Rabu, 25 September 2013

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

Survey: Asia to have most millionaires
Australia says Indonesia talks 'productive'
Pakistan quake death toll surges above 300

Survey: Asia to have most millionaires

Posted:

Hong Kong (AFP) - Asia will have the world's largest number of millionaires as early as next year despite the expected tapering of the US Federal Reserve's stimulus programme, according to a report published Wednesday.

With strong growth and high saving rates, the wealth of the region's millionaires will grow by an annual average 9.8 percent and reach nearly $16 trillion in 2015, according to the wealth management unit of Royal Bank of Canada.

Despite concerns of devaluing asset prices due to capital outflows triggered by Fed tapering, Asia is set to lead the world in the number of millionaires and their total wealth, the bank said in a report prepared with consulting firm Capgemini.

"The region's high net worth population and wealth has increased by 31 percent and 27 percent respectively since 2007, far outpacing growth in the rest of the world of 14 percent and nine percent," George Lewis, group head of RBC Wealth Management, said in a statement.

The number of millionaires in Asia surged by 9.4 percent year-on-year to 3.68 million in 2012, still trailing North America's 3.73 million.

Millionaires in the report are defined as individuals with investable assets of $1 million or more, excluding residence, collectibles and others.

Asia's continual population growth, and economic growth expected to continue outperforming the rest of the world, would help it take the lead as early as next year, according to Eric Lascelles, chief economist of RBC Global Asset Management.

He said the Fed's tapering plan could create "hiccups" but would not affect the trajectory of growth in the region.

The bank said Japan saw the slowest growth in its millionaire population last year among Asian economies, with only a 4.4 percent increase in 2012 compared to the previous year.

Hong Kong topped its Asian peers in the growth of both millionaire numbers and their investable assets in 2012. The number of millionaires rose by 35.7 percent year-on-year while their wealth grew by 37.2 percent.

The firm said the big jump was largely caused by an influx of capital from mainland China as well as rising asset prices. - AFP

Australia says Indonesia talks 'productive'

Posted:

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has declared her meetings with her Indonesian counterpart on the fraught issue of turning back asylum-seeker boats to the sprawling archipelago "very productive".

Speaking from New York, Bishop said she had spoken to Indonesia's top diplomat Marty Natalegawa about Australia's military-led operation to shut down people-smugglers by forcing their boats to turn around when safe to do so.

"I had a very productive and positive meeting with Foreign Minister Natalegawa," Bishop told reporters, according to a transcript from her office.

"I am not going into the operational details of our policy, but I had a very broad-ranging discussion with Minister Natalegawa and I am confident that we will be able to implement our policies."

Australia's new conservative government, headed by Prime Minister Tony Abbott who swept to power in national polls earlier this month, hopes to deter asylum-seekers from taking people-smuggling boats with the threat of potential towbacks.

Bishop said she told Natalegawa that Australia would be making changes to its laws "so that we take away the product that the people smugglers are currently selling -- and that is permanent residency in Australia".

"I also spoke of our support for efforts that not only Indonesia but other nations up the pipeline are making in terms of dismantling the people-smuggling trade," she said.

Asked whether Natalegawa had indicated that he was not happy with Australia's plan, Bishop said: "There can be some misunderstanding as to what our policy is, and it is certainly not to, in any way, show disrespect for Indonesian sovereignty."

"We had a very productive discussion. We talked about the issue generally, specifically, but I am not going into the details of what essentially are operational issues. But we had a very cordial meeting, I can assure you."

Bishop blamed the previous Labor government of leaving "a complete mess in border protection" which encouraged people smuggling, despite the fact that boat arrivals slowed sharply ahead of the elections due to their harsh permanent resettlement deal for refugees with Papua New Guinea and Nauru.

Bishop said that she looked forward to meeting with Natalegawa again during Abbott's upcoming visit to Jakarta.

Pakistan quake death toll surges above 300

Posted:

Awaran (Pakistan) (AFP) - Desperate villagers in southwest Pakistan clawed through the wreckage of their ruined homes Wednesday, a day after a huge earthquake struck, killing more than 300 people and creating a new island off the coast.

The 7.7-magnitude quake hit on Tuesday afternoon in Baluchistan province's remote Awaran district -- a dirt-poor expanse of land that is roughly the size of Wales.

At least 328 people have been confirmed dead and more than 450 injured, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and the Baluchistan government.

In the village of Dalbedi, the earthquake -- Pakistan's deadliest since the devastating Kashmir quake of 2005, which killed 73,000 -- flattened some 250 houses, an AFP photographer said.

Bewildered villagers dug with their hands through the rubble of their mud houses in Dalbedi to retrieve what was left of their meagre possessions.

Their simple houses destroyed, they used rags, old clothes, sheets and tree branches to shelter their families from the sun.

Farmer Noor Ahmed, 45, said the tremors lasted for two minutes and turned buildings in the village into piles of mud.

"We have lost everything, even our food is now buried under mud and water from underground channels is now undrinkable because of excessive mud in it due to the earthquake," he told AFP.

Jan Muhammad Buledi, spokesman for the Baluchistan government, gave the death toll and told AFP it was likely to rise further as rescue teams reach more villages in the area, which has been shaken by more than a dozen aftershocks.

More than 300,000 people had been affected by the quake across six districts -- Awaran, Kech, Gwadar, Panjgur, Chaghi and Khuzdar -- he said.

"People are still trapped under the rubble but it is a huge disaster and it will take time to reach and rescue all the people," he said.

PDMA official Ahmad Nawaz confirmed the death toll and said the injured numbered 498.

The authorities have prioritised finding the injured and getting them to hospital, but the task is hampered by the area's remoteness and the limited infrastructure.

They are also trying to provide tents to shelter the thousands left homeless.

"It is difficult to estimate the real magnitude of the losses because the area is very vast with small and scattered villages," said Major General Muhammad Saeed Aleem, chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority.

"We will receive satellite images tonight and then we will be in a position to analyse the magnitude of the losses."

The army has rushed medical staff and troops to the devastated area to help with rescue efforts, along with seven tonnes of food and a tonne of medicine. Six helicopters are taking part in rescue work, the military said.

The scale of the territory involved is daunting. Awaran's population is scattered over an area of more than 21,000 square kilometres (8,000 square miles).

New island emerges

Baluchistan makes up about 45 percent of Pakistan's area but is the country's least populated and least developed province. On top of the difficult terrain, the area is rife with separatist and Islamist militants as well as bandits.

Tremors were felt on Tuesday as far away as New Delhi and even Dubai in the Gulf, while people in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, near the border with Pakistan, ran into the streets in panic.

Tuesday's quake caused a new island to appear close to the coastline at Gwadar, officials said, prompting astonished locals to rush to the shore to take a look.

"It looked very very strange to me and also a bit scary because suddenly a huge thing has emerged from the water," Gwadar resident Muhammad Rustam told AFP.

Experts said a similar small island appeared at the same place in the sea after a major quake in 1945 but disappeared after some time. They expect the same to happen this time.

In April, a 7.8-magnitude quake in southeast Iran, close to the border with Baluchistan, killed 41 people and affected more than 12,000 on the Pakistan side of the border.

Baluchistan, Pakistan's largest province, is believed to have substantial gas and oil reserves.

But it is a flashpoint for growing violence against minority Shiite Muslims and has suffered attacks blamed on Taliban militants.

It also faces an ongoing separatist insurgency which began in 2004 when Baluch rebels rose up to demand a greater share of profits from the province's mineral resources. - AFP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

More <i>Here Comes Honey Boo Boo</i>
Army Wives is cancelled
Miss Piggy and friends at the Smithsonian

More <i>Here Comes Honey Boo Boo</i>

Posted:

The much talked-about reality series is getting a new season next year.

Prepare yourselves; Here Comes Honey Boo is coming back for another round.

TLC has ordered 12 more episodes of the redneck reality show, which will premiere Jan 1 in the United States to get your year off to a backwoods start. The renewal comes a little more than a week after the season finale of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, which featured a commitment ceremony between family matriarch June and her longtime companion Sugar Bear, and yielded series-high ratings for the show.

The new season kicks off with an "unconventional honeymoon that is sure to start fireworks", the network said.

"Now that the stresses of wedding planning have dissipated, it's time for June to ditch the bedazzled Keds and welcome back the familiar sights and sounds of rural McIntyre, Georgia. What better way to relax and unwind than with a romantic Southern getaway with Sugar Bear? Not in the world of Boo Boo!" TLC said.

"With the kids out of school for summer, the family is forced to spend every moment together and for better or for worse. The result: an unpredictable and bizarre family road trip that will go down in reality television history." — Reuters

Army Wives is cancelled

Posted:

The long-running drama series will not be getting a new season.

Lifetime has cancelled its long-running drama series, Army Wives.

"There is no denying how special Army Wives has been to both Lifetime and the television landscape," Lifetime's executive vice president and general manager Rob Sharenow said in a statement.

"By taking on a very relevant and timely issue, it has brilliantly captured the challenges our military families endure and the bravery they and their loved ones display while serving our country," he continued.

After seven seasons, the cable network plans to end the series run with a two-hour retrospective special featuring cast members that will air early next year.

"It has been an honour to be the home of Army Wives," Sharenow added. "We also want to thank Army Wives' passionate legion of fans and everyone involved with the series: ABC Studios, Mark Gordon and Jeff Melvoin, Tanya Biank, every single cast member, as well as the crew and community of Charleston, South Carolina. Without their dedication, effort and loyalty, Army Wives' seven wonderful seasons would not have been possible; and for that we are very grateful."

Army Wives followed the struggles, dreams and friendships of a diverse group of women living with their spouses and families on an active Army post. It was created by Katherine Fugate and based on Tanya Biank's novel, Under The Sabers: The Unwritten Code Of Army Wives.

Produced by ABC Studios, Mark Gordon and Jeff Melvoin served as executive producers. The series' ensemble cast has included Catherine Bell, Kim Delaney, Sally Pressman, Wendy Davis, Brigid Brannagh, Kelli Williams, Brian McNamara, Sterling K. Brown, Brooke Shields, Ashanti, Torrey DeVitto, Elle McLemore, Jesse McCartney, Terry Serpico, Drew Fuller, Alyssa Diaz, J.J. Soria, Joshua Henry and Burgess Jenkins.

The drama has received numerous honours, including two Gracie Awards from the Alliance for Women in Media, a Sentinel for Health Award from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism's Norman Lear Center, as well as numerous NAACP Image Award, NAMIC Award and Prism Award nominations. Once one of Lifetime's most-watched original series, its Season Seven finale in June attracted 2.41 million total viewers. — Reuters

Miss Piggy and friends at the Smithsonian

Posted:

Some characters from Sesame Street and The Muppet Show will join Kermit the Frog at the museum.

Miss Piggy is finally getting the attention and recognition she desperately sought. Earlier this week, the glamorous, fame-seeking pig secured her place in history when she and some of puppeteer Jim Henson's other creations were donated to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC.

Twenty-one of Henson's puppets from Sesame Street, The Muppet Show and other projects – including Cookie Monster, Bert, Ernie, Fozzie Bear and the Swedish Chef – will join Miss Piggy's longtime squeeze, Kermit the Frog, in the Jim Henson Collection at the Museum of American History on Washington's National Mall.

The induction ceremony took place on what would have been Muppet creator Henson's 77th birthday.

Puppeteer Henson, the creative mind behind the long-running children's shows Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, died in 1990. His wife and collaborator Jane Henson died in April.

"I'm so happy to have my father's work be part of the cultural heritage of this country," said Cheryl Henson, one of the couple's children and president of the Jim Henson Foundation. "When you look at these different characters, you can hear their voices. They are like living beings."

Miss Piggy will be on view within the museum's "American Stories" exhibition starting in March next year. Several other Muppets and Sesame Street characters from the collection will be part of a broader puppetry display beginning in November.

"The Muppets are very much a touchstone to my childhood," said museum director John Gray, who called The Muppet Show, a comedy and variety show that ran from 1976 to 1981, "the best example of American vaudeville".

Karen Falk, archivist with The Henson Corporation, highlighted the importance of Rowlf, a scruffy brown dog character created for a dog food commercial in the early 1960s who later joined The Muppet Show as a pianist.

"Kermit was Jim's alter ego, but Rowlf was Jim's alter ego without the ambition. He was Jim on the weekend, Jim in a hammock," Falk said in an interview. — Reuters

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

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The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

Margot Robbie's time has come
Love is all around Rachel McAdams
Harrison Gilbertson in new movie

Margot Robbie's time has come

Posted:

Margot Robbie is the most nearly-famous almost-star you've never heard of.

MARGOT Robbie is the most nearly-famous almost-star you've never heard of. At only 23 years old, the Australian actor has already been directed by Martin Scorsese and Richard Curtis and starred opposite Leonardo DiCaprio; a call from Woody Allen can't be far off. Next month she begins filming the caper comedy Focus, in which she'll star as a pickpocket who falls for a con artist played by Will Smith.

Consequently, she has a lot to be excited about. So once she starts talking about the thrill of getting this callback while she was doing that read-through, or interrupting a backpacking holiday in Croatia with her brother to travel for 50 hours by plane, train and catamaran to an audition in New York, it's best to just to let her finish; it's also highly refreshing to find that she has not yet had the ebullience ground out of her by promotional duties.

Near the end of our interview, the studio PR pops her head round the door to wrap things up, and I have to confess sheepishly that I will need a little longer. We've been talking for 45 minutes and we haven't even got round to discussing the film that Robbie has been flown here at great expense to promote: Curtis's time-travel romcom About Time.

It's not that I didn't try. When Robbie mentions her habit of people-watching, I ask how this came in useful in About Time. When she tells me that it's unwise to finalise a character's backstory in your mind - "The director might say, 'We're gonna make it that she had an abortion two years ago,' and you'd be, like, 'Really? I had her down as a virgin'" - I ask whether she and Curtis differed at all over her About Time character.

But on each occasion, she steers the conversation round to Scorsese's The Wolf Of Wall Street, which she recently finished shooting opposite DiCaprio. He plays the drug-addled stockbroker Jordan Belfort.About Time, on the other hand, provides her with a small, decorative role as the woman of the hero's dreams.

It isn't that she's not proud to be a part of Curtis's film. "You fall in love instantly with his characters," she says once we are all Wolfed out. "You want everything to go right for these people two minutes after meeting them." She has a bright, moonlike face, open and direct, with blond hair scraped back; she could pass for Denise Richards' naive kid sister.

She's sparky enough in About Time, but there isn't very much for her to play. It doesn't surprise me when she reveals how her character was described in the script. "It was so intimidating to read: 'She steps out of the car and she's the most gorgeous thing he's ever seen, she's got these beautiful long legs ...' I'm thinking: 'Oh, no, my legs aren't like that ...'

You just hope Richard's going to use reaction shots to convey all that, so it takes the pressure off me. Seriously, there were two whole sentences about how stunningly attractive she is. It was the same with Wolf ..."

There is a faint air of disbelief in the way she talks about The Wolf Of Wall Street. She keeps examining it from different angles, as if to confirm that it really happened - that she isn't going to wake up and still be starring in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, on which she was a regular for three years. Not that she has any shame about that. Why would she? Now that Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, Kylie Minogue and Jesse Spencer (from House) have all passed through, it is practically the Australian equivalent of the Actors Studio.

Robbie was still a television actor when Scorsese called: she had been part of the ensemble cast of the now-cancelled Pan Am.Still, silver linings and all that: if Pan Am had continued, she wouldn't have been free to hurl herself at doors and walls under Scorsese's direction, or to tear her vocal cords to shreds howling like a banshee at DiCaprio for weeks on end.

It is around this point that the door creaks open and Curtis lopes in unexpectedly, snowy-haired and pink-faced in a comfortable jersey. As the PR beckons me out to allow actor and director some privacy to shoot the breeze about the previous evening's premiere, I find myself hoping for Curtis's sake that their conversation doesn't swing round too quickly to The Wolf Of Wall Street. Let the filmmaker enjoy his moment. It'll be Margot Robbie's time soon enough. – Guardian News & Media

Related story:

Love is all around Rachel McAdams

Posted:

Rachel McAdams is fast establishing herself as the rom-com queen.

THE idea for About Time came when director Richard Curtis (Four Weddings And A Funeral, Notting Hill and Love, Actually) had a conversation with a friend on what they would do if they only had 24 hours to live. Curtis' answer was simple – a normal day at home with the family, doing normal everyday things. Having reached this conclusion, Curtis was interested to incorporate it into his next movie. Hence, About Time is a romantic comedy with a time-travel element, and it features a lot of family dynamics.

It was this very subject that attracted Rachel McAdams to the project, apart from the fact that she is a huge fan of Curtis' films. In an interview transcript provided by United International Pictures, McAdams said: "Curtis reminds us to really enjoy and celebrate the best things in life which are sometimes hard to find and easy to overlook.

"And I felt that this film celebrated the small things in life, which are actually the biggest, most important things. It's about appreciating the people around you, the people you love, your family and friends. And it's about enjoying, and appreciating, the moment."

About Time revolves around Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) who finds out that the men in his family have the ability to travel through time. This 21-year-old then decides to use this ability to get a girlfriend. Well, he discovers through many trials and tribulations that love, actually, doesn't work that way.

This is especially true when Tim falls for Mary (McAdams), an insecure woman. Wanting to make his courtship absolutely perfect, Tim goes back in time whenever something goes wrong. But with any time-travel adventure, there is always repercussion – in one instance, Tim doesn't even meet the love of his life.

Describing her character as a little bit quirky and unsure of herself, McAdams said: "I love Mary. She's not a straight up ingénue. Part of the story is about how she gets together with Tim and how they become more sure of each other ... They bring out the best in each other. They are definitely meant to be together but it just takes a while to work it all out, even with the help of Tim's ability to travel back in time."

The 34-year-old actress from Canada is no stranger to romantic films – one of her first breakthrough role was in 2004 film, The Notebook, opposite Ryan Gosling. Since then she has apeared as the love interest in Wedding Crashers, Sherlock Holmes, Morning Glory, Midnight In Paris and The Vow. She has done one other film involving love and time-travel in The Time Traveler's Wife, opposite Eric Bana.

Even with all these films in her resume, she still found the experience of working on About Time a little different especially with Curtis' approach the film set.

"He does these family ensembles and everyone plays such a vital part in that unit and you can't live without each other. There are so many great actors in this film who contribute to that family dynamic. In fact, even the friends feel like family and that's what it's like working on a Richard Curtis film – you feel like you are part of his family.

"You are definitely brought into the inner circle and you are there to stay and everyone is valued and appreciated and treated incredibly well. So I feel like this is a real reflection of what Richard radiates out into the world. He is such a lovely man."

The filming locations included London and Cornwall. McAdams recalled that on the day she finished shooting in Cornwall, an ice-cream truck was brought to the location and McAdams herself served everyone ice cream. There were also traditional Cornish tea served.

"Richard's daughter had baked a couple of hundred scones the night before. Believe me, they really go the distance and make it very special. I felt very spoilt and very loved."

Even the English weather cooperated during the shoot – the sun shone constantly, even when the scene required rain, the sun was shining.

"It's funny because in the film you'll see that when we have the wedding (in England) it rains so hard it's like a monsoon. And we were expecting to have that volatile British weather with dark skies and rain at least one day a week while we were there. But there was nothing – not a drop of rain. I thought I was in Italy! It was just gorgeous – in fact it was so gorgeous it was hard for us all to actually go to work because we felt like we were in some kind of paradise.

"So when we shot the wedding scene – where it's meant to be pouring with rain – we had to put flags on the side of the buildings to cut out the light and make it darker and then we had rain machines and fire hoses that dumped water on everyone and everything. And actually, it was great because it was so hot and no one was bothered being drenched by the rain machines. It was so much fun and it worked out really well. It was just beautiful."

*About Time opens in cinemas nationwide tomorrow.

Related story:

Margot Robbie's time has come

Harrison Gilbertson in new movie

Posted:

The Need For Speed actor will star in the film adaptation of a best-selling young adult novel.

Need For Speed star Harrison Gilbertson has landed the other male lead in Fallen, an adaptation of Lauren Kate's best-selling young adult book series that will also star Jeremy Irvine and Addison Timlin, TheWrap has learned.

Lotus Entertainment and Mayhem Pictures are producing the movie, based on the first book in Kate's four-part series. Scott Hicks (Shine) is directing from an adapted screenplay by Kathryn Price, Nicole Millard and Michael Ross, the latter of whom wrote the most recent draft.

A Gothic romantic thriller, Fallen follows Luce (Timlin), a shy teen who is sent to Sword and Cross reform school after she's suspected of killing a boy in a fire. Sword and Cross is no ordinary school, of course, as the majority of its students are fallen angels on the side of good or evil.

Like Twilight and Hunger Games, the young female protagonist finds herself in a love triangle with two male students who have dark secrets of their own.

War Horse star Irvine will play Daniel, while Gilbertson will play Cam. Mayhem's Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray are producing with Bill Johnson and Jim Seibel of Lotus Entertainment.

Gilbertson recently wrapped a role in DreamWorks' Need For Speed opposite Aaron Paul, as well as the lead role in the Australian indie movie My Mistress. He also starred in the short film On Your Knees in The Turning, based on a series of Tim Winton's short stories that were either directed by or starred some of Australia's biggest talent, including Cate Blanchett, Mia Wasikowska and Hugo Weaving.

Gilbertson co-starred opposite Jennifer Connelly in Dustin Lance Black's directorial debut Virginia and will soon be seen alongside Jacki Weaver in Marc Carter's Haunt. — Reuters

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

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The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

Margot Robbie's time has come
Love is all around Rachel McAdams
Harrison Gilbertson in new movie

Margot Robbie's time has come

Posted:

Margot Robbie is the most nearly-famous almost-star you've never heard of.

Related story:

Love is all around Rachel McAdams

Posted:

Rachel McAdams is fast establishing herself as the rom-com queen.

Even with all these films in her resume, she still found the experience of working on About Time a little different especially with Curtis' approach the film set.

"Richard's daughter had baked a couple of hundred scones the night before. Believe me, they really go the distance and make it very special. I felt very spoilt and very loved."

Even the English weather cooperated during the shoot – the sun shone constantly, even when the scene required rain, the sun was shining.

*About Time opens in cinemas nationwide tomorrow.

Related story:

Margot Robbie's time has come

Harrison Gilbertson in new movie

Posted:

The Need For Speed actor will star in the film adaptation of a best-selling young adult novel.

Like Twilight and Hunger Games, the young female protagonist finds herself in a love triangle with two male students who have dark secrets of their own.

War Horse star Irvine will play Daniel, while Gilbertson will play Cam. Mayhem's Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray are producing with Bill Johnson and Jim Seibel of Lotus Entertainment.

Gilbertson co-starred opposite Jennifer Connelly in Dustin Lance Black's directorial debut Virginia and will soon be seen alongside Jacki Weaver in Marc Carter's Haunt. — Reuters

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates

Small bomb goes off outside Greek tax office in wealthy Athens suburb
Militants kill four in shootout at Indian Kashmir army camp - police
Venezuela's Maduro mulls legal move against Airbus over fault in presidential jet

Small bomb goes off outside Greek tax office in wealthy Athens suburb

Posted:

ATHENS (Reuters) - A small makeshift bomb exploded outside a Greek tax office in a wealthy Athens suburb on Thursday, damaging the entrance of the building and smashing windows but causing no injuries, police officials said.

Police had cordoned off the area in the upscale suburb of Kifissia, where many business executives and politicians live, after an unidentified person called a Greek newspaper and a news website around 0200 GMT warning a bomb would go off in 30 minutes.

No one has claimed responsibility for the explosion, which police officials said was small.

"The bomb contained a small amount of explosive material," said a police official, who declined to be named.

Homemade bomb attacks by urban guerrilla groups are frequent in Greece, which is struggling to end its worst financial crisis in decades.

Attacks on political figures, police and justice officials have picked up in recent months, some claimed by anarchist guerrilla groups and anti-establishment leftists angry about Greece's financial woes.

In June, the anarchist guerrilla group Conspiracy of Fire Cells claimed responsibility for a time bomb that exploded outside the home of a prison director.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Militants kill four in shootout at Indian Kashmir army camp - police

Posted:

SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - A group of militants attacked an Indian police station in Jammu and Kashmir state near the border with Pakistan on Thursday, killing four, and later attacked an army camp where a shootout was still going on, police said.

"The militants hijacked a truck after the attack on the police station and drove towards Jammu city and carried out another attack on Mesar army camp on Delhi-Jammu national highway near Samb town," said Rajesh Kumar, Inspector General of Police for the Jammu range.

"The militants are now inside the camp and firing is going on. They shot one army man who was guarding the camp."

India has faced an insurgency in its part of Muslim-majority Kashmir since 1989 and has long accused Pakistan of supporting the militants fighting Indian rule.

(Reporting by Fayaz Bukhari; Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Paul Tait)

Venezuela's Maduro mulls legal move against Airbus over fault in presidential jet

Posted:

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday said he was preparing legal action against Airbus due to a "serious fault" in his presidential jet following maintenance.

Maduro said he had been concerned about flying in the plane after it returned from five months of work by Airbus, and ordered his own technicians to carry out an inspection.

"After 10 or 12 days, a serious fault appeared in one of the wings of the plane. After five months at Airbus in France - my God!" Maduro said during a lived televised broadcast.

"With the help of an international law firm, we're preparing legal actions against Airbus of France."

Airbus was not immediately available for comment.

Maduro last week was briefly denied access to U.S. airspace on his way to China, which he described as an example of "U.S. aggression" against his socialist government.

U.S. authorities, who later approved his travel plan, said he had not been travelling in a state aircraft, which was required for diplomatic clearance. Maduro went in a Cuban plane.

Maduro had been scheduled to visit New York for the United Nations General Assembly, but called it off due to what he called "provocations" that constituted a threat to his security.

"One of the provocations could have led to a situation of violence in New York ... and the other was designed to affect my physical integrity," he said on Wednesday, declining to provide further details.

He cited the involvement of former U.S. government officials Otto Reich and Roger Noriega, both of whom he has frequently accused of plotting against his government. The two have denied those accusations.

Since winning an April election to replace late Socialist leader Hugo Chavez, Maduro has been constantly alleging plots against him ranging from several assassination plots to alleged Washington-backed plans to create shortages of consumer goods.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Business

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The Star Online: Business

Bina Puri shares up on RM441m job
KLCI edged up marginally higher, Bina Puri in focus
Barclays too shut Wealth Management Services in 130 countries

Bina Puri shares up on RM441m job

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR: Shares of Bina Puri rose during midmorning on Wednesday after it bagged a two-year contract worth RM441mil from Sime Darby CapitaMalls Asia (Melawati Mall) Sdn Bhd.

At 10.09am, it rose 7.5 sen to 85 sen with 3.29 million shares traded between 81.5 sen and 87.5 sen.

The FBM KLCI fell 3.89 points to 1,780.17. Turnover was 571.43 million valued at RM303.23mil. There were 167 gainers, 226 decliners and 249 counters unchanged.

On Wednesday, the group told the stock exchange that it would undertake the construction of super-structure works for a 13-storey commercial complex in Setapak, Selangor.

"With the latest award, the group has thus far secured RM775.27mil projects in 2013 and we are confident of adding to our existing book-order before the year-end," it said.

KLCI edged up marginally higher, Bina Puri in focus

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI edged up slightly higher on Thursday morning after three straight days of losses, on mild buying of select blue chips.

At 9.02am, the KLCI rose 0.33 of a point to 1,784.39. Turnover was 53 million valued at RM26.69mil. There were 75 gainers, 66 losers and 114 counters unchanged.

HwangDBS Vickers Research said despite facing persisting selling pressures, it expects the Malaysian bourse to show resilience ahead.

"On the chart, the key FBM KLCI – following a 17.8-point or 1.0% loss over the last three days – could move slightly above the immediate support line of 1,785 today."

"This comes as Wall Street slipped further last night. On the back of concerns that the ongoing government budget talks might affect the US economic recovery, major US equity bellwethers were down between 0.2% and 0.4% at the closing bell," it said.

The research house added stocks in interest today would include Bina Puri Holdings, which had been awarded a construction job in Selangor worth RM441mil from Sime Darby; E&O, as the company has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Sime Darby in relation to E&O's proposed acquisition of a parcel of freehold land measuring 135 acres in Sungai Buloh, Selangor for future commercial real estate and lifestyle residential development; and SerSol, after the emergence of Nazifuddin as a major shareholder with a deemed interest of 20.8% stake.

Reuters reported Asian share markets were left in limbo on Thursday as a paucity of major economic news left investors with little choice but to sweat out the latest battle over the US budget.

"With caution the watchword, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was barely changed, as was Seoul's KOSPI, Japan's Nikkei eased 0.5% and Australian shares were down 0.4%.

At Bursa Malaysia, PetGas rose 30 sen to RM22.28, KPJ seven sen to RM6.27 and Bina Puri seven sen to 84.5 sen.

Destini fell 7.5 sen to 35 sen, AirAsia three sen to RM2.58 and Bursa three sen to RM7.46

Barclays too shut Wealth Management Services in 130 countries

Posted:

LONDON: Barclays Plc will stop offering wealth management services in about 130 countries by 2016 and cut jobs in the unit as part of an effort to rein in costs and boost profit, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing the British bank.

Barclays announced plans in April to restructure its wealth business so it works more closely with retail and corporate banking divisions. Further details on the wealth strategy had been expected.

The bank appointed Peter Horrell as the wealth and investment management unit's chief executive on Monday. Horrell has held the position on an interim basis since May. - Reuters

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Death threats to politicians
Najib tweets on meeting CEO from Twitter headquarters
Woman gets ‘eyeless cat’ warning outside home

Death threats to politicians

Posted:

PETALING JAYA: At around 3am on September 2008, a motorcyclist rode by the house of Seputeh MP Teresa Kok.

He flung a Molotov cocktail and a bottle containing a letter filled with vulgarities into the compound of the DAP politician's home.

Fortunately, the bottles didn't ignite. No one was hurt during the attacks.

But Kok felt fearful and worried. She believed the attack was to instil fear in her and to frighten her from performing her duties as an MP.

In 2009, Kok received another threat on her blog telling her that she, 'should be taught with blood.'

"Will they come to kill me? It is probable. This is something that nobody can guarantee," said Kok.

When asked if the threats have ever deterred her from carrying out her duties, she replied with a firm, 'No."

A question that pops up during these instances is: How many of the threats actually materialise?

Just two weeks ago, both Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and PKR Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim became the focus of twitter attacks telling them to be careful for their lives.

"To evaluate the seriousness of a death threat, we must assess the context and nature of the case. Politicians should always be alert when it comes to safety, especially high profile figures," said Dr. Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd. Mokhtar, lecturer of political science at IIUM.

"It has occurred before (deaths) although they are not common. Assassination isn't part of our culture. Nevertheless, threats should not be taken lightly," agreed political analyst Dr Shaharuddin Badaruddin.

Malaysian history tells of numerous high-profile deaths, murder and assault cases involving politicians.

In 1976, a plane crashed in Sabah killing then Chief Minister of Sabah, Tun Fuad Stephens. Conclusive reasons for crash are unknown and investigation reports remain classified, prompting speculation of foul play.

Conspiracy buffs have tried to link the timely death of Tun Fuad with the signing of Sabah's oil rights to the Malaysian Federal Government, but without any hard evidence to prove this claim, all allegations remain nothing more than conjecture.

In 1982, Datuk Mokhtar Hashim, then Culture, Youth and Sports Minister was convicted for killing Datuk Taha Talib, State Assemblyman for Tampin, days before the 1982 general elections.

The court found that the bullet which killed Taha came from Mokhtar's gun and the motivation for murder was thought to be political rivalry.

Notable unsolved cases involving politicians also include the murders of Lunas assemblyman Dr Joe Fernandez and Tenggaroh assemblyman Datuk S. Krishnasamy.

In 2000, Fernandez was driving home when he was shot dead by a pillion motorcycle rider. The motive for murder is uncertain, although religious reasons have been suggested. The Islamic militant group KMM (Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia) was suspected to have a hand in the crime but no clear evidence was found and the culprits are still at large.

In 2008 Krishnasamy was on his way to a meeting when he was shot in a lift in Johor's MIC headquarters at point blank range. The case remains unsolved.

Despite these incidents, the number of deaths and murders involving politicians is relatively low, said Shaharuddin.

"In Malaysia, unlike other third world nations, we rarely see death threats becoming a reality. However, caution should be exercised at all times," explained Shaharuddin who also pointed out that actions of such perpetrators are often unpredictable.

"Assassinations happen even in first world nations and we should do our best to avoid this path," he added.

Najib tweets on meeting CEO from Twitter headquarters

Posted:

SAN FRANCISCO: Immediately after meeting Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak used his newly-acquired smartphone – an iPhone5 – to tweet about it.

There was a slight glitch though as it went to draft but with quick assistance from Costolo's aide, Najib's first tweet from the social media headquarters in Market Street here was sent within seconds.

With Costolo standing next to him, the Prime Minister tweeted: "Meeting Twitter CEO@dickc at Twitter HQ" and "Great Session at Twitter HQ. A wonderful platform to engage with Malaysians n the Global Community".

Najib also appended a picture of himself shaking hands with Costolo with the blue Twitter corporate logo printed on a bunting in the background.

The Prime Minister had earlier arrived at the Twitter headquarters and was taken for a tour of the premises before sitting down with Costolo and his senior management team.

Accompanying Najib were Communication and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Second Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, and officials and CEOs of several government linked companies (GLCs).

Twitter was launched in July 2006 and has rapidly gained worldwide popularity, with 500 million registered users in 2012 alone, posting 340 million tweets per day.

The Prime Minister is among the few world leaders who are very active in tweeting.

Speaking to reporters later, Najib said Twitter had indicated that it was willing to talk to the Malaysian government on working together, especially in enhancing its outreach to the people.

"I mentioned that one possibility is disaster alert and communication in respect of government policies. Another example is about Asean as a community – how do we raise people's outlook to go beyond national interest and national identity and think as a Asean community by year 2015.

"You can use Twitter as a platform within the context of the entire Asean community," he added.

Woman gets ‘eyeless cat’ warning outside home

Posted:

KOTA KINABALU: A businesswoman here has received a gruesome warning – a dead cat with its eyes gouged out was left outside her house, along with a threatening note.

The single mother, however, was not at home during the incident as she was away with her children, aged 13 and 16, at a relative's house.

A neighbour, alerted by the foul smell, found the eyeless carcass and quickly called the woman at about 2.50pm on Sunday.

When the businesswoman, identified as Yau Chook, 33, rushed home several hours later, she saw the threatening note outside her door but the dead cat had been removed.

The note, in Malay, read: Awas sebelum saya lakukan pada kamu seperti haiwan ini. Kau itu perempuan geteh dan selagi kau masih hidup selagi aku tidak berhenti untuk menghancurkan hidup mu dan keluargamu.

(Be careful before I do to you as I did to this animal. You are a horny woman and for as long you live I will not stop destroying you and your family.)

Fearing for her safety and that of her children, Yau Chook immediately lodged a police report.

Sandakan district police chief Asst Comm Rowell Marong said they rarely had cases involving such a gruesome threat.

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Harrison Gilbertson in new movie

Posted:

The Need For Speed actor will star in the film adaptation of a best-selling young adult novel.

Like Twilight and Hunger Games, the young female protagonist finds herself in a love triangle with two male students who have dark secrets of their own.

War Horse star Irvine will play Daniel, while Gilbertson will play Cam. Mayhem's Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray are producing with Bill Johnson and Jim Seibel of Lotus Entertainment.

Gilbertson co-starred opposite Jennifer Connelly in Dustin Lance Black's directorial debut Virginia and will soon be seen alongside Jacki Weaver in Marc Carter's Haunt. — Reuters

Pink plays sex addict in debut movie

Posted:

ON most red carpets, Alecia Moore is known as Pink. But at the premiere of Thanks For Sharing last week, the pop star was recognised by her given name, which was printed in big bold letters on movie posters outside the ArcLight Hollywood.

Moore, 34, has her acting debut in the sex addiction comedy, which opened in the United States last Friday. She stars alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, Mark Ruffalo, Josh Gad and Tim Robbins as a woman who attends Sexaholics Anonymous meetings to help control her desire to sleep with strange men.

The Get The Party Started singer has real-life experience with addiction. Moore lost her childhood best friend in 2010 to a prescription drug overdose, 15 years after she herself suffered a near-fatal overdose.

Portraying a sex addict, however, proved to be a different challenge. While her costar Gad attended meetings in secret, Moore read books on the subject.

"I believe that all addiction comes from the same monster, it just wears different masks," the Grammy winner said on the carpet.

Even gazing at her name on the film's poster behind her, Moore insisted she's "not an actress." "I'm just here," she said, shrugging. "My whole thing is be fearless. If something scares you, do it."

Having just wrapped up a concert tour in Australia, Moore insists she has no further acting plans. She'd rather keep her focus on singing – she was just named Billboard's Woman of the Year – and raising her two-year-old daughter, Willow. – Los Angeles Times/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

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Credit cards put squeeze on many

Posted:

More people are now struggling to pay off their credit card bills, new figures show, as if underlining the need for the tough new rules governing credit card debt.

Data released by the Credit Bureau Singapore (CBS) yesterday also show that as well as falling behind on payments, they are now owing more.

As of July, there were 62,830 unsecured credit customers who had not made a minimum payment in two months – a striking 12.7% more than the 55,726 people in that category last year.

Unsecured credit includes credit cards, overdrafts and personal loans that are not backed by collateral.

The total amount on unsecured cards, overdrafts and personal loans that are two months or more past due rose as well.

It stood at S$230.7mil (RM591mil) in July, up from S$212.5mil (RM545mil) last year and S$183.8mil (RM469mil) in 2011.

Consumers now rack up an average monthly debt of S$8,030 (RM20,500) on credit cards and overdrafts – up from S$7,859 (RM20,150) last year and S$7,349 (RM18,840) in 2011.

The steady rise in red ink is likely why the Monetary Authority of Singapore launched new rules on unsecured credit loans earlier this month, said CIMB regional economist Song Seng Wun.

"After the binge, comes the belt tightening. When the bad loans are rising against the backdrop of an unexpected external shock or the risk of interest rates going up, the possibility of people on the margin and defaulting is there," said Song.

The new rules include barring financial institutions from giving out more loans to people whose unsecured debt totals more than 12 months of their income for 90 days or more.

CBS research also found that people aged 35 to 39 had the highest percentage of delinquency and were most likely to roll over credit card debts compared with those in other age groups.

CBS executive director William Lim said that people in that age bracket could have major financial commitments like having their first house or child.

"For most of us, in that age range, your level of financial responsibility is probably at its highest and your financial resources may not be at their peak. You're probably at your peak when you're in your 40s for most people," said Lim.

However, there were also some encouraging figures from CBS.

One showed that the overall delinquency rate dipped slightly, from 6.5% in March last year to 6.4% in March this year.

This means that the proportion of people who failed to make repayments for credit card billings, and home, motor and study loans fell marginally.

The average credit score of consumers nationwide has also risen – from 1,897 in March last year to 1,904 this year out of a maximum score of 2000.

The higher the score, the lower the risk of the consumer falling into default.

Lim said credit scores have likely improved on the back of more responsible behaviour. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Injured workers avoiding dorms and don’t know MOM can help

Posted:

CONSTRUCTION worker D. Mathavan is broke.

The 40-year-old has not worked for six months due to a hand injury, yet insists on borrowing cash from friends to pay the S$200-a-month (RM512) rent to stay at a shophouse in Little India.

He would pay only about S$50 (RM128) a month if he stayed at his company's dormitory, but he does not want to as he fears his boss will send him back to India.

Migrant workers' group Transient Workers Count Too is calling on the Manpower Ministry (MOM) to step in and provide accommodation for injured workers where they can feel safe.

The organisation says that problems result when workers run away. Some end up doing illegal work, such as washing dishes, and end up living in overcrowded shophouses.

Under Singapore law, employers are responsible for housing injured foreign workers or those with whom they are in dispute.

The Transient Workers group surveyed 163 such workers, from India or Bangladesh, between April and June to discover the extent of the problem.

Only one was staying at accommodation provided by his company, while just 45 workers – about 28% – had been offered accommodation by their bosses.

A Manpower Ministry spokesman said staff whose employers do not fulfil their responsibility to house them should approach the ministry for help.

However, the spokesman said that it is "not reasonable to compel the employer to provide alternative accommodation" for all workers.

The exceptions are if their accommodation is unacceptable, the worker is physically assaulted or threatened or if attempts have been made to forcibly repatriate the worker without reporting the work accident.

Volunteer Balambigai Balakrishnan, who led the survey, said employees are not turning to the ministry for help and did not know that they can do so. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Rabu, 25 September 2013