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Jumaat, 20 September 2013

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

Suu Kyi arrives for four-day visit

Posted:

MYANMAR opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi arrived in Singapore to begin what will be a four-day visit to the Republic.

This is the first time the Nobel peace laureate has visited Singapore.

She later met Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Grace Fu at the MFA building.

Suu Kyi also received briefings from several government agencies.

Her weekend schedule includes two speaking engagements and a meeting with some 5,000 Myanmar citizens based in Singapore.

On Monday, Suu Kyi has lined up back-to-back bilateral meetings. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Teen serviced 100 clients, court told

Posted:

A CHINA girl who was forced into prostitution by her pimp had serviced about 100 clients on about 150 occasions here, a Community Court heard.

The 17-year-old Chinese national would receive about S$60 (RM152) each time for her sexual services and her pimp would collect all her prostitution earnings.

Between May 18 and June 1 – the day of her arrest – Tang Huisheng, 37, collected a total of about S$9,000 (RM22,811) from the minor.

He used the money to pay for rental and other expenses, as well as for gambling.

Tang, who is not represented, pleaded guilty to four charges – bringing the minor here for prostitution, living on her earnings, harbouring her, and aiding Nordin Mohammed Noor to have paid sex with the minor for S$100 (RM253).

Two other charges will be considered when he is sentenced.

The court heard that Tang and the minor flew here on May 16. She began working as a prostitute in Geylang two days later.

While the minor was soliciting for customers, Tang would be standing near her to render assistance.

He also acted as a look-out and helped her to look for customers.

After Tang saw the minor being arrested, he made his way to Marina Bay Sands casino where he lost S$18,300 (RM46,382) within four days.

He also brought forward his return flight to Guangzhou, China, from June 10 to 5 but was arrested on June 5.

Deputy Public Prosecutors Stella Tan Wei Ling and Elizabeth Chua will give their submission on sentencing on Oct 2.

Tang is in custody as he could not raise the S$15,000 (RM38,018) bail offered. His bail was doubled yesterday after his conviction.

A total of 24 men have been charged with commercial sex with the minor, 13 of whom have each been sentenced to between 11 and 12 weeks.

Two had their sentencing postponed after pleading guilty. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Defence lawyers: Not all church projects are for profit

Posted:

NOT every investment made by charities such as churches need to yield profit. Sometimes these investments may be to further social objectives.

Defence lawyers for the six accused City Harvest leaders said this in court during an on-going trial.

City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee and five of his deputies are accused of criminal breach of trust.

They are alleged to have funnelled S$24mil (RM60.8mil) meant for the church's new building into sham bond investments in church-linked firms Firna and Xtron Productions.

Prosecutors said City Harvest accounts were then falsified to the tune of S$26.6mil (RM67.4mil) so the bonds appeared to have been "redeemed".

Defence lawyers said that in the same way the National Kidney Foundation, for example, invests in dialysis machines even though these depreciate in value, City Harvest invested in its Crossover Project to convert people to Christianity.

The Crossover Project Crossover Project started in 2001 with the aim of using co-founder Ho Yeow Sun's secular music to evangelise.

In fact, auditor Foong Daw Ching had no objections to the use of City Harvest funds to finance Ho's music albums as this furthered the church's evangelism mission, claimed Michael Khoo, lawyer for former church investment manager Chew Eng Han.

This approval supposedly came in a meeting in 2003 between Foong and church leaders, shortly after a special audit was done following allegations that church funds were improperly used to finance Ho's career.

Foong, however, said he could not recall this meeting. — The Straits Times/ Asia News network
Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

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The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

Matt Bomer to play iconic actor in biopic

Posted:

The star of White Collar is set to play classic actor Montgomery Clift in an indie film.

White Collar star Matt Bomer has signed on to play Montgomery Clift in an upcoming biopic that could start production next year, a representative for the actor has told TheWrap.

Pier 3 Pictures' Michael Din, who is producing with Janine Giaime and Juri Henley-Cohn, is currently shopping the film for financing with the Magic Mike hunk attached. Larry Moss will direct from a script by Christopher Lovick.

Clift was a major Hollywood star best known for his lead roles in From Here To Eternity and Judgment At Nuremberg.

Bomer, who will soon be seen in Ryan Murphy's HBO movie The Normal Heart, was a fan favourite to play Christian Grey in Fifty Shades Of Grey, though he was never in serious contention for the role, which went to Charlie Hunnam. — Reuters

Mini reviews of movies

Posted:

A mob family, undercover agents and espionage provide the twists and turns in our three mini movie reviews.

Malavita

EVERY family has its ups and down, doubly so when there is an extended family in the picture.

In the case of the Manzonis – who used to be part of the Mafia family in New York – things turn really bad when Giovanni Manzoni (Robert De Niro) snitches on his boss.

Put under the witness protection programme, he and his family end up in a small town in France.

Of course, old habits die hard, so whoever crosses this family suffers some lasting injuries – like the French boys who are taught a lesson on how to respect women by the tennis racquet-wielding daughter, or the plumber who receives the brunt of his own tools when the father doesn't get the proper answers he's looking for.

There are sparks of fun when the scenes are commanded by De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones, and whenever the Manzonis are depicted as a normal family.

While the film is not to be taken seriously — obviously since there is always a touch of ridiculousness in it, be it in the performances or a scene itself – its narrative does dip to low points.

This is apparent when it focuses on Giovanni's daughter (Dianna Agron). It's just amazing how Agron can make any role dull and colourless.

She's not doing herself any favours by playing a silly girl here – someone who considers suicide because the man she loves does not feel the same way. We're suppose to find this funny?

Even when director Luc Besson shifts the story to an explosive action sequence, he stretches it really thin.

In the end, Malavita – or, The Family – is like a relative that you never, ever, want to see again. — Mumtaj Begum (**)

2 Guns

Denzel Washington is an actor who'd have chemistry with a table. Luckily for him, his partner in 2 Guns is Mark Wahlberg, an actor who can play a thug like he is one.

These two actors do have fun with their characters and ask the audience to hop on the ride. Unfortunately, the film operates on convenient storytelling, which has too many scenes in which the audience has to suspend disbelief. The movie works only when the focus is on the two main characters together.

Washington and Wahlberg play two undercover agents from different agencies. Not knowing that they are on the same side, they hatch a plan that gets them into trouble with both the bad guys and the so-called good guys.

Besides the two actors and more than decent action scenes, the only thing you can glean from the film is that corruption and disloyalty are rife within government agencies.

The CIA, Naval Intelligence and DEA all have members who are as dirty as a drug cartel, or just plain ignorant. It's scary that these people have the most power in the country then. — MB (**)

Paranoia

This is a serviceable movie.

By that, I mean that it's an OK movie to watch if you just want something to do, but there's really nothing outstanding about it at all.

The whole paranoia thing? Not really happening.

It's just the occasional interspersed surveillance scenes and security camera footage – ho-hum, I say. There are other films that have tackled this subject way, way better.

The actors, including lead Liam Hemsworth (Adam Cassidy), Gary Oldman (Nick Wyatt) and Harrison Ford (Jock Goddard), do an OK job, but they never really draw you into the story.

Cassidy's love interest, Emma Jennings (Amber Heard), has the weakest story of them all, what with her sudden turnabout from viewing Cassidy as a one-night stand to serious boyfriend material.

Basically, the film is about industrial espionage, with Cassidy being blackmailed by his boss Wyatt, into stealing a revolutionary new phone from arch-rival Goddard.

And that's about the most exciting thing you can say about it.

I was more amused by the observation that Cassidy and his best friend and smarter sidekick Kevin (Lucas Till) actually have the same type of relationship that Goddard and Wyatt have. Intentional or coincidence, I wonder?

I'd probably have been better off reading the book by Joseph Finder.

Watch only if there's nothing else available. — Tan Shiow Chin (**)

Movies coming soon

Posted:

Check out some of the movies that will be opened in Malaysia next week.

Runner, Runner – A thriller depicting the life of Ivan Block, a businessman who takes Richie Furst, a Princeton University graduate under his wing as he runs illegal online gaming website.

Starring Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake, Anthony Mackie, Oliver Cooper and Gemma Arterton.

The Butler – This Lee Daniels' directed film, and starring Oprah Winfrey, is already getting Oscar buzz. As the title reveals, the film revolves around a butler (played by Forest Whitaker) who worked in the White House under eight presidents, and was a silent witness to the historical moments in the United States.

Young Detective Dee 3D – Directed by Tsui Hark, this is a prequel to the 2010 film Detective Dee And The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame. It tells the story of when Dee Renjie joins the police force as a detective. His first case involves a sea monster. If the older Dee was played by Andy Lau, the younger version falls in the hands of Taiwanese actor Mark Chao. It also stars Carina Lau, William Feng and Lin Gengxin.

Rush – Director Ron Howard recreates the intense rivalry between Formula One drivers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl). The two couldn't be more different, in person – one is an English playboy and the other is a methodical driver from Austria – and on the track.

About Time – A British romantic comedy directed and written by Richard Curtis (Love, Actually and Notting Hill). Tim discovers on his 21st birthday that he has a unique ability — he can time travel. Like everyone else who has had a few regrets, he decides to make his life a little better by erasing his mistakes and getting a girlfriend. But life could never be that easy.

Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy and Lydia Wilson.

3096 Days – Based on the true events in which a young Austrian girl, Natascha Kampusch, is kidnapped and held in captivity for eight years. Antonia Campbell-Hughes and Thure Lindhardt lead the cast.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

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The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

Matt Bomer to play iconic actor in biopic

Posted:

The star of White Collar is set to play classic actor Montgomery Clift in an indie film.

White Collar star Matt Bomer has signed on to play Montgomery Clift in an upcoming biopic that could start production next year, a representative for the actor has told TheWrap.

Pier 3 Pictures' Michael Din, who is producing with Janine Giaime and Juri Henley-Cohn, is currently shopping the film for financing with the Magic Mike hunk attached. Larry Moss will direct from a script by Christopher Lovick.

Clift was a major Hollywood star best known for his lead roles in From Here To Eternity and Judgment At Nuremberg.

Bomer, who will soon be seen in Ryan Murphy's HBO movie The Normal Heart, was a fan favourite to play Christian Grey in Fifty Shades Of Grey, though he was never in serious contention for the role, which went to Charlie Hunnam. — Reuters

Mini reviews of movies

Posted:

A mob family, undercover agents and espionage provide the twists and turns in our three mini movie reviews.

Malavita

EVERY family has its ups and down, doubly so when there is an extended family in the picture.

In the case of the Manzonis – who used to be part of the Mafia family in New York – things turn really bad when Giovanni Manzoni (Robert De Niro) snitches on his boss.

Put under the witness protection programme, he and his family end up in a small town in France.

Of course, old habits die hard, so whoever crosses this family suffers some lasting injuries – like the French boys who are taught a lesson on how to respect women by the tennis racquet-wielding daughter, or the plumber who receives the brunt of his own tools when the father doesn't get the proper answers he's looking for.

There are sparks of fun when the scenes are commanded by De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones, and whenever the Manzonis are depicted as a normal family.

While the film is not to be taken seriously — obviously since there is always a touch of ridiculousness in it, be it in the performances or a scene itself – its narrative does dip to low points.

This is apparent when it focuses on Giovanni's daughter (Dianna Agron). It's just amazing how Agron can make any role dull and colourless.

She's not doing herself any favours by playing a silly girl here – someone who considers suicide because the man she loves does not feel the same way. We're suppose to find this funny?

Even when director Luc Besson shifts the story to an explosive action sequence, he stretches it really thin.

In the end, Malavita – or, The Family – is like a relative that you never, ever, want to see again. — Mumtaj Begum (**)

2 Guns

Denzel Washington is an actor who'd have chemistry with a table. Luckily for him, his partner in 2 Guns is Mark Wahlberg, an actor who can play a thug like he is one.

These two actors do have fun with their characters and ask the audience to hop on the ride. Unfortunately, the film operates on convenient storytelling, which has too many scenes in which the audience has to suspend disbelief. The movie works only when the focus is on the two main characters together.

Washington and Wahlberg play two undercover agents from different agencies. Not knowing that they are on the same side, they hatch a plan that gets them into trouble with both the bad guys and the so-called good guys.

Besides the two actors and more than decent action scenes, the only thing you can glean from the film is that corruption and disloyalty are rife within government agencies.

The CIA, Naval Intelligence and DEA all have members who are as dirty as a drug cartel, or just plain ignorant. It's scary that these people have the most power in the country then. — MB (**)

Paranoia

This is a serviceable movie.

By that, I mean that it's an OK movie to watch if you just want something to do, but there's really nothing outstanding about it at all.

The whole paranoia thing? Not really happening.

It's just the occasional interspersed surveillance scenes and security camera footage – ho-hum, I say. There are other films that have tackled this subject way, way better.

The actors, including lead Liam Hemsworth (Adam Cassidy), Gary Oldman (Nick Wyatt) and Harrison Ford (Jock Goddard), do an OK job, but they never really draw you into the story.

Cassidy's love interest, Emma Jennings (Amber Heard), has the weakest story of them all, what with her sudden turnabout from viewing Cassidy as a one-night stand to serious boyfriend material.

Basically, the film is about industrial espionage, with Cassidy being blackmailed by his boss Wyatt, into stealing a revolutionary new phone from arch-rival Goddard.

And that's about the most exciting thing you can say about it.

I was more amused by the observation that Cassidy and his best friend and smarter sidekick Kevin (Lucas Till) actually have the same type of relationship that Goddard and Wyatt have. Intentional or coincidence, I wonder?

I'd probably have been better off reading the book by Joseph Finder.

Watch only if there's nothing else available. — Tan Shiow Chin (**)

Movies coming soon

Posted:

Check out some of the movies that will be opened in Malaysia next week.

Runner, Runner – A thriller depicting the life of Ivan Block, a businessman who takes Richie Furst, a Princeton University graduate under his wing as he runs illegal online gaming website.

Starring Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake, Anthony Mackie, Oliver Cooper and Gemma Arterton.

The Butler – This Lee Daniels' directed film, and starring Oprah Winfrey, is already getting Oscar buzz. As the title reveals, the film revolves around a butler (played by Forest Whitaker) who worked in the White House under eight presidents, and was a silent witness to the historical moments in the United States.

Young Detective Dee 3D – Directed by Tsui Hark, this is a prequel to the 2010 film Detective Dee And The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame. It tells the story of when Dee Renjie joins the police force as a detective. His first case involves a sea monster. If the older Dee was played by Andy Lau, the younger version falls in the hands of Taiwanese actor Mark Chao. It also stars Carina Lau, William Feng and Lin Gengxin.

Rush – Director Ron Howard recreates the intense rivalry between Formula One drivers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl). The two couldn't be more different, in person – one is an English playboy and the other is a methodical driver from Austria – and on the track.

About Time – A British romantic comedy directed and written by Richard Curtis (Love, Actually and Notting Hill). Tim discovers on his 21st birthday that he has a unique ability — he can time travel. Like everyone else who has had a few regrets, he decides to make his life a little better by erasing his mistakes and getting a girlfriend. But life could never be that easy.

Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy and Lydia Wilson.

3096 Days – Based on the true events in which a young Austrian girl, Natascha Kampusch, is kidnapped and held in captivity for eight years. Antonia Campbell-Hughes and Thure Lindhardt lead the cast.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

New teaser alert

Posted:

Pixar's first TV special, Toy Story Of Terror, gives eager fans another sneak peek.

There's a new teaser for the upcoming Toy Story Of Terror, Pixar's first TV special which stars most of the gang in the Toy Story movies.

The special will feature Woody, Buzz and friends all excited about going on a road trip. However, something happens along the way and they are forced to make a detour to a scary old motel.

Toy Story Of Terror, which features the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and others from the movie franchise, is set to air in the United States two weeks before Halloween week next month.

Check out the teaser:

Return of <i>Queer Eye For The Straight Guy</i>

Posted:

The popular reality show will make a comeback to TV with a 10-year reunion special.

Bravo is paying homage to the five men who put them on the reality map. It is bringing the "Fab Five" back together again for Queer Eye Reunion: 10 Years Later airing in October in the United States.

Queer Eye For The Straight Guy culinary expert Ted Allen, grooming guy Kyan Douglas, design expert Thom Filicia, fashionisto Carson Kressley and culture guide Jai Rodriguez will join Andy Cohen to look back at the groundbreaking series, reveal some behind-the-scenes tales and where life has taken them since.

Viewers can tweet their questions for the guys to Cohen (@Andy).

Originally dedicated to fine arts programming, Queer Eye helped to redefine the network when it began airing in 2003. The out-of-the-box makeover show was unlike anything else on television with its gaggle of gay men making over heterosexual men.

Its success was a mix of timing and good casting as the programme capitalised on the zeitgeist: metrosexuality.

It helped to brand Bravo as the cable network that excelled at identifying social trends with its reality series and making them part of the popular culture such as the growing "foodie" movement in the case of Top Chef or the phenomenal early success of ABC's Desperate Housewives with its Real Housewives franchise. — Reuters

Jimmy Fallon to feature live advertisements

Posted:

Viewers get the chance to pit their ideas for ads, and then see them performed on TV.

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon thinks it has a way to make you watch advertisements: By letting you write them, and see them performed live.

Beginning with Thursday's episode, the show will feature live ads based on viewer suggestions, the New York Times reported.

In a promotion with Lexus, called It's Your Move After Dark, viewers will be invited to suggest ad ideas through social media. Four improv groups will then act some of them out, live, from below the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.

During an early break in the episode, viewers will be asked to submit ideas using the hashtag #LexusIS. The ads are supposed to help build buzz about Lexus' 2014 IS model.

One of the four groups – Fun Young Guys, Magnet Theater Touring Company, MB's Dream and Stone Cold Fox – will then perform ads inspired by the suggestions.

The ads are an attempt to address one of the biggest problems for broadcasters: How to get viewers – especially younger ones like Fallon viewers – to watch advertising. NBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap.

NBC made a previous attempt this month by incorporating trivia into ads for Million Second Quiz. The show earned fairly low ratings, however.

As the Times noted, live ads were once fairly typical on television. Advertisers would use the power of live television to show viewers how quickly a Polaroid picture could develop, for example. — Reuters
Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates

U.S. general sees problems, progress in developing Afghan air force

Posted:

NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland (Reuters) - The U.S.-led effort to train the Afghan air force faces big challenges ranging from security threats to possible repercussions from procurement scandals that have triggered a review of infrastructure and equipment projects, the U.S. general in charge said.

"This is a hard deal. We're far from 100-percent guaranteed on delivery," said Air Force Brigadier General John Michel, who leads NATO Air Training Command Afghanistan, which is due to complete its training of the Afghan air force by December 31, 2017 - three years after most U.S. forces leave Afghanistan.

The one-star general cited progress in training and planning for Afghanistan to assume control over the air force but said many factors were outside his control.

Michel spoke to Reuters this week during the annual Air Force Association conference here.

He said the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force was re-examining all infrastructure projects after a report that one $37 million (23 million pounds) aviation facility may have been used to store opium.

The Pentagon also has opened a criminal investigation into the Army aviation unit that awarded contracts for maintaining and overhauling Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters.

Michel said Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, who heads ISAF, was trying to insulate the training command from any fallout from the procurement problems.

"If they downscale some of our infrastructure (and cut aircraft), there's a degrading effect on our capacity," he said. "All of these become impediments to our success while we fight the clock."

Michel, who arrived on the job seven weeks ago, said about 70 percent of the hangars, taxiways and other infrastructure needed to support the air force, which is due to expand to around 8,000 people from 7,000, were completed.

But he said he fears the remaining 30 percent might never get built if problems identified in a recent report by the Special Inspector General For Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) lead to project cancellations.

"You have to have concrete and buildings to operate from," he said.

'SMALL BUT MIGHTY'

The training mission is being led by 649 U.S. military advisers, contractors and advisers from other NATO forces. Their ranks will swell to 1,114 over the next two years after four Lockheed Martin Corp C-130 cargo planes and 20 A29 Super Tucano planes built by Sierra Nevada Corp arrive.

A dozen Mi-17 helicopters are also expected in coming weeks, Michel said.

The NATO advisers are helping Afghans develop the skills to operate, maintain, develop budgets for and manage what Michel calls a self-sustaining, "small but mighty" air force.

Afghani pilots will be trained to carry out missions, respond to natural disasters, and evacuate casualties in a mountainous country that still lacks roads and other forms transportation.

One of the biggest challenges has been ensuring that about half the force learns English, Michel said, noting that recruiting was difficult in a country where literacy in native languages was at just 31 percent.

Michel's unit now runs seven English courses, serving about 420 students at any given time.

Security at six training sites in Afghanistan is another worry, with attacks or threats setting back training efforts and forcing trainers to reinforce security, he said.

"The more we have to do those kind of (security) missions, the more we have to degrade training," he said.

A longer-term concern is whether the Afghan military can afford the estimated $600 million to $620 million a year it will cost to run the air force.

That question, Michel says, could have big implications for the training effort, and is being debated by Dunford, the Marine Corps general, and Afghan leaders.

"We're going to consume 15 to 20 percent of their budget. We need to know today if that's sustainable," Michel said.

Despite the challenges, he said the Afghan air force was flourishing in many respects.

A casualty evacuation that once took three days can now be executed in three to four hours, and Afghan pilots recently evacuated 300 villagers threatened by major flooding, Michel said.

The air force is also laying the groundwork for the emergence of an Afghan aviation sector and the related infrastructure that will help Afghanistan attract foreign investment, he said.

"Aviation opens you to the world," Michel said. "It seeds the investment that Afghanistan is going to need to really flourish going forward."

(This story corrects the number of stars for the general in the third paragraph)

North Korea postpones inter-Korean family reunions, accuses Seoul of confrontation

Posted:

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea on Saturday ordered the indefinite postponement of a scheduled series of reunions for families divided since the Korean War, dealing a setback to months of efforts to improve relations between the neighbours.

The six-day meetings of families torn apart by the 1950-53 war had been due to start on Wednesday in the Mount Kumgang resort just north of the militarised border.

They had been seen as an element in furthering months of thaw in chilled relations compounded by the North's refusal to abandon its nuclear programme, described as its "treasured sword".

The North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, in a statement carried by KCNA news agency, accused the South of poisoning dialogue. It said it could never tolerate Seoul misusing such dialogue to heighten conflicts.

"The reunions of separated families and relatives between the North and the South will be postponed until there can be a normal atmosphere where dialogue and negotiations can be held," said a spokesman for the committee, which oversees ties with South Korea.

The planned family reunions would have been the first in nearly three years.

The North's abrupt postponement came amid an easing of tensions. The two sides this week reopened a shuttered jointly-run industrial complex just inside the North, shut down by Pyongyong authorities during weeks of high tension in April.

North Korea issued daily threats to engulf both South Korea and its ally, the United States, in a nuclear war in response to new U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang.

The Security Council adopted the punitive measures in response to the North's third nuclear test in February.

But tensions have since waned, although a U.S. research institute and a U.S. official this month said that satellite imagery suggested North Korea had restarted a research reactor at its Yongbyon nuclear complex.

(This story refiles to adjust headline)

(Reporting by Jack Kim and Jane Chung; Editing by Ron Popeski)

U.S. House taunts Democrats with anti-Obamacare spending bill

Posted:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A familiar Washington melodrama - will they or won't they shut down the government - took centre stage on Friday when the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill to fund the government, but only if President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare law is ransacked.

Notching their 42nd vote against "Obamacare" and knowing full well the Democratic Senate will reject it, Republicans in the House cast their votes, staged a noisy celebration in front of a placard declaring: "SenateMustAct," and then left town for several days to give time for the Senate to demolish its work.

"The Senate will not pass any bill that defunds or delays Obamacare," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said flatly.

Later on Friday, Obama called House Speaker John Boehner, to reiterate he would not negotiate on another bill that will soon be before Congress: one to increase U.S. borrowing authority, which is rapidly approaching its $16.7 trillion limit.

House Republicans said they were considering a series of controversial initiatives to attach to that bill, which likely prompted Obama's phone call.

A White House official said Obama told Boehner in the call that the American people had worked long and hard to dig the country out of the financial crisis and the last thing they needed was another politically motivated, self-inflicted wound.

Obama, who would veto any bill that stripped funds from his healthcare law, hit the road too, as he has in past fiscal showdowns. "They're not focused on you," he said of the Republicans as he spoke at a Ford plant in Liberty, Missouri. "They're focused on politics. They're focused on how to mess with me."

Jeff Wright, a United Auto Workers officer waiting for Obama, commented, "They're completely dysfunctional."

If both houses fail to pass a bill funding the government, it could shut down on October 1, although most Capitol Hill observers doubt it will come to that.

Without prompt agreement in Congress on a new funding bill, agencies including the FBI, Education Department, Defence Department and Environmental Protection Agency would have to curtail many non-essential operations on October 1, the first day of the new fiscal year.

CALLING OUT DEMOCRATS

The Republican manoeuvre seemed equally designed to get members of Congress in both houses on the record on Obamacare in the run-up to the 2014 congressional elections.

After the vote on Friday, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor called out the names of potentially vulnerable Senate Democrats who will now be confronted with casting a vote on an issue Republicans see as a winner for them.

But even some Republicans, particularly in the Senate, have been dismissive of their House colleagues' tactics, calling them futile.

They were joined on Thursday by New York Republican Representative Peter King, who told CNN that the party was "carrying out a fraud with the people by somehow implying or even saying that this strategy is going to win."

He then voted in favour of the funding bill, complete with the Obamacare provision.

Representative Scott Rigell of Virginia, the lone Republican to vote against the House bill, was accused of a "betrayal" by the politically conservative advocacy group, Americans for Limited Government. The group's president, Nathan Mehrens, said Rigell "now owns it every bit as much as if he had voted for Obamacare's passage."

Rigell, who represents a district with a heavy military presence, defended his stance. He said the spending bill failed to address the steep automatic spending cuts on defence programs.

The measure passed on Friday on a largely partisan vote of 230-189. Only two centrist Democrats, Representatives Jim Matheson of Utah and Mike McIntyre of North Carolina, voted for the bill.

As Republicans celebrated its passage with a "rally" in the Capitol, some senior members of the party confided to Reuters that their leaders appeared to have no plan on how to both please conservatives, who push for smaller government, and ultimately get legislation enacted into law.

Asked what Boehner would do if the Senate, as expected, removes the Obamacare provision and sends a bill back to the House that simply continues government programs at their current rate of spending, one House Republican said: "We don't know what they (leadership) would do. ... I don't think they know what they would do."

'WOLF IN WOLF'S CLOTHING'

Against that backdrop, the debate over Obamacare and government spending raged on the House floor with neither Republicans nor Democrats showing any sign of compromise.

"Let's defund this law now and protect the American people from the economic calamity that we know Obamacare will create," Cantor said as he argued that employers were cutting back on their workers' hours in order to skirt requirements of the healthcare law.

Cantor's counterpart, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, shot back at Republicans: "You know what that's about? That's simply about putting their friends, the insurance companies back in charge of medical decisions for your families."

Pelosi also called the bill "a wolf in wolf's clothing."

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers urged quick passage of the bill that he said "is absolutely necessary to keep the lights on" at government agencies.

Republican Representative Frank Wolf implored, "You can't shut down the federal prison system, FBI counterterrorism activities," weather forecasting and NASA space exploration.

Government spending was not the only cloud hovering over the Capitol.

Sometime in October or early November, the U.S. Treasury will hit its $16.7 trillion limit on borrowing. Without legislation to raise the "statutory debt ceiling," the United States, for the first time, would default on loans from bondholders such as the Chinese government.

Here again, House Republicans were in disarray as conservatives pressed to attach the destruction of Obamacare and other pet initiatives to a debt limit measure.

Veteran Representative Pete Sessions was swarmed by reporters as he left a closed-door meeting of his fellow Republicans.

Asked what would be attached to a debt limit bill that is supposed to come to the House floor next week, Sessions said: "What we're trying to do is come together as a team to understand what all might be in that. When we do that, we'll have an idea what we're going to do. There are options and ideas and potentials."

Sessions declined to elaborate.

(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton and Steve Holland; Editing by Grant McCool, Fred Barbash and Peter Cooney)
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Australia sells wheat to Malaysia, Indonesia

Posted:

SINGAPORE: Australian exporters sold wheat to millers in Indonesia and Malaysiathis week, while a strengthening Indian rupee lifted soymeal prices for exports from the South Asian country.

New-crop Australian standard wheat was quoted around $300-$310 a tonne, including cost and freight toSoutheast Asia, up around $10 from last week. Australian prime wheat was being offered around $315-$317 a tonne and Australian hard wheat at $330 a tonne.

"Australian wheat has been traded in Southeast Asia in the last few days as prices are firming up on strong global demand," said one Singapore-based trader.

Chicago wheat futures have gained almost 5 percent this week, its biggest weekly gain in 14 months, driven by strong global demand for the grain.

U.S. exporters loaded and shipped more wheat last week to global buyers than in any week in at least the past 23 years, with most of the grain headed for China and Brazil, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

Exporters shipped 1.204 million tonnes of U.S. wheat in the week ended Sept. 12, including 406,700 tonnes of mostly soft red winter wheat and white wheat to China, and 186,400 tonnes of hard red winter wheat to Brazil, data going back to 1990 showed.

Australian wheat is also in strong demand as its spread with Black Sea wheat has narrowed in Asia, traders said. Australian standard wheat is selling at premium of $12-$15 to Black Sea wheat, down from a spread of $30 a tonne a couple of weeks ago.

"Mills in Southeast Asian will any day prefer Australian wheat to Black Sea wheat at the current price difference," said one Sydney-based trader.

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture bought 108,901 tonnes of food wheat from the United States, Canada andAustralia in a regular tender this week.

INDIAN SOYMEAL FIRMS ON STRONG RUPEE

In the feed grains market, Indian soymeal was being offered for export this week at higher prices as the rupee strengthened against the dollar.

Indian soymeal has risen to $515 a tonne, free alongside ship, compared with $500-$505 last week, while rival South American soymeal values have eased following a decline in the U.S. futures.

U.S. soymeal futures slid more than 5 percent this week, tracking weakness in the soybean market, which lost ground on forecasts for crop-friendly weather that is expected to aid the development of late-planted soybeans.

The Indian rupee hit its highest in nearly five weeks on Thursday, as the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision not to dial back its easy money policy is expected to provide a reprieve to the local central bank in its policy making.

This has narrowed the spread between Indian and South American soymeal prices to around $20 a tonne from $35 a tonne last week.

"Indian soymeal is still attractive but the firming rupee has eroded its attractiveness," said anotherSingapore-based grains trader. "Buyers will still take Indian meal but sales might slow down."

Asian grain buyers are keeping a close watch on U.S. corn and soybean harvests, which are likely to influence prices. "People are looking at yields from early harvests and corn looks to be every good," the first Singapore trader said.- Reuters

EU, S'pore Finalise Details Of Far-Reaching Trade Deal

Posted:

BRUSSELS/SINGAPORE: The European Union and Singapore have finalized the details of one of the world's most comprehensive free trade agreements, a pact the EU sees as a stepping stone towards a wider deal with booming economies in Southeast Asia.

The European Union, the world's largest trading bloc, hopes the deal will open the door to a deal with other members of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which has set a goal of economic integration by 2015.

"In the long term we want to have an agreement with all the 600 million ASEAN consumers and with all the countries of ASEAN and beyond, this is the first milestone," Rupert Schlegelmilch, chief EU negotiator for the pact, said in Singapore where both sides initialed the roughly 1,000-page document.

While still subject to approval in Singapore and by the EU's 28 member states and the European Parliament, the agreement should enter into force in late 2014 or early 2015.

Friday's presentation of the full text follows an agreement on terms struck by Karel De Gucht, the EU trade commissioner, and Singapore's trade and industry minister, Lim Hng Kiang, last December.

Singapore has a population of just 5 million people but accounts for about a third of all EU-ASEAN trade, more than 60 percent of all investment between the two regions and is host to more than 9,000 European companies.

Trade in goods between the two topped 52 billion euros in 2012 and 28 billion euros in services in 2011. Mutual investment has reached 190 billion euros.

Singapore is one of the world's biggest oil refining centers and the agreement will likely boost the export of petroleum products from Singapore to the EU because it will reduce tariffs, provided the refiners meet certain conditions.

The major refiners operating in Singapore are Royal Dutch Shell PLC <RDSa.L> and Exxon Mobil <XOM.N>.

The agreement will also make it easier for European banks and insurers operating in Singapore to expand, potentially benefiting the retail businesses of Standard Chartered <STAN.L> and HSBC <HSBA.L> as well as banks with wholesale operations such as Deutsche Bank AG <DBKGn.DE> and Barclays PLC <BARC.L>.

It will ensure the right to sell directly or establish branches in each other's markets and promises to provide greater transparency over the award of licenses.

"We made a very determined effort to go as far as we can in liberalizing further what our banks and insurances companies can do, we were quite successful in that respect," said Schlegelmilch.

The deal goes beyond many other free trade accords in committing to open up public procurement, an area where the EU has many leading suppliers, and agreeing on technical standards in areas such as motor vehicles, electronics and green technologies.

A car made according to EU standards, for example, will be accepted for sale in Singapore.

PARMA HAM AND PORK FLOSS

The European Union also gains better protection of "geographical indications", region-specific products such as Parma ham or champagne. Singaporean delicacies such as pork floss and fish balls will be allowed to enter the EU tariff-free within an annual quota.

EU tariffs on virtually all items from Singapore will disappear over five years. Singapore has committed to its existing zero tariffs on EU imports.

Singapore is likely to benefit from reduced tariffs for pharmaceutical and petrochemical products.

The EU and ASEAN launched free trade talks in 2007, but abandoned them two years later, the EU choosing instead to conduct bilateral talks with individual members.

The European Commission is already negotiating free trade accords with Malaysia and Vietnam and launched talks with Thailand in March.- Reuters

Palm Ends Lower Again As Strong Ringgit Weighs, But Exports Support

Posted:

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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian palm oil futures fell for the third straight session on Friday and extended declines for a second week as a stronger local currency curbed appetite from overseas buyers, although strong export numbers
limited losses.
    Despite easing slightly, the ringgit was still near
3-month highs hit as it surged nearly 3 percent after the U.S.
Federal Reserve's surprise decision not to taper its economic
stimulus just yet. 
    But healthy exports in September reined in losses and kept
prices in a tight range of 2,303-2,318 ringgit per tonne. Cargo
surveyor Intertek Testing Services showed that shipments of
Malaysian palm oil rose 13.1 percent to 996,377 tonnes during
Sept. 1-20 compared to a month ago. 
    Another cargo surveyor, Societe Generale de Surveillance
showed exports for the same period climbed 9.2 percent.
 
    "The strong ringgit is definitely weighing on the market,
both yesterday and today," said a trader with a foreign
commodities brokerage in Kuala Lumpur.
    "But the fact that prices went down so little shows the
resilience and friendliness that the market feels towards palm
oil," the trader added.
    By Friday's close, the benchmark December contract 
on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange had lost 0.9 percent
to 2,297 ringgit ($725) per tonne, bringing prices down 2.2
percent for the week. 
     Total traded volumes stood at 21,822 lots of 25 tonnes
each, much lower than the average 35,000 lots.
    On the technical front, a bearish target at 2,270 ringgit
per tonne remains unchanged for Malaysian palm oil as it has a
better chance to break support at 2,311 ringgit, said Reuters
market analyst Wang Tao. 
    Investors have turned bearish on forecasts that Southeast
Asian palm oil output could start rising from September onwards,
with the seasonally higher cycle seen dragging on until at least
April 2014. 
    Expectations of bumper crops of competing oilseeds such as
soybeans could cause a flood of edible oils in the market and
depress prices in the coming months. Palm prices have already
lost 5.8 percent so far this year -- extending declines into a
third year.
    But palm oil exports seem to be holding for now, lending
hope that the strong demand will eat into stocks and prevent
inventories from surging to record levels last seen in December.
Stocks at end-August stood at 1.67 million tonnes.
 
    Prices could also get support from rising Indian demand. 
    Edible oil imports of the world's top buyer are likely to
rise 4 percent to a record 10.7 million tonnes in 2013/14 due to
rapid growth in consumption, with the entire rise met by palm
oil, a leading trade expert said on Friday.   
    In other markets, oil edged up to $109 a barrel on Friday,
supported by the Federal Reserve's decision this week to leave
its stimulus programme unchanged, falling U.S. crude inventories
and persistent concerns about supplies. 
    The U.S. soyoil contract for December fell 0.9
percent in late Asian trade. 
    The Dalian Commodities Exchange will resume trading on
Monday after closing from Sept. 19 for the mid-autumn festival.
    
  Palm, soy and crude oil prices at 1010 GMT
                                                                                          
  Contract        Month    Last   Change     Low    High  Volume
  MY PALM OIL      OCT3    2305   -17.00    2302    2315     350
  MY PALM OIL      NOV3    2298   -20.00    2298    2319    1932
  MY PALM OIL      DEC3    2297   -20.00    2296    2318   12957
  CHINA PALM OLEIN JAN4    5392    +2.00    5378    5452  402222
  CHINA SOYOIL     JAN4    7070    -6.00    7056    7126  485690
  CBOT SOY OIL     DEC3   42.58    -0.38   42.47   42.98    3552
  NYMEX CRUDE      OCT3  106.21    -0.18  106.01  106.46    4662
                                                                                          
  Palm oil prices in Malaysian ringgit per tonne
  CBOT soy oil in U.S. cents per pound
  Dalian soy oil and RBD palm olein in Chinese yuan per tonne
  Crude in U.S. dollars per barrel
 
($1 = 3.16 Malaysian ringgit) 
- Reuters
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Matt Bomer to play iconic actor in biopic

Posted:

The star of White Collar is set to play classic actor Montgomery Clift in an indie film.

White Collar star Matt Bomer has signed on to play Montgomery Clift in an upcoming biopic that could start production next year, a representative for the actor has told TheWrap.

Pier 3 Pictures' Michael Din, who is producing with Janine Giaime and Juri Henley-Cohn, is currently shopping the film for financing with the Magic Mike hunk attached. Larry Moss will direct from a script by Christopher Lovick.

Clift was a major Hollywood star best known for his lead roles in From Here To Eternity and Judgment At Nuremberg.

Bomer, who will soon be seen in Ryan Murphy's HBO movie The Normal Heart, was a fan favourite to play Christian Grey in Fifty Shades Of Grey, though he was never in serious contention for the role, which went to Charlie Hunnam. — Reuters

Mini reviews of movies

Posted:

A mob family, undercover agents and espionage provide the twists and turns in our three mini movie reviews.

Malavita

EVERY family has its ups and down, doubly so when there is an extended family in the picture.

In the case of the Manzonis – who used to be part of the Mafia family in New York – things turn really bad when Giovanni Manzoni (Robert De Niro) snitches on his boss.

Put under the witness protection programme, he and his family end up in a small town in France.

Of course, old habits die hard, so whoever crosses this family suffers some lasting injuries – like the French boys who are taught a lesson on how to respect women by the tennis racquet-wielding daughter, or the plumber who receives the brunt of his own tools when the father doesn't get the proper answers he's looking for.

There are sparks of fun when the scenes are commanded by De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones, and whenever the Manzonis are depicted as a normal family.

While the film is not to be taken seriously — obviously since there is always a touch of ridiculousness in it, be it in the performances or a scene itself – its narrative does dip to low points.

This is apparent when it focuses on Giovanni's daughter (Dianna Agron). It's just amazing how Agron can make any role dull and colourless.

She's not doing herself any favours by playing a silly girl here – someone who considers suicide because the man she loves does not feel the same way. We're suppose to find this funny?

Even when director Luc Besson shifts the story to an explosive action sequence, he stretches it really thin.

In the end, Malavita – or, The Family – is like a relative that you never, ever, want to see again. — Mumtaj Begum (**)

2 Guns

Denzel Washington is an actor who'd have chemistry with a table. Luckily for him, his partner in 2 Guns is Mark Wahlberg, an actor who can play a thug like he is one.

These two actors do have fun with their characters and ask the audience to hop on the ride. Unfortunately, the film operates on convenient storytelling, which has too many scenes in which the audience has to suspend disbelief. The movie works only when the focus is on the two main characters together.

Washington and Wahlberg play two undercover agents from different agencies. Not knowing that they are on the same side, they hatch a plan that gets them into trouble with both the bad guys and the so-called good guys.

Besides the two actors and more than decent action scenes, the only thing you can glean from the film is that corruption and disloyalty are rife within government agencies.

The CIA, Naval Intelligence and DEA all have members who are as dirty as a drug cartel, or just plain ignorant. It's scary that these people have the most power in the country then. — MB (**)

Paranoia

This is a serviceable movie.

By that, I mean that it's an OK movie to watch if you just want something to do, but there's really nothing outstanding about it at all.

The whole paranoia thing? Not really happening.

It's just the occasional interspersed surveillance scenes and security camera footage – ho-hum, I say. There are other films that have tackled this subject way, way better.

The actors, including lead Liam Hemsworth (Adam Cassidy), Gary Oldman (Nick Wyatt) and Harrison Ford (Jock Goddard), do an OK job, but they never really draw you into the story.

Cassidy's love interest, Emma Jennings (Amber Heard), has the weakest story of them all, what with her sudden turnabout from viewing Cassidy as a one-night stand to serious boyfriend material.

Basically, the film is about industrial espionage, with Cassidy being blackmailed by his boss Wyatt, into stealing a revolutionary new phone from arch-rival Goddard.

And that's about the most exciting thing you can say about it.

I was more amused by the observation that Cassidy and his best friend and smarter sidekick Kevin (Lucas Till) actually have the same type of relationship that Goddard and Wyatt have. Intentional or coincidence, I wonder?

I'd probably have been better off reading the book by Joseph Finder.

Watch only if there's nothing else available. — Tan Shiow Chin (**)

Movies coming soon

Posted:

Check out some of the movies that will be opened in Malaysia next week.

Runner, Runner – A thriller depicting the life of Ivan Block, a businessman who takes Richie Furst, a Princeton University graduate under his wing as he runs illegal online gaming website.

Starring Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake, Anthony Mackie, Oliver Cooper and Gemma Arterton.

The Butler – This Lee Daniels' directed film, and starring Oprah Winfrey, is already getting Oscar buzz. As the title reveals, the film revolves around a butler (played by Forest Whitaker) who worked in the White House under eight presidents, and was a silent witness to the historical moments in the United States.

Young Detective Dee 3D – Directed by Tsui Hark, this is a prequel to the 2010 film Detective Dee And The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame. It tells the story of when Dee Renjie joins the police force as a detective. His first case involves a sea monster. If the older Dee was played by Andy Lau, the younger version falls in the hands of Taiwanese actor Mark Chao. It also stars Carina Lau, William Feng and Lin Gengxin.

Rush – Director Ron Howard recreates the intense rivalry between Formula One drivers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl). The two couldn't be more different, in person – one is an English playboy and the other is a methodical driver from Austria – and on the track.

About Time – A British romantic comedy directed and written by Richard Curtis (Love, Actually and Notting Hill). Tim discovers on his 21st birthday that he has a unique ability — he can time travel. Like everyone else who has had a few regrets, he decides to make his life a little better by erasing his mistakes and getting a girlfriend. But life could never be that easy.

Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy and Lydia Wilson.

3096 Days – Based on the true events in which a young Austrian girl, Natascha Kampusch, is kidnapped and held in captivity for eight years. Antonia Campbell-Hughes and Thure Lindhardt lead the cast.

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RM3bil in supply contracts

Posted:

SHAH ALAM: The Health Ministry is expected to pay more than RM3bil in the form of contracts for the supply of medicinal products and equipment.

This will take effect after six months, which is the timeframe required to examine all products submitted by the vendors in the tender process, said Pharmaniaga Bhd.

Yesterday marked the end of a two-day tender exercise held at the premises of Pharmaniaga Bhd here.

Pharmaniaga is a concessionaire appointed by the ministry to procure and distribute both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical products.

Its managing director Datuk Farshila Emran said the tender process was held in a transparent manner and monitored by officials from the ministry, an auditing firm and the chief integrity officer from its parent company, Boustead Group.

She said the 172 vendors were briefed on the process before they submitted their quotations.

"When we had our previous tender exercise, about RM1bil in the form of contracts were awarded to vendors.

"This time, we are expecting the amount to be more than RM3bil."

She said the tender exercise was not an easy task as perceived by others since ministry officials would need to thoroughly vet the products.

"They will have to scrutinise each and every product because a wrong pick of a medicine can be detrimental to some 27 million Malaysians," she added.

Farshila also denied allegations that Pharmaniaga had reaped huge profits from distributing medicine to the ministry.

She noted that although the company facilitated tender exercises once every three years, it did not determine which vendor received the contract as the ministry made the decision.

Man seeks funds to treat spastic diplegic daughter

Posted:

IPOH: A father is pleading for public donations so that he can treat his daughter who has been diagnosed with spastic diplegia since she was two years old.

Supervisor M. Vicneswaran, 45, said his 11-year-old daugther Rupanaa has difficulty walking due to the disease and needs to get Ayurvedic treatment in Kerala, India.

"I took her to Kerala to get the treatment in 2011.

"After the first treatment, she could move her leg slightly and her movement continued to improve after subsequent treatments last year," he said at a press conference held by Perak Barisan Nasional Public Services and Complaints Centre chief Mohd Rawi Abdullah here on yesterday.

Spastic diplegia, also known as little's disease, is a chronic neuromuscular condition of hypertonia and spasticity mostly affecting the muscles of the lower body, usually those of the legs, hips and pelvis.

Vicneswaran said his daughter needed two treatments a year, each lasting for a month.

He said he had used up most of his savings and had spent about RM100,000 to treat his daughter.

"The treatment expenditure in India costs about RM35,000 a year.

"My salary and my wife's add up to about RM4,000 and we can no longer afford to send her to India for further treatment.

"I am assured that the treatment is working for her and I hope generous Malaysians can help ensure that my daughter will walk without needing assistance," he said, adding that Rupanaa would require treatment for another five years.

Vicneswaran said his daughter had sought treatment from local hospitals but none had worked for her.

"A doctor from Selayang Hospital injected her with botox, which cost about RM1,500 per injection, but after two years of treatment from 2006 to 2008, Rupanaa's condition did not improve," he said.

Vicneswaran said that apart from her disability, Rupanaa was doing well in school.

Those who wish to help can bank in the money to Pertubuhan Masyarakat Perihatin Perak's bank account at 0811-0005538051.

Those who are banking the money direct should notify Vicneswaran at 016-535-0565 and those banking through cheque should write Rupanaa's name at the back of the cheque.

Mohd Rawi said he would also assist Vicneswaran by trying to apply for Welfare Department aid for Rupanaa.

"I will also try to get some donations from companies and individuals," he said.

Woodcutter claims trial to charges

Posted:

IPOH: A 30-year-old woodcutter was charged in two separate magistrate's courts here with breaking into a house, stealing a Bentley worth RM800,000 and attempting to murder the house owner.

Voon Kok Chuan is also facing an alternative charge of possessing the stolen car.

He claimed trial to the charges, and magistrate Nur Melati Diana Abdul Wahab set bail at RM8,000 with one surety. She fixed Oct 23 for mention.

For the last charge of attempted murder, magistrate Suhaima Mohd Nor set bail at another RM8,000 with one surety and fixed Oct 31 for mention.

On Sept 6, at about 4am, Voon allegedly broke into Foo Kok Leang's house in Jalan Watson here and stole the 63-year-old's Grey Bentley, a set of house keys and the keys to a Honda.

He was charged under Section 457 of the Penal Code for house break-in and theft and, if found guilty, faces a maximum jail sentence of 14 years and fine.

For the second charge, under Section 379A (1) of the Penal Code for vehicle theft, Voon faces a jail term of not less than one year and not more than seven years, and a fine.

In the alternative charge, he was accused of keeping the stolen Bentley at a car workshop in Menglembu on Sept 6.

The offence, under Section 411 of the Penal Code, carries a jail term of up to five years and a fine.

For the fourth charge of driving the Bentley in a dangerous manner with the intention of causing death to Foo, he faces 10 years' jail and a fine.

Chambering student Hafiz Jalaludin from Ranjit Singh Sandhu & Co represented Voon, while Deputy Public Prosecutor S. Kavitha and Muhammad Fauzi Yusof prosecuted.
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