Newcomer Colin Trevorrow to film 'Jurassic Park 4'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood newcomer Colin Trevorrow was named the director of the long-awaited fourth installment of dinosaur movie franchise Jurassic Park on Thursday.

Universal Pictures said that Steven Spielberg, who directed the first two movies in the US$1.9 billion worldwide franchise, would be the executive producer of Jurassic Park 4, but he would not direct.

Trevorrow, 36, is little known in Hollywood. He made his feature film directorial debut with the independent time travel comedy Safety Not Guaranteed, shown at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, and has made a TV movie and documentary.

Universal said Jurassic Park 4 would be made in 3D and was scheduled for release on 13 June 2014.

Spielberg announced in 2011 that a fourth film was in development, and speculation had been rife about whether he would direct it.

Jurassic Park III, directed by Joe Johnston, was released 12 years ago, but its US$368 million worldwide box-office take was well below that of the first two films.

The original Jurassic Park, first released in 1993, will return to U.S. movie theaters in April in a 3D conversion.

Universal gave no details of casting or the plot for Jurassic Park 4.

Najib: Perwani will act as transformation agent to help women in various sectors

PUTRAJAYA: “Purple Power” ripped across the country with hundreds of thousands of purple-clad women walking in support of the slew of national initiatives to empower them.

The 1Million Women Purple Walk started at Putrajaya Square yesterday and flagged off by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

This was followed up with similar events at the state-level which drew an all-out response.

A 100,000-strong women's assembly, named as the 1Malaysia Perwani Community, is to act as a national community transformation agent.

The Prime Minister, who wore a purple shirt in support of the nationwide exercise, said Perwani would be broken into small groups of between 10 and 20 women to help women in education, business and also crime prevention. 

Najib joining the walk together with (from left) Muhyiddin, Rosmah and Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil in Putrajaya.

Resident associations, Puspanita, Police Family Association (Perkep), Malaysian Armed Forces Family Welfare Association (Bakat), Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, NGOs and single mothers would help out.

“As a mover of various activities, the 1Malaysia Perwani Community can promote healthcare, family welfare, skill training, entrepreneurship and tuition.

“They can become the eyes and ears of the government in combating crimes and threats to national security,” he said in launching the initiative yesterday.

Najib, who is also Women, Family and Community Development Minister, said Perwani was an initiative under the National Blue Ocean Strategy to improve the welfare of women.

He said the 1Malaysia Perwani Community would act as a conduit between women and the authorities to provide feedback on infrastructure and public amenities.

Attesting that women had proven their mettle in many fields, Najib pointed out 62% of the country's undergraduates were women.

Participants cheering and holding up placards in support of the 1Million Women Purple Walk 2013 in Putrajaya.

“Now 30 of the 62 High Court judges are women, of the secretaries-general in ministries, seven of them are women with the latest being in the Health Ministry,” he said.

“But we do not just want to recognise women. We want to empower women and want them to be part of mainstream development and transformation,” he stressed.

At the event, Najib also launched the Purplelicious Mobile Cafe, the latest project initiated by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to help single mothers earn a living.

Under the programme, nine single mothers from various races will operate a mobile cafe using two trucks which would make pit stops at selected locations in the Klang Valley and Putrajaya.

The cafe will serve sandwiches, pasta and ice-blended drinks with the menu prepared with the help of Chef Jo of MasterChef Malaysia fame.

Also present at the event here was Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Chief Secretary to the Government Datuk Seri Dr Ali Hamsa and Cabinet ministers.

WILDLIFE: Dept should rescue injured animals

THE government should be commended for its patience and the manner it went about flushing out the terrorists in the east coast of Sabah.

It is sad that lives were lost. Our heartfelt condolences and sympathies go to the families who have lost their loved ones.

Malaysians from all walks of life are offering prayers for the safety of security personnel.

The use of jet fighters to bomb the terrorists' hideout was inevitable because of the guerilla tactics used by the terrorists.

Although the airstrikes may have helped our armed forces flush out the terrorists, it may have inadvertently destroyed our wildlife.

Although human safety is our priority, I am equally concerned for the wildlife that were caught in the crossfire. The National Parks and Wildlife Department (Perhilitan) should have a search-and-rescue plan for these injured animals.

Once the area has been declared safe, Perhilitan should move in to rescue injured animals and reduce their suffering. Some kind of veterinary assistance should also be provided to the people in the conflict zone who have animals that may have been injured.

It must be noted that the carcasses could give rise to disease outbreaks that may spread to humans.

Hopefully, the authorities will come up with a plan to rescue the wildlife trapped in the conflict zone.

WEIGHTLIFTING: Institute for Penang?

GEORGE TOWN: THE Pearl of the Orient will soon carry much weight as a weightlifting centre for Asia and Oceania.

A weightlifting institute, which will also act as a centre for excellence, for athletes of the sport in the two continents, is in the process of being established in Penang.

The fully equipped centre with expert trainers will provide weight and fitness training.

It will be for the various types of athletes, including field sports, racquet sports, martial arts and others, not just weightlifters.

The idea to set up the institute was mooted by Datuk Ong Poh Eng, the newly elected president of the Malaysian Weightlifting Federation.

Ong made the announcement during a press conference for the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships.

State sports council director Frederick Tan Teck An was also present.

Ong said Penang would be the ideal venue for the institute as it is central to many weightlifting nations in Asia and Oceania, including China, Iran and even Russia and Australia. On top of that, Penang is also a sports friendly tourism destination.

Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation (CWF) secretary general Paul Coffa said he was impressed with the idea but would not commit to the setting up of the institute as the approval has to come from the federation's executive board, of which Ong is a member.

Coffa said with China already the powerhouse of weightlifting in Asia, and Iran fast rising as a power in the sport, Penang would be an ideal choice to set up the institute.

"I will take the suggestion to the executive board and bring back the result when I come back here for the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships.

"But the institute will not be exclusive to weightlifters only, as athletes from other sports should have access to the facilities," said Coffa, who is also the Oceania Weightlifting Federation general secretary.

Meanwhile, Penang will create history when it hosts the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships and the Masters World Cup simultaneously in November.

The championships will feature senior (above 21 years old), junior (17-21 years) and youth (13-17 years) categories for men and women while the Masters World Cup will cater for lifters between the ages of 35 and 95, also for men and women.

Ong, the Penang Weightlifting Association (PWA) president, said for the first time the master lifters will be competing alongside young lifters on the same platform.

Ong, a CWF vice-president, said Penang has the distinction of hosting the Commonwealth Championships in 2009, the Intercontinental Club Grand Prix and the Junior Commonwealth Championships simultaneously in 2010 and the 37th Men and 17th Women Junior World Championships in 2011.

"The event will further boost sports tourism in the state as master lifters will normally bring along their families, including their grandchildren, for sightseeing and shopping.

"Participants from more than 80 countries with about 1,000 people can be expected to come to Penang during the championships," said Ong.

Coffa, who visited Penang to inspect the venue and facilities, expressed confidence that the hosts will do a great job.

He said Penang has been well tested on several occasions when it hosted world-level weightlifting championships on a big scale.

There are a lot of young weightlifters already training in Penang.

New worry for Chong Wei

YOUNG GUN: Chen Long will be a formidable force in World Championships

CHEN Long's message to Lee Chong Wei is clear -- he is a player capable of denying the Malaysian the world championships title in August.

China could even have two standing between Chong Wei and a first major title if Lin Dan, not seen competitively since winning his second Olympic gold in London last year, decides to make a comeback for a fifth world crown.

But Chong Wei's major concern now is Chen Long for the China player's emphatic win in Sunday's All England final was proof that he is ready to replace Lin Dan as his country's next big player.

The good news for Chong Wei, though, is that the defeat came early and he has five months to get himself prepared for another attempt at winning the world title.

Chen Long, at 24, is seven years younger than Chong Wei and he used his physical strength and endurance to devastating effect in Sunday's final.

But it was also apparent that Chong Wei was not his normal self and this could be more of a psychological problem as the Malaysian genuinely looked worried of Chen Long's threat.

The head-to-head going into the All England was 7-5 in favour of Chong Wei, an impressive record for Chen Long considering that the Malaysian, with the exception of Lin Dan, hardly loses to other players.

Chen Long's style of play is something which Chong Wei finds hard to counter and with the World Championships being held in Guangzhou, one can imagine the support China's rising star will have.

The good thing is that Chong Wei is a fighter and he will do his best to bounce back but the same can't be said about Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong.

Indications are that the BA of Malaysia will continue to persevere with the pair until the World Championships, where they are targeted to make the final, but it will be a major surprise if they even make the last eight.

The pair are past their prime and merely hoping, together with BAM, for a miracle to happen in the World Championships.

As it stands, Chong Wei is the only player with a genuine chance of winning Malaysia's first world title in Guangzhou but Chen Long's rise, added to the potential return of Lin Dan, means even that can't be taken for granted.

The situation will get worse once Chong Wei retires and can BAM claim it has an answer to Chen Long waiting to be unwrapped?

Lee Chong Wei returns a shot to China’s Chen Long in their All England's final in Birmingham on Sunday. Chen Long won 21-17, 21-18. AFP pic