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Lend Lease eyes Malaysia's property mart Posted: 18 Feb 2013 07:07 PM PST Lend Lease Group, Australia's biggest developer, plans to expand in Malaysia to make up for a slowdown in residential sales and mining-related infrastructure projects back home. The company is in discussions to invest in about three development projects in Malaysia and expects to complete the first agreement by June 30, Chief Executive Officer Steve McCann said in an interview from Melbourne yesterday. Lend Lease wants to lower its dependency on the home market to about 60 per cent of earnings in five years from 73 per cent as of December 31, McCann said. Malaysia's growth exceeded 5 per cent in each of the five quarters through September, outpacing Australia's average 3.4 per cent expansion in the same period. Lend Lease's Asian Retail Investment Fund in May opened Setia City Mall in partnership with Malaysian developer SP Setia Bhd. "Over time, say about five years, we'll invest more capital overseas," McCann said. "There are a few encouraging signs in the Australian residential market and there's a bit more enquiry off the reduction in interest rates but there won't be a material turnaround soon in the land subdivision market." The Sydney-based company's future developments in Malaysia will be mixed-use projects dominated by retail space, McCann said. Two of its planned projects in the country will be in Kuala Lumpur and one elsewhere, he said. Lend Lease in October agreed to jointly develop a 10.9 acre site in a project that will include office, retail and hotel space and homes with Naza TTDI, according to an e-mailed statement from the closely held Malaysian developer.-- Bloomberg

KL shares higher in early trade Posted: 18 Feb 2013 05:49 PM PST Share prices on Bursa Malaysia were slightly higher in early trade today on mild buying support mostly seen in heavyweights, dealers said. Ten minutes into the opening, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 1.98 points to 1,622.91, compared to yesterday's close of 1,620.93. HwangDBS Vickers Research Sdn Bhd said with no visible market leads from abroad and as Wall Street was closed yesterday, Asian equities may swing sideways when trading resumes today. It said the local bourse could also continue its listless performance by drifting lower. "On the chart, the benchmark FBM KLCI is expected to slide towards the tentative support line of 1,615 anytime soon," it said in its research note here. Regional bourses were mostly lower with Japan's Nikkei 225 slipping 13.91 points to 11,393.96, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng declined 13.72 points to 23368.22. Singapore's Straits Times rose 7.93 points to 3,296.07. Back on the local front, the Finance Index improved 19.239 points to 14,848.27, the Industrial Index edged up 1.94 points to 2,786.71 and the Plantation Index increased 6.01 points to 7,926.67. The FBM Emas Index was 10.97 points higher at 11,029.62, the FBMT100 advanced 9.829 points to 10,879.52, while the FBM Mid 70 Index declined 5.14 points to 11,959.49, and the FBM Ace Index added 9.1 points to 4,048.26. Gainers led losers by 61 to 40, with 82 counters unchanged, 1,483 untraded and 17 others suspended. Trading was thin with total volume at 68.425 million shares worth RM15.15 million. Among actives, The Media Shoppe edged up one sen to 9.5 sen, Compugates was unchanged at 9.5 sen, while Ins Bioscience slipped 1.5 sen to five sen. For the heavyweights, Maybank was unchanged at RM8.87, while Sime Darby added two sen to RM9.24 and Axiata edged up one sen to RM6.28, with CIMB gaining three sen to RM7.03.-- Bernama

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Oscar Pistorius' girlfriend shot 4 times through bathroom door, official says - CNN Posted: 18 Feb 2013 09:18 AM PST STORY HIGHLIGHTS NEW: Detectives are examining role of a blood-stained cricket bat, newspaper reports Runner Oscar Pistorius has been charged with murder in model Reeva Steenkamp's death Steenkamp was still alive when Pistorius carried her downstairs, an official says Pretoria, South Africa (CNN) -- Model Reeva Steenkamp was shot four times through the bathroom door at the home of Olympian Oscar Pistorius, a South African official familiar with the case told CNN on Monday. She was alive after she was shot and was carried downstairs by Pistorius, said the official, who was not authorized to release details to the media. A blood-stained cricket bat has also emerged as key evidence in the case, according to the City Press newspaper of Johannesburg. Detectives are working to determine whether the bat was used to attack Steenkamp or she used it in self-defense, the newspaper reported, citing a source with inside knowledge of the case. Detectives are also looking into the possibility that Pistorius used the bat to break down the bathroom door. The details are the latest to emerge in the shooting death that has roiled the nation and left South Africans asking what went so terribly wrong inside the upscale Pretoria home of the man nicknamed "Blade Runner" for his lightning-fast prosthetic legs. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there were indications the 29-year-old model intended to stay the night at the house: She had an overnight bag and her iPad. Opinion: Pistorius case and the plague of violence against women Authorities have released little about a possible motive in the Valentine's Day shooting, while local media have reported that Pistorius had mistaken his girlfriend for an intruder. South African authorities have stressed that the scenario did not come from them, and said there was no evidence of forced entry at the home. Police have charged Pistorius with murder, and he will appear in court Tuesday for a bail hearing. South African prosecutors have said they intend to upgrade the charge to premeditated murder, but have not released further details. Pistorius, 26, has rejected the murder allegation "in the strongest terms," his agent said in a statement. Nike's bullet ad with Pistorius backfires Burial service The same day Pistorius returns to court, Steenkamp will be buried in a private service in her hometown of Port Elizabeth. Her burial Tuesday will come two days after South Africa's national broadcaster aired a pre-recorded reality TV show featuring Steenkamp discussing her exit from "Tropika Island of Treasure," on which local celebrities compete for prize money. The decision to air the program took "much deliberation," and "this week's episode will be dedicated to Reeva's memory," said Samantha Moon, the executive producer. The shooting has stunned South Africa, where Pistorius is a national hero as the first disabled athlete to compete in the able-bodied Olympic Games. He competed in the London Games as well as winning two gold medals in the Paralympic Games. Headlines about the case have dominated in the days since Pistorius was arrested, though tight-lipped authorities have revealed little about what, if anything, the track star has said. Oscar Pistorius with Reeva Steenkamp in January 2013. Questions swirl Reports say Pistorius and Steenkamp became an item around November and were popular in South African social circles. The night before the shooting, Steenkamp appeared to be looking forward to Valentine's Day. "What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow?" she asked her Twitter followers the day before. "Get excited." Steenkamp was found in a pool of blood at Pistorius' home Thursday morning. Neighbors alerted authorities to the early morning shooting, saying they had "heard things earlier," police spokeswoman Denise Beukes has said. She did not clarify what the neighbors reported they heard. Authorities also have not said whether Pistorius called for help. Pictures of his walk to a police car, his head covered by a sweatshirt, have flashed repeatedly across television screens. On Sunday, Pistorius canceled his appearances in five upcoming races. The move is meant to help Pistorius focus on the legal proceedings and "help and support all those involved as they try to come to terms with this very difficult and distressing situation," said Peet Van Zyl of Pistorius' management company, In Site Athlete Management. CNN's Robyn Curnow reported from South Africa; Chelsea J. Carter and Faith Karimi reported from Atlanta. 0 Comments » Tweet Print Email More sharing

Venezuela's Chavez makes surprise return from Cuba - Reuters Posted: 18 Feb 2013 08:27 AM PST By Andrew Cawthorne and Daniel Wallis CARACAS | Mon Feb 18, 2013 11:26am EST (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez made a surprise return from Cuba on Monday, more than two months after surgery for cancer that has jeopardized his 14-year rule of the South American OPEC nation. The middle-of-the-night homecoming by Chavez, 58, implies some medical improvement - at least enough to handle a flight of several hours - and will again fire up supporters with hope he could return to active rule. Yet there was no new information on the socialist leader's condition, nor images of his arrival, and aides say his condition remains "complex." Chavez could be returning to govern behind the scenes or could be hoping to ease political tensions in Venezuela and smooth a transition to Vice President Nicolas Maduro. Chavez has urged voters to back Maduro should he have to stand down and a new presidential election be held. "We have returned to the Venezuelan fatherland. Thank you, my God! Thank you, my beloved people! We will continue the treatment here," Chavez said via Twitter after flying in. Maduro said Chavez flew in at about 2:30 a.m. (2 a.m. ET) from Havana and was taken to a military hospital in Caracas. Until photos were published of him on Friday, Chavez had not been seen by the public since a six-hour operation in Cuba on December 11. There had been speculation Chavez was not well enough to travel despite wanting to return for continued treatment for the disease, which was first diagnosed in mid-2011. "I remain attached to Christ and trusting in my nurses and doctors," the president also tweeted on Monday. "Onwards to victory forever! We will live and we will conquer!" The tweets were his first direct communication with the outside world since he went to Cuba in December. His return thrilled supporters in the country of 29 million people, where his common touch and heavy spending on welfare policies have made him an idol to many of the poor. "It's fabulous news, the best thing possible," Chavez's cousin, Guillermo Frias, told Reuters from the president's rural birthplace in Barinas state. "Venezuela was waiting for him, everyone wants to see him. Welcome home! Thank God he's back!" FIREWORKS MARK RETURN Fireworks were launched in some Caracas neighborhoods as the news spread and "Chavistas" began to celebrate. Top government officials were jubilant, with the information minister singing "He's back, he's back!" live on state TV. Chavez's latest surgery was his fourth in just 18 months since the disease was detected. He also has undergone weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, and the government has emphasized in recent days that his condition remains delicate. "It's a complex, difficult situation, but Chavez is fighting for his life," Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said at the weekend. A euphoric crowd quickly gathered outside the hospital where Chavez was taken, chanting slogans and dancing. Officials urged them to respect the peace of patients at the facility, where a huge banner of Chavez's face gazes out over a nearby hillside shanty-town. Congressional leader Diosdado Cabello said the president was comfortable at the hospital. "We're fixing all the details there so he lacks absolutely nothing," he said. In the first images since his latest surgery, officials published photos on Friday showing a smiling Chavez lying in a hospital bed, reading a newspaper and flanked by his daughters. The government said he was breathing through a tracheal tube and struggling to speak. One woman, who told state TV she was a nurse, said Chavez had arrived walking and without a wheelchair or visible tubes. After winning re-election in October - and wrongly declaring himself cured - Chavez was unable to attend his own inauguration ceremony in January. Enraging his foes, the Supreme Court ruled that he remained president and could be sworn in later. That could now take place at the military hospital. "Now the president is back, there can be no doubt about the democratic institutions working in Venezuela," said Information Minister Ernesto Villegas. "There were some who dreamed of unseating Chavez and the revolution, but here we always said Chavez is the president elected and re-elected by the will of the Venezuelan people." Chavez's condition means there is a little chance he could quickly slip back into his old routine of thundering oratory, hours-long talk shows and casual chats in the street with supporters. CUBA 'BREATHING EASIER' Chavez's pre-dawn return was a typical surprise move for the former soldier whose rule has combined constant political theatrics with radical anti-U.S. speeches, tough treatment of opponents and lavish spending of oil revenue on the poor. Critics have decried the secrecy over his health, and some want a formal declaration that he is no longer fit to rule. That would trigger a new presidential vote within 30 days, probably pitting Maduro against opposition leader Henrique Capriles. Chavez's lengthy stay in Cuba had fuelled a long-held opposition accusation that Venezuela's government was being manipulated and directed from Havana. Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro is a political mentor and father figure to Chavez, and the older man visited him regularly in the hospital. "I'm pleased you have been able to return to the piece of ... soil you love so much and the fraternal people who give you so much support," he wrote to Chavez in a letter published by the Cuban government on Monday. "You have learnt a lot about life, Hugo, in those tough days of suffering and sacrifice," he said, urging continued discretion over the president's condition to thwart "fascists" intent on toppling him. A senior diplomatic source in the region said Cuban officials would be breathing more easily after Chavez's departure, partly because the political costs to Cuba were starting to mount as many wondered who was running Venezuela. Maduro also was being hurt ahead of any new election, the source said, as Capriles increasingly accused the vice president and other officials of lying about the president's condition. Some 20 Venezuelan students have spent the past four days chained up close to the Cuban Embassy in Caracas in protest at what they see as interference from Havana. Maduro, 50, a former bus driver, is Chavez's heir apparent and would be favorite to win a close vote. Chavez's return eclipses debate over a recent devaluation of the local bolivar currency. It has been highly unpopular with Venezuelans and opposition politicians have sought to present it as evidence of economic incompetence by the government. Capriles welcomed Chavez back but pointedly said he hoped it would mean a return to order in government and attention to the daily problems of Venezuelans. (Additional reporting by Mario Naranjo, Deisy Buitrago, Girish Gupta and Eyanir Chinea in Caracas, Brian Ellsworth and Tomas Sarmiento in Quito; Editing by Kieran Murray)

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