Isnin, 29 Oktober 2012

The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates


Shallow 6.3 quake off west Canada coast - USGS

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 08:06 PM PDT

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A shallow quake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 was recorded off British Columbia on Canada's west coast, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Tuesday.

The quake, at a depth of about 10 km (6 miles), was centred about 260 km (160 miles) southwest of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, the USGS said.

(Reporting by Paul Tait; Editing by John Mair)

Copyright © 2012 Reuters

Floods across New York as Sandy slams into eastern U.S.

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 07:58 PM PDT

NEW YORK/REHOBOTH BEACH, Delaware (Reuters) - Sandy, one of the biggest storms ever to hit the United States, roared ashore with fierce winds and heavy rain on Monday near the gambling resort of Atlantic City, forcing evacuations, shutting down transportation and interrupting the presidential campaign.

The skyline of lower Manhattan sits in darkness after a preventive power outage in New York October 29, 2012. REUTERS/Keith Bedford

The skyline of lower Manhattan sits in darkness after a preventive power outage in New York October 29, 2012. REUTERS/Keith Bedford

Early reports said there was widespread flooding through New York City, in some cases well inland. Police confirmed at least two people were killed by the storm in the city, and deaths were reported as far away as Toronto as well.

High winds and flooding racked hundreds of miles (km) of Atlantic coastline while heavy snows were forecast farther inland as the centre of the storm marched westward.

The storm's wind field stretched from the Canadian border to South Carolina, and from West Virginia to an Atlantic Ocean point about halfway between the United States and Bermuda, easily one of the largest ever seen.

More than 3 million customers already were without power by early evening and more than one million people were subject to evacuation orders. Many communities were swamped by flood waters.

The National Hurricane Center said Sandy came ashore as a "post-tropical cyclone," meaning it still packed hurricane-force winds but lost the characteristics of a tropical storm. It had sustained winds of 80 miles per hour (129 kph), well above the threshold for hurricane intensity.

The storm's target area includes big population centres such as New York City, Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Trees were downed across the region, untethered pieces of scaffolding rolled down the ghostly streets of New York City, falling debris closed a major bridge in Boston and floodwater inundated side streets in the resort town of Dewey Beach, Delaware, leaving just the tops of mailboxes in view.

In Fairfield, a Connecticut coastal town and major commuter point into Manhattan, police cruisers blocked the main road leading to the beaches and yellow police tape cordoned off side entrances. Beach pavilions were boarded up with plywood, and gusts of wind rocked parked cars.

"People are definitely not taking this seriously enough," said police officer Tiffany Barrett. "Our worst fear is something like Katrina and we can't get to people."

U.S. stock markets were closed for the first time since the attacks of September 11, 2001, and will remain shut on Tuesday. The federal government in Washington was closed and schools were shut up and down the East Coast.

One disaster forecasting company predicted economic losses could ultimately reach $20 billion, only half insured.

Governors up and down the East Coast declared states of emergency. Maryland's Martin O'Malley warned there was no question Sandy would kill people in its path.

Two people died in the New York borough of Queens, a man in a house hit by a falling tree and a woman who stepped into an electrified puddle of water. Toronto police also recorded one death, a woman hit by flying debris.

WATER RISING

Sandy made landfall just south of Atlantic City, about 120 miles (190 km) southwest of Manhattan. Casinos in the gambling destination had already shut down.

Television images showed water rising to historic heights in lower Manhattan, raising the possibility of flooding in the city's subway system. The New York Daily News reported that water was six feet deep outside its offices in lower Manhattan.

The damage was not restricted to the island's southern tip, though, as serious flooding was reported miles north in Greenwich Village and Chelsea.

New York electric utility Con Edison said it expected "record-size outages," with 588,000 customers in the city and nearby Westchester County without power. The company is facing both falling trees knocking down power lines from above and flood waters swamping underground systems from below.

A Reuters witness said 19 Con Edison workers were trapped by rising floodwaters in a power station on the east side of Manhattan.

City officials evacuated neighbours of a 90-story super luxury apartment building under construction after its crane partially collapsed in high winds, prompting fears the entire rig could crash to the ground.

As runways, roads, bridges and tunnels were progressively shut down by the storm on Monday, it became difficult if not impossible to get from Washington to New York City along what is normally one of the most heavily travelled corridors in the United States.

While Sandy does not have the intensity of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005, it has been gathering strength. It killed 66 people in the Caribbean last week before pounding U.S. coastal areas as it moved north.

An AccuWeather meteorologist said Sandy "is unfolding as the Northeast's Katrina," and others said Sandy could be the largest storm to hit the mainland in U.S. history.

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN INTERRUPTED

The storm interrupted the U.S. presidential campaign with eight days to go before the election, as President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney cancelled events. Both men acted cautiously to avoid coming across as overtly political while millions of people are imperilled.

Off North Carolina, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued 14 of the 16 crew members who abandoned the replica ship HMS Bounty, using helicopters to lift them from life rafts. The Coast Guard later recovered the body of an "unresponsive" 42-year-old woman while continuing to search for the 63-year-old captain of the ship, which sank in 18-foot (5.5 meters) seas.

On the small New York island neighbourhood of City Island, which juts into Long Island Sound east of the Bronx, many residents were ignoring a mandatory evacuation order. The narrow island, known for its seafood joints and maritime-themed antique shops, is home to an isolated, working-class community of New Yorkers who say they're used to big storms and flooding.

Joe Connelly, 52, a trucker from the Bronx, was leaving the City Island Marina after checking on his two motor boats. He said he watched the water from the first storm-driven high tide swamp a nearby dock.

"We were concerned that the whole dock was going to float away and out to sea," he said. "It had about four feet to go before that happened."

(Additional reporting by Edith Honan, Greg Roumeliotis; Janet McGurty, Scott DiSavino and Martinne Geller in New York, Barbara Goldberg in New Jersey, Mary Ellen Clark and Lynnley Browning in Connecticut, Daniel Lovering in Boston, Ian Simpson in West Virginia, Susan Heavey in Washington, Jane Sutton in Miami; Writing by Paul Thomasch and Ben Berkowitz; Editing by Will Dunham and Raju Gopalakrishnan)


Related Stories:
Sandy leaves N.Y. construction crane dangling in storm winds

Con Edison workers trapped in NY power plant by Sandy - Reuters witness

Copyright © 2012 Reuters

Massive storm Sandy crashes ashore in New Jersey

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 05:45 PM PDT

NEW YORK/REHOBOTH BEACH, Delaware (Reuters) - Sandy, one of the biggest storms ever to hit the United States, roared ashore with fierce winds and heavy rain on Monday near the gambling resort of Atlantic City, New Jersey, after forcing evacuations, shutting down transportation and interrupting the presidential campaign.

Storm surf kicked up by the high winds from Hurricane Sandy break onto homes in Southampton, New York October 29, 2012. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Storm surf kicked up by the high winds from Hurricane Sandy break onto homes in Southampton, New York October 29, 2012. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

High winds and flooding racked hundreds of miles (km) of Atlantic coastline while heavy snows were forecast farther inland at higher elevations as the centre of the storm marched westward.

More than 3 million customers already were left without power by early evening and more than a million people were subject to evacuation orders. Many communities were swamped by flood waters.

The National Hurricane Centre said Sandy came ashore as a "post-tropical cyclone," meaning it still packed hurricane-force winds but lost the characteristics of a tropical storm. It had sustained winds of 80 miles per hour (129 kph), well above the threshold for hurricane intensity.

The storm's target area includes big population centres such as New York City, Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Trees were downed across the region, untethered pieces of scaffolding rolled down the ghostly streets of New York City, falling debris closed a major bridge in Boston and floodwater inundated side streets in the resort town of Dewey Beach, Delaware, leaving just the tops of mailboxes in view.

In Fairfield, a Connecticut coastal town and major commuter point into Manhattan, police cruisers blocked the main road leading to the beaches and yellow police tape cordoned off side entrances. Beach pavilions were boarded up with plywood, and gusts of wind rocked parked cars.

"People are definitely not taking this seriously enough," police officer Tiffany Barrett, 38, said. "Our worst fear is something like Katrina and we can't get to people."

U.S. stock markets were closed for the first time since the attacks of September 11, 2001, and will remain shut on Tuesday. The federal government in Washington was closed and schools were shut up and down the East Coast.

One disaster forecasting company predicted economic losses could ultimately reach $20 billion (12.4 billion pounds), only half insured.

Governors up and down the East Coast declared states of emergency. Maryland's Martin O'Malley warned there was no question Sandy would kill people in its way.

WATER RISING

Sandy made landfall just south of Atlantic City, about 120 miles (193 km) southwest of Manhattan. Casinos in Atlantic City had already shut down.

Television images showed water rising to historic heights in lower Manhattan, raising the possibility of flooding in the city's subway system.

New York electric utility Con Edison said it expected "record-size outages," with nearly 35,000 customers in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn likely to be impacted. The company is facing both falling trees knocking down power lines from above and flood waters swamping underground systems from below.

"In the olden days, you would have had lots of fatalities. We're not through this yet. ... It may be as bad of (a) storm as we've ever seen, but I would expect the damage to be relatively minor," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told a Monday evening news conference.

New York City evacuated neighbours of a 90-story super luxury apartment building under construction after its crane partially collapsed in high winds, prompting fears the entire rig could crash to the ground.

Meteorologists say Sandy is a rare, hybrid "super storm" created by an Arctic jet stream wrapping itself around a tropical storm.

The combination of those two storms would have been bad enough, but meteorologists said there was a third storm at play - a system coming down from Canada that would effectively trap the hurricane-nor'easter combo and hold it in place.

While Sandy does not have the intensity of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005, it has been gathering strength. It killed 66 people in the Caribbean last week before pounding U.S. coastal areas as it moved north.

An AccuWeather meteorologist said Sandy "is unfolding as the Northeast's Katrina," and others said Sandy could be the largest storm to hit the mainland in U.S. history.

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN INTERRUPTED

The storm interrupted the U.S. presidential campaign with eight days to go before the election, as President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney cancelled events. Both men acted cautiously to avoid coming across as overtly political while millions of people are imperilled by the storm.

As runways, roads, bridges and tunnels were progressively shut down by the storm on Monday, it became difficult if not impossible to get from Washington to New York City along what is normally one of the most heavily travelled corridors in the United States.

Several feet of water flooded streets in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Police knocked on doors, reminding people there was a mandatory evacuation. While the police took names, they allowed residents to stay at their own risk.

Off North Carolina, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued 14 of the 16 crew members who abandoned the replica tall ship HMS Bounty, using helicopters to lift them from life rafts. The Coast Guard later recovered the body of an "unresponsive" 42-year-old woman while continuing to search for the 63-year-old captain of the ship, which sank in 18-foot (5.5 meters) seas.

Besides rain, the storms could cause up to 3 feet (1 meter) of snowfall in the Appalachian Mountains from West Virginia to Kentucky. Some people in that part of the country did not have to go to work because of the storm and used the time to vote.

At the Berkeley County Courthouse in Martinsburg, West Virginia, early voting for the November 6 elections was going ahead despite the bad weather, with hundreds of people casting ballots.

"More (people) came out today than what I anticipated but a lot of people are off work," Bonnie Woodfall, chief deputy for voter registration, said after fielding a flurry of calls about whether the polls should stay open. "It's neat."

On the small New York island neighbourhood of City Island, which juts into Long Island Sound east of the Bronx, many residents were ignoring a mandatory evacuation order. The narrow island, known for its seafood joints and maritime-themed antique shops, is home to an isolated, working-class community of New Yorkers who say they're used to big storms and flooding.

Joe Connelly, 52, a trucker from the Bronx, was leaving the City Island Marina after checking on his two motor boats. He said he watched the water from the first storm-driven high tide swamp a nearby dock.

"We were concerned that the whole dock was going to float away and out to sea," he said. "It had about four feet to go before that happened."

(Additional reporting by Greg Roumeliotis, Edith Honan, Janet McGurty, Scott DiSavino and Martinne Geller in New York, Barbara Goldberg in New Jersey, Mary Ellen Clark and Lynnley Browning in Connecticut, Daniel Lovering in Boston, Ian Simpson in West Virginia, Susan Heavey in Washington, Jane Sutton in Miami; Writing by Paul Thomasch and Ben Berkowitz; Editing by Will Dunham)


Related Stories:
Obama, Romney curtail campaign events in face of hurricane

U.S. markets shut on Tuesday, focus shifts to Wednesday
Hurricane Sandy hits travel, cargo; costs unclear
New Yorkers initially calm in face of Sandy, then worries set in
Sandy's winds topple top of construction crane in N.Y
Crew rescued from HMS Bounty as hurricane rages; captain missing
Sandy likely to shut at least two NJ nuclear reactors

Copyright © 2012 Reuters

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The Star Online: Business

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Property downgraded

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 06:45 PM PDT

PROPERTY SECTOR

By Hong Leong Investment Bank

Neutral (downgraded)

FOLLOWING a record jump in prices and transactions in 2010-2011, we believe that property sector sales were already headed for a slowdown.

Therefore, we did not call for a hike in the real property gains tax (RPGT) in Budget 2013, given that we felt that there was no necessity to do so.

Budget 2013 was not a friendly budget for property developers as the Government imposed a 5% hike across the board, contrary to our expectations.

The only saving grace was the absence of the widelyanticipated stamp duty hike. With the hike in RPGT expected to exacerbate the slowdown, we are compelled to reduce our call on the property sector to neutral for 2013 despite our long term bullish outlook on the sector.

For 2013, we expect transactions to slow down, but for prices to hold steady, given the resilience of the Malaysian physical property market.

In response, we expect developers to cut back on launches, reduce absolute selling price by selling smaller units, and shift their focus from high-rise to landed offerings.

At this point in the property cycle, it will be the developers with strongest branding power who can continue to attract increasingly cautious buyers.

Catalysts for the sector include a pick-up in activity in Penang mainland and Johor. We think affordable homes will be in the spotlight.

Developers will need to re-position themselves, and adapt their pricing strategies as buyers increasing focus on affordability.

Will there be more landbanking to come? With the cool-down in the sector, we believe landowners will be more reasonable.

The risks for the sector include rising non-performing loan ratios if Malaysian homebuyers lose their holding power, margin erosion due to raw material price spikes and a slowdown in sales or a cut-back in launches.

On the positive side, asset reflation theme remains intact over the longer term; and there are increased opportunities within the affordable/mass market segment.

On the negative side, we see a slowdown in demand for mid/high end segment and economic growth; and tighter lending polices by banks.

Among developers under our coverage, we believe that Mah Sing Group Bhd and Glomac Bhd should be more adaptable to the shifting market conditions.

Between the two, we prefer Glomac, as their landed townships which are currently selling for RM400,000 to RM450,000, which fits the affordable segment definition, and they now offer attractive dividend yield of 5%, and trades at a mere 5.5 times forecast earnings.

DIJAYA CORP BHD By ECM Libra Investment Research

Buy

Target price: RM1.57

DIJAYA's shares have been sold down due to several concerns.

Firstly is its high net debt which is probably about RM1bil now.

Secondly, stripping out a RM100mil fair value adjustment of investment properties from its net profit in first half of financial year 2012, we estimate net profit to remain flat at RM48.3mil for FY12 compared to RM48.8mil (adjusted for exceptional items) in FY11 despite a 25% jump in revenue.

Thirdly is the negative perception concerning the amalgamation exercise, where a mixed bag of property assets were injected at apparently high prices from the major shareholder.

Fourthly, Malaysian property stocks have been laggards due to consolidation this year amidst fears that a property bubble has developed.

The first two concerns were necessary to prepare for a quantum leap in earnings, which is Dijaya's new aggressive growth strategy since 2010.

To acquire the landbank to provide the base for aggressive earnings growth within a short period of time requires gearing up.

Besides the landbank, Dijaya would also need to increase its manpower to handle the quantum leap in scale of development activities, which necessitates higher overheads upfront which explains the lower profit margin in FY12.

With all this in place now, we project EPS growth to surge 74% in FY13 and 48% in FY14.

This is in line with Dijaya's scale up in targeted launches from just RM860mil in FY11 to RM1.6bil in FY12, RM2.3bil in FY13 and RM2.5bil in FY14.

The assets injected consisted of 68 acres of land bank valued at RM720mil or RM243 psf, and 806,793 sq ft lettable area of investment properties valued at RM384mil or RM475 psf.

While the average pricing may appear high, the properties are in various prime locations and could actually now fetch better prices, for example, with the landbank consisting of 49 parcels of mainly small pieces of land in multiple locations, management is intending to sell some at prices higher than what they were injected at.

Dijaya is thus taking a leveraged bet on the Malaysian property market, which if it wins as we believe, will pay off. Conversely, if the property market is not there over the next two years, Dijaya could come under financial pressure.

Dijaya is a buy as it could be rerated to RM1.57 in 12 months which represents 51% capital upside.

In 12 months' time, the general election would have been done with, the property market should have come back, property stocks should have been re-rated upwards, Dijaya could be delivering on our earnings forecasts and investors would be looking forward to FY14.

Based on our forecast FY14 basic EPS of 15.7 sen and assuming the small property stocks get re-rated from the current average price-to-earning ratio of 7 times to 10 times, we derive a target price of RM1.57 for Dijaya which is also reasonable when compared against our fully diluted net tangible asset per share of RM1.66.

The redeemable convertible unsecured loan stocks (RCULS ) issued to Danny Tan have conversion prices ranging from RM1.30 to RM2.50 over the 10-year period.

Dijaya also has listed warrants with an exercise price of RM1 maturing in December 2019, which offer a leveraged play on the mother share.

TH PLANTATIONS BHD

By Maybank IB Research

Hold (unchanged)

Target price: RM2.45

TH Plantations (THP) has proposed to acquire 100%-equity interests in Bumi Suria Ventures Sdn Bhd (BSV) and Maju Warisanmas Sdn Bhd (MWM) from Weida and other shareholders for RM255mil cash.

These companies collectively own 5,424 ha of planted oil palm estates (6,514 ha of gross land) in Sarawak located midway between Bintulu and Sibu, with an estimated average age profile of about two years.

Some 600 ha entered into its 1st year of harvesting and produced 2,646 tonne of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) for January to September 2012.

This translates to an annualised yield of six to seven tonne per ha, which is in tandem with normal FFB yield trends.

Acquisition price reflects mature estate pricing. The acquisition price appears to be at a premium as we estimated its enterprise value/ planted ha at RM55,000 per ha (with no mill).

Such premium pricing reflects estates that are typically eight years and above (ie prime mature).

As a comparison, Sarawak Oil Palms bought estates with similar age profile for RM41,300 per ha in September.

But we understand these estates have good road infrastructure in place, and on mineral soil.

Plantation estates typically break even in the third to fourth year of harvesting given low FFB yields in the initial years.

But, in this instance, THP breakeven could be delayed to the fourth to fifth year of harvesting (ie FY15 onwards) because of its relatively higher financing cost.

At the group level, THP will need to expense RM13mil interest (which may not be capitalised) for its new debt of RM255mil (with an assumption of 5% per annum interest).

With this acquisition, THP proforma net gearing will jump to 0.82 times from 0.31 times in the end of June, but lowered to 0.52 times once another ongoing asset acquisition which involves new THP share issuance is completed.

Still, at 0.52 times net gearing level, THP ability to gear further for expansion is limited.

We maintain our earnings forecasts and hold call with an unchanged target price of RM2.45mil based on 11 times 2013 price-to-earning ratio for now.

SYARIKAT TAKAFUL MALAYSIA BHD

By OSK Research

Buy

Target Price: RM8

WE view the recent sell-down in Syarikat Takaful Malaysia Bhd's (STMB) shares as merely a correction.

Its still compelling valuations indicate a strong buying opportunity at the current price. We foresee better-than-expected third quarter results, which will likely be announced on 21-22 Nov.

Maintain buy on STMB with its net profit forecasts raised, given the strong upside in Wakalah income following the full adoption of the Wakalah model.

Our fair value of RM8.00 is pegged to 12 times financial year (FY) ended June 30, 2013 earnings per share (EPS), implying a 62.6% upside.

With another 15 sen to 20 sen dividend expected to be announced, we arrive at an annualized dividend yield of 6% to 7% based on the current share price.

Having spoken to the management recently, we reckon that STMB's valuations are still intact as claims experience is expected to remain healthy for the foreseeable financial quarters.

The management also does not expect a hike in management expenses for FY12 and FY13, and the company does not expect additional extraordinary items save for the one-off release of unearned contribution reserves arising from the change in reserving estimates for the group's family takaful products, general takaful and expense reserve, which had a total profit impact of RM4.7mil at the shareholder level year to date.

We expect the third quarter results to be announced around Nov 21.

We believe results for the remaining quarters may exceed expectations on the back of wakalah income upside from general takaful fund, and anticipation of a favourable tax rate of about 20% for this financial year due to non-taxable underwriting surplus transfer from the family takaful fund.

STMB's share price shed 30% of its value recently on lack of support due to the stake sell-downs by BIMB Holdings and the Employees Provident Fund.

We understand that the selling pressure has since eased. Given that the company's valuations remain compelling, we advise investors to take advantage of the price correction, which had resulted in a 62.6% upside to our fair value.

Conservative adjustments to forecasts.

We have adjusted our net profit forecasts upwards by 9.4% and 2.6% for FY12 and FY13 respectively.

However we remain conservative as the upside in wakalah fee income can be defrayed into commissions and management expenses, as well as upside risks in claims experience for general takaful segment for FY13.

We believe the company may still exceed our forecasts.

Maintain buy with favourable dividend yield. We reiterate our buy call with a fair value retained at RM8.00, pegged at 12 times FY13 EPS.

BMW’s sees opportunities as consumers turn to bikes for commuting

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 06:27 PM PDT

PETALING JAYA: BMW Group Malaysia is seeing opportunities in the automotive industry's two-wheeler segment following a global trend of consumers using motorbikes for commuting, said managing director Gerhad Pils.

He said the group was quite confident of maintaining double-digit growth in sales this year while aiming to achieve another year of double-digit growth next year.

Up until end-September, he said the group had sold 255 motorbikes under its Motorrad division, a 23% increase compared with the same period in 2011.

"The company is seeing an increase in consumer demand for motorbikes, in line with international trend.

"Normally, bikers just use bikes as a hobby but nowadays, in addition to that, there's a trend of consumers buying two wheelers for commuting.

"It is an urban form of mobility, and our range of maxi scooters is the answer to that," Pils said at the launch of the company's BMW C600 Sport and BMW C650 GT range of maxi scooters.

He said the introduction of the new scooters would be a positive boost to BMW Group Malaysia, with the group continuing to see more growth as it delivered 5,014 BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad vehicles as at end-September, an increase of 19% in sales compared with the same period last year.

Pils said the all-new BMW C600 Sport and BMW C 650 GT were the world's first premium maxi scooters.

He said that of the 40 units allocated for this year, more than half has already been taken up.

Pils, who was appointed in July to head BMW Group Malaysia, said that other than introducing new models, his strategy was to expand the company's dealership and service network in the country.

The BMW C600 Sport retails at RM65,000 on the road, while the BMW C650 GT sells at RM68,800. Both prices are quoted without insurance.

Aeon Co may announce RM764.8mil Carrefour buy this week

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 06:24 PM PDT

PETALING JAYA: Japan-based Aeon Co will officially announce the purchase of France-based Carrefour SA's Malaysian business operations this week, a news report published in The Nikkei said.

The deal is expected to be priced at around 20 billion yen (US$250mil or RM764.8mil), according to The Nikkei, as Carrefour has been struggling to come up with cash to cut debt and fund the revival of its struggling European hypermarkets.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Aeon, which operates 29 stores in Malaysia, was in negotiations to buy Carrefour's 26 stores, which would bring the former close to the top spot among retailers.

"We have no comments on this as it is not related to Aeon Malaysia at this stage," AEON Co (M) Bhd's (Aeon Malaysia) public relations executive personnel Ann Marie told StarBiz over the telephone.

Analysts contacted by StarBiz said it was likely that Aeon Malaysia would sooner or later be involved in a likely merger situation to synergise and consolidate both their operations.

RHB Research retail analyst Lee Wee Sieng said in his report that the deal, should it eventually materialise, would be positive for Aeon Malaysia as there would be "significant" operational synergies and "economies of scale".

"Besides, the acquisition will reduce direct competition for Aeon's supermarket operations," Lee said, adding that there were risks for Aeon Malaysia due to intensifying competition in the local retail scene.

OSK Research consumer sector analyst said the deal would make Aeon Malaysia the No. 1 supermarket operator and one of the largest retailers in Malaysia.

"The business acquired is likely to be placed under the wings of Aeon Malaysia.

"The acquisition will benefit the company as it will broaden the group's market since Aeon is a department store targeting the middle-income group while Carrefour is a hypermarket operator catering to the low-to-middle-income consumers," OSK said.

However, OSK added that there could be a drawback due to possible cannibalisation with regard to Aeon Malaysia's four existing MaxValu stores, which are its value-for-money standalone stores.

Aeon Malaysia would likely need to finance the buyout either with debt or equity financing should the acquisition be made at the Malaysian operations level, OSK said, adding that a possible debt financing would see its gearing levels at 35.3%.

It is to be noted, however, that earlier reports stated that Carrefour, which operates the Malaysian stores under the company named Magnificient Diagraph Sdn Bhd, had also previously been brought to court by its former bumiputra partner and 30% shareholder Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin through Hartajaya Harmoni Sdn Bhd.

Hartajaya Harmoni, in its petition filed by its solicitors, alleged that there had been an intention before by Magnificient Diagraph's foreign majority shareholders to forcibly take away the former's 30% stake in the latter for no valuable consideration and thereafter sell the company to potential bidders.

Hartajaya Harmoni claimed the decision of these shareholders to invite bids for the 100% purchase of Magnificient Diagraph was done without the knowledge of and consultation of its 30% shareholder.

Hartajaya Harmoni had earlier claimed in its petition there were about four bidders that had expressed interest in buying over Carrefour's business and operations in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

These bid prices had ranged from RM3.1bil to RM3.6bil, the company claimed.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Sports

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Government spends big to generate sporting success

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 04:24 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: The government's intent on making Malaysia a sporting powerhouse is loud and clear – with RM187.2mil being poured into sports development for next year.

"This is an increment from our previous years. The challenge for us here is simply that that we don't just spend money, but to make sure that the money will generate sporting success, said Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, who chaired the National Sports Council (NSC) board of managers' meeting in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

"We are satisfied with the performance of our athletes at the recent Olympics and Paralympic Games in London. Although we didn't win gold this time, it was by far our best performance to date. And we know we can excel in different sports – Pandelela Rinong winning the bronze showed us just that."

Also present at the meeting were NSC director general Datuk Seri Zolkples Embong and Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Jaafar.

Of the total sum, RM8.5mil will be allocated for next year's 16th edition of Sukan Malaysia (Sukma) in Kuala Lumpur.

The Games, which will feature 21 sports, will be held on June 28-July 7 and will utilise Universiti Putra Malaysia's hostel as the athletes' village.

Ahmad Shabery also announced that the NSC and the Paralympic Council of Malaysia will set up a special committee to discuss the issue of providing cash incentives to paralympic athletes.

He said that the incentive should not be called pensions but rather a fixed remuneration. "We are very proud of the achievements of the paralympic athletes in London and will look into a scheme that will be fair as there are many different categories in paralympics," he said.

Pandelela and Haziq are simply the best at sports school

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 04:22 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: National athletes – archer Haziq Kamaruddin and diver Pandelela Rinong – have been crowned Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) sportsman and sportswoman for 2012 respectively.

Both athletes, who represented the country in the 2012 London Olympics, were picked based on their performances at the 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia. Haziq, 19, from Johor Baru, said although he was knocked out in the early stages of the archery competition in London, "being crowned Sportsman of the Year will certainly boost my confidence to qualify for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil".

"My focus will now be on qualifying for the Olympics in Rio," said Haziq after receiving his trophy from Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin yesterday.

Raja Nong Chik, in his speech, urged BJSS students to work on their physical and mental strength as well as their discipline.

Citing the success of South Koreans in golf, he said that although the Koreans had just ventured into golf about 10 years ago, they have emerged as world beaters since then.

"The main elements are mental strength and discipline. If athletes have both these qualities, we too can excel in any field although our population is small," he said. — Bernama

Wee Wern is proof that home product can deliver the goods

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 04:23 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: Squash star Low Wee Wern's meteoric rise to fame on the international stage is proof that home-based training works and local coaches can produce champions.

National No. 2 Wee Wern staged a remarkable comeback to beat New Zealand's Joelle King 6-11, 11-4, 3-11, 11-3, 11-9 in the final to defend the US$55,000 China Open title on Sunday.

The win was sweeter this time as the China Open had been upgraded from a Women's Squash Association (WSA) silver to gold event. Prior to Wee Wern's breakthrough, the only other woman squash player to have won a WSA Gold event is Nicol David.

The 22-year-old Wee Wern trains in Penang under coach Aaron Soyza.

Former Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) official Wong Ah Jit, who has seen Wee Wern turn from a skinny and eager junior girl into a world class player, was proud of her single-mindedness to excel.

"Wee Wern has come a long way and it's very satisfying to see her grow to become the country's No. 2 squash player," said Ah Jit, who was the association's former executive director for more than a decade.

"She is truly a home product. She was attached to Liz Irving in Amsterdam – just like Nicol David – for a period of time last year. However, it did not work out. She returned home to continue training in Penang.

"She trusts her coach (Aaron) and has full confidence in his way training programme. Credit to the Penang SRA team and also the national association for their support and allowing Wee Wern to flourish under the local setting.

"This is a classic case of a good working relationships between an athlete and a local coach. They proved that they can do the job that is entrusted to them without demanding anything. They surely saved a lot of money by not being based overseas. They should enjoy continuous support."

Ah Jit hoped that world No. 9 Wee Wern will continue to work on her game, improve on her world ranking and keep an eye on the threat emerging from the Egyptian players.

"She has more to give. For now, it will be wise for her to study the Egyptian's styles of play as they are becoming a dominant force," he said.

"Besides basic training, Wee Wern should do some video analysis of these players. These Egyptians go for all kinds of shots and are known for setting up excellent shots. Our players must have a knowledge of their playing styles."

With Wee Wern doing well to support world No. 1 Nicol, Ah Jit hopes that other women squash players in the country will raise their standard so that Malaysia can form a solid women's team and give decent performances at the World Team Championships in France from Nov 12-17.

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Case of two Malaysians detained in Lebanon to be re-mentioned on Wednesday

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 09:08 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: The case of two Malaysians detained in Lebanon on suspicion of having ties with militant group Al-Qaeda will be rementioned at the Military Tribunal in Beirut on Wednesday.

Malaysian ambassador to Lebanon, Ilango Karuppannan, said Rafik Mohd Ariffin, 28, and Mohammed Razin Shaaban, 21, were brought to the tribunal Monday on a charge of being terrorists, with connections to Al-Qaeda.

Nevertheless, the charge against them did not proceed when the judge found they were unrepresented, he said when contacted at the Lebanese capital.

"The judge then ordered that they engage a lawyer to defend themselves and the judge decided that the case be rementioned on Wednesday," Ilango said.

Last week, the Lebanese authorities detained Rafik and Mohammed Razin at a hotel in Beirut because they were believed to be suicide bombers and suspected to have links to Al-Qaeda.

Ilango said no family members of Rafik or Mohammed Razin were present at the tribunal Monday although both families were informed by Wisma Putra on their detention and that they should engage the services of lawyers.

"The embassy will help in terms of getting a law firm but payment must be borne by their respective families," he said, adding that the lawyers at the legal firm picked by the embassy were studying the facts of the case.

Ilango also said the families of Rafik and Mohammed Razin received the news calmly after they were told of the procedures that must be carried out.

In the meantime, he said, two embassy officials had met Rafik and Mohammed Razin at the Army Tribunal Detention Centre in Beirut.

"They were well and healthy. They were also properly treated," he said.

Ilango said the embassy was investigating the background of the two Malaysians with the cooperation of the Lebanese Immigration to determine if they entered the country as tourists, students or professionals.

Earlier reports said Lebanese authorities had detained the two men last week as they were believed to have connections with Al-Qaeda.

Meanwhile, Bukit Aman said based on investigations and surveillance carried out, no trace of Al-Qaeda movement has been found.

Bukit Aman Special Task Force director Datuk Mohamed Fuzi Harun said police have not received any information of Al-Qaeda presence in the country or any recruitment activity to join the group.

"We have not come across any Al-Qaeda activities but we cannot disregard such activities (recruitment) conducted by neighbouring countries," he said.

Rafik's father Mohd Ariffin Abdullah meanwhile, when contacted, said he was still waiting for details with regard to his son's detention in Lebanon.

Mohammed Razin's mother Sharifah Asma said she did not know how her son was detained for his alleged involvement with Al-Qaeda.

She said her son lived in Malacca and studied in Trolak, Perak while she and her husband lived in Putrajaya.

"I used to call him regularly but did not know he had gone to Lebanon and was involved with the group," she said. - Bernama

Police bust gang linked to RM3.2mil smartphone heist at KLIA

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 07:43 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have busted a gang linked to a heist involving 1,407 Samsung Galaxy Note II smartphones at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang on Oct 20.

This follows the arrest of 13 suspects, including the alleged mastermind, behind the theft of the smartphones worth about RM3.23mil at MAS Kargo's storage area.

The suspects, aged between 22 and 43, comprise four women and nine men.

Bukit Aman CID (commercial crime) director Datuk Syed Ismail Syed Azizan said one of the suspects, aged 42, surrendered at the Sepang police headquarters Monday.

He said the police, acting on a tip-off, mounted an operation on Oct 23 and nabbed the suspects at 11 locations in the MAS Kargo area, housing areas in Nilai, Puchong and Sepang, and an electronics shop in Bukit Bintang here.

"Following the arrests, the police recovered 71 smartphones while the rest were being traced," he told a media conference here.

On Oct 20, a group disguised as transport company representatives staged a heist at the MAS Kargo storage area and made off with the smartphones in a lorry, believed to have been stolen in Brickfields, two days earlier.

Syed Ismail said initial investigations revealed that the alleged mastermind was a staff member of a transport service company with "inside information" on the smartphones.

According to him, one of the female suspects had allegedly bought 80 units of the smartphones for RM104,000, which were believed to have been sold to the public for RM1,850 each.

Meanwhile, Syed Ismail said the police were looking for four people to facilitate investigations into the heist.

They are U. Chalan, 23, whose last known address was No: 17, Jalan Chekor off Jalan Klang Lama; N. Selvakumar, 32, of PT10642, Taman Desa Cempaka, Nilai, Negri Sembilan; and siblings J. Aravindan, 29, and Pratib, of No: 7745, Taman Desa Jasmin 2, Badar Baru Nilai in Negri Sembilan. - Bernama

Felda: M'sian arrested in Lebanon for alleged al-Qaeda links is staff member's son

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 07:31 AM PDT

KUANTAN: Felda clarified Monday that one of the two Malaysians arrested in Lebanon for alleged links to the al-Qaeda terrorist organisation was the son of a staff member and not of a settler.

Its chairman Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad, said Mohammed Razin Shaaban, 28, was the son of a Felda employee and had studied at the Felda Foundation College in Trolak, Perak.

"He only studied there for 10 months. His father informed us that Mohammed Razin got a job with the Farmers Organisation Authority (LPP) in Malacca and left the college," he told reporters after launching the "Jelajah Transformasi Komuniti" (Community Transformation Tour) programme in Felda Bukit Goh, here.

It was reported that Mohammed Razin and Rafik Mohammed Aaref, 21, suspected to have been trained as suicide bombers, were detained by army intelligence in Lebanon over suspected links to al-Qaeda.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman had said that the duo were brought to the military court in Beirut on Oct 25.

On the trial, Mohd Isa said: "We will wait for the outcome of the trial and see how we can assist." - Bernama

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Win Skyfall goodies

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 02:22 AM PDT

Everybody knows Bond. James Bond. From the very first Bond movie, Dr. No to the latest, Skyfall, we've grown to love this MI6 spy with the license to kill. He's been played by some of Hollywood's best leading man from the suave Sean Connery to the ruggedly handsome Daniel Craig.

To celebrate the 23rd Bond film, Skyfall, Buena Vista Columbia Tristar and ecentral are giving away limited edition Skyfall premiums and movie passes.

Over the next three consecutive days, beginning today (29 October), we'll be asking you two simple questions pertaining to James Bond, the man and the movie. Answer the questions correctly and you could win Skyfall premiums plus a pair of in-season passes to the movie.

For the questions and the rules and regulations to the contest, please visit ecentral's facebook page here.

Schwarzenegger returns as Conan

Posted: 28 Oct 2012 10:56 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Arnold Schwarzenegger is reprising one of his most famous movie roles - Conan the Barbarian - for an upcoming sequel, Universal Pictures said on Friday.

Schwarzenegger, 65, will play the sword-swinging hero in The Legend Of Conan, 30 years after the film that launched the Austrian body-builder as a Hollywood star.

"I always loved the Conan character, and I'm honored to be asked to step into the role once again," Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

The original films, 1982's Conan The Barbarian and 1984's Conan The Destroyer, together grossed more than US$70 million at U.S. box office.

The Conan franchise was remade in 2011 with Game Of Thrones star Jason Momoa, but the film -- also called Conan The Barbarian -- failed to repeat the success of its predecessors, earning only US$21 million at the North American box office, according to film tracking site BoxOfficeMojo.com.

The new Conan film is the latest Hollywood venture by Schwarzenegger since the action movie hero ended his term as governor of California in January 2011.

He starred alongside Hollywood's veteran action heroes in this summer's The Expendables 2, and is lined up to star in five other films, including thriller Ten and Triplets, a sequel to his hit 1988 comedy Twins alongside co-star Danny DeVito

Schwarzenegger, a Republican, also has launched a global policy think-tank in his name at the University of Southern California, and released a memoir in October, Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life. The book revealed details of the child Schwarzenegger fathered with his family's housekeeper 15 years ago, while married to Maria Shriver.

Hostage drama 'Argo' takes box office top spot

Posted: 28 Oct 2012 09:17 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Acclaimed Iran hostage drama Argo took home its first box office win over the weekend, grabbing US$12.4 million in ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters.

Argo, directed by and starring Ben Affleck, came in ahead of new sci-fi drama Cloud Atlas, which was also edged out by Halloween-themed animated film Hotel Transylvania.

Cloud Atlas, starring Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, earned US$9.4 million from Friday through Sunday, while Hotel Transylvania earned US$9.5 million, according to studio estimates.

Argo moved up to the top spot after two weeks in second place, helped by rave reviews from critics and audiences who praised the story about a mission to rescue U.S. government employees from Iran in 1979.

Hotel Transylvania features voice work by Adam Sandler and Selena Gomez, and set a record for a September film opening in the United States and Canada when it opened on September 28, and has performed solidly since its release.

In the family comedy, Frankenstein, the Invisible Man and other monsters gather for a party at a high-end resort operated by Dracula. Their celebration is disrupted when a boy discovers the hotel and falls in love with Dracula's daughter but must deal with her overprotective father.

Cloud Atlas has divided critics with six interweaving stories that span from the 1840s to the future.

Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc, released Argo and Cloud Atlas. Sony Corp's movie studio released Hotel Transylvania.

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Metro watch

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 06:23 AM PDT

PINK WEEK

Tropicana City Mall (TCM) is hosting a Cancer Awareness Exhibition, themed "My Pledge Against Cancer" during its Pink Week from now until Oct 31, 10am-10pm at the mall's ground floor. There will be counselling sessions, demonstrations, talks and check-ups jointly organised by the mall and Makna. A Mobile Mammogram Truck will be parked on the ground floor (behind the D'Nata outlet) on Oct 30 and 31, from 12pm to 8 pm. For details, call 03-7710 0101, or email to enquiries@tropicanacitymall.com or visit www.tropicanacitymall.com

PUBLIC TALK

A free public talk titled "A Glance into the Malaysian Economic Landscape from now until after GE13" by Malaysian economist Tan Sri Dr Lau Ban Tin will be held on Nov 3, 10am-12pm at PD Block, Level B1, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Petaling Jaya Campus, No. 9 Jalan Bersatu 13/4, 46200 Petaling Jaya. Limited seats. For details or to register, email to ceetalkpj@utar.edu.my or call Sia / Izad Ismat at 03-7957 2818 / 7958 2628 ext 8273 / 016-223 3563.

ALLERGIC DISEASES

Fairview International School Kuala Lumpur will host a free talk titled "Allergic Diseases: How the Allergy and Immunology Specialists can Help" by Dr Kent Woo Chee Ken, Consultant Allergy & Immunology from Gleneagles Hospital, Kuala Lumpur on Nov 3, between 3pm and 4.30pm (including Q & A session), at the school, at Lot 4178, Jalan 1/27D, Section 6, Wangsa Maju, 53300 Kuala Lumpur. Call 03-4142 0888 to reserve your seat or visit www.fairview.edu.my for details.

POST RIO+20 SYMPOSIUM

The Environmental Protection Society Malaysia (EPSM) is organising a Post Rio+20 Symposium on Mainstreaming Sustainable Development in Malaysia on Nov 6 at University of Malaya. Titled "The Future We Want", the full-day event aims at bringing prominent speakers together to discuss Malaysia's response to Rio+20. Call Serina at 012-374 4509, or e-mail to epsm.slim@gmail.com for free registration.

CANCER AWARENESS DAY

The NET (Neuroendoctrine) Cancers Awareness Interest Group is organising the Worldwide NET Cancer Awareness Day on Nov 10 at Marrakesh (in front of Georgetown White Coffee), LG2 Sunway Pyramid. The awareness drive will start at about 4.30pm and end at about 7pm. For details, call Cheryl Lee at 017-260 3977.

PUBLIC FORUM

Pantai Hospital Ampang, Pandan Indah will be organising a public forum on Nov 3, between 10am and 12pm at its auditorium. Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr Ivan Randal Ranatunga will talk about back and neck pain. Free admission and consultation. For details, visit www.pantai.com.my or call 03-4289 2877.

Netball players hold their own against the Australians

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 06:23 AM PDT

IT WAS valuable exposure for Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) during the BJSS Under-16 International Netball Tournament in Kuala Lumpur recently.

In the five-team competition, BJSS, under the guidance of Choo Kon Lee and Puah Pei Sam, emerged as the champions after defeating Australia's Elizabeth College 26-19 in the final.

BJSS and Elizabeth College qualified for the final after finishing as the top two teams in the league. The other teams were Marybryynong Sports Academy from Australia and two teams from Kuala Lumpur Sports School.

Kon Lee said the competition was quite interesting and a platform for the coaches to evaluate the players.

"We are happy with the players' performance. They adapted well against their stronger and bigger counterparts from Australia. Both the teams from Australia are strong teams.

"We also gave several players, who are 13 and 14, the chance to gain exposure. They also adapted well to the competitive atmosphere and gave a good account,'' said Kon Lee.

It was BJSS' second victory this month. Early this month, BJSS made their presence felt in the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) netball carnival. BJSS were champions in the women's Open category as well as in the Under-18 category. BJSS' Nurul Adha Abu Bakar was voted as the Best Player in the women's Open section while Khairul Najuwa Shara-huddin won the Best Player in the Under-18 category.

BJSS also took part in the Inter-national Schoolgirls Netball Challenge in Adelaide, Australia and finished third.

The competitions were also part of BJSS preparations for the Inter-national Youth Sports Challenge in Singapore from Nov 30- Dec 9. The challenge is for the Under-15 age group. The seniors will be involved in the Six Nation netball championship in Singapore later this year.

Except for the Form Five students, who are preparing for the SPM, the other players have resumed training six days a week.

Kon Lee said the Form Five students would rejoin the training programme after the SPM.

"We want the players to achieve good results in the SPM as well. It is important for them to excel in both sports and studies,'' said Kon Lee.

In January, BJSS will be representing Malaysia in the Tri-Nation Netball championship in Hong Kong. The other two teams will be India and Hong Kong.

Kon Lee said the players would be training during the school holidays.

"We will have to continue training as we want to put up a strong challenge in Hong Kong. Both India and Hong Kong are formidable sides. We have to be well prepared to face them,'' said Kon Lee.

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Students advised to take part-time jobs to improve themselves

Posted: 28 Oct 2012 05:46 PM PDT

JOHOR BARU: The Human Resources Ministry is encouraging university students on their semester breaks to work part-time to improve their marketability.

Its minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said this would enable students to understand the actual working culture and challenges in the job market.

"We are launching this programme in University Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) with 200 participating students and I hope to expand this to all universities nationwide.

"This is important as this will help improve the graduate's marketability as presently although 80% of UTM graduates are employed within the first six months after their graduation, the national average is about 47% to 55%," he said.

Dr Subramaniam hoped that the private sector would take part in the programme by hiring the students during their holidays.

"We are starting with 200 students from UTM next year but we hope to get 1,000 students annually in future."

Students who signed up for the stint would be paid an allowance and it is on a voluntary basis.

Asked about the difference between this programme and an internship, he said that the latter is only done at the end of the final curriculum but this programme on the other hand utilised a student's long breaks annually.

"By taking up such training stints, a graduate will have more opportunities in future."

Dr Subramaniam said that the students need not necessarily be given high-level jobs but should take on jobs as operators or even technicians to allow them to know about the issue on the ground.

"We are also looking into the curriculum of universities to find out if they were able to meet with the needs of the industry."

The Government, he added, is committed in ensuring the marketability of students and hoped to launch its graduate employment blueprint by the end of the year to address the issues affecting graduates.

At the event, two private companies signed collaboration with UTM to take in their students under the holiday job placement programme.

On separate issue, Dr Subramaniam said Singapore had responded to the Government queries on banning workers from Sabah and Sarawak for employment in the island republic.

"Every country has its own decision when it comes to manpower and if they say there is no blanket policy, then we have to accept their answer," he added.

It was previously reported that Singapore had barred Sabahan and Sarawakians aged between 18 and 35 from working there.

The move was attributed to a number of criminal cases such as fights involving male youths from both the east Malaysian states.

Plans for dialysis centre in Muar

Posted: 28 Oct 2012 05:48 PM PDT

MUAR: The Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (TSM) Charity Golf Foundation plans to build a 10-room dialysis centre on a plot next to the Pagoh Umno division complex.

The centre costing RM1mil, would be managed by the Kumpulan Perubatan Johor (KPJ) and caters to the needs of kidney patients in the constituency.

One of the foundation committee member Datuk Wan Shalihudin Wan Ibrahim said the landowner Datin Rashidah Yusof had donated her plot to the foundation to expedite the project.

He said the deputy premier, who is the patron of the foundation, had approved the project which would begin construction early next year.

"We expect to carry out the ground breaking ceremony at the end of this year and we hope the centre can be completed by the end of 2013.

"Besides the dialysis centre, we also plan to build a futsal field with five futsal courts and a gymnasium on the plot," he added.

Wan Shalihudin said the gymnasium which would be called a village-gym, was aimed at encouraging the Pagoh youths to take up weightlifting and body building.

He added that Muhyiddin had wanted youths in the parliamentary to be active in sports and the foundation to also build the two sport arenas.

Commenting on the matter, Pagoh Umno division deputy chairman Datuk Tahir Taat thanked the landowner and her husband Datuk Hatta Mohammed for donating the plot to the foundation.

He added that Hatta is also the division's vice chairman and Umno Pagoh was proud of the family's contribution to donate the plot to the foundation.

JB welcomes inaugural AirAsia flight from Surabaya

Posted: 28 Oct 2012 05:47 PM PDT

SENAI: The plane carrying 172 passengers in an inaugural AirAsia flight from Surabaya, touched down at the Senai International Airport yesterday.

The plane left Juanda Inter-national Airport, Surabaya at 9.15am Indonesian time and arrived in Johor Baru at 12.45pm local time.

Lively cultural dance and energetic drumbeats greeted the passengers at the arrival hall.

Johor Tourism and Domestic Trade committee chairman Datuk Hoo Seong Chang along with state tourism department officials were also at the airport to welcome the passengers, who included members of the Indonesian media.

AirAsia Indonesia commercial director Datuk Bernard Francis said the carrier chose Johor Baru as its destination because of its ongoing developments especially the Iskandar Malaysia region.

"Johor Baru is one of the largest industrial, commercial and tourism centres in Malaysia so we are hoping to play a part in boosting economic and tourism activities in the state," he said.

Francis said the maiden flight recorded a load factor of 91% while the flight from Johor Baru to Surabaya recorded over 96% load factor.

"We hope to achieve our target of between three and five flights daily for the destination. We are also hoping to have more flights from destinations like Bali, Medan and Bandung to Johor Baru," he added.

The flight is available four times weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Meanwhile, Hoo said the state tourism department was in the planning stage of getting more airlines to fly to Johor Baru from destinations such as China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

"If everything goes well with our discussions with the Department of Civil Aviation and Transport Ministry, we will be introducing chartered flights from Guangzhou and Shenzhen soon," he said.

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