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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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• NUS and NTU move up in world rankings
• Home prices may dip 20% by end 2015
• Hong Kong allows elderly in Guangdong to have allowance

NUS and NTU move up in world rankings Posted: Singapore's two oldest universities are getting better with age as they continue their march up the Times Higher Education (THE) World University rankings. The National University of Sing­apore (NUS) edged up another three spots to 26th this year, after going from 40th to 29th in 2012. It also held on to its position as the second-best in Asia, after Tokyo University. The Nanyang Technological Uni­versity (NTU), which dramatically leaped 83 places the year before, moved another 10 rungs to 76th. It is also ranked joint No. 1 in the world for industry income and innovation, sharing the accolade with 10 other universities, such as Johns Hopkins and Duke Univer­sity, after coming in 15th last year. Measuring how much research income a university was able to attract in the past year from industry, this was one of the 13 performance indicators used to determine the rankings. The others covered teaching, which was partly based on how other academics around the world rated the university, research, international outlook and how much a university's work is cited by other institutions. As with last year, American universities dominate the rankings, taking seven of the top 10 places. The California Institute of Technology is first for the third straight year, with Harvard and Britain's Oxford sharing second. Phil Baty, editor of THE World University Rankings, produced by Britain's leading publication in higher education, said: "Singapore continues to go from strength to strength." He believes that NUS and NTU, which was established in 1991, will continue to climb the rankings, given the country's reputation as one of the world's leading hubs for research and innovation. The 108-year-old NUS, he said, is not just rising in Asia but also proving its excellence along with other regional universities against the best from the West, including America, Britain and Canada. NTU president Bertil Andersson pointed to the setting up of new research labs such as the S$75mil (RM191mil) Rolls-Royce aerospace technology centre as one reason for earning top spot for industry income and innovation. He also noted that NTU has been rapidly ramping up collaborations with the world's leading multinationals and key industry players. NUS president Tan Chorh Chuan was "delighted" with his university's move up the table. He said NUS has, among other things, pioneered fresh approaches to education in Singapore such as the new University Town and the establishment of the Yale-NUS College. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Home prices may dip 20% by end 2015 Posted: Home prices could fall by as much as 20% by the end of 2015 in the wake of oversupply, tougher loan rules and rising interest rates, say analysts. One warning comes from a Bar­clays report which noted that risks from a number of directions are put­ting pressure on residential values and hitting demand at new launches. "We expect developer sales to fall by 30% in 2013, as the latest sets of measures bite," it said. In a separate report, CIMB said that a large supply of new homes set to hit the market could cause prices to correct by 10% to 15% by 2015. Affordability has become more of an issue since new loan curbs were introduced in June. These cap a borrower's total monthly debt payments at no more than 60% of his gross monthly income. Developers sold 11,174 new units in the eight months to Aug 31 – 27% down on the same period a year ago, said Barclays in its report last week. Transactions could fall to a monthly average of 1,000 to 1,100 homes by the end of this year, bringing the total number of sales expected this year to 15,500 – 30% below the 22,179 recorded a year ago. The impending supply of new homes could also place downward pressure on home prices, added CIMB analyst Donald Chua. Barclays estimates that this "total housing supply could average 40,000 units per annum, and peak at 47,000 in 2015... significantly above the historical average annual supply of 12,300". Its analyst, Tricia Song, said a supply glut would cause vacancy rates of private homes to rise from 5.6% this year to 9.9% in 2016. "Historically, when vacancy hits 8%, rents and prices tend to start declining," said Song. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Hong Kong allows elderly in Guangdong to have allowance Posted: HONG KONG: Hong Kong's Social Welfare Department has launched the Guangdong Scheme, under which eligible Hong Kong elderly people aged 65 or above who live in Guangdong province will receive the monthly allowance of 1,135 HK dollars (about RM472) without the need to return to Hong Kong each year. The department has received applications for the Scheme since Aug 1. A spokesman from the department said if the applicant can provide all the necessary documents, the department will "generally be able to make the payment to an approved application within seven working days". A Guangdong Scheme recipient will be entitled to a full year allowance if he/she satisfies the minimum residence period of 60 days in Guangdong in a payment year. — China Daily / Asia News Network

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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First trailer for Univision adaptation of 'Breaking Bad' Posted: Spanish-language Metastasis follows storyline of AMC show. UNIVISION, the largest network of Spanish-language TV channels in the US, is taking advantage of the buzz surrounding the finale of Breaking Bad to present the first scenes from its own version, which is set in Colombia. The series may have come to an end on AMC, but its storyline will be resurrected in Metastasis, an adaptation for Spanish-speaking audiences. The new version, like the original, will focus on a chemistry teacher diagnosed with cancer who enlists the help of his former student to produce and sell crystal meth in the interest of providing for his family. The lead character of Metastasis, Walter Blanco, in his tighty whities. - AFP Metastasis will adapt the names of the protagonists to their approximate Spanish counterparts: Walter White will become Walter Blanco, played by Diego Trujillo. His partner in crime, Jesse Pinkman, becomes Jose Miguel Rosas, and his wife Skyler is Ciela in the new version. The final episode of Breaking Bad, which aired on Sept 29 on AMC, was watched by 10.3 million people. The series earned the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series a few days earlier for its second to last season. – AFP Relaxnews

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The Star Online: World Updates

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• Brazil electoral court rejects new opposition party
• U.S. shutdown seen dragging on as debt ceiling fight nears
• Ecuador congress approves Yasuni basin oil drilling in Amazon

Brazil electoral court rejects new opposition party Posted: BRASILIA (Reuters) - In a decision that could boost President Dilma Rousseff's chances of re-election next year, Brazil's electoral court ruled on Thursday that her main potential rival failed to gather enough signatures to register her new party in time. Environmentalist Marina Silva has until Saturday to decide whether to run on the ticket of an existing party to make her second bid for president next October. The court ruled 6-1 against the creation of her party, called the Sustainability Network, because it fell short of the required 492,000 signatures. Silva blamed electoral notaries across Brazil for failing to validate 95,000 names on time. After the ruling, Silva said she would announce on Friday whether she would run on another ticket, but added there had been no talks with other parties and she planned to keep building her own party to renew Brazilian politics. "It's only a matter of time until it gets approved. We might not be registered, but we have the most important thing: ethics. We will become stronger," she told reporters at the court. Silva, 55, a former senator and environment minister, and the daughter of rubber tappers, won 19.6 million votes to place third in the last election in 2010, won by Rousseff. Silva risks losing that support if she runs with another party because it could undermine her image as a fresh voice whose lack of ties to traditional Brazilian politics and reputation for honesty have appealed to young Brazilians. "She will lose her political capital because she will look like just another politician," said Andre César, an analyst with Brasilia-based consultancy Prospectiva Consultoria. The Superior Electoral Court's decision is good news for Rousseff, who is widely expected to seek a second term, because it could narrow the field and improve her chances of winning outright with no need for a runoff if Silva does not run on another party's ticket. Recent opinion polls show Rousseff recovering from a dramatic drop in her approval ratings following a wave of massive street protests in June against corruption and poor public services that shook Brazil's political establishment. Opinion polls have confirmed Rousseff as the clear front-runner. Silva, the only politician to gain ground from the street protests, narrowed Rousseff's lead to 8 points in July, but the president by mid-September had pulled 22 points ahead of her. The main opposition PSDB is expected to field Senator Aecio Neves, who has failed to gain traction as a Senate leader since 2010 and has fallen to 11 percent of voter intentions. Eduardo Campos, the governor of Pernambuco state, has thrown his hat in the ring and pulled his party out of Rousseff's coalition government. But his national voter support is a negligible 4 percent, if elections were held today. The cast of possible candidates for next year's election shrank earlier this week when Jose Serra, who was considering a third bid for president on another party ticket, announced he was staying in the PSDB. (Additional reporting by Maria Carolina Marcello; Editing by Peter Cooney)

U.S. shutdown seen dragging on as debt ceiling fight nears Posted: (Reuters) - The shutdown of the U.S. government appeared likely to drag on for another week and possibly longer as lawmakers consumed day three of the shutdown with a stalling game and there was no end in sight until the next crisis hits Washington around October 17. Bowing to the reality that the impasse requires him to remain in Washington, President Barack Obama cancelled plans to attend summits in Indonesia and Brunei next week. Earlier this week, he cancelled visits to Malaysia and the Philippines because of the shutdown. October 17 is the date Congress must raise the nation's borrowing authority or risk default, and members of Congress now expect it to be the flashpoint for a larger clash over the U.S. budget as well as President Barack Obama's healthcare law. The situation gives "every appearance of getting dangerously close to the conversation on the debt ceiling," said Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic minority leader of the House of Representatives. In fact, she said, "We're in the conversation on the debt ceiling." At the same time, hopes that the debt ceiling fight could be resolved without a catastrophe were raised by reports in The New York Times and Washington Post that House Speaker John Boehner told other lawmakers he would work to avoid default, even if it meant relying on the votes of Democrats, as he did in August 2011. A spokesman for Boehner would neither confirm nor deny the reports, restating previous public statements by the speaker that "the United States will not default on its debt." Senator Charles Schumer, the second-ranking Senate Democrat, reacting to the reports, said, "This could be the beginnings of a significant breakthrough." The New York senator added, "Even coming close to the edge of default is very dangerous," as he urged quick passage of legislation to raise the $16.7 trillion cap on borrowing. There was little action along with the talk on Thursday. The Republican-controlled House continued what has become a long process of voting to fund publicly popular federal agencies - like the Veterans Administration, the National Park Service and the National Institutes of Health - that are now partially closed. Republicans know that neither the Democratic-controlled Senate nor Obama will go along with such an approach, but it allows them to accuse Democrats of working against the interests of veterans, national parks and cancer patients. House Republicans on Thursday began lining up 11 more bills to fund targeted programs. They are to fund nutrition programs for low-income women and their children, a program to secure nuclear weapons and non-proliferation, food and drug safety, intelligence-gathering, border patrols, American Indian and Alaska Native health and education programs, weather monitoring, Head Start school programs for the poor and other aid for schools that rely heavily on federal assistance. Disaster assistance also is slated for temporary renewal under the House measures, as well as a bill to provide retroactive pay to federal workers during the government shutdown. "We're trying to see if we can get the Senate and the president to start talking to us, on anything. They're just not talking to us," said Republican Representative Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, explaining the tactic. The bills are likely to be debated on the House floor over coming days, not all at once. Democrats have rejected the piecemeal approach and Obama has said he will veto the measures. 'STOP THIS FARCE' In a speech at a Maryland construction company on Thursday, Obama challenged Republicans to "stop this farce" by allowing a straight vote on a spending bill. He reiterated he will not negotiate on the spending bill or the debt ceiling. Obama said there were enough Republicans willing to pass a spending bill immediately if House Speaker John Boehner would allow a vote on a bill without partisan conditions attached, a so-called clean vote. But Obama said the speaker was refusing to do so because "he doesn't want to anger the extremists in his party." "My simple message today is 'Call a vote,'" Obama said. "Take a vote. Stop this farce, and end this shutdown right now." Work in Congress was interrupted on Thursday afternoon when the U.S. Capitol was locked down briefly due to gunshots fired outside the building. One female suspect was shot dead after a brief car chase across downtown Washington. Police said it appeared to be an isolated incident. The security alert halted work in both the House and the Senate and briefly diverted attention from the shutdown that took effect at midnight on Monday (0400 GMT on Tuesday), leaving nearly a million federal workers sidelined without pay and many others in the private sector suffering from the knock-on effect. The Capitol Police who responded to the incident are working without pay due to the shutdown - they are deemed essential and so remain on the job, but their pay is frozen. ECONOMIC WARNINGS In his speech earlier, Obama warned that as painful as the government shutdown was, a default caused by a failure to raise the debt limit would be dramatically worse for the economy. Alhough some moderate Republicans have begun to question their party's strategy, Boehner so far has kept them largely united with the small bills to reopen national parks, restore health research and other parts of the government most visibly affected by the shutdown. The Tea Party Express, one of the anti-tax groups in the conservative Tea Party that has led the fight against Obamacare, sent an email to supporters on Wednesday evening saying that as many as 12 Republicans had indicated they were willing to "give up on the fight" and join Democrats in voting for a funding bill without conditions. "We need your immediate support to put pressure on the weak Republicans to pass a sensible solution that allows America to avoid the Obamacare train-wreck, while fully funding the federal government," the group said in its email. The U.S. Treasury warned on Thursday about the "catastrophic" impact of a debt default, saying a failure to pay the nation's bills could punish American families and businesses with a worse recession than the 2007-2009 downturn. Major stock markets fell on Thursday, while the dollar dropped to an eight-month low over concern the budget standoff would merge with the coming fight over raising the U.S. borrowing limit. The U.S. Labour Department on Thursday said the government's September employment report, the most widely watched economic data both on Wall Street and Main Street, would not be released as scheduled on Friday due to the shutdown. Despite the shutdown, Republicans have failed to derail Obama's controversial healthcare law, which passed a milestone on Tuesday when it began signing up uninsured Americans for subsidized health coverage. Obama blamed the shutdown on Republicans' "obsession" with reversing healthcare reforms passed in the Affordable Care Act, but noted they had been passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate and been deemed constitutional by the Supreme Court. "Last November, the voters rejected the presidential candidate that ran on a platform to repeal it," he said on Thursday. "So the Affordable Care Act has gone through every single democratic process, all three branches of government. It's the law of the land. It's here to stay." (Reporting by Richard Cowan, Steve Holland, Jeff Mason, Susan Heavey, Jessica Wohl; Writing by Fred Barbash and Claudia Parsons; Editing by David Storey, Tim Dobbyn and Peter Cooney)

Ecuador congress approves Yasuni basin oil drilling in Amazon Posted: QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador's parliament on Thursday authorized drilling of the nation's largest oil fields in part of the Amazon rainforest after the failure of President Rafael Correa's plan to have rich nations pay to avoid its exploitation. The socialist leader launched the initiative in 2007 to protect the Yasuni jungle area, which boasts some of the planet's most diverse wildlife, but scrapped it after attracting only a small fraction of the $3.6 billion sought. The government-dominated National Assembly authorized drilling in blocks 43 and 31, but attached conditions to minimize the impact on both the environment and local tribes. Though Correa says the estimated $22 billion earnings potential will be used to combat poverty in the South American nation, there have been protests from indigenous groups and green campaigners. About 680,000 people have signed a petition calling for a referendum. "We want them to respect our territory," Alicia Cauilla, a representative of the Waorani people who live around the Yasuni area, said in an appeal to the assembly. "Let us live how we want." Correa has played down the potential impact of oil drilling in the area, saying it would affect only 0.01 percent of the entire Yasuni basin. A U.S.-trained economist, Correa has won broad popular support among Ecuador's low-income majority with heavy spending on welfare, health, education and infrastructure projects. He says it is essential for the country to expand its oil reserves in order to direct more state spending toward the poor. Oil output in OPEC's smallest member has stagnated since 2010 when the government asked oil investors to sign less-profitable service contracts or leave the country. Since then, oil companies have not invested in exploration. State oil company Petroamazonas will be in charge of extraction in blocks 43 and 31, which are estimated to hold 800 million barrels of crude and projected to yield 225,000 barrels per day eventually. Ecuador currently produces 540,000 bpd. (Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Ken Wills)

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The Star Online: Business

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• Gold, the new way to make money in Malaysia
• Gold prices seen to stabilise this year
• Samsung Electronics record Q3 guidance beats analyst estimates

Gold, the new way to make money in Malaysia Posted: "All that glitters is not gold" goes the well-known adage, but the glitter of gold never fails to attract. Some like to adorn themselves with it and some hoard it in the form of bullions in their vaults, while there are yet others who like to trade in gold futures. Indians from India are said to be the biggest hoarders of gold, as about 20,000 tonnes are in private hands. India remains the biggest importer of gold from Malaysia. Last year, Malaysia exported RM7.1bil worth of finished jewellery, with Dubai as the biggest buyer. And up to July this year, RM4.6bil worth of finished jewellery has been exported. The figure could double for the full year. Where gold bullions are concerned, RM9bil was exported in non-monetary form last year, and this year, it could scale up to RM12bil. Gold bullions are used to make jewellery and also function as an investment tool. For an investor who wants to diversify his portfolio from fixed deposits, stocks and bonds, gold is an option. It is seen as a safe haven in volatile situations. Hence, it comes as no surprise that there are many investment trading schemes involving gold in the country. However, some have fallen foul of the authorities, as they are seen to be illegal deposit-taking companies. One such case involves gold trading company Genneva Malaysia Sdn Bhd, whose directors have been slapped with a record number of 926 charges for money-laundering and illegal deposit-taking charges, among others. A total of RM5.5bil in deposits had been received by Genneva from 35,000 depositors. This gives us a glimpse of the demand for gold in the country. This is why come Monday, gold futures will, for the first time, be traded on Bursa Malaysia. It is a historic moment for Bursa, but Malaysia is really a latecomer in gold futures trading. It should have been introduced a long time ago. Gold futures and options are trading across several markets, including the United States, Britain, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Gold for immediate delivery was being traded at about US$1,313.85 (RM4,198.41) an ounce as of yesterday. To get retail investors interested in gold futures, Bursa is offering small-sized contracts of 100 grams. However, traders who want to hedge can trade in multiple lots. One just needs RM1,000 to be able to start trading in gold futures. As the ringgit-denominated contracts are cash-settled, there would be no physical deliveries. So, if you are worried about stocking up gold bars in your vault, diffuse that fear, as this is all about paper-shuffling. The gold futures contracts allow market participants exposure to international gold price movements at a lower entry cost, and you can go short and long when prices go up and down. To get started, open a gold futures account with any one of the 19 registered futures brokers with Bursa. Brokers would want some form of collateral as in all derivatives and stocks, and there is a transaction cost for every transaction. The minimum price fluctuation for a gold futures contract is five sen per gram or RM5 per tick. While this may be one way of diversifying your investment portfolio, the key to futures trading is your investment objective and risk appetite – essentially money-management skills. What this means is that you have to set limits for your gains and losses, stick to it and not let greed overcome you. A futures broker with 17 years of experience says that "futures trading is easy to play, but it requires a strong discipline in money management". Rule No. 1, he says, is money-management skills, while Rule No. 2 is to remember Rule No 1. If you do this, you can make money. Gold has remained the hottest topic since the 1900s and its glitter has not faded. Bursa's launch of its gold futures is the first step towards trading in precious metals, as it continues to add depth to the market. Next on the list would be gold options and silver futures, but whatever it does, it has to move faster. Business editor (news) B K Sidhu says gold may be hot, but her nasi kandar today will be hotter.

Gold prices seen to stabilise this year Posted: KUALA LUMPUR: Gold prices are likely to stabilise and trade between US$1,250 (RM3,875) and US$1,400 (RM4,340) this year after a volative period which saw the commodity dropping 22% on a year-to-date basis, said MKS Precious Metals Sdn Bhd country manager Joseph Ng. On recent trends, Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Bhd senior executive vice-president, product and market development, Jeffrey Tan Seng Hui said there had been a steady flow of physical gold from institutional holders to the retail public. "The biggest importer is India, where the public is estimated to hold more than 20,000 tonnes in private hoards. Also, European or American retail buyers tend to purchase when prices are rising, while Asian buyers' interest increases when prices are falling," he said. Ng and Tan said this after the launch of Bursa Gold Futures (BGF) contract yesterday. At gold's current price of US$1,308.35 (RM4,055), it has seen a spike from its 34-month low of US$1,200.65 (RM3,722) in June 26. Gold price was at US$1,673.78 (RM5,189) in January this year. Meanwhile, Malaysia's first precious metal futures contract would begin trading on Bursa Malaysia from Monday, targeted mainly at domestic retail investors, said Bursa Malaysia Derivatives chief executive officer Chong Kim Seng. The BGF contract will be available to all market participants, particularly domestic retail investors, to trade gold on the derivatives exchange of Bursa Malaysia. It will be traded under the code "FGLD". The ringgit-denominated contract would be traded in small sizes of 100 grams, enabling investors to trade in small quantities, thus making each transaction affordable to all, whether professional traders or the public at large, said Bursa Malaysia in a statement. Gold jewellers, manufacturers and stockists are anticipated to be active users of the BGF contract to hedge their gold inventory risks and their forward gold purchases. "The advantages of BGF is that it is marginable to about 8% of the contract value, and participants can both long and short this instrument. You would be trading under a transparent and regulated environment and BGF would be traded only through Bursa's licences and regulated futures brokers," said Tan. Chong said the BGF contract would be cash-settled based upon the London AM Fix Price in US dollars. "This provides confidence in price transparency, making it as close as possible to the true price of gold," he said.

Samsung Electronics record Q3 guidance beats analyst estimates Posted: SEOUL: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd estimated its July-September earnings rose 25 percent to a record $9.4 billion as a strong recovery in memory chip prices helped counter a slowdown in the South Korean company's smartphone business. The maker of the Galaxy S4 said its third-quarter operating profit likely increased to 10.1 trillion won ($9.4 billion). The guidance, released ahead of full quarterly results due out by Oct. 25, was better than the average forecast of 9.96 trillion won in a poll of 34 analysts by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. The South Korean firm estimated its third-quarter sales rose to 59 trillion won, versus a market forecast of 60 trillion won. Samsung, which has reported record earnings every quarter since 2012 except the first three months of 2013, is expected to post another round of record earnings in the current quarter as chip prices extend their gains. The global memory chip market has rallied since late 2012 due to a supply crunch caused by years of cautious investment to support prices, and conversion of factory capacity to produce more profitable chips used in smartphones and tablets. The semiconductor market further tightened after a fire in early September at a China plant owned by the world's No.2 memory chipmaker SK Hynix. "The semiconductor and mobile divisions may have performed better than expected in the third quarter, helping Samsung post better-than-expected earnings," said Choi Do-yeon, an analyst at Kyobo Securities. "We expect earnings to improve to 10.7 trillion won in the current quarter, as computer memory chip prices are rising thanks to the fire at the Hynix plant." Samsung's mobile devices business, which accounts for around two-thirds of the company's total profit, is struggling with weakening growth as the high-end segment of the smartphone market saturates, pushing sales of its flagship Galaxy S4 lower. Analysts estimate S4 sales dropped to around 16 million sets in the third quarter from some 20 million in the two months following the smartphone's late April launch. Profits at the mobile division may face further pressure in the current quarter as the company increases marketing expenses in the run-up to the year-end holiday shopping season, analysts say. - Reuters

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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One more <i>Chronicles Of Narnia</i> in the works Posted: The fourth film in the series will now be made, thanks to The Mark Gordon Company. Aslan will roar on the big screen again. The C.S. Lewis Company will partner with The Mark Gordon Company to jointly develop and produce a feature film adaptation of The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Silver Chair. Plans for a big screen version of the fourth book in Lewis' fantasy series were delayed after the third film in the series, The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, made slightly less at the box office than its producers had hoped, grossing north of US$400mil (RM1.28bil) on a US$155mil (RM496mil) budget. Compounding matters, Walden Media, which produced the first three films, underwent a major restructuring this year and laid off a big chunk of its employees and announcing it will concentrate on third party productions. In Gordon, C.S. Lewis Company gets a veteran producer who has worked on such films as Saving Private Ryan, Wonder Boys and Speed. "Like many readers, both young and old, I am a huge fan of C.S. Lewis's beautiful and allegorical world of Narnia," Gordon said in a statement. "These fantasy stories inspire real-world passion among millions of devoted fans around the world. As we prepare to bring the next book to life, we are humbled and excited to contribute to the outstanding legacy of Narnia." Mark Gordon and Douglas Gresham along with Vincent Sieber, the LA-based director of The C.S. Lewis Company, will serve as producers and will work with The Mark Gordon Company on developing the script. — Reuters

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The Star Online: Nation

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• No more K-Pop groups for National Youth Day celebrations, says Khairy
• On guard - no, not really, say parents and students
• Wild goose chase for 'hijacked car with child inside'

No more K-Pop groups for National Youth Day celebrations, says Khairy Posted: PETALING JAYA: There will be no more K-Pop groups performing at the National Youth Day celebrations starting from this year, said Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. Khairy said this after the Auditor-General's Report listed a RM1.6mil bill to pay K-Pop groups who were brought to perform in Putrajaya in July last year. It was previously reported that the ministry had secured sponsors who were paying for the costs of bringing three K-Pop groups for the celebrations. Khairy explained that the earlier statement was made when there were offers to sponsor the show. "However, the sponsorship was not given in the end and the ministry had to pay for the concert," he said in a statement on his Facebook page. The National Youth Day 2012, costing RM2.94mil, was among the projects cited in the A-G's Report for high expenditure and not adhering to prudent spending guidelines. The report also recommended that the Youth and Sports Department investigate the wastage of funds from the Rakan Muda membership card programme and take action against those involved. The expenditure for the programme rose to RM4.45mil in 2010 from RM3.32mil initially accrued in 2008. The report said that not enough cards were distributed to youths. The cards were meant for those who actively participated in the programme. Khairy said that he has asked for detailed reports for the items mentioned in the A-G's Report before appropriate action was taken on those cases. "Government funds are public monies. We must be accountable for each sen spent," he said.

On guard - no, not really, say parents and students Posted: PETALING JAYA: From drunk guards to absent ones, that's the kind of poor security service that many schools are getting. A former Parent-Teacher Asso­ciation chairman, who declined to be named, said there was often no one responsible to check on things. "The school often doesn't know whether the guards show up for work or not," she said, citing an example of a school that was supposed to have two guards in the day and two others at night. "The security companies also do not know if both show up. They just assume they do," she said. She told a story about a school that hired a guard who had earlier worked at a community guard post. "He was fired from his earlier job because he had been drunk during his shift!" she said. Even students say the security guards at their school play only a minor role. "They're just there to say hello to the car drivers every morning. If I'm not mistaken, there's only two security guards at night and in the afternoon, it's a lady and an old man. "Someone can just walk in without being stopped," said a 15-year-old student from a school in Selangor. Another student, 16, from Tereng­ganu said that the guards at his school would usually just sit at the pondok at the main gate and that they did stop visitors who entered via that gate. "My school has a second gate. When that gate is open, anyone can just walk in and out," he said. However, there are others who say that the guards at their schools are doing their duties. A Form Three student from Kedah said security was quite tight at his school. "There are five or six security guards and they walk around the school compound. My school has three entrances and there are guards at all of them," he said A Form Four student from Johor said his school had five guards. "Besides preventing unauthorised people from entering the school, they stop students from playing truant by making sure no student exits the school without a valid reason."

Wild goose chase for 'hijacked car with child inside' Posted: KOTA KINABALU: Several people using Whatsapp went on a wild goose chase to look for a "missing four-wheel drive, with a boy inside", which was reportedly hijacked in Penampang, here, on Tuesday. A 80-year-old man had parked the vehicle with his nine-year-old son sleeping inside when he went to buy groceries in the Donggongon market area in Penampang at 4.30pm. However, when he returned 10 minutes later, he found the car "missing" and alerted another son, John Mosuyun, who sent messages using Whatsapp to his friends to help locate the vehicle and his missing brother. John said some friends spotted the vehicle parked near a supermarket at 7pm, several kilometres from where it was initially parked. Although the family maintained that the vehicle was hijacked, Penampang district police chief Deputy Supt Ratan Singh insisted that the elderly driver had forgotten where he had parked the vehicle and initially assumed that it had been stolen. "There was no hijack, and the stories passed around through Whats­app and other social sites were not true", he said.

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The Star Online: Metro: Central

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S'poreans must screen thumbprints Posted: ALL Singaporeans passing through Woodlands Checkpoint by bus or on foot are now required to scan their thumbprints in a move to enhance security. Until recently, only those opting for automated clearance were required to scan thumbprints using biometric technology. But machines were recently added to staffed immigration lanes so that Singaporeans must now give a thumbprint. Vehicle lanes are not affected. A similar system is in place at the Tuas Checkpoint, although a spokesman for the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) declined to confirm this. She did not comment either on whether the enhanced screening also affects permanent residents and foreigners. The ICA said only that its BioScreen system, currently deployed at the automated lanes at various checkpoints is being progressively rolled out to the manned counters. The aim is to "facilitate the smooth immigration clearance of travellers while ensuring the continued high security of our borders against unauthorised and undesirable elements", added the spokesman. The ICA did not say when the roll-out started, nor when the system will be extended to other checkpoints. Currently, only travellers with biometric passports, which contain a computer chip embedded with the passport holder's thumbprint and unique facial features, can opt for automated clearance. Machine-readable passports are being phased out. At Woodlands recently, several travellers whose thumbprints could not be scanned, for whatever reasons, were taken to a separate office for further checks. Their thumbprints were re-scanned there. Security experts noted that an increasing number of countries are turning to biometric technology that identifies a person by a unique human trait – say his fingerprints, the irises of his eyes, or even his voice – to step up security levels at checkpoints and other key installations. The ICA has said before that the push for more travellers to use the automated system allows for more focused security checks on "unknown" travellers who are not Singapore citizens or registered card holders. Assistant Professor Terence Fan of the Singapore Management University's Lee Kong Chian School of Business said the move towards biometric technology enhances border protection by matching the identity of the person holding the passport to the biometric details embedded within the document. But travellers may be inconvenienced if the system does not accommodate people whose fingerprints may be hard to read. He said: "I myself have sensitive skin which peels off easily and this sometimes gets me into 'trouble' if only thumbprint scanning is done. In some countries, all 10 fingers are scanned." A traveller at Woodlands Checkpoint, who had to undergo further checks because her thumbprint could not be scanned, said: "I hope this does not happen each time I return from JB." — The Straits Times/Asia News Network

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The Star Online: Metro: South & East

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The Star Online: Metro: South & East

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S'poreans must screen thumbprints Posted: ALL Singaporeans passing through Woodlands Checkpoint by bus or on foot are now required to scan their thumbprints in a move to enhance security. Until recently, only those opting for automated clearance were required to scan thumbprints using biometric technology. But machines were recently added to staffed immigration lanes so that Singaporeans must now give a thumbprint. Vehicle lanes are not affected. A similar system is in place at the Tuas Checkpoint, although a spokesman for the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) declined to confirm this. She did not comment either on whether the enhanced screening also affects permanent residents and foreigners. The ICA said only that its BioScreen system, currently deployed at the automated lanes at various checkpoints is being progressively rolled out to the manned counters. The aim is to "facilitate the smooth immigration clearance of travellers while ensuring the continued high security of our borders against unauthorised and undesirable elements", added the spokesman. The ICA did not say when the roll-out started, nor when the system will be extended to other checkpoints. Currently, only travellers with biometric passports, which contain a computer chip embedded with the passport holder's thumbprint and unique facial features, can opt for automated clearance. Machine-readable passports are being phased out. At Woodlands recently, several travellers whose thumbprints could not be scanned, for whatever reasons, were taken to a separate office for further checks. Their thumbprints were re-scanned there. Security experts noted that an increasing number of countries are turning to biometric technology that identifies a person by a unique human trait – say his fingerprints, the irises of his eyes, or even his voice – to step up security levels at checkpoints and other key installations. The ICA has said before that the push for more travellers to use the automated system allows for more focused security checks on "unknown" travellers who are not Singapore citizens or registered card holders. Assistant Professor Terence Fan of the Singapore Management University's Lee Kong Chian School of Business said the move towards biometric technology enhances border protection by matching the identity of the person holding the passport to the biometric details embedded within the document. But travellers may be inconvenienced if the system does not accommodate people whose fingerprints may be hard to read. He said: "I myself have sensitive skin which peels off easily and this sometimes gets me into 'trouble' if only thumbprint scanning is done. In some countries, all 10 fingers are scanned." A traveller at Woodlands Checkpoint, who had to undergo further checks because her thumbprint could not be scanned, said: "I hope this does not happen each time I return from JB." — The Straits Times/Asia News Network

Second gay-sex law arguments rejected Posted: A HIGH Court judge upheld the law that criminalises sex between men, in his second judgment on the same law this year. Justice Quentin Loh, in a 54-page judgment, rejected arguments by Tan Eng Hong that Section 377A of the Penal Code was unconstitutional. The judge held that the provision had not infringed Tan's rights. Tan, 49, was the first to fight the law here when he filed a challenge in 2010 after he was charged with having oral sex with another man in a public toilet. Subsequently, a gay couple, Gary Lim, 44, and Kenneth Chee, 37, filed their own challenge. The couple's case was heard first. In April, Justice Loh dismissed their case. In his judgment on Tan's case, Justice Loh said he has not changed the views in his judgment on the couple's challenge. Responding to the judgment, Tan's lawyer M. Ravi said: "We will continue to fight until we collectively position ourselves on the right side of history, and towards a more inclusive society in Singapore." — The Straits Times/ Asia News Network

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

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• Tiësto is the blockbuster man
• More star power at Global Chinese Music Awards
• Put your party clothes on for GCMA

Tiësto is the blockbuster man Posted: Dutch deejay Tiësto is raring to lift Sepang to the heavens this weekend. NO matter where he stands these days, legendary Dutch deejay Tiësto will always have a special place in the hearts of Malaysian electronic dance music fans, even when he does cross over his music from his signature trance to a house music. Voted "The Greatest DJ Of All Time" by Mixmag in 2011 and with a Grammy nomination on his belt, Tiësto has taken the electronic dance music genre to new heights. With over 14 million likes on Facebook, 1.5 million followers on Twitter, close to 400 million views (and 800,000 subscribers) on YouTube and his globally syndicated Club Life Radio podcast, Tiësto is truly a universal phenomenon. It's been two years since he last played to an adoring local audience of 25,000, and the 44-year-old Dutchman, also known as Tijs Verwest, has been looking forward to coming to play in Malaysia again. "No doubt it's going to be an amazing show. I can't wait to see my fans and throw the biggest party of the year," he assured in an interview via e-mail. This round of visits comes at the end of a typically heavy schedule this summer with appearances all over North America before heading to Asia. Just looking at his website sees him playing five days solid, starting in China and ending in Malaysia, before taking a short break and then flying back to Amsterdam in time to play at the Ziggo Arena during the Amsterdam Dance Event conference and festival later this month. Once again, Future Sound Asia will host the Malaysian leg as Tiësto returns to Sepang International Circuit this Saturday for this tour, billed as his Club Life Tour. Club Life has become something of a brand name of sorts for Tiësto in the past few years, with his recent series of mix albums and his radio podcast show. "I'm always travelling the world and being that every city is so unique, I launched the compilation series off my podcast of the same name. "The mixes – Las Vegas, Miami and now Stockholm – have a distinct flavour of the city they're based on," he explained. The heavy summer schedule is pretty much an annual routine for Tiësto and in nearly two decades in the business, the love of the music and performing has kept him pretty busy and continuing to deejay and produce more music. "It's never hard to keep busy because I'm always working on new projects musically, touring and even collaborating with Guess on a new fashion line," he said. And while he produces his own music, he also keeps tabs (usually via his label Musical Freedom) on future talent and has just started a remix competition in partnership with leading digital dance music retail website Beatport. "I figured this could be a great way to discover a fan who also has some serious production chops," he explained. While he's always on the lookout for new talent, there's his own music to keep writing. It has been a few years since the release of his studio album Kaledeiscope (2009) and his Allure project Kiss From The Past (2011). "Yes, I'm working on my new artiste album that is due for release in 2014," he said. One for the fans indeed, and certainly, while receiving awards and accolades of being top deejay in various media and polls is something he appreciates, he definitely puts his fans first. "It's humbling to be acknowledged in such a way, but to me having fans that take great joy out of my music and dancing with me at my shows is far more fulfilling," he noted. Future Sound Asia presents Tiësto: Club Life at the Sepang International Circuit this Saturday.Rising global dance scene mavens Danny Avila (Spain), DJ Tigerlily (Australia) and Malaysians Goldfish & Blink, Nick Haydez and B.A.T.E. (Malaysia) are the other acts. Doors open at 7.30pm. Tickets at RM148 are available at selected Rock Corner outlets and www.boxtix.asia.

More star power at Global Chinese Music Awards Posted: Shila Amzah talks about her upcoming performance at the Global Chinese Music Awards. THE 13th Global Chinese Music Awards (GCMA) is drawing near and we can expect a lot of excitement from this year's line-up of performers. Winner of the 2012 Asian Wave competition and up-and-coming singing star Shila Amzah will be performing a medley of songs at the event. "I'm quite nervous because I'm the only non-Chinese (who will be performing), but it's something huge for me. I'm looking forward to working with the new band; everything is going to be live! I can't wait to perform on such a prestigious stage," said Shila in an interview. The singer is also looking forward to meeting the other artistes from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia who will grace the event like Kay Tse, Bibi, Joey Yung, Raymond Lam, Will Pan and Derrick Ho. This year's theme is "Play. Music. Hard" while the dress theme is "Punk Fantasy". Shila noted that she has decided on what to wear and will dress to impress – all in black. Shila also revealed that her new Bahasa Malaysia album will be out on Oct 10, while her Mandarin album will be released soon after. "Fans have been waiting for this album for about a year now. (They are) looking forward to this album and it's one of the ways my Chinese fans in China can get familiar with Bahasa Malaysia; they actually love the language," she said. "Music to me is life. It means the world to me," shared Shila whose father is the popular 1980s singer ND Lala. She said that with music, she is able to express her emotions, feelings and thoughts. Shila's proudest moment was when she won the Asian Wave competition last year. "I think God really gave me a chance to prove something. Not just to myself, but to my Malaysian fans and to the world." The 13th GCMA 2013 will be held on Oct 5 at the Putra Stadium, Bukit Jalil Sports Complex in Kuala Lumpur. Tickets are available at www.ticketcharge.com.my and priced at RM50, RM100, RM150, RM200, RM250, RM300, RM500 and RM800. For more information, visit www.988.com.my or www.gcma2013.com.

Put your party clothes on for GCMA Posted: Bukit Jalil is the place to be on Oct 5, with the gathering of Asia's brightest stars at the prestigious 13th Global Chinese Music Awards (GCMA). As one of the biggest Chinese music awards ceremonies, music fans can expect a glittering night. Among the stars to grace the event are Joey Yung, Raymond Lam, Gillian Chung, Charlene Choi, Kay Tse, G.E.M Tang Zhi Kei and Adason Lo from Hong Kong; Will Pan Wei Bo, Wei Li An and IO Band from Taiwan; Zhou Bi Chang, Hu Xia, Xue Zhi Qian, He Wei Jian, Jike Junyi, Liu Mei Lin from China and Singapore's Derrick Ho. Local stars such as Michael Wong, Gary Chaw, Penny Tai, Wu Jia Hui, Cheryl Lee, Gin Lee and Issac Dang will also be in attendance at this awards show hosted by 988. The theme this year is "Play. Music. Hard." featuring the fun element of Punk Fantasy. So, get dressed up and enjoy a night with your favourite stars. Tickets for GCMA, which will be held on Oct 5 at Putra Indoor Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, can be purchased at www.ticketcharge.com.my. Also on 988 this week The Feature (Mon-Tues, 9am-10am) World Vegetarian Day, which falls on Oct 1, is a day of celebration established by the North American Vegetarian Society in 1977 to bring awareness to the ethical, environmental, health and humanitarian benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle. Let's take a look at the pros and cons of a vegetarian diet and what exactly is a healthy meatless diet for today's hectic world. Go, Go Weekend – He & She (Sat, 8am-9am) Host of the show Xiao Mah reckons men should have in possession a car, a house and a stable career before walking down the aisle. It's the way a man shows his sense of responsibility to the woman whom he wishes to call wife. Co-host Shiang Jiun, thinks otherwise. She reckons it depends on the circumstances such as the age of the couples, family-planning etc. What do you think? Feel free to join their discussion on Saturday. For more information, log on to www.988.com.my. Download the 988 app or stream it online at 988.com.my.

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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Parenting

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Challenges to conquer Posted: Our columnist discovers a place where visitors can enjoy jungle trekking from new heights. IF YOU live in or around the Klang Valley and are looking to spend a weekend with friends or family without having to go too far, there is actually quite a lot that you can do. I have just recently discovered Shah Alam. Considering I have been a KL-ite all these years, I've been a little slow on the uptake, but as they say, better late than never! What fascinates me about Shah Alam is its amazing parks. One of our colleagues was suggesting that we do something together on a Sunday, and since it was Mika's birthday weekend, I thought, "Hey, great idea!" But where to go? And what to do? My colleague suggested Skytrex Adventure, which I had heard about but was too chicken to try. But since everybody was in the mood for something different, I said yes, and booked for the kids to go too. From the website, it looked to me like a team-building kind of adventure, which I do think is important for friends at work to indulge in once in a while. What's more, two hours of fun, games and nature at Skytrex doesn't cost too much: RM35 for children and RM45 for adults. When we arrived at the venue, which is within the Shah Alam National Park, I was very impressed by how wonderfully well-kept the area was. It's huge, with many other things to do besides Skytrex Adventure. Visiting this park reminded me of how lucky we Malaysians are to be in the tropics, blessed by such abundant greenery. We really should appreciate our flora more, and allow our children to enjoy it too. So, back to Skytrex Adventure. It provides an organised outdoor "eco-recreational cum educational" activity which takes participants from tree to tree via a series of aerial obstacles suspended at 3m to 22m in the air. Obviously, I was at the 3 -10m level because of my children. I said to my team, they must have someone to watch over them, right? Of course, I was secretly glad for this excuse not to be suspended at a height of 22m! Everyone could see though my bluff and kept teasing me and my fear of heights, but I was not going to be swayed – at kiddy height I stayed. At first, Mika wasn't sure why the abang (a Skytrex staff member) strapped him up with all kinds of safety devices. For a kid, these feel heavy and he was not happy to be weighed down by odd contraptions. But when I explained that only with the safety harnesses will he be allowed to swing like a monkey from tree to tree, he got really excited. My two elder ones could not wait to start with their abangs, especially brave Maya, who was the first on the treks! She managed to finish all the challenges and repeated three rounds. Max did two rounds and one extreme children's round. I did just one, since I had to watch over my little prince Mika, who was exhausted after one full round. We thought it would be hot, but with all the shade from the tall trees, it was actually very comfortable. I was scared to attempt the Flying Fox, but once I was out hanging and "flying", I felt immense freedom as if I were a bird. Now I can imagine how amazing it would be if one did skydiving. I did contemplate doing the adult extreme level, but all in good time. First I need to conquer the kids' challenges. Skytrex Adventure is definitely the first of its kind in Malaysia – a place where you can enjoy jungle trekking from a height never reached before. Where you can test your agility, walk, crawl, glide and swing through different challenges in the sky in total safety while appreciating the wonders of the Malaysian tropical rainforest. In this amazing park, you can also rent bicycles to cycle up and down the hills on purpose made tracks. Besides this park, there are many things to do in Shah Alam. Check them out. You will really have a lot of fun just in a day or over a weekend, and at very affordable prices too. After our time in such a beautiful environment, I was definitely rejuvenated. I had fresh inspiration to create my coming couture collection, which will be showcased at the Bangkok International Fashion Week next month. So while I was away from work, it was definitely not time wasted. Happy working and creating, everybody! Fashion designer Melinda Looi tries to marry consumerism and materialism with environmental consciousness, and believes her greatest creations are her children. Follow her on Facebook or write in to star2@thestar.com.my.

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The Star eCentral: TV Tracks

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Beauty And The Beast: Dark reflection Posted: Is the new 'Beauty And The Beast' a cynical fairytale for a hardened generation? This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Jon Hamm goes dark Posted: The Mad Men star ditches suave for macabre in a new TV series. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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