially suspected. We've known for a long time that fixing occasionally rears its ugly head, especially in Italy, where famous old Juventus were stripped of their Serie A title in 2006 for influencing referees. But we've always hoped that these were relatively isolated cases, and that English football, in particular, was immune. Now it's difficult to be so certain, and we might need to start preparing ourselves for the possibility that far more matches are fixed than ever previously envisaged. It's difficult to find room for optimism amidst these depressing stories, but I'm going to try.  For starters, in a wider context, 680 matches is actually a pretty small number. This weekend, and every weekend for nine months, 46 professional fixtures will take place in England. Over the course of a full season, a grand total of 2,036 league games are contested, and that figure approaches 3,000 matches with the inclusion of cup competitions. That's just club football in one country in one season, and if those figures are replicated over a four-year period across the 30 leagues that are under investigation it provides a total of something like 300,000 games — before the plethora of international fixtures are even considered. Although this is only extremely rough mathematics, 680 suspicious games out of a total of 300,000 fixtures — around 0.2 per cent — is really an insignificant figure, meaning you'd have to watch more than 400 games before you found one that was fixed. Of course, the 680 games being investigated by Europol might just be the tip of the iceberg, with the true number of dodgy dealings affecting a far greater proportion of fixtures. But I would like to believe that isn't so, in the same way that I'd like to believe doping is not as widespread as the Armstrong and Fuentes cases might suggest. My evidence for that optimism is flimsy, and goes no further than the fact that I worked for a professional club (Reading) for 11 years and never saw or heard even a hint of match-fixing or doping. Maybe I was blind to it; maybe it was going on behind my back. Those possibilities cannot be discounted, but the honest truth is that I was never given any reason to consider that any of our players or opponents were doping, or that any of our games had been subjected to any form of match-fixing. Yes, a number of our players 'bulked up' their physique in a short space of time, especially after our promotion to the Premier League in 2006, but I put that down to an intensive programme in the weights room, which played a big part in the weekly training regime. Yes, strange errors and debateable refereeing decisions sometimes occurred within games (I particularly remember one game at Millwall where we had three very strong penalty appeals turned down), but I never believed these were anything but honest mistakes. And so, until proven wrong, I will continue to believe that doping and match-fixing are exceptions in football, rather than the rule. The opposite is too unpleasant to contemplate. In the current climate, though, it's impossible not to hold those beliefs with a little less certainty than ever before. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist.

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Selangor tunggu laporan MPS berhubung isu kondominium Batu Caves Posted: 09 Feb 2013 02:00 AM PST CHERAS, 9 Feb — Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim berkata, kerajaan Selangor masih lagi menunggu laporan lengkap daripada Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS) sama ada berlakunya pelanggaran peraturan oleh Dolomite Corp Bhd dalam pembangunan projek kondominium mewah 29 tingkat di kawasan ibadat masyarakat Hindu di Batu Caves. Abdul Khalid menegaskan, pihak kerajaan negeri telah mengarahkan MPS untuk mengemukakan semua laporan dan permohonan, termasuk langkah-langkah yang dibuat Dolomite dalam permohonan mereka membangunkan projek tersebut yang telah menimbulkan bantahan banyak pihak. "Kerajaan negeri telah minta pihak berkuasa Selayang untuk mengemukakan semua laporan mengenai permohonan dan juga langkah-langkah dibuat Dolomite dalam permohonan mereka. "Perkara ini juga akan dibentangkan dalam mesyuarat perancang negeri Selangor," katanya kepada pemberita di sini, dan menambah, "kerajaan Selangor belum terima apa-apa laporan daripada MPS setakat ini." Pemaju projek Kondominium Batu Caves Park Avenue semalam dalam kenyataannya berkata syarikat berkenaan masih belum menerima sebarang notis pembatalan projek berkenaan, sekaligus menggesa kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Selangor menyemak semula keputusan untuk membatalkan projek tersebut. Pengarah Urusan Dolomite Lew Choong Keong berkata, syarikat berkenaan kecewa dengan tindakan kerajaan negeri yang membatalkan projek tersebut tanpa sebarang notis ataupun perbincangan dengan pemaju. "Kami sangat kecewa dengan keputusan menteri besar untuk membatalkan projek tersebut berdasarkan alasan keselamatan dan perlindungan alam sekitar. "Lebih menyedihkan, dua kali percubaan kami untuk berjumpa menteri besar untuk menunjukkan kajian kami sebelum pengumuman itu dibuat tidak dilayan," katanya. Pembangunan projek tersebut menimbulkan kontroversi apabila ia dikatakan akan mengancam kedudukan gua Batu Caves yang menempatkan kuil Hindu kerana struktur gua itu didakwa akan terancam kerana ia merupakan struktur batu kapur. Projek dengan nilai RM248 juta yang menempatkan 293 unit juga didakwa akan memberi ancaman kepada patung Dewa Murugan tertinggi di dunia yang terletak di kaki gua tersebut. Lew menjelaskan, telah terdapat sekitar 100 pembeli yang telah menandatangi perjanjian jual beli (SPA) yang mengharapkan kerajaan Selangor menarik balik keputusan tersebut. Syarikat perunding kejuruteraan bebas G&P Geotechnic Sdn Bhd dalam penjelasannya mengkelaskan projek berkenaan sebagai projek yang "tidak membahayakan".

Isu Syabas: Selangor masih tunggu jawapan Pusat Posted: 09 Feb 2013 01:35 AM PST CHERAS, 9 Feb — Kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Selangor masih menunggu jawapan kerajaan Pusat berhubung pengumuman Menteri Besar Tan Sri  Abdul Khalid Ibrahim untuk mengambil alih Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) dalam tempoh 14 hari pada 30 Januari lalu. Abdul Khalid (gambar) berkata, kerajaan negeri Selangor pimpinannya juga akan membuat pengumuman berkenaan segala tindakan yang dilakukan kerajaan Pusat berhubung isu air di Selangor, yang mana Syabas merupakan antara pemegang konsesinya. "Kita masih tunggu jawapan kerajaan Pusat, saya dah beri 14 hari ... minggu depan saya akan buat pengumuman tentang apa yang dilakukan kerajaan Pusat," katanya kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan Kempen Keselamatan Jalan Raya Sempena Sambutan Tahun Baru Cina di sini. Ahli Parlimen Bandar Tun Razak itu sebelum ini  mendakwa Syabas gagal menjalankan tugasnya mengikut perjanjian konsesi, dan berikutan kegagalan itu Selangor mahu mengambil alih pengurusan syarikat berkenaan dalam tempoh 14 hari menggunakan kuasa di bawah Klausa 32 dalam perjanjian konsesi. Cadangan kerajaan Selangor itu bagaimanapun ditolak kerajaan Pusat pada 2 Februari lalu, apabila Jawatankuasa Khas Kabinet Mengenai Isu-isu Air Selangor menolak permohonan yang dibuat Kerajaan Negeri Selangor untuk mengambil alih pengurusan syarikat konsesi air tersebut. Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin sebelum ini berkata, perkara itu tidak dapat dilaksanakan memandangkan kedua-dua pihak  gagal mematuhi perjanjian konsesi yang telah dimetrai. Jelas Muhyiddin, pengambilalihan itu tidak boleh dilakukan kerana kerajaan Selangor tidak mematuhi beberapa perkara dalam perjanjian konsesi, termasuk membenarkan kenaikan tarif air. "Ini tidak boleh dipertimbangkan kerana ada beberapa perkara yang substantif dan prosedur yang tidak boleh dipenuhi kerajaan negeri Selangor dan Syabas. "Kita akan meminta pandangan muktamad daripada Peguam Negara dan Peguam Negara akan membuat keputusan muktamad," kata Muhyiddin lagi. Jawatankuasa Khas Kabinet Mengenai Isu-isu Air Selangor bertanggungjawab meneliti isu-isu berkaitan industri perkhidmatan bekalan air negeri Selangor, Kuala Lumpur dan Putrajaya dan menetapkan keutamaan untuk diselesaikan serta melaporkan keputusan-keputusan jawatankuasa kepada Jemaah Menteri. Isu air di Selangor mula mendapat perhatian meluas apabila kerajaan Selangor dan Syabas saling menyalahkan sesama sendiri berikutan keengganan kerajaan PR negeri tersebut meluluskan projek pembinaan Loji Rawatan Air Langat 2 sebaik sahaja mereka menguasai Selangor selepas Pilihan Raya Umum 2008. Syabas juga sebelum ini telah menjawab segala dakwaan yang dilemparkan pemimpin kerajaan negeri terkaya itu di dalam akhbar-akhbar media arus perdana.

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