Khamis, 24 Oktober 2013

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro


Philippine quake creates wall longer than 5km

Posted:

MANILA: A deadly earthquake that struck the Philippines last week created a spectacular rocky wall that stretches for kilometres through farmlands, astounded geologists said.

Dramatic pictures of the Earth-altering power of the 7.1-magnitide quake have emerged as the government worked to mend the broken central island of Bohol, ground zero of the destruction.

A "ground rupture" pushed up a stretch of ground by up to 3m, creating a wall of rock above the epicentre, Maria Isabel Abigania, a geologist at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said.

"Our people have walked 5km so far and not found the end of this wall," she said, as experts from the institute surveyed the damage.

"So far we have not gotten any reports of people getting swallowed up in these cracks."

A photograph on the institute's website showed part of the rock wall grotesquely rising on farmland behind an unscathed bamboo hut.

Another house was shown lodged in a crack of the Earth, while a big hole on the ground opened up at a banana farm.

Renato Solidum, head of the institute, said the ground fissures from the quake, which killed 198 people on Bohol and two nearby islands, were among the largest recorded since the government agency began keeping quake records in 1987.

"Most of our other quake records show a lateral (sideways) tearing of the earth, though we've also had coral reefs rising from the sea," he said.

The Philippines lies on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire made up of chains of islands created by volcanic eruption that are also frequently hit by earthquakes. — AFP

Restaurant owner acquitted of passing off beef as mutton

Posted:

The proprietor of two restaurants accused of passing off beef as mutton was awarded a discharge amounting to an acquittal by a district court.

Rakesh Kumar, 50, was said to have committed the offences on Oct 17 last year at the Khansama and Jungle Tandoor restaurants in Serangoon Road.

His lawyer Nirmal Singh had argued earlier that the charges were invalid as the law stipulated that Rakesh should be charged no later than 56 days after the food was seized.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) had maintained that the time period applied only to the laboratory testing of the seized food, which had been done on the same day.

At a previous hearing last month, the NEA prosecutor said that the agency wished to consult the Attorney-General's Chambers.

Nirmal said after yesterday's hearing that the summonses against his client were issued only in January this year – long after the deadline of Dec 11.

It is believed that this is the first time the time period had been raised in court.

Nirmal also said the decision to grant Rakesh a discharge amounting to an acquittal could have repercussions on previous cases in which guilty pleas were entered and fines imposed even though the 56-day restriction had been breached.

These could include setting aside convictions and returning the fines paid. — The Straits Times/ Asia News Network

Unrepentant rapist strikes again

Posted:

SPENDING 20 years in prison for rape and robbery did not stop 43-year-old Razali Osman from risking a climb into a fifth-floor bedroom and trying to force himself on another woman – this time his sister's 31-year-old tenant.

Yesterday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Christine Liu urged the court to send the delivery assistant and part-time cleaner to jail again for between 18 and 20 years, and give him 24 strokes of the cane.

The hearing was adjourned after Razali, who pleaded guilty to one count each of sexual assault, attempted aggravated rape and housebreaking, said he wanted to get a lawyer to deliver his mitigation.

The High Court heard how Razali, who has convictions going back to 1988, was last sent to jail in 1993 for raping three women, including his girlfriend's sister, as well as robbing two of them.

When he was released in February last year, his sister took him in as he had nowhere else to stay. A month later, the victim, a foreigner working here as an administrator, moved into his sister's flat and occupied the room beside his.

He sent the woman flowers and expressed his interest, but she told him she already had a fiance back home.

Rebuffed, Razali became frustrated.

On the night of Oct 20 last year, while the two of them were alone, he hatched a plan to get into her room to "teach her a lesson".

He took a precarious route, climbing out the living room window of the fifth-floor flat and into the window of her bedroom.

Once inside, he covered the victim's mouth and pinned her onto the bed. As they struggled, he violated her and tried to rape her.

He eventually stopped after she repeatedly begged him to.

He told her that he was frustrated after she spurned his affections, and apologised.

The woman later made a police report and moved out of the flat. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio


The boyish charm of Lee Min-ho

Posted:

The Boys Over Flowers star looks poised to reprise his golden days with new drama.

Lee Min-ho wants his new TV show, The Heir, to be his best. "I hope this drama reels in viewer ratings past the 40% mark,"said Lee, 26, at the drama's press conference in Seoul, South Korea, recently. "I really want those top ratings."

Lee has yet to surpass the overwhelming success of his breakout role in the hit rom-com Boys Over Flowers four years ago.

Both his last TV series, The Great Doctor, and 2010's Personal Taste brought in lukewarm viewer shares, and while City Hunter, in which Lee played a justice-seeking rogue operative, was a relative success, it failed to rack up ratings on par with Boys Over Flowers.

Now, Lee could quite possibly have another smash hit on his hands with The Heirs, in which he plays a teenage chaebol heir destined to fall for the down-on-luck heroine, who is played by rom-com veteran Park Shin-hye.

Since his new character's profile mirrors the very role that catapulted him to massive stardom (what K-drama fan doesn't remember his arrogantly winsome Goo Joon-pyo?), comparisons to Boys Over Flowers seem inevitable.

At the press conference, Lee fielded a question about his decision to come full circle to the type of role that put him on the map.

"Four years have passed since I starred in Boys Over Flowers, and I am playing a high school chaebol heir again because," Lee paused, before rephrasing his answer. "At some point during those four years, I realised that I rarely felt wildly happy. I also realised that there wasn't much to be sad about either. My life felt void of ups or downs.

"So, before I grow past my 20s, I wanted to play a more upbeat character, one that would allow me to return to that feeling of simple, uncomplicated innocence that I had when I was younger."

It is not hard to see why Lee zeroed in on the role of Kim Tan, considering A Gentleman's Dignity and Secret Garden scriptwriter Kim Eun-sook is behind the scenes, working her magic on Lee's new hero, a lead that could resonate with viewers the way her heroes have in the past.

Scriptwriter Kim seems to have her work cut out for her, with Boys Over Flowers references threatening to overshadow The Heirs.

"If the plan was to remake Boys Over Flowers, then, quite obviously Lee Min-ho would not have been cast as the lead," Kim said. "It was because I was confident that my work would be different and, if I dare say so, better even, that Lee Min-ho was brought on board."

Lee also voiced faith in his upcoming work, stating, "I feel like playing this role now at this age will represent a real departure from how I approached my character four years ago."

During the press event, Lee looked at ease with co-star Park, holding hands and linking arms with the Heartstrings actress while posing for photos.

"I first met Lee Min-ho while shooting a cosmetics commercial together in 2009," said Park, 23. "He is a real gentleman, very well-mannered but still a kid in many ways."

"I like to tease Shin-hye," Lee admitted to being a bit of a prankster. "Especially when our shooting schedule gets tough, that's when I let the good times roll.

"I guess that comfortable vibe we have going just translates directly to the small screen."

While the highlight reel that ran at the press event gave very little away on what sort of onscreen chemistry viewers can expect from Lee and Park, it did hint at a romance centred on a gaggle of rich kids duking it out in a private school-setting with one not-so-entitled girl caught in the middle. – The Korea Herald/Asia News Network

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The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

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In Hayao Miyazaki's shadow

Posted:

Asia's animators draw inspiration from the Japanese maestro but could be hard pressed to emulate his success.

AS Oscar-winning animator Hayao Miyazaki heads into retirement, industry watchers say the next generation of Asian filmmakers stepping out of his shadow will struggle to match the Japanese master's box office domination.

"The view here is that there will be no 'second Miyazaki'," Tokyo-based author and film critic Mark Schilling says.

The market for Asian animation is dominated by children's films, Schilling said, and not the more adult-themed productions Miyazaki became famous for, such as his Oscar-winning Spirited Away in 2002.

The 72-year-old director last month shocked the industry – and his legions of fans – by announcing he was walking away from directing.

The decision was made even as Miyazaki's latest production The Wind Rises – a look at the life of the man who invented Japan's Mitsubishi Zero fighter airplane – continues to dominate the box office in Japan. It has collected an estimated US$115mil (RM364.5mil) in takings since its July release.

That success follows impressive global totals from Miyazaki's Spirited Away (US$274.9mil / RM871.4mil), 2004's Howl's Moving Castle (US$235.2mil / RM745.6mil) and 2008's Ponyo (US$201.8mil / RM639.7mil). The Wind Rises is scheduled to begin hitting screens in Europe and the United States from January.

Schilling – who translated the Miyazaki-themed book Princess Mononoke: The Art And Making Of Japan's Most Popular Film Of All Time – said audience figures for many animators working in a similar hand-drawn style would inevitably fade.

"None of their films have scaled the Miyazaki-like box-office heights and it's hard to see how they can in the future."

Small market

The small marketplace has not deterred 35-year-old Yeon Sang-Ho, whose second feature The Fake was a hit with critics at the Busan International Film Festival held earlier this month.

"Animated films for adults are actually rare," he says on the sidelines of the festival. "So even when a film gets money invested in it, it's still difficult to get it released.

"Animators like me will just have to make people become more familiar with animation by making more films."

Undeterred: The small market for hand-drawn animation has not put off Yeon Sang-Ho, whose second feature The Fake was a hit with critics at Busan.

Undeterred: The small market for hand-drawn animation has not put off Yeon Sang-Ho, whose second feature The Fake was a hit with critics at Busan.

Despite being lauded by critics – and picking up three awards at Busan in 2011 – Yeon's debut The King Of Pigs did not recoup its US$150,000 (RM475,500) budget from box office takings.

Undeterred, Yeon has infused his latest production with a similar brand of savage and profane social comment as he explores the story of a man locked in battle with an unscrupulous church leader.

The director, while acknowledging that the market for more mature-themed animation in Asia was small, says the reaction to his first feature and the inspiration he drew from the likes of Miyazaki and the manga artist Minoru Furuya (Himizu) had made him fiercely determined to continue developing his own style.

His films are noted for their ultra-realistic mix of computer-generated and hand-drawn images.

Creative control

Also capturing the attention of both critics and the audience in Busan was 23-year-old Korean Han Yeo-ul, whose The Child Who Draws An Octopus was the only piece of animation in the running for the festival's major prize for Korean short films (unfortunately, it did not win).

Animator Han Yeo-ul feels the medium gives her a better opportunity to communicate with her audience because 'you can express yourself more (in animation) than in other films. It is a very personal thing.'

Animator Han Yeo-ul feels the medium gives her a better opportunity to communicate with her audience because 'you can express yourself more (in animation) than in other films. It is a very personal thing.'

Han's production uses a very child-like cut-out style which belies the weighty issues it conveys.

"Animation allows me to capture the innocence of childhood," she says. "You can capture how the world looks through a child's eyes but still look at serious issues."

While Han also acknowledges the market is small, she says it gives her freedom to communicate more directly with her audience.

"You can express yourself more (in animation) than in other films. It is a very personal thing." – AFP

<i>Beetlejuice 2</i>, maybe

Posted:

The adoringly brash and conniving ghost is set to make a comeback.

American filmmaker Tim Burton is preparing to produce a sequel to his 1988 comedy starring the rude yet lovable ghost.

The Beetlejuice 2 project, which has been under discussion at Warner Bros for a number of years now, seems to finally be taking shape.

According to details reported by Schmoesknow.com and confirmed by the Hollywood trade press, Burton has agreed to co-produce the feature. Michael Keaton, who has expressed his particular fondness for the character he brought to the screen in 1988, is expected to return to the role for the sequel.

A scene from Beetlejuice, which was released in 1988.

The storyline for Beetlejuice 2 is currently in development by producer David Katzenberg and writer Seth Grahame-Smith, who authored the parody novel Pride And Prejudice And Zombies and the screenplay for Burton's Dark Shadows.

Beetlejuice was one of Tim Burton's earliest Hollywood films. — AFP Relaxnews

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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Madagascar votes in first presidential election since 2009 coup

Posted:

ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - The people of Madagascar began voting on Friday in a presidential election they hope will end a five-year crisis and rebuild investor confidence to mend an economy crippled since President Andry Rajoelina seized power in a 2009 coup.

It was the first vote on the huge nickel- and vanilla-producing island off Africa since the upheaval triggered by protests and mutinous soldiers that drew sanctions against Madagascar and prompted donors to freeze crucial budget support.

Election officials at one primary school in the capital, Antananarivo, showed the first voters and political party representatives the empty plastic ballot boxes before sealing the containers. The first ballots were cast shortly after 04.00 a.m. British Time.

"We need to end this crisis. As far as I am concerned, this election is our last chance," said laboratory worker Faly Richard Randrianarivo. "The vote should allow our next leaders to tackle the high unemployment and our schools."

Rajoelina, a former disc jockey, and the wife of the man he ousted, Marc Ravalomanana, were barred by an electoral court from competing. With no clear favourite among the 33 candidates, the election is not expected to produce an outright winner, meaning a likely runoff in December.

Initial results are likely to come in slowly on the island, which is a bit smaller than Texas. The electoral commission has until November 8 to announce a provisional count.

Presidential hopefuls have crisscrossed the Indian Ocean isle famed for its exotic wildlife and threatened rainforests, promising free primary education, better management of mineral resources and a crackdown on corruption.

Many Malagasy are less optimistic, however, and fear the result will be disputed. That would risk prolonging uncertainty and more turmoil on the world's fourth largest island, situated in the Indian Ocean, as it struggles to lure back foreign investors, tourists and donors.

ECONOMIC PAIN

Madagascar's cash-strapped economy needs budgetary support back from foreign donors, its finance minister told Reuters.

Rajoelina, 39, rose to power after galvanising popular anger at Ravalomanana's perceived abuses of power. He spearheaded violent street protests in early 2009 and toppled the self-made millionaire after dissident soldiers swung behind him.

Diplomats said they were keeping a watchful eye on the military, still headed by a general who backed Ravalomanana's ouster and whose commanders are seen as loyal to Rajoelina.

"The Malagasy want a president ... who is not hungry for power. The people deserve a better future," Rajoelina said late on Thursday in a pre-recorded address to the country.

The bitter rivalry between Rajoelina and Ravalomanana persists. Both men agreed with regional states not to run for the presidency in order to help restore order, but remain influential in the voting, analysts say.

Ravalomanana, who fled to South Africa and remains there, has openly backed Jean Louis Robinson, a former minister during his presidency and regarded as a serious contender.

Publicly, Rajoelina has not endorsed a candidate. But two aspirants, Hery Rajaonarimampianina, a former finance minister, and Edgard Razafindravahy, are both widely seen as close political associates of the outgoing president.

One Western diplomat said flaws in the voting process were inevitable but that the alternative was another delay. Rajoelina first promised an election in late 2010.

"Everybody knows the vote cannot be perfect but everybody is playing the game," said Lydie Boka of French risk group StrategiCo. "Given the circumstances, maybe that is the best they can do."

(Editing by Mark Heinrich and Peter Cooney)

Man arrested in northern Mexico suspected of killing 79

Posted:

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A 20-year-old man in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey has admitted to killing 45 people, and is being investigated for 34 more, officials said on Thursday.

Juan Pablo Vazquez was caught earlier this month in Monterrey where he was allegedly selling drugs, said Nuevo Leon state security spokesman Jorge Domene.

Vazquez, who said he was part of an unidentified local organized crime group, has already admitted being behind 45 killings and "is related to at least 79 murders, most of them committed in 2012," Domene told a news conference.

Mexico has suffered from a wave of drug-related violence, with about 1,000 people a month dying in gangland killings. About 80,000 people have died since 2007 in cartel violence.

(Reporting by Noe Torres and Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Simon Gardner and Peter Cooney)

China court upholds life sentence for Bo Xilai

Posted:

BEIJING (Reuters) - A court in eastern China rejected an appeal by ousted senior politician Bo Xilai on Friday and upheld his life sentence on charges of bribery, corruption and abuse of power, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Bo, once a rising star in China's leadership circles who had cultivated a following through his populist, quasi-Maoist policies, was jailed for life in September after a dramatic fall from grace that shook the ruling Communist Party.

His career was stopped short last year by a murder scandal in which his wife, Gu Kailai, was convicted of poisoning a British businessman, Neil Heywood, who had been a family friend.

In a brief announcement carried on its Weibo microblog, Xinhua said that the high court in the eastern province of Shandong, where Bo was originally tried, had rejected his appeal. It gave no further details.

Bo's guilty verdict had been unlikely to be overturned as the courts are controlled by the Communist Party, which had pronounced him guilty long ago.

President Xi Jinping, who took office in March, will have wanted the Bo affair settled because the next few weeks are critical for his government.

At a closed-door party plenum next month, Xi will push for more economic reforms and he needs unstinting support from the party's elite 200-member Central Committee.

Bo, 64, who was Communist Party chief of the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing, mounted an unexpectedly fiery defence during his trial, denouncing testimony against him by his wife as the ravings of a mad woman hoping to have her own sentence reduced.

He repeatedly said that he was not guilty of any of the charges, although he admitted making some bad decisions and shaming his country by his handling of former Chongqing police chief, Wang Lijun, who first told Bo that Gu had probably murdered Heywood.

Wang, who fled to the U.S. consulate in the nearby city of Chengdu in February last year after confronting Bo with evidence that Gu was involved in the murder, was also jailed last year for covering up the crime.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

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In Hayao Miyazaki&#39;s shadow

Posted:

Asia's animators draw inspiration from the Japanese maestro but could be hard pressed to emulate his success.

AS Oscar-winning animator Hayao Miyazaki heads into retirement, industry watchers say the next generation of Asian filmmakers stepping out of his shadow will struggle to match the Japanese master's box office domination.

"The view here is that there will be no 'second Miyazaki'," Tokyo-based author and film critic Mark Schilling says.

The market for Asian animation is dominated by children's films, Schilling said, and not the more adult-themed productions Miyazaki became famous for, such as his Oscar-winning Spirited Away in 2002.

The 72-year-old director last month shocked the industry – and his legions of fans – by announcing he was walking away from directing.

The decision was made even as Miyazaki's latest production The Wind Rises – a look at the life of the man who invented Japan's Mitsubishi Zero fighter airplane – continues to dominate the box office in Japan. It has collected an estimated US$115mil (RM364.5mil) in takings since its July release.

That success follows impressive global totals from Miyazaki's Spirited Away (US$274.9mil / RM871.4mil), 2004's Howl's Moving Castle (US$235.2mil / RM745.6mil) and 2008's Ponyo (US$201.8mil / RM639.7mil). The Wind Rises is scheduled to begin hitting screens in Europe and the United States from January.

Schilling – who translated the Miyazaki-themed book Princess Mononoke: The Art And Making Of Japan's Most Popular Film Of All Time – said audience figures for many animators working in a similar hand-drawn style would inevitably fade.

"None of their films have scaled the Miyazaki-like box-office heights and it's hard to see how they can in the future."

Small market

The small marketplace has not deterred 35-year-old Yeon Sang-Ho, whose second feature The Fake was a hit with critics at the Busan International Film Festival held earlier this month.

"Animated films for adults are actually rare," he says on the sidelines of the festival. "So even when a film gets money invested in it, it's still difficult to get it released.

"Animators like me will just have to make people become more familiar with animation by making more films."

Undeterred: The small market for hand-drawn animation has not put off Yeon Sang-Ho, whose second feature The Fake was a hit with critics at Busan.

Undeterred: The small market for hand-drawn animation has not put off Yeon Sang-Ho, whose second feature The Fake was a hit with critics at Busan.

Despite being lauded by critics – and picking up three awards at Busan in 2011 – Yeon's debut The King Of Pigs did not recoup its US$150,000 (RM475,500) budget from box office takings.

Undeterred, Yeon has infused his latest production with a similar brand of savage and profane social comment as he explores the story of a man locked in battle with an unscrupulous church leader.

The director, while acknowledging that the market for more mature-themed animation in Asia was small, says the reaction to his first feature and the inspiration he drew from the likes of Miyazaki and the manga artist Minoru Furuya (Himizu) had made him fiercely determined to continue developing his own style.

His films are noted for their ultra-realistic mix of computer-generated and hand-drawn images.

Creative control

Also capturing the attention of both critics and the audience in Busan was 23-year-old Korean Han Yeo-ul, whose The Child Who Draws An Octopus was the only piece of animation in the running for the festival's major prize for Korean short films (unfortunately, it did not win).

Animator Han Yeo-ul feels the medium gives her a better opportunity to communicate with her audience because 'you can express yourself more (in animation) than in other films. It is a very personal thing.'

Animator Han Yeo-ul feels the medium gives her a better opportunity to communicate with her audience because 'you can express yourself more (in animation) than in other films. It is a very personal thing.'

Han's production uses a very child-like cut-out style which belies the weighty issues it conveys.

"Animation allows me to capture the innocence of childhood," she says. "You can capture how the world looks through a child's eyes but still look at serious issues."

While Han also acknowledges the market is small, she says it gives her freedom to communicate more directly with her audience.

"You can express yourself more (in animation) than in other films. It is a very personal thing." – AFP

<i>Beetlejuice 2</i>, maybe

Posted:

The adoringly brash and conniving ghost is set to make a comeback.

American filmmaker Tim Burton is preparing to produce a sequel to his 1988 comedy starring the rude yet lovable ghost.

The Beetlejuice 2 project, which has been under discussion at Warner Bros for a number of years now, seems to finally be taking shape.

According to details reported by Schmoesknow.com and confirmed by the Hollywood trade press, Burton has agreed to co-produce the feature. Michael Keaton, who has expressed his particular fondness for the character he brought to the screen in 1988, is expected to return to the role for the sequel.

A scene from Beetlejuice, which was released in 1988.

The storyline for Beetlejuice 2 is currently in development by producer David Katzenberg and writer Seth Grahame-Smith, who authored the parody novel Pride And Prejudice And Zombies and the screenplay for Burton's Dark Shadows.

Beetlejuice was one of Tim Burton's earliest Hollywood films. — AFP Relaxnews

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Business

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I-Bhd embarks on new RM820mil condo project near KLCC

Posted:

PETALING JAYA: I-Bhd has purchased about a 0.40ha piece of land for a proposed project with a gross development value of RM820mil in the vicinity of the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) as part of its next growth phase, said deputy chairman Datuk Eu Hong Chew.

"We have reached a stage where we have to look beyond i-City in Shah Alam," he said in a telephone interview with StarBiz. I-Bhd is the master developer of i-City.

The parcel of land, located in Jalan Changkat Kia Peng, was purchased by I-Bhd subsidiary I-Marcom Sdn Bhd from Sumuracres Sdn Bhd for RM132mil, or RM2,884 per sq ft.

Sumuracres is a subsidiary of Sumurwang Properties Sdn Bhd, which, in turn, is wholly owned by Sumurwang Sdn Bhd where Tan Sri Lim Kim Hong, I-Bhd's executive chairman, has a substantial shareholding, said I-Bhd in a press release.

"The RM132mil purchase price is to be settled by redeemable convertible unsecured loan stocks (RCULS). The RCULS would have a five-year tenure with an average coupon rate of 3.4% per year and can be converted to I-Bhd ordinary shares at RM3.20 per share," the release said, adding that this represented a 15% premium to its five-day volume weighted average market price. The conversion can be done from the third year onwards.

On whether minority shareholders would stand to benefit from this related-party transaction, considering the rather small land size and the undulating contour of the land, Eu said that I-Bhd stood to gain 23% from the deal.

"If I take the selling price (of the project) less my development cost, land price and marketing costs, then I-Bhd would gain a profit of 23% as a percentage of the revenue," Eu said.

The project will have a plot ratio of 1:10, meaning that the developer would be able to build up to 10 times the size of its land area.

A Bursa Malaysia filing indicated that the company planned to build a 50-storey luxury condominium in a development called Grand i-Residence. It will comprise 127 units of small office home office or SoHo and 315 units of serviced apartments in sizes ranging between 650 sq ft and 1,200 sq ft. All the units will be fully furnished and sold at an average selling price of RM2,300 per sq ft.

On the current oversupply of luxury condominium units in the KLCC vicinity, Eu said there was a lack of smaller units in that area.

Separately, it had been reported several months ago that the former residence of the German ambassador in the same vicinity with a land area of 80,000 sq ft was up for sale for RM200mil. However, there has been no progress thus far.

Further, in August, it had also been reported that the trustees of the Loke Wan Yat estate had sold a 1.38ha parcel of freehold land in Jalan Ampang, sandwiched between Wisma Central and a Chinese temple, for about RM495.34mil or RM3,325 per sq ft. The deal has since hit a snag.

Trading in DRB-Hicom, Kosortium Logistik suspended

Posted:

[unable to retrieve full-text content]KUALA LUMPUR: Trading in the securities of DRB-Hicom Bhd and Konsortium Logistik Bhd has been suspended from 9am on Friday.

KLCI slips in early trade after record close

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's blue chips took a breather early Friday after two straight days of record highs, while investors awaited the Budget 2014 proposals to be announced at 4pm.

At 9.01am, the FBM KLCI fell 1.18 points to 1,817.75. Turnover was 27.45 million shares valued at RM12.74mil. There were 81 gainers, 42 losers and 110 counters unchanged.

Hwang DBS Vickers Research said as investors guess who will be the probable gainers and losers before the Budget 2014 speech is delivered around 4pm, the Malaysian stock market could tread sideways before the details are unveiled.

"Consequently, the KLCI may face stiff resistance at the 1,825 level," it said.

At Bursa Malaysia, BAT was the top loser, down 38 sen to RM62.38 with 1,000 shares done.

UMW lost 18 sen to RM12.36, KLCC and Genting Malaysia six sen to RM6.35 and RM4.24 while Maxis shed three sen to RM4.87.

Among the banks, AmBank lost five sen to RM7.44 but Hong Leong Bank rose 22 sen to RM14.38.

Deleum added 12 sen to RM4.20 and Genting six sen to RM10.44.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Nation

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Ringlet dam disaster: Siren blare not unusual sound

Posted:

CAMERON HIGHLANDS: The sound of sirens, warning that water is being released from the dam into Sungai Bertam, is nothing unusual for villagers at Bertam Valley.

So, they continued to sleep when the siren went off before 1am yesterday.

"We were caught off-guard," said village head Wong Fook Chai.

Wong, like other villagers, heard the siren about 15 to 20 minutes before the floods devastated the village.

"How were we supposed to know? Usually the water release does not overflow the banks of the river," he said.

Wong was not sure whether over-development or farming upstream of the dam contributed to the floods.

"There are many vegetable farms upstream but I cannot be certain they are the cause," he said.

He himself felt that those responsible for the dam should be held accountable for releasing so much water.

He recalled that it rained non-stop from about 7pm on Tuesday before the flooding occurred.

"We never imagined the chaos that was to come," he said.

PKR's Teja assemblyman Chang Lih Kang said residents told him that the siren went off in the middle of a rainstorm, drowning out the blare.

"The rain was very heavy and it happened in the middle of the night. A lot of these people are farmers and they sleep very early," he said.

He said in the past, villagers were notified of dam releases well before they happened, adding that this time, they were not.

"They were caught unaware," he said, and called for an independent committee to investigate how the floods happened.

Regional Environmental Awareness Cameron Highlands president R. Ramakrishnan said Tenaga Nasional had given ample warning for those in the area to evacuate.

"They blasted the siren for half an hour before releasing water from the dam," he said, adding that he did not know why some people there did not heed the warning.

Parliament: Noh creates a stir with LGBT remark

Posted:

DATUK Seri Noh Omar (BN-Tanjung Karang) created a stir when he said that the greatest threat to Malaysia are religious conflicts and the spread of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT).

He went on to ask Nurul Izzah Anwar (PKR-Lembah Pantai) on her views on sodomy, prompting heated exchanges between the Government and Opposition MPs.

Several Opposition MPs protested Noh's line of questioning, with Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan (PAS-Kota Baru) saying that Noh was being rude and sexist.

When asked by Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee to explain his statement, Noh replied: "Yes, I made the statement. But I just wanted to know whether she supported sodomy. I am not accusing her of sodomy. If I had actually said that, I would have withdrawn it."

The former Agriculture and Agro-based Industy Minister said the Government must take immediate measures to curb such social problems, including what he said was a move made by a group of NGOs to promote LGBT rights at the United Nations.

"We are also debating about human rights. We should support human rights, but we cannot support LBGT as it is against Islamic principles.

"Even cattle knows how to choose its correct mate," he said while debating the amendments to the Security Offences (Special Measures Act) during its second reading.

Noh slammed the NGO which went to the UN to promote LBGT rights, which he said had amounted to insulting the Malaysian Cons­titution and undermining Islam.

Gold trading firm directors charged

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR: Two company directors of a gold trading firm have been charged in the Sessions Court with illegally taking an estimated RM450mil in deposits.

Liew Choon Khee, 34, and How Soo Feng, 39, pleaded not guilty to receiving deposits from the public through a gold trading scheme without a valid licence while in their capacity as company directors of The Gold Label Sdn Bhd.

The offences are alleged to have taken place in their offices in North­point Office Tower A, Mid Valley City, Medan Syed Putra, here, between Aug 14, 2009 and May 6, 2010.

Liew and How were slapped with a second similar set of charge of receiving deposits but in their capacity as management before they were made directors.

Bank Negara prosecuting officer Mohd Shukri Ahmad Manfor urged the court to set bail at RM1mil for each accused, as the deposits involved more than RM450mil with only RM10mil successfully seized so far.

He said it was a serious offence under Section 103(1)(a) of the Banking and Financial Institution Act, punishable by up to a RM10mil fine or 10 years' jail.

Liew, who was unrepresented, pleaded for lower bail, saying her account had been frozen and she had been out of a job since the investigations began almost three years ago.

How's lawyer M. Kavimani also pleaded for leniency, saying it was unfair to pin the burden solely on her client as there were others being investigated over the matter.

Judge Norsharidah Awang fixed bail at RM600,000 each with one surety, and ordered that Liew and How surrender their passports.

She fixed Nov 29 for next mention.

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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Asian horror pros in Hollywood

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From James Wan to Park Chan-wook to Hideo Nakata, Asian directors shine in Hollywood.

JAMES Wan has basically sealed his mark as the go-to director for horror flicks with the success of scary features such as Insidious, Insidious: Chapter 2 and The Conjuring.

Besides Malaysia-born Wan, there are several Asian directors known for films that explore horror, violence and other dark themes who are breaking into the Hollywood mainstream, with varying degrees of success.

Acclaimed Korean director Park Chan-wook is best known for brutal vengeance-themed films such as 2003's Oldboy, which is being remade this year by American director Spike Lee in a movie starring Josh Brolin. But he has also made a vampire horror, Thirst, which was released in 2009, and directed one short in the Asian horror anthology, Three... Extremes (2004).

Park Chan-Wook

Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook.

Park made his first English-language film this year, the suspenseful psychological drama Stoker, starring Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode and Nicole Kidman. It received generally positive reviews but several critics wondered if it might have been a better film if Hollywood had allowed Park the full creative control he is used to back home.

Kim Jee-woon, who has explored horror in Korean films such as The Quiet Family (1998) and A Tale Of Two Sisters (2004), made his Hollywood debut this year by directing The Last Stand, the comeback vehicle for ageing action star and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. It made some Terminator fans happy, but managed only a sub-par showing at the box office.

A third acclaimed South Korean director, Bong Joon-ho, is known for the dark drama Mother (2009) and the science-fiction horror monster movie The Host (2006).

He is about to unveil his English-language science-fiction tale Snowpiercer, an adaptation of a French graphic novel that will feature big-name Hollywood actors (Chris Evans) and Korean ones (Song Kang-ho).

The movie earned more than US$20mil (RM63mil) when it opened in South Korea recently, one of the country's biggest box-office debuts.

Although many Asian horror directors are well regarded in Hollywood, the American film industry often remakes its own English-language versions with non-Asian directors.

Exceptions to this include Hideo Nakata and Takashi Shimizu.

Nakata was hired to remake an English-language version of The Ring 2 (2005), a sequel to the 2002 Hollywood re-imagining of his cult hit Ringu. Shimizu is the creator of the Japanese Ju-on films that inspired the English-language The Grudge franchise, the first two films of which he directed in 2004 and 2006. – The Straits Times, Singapore/Asia News Network

Related story: 

A new chapter for Patrick Wilson

Charlie Hunnam breaks his silence

Posted:

The actor gives the reason why he left the Fifty Shades Of Grey project.

Charlie Hunnam has opened up about his departure from Universal's Fifty Shades Of Grey adaptation for the first time.

Well, sorta.

"I am doing good. I am just really concentrating on work. It's been a really busy time," Hunnam told E! News at the second annual "Hogs For Heart" benefit in Burbank, California.

"I have had some family stuff going on so just trying to stay focused and stay positive and keep trying to do a good job at work and be with my family and stay positive."

The actor's father passed away last May, which he suggested may have been a factor in his decision to skip out on playing Christian Grey.

With Sons Of Anarchy production recently wrapped, Hunnam plans on putting family first.

"I've got some family stuff I have to tend to. So when I wrap the show, I am going to go to Britain and see my people and then I have a film that I am doing with Guillermo (del Toro)," Hunnam added.

"So I am going to go and do that and concentrate on the final seasons of Sons."

When Hunnam was attached to star in the adaptation of E.L. James' bestselling erotic novel, he was scheduled to begin shooting three weeks after SOA wrapped. Instead, it sounds like he'll be taking some time off before beginning his next project: Legendary Pictures' haunted houst thriller Crimson Peak. — Reuters

Avatar villain will rise again

Posted:

And we all thought it was impossible for him to come back ...

Stephen Lang, who played the villainous Colonel Quaritch in James Cameron's Avatar, is set to reprise his role in three upcoming sequels despite (spoiler alert!) having been killed off in the original movie, multiple individuals familiar with the project have told TheWrap.

Lang's character died when Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) shot him twice through the chest with her father's bow.

Cameron and his team of screenwriters (Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Shane Salerno) will now have to come up with a creative way to explain Quaritch's return to the sci-fi franchise.

After Avatar, Lang went on to star in Fox's big-budget series Terra Nova as another ruthless military figure, Commander Taylor. Lately, he has had a recurring role on USA's In Plain Sight.

Lang, who got his start playing gossip hound Freddy Lounds in Michael Mann's seminal serial killer movie Manhunter, is represented by Innovative Artists. — Reuters

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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion

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Girl With A Pearl Earring in New York

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One of the world's most recognisable paintings is now on show in the Big Apple.

Girl With A Pearl Earring, the much-loved Dutch masterpiece that has intrigued art lovers for centuries, goes on exhibition in New York this week and is expected to draw huge crowds.

Painted by Johannes Vermeer around 1665, it is the highlight of 15 extraordinary 17th-century paintings on loan to The Frick Collection until Jan 19.

The canvas has enjoyed a cult following since becoming the subject of a best-selling novel in 1999 and a Hollywood film starring Scarlett Johansson in 2003.

The Dutch Golden Age exhibition has been four years in the making and is expected to be hugely popular if for this painting alone, said Frick director Ian Wardropper.

The Frick, which is one of the smallest galleries in New York, is preparing to welcome a maximum of 2,000 people a day or 12,000 a week, Wardropper told AFP.

"For us it is a huge number. That is why we ticketed it, so we have some control, and people won't feel they are overwhelmed," he told AFP.

New York is the latest step in a globe-trotting tour for the painting while The Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis in The Hague undergoes renovation work.

It is the first time in three decades Girl With A Pearl Earring has been seen in New York.

Just 45cm by 40cm, it shows a young girl glancing over her shoulder, wearing a blue and yellow headscarf and a pearl earring.

Girl With A Pearl Earring was bought by collector Arnoldus Andries des Tombe in 1881 for the equivalent of US$1 (RM3.10) and later bequeathed to the Mauritshuis.

Most recently restored in 1994, it will be the sole canvas on view in Frick's Oval Room, with the rest on display in the East Gallery.

Other highlights in the "Vermeer, Rembrandt and Hals: Masterpieces of Dutch Painting from the Mauritshuis" exhibition include Carel Fabritius's Goldfinch and Rembrandt's Simeon's Song Of Praise from 1631.

Tickets went on sale in July and have been issued on specific time slots to avoid overwhelming crowds.

On three Friday evenings a month, access will be free on a first-come, first-served basis.

More than 10,000 people a day visited Girl With A Pearl Earring and 47 other works from the Mauritshuis last year in Tokyo, Japan, Wardropper said.

Vermeer, who lived from 1632-1675, is one of the most celebrated artists from the Dutch Golden Age, an unprecedented period of production in fine art.

Out of thousands of canvases, experts believe that only one to 10% have survived to the present day.

After New York, the painting will be on display at the Palazzo Fava in Bologna, Italy from Feb 8 to May 25, then back to the Mauritshuis for its re-opening. — AFP Relaxnews

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Orphans vent grief, six month after Bangladesh tragedy

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SAVAR, Bangladesh, Oct 24, 2013 (AFP) - Orphans who lost their parents when a garment factory complex collapsed in Bangladesh vented their grief and anger at leading Western retailers Thursday on the six-month anniversary of the disaster.

Relatives of the 1,135 people who lost their lives when the Rana Plaza complex collapsed on April 24 also said they had still to receive any compensation for their loss as they rallied at the site of the tragedy.

"We lost our parents for your work: Walmart, Carrefour, Benetton ...," read a banner held by a group of orphans, listing some of the retailers whose clothing was made at Rana Plaza before it collapsed.

Although some retailers have promised to pay into a compensation fund, activists complained that money was not reaching those in need.

"If you talk about legal compensation, none of the 3,629 workers working in the Rana Plaza at the time of the disaster has been paid a single cent," said Roy Ramesh, Bangladesh head of the IndustriALL global union, which is negotiating with retailers for compensation.

"The government donated some money from its charity fund and British retailer Primark paid 30,000 taka ($375) to each of the victims," he said, adding factory owners and the rest of the 28 retailers who were making clothing at the Rana Plaza factories have paid nothing.

Rezaul Karim, 32, was one of the injured workers who joined the protest in front of the Rana Plaza ruins, demanding more money to treat his broken spinal cord and a monthly pension to maintain a decent life.

"Since the collapse, I've got only the 30,000 taka given by Primark. I am now reduced to begging," he said, clutching the hand of his eight-year-old son.

"The government has paid for some of my treatment but more treatment is needed and it'll cost a huge amount.

"My son cannot go to school and there are days we don't have enough food," he said, adding he now depends on charity from relatives and neighbours.

A report by British charity ActionAid published on the anniversary also highlighted a failure by the authorities and the retailers to compensate the Rana Plaza victims and their families.

The charity surveyed 2,297 people - nearly two thirds of survivors and families of those who died - and found that 94 per cent reported they have not received any legal benefits from their employers since April, including sick pay or compensation.

The Bangladesh government has paid some funds to 777 people - around a third of the victims and their family members - but no long-term compensation package has been agreed, it said.

Legendary Bollywood singer Manna Dey dies

Posted:

MUMBAI: Legendary Bollywood singer Manna Dey died in hospital on Thursday after a five-decade career on the soundtracks of Indian movie classics, reports said. He was 94.

The star, who had been unwell with respiratory problems in recent months, died of cardiac arrest in the early morning, a senior doctor at the Narayana Hrudayalaya hospital in southern Bangalore city told the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency.

"We are saddened by his loss, but he died peacefully. His last rites will be performed later in the day," his son-in-law Jnanranjan Deb told PTI.

Born in Kolkata in May 1919 as Prabodh Chandra Dey, he was given the nickname Manna by his uncle K.C. Dey, a well-known singer and actor who was a great influence on his nephew.

After he graduated from college, Manna travelled to Mumbai where he was first employed as an assistant, before making his debut as a playback singer in the 1943 film 'Tamanna' (Desire).

His first big hit came seven years later in 'Mashaal' (Torch) and his career went on to span more than five decades, during which he recorded over 3,000 songs.

His last recording, for "Umar" (Age), was in 2006.

The versatile singer was as much at ease with a classical Indian song as he was with a peppy youthful one. Beside Hindi, he also sang in regional languages such as Bengali, Malayalam, Bhojpuri and Gujarati.

He won various awards for his work in the music industry, including the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award from the Indian government.

His sang various numbers in films for Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who was one of many in the industry to pay tribute to Dey on Twitter.

"Manna Dey, stalwart of the music world, passes away. Flooded with memories and his songs," Bachchan wrote.

"Manna Dey had a unique voice. He will live on through his songs," wrote actor Shabana Azmi. -AFP

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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health

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Butter is not so bad after all

Posted:

Spread the word – saturated fats supposedly have little impact on one's risks of heart disease.

Cheese lovers, rejoice. A new report in the British Medical Journal suggests that butter and cheese may not be as bad for your heart as previously thought.

Published this week, the report states that long-maligned saturated fats actually have little impact on your risks of heart disease and stroke and could even protect against these conditions.

Dr Aseem Malhotra, an interventional cardiology specialist registrar at Croydon University Hospital in London, wrote in the journal that fears about saturated fats have "dominated dietary advice and guidelines for almost four decades" but have "paradoxically increased our cardiovascular risks".

Dairy products, which are high in saturated fat, are also rich in vitamins A and D, calcium and phosophorous. However, consumers should be clear not to confuse saturated fats with trans fats, often found in packaged foods and fast food.

Malhotra suggests a shift in focus from patients' overall cholesterol, or blood fat, to whether or not they have a healthy balance of cholesterol from different food types. — AFP Relaxnews

A dangerous affliction

Posted:

Meningitis is a term used to describe serious inflammation of the meninges, the membranous covering of the brain and the spinal cord. And, it can be fatal.

MENINGITIS is a disease that needs to be treated promptly. It is a particularly dangerous infection because of the delicate nature of the brain, as brain cells, once killed, will not regenerate. If there's substantial damage, serious, life-long handicaps will remain.

The disease can progress very rapidly, often leaving doctors little time for proper disgnosis and treatment. Its early symptoms are often non-specific and mimic those of the common cold or flu, and often, by the time most of the classic symptoms of meningitis appear, it may be too late to save the child. This disease can progress very rapidly, from the onset of the initial symptoms to death in as little as 24 hours.

It can be caused by either a viral or bacterial infection, both of which are contagious and potentially deadly. While meningitis caused by viral infections are more prevalent, the progression of the disease caused by bacterial infections can occur in hours rather than days; because of its high fatality rate, it remains a very serious threat and accounts for an estimated annual 170,000 deaths worldwide.

How does it spread?

Your risk increases if you live or work with someone who has the disease.

The bacteria Neisseria meningitidis (one of the principle bacteria that causes meningitis) can hitch a ride at the back of anyone's throat, unless they have been vaccinated against it.

It is highly contagious and can easily spread when the infected person coughs, sneezes, kisses, or shares eating/drinking utensils with others.

Filename : shutterstock_18.85cb1120724.original.jpg - To go with

The bugs that can cause meningitis are highly contagious and can easily spread when the infected person coughs, sneezes, kisses, or shares eating/drinking utensils with others. — AFP

Who are at risk?

Children and young adults (especially those living in close proximity with others, such as college/university students living in dormitories), are often those who will be most affected by meningitis (meningococcal disease). However, this disease can infect persons of any age.

How severe is meningitis?

This is a serious infection that can also involve blood infection.

In Malaysia, bacterial meningitis causes death in 10% of patients, with many suffering from complications due to the disease.

Is meningitis preventable?

Yes! The most effective way to protect you and your child against bacterial meningitis is to vaccinate against it.

How effective are the vaccines?

The newer meningococcal conjugate vaccine (against bacterial meningitis) is about 90% effective in preventing meningococcal disease.

The currently licensed pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (against pneumococcal meningitis) is based on 13 of the most common pneumococcal serotypes, against which the vaccine has an overall protective efficacy of about 60%–70%.

What should you do if you suspect that your child is infected?

If you suspect that your child shows any signs or symptoms of meningitis, do not hesitate to seek immediate medical assistance. You must act quickly, as this disease can run its course within 24-48 hours. Be sure to describe the symptoms as accurately as possible, and make it a point to mention the possibility of meningitis or septicaemia to your child's doctor.

Never underestimate the importance of vaccination. Preventing meningitis is much more desirable than dealing with the aftermath of an infection.

It's important that you learn the signs of meningitis; if at any time you suspect that your child has it, do not delay. Seek medical care immediately!

Datuk Dr Zulkifli Ismail is a consultant paediatrician and paediatric cardiologist. This article is a courtesy of Malaysian Paediatric Association's Positive Parenting programme, supported by an educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline. The opinion expressed in the article is the view of the author. For further information, please visit www.mypositiveparenting.org. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader's own medical care. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.

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