1 July 2011

Friday 1 JULY, 2011

PP423/01/2012(029578)

SPORTS

Paula Malai’s final take on Wimbledon

>> pg29

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Pension tension >> pg12

LOCAL

MAIL Q&A

‘I am a fighter’ Ibrahim Ali not backing down, hours after IGP warns Perkasa not to march in protest against Bersih rally

MAIL Q&A

EC’s second-incommand on Bersih 2.0’s demands

>> pg3

LOCAL

Kindhearted woman ‘lives’ on after death

>> pg2

>> Full interview on pg3 ENTERTAINMENT

Pix: SHAHIR OMAR

Najwa takes swipe at AIM change >> pg11

Brazen poster boys

CITY HALL officers seen here removing illegal wall ads in Bandar Sri Permaisuri (left) only to find new ones pasted on the cleared spot (right) by a group of men 10 minutes later while the officers were only 100 metres away then! — Pix: ASHRAF SHAMSUL AZLAN

Letters & Opinions SECTION ON PG10

Women in corporate sectors (June 27)

No word on one per cent govt jobs for disabled

>> Full story on pg6

Hotline

Eyesore sculpture has to go >> pg8

Wretched waxing affair >> pg9

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news

The Dewan Rakyat okays the National Wages Consultative Council Bill 2011 to set up the National Wages Consultative Council — Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam

Giving life in death SUNGAI BULOH

Accident victim inspires family to pledge organ donation

By AIZAT SHARIF aizat@mmail.com.my

EVEN in death, S. Pathmavathi (pic), 43, has given the opportunity of life to others by donating her organs.

Pathmavathi, a housewife, was hit by a motorcycle while walking back to her house in Taman Bidara, Selayang after grocery shopping on Monday.

She died yesterday morning at Sungai Buloh Hospital.

Pathmavathi’s husband, Ratnam Vello, 50, said before her demise, she told family members that she wanted her organs to be donated.

“She was not the only one who pledged to donate her organs. In fact, the whole family vowed to do the same,” said Ratnam at the hospital last night.

Ratnam, a lawyer in Kuala Lumpur, was married to Pathmavathi eight years ago and has two children.

Doctors suggested to Ratnam and other family members to donate Pathmavathi’s organs to the hospital. “Doctors say the donated organs could help up to eight people,”

said Ratnam.

“It was a tough decision to make and after talking to other family members, we agreed to the donation.”

Among the organs donated were the eyes, heart, kidney, lungs and body splint.

Pathmavathi’s eldest brother, S. Segaran, 51, told The Malay Mail that his sister was the fifth among the six siblings.

“This noble deed was started by my father, Seenivasagam, when he was killed in a

traffic accident in 1987.

Prior to the accident, he made a pledge that his organs be donated after his death,” said Segaran.

“I think the government should have an organ donation campaign. The effort could save many lives,” said Segaran.

Pathmavathi is expected to be cremated at Cheras crematorium at 3pm today.

KUALA LUMPUR: BERSIH 2.0 RALLY

Show must go on, say grocers

By Faizal Nor Izham mmnews@mmail.com.my

GROCERY shops in the city centre will be cashing in on the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9, The Malay Mail found in a random survey.

"My business will remain open on July 9 as I believe the rally will not deter customers from coming," said a 36-year-old shop owner who wanted to be known as Agus.

"I get my vegetables, poultry and fish from the Selayang wholesale market and I am stocking up in anticipation of higher demand the day before the rally."

Normaliza Zainuddin, 36, who operates a family-owned retail store, said she will not close on July 9.

"I normally replenish my stock of vegetables and fish every day," she said.

"However, as some suppliers might not want to make delivery on July 9, I shall order more on July 8."

Norhani Hussin, 50, has been selling apam balik (pancake) at her stall

TAKING NO CHANCES: Norhani expecting surge in business — Pix: Shahir Omar

NO WORRIES: Agus says the Bersih rally will not dampen business

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for the past 15 years and will remain open on rally day.

"I will be conducting business as usual. And to cope with the expected higher demand, I will order more apam balik ingredients," she said.

Suppliers to grocers and sundry shops also intend to carry on as usual on July 9.

"We'll still make deliveries to our clients on rally day," said a supplier who preferred anonymity.

The Malay Mail Friday 1 JUly, 2011

Lohan's 'freedom' party MERE hours had passed since the monitoring bracelet was removed and the doors to her Venice Beach home opened.

But Lindsay Lohan (pic) was already hitting the clubs in Hollywood on Wednesday night as she celebrated being a free woman once again, the Daily Mail reports.

Lohan attended a farewell party for a close friend at the Lexington Social Club. According to witnesses, Lindsay stayed at the club for five hours before leaving with actor-buddy Emile Hirsch.

Abduction fear grips Melbourne POLICE hunting for a missing teenage schoolgirl are examining a series of abduction attempts in Melbourne, the Herald Sun reports. The revelation comes as detectives released an image of a man they want to question over a bid to lure a girl into a car on Wednesday.

Police said there were "disturbing similarities" between the incident and the disappearance of Siriyakorn "Bung" Siriboon, 13, who has been missing for a month.

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Weather Update

SAFETY FIRST: Normaliza says she will restock a day before the rally

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The Malay Mail Friday 1 JULY, 2011

Malaysia capable of producing up to 300,000 engineers by 2020, thus achieving the status of a developed country — Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin

news

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MAIL Q&A

Ibrahim defiant

Perkasa chief says protest will go on, police warning or not, unless Bersih changes mind Q: What are your thoughts on Bersih 2.0?

A: To me, Bersih is a mixed group, a group with problems, some with big ambitions and others who are frustrated. So they are a mixture of these groups who to me are emotionally unstable. I believe my reading of them is correct by looking at the Bersih committee members. Although some are maybe academically qualified, they could have been afflicted with mental sickness, Wallahu Alam (Only Allah knows) based on what they are doing and demanding.

Q: Bersih organisers have claimed they are seeking a fair and just elections. Is asking for fair and just elections a bad thing?

A: I believe that the demand for a fair and just elections is only a ploy. We all know the credibility level of our elections. Yes, there are some weaknesses but looking at their demands, I do not believe it warrants a street demonstration.

Their demands include automatic voter registration, abolishing postal votes, using indelible ink and a campaign period of more than 21 days. These are things that can be discussed at a roundtable meeting with the Election Commission. If they cannot get their way at one time, they can keep demanding. They can submit their memorandum to the King, they can also pressure the EC via their members who are in Parliament. There are various means for them to press for their demands.

The EC had already answered some of their demands. On the indelible ink, for example, the EC has already said they will be using the biometric system which is better than putting your finger in a bottle. On the 21-day campaign period, although it is their right to demand, others may not agree. I don't want it. Twenty-one days is too long.

They also do not realise how much the government spends on 11 days of elections. How much will the cost of security be for 11 days? And now they want 10 more days. These are the same people who keep telling the

DATUK Ibrahim Ali is staying defiant. Just hours after Malay-rights movement Perkasa received a stern warning from the police that action would be taken against them if they took to the streets in retaliation to the upcoming Bersih rally, its controversial president reiterated that its members would march as planned. InspectorGeneral of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar had yesterday cautioned Perkasa that there would be a crackdown if the organisation did not call off its plans. But Ibrahim has government not to waste public funds and save money.

They're fond of double standards. It's like their stand on the Internal Security Act. The Bersih 2.0 chairman (Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan) was also involved in the Abolish ISA campaign; yet these are the same people who asked for me to be arrested under the ISA. Q: So Bersih is not your typical NGO movement, it's more political?

A: Yes, Ambiga is the one who is from an NGO. Others in the committee — the deputy chairman, secretary, head of information and other committee members — are all from PKR, DAP and PAS. Only Ambiga is representing the NGO or maybe in her personal capacity but she is the former Bar Council president.

By putting Ambiga as the chairman, they are in a way attempting to tell the masses that they are not a political movement, but one for the people. They can also show the world that the movement is being headed by a learned advocate, an esteemed member of the legal fraternity. This is meant to confuse people.

Q: And it is for those reasons Perkasa and Umno Youth are planning a counter march on July 9?

other ideas. Labeling Bersih as an "emotionally unstable" group, Ibrahim said as long as Bersih did not call off their march, Perkasa would take to the streets on July 9, as he believed that Bersih's demand for a free and fair election is only a political ploy. The Malay Mail's senior reporter MARHALIM ABAS spoke with the Pasir Mas MP in Parliament yesterday, and got an insight into the Perkasa founder's reasoning and motives behind his opposition to the latest Bersih gathering.

A: What Perkasa is doing now via my statements, public speeches and information gathering is to explain to the public what Bersih is really about. What they are doing now doesn't make sense.

If I do not go against them, Malaysia and the whole world might think that they have the support of the country. They do not have the support of the majority.

The reasoning is that if the ruling party goes against them, they will turn it around and claim that the EC won't bow to their demands, hence proof that the EC is working for the ruling coalition.

The public understands that although I'm a politician, I don't have any other agenda to promote, such as making (Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim the Prime Minister. I stand alone.

As a seasoned politician, I was a former student leader. I know Anwar very well, and I myself was detained twice under the ISA. Due to that, I am able to appreciate the country's situation.

The situation on the ground was already tense, so when Bersih was announced, my attention turned towards the situation in the Middle East.

I also noticed that several days after July 9, Anwar will have to enter his defence. (Note: July 13 is the case mention for the defence's appeal against the judge's decision not to recuse himself in An-

Pic: SHAHIR OMAR

war's sodomy trial).

I also noted that during the Sarawak elections, Ambiga had stated that the people there should emulate what had happened at Tahrir Square (the site of the massive uprising in Cairo, Egypt) and she was subsequently barred from entering Sarawak.

Unlike other politicians, I like to listen when opposition leaders give speeches or talks. People like Anwar, I listen to them while sitting in my car. I want to know what they are saying, whether it's just political propaganda or rhetoric. For example, Nurul Izzah (Anwar), when speaking about July 9, stated the public should emulate what the Egyptians did.

I'm also kept informed by my friends, who are members of PAS or PKR. So either by listening or being informed by others, I concluded that Bersih isn't simply a means to ask for fair elections.

Supporters are being told to bring along food and to be prepared not to go home for three or four days. Looking at their banners and pamphlets, I am convinced the demonstration was meant to create havoc.

Based on all of this and also the fact that I was a student leader in the '70s, I concluded that Bersih, despite its slogan of a fair and just elections, is really an illegal attempt to overthrow the government. You see, they cannot wait, as Anwar is fighting for his survival in the court case and also the sex video scandal.

Q: Are you saying if Anwar was not called to submit his defence in the sodomy trial, July 9 would not happen?

A: I cannot say that. But these people are power crazy, they became more emotional after Anwar was called to enter his defence. If he wasn't, they might still call for a demonstration to create momentum until the general election is called. They want power even via undemocratic means.

Q: The police are saying if Perkasa and Bersih hold the demonstration next Saturday, there will be trouble..

A: I believe the police. Perkasa has given briefings in 22 places in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. We will go as a peaceful group, as we are peace warriors. I have told everyone that no one should bring weapons or things that could be used as weapons. But you know, when a large number of people take to the streets, anything can happen. For example, in Egypt under Hosni Mubarak, the army became one the strongest in the world. But even the Egyptian army couldn't stop the violence when hundreds of thousands of people came out to the streets days and night.

The same thing happened in Tunisia. Bear in mind that in the Middle East, there is only one race, so no racial issues. In our country, if the people take to the streets, they will be in groups, Malays, Chinese and Indians. As I said, even before July 9, racial tensions already exist.

That is why I tend to believe what the police are saying about July 9. Unlike politicians who will have ready-made answers, the police, especially the higher-ups, will rely on surveillance and intelligence before making any statements. They know Bersih on July 9 is something different and it must be stopped.

Q: After knowing all that, you still want to press on with a counter march on July 9?

A: Well, I am a fighter and I am committed towards ensuring that my country remains peaceful. It just so happens that I have the blood of a warrior and as I know Anwar and his people, it is my responsibility.

You see, in Islam, we are taught the concept of Amal Makruf Nahi Munkar (To maintain the right and to forbid wrong doings), so I cannot run away from responsibility.

Q: We were told you were supposed to meet with the IGP today (yesterday).

A: Yes, I was told about it yesterday (Wednesday) but I had already made plans to go back to Kelantan for a function.

My statement was already taken on Tuesday, so I told them they can take my statement in Kota Baru. Their officer later informed me that I could send my secretary-general.

Q: Have you been briefed about what had transpired at the meeting? (Ibrahim had just arrived from Kelantan about 1pm as his flight was delayed) A: Well, the secretary-general informed me that it was not much different from what I was told at Dang Wangi. The IGP told the secretary-general to inform the Perkasa executive council that if we go ahead with the demonstrations on July 9, they would have no choice but to act against us. The IGP also gave a briefing on the country's security situation. As I said before, if Bersih 2.0 do not go on with their demonstration or if the police cannot stop them and Bersih goes ahead with their plans, Perkasa will also go ahead with our plans (to demonstrate).

Q: Would you agree if the Bersih demonstration was held in a stadium or something similar?

A: Well, I don't think the police will agree to the idea at the moment. If Bersih abandons its idea of conducting a street demonstration but instead hold it indoors, I will support them and ask the police to give a permit. I will support it as it will be just like what the Constitution says about freedom of speech and the right to gather. Contrary to what Suhakam said, I believe if you need to gather, you need a police permit as mentioned in the Constitution.

Why do you want to take to the streets? Everyone is complaining — taxi drivers, petty traders and even the tourist bodies.

Just imagine even a small accident in the city will create chaos throughout the Klang Valley.

What will happen during a street demonstration? It's the weekend, let people enjoy their day off. Do not create havoc.

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news

MAIL Q&A

Former Army Chief General Tan Sri Zain Hashim died at Selayang Hospital at 3.50pm yesterday due to old age illness. He was 81. — Bernama

The Malay Mail Friday 1 July, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR

Limited power Only so much we can do, EC says of Bersih's demands

By Azreen Hani azreenhani@mmail.com.my

MM: Have the recommendations made by nongovernment organisations (NGOs) such as Bersih to the EC during closed-door discussions been forwarded to the government, and what is the status?

Wan Ahmad: There have been various efforts made to improve the election system. We have revised and re-checked the laws with the help of the Attorney-General's Chambers (AG). Many issues were brought to Parliament with regards to the election management process, but people sometimes tend to forget that. It is true that there are a few things where the Federal Constitution needs to be amended, but the amendment of the constitution must be the last resort as the constitution is our reference point. We should not disregard the efforts made by the people who formulated the constitution over five decades ago, where a lot of pros and cons, cross-checking and checks and balances were done before it was implemented. EC is not looking for temporary measures, we listen to the civil society, responsible bodies, NGOs, political parties and AG before we make any decision, especially with regards to constitutional amendments.

EC is not a law-making organisation, we can only make recommendations, and it is up to the government to bring the matter to Parliament for debate. A lot of changes have been made. Previously, no political party agents could be in military camps during postal voting sessions, but it is allowed now. These changes have been made and explained to political parties and NGOs. We did not close our door to negotiations because these

"SOME of the eight recommendations by the Bersih 2.0 rally organisers are up for discussion and would be good to implement and some are not within our power to carry out," says Election Commission of Malaysia (EC) deputy chairman Datuk Wira Wan Ahmad Wan Omar (pic).

"We are only an election management body, not a political party, and we are answerable to the law and the Ruler."

Wan Ahmad said this during a luncheon talk yesterday organised by the Institute of Mind Development (INMIND). were people who gave their feedback to us. We would continue to meet them for the betterment of the democratic process in our country. What can be done will be done, but those that cannot be implemented will take time to allow a study so that we can find a solution that would serve all parties. But we cannot expect overnight changes, especially if they are made just because of the upcoming 13th general election.

MM: What has hindered the EC from cleaning the electoral roll, reforming postal balloting, use of indelible ink and having minimum 21 days campaigning period?

Wan Ahmad: The voters' registration issue has been done in accordance with the Registration of Electors Regulations 2002 which are bound to the Federal Constitution.

For example, a registered voter at a certain address will have to request the EC for address change as we cannot simply change their voting place because they no longer live at the address stated on their MyKad. Parti Keadilan Rakyat deputy president Azmin Ali had said

Recommendations for discussion were on cleaning the electoral roll, reforming postal balloting, use of indelible ink and having a minimum of 21 days campaigning period.

The other four recommendations the EC were apparently unable to carry out were free and fair access to media, strengthening public institutions, stopping dirty politics and stopping corruption.

Here are the highlights of a questionand-answer session during the luncheon talk.

there are six "phantom voters" at his house address. But these six people were registered in the 1990s, and the new law which requires voters to register in accordance with MyKad addresses was only implemented in 2002. Prior to the new law, there was no system that regulated people to register at their place. It is now within one's rights to vote at the place they registered, even if they no longer live there. EC is forbidden by law to change the voting place of registered voters unless the voters themselves request it. Changes have to be made to postal voting. The police and army have to vote earlier as they have to serve the country during election day.

We have allowed the political party agents to monitor poll stations for postal voting, but we cannot simply change this method without considering the rights of the army, police and even full-time students abroad. With regards to indelible ink, it is used in countries which have no identification system, such as Africa and India. Why should we turn our system backwards when we have reached this level of technological advancement?

The reason there is a push for the use of indelible ink is due

to fear of double-voting, but we have an adequate system to handle voter identification. It is nearly impossible for people to register twice. We only have one identification number and one identification card. That is why we are seriously considering the biometric system.

Explanations have been given to people concerning the campaign period. We simply cannot compare our country with others that have longer campaigning days. Look at the big number of voters in countries such as Indonesia or Thailand.

The situation in our country is different. We only have 12 million voters.

MM: The Bersih 2.0 organisers said the EC had only made a few changes since the first Bersih rally in 2007. Why can't automatic voting registration be implemented for those who have turned 21 without having to register with the EC? Wan Ahmad: Automatic registration, for now, is contradictory to the constitution.

If it were to be implemented, we would have to amend the constitution first. It is not within EC's power to change

it, as it is under the provision 119, where it is stated that one has to request to register as a voter with the EC. This is done with respect to one's freedom of choice. It is up to an individual to choose to register and become a voter. According to a survey conducted by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), the reason there are 3.2 million unregistered voters is due to laziness. We cannot force people to register if they don't want to.

home RM15,000, RM10,000 and RM8,000, respectively, at a ceremony hosted by UOB Malaysia chief executive officer Chan Kok Seong. A special mention prize was also awarded to Mohd Sabri Ahmad Idrus for his thoughtprovoking piece titled, The Cube 01. The award-winning entries, as well as artworks of 16 finalists are being exhibited at Banking Hall, Menara UOB, Jalan Raja Laut, until July 8.

Wan Ahmad: Indeed we have a cooling-off period. All political parties know that campaigning must stop by midnight before the polling day. We have laws but not everyone adheres to them. We see how some political talks were played via compact discs until the wee hours.

Online weed-out of ‘phantom’ voters now available STARTING today, a new system to weed out dubious voters will be available on the Election Commission's (EC) website at www.spr.gov. my for voters to check their status.

EC deputy chairman Datuk Wira Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said the system would allow voters to check the voter list according to their home addresses.

"Heads of households are encouraged to check online and report to us if there are other names within the address."

If there are discrepancies,

the EC would be able to make the necessary changes under Rule 25 of the Elections (Registration of Electors) Regulations 2002.

On the criticism that foreign observers have been denied access to observe elections here, Wan Ahmad said: "The foreigners' understanding of our constitution and culture is different. The same is applied to us. When I visited a foreign country to observe their electoral process, I was not allowed to question the transparency of the process."

Museum's charity carnival

OUB awards artistry FULLTIME artist Ng Swee Keat won the inaugural UOB 'Painting Of The Year Competition' organised by the United Overseas Bank Malaysia recently. His work, Portrayal of Development, which has an environmental theme, emerged winner out of the 240 entries. Second prize went to Joey Lim for her sentimental piece, Let the Beautiful Vicissitudes Continue, featuring prominent logos of yesteryear brands. Yong Look Lam took the third prize with his artwork, Harbour. These top three winners took

MM: Instead of a longer campaigning period, why can’t a cooling-off period be implemented?

ARTSY: (From left) Norhana Mohamed Yunos representing her husband Mohd Sabri, Ng , Chan, Lim and Yong at the event

THE National Museum will organise a charity carnival with Islamic Relief Malaysia from July 23 to 24. The event will be held at the National Museum square from 10am to 4pm. Items up for grabs include cosmetics, pre-read books, clothings, bags and household appliances. There will also be booths offering mobile phone products and services at the carnival. For further details visit www.jmm.gov.my.

FriDay 1 JuLY, 2011

the malay mail

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news

International Atomic Energy Agency has concluded the Lynas Corporation's rare earth plant in Gebeng, Pahang, is safe — International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed

The Malay Mail Friday 1 July, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR

CHERAS

Nong Chik: Be prudent and responsible

By SHAHRIM TAMRIN shahrimtamrin@mmail.com.my

DOWN THEY GO: City hall enforcement officers remove illegal advertisements at Jalan Dwitasik, Bandar Sri Permaisuri — Pix: Ashraf Shamsul Azlan

Back in no time

Vandals replace Ah Long stickers minutes after City Hall removes them

By IKRAM ISMAIL ikram.ismail@mmail.com.my

TEN minutes — that was all it took for vandals to undo City Hall's effort in removing illegal money-lender stickers on numerous walls in the city yesterday.

Some 30 enforcement officers had, from 10am, spent two hours peeling off the stickers, bearing the numbers of money lenders on walls and street signs in Jalan Barat, Bukit Jalil and shoplots at Jalan Dwitasik in Bandar Seri Permaisuri.

More than 500 illegal stickers, buntings and banners, advertising money-lending services, sex-enhancement pills and toys as well as room vacancies, were removed during the operation, which was dubbed "Ops

LEADING BY EXAMPLE: Tuan Idzawi removing an illegal advertisement

Iklan Haram".

However, checks by The Paper That Cares showed that moments after City Hall officers left the location, several individuals began putting up new stickers. The City Hall truck had only moved about 100 meters away before the brazen men resumed their vandalism.

New stickers went up along the recently cleared Jalan Dwitasik, baffling even City Hall officers.

When alerted to this development. City Hall's area branch manager Tuan Idzawi Raja Ismail expressed disappointment with the attitude of certain quarters.

"I did not expect them to be this brazen.

They had the gall to put up new stickers moments after we had removed them; we were barely 100 metres away from the previous location," he said.

He said they

weren't aware of the actions of the individuals until alerted by The Malay Mail.

Tuan Idzawi said the public can play a role by keeping an eye out for suspicious activities. If they see anyone pasting stickers or putting up banners in their neighbourhood, they should contact the City Hall hotline at 1800-88-3255 immediately.

From January to May, 184,000 illegal stickers, bunting and banners were removed by City Hall. The authorities removed 488,000 items last year.

"We have also submitted numerous phone numbers of suspected Ah Long, based on the stickers, to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission for further action," he said.

He said those caught pasting the illegal advertisements can be charged under the Local Government Act 1976 with a maximum compound of RM300 per advertisement.

Idzawi also reminded printers and makers of these banners, bunting and stickers that City Hall would not hesitate to take action against them.

He said City Hall has routine patrols everyday to spot check, but only do removal of such items on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

RESIDENTS' Associations (RAs) from the lower-income group should be more prudent and responsible in their spending.

This was the advise by Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin in responding to The Malay Mail’s frontpage story yesterday which showed residents of public housing projects and low-cost flats in the city were using government funds to throw dangdut parties and karaoke competitions.

“I could understand some of the RAs are part of a close-

knit community and they organised several programmes to foster relationship and encourage participation among families. But they should be prudent and mindful of what they spend the money on,” he told The Malay Mail.

Raja Nong Chik said the RAs concerned should ask themselves if it was necessary to spend the fund given by City Hall for entertainment purposes.

“I hope the money given to them would be used for activities involving everybody in the community– young and old,” he said.

While there was no strict

mechanism to check on activities, organised by the RAs, Raja Nong Chik stated it all went back to self-consciousness and whether it would be beneficial to hold entertainment activities.

In our report yesterday, it was reported each of the 84 selected RAs from the lowerincome group were given RM20,000 annually by the council to organise community-based programmes.

Instead it was discovered the funds, amounting to RM1.6 million a year, were being used for dangdut and karaoke events instead, leaving authorities fuming.

Public asked to help curb vandalism PUBLIC housing communities have been urged to step up and play a role in curbing vandalism in their areas.

This call came from Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin, who said assistance was needed as City Hall would not be able to do so alone.

“City Hall can’t act on their own to check vandalism in so many public housing schemes in the city. It is up to the community to ‘jaga tepi kain orang’ (be a busy body) and if they see or manage to

catch the offenders, please report them to the authorities,” Raja Nong Chik told The Malay Mail yesterday.

He said it was important for residents to educate and advise family members and neighbours not to damage public property as the money used to fix damaged public amenities is the people’s money after all.

“This is about awareness and re-education. It involves everybody’s understanding.

City Hall, is also working to educate the community.”

“I know of places where

close-knit communities work together and remind each other to take care of public property. These communities originate from the same squatters and moved together to a new place.

“That’s why it is important for the rakyat to help the government to curb vandalism.”

The Malay Mail reported last Monday that within the last 28 months, vandals cost City Hall a whopping RM15 million in taxpayers' money to repair amenities at its public housing schemes.

Colourful fruit seller of Chow Kit "COLOUR is the fruit of life," French poet-writer Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918) once said.

This certainly applies to a fruit stall operated by 22-year-old Irfan Tiranshah (above) at Jalan Raja Alang in Chow Kit here as his

customers are spoilt for choice.

"Besides local produce, I also sell fruits from Indonesia, Thailand and from western countries,," said Irfan who has three employees.

"Some fruits are seasonal.

But right now the most

popular of fruits are rambutan, mangosteen, Grade A dokong and King lychee."

Irfan has been operating the stall for three years and on good days the takings amount to about RM500. — Pic: KHAIRULL AZRY BIDIN

The Malay Mail Friday 1JULY, 2011

About 100 Girl Guides from the Asia Pacific and Arab regions will take part in a workshop on "training of trainers" in Shah Alam from Nov 29 to Dec 2 — Girl Guides Association of Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR

Racing reward Naza Kia donates Picanto to winning paraplegic team

By CECILIA VICTOR cecilia@mmail.com.my

FOURTEEN years ago, Adi Haslam Abdullah injured his spine in a cross-country motorcycle race but this did not deter the wheelchair-bound 49-year-old from becoming a champion racer.

In February, his sixmember team called "Adi Haslam Motorsports" drove a modified Kia Picanto at the 3rd K4GP Sepang 24hours endurance race and won first place. This was the first time a Malaysian team with disabled drivers had taken part in the bi-annual race and the first time a Korean-manufactured car was entered.

The Picanto, equipped with a hand-operated throttle and brakes, with a top speed of 140kph, was sponsored by Naza Kia Malaysia Sdn Bhd. Naza Kia Malaysia chief operating officer Datuk Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar donated the souped-up Picanto to Adi Haslam Motorsports yesterday at Menara Naza in Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz.

"We are pleased to have

ONE FOR THE BOOKS: Adi with the modified Kia Picanto

helped a team with disabled racing drivers in a major motorsport event and pledge to donate another Picanto to Adi Haslam Motorsports to encourage them to compete in and win more races," said Hafiz.

In the endurance race, Adi, his fellow disabled partner TV personality Ras Adiba Radzi, and their four other non-disabled teammates, completed 378 laps to win the GP-4 class for

cars with automatic transmission.

Adi said his team intend to drive the Picanto again in the forthcoming K4GP Malaysia 4-hours challenge in Sepang in December and the 4th K4GP Sepang 24hours endurance race in 2013.

"We are looking for 20 disabled drivers and six will be chosen for our alldisabled team for the December race," said Adi.

PETALING JAYA

Dutch students get a taste of Malaysian media

By HAFIZAH HOZE RIZAL hafizahhoze@mmail.com.my

TWENTY students arrived in Malaysia yesterday from Holland and for their first stop, they visited The Malay Mail office at Redberry City in Section 13.

The students, from Leiden University, the oldest in the Netherlands, got a first-hand look at how mass media works here.

"The Malay Mail is the only media company we plan to visit during our week-long stay and it's fascinating to see how this afternoon daily works," said 19-year-old student Niels Bakhuis who, along with his compatriots, was welcomed and briefed by editor Muzli Mohd Zin. History student Welmoed Bons, 21, said members of their university's Students As-

THIS IS HOW WE DO IT: Muzli (right) explaining to the students how the editorial process works

sociation travel overseas on study tours every year.

“We have visited China, Canada and the United States, and we are here to learn more about Malaysia."

On why they chose The Pa-

per That Cares, law student Thijs Baumers, 20, said: “We believe The Malay Mail provides us with a lot opportunities to learn.”

The students will leave for Singapore next Wednesday.

news

KELANA JAYA

More bang for your buck at non-profit store THE launch of the first Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia on June 22 at the Kelana Jaya LRT station is part of the government's plan to alleviate the financial difficulties of Malaysians, says Mydin Mohamed Holdings Berhad (Mydin) managing director Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin (pic).

"We have been appointed to run this mini-mart on a non-profit basis. In the next two months, three more Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia will be opened in the Klang Valley."

"The response to this outlet has been overwhelming so far."

Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia stocks over 1,000 items and out of this, 250 are retailed under the brand name 'Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia' at prices ranging from 30 to 40 per cent lower than the average market rate.

"We sell things cheap but not cheap things. The goods are not of lesser quality than those at other mini-marts."

7

8 ● ● ● ●

Friday 1 JULY, 2011 the malay mail

hotline@mmail.com.my

your right to be heard

tel:03-7495 1000/1001/1002 tel:019-261 4948 (after 9pm)

Complainants have to submit their personal particulars and provide a detailed account of their complaint.

Complainants have to first file their complaints with the respective parties before contacting Hotline.

Complaints referred by Hotline to the relevant parties would be published if there is no response in seven days.

After a complaint has been resolved, the complainant cannot demand non-publication of the matter.

By FAIZAL NOR IZHAM, REENA RAJ, EE ANN NEE and SITI NURSURAYA ALI

EYESORE: The weatherbeaten sculpture

Battered bunga raya

Council to remove damaged Commonwealth Games structure next year THIS Commonwealth Games structure at a roundabout in Jalan Gasing, Petaling Jaya, once stood tall.

However, 13 years after the 1998 games, the structure is in deplorable state.

It appears the elements have taken a toll on the hibiscus and the letter "G"

is missing from the structure.

JOHN SEE, who passes the structure daily on the way to work, says the once beautiful sculpture is nothing but an eyesore now.

"The games was the pride of the nation as the entire country witnessed history being made.

"But look at the sad condition of the structure now.

Something should be done.

It should either be maintained or removed if the authorities feel it is no longer relevant."

● PETALING JAYA CITY council public relations officer Zainun Zakaria

says the landscaping department had planned to remove the damaged sculpture but were unable to due to budget constraints.

"The project to remove the sculpture will be included to the 2012 budget and we expect to work on that by March next year."

Baffled over cash voucher blow-off LIM THIAN NGEE of Klang believes a store should fulfil its promotional obligations.

On April 26, LIM went to the Houz Depot in Plaza Pelangi Astana, Petaling Jaya, to buy items for his home renovation.

A brochure stated that with every RM100 spent, members would receive a cash voucher worth RM3 on the spot.

On that day, LIM bought items worth RM2,314.90 in two receipts.

"As I was not a member of the Houz Depot club, I asked the store assistant if I was eligible for the promotion if I joined prior to making the purchase."

LIM says the store assistant said yes and LIM was given a membership card there and then.

"To my dismay, when I proceeded to pay for the purchases, the cash voucher was not ready as it was still being printed.

I was asked to collect them at a later date."

LIM went back to the store on May 19 to claim the vouchers but a customer service personnel would not produce them.

"The personnel did not seem to know how to

● HOUZ DEPOT Sdn Bhd business development manager PAUL LYE says it was a misunderstanding between the staff and the customer.

"The management discontinued the RM3 for every RM100 spent in a single receipt on April 15, last year.

"However, we wish to stress that in cases where our staff misinforms our customers, we will honour the promise and reimburse the rebate in the form of a discount on his current or next bill."

LYE says the vouchers that were "still being printed"

refers to the cash vouchers given out to Houz Members when redeeming their points.

He says the store apologises for the miscommunication as its staff did not relay the message clearly to the customer.

"We will be more than happy to is-

handle the situation."

He asked to speak to the manager but as he was not available, LIM was promised a call.

That was more than two weeks ago and he has yet to hear from them.

"Despite the relatively small amount of RM66, I believe the store must fulfil its obligations, otherwise, it is misleading and deceiving the public." sue LIM a temporary cash voucher of RM200 to compensate for the RM66 rebate as well as for the inconvenience suffered."

When contacted, LIM says he finds the solution acceptable and confirms receiving the RM200 cash voucher.

1998 COMMONWEALTH GAMES FACTS • THE 1998 XVI Commonwealth Games was held in Kuala Lumpur from Sept 11 to Sept 21. Malaysia was the first Asian country to host the last games of the 20th century. Malaysia won 10 gold, 14 silver and

12 bronze medals.

The official logo was inspired by the national flower of Malaysia, the hibiscus, and placed at various prime locations in the country in commemoration.

Frustration over flight delays YEE YI from Kuala Lumpur is unhappy with the constant changes in Firefly's flight schedule.

"I was told only a day earlier there would be a delay in my FY 2063 flight to Kota Baru on June 14."

She says on the day of her flight, it was delayed again.

YEE YI says she was left waiting at the airport for several hours before her flight departed.

"The reasons I received from Firefly was that they were experiencing technical problems.

"Later that day, I waited for more than three hours for my flight back to Subang from Kota Baru. No reason was given as to why."

● FLYFIREFLY SDN BHD media relations officer D. KALPANA says: "The safety of our passengers and crew are our top most priority

and under no circumstances will we take any safety risks.

In the event a delay occurs, we take immediate action, as stipulated in our general conditions of carriage.

"Clause 9.2 of our general conditions of carriage states at any time after a booking has been made, we reserve the right to change our schedules and/or cancel, terminate, divert, postpone, reschedule or delay any flight with reasonably cause for safety or commercial reasons.

"In this instance, our reports indicated passengers on this effected flight were given vouchers for light refreshments and were carried on the next available flight."

When contacted, YEE says she is not satisfied with the response and will bring the matter up at the National Consumer Complaints Centre.

SERVICES: • Telekom directory: 103 • Telekom assistance: 101 • Telekom faults and repair: 100

• Telekom time announcements: 151 • TNB toll-free complaints: 15454 • Securities Commission: 03-6204 8000

Friday 1 JULY, 2011 the malay mail

Bloody Brazilian wax Customer cut in nether regions at ill-equipped salon

WHAT was supposed to be a standard waxing experience turned out to be a painful one for FEEZA during a visit to a waxing salon in Aman Suria, Tropicana.

On June 26, she headed to Waxxx Sdn Bhd to get a Brazilian wax but to her shock, the staff who attended to her left her with a 2cm cut on her nether regions.

"Though the staff was apologetic and almost in tears, the chaos that ensued during the incident was agonising, both physically and emotionally. They weren’t equipped with a first aid kit and I was left in the room with just tissue paper while they went looking for antiseptic at a nearby pharmacy."

She says a mere swipe of alcohol could have cleaned

BRAZILIAN WAX FACT • BRAZILIAN waxing is a method to remove all existing hair around the private area. Hard wax is applied and then removed.

the cut and prevented an infection for which she was treated by a doctor two days later.

"As a seasoned customer,

I felt I was mishandled by such an inexperienced staff, especially when the wax used is hard wax. If left on the skin for too long, it tends

to stick."

She says the manager of the saloon agreed not to charge FEEZA for the "service".

● A WAXXX Sdn Bhd

move all the hair as requested by the customer, she will complain the service was inefficient.

"Staff at the salon provided her with an antiseptic cream but the customer requested for a 'white liquid' antiseptic, saying it 'usually helps'."

She says the customer then refused to pay for the service, citing the wax they used was not a premium one.

"She said she was a regular customer of a Bangsar salon and that our wax was different from the one there before stomping out of the salon.

"Waxxx Sdn Bhd buys the same imported wax from the same supplier of that Bangsar salon.

"However, we strive to provide customers comfort and confidence, hence, we did not argue. Our staff

apologised for the unfortunate incident and we did not charge her."

When contacted, FEEZA says she did not ask that every hair be removed.

"I noticed the staff was struggling towards the end, minutes before the mishap happened. I would also like to stress there was no cut on the right side of my pubic area, to counter their claim I have sensitive skin."

She says she asked for an alcohol swab to clean the wound, commonly found in an emergency kit.

"They didn't offer to waive the fee. I insisted on it due to the botched job. I'm not asking for a compensation, just for them to be mindful handling such sensitive 'matter', as well as to own up to their negligence and be more prepared during emergencies."

spokesman says it is the company's policy to ensure customers are in good condition and deemed fit to perform a waxing treatment, hence, they have to declare their health and fitness, and are made aware of the risks involved.

"The customer signed a document acknowledging this."

She says Brazilian waxing is performed in small areas of the customer's private area.

"The area is sensitive and the skin is thin. Minimal amount of bleeding occurs after waxing and is common, especially for thick hairs. The customer's hair was thick and she had more hair than average.

While removing the hair in certain areas, it resulted in some bleeding.

"If our staff did not re-

9

Online Hotline comments www.mmail.com.my Justify satellite TV price hike (June 29) WHETHER Astro notified the public or not, they are being downright obstinate by going against a government directive. They were ordered to put the subscription fee increase on hold and they did the opposite. All Astro subscribers should heed the call of 70 NGOs (led

by Fomca) to not pay the subscription fees for three months. Yes, they will disconnect the services but can they cope having no subscription fees from millions of subscribers for three months? This is something Astro has to think about. — Anonymous WHEN it's raining or there's a thunderstorm, we cannot watch Astro. Will they reimburse us for that?

We are paying for repeated programmes. Daytime programmes look better than nighttime programmes but most of us are at work/college/outside. Best way is to terminate Astro. — Crazee Pee-eww, this stinks! (June 29) I'VE visited other low-cost high-rise buildings and the lifts usually stink of urine, or worse, not to mention littering, unkempt and filthy surroundings like a dump house. Typically, residents don't care and tolerate it all. They only care about hygiene or cleanliness inside their own units. Bah! Typical local attitude that won't change for the better. People don't learn anything or don't care. Till something bad happens!

— Anonymous No more hole in the ground (June 28) THERE is nothing to celebrate if it takes the authorities two months to cover one hole because it is too little, too late. There are thousands of holes in the city. The council is not doing its job. Why can't they create a roving team just like The Malay Mail? I think The Malay Mail must charge the council for providing the Hotline Roving Team. — Nawawi WELL done MBPJ. — Loneoku

Hot over oven's shattering glass door

EZANI BAHARUDDIN and his wife bought a Firenzzi F50-5668 oven from Toong Heng Electronics in Taman Megah for RM1,150 on April 9. The couple used the oven about two or three times a week.

"But it always felt like the temperature wasn't as hot as it should be. Our food had to be left in the oven longer to be fully cooked," says EZANI. On May 28, his family came over to bake a few batches of cookies and roast a chicken.

● AN Asia Summit Marketing Sdn Bhd spokesman, which markets the Firenzzi brand in Malaysia, says: "Based on the company's policy, there’s no refund. If the product is still under warranty, we are only able to change its parts.

"As we were about to place the chicken into the oven, the inner glass layer of the oven door came apart. We were lucky no one got hurt."

EZANI says they could see the three layers of the glass, including the outer and two inner layers.

"It looked like one of the inner layers was put in place with metal holders and glue."

On May 30, EZANI called Firenzzi and a technician was sent to his house to take the oven door. It was returned on June 3.

EZANI says the door was not repaired yet, as the technician had to borrow a pair of pliers to fold metal parts on the door.

"He didn't explain how it was possible for the glass to fall like that," EZANI says, adding that after putting the door back on, the technician tested the oven and gave him a few cooking tips.

On June 12, the couple turned on the oven for the first time since the door was replaced.

"We were preparing food and left the oven to pre-heat

"Since EZANI insisted a refund from us, we offered a one-to-one exchange (a new oven) for him. However, he insisted on the refund."

The spokesman says all Firenzzi products are covered by product liability coverage of up to

RM1 million with Chartis Malaysia Insurance Bhd. "If EZANI has no confidence in Firenzzi products, he can return the oven to us and buy a DeLonghi built-in oven which is made in Italy."

The spokesman says

when we heard a loud crash.

The inner glass layers of the oven door shattered."

On June 13, EZANI called Toong Heng Electronics for a refund.

"The Firenzzi technician called to offer me a replacement. I insisted on a refund."

The technician answered: "Cannot-lah."

EZANI asked to speak to the person-in-charge and the technician said he would talk to his boss and call him back. He has not heard from them since.

EZANI'S wife did not accept the offer and wants to claim the refund from the Chartis Insurance Company.

"We will provide the Chartis Insurance company policy details and allow them to take further action."

NO BUNS IN THERE: The oven after the glass has shattered

10 letters&opinions Friday 1 JULY, 2011

the malay mail

â&#x2014;? Opinions may be in the form of Letters to the Editor or comments posted in relation to all news.

Mail: Letters To The Editor, Malay Mail Sdn Bhd, Lot 2A, Jalan 13/2, 46200, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

â&#x2014;? Letters to the Editor must carry your name, address and contact number. A pseudonym may be included.

Email: mmnews@mmail.com.my Fax: 03-7495 1229

KL Women in corporate sectors (June 27)

Don't dismiss the disabled

I WELCOME Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's recent statement that the private sector must ensure women make up at least 30 per cent of those in decision-making positions within five years.

I believe women with an excellent track record should be given the opportunity to fill high-ranking positions in Government Linked Companies (GLCs).

Although I was happy to hear about it, I wondered what has

happened to a similar vision of the government to allocate one per cent of jobs in the public sector for disabled individuals.

The announcement was made years ago and has remained a mere announcement. I have yet to see any campaigns or follow-up plans to achieve this mission.

The minister in charge of advocating the 30 per cent allocation for women in GLCs is also responsible for the one per cent job allocation for the disabled.

PJ Cry babies not wanted (June 30)

V. Murugeswaran Damai Disabled Persons Association (Selangor and Federal Territory) president

KL Ambiga comes clean on Bersih 2.0 (June 28)

Engage Election Commission in dialogue

Infants can travel with MAS IN view of the recent media attention on infant travel, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) wishes to clarify the following: Malaysia Airlines operates an aircraft fleet compr i s i n g B 7 3 7 s , A i r bu s A330s, B777s and B747s.

Except for the B747s, the remaining aircraft are configured for business- and economy-class travel. All these aircraft are equipped with bassinet facilities to cater for infant travel.

Likewise, bassinet facilities were originally available in the first-, businessand economy-class zones of the 747s.

In 2003, Malaysia Airlines embarked on a revamp of first- and business-class cabins of the B747s. The first class seat configuration was reduced from 18 to 12 for passengers to enjoy increased cabin space and extended legroom.

Each new seat comes with an electronically-op-

The minister should take proactive steps to ensure the ministry comes out with a time frame and plans to enable this to come to fruition.

If given a chance, I believe the disabled community can be a driving force in increasing the productivity of the nation.

erated ottoman that doubles as a visitor seat and can be converted into a lie-flat bed with the main seat.

As a result of this seat revamp and the introduction of the ottoman, there was no facility for positioning bassinets in the first class cabin of the B747s.

The reconfigured B747s were mounted into our flight network since November 2004.

Since t hen, Malaysia Airlines has accepted infants for travel in economy- and business-class of the flights operated by the 747 aircraft.

The B747 aircraft is currently used for flights on routes like Sydney-Kuala Lumpur, Kuala LumpurLondon, Kuala LumpurAmste rd am and Ku a l a Lumpur-Buenos Aires.

NO LITTLE ONES ONBOARD: The B747

DIRTY politicians obsessed with their ambitions are behind Bersih's planned rally on July 9.

I have been voting since 1982 and am satisfied with

the Malaysian electoral system.

I admit, no voting system is perfect. However, street demonstrations will not correct any flaws.

Engaging in a dialogue with the Election Commission

is the best option. Even full page advertisements in newspapers are worth a try.

Bersih 2.0 will only hurt our economy and destroy the peace and racial harmony.

Elijah

Loud enough to be heard I THANK Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan for her courage to stand up to the government.

It is about time we had a voice loud enough to be heard. It is also about time

we had a voice at all.

All we are asking for is a clean election.

Yet, this has somehow turned into a giant protest because the government fears they are unable to control the

situation.

What does that tell you?

And how are people taking this? It baffles me.

Everyone should come out from under the rock they're hiding and smell the fresh air

to see that violence was never Bersih's intention.

The government should fear their people not the other way round.

WHO is talking about communism? Is the rally organiser trying to promote Chin Peng, Rashid Maidin and Abdullah CD? Whatever it is, I have family members who were killed during their service as sol-

diers and I hate the communist leaders for what they've done.

Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, think about what you are doing. All this may not mean anything to you but there are those who were still hurt by

what happened.

If you have something against the Election Commission, why don't you bring them to court?

After all, you are a lawyer.

I suggest you hold the rally in a stadium or somewhere that won't interrupt other

people's livelihood and those who don't support you.

Think of the traffic jams, road closures and unnecessary hassle that will be faced by many on that day.

Bring them to court

Supportive

Malaysiana

Capt Mohamed Azharuddin Osman Director of Operations

THE MALAY MAIL-DUTCH LADY HAMPER FOR CHARITY THE best opinion of the week as decided by the editor will win a hamper from Dutch Lady Malaysia for charitable institutions. Readers are encouraged to nominate charities deserving of this gesture. The Malay Mail will deliver the winning hamper.

PJ MRT project (April 29)

AS a contractor interested in tendering for one of the jobs on the MRT project, I observed that the pre-qualification tender process has so far been smooth and the government body overlooking this project, Prasarana, has been fair to all parties.

Smooth bidding process Prasarana even went to the extent of revising the pre-qualification criteria for elevated civil works, stations and depots work construction packages to allow many local contractors like myself to take part.

However, it was disappointing to see so few contractors

present at the briefing session organised by Prasarana to explain the revised criteria.

This minority are giving a bad name to the majority who want to earn an honest living.

The pre-qualifying stage will weed out those contractors and hopefully, the more deserving

ones will be allowed to get on with the job.

I praise Prasarana for giving the deserving a chance and hope there will be good news soon for those going on to the next stage.

M. Martin

The Malay Mail Friday 1 JULY, 2011

The Tourism Ministry will host the 1Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism festival themed 'Malaysia, Your New Art Tourism Destination' from next month— Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen

KUALA LUMPUR

AIM-less direction

Najwa: Scrapping individual music genre categories for a sole Best Album of the Year is sad

By JOE LEE joelee@mmail.com.my

MALAYSIAN recording artistes are reeling from the shock announcement by Recording Industry Association of Malaysia (RIM) that the 18th Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM) on Nov 12 — Malaysia's own Grammys — will have the number of categories reduced from 29 to 19, and categories dropped are best albums in various music genres, except for Best Album of the Year.

RIM said the trimming was because there are relatively less full-length albums released of late, including insufficient good albums to sustain the Pop Album KUALA LUMPUR

and Rock Album categories.

"I'm angry. With all the great local albums out there, it's mind-boggling how anyone could have arrived at such a decision," said English-medium singer-composer Najwa Mahiaddin (pic), 25, who is now pursuing her degree at the world-renowed Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, US. "I have been buying so many local releases from the likes of Atilia, Reza Salleh, Aizat and Hujan. They are good albums."

The Johor-born, whose forte is soul and jazz, and launched her album Innocent Souls in March to rave reviews, said RIM's move was "dismissive" towards the effort of local artistes.

"My car is full of local CD albums, and yes, the world is going digital, but a lot of music lovers like me still

buy CDs too," she said.

"Production-wise, a single could never compare to an album and the amount of work that goes into it — from the cover design and inlay to the actual musical effort."

Najwa said English-medium artistes like her were wondering what happened to RIM's plans, announced in December, to have four separate ceremonies for local albums in Bahasa Malaysia, English, Chinese and Indian, with the English AIM supposedly to take place this month.

"The annual AIM is supposed to be a great time to celebrate the best songs and albums in Malaysia, but to scrap all individual music genre categories and lump them all for the sole Best Album of the Year is sad and makes you question where AIM is heading towards now."

TV9 the No. 2 channel

By CHE'AZ cheaz@mmail.com.my

FREE-to-air channel TV9 has been crowned the number two channel in Malaysia.

The Media Prima Berhadowned channel has been climbing up steadily with a nine per cent market share, just after TV3, leading with 52 per cent.

Formerly known as Channel 9 in 2003, it went through several rebranding exercises before adapting its current name, TV9, in 2006.

Where they were once struggling to keep up with existing senior competitors in the industry, TV9 now seemed to be heading in the right direction after taking steps such as introducing more interactive platforms.

These were based on feedback garnered from the channel’s most important clients — its sponsors and viewers.

"We have been gathering and collecting ideas and comments from everyone, beginning last year. So far we have a lot of positive feedback, which helped us identify and generate the right method and approach in producing a better quality product," TV9

SHERINA: More positive changes coming our way — Pic: SALHANI IBRAHIM

general manager Sherina Mohamed Nordin said.

Sherina, who insisted the channel had no problem accepting constructive criticism, also shared her vision in improving the content of TV9 by offering new slots, so that it may give the audience the best choice of entertainment.

She said the channel introduced four new slots, to be aired at 8.30pm daily, according to the preferable timing expressed by viewers.

The Ratu slot would feature a fifteen-episode drama, produced

by Ziela Jalil, entitled Hilang, which is expected to grip viewers with its emotional twists.

Hilang features sister actors Rozita Che Wan and Ayu Raudhah, who would also depict sisters in the drama, debuting on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Oh! Mari Gelak (OMG) slot would begin on July 16 with sitcom Boona & Boonie, directed by Shahrulezad

Mohammeddin and featuring Noorkhiriah and Leda Moin as best friends.

Viewers could expect to catch Impian Raya Emelyn, another tele-drama, in the Aurora slot from July 21 while travelogue slot would feature the second season Makan Angin, reuniting audience with host Adzriefaiz Adzlan, who will be going deep into rural areas in search of exotic food.

"We have a goal to reach 1 million viewers soon. But what matters most now is that at our current rate, we are quite proud to say we are doing pretty good already.

TV9 is free to air and we are only airing in Peninsular Malaysia, so it is an achievement that we are now positioned at number two in the overall statistics," said Sherina.

“There will be more positive changes coming our way but it will definitely not happen in just one night. But one thing we are sure now is, we know what the viewers want to watch.”

Sherina said TV8 would strive to reach out more, adding: “Who knows maybe we could be Number 1 in no time.”

news

11

Twitter Your S@y

'Transformers' remakes rule, okay

By ANU VENUGOPAL anu@mmail.com.my Twitter ID: @anunair

REWORKING old television series and movies has become big business for Hollywood, and the Transformers franchise, about the never-ending battles on Earth between gigantic shape-shifting alien robots known as Autobots (the good guys) and Decepticons (baddies) is proof of that.

Transformers originated in 1984 as a toy line from American company Hasbro.

It spawned a Marvel Comics title, a TV cartoon series, video games and a 1986 liveaction movie. Fast-forward two decades later, and producer Steven Spielberg and director Michael Bay came up with 2007 movie Transformers which was such a global blockbuster that it has quickly spawned two sequels, 2009's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and now, Transformers: Dark of the Moon which just opened worldwide on June 29.

By the way, over the past 27 years, Hasbro released dozens of new sets of Transformers toys.

Taking to Twitter to find out what moviegoers here feel about remakes and the latest Transformer sequel, here are some reactions to this writer at @anunair. Some portions of the tweets have been modified, without altering the intent of the messages. @ameets0606: Remakes are a way to re-interpret stories, an exercise in creativity but I won’t hold my breath for it being another hit. @ hindichic: Hollywood remakes are often good but when it comes to Bollywood movies, most never come close to their counterparts.

@smeeta: I am not big on remakes.

Original movies or shows are way better, but I am hoping the upcoming Smurfs in 3D will rock.

12

world

Ex-IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn will reappear in a Manhattan court today for an unexpected appearance on charges he attempted to rape a New York hotel maid, officials said -- AFP

The Malay Mail Friday 1 JULY, 2011

KABUL

Bus carnage Landmine explosion kills 20 civilians

CHRIS Hemsworth has landed another plum action role, the Herald Sun reports.

The Australian actor and star of Thor is set to appear in the thriller movie Shadow Runner about elite commandos. Plot details are being kept secret but the project is based on an original idea from Hossein Amini.

Chef Ramsay's film a turkey GORDON RAMSAY's debut film took just £121 (RM587) in its first week - £1 more than the cost of a meal at one of his posh restaurants, The Sun reports. Romcom Love's Kitchen, stars the foul-mouthed TV chef as himself. Pitiful takings at the UK five cinemas suggest it was seen by only 17 fans. A fan who saw YouTube clips called it "the most awful trailer you'll see this decade".

are stationed.

The first wave of foreign troop withdrawals is due to start in July including the departure of 10,000 US troops this year despite questions from analysts over whether Afghan security forces can cope in their absence.

The United Nations says Afghan civilian deaths in the conflict increased 15 per cent to a record high of 2,777 last year. More than threequarters of the dead were killed in violence blamed on insurgents.

The UN also said this month that the number of security incidents in Afghanistan between March and June of this year was 51 per cent higher than during the same period last year.

It added that most of the incidents involved either armed clashes or IEDs. — AFP

WASHINGTON

Banker gets 30 years for mortgage fraud A BANKER was given 30 years in prison yesterday in the US$2.9 billion (RM8.7b) mortgage industry fraud that sank Colonial Bank in the biggest US bank collapse in 2009, the Justice Department announced.

Lee Bentley Farkas was sentenced to jail by a Virginia court and fined US$38.5 million as the orchestrator of the fraud, which also brought down the huge mortgage lender he ran, Taylor, Bean & Whitaker, in one of the most spectacular failures during the US financial crisis. Farkas

was accused of selling billions of dollars in worthless home loans that either did not exist or that had already been sold to other banks and investors, to raise cash for TBW, of which Farkas was chairman and owner.

Meanwhile he milked TBW for funds to buy himself luxury homes and an antique Rolls Royce. The duped customers included Colonial, home loan guarantor Freddie Mac and Ocala Funding, backed by Germany's Deutsche Bank and BNP Paribas of France.

— AFP

new york

Sex-crazed turtles shut JFK

FLIGHTS crawled to a stop for an hour at one of the world's busiest airports yesterday morning when it was invaded by sex-crazed turtles, The Sun reports. One runway was closed at New York's JFK Airport when 150 diamondback terrapin turtles were spotted crossing the tarmac.

The reptiles were trying to get to the other side to lay eggs on the shores of the

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, which borders the airport.

Ron Marsico, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York said pilots from Jet Blue and other airlines halted their flights to let the expectant reptiles pass. But he brushed off the turtle invasion saying: "Flight delays attributed to turtles were minor, about 15 minutes or so." — News reports

PENSIONERS STRIKE: A protester holds a placard in front of police during a demonstration in central London yesterday. Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers went on strike in protest at pension reforms. Four education and civil service unions have called out 600,000 members in response to reforms they say will force workers to pay more and work longer to receive a reduced pension. — AFPpic

LONDON

UK public workers strike

HUNDREDS of thousands of British public sector workers went on strike yesterday to defend their pensions, causing widespread disruption to schools and State-run services.

A third of English schools were closed and another third were affected, officials said, as up to 350,000 teachers, lecturers and education staff took action against plans to make them work longer and pay more into their pensions.

Tax offices, museums and job centres were also brought

to a standstill as a further 100,000 civil servants walked out on the first nationwide day of strike action since the coalition government took office last year.

However, airport operator BAA said feared delays at London Heathrow because of a walkout by immigration and customs staff failed to materialise. Prime Minister David Cameron has insisted the labour changes are fair and inevitable, warning this week that the pension system is "in danger of going

broke" faced with an ageing population.

But the unions say they have already accepted pension reforms over the past decade and accuse ministers of pushing through new changes without negotiation.

Thousands of strikers marched through central London yesterday, brandishing banners calling for "Fair Pensions for All" and "Education Cuts Never Heal", and around 80 further demonstrations were held in towns around the country. — AFP

France has revealed that its forces supplied weapons to anti-government forces in Libya. The rebels were air-dropped several tonnes of “light weapons” including rifles, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, plus powerful Milan anti-tank weapons TUNISIA

Tripoli

Milan anti-tank missile system Range: 2km. Missile weight: 7kg Flight speed: 720km/h

Benghazi

Nafusa mountains Rebels supplied with weapons in early June

L I B Y A

EGYPT

From 'Thor' to 'Shadow Runner'

The incident came on the same day as a father, a mother and their four children were killed in southern Afghanistan when a roadside bomb ripped through their car.

The family were travelling to Lashkar Gah, the main town in Helmand province, when they were killed, provincial spokesman Daud Ahmadi said.

"Four children, one female, and one male were killed in the sedan car en route to the provincial capital," he added.

Although the attack bore the hallmarks of the Taliban, who frequently plant roadside bombs in Afghanistan's restive regions, the militant Islamist network declined to comment on the attack.

Civilians are the biggest casualties in the near 10-year war in Afghanistan, where 150,000 foreign forces

ALGERIA

TWENTY Afghan civilians including women and children were killed yesterday when a landmine exploded under a bus they were travelling in, a senior police figure said.

"An IED (improvised explosive device) struck a bus, 20 civilians were killed," said Haji Mosa Rasooli, accusing the Taliban of being behind the blast.

The Islamist militants, who have been waging a near decade long insurgency against the Afghan government and foreign forces, were not immediately contactable for comment.

The blast occurred in the remote and volatile southwestern province of Nimroz.

It took place at around 4pm local time in the region's Khash Rod district on the main highway linking Nimroz to Kandahar, the de facto capital of southern Afghanistan.

300km 190 miles

Munition Consists of missile inside sealed, disposable launch tube.

Length 1.2m Sources: Army-technology.com, wire agencies

Fins: Open after launch to provide stabilizing roll during flight

Warhead Shaped charge can penetrate armour up to 1,000mm thick Guidance Infrared. Gunner fires weapon and keeps sight reticule centred on target during missile flight

Firing post Sighting system and guidance assembly mounted on tripod © GRAPHIC NEWS

The Malay Mail Friday 1 JUly, 2011

Jeff Ellis of Oregon a passenger on a flight from Seattle to Anchorage, Alaska, stung by a scorpion while trying to sleep on the overnight flight on June 17 — News reports

Chile police tear gas protestors POLICE clashed violently with demonstrators yesterday in the Chilean capital, using tear gas and water cannon in a bid to disperse tens of thousands of students and professors demanding educational reforms.

Rioting broke out at the end of a sprawling demonstration on the streets of downtown Santiago, including a huge crowd waving flags and banners outside La Moneda presidential palace. -- AFP

Opec-like deal for lithium ARGENTINA is promoting the idea of an OPEClike cartel for itself, Bolivia and Chile, which together control 85 per cent of the world's reserves of lithium, a key component in electric car batteries. "In the near future and with our production at such a high level, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile will control the lithium market," said Rodolfo Tecchi, of the Argentine Ministry of Science and Technology. -- AFP

13

OTTAWA

Princess Catherine steps out

Duchess makes stunning debut at function CATHERINE, Duchess of Cambridge, wowed screaming Canadian crowds yesterday as she and Prince William began their first official overseas trip as Britain's royal golden couple.

Canadians turned out en masse for a glimpse or a handshake as Princess Catherine, wearing a navy lace dress by Montreal-born designer Erdem Moraliaoglu, put in a consummate debut performance in the capital Ottawa.

Packed with pomp and pageantry, the North American tour comes just two months after a radiant Kate Middleton walked down the aisle in a fairytale royal wedding watched by an estimated two billion people worldwide.

Popularly known still as Kate, the only hint of trouble for the former Ms Middleton came the moment she stepped off the

plane and her flowing dark hair was buffeted by the strong wind as she greeted dignitaries.

The golden couple's arrival at the National War Memorial in downtown Ottawa where they placed flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, triggered screams from an estimated 10,000-strong crowd, many of the women wearing fascinators, the hair accessory of choice for the duchess.

While Prince William, second-in-line to the British throne, has plenty of experience at royal duties, Kate is still a relative rookie. But the princess showed no outward signs of nerves on her first overseas walkabout.

"I'm hoping to find romance like theirs," said one wildlyimpressed teenage girl.

The show then moved on to Rideau Hall, the official residence of the governor general,

the viceregal representative of the Canadian and British monarch, Prince William's grandmother Queen Elizabeth II. "Catherine and I are so delighted to be here in Canada," William said. "We have been looking forward to this moment for a very long time. Quite separately, before we were married, we had both had a longing to come here, instilled in us by our parents and grandparents."

Prince William's great-grandparents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth unveiled the war memorial in 1939 and established a tradition with the first royal walkabout, stopping to chat with some in the 100,000strong crowd.

Canadian fans had packed every hotel in sight of the capital.

Some even camped overnight on the steps of the war memorial, awakened by Canada's

ATTENTION GETTERS: Prince William and Catherine board a plane of the Royal Canadian Air Force at London's Heathrow Airport yesterday. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge travelled to Ottawa for their first overseas tour as a married couple. — Gettypic

national anthem blared from nearby Parliament Hill where technicians readied sound and stage equipment for Friday's Canada Day celebrations.

Support for the monarchy hovers above 50 per cent in Canada and has risen from last year since the massively hyped royal nuptials

LONDON

PAYCUT: Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh and other royal family members will be getting a nine per cent shave on royal grants.

— AFPpic

Estate performs but the current estimate is that by 201415 the monarch will receive around £35 million," Osborne told parliament yesterday.

"In cash terms that is broadly in line with what they had spent in recent years, in real terms it is around a nine per cent cut over the parliament."

The queen is expected to

receive a grant equivalent to 15 per cent of the Crown Estate profits, with the figure to be reviewed every seven years. The grant will be based on the vast property portfolio's performance two years earlier. The royal property empire ranges from palaces to buildings on London's Regent Street and Ascot racecourse in south England. — AFP

in April, although there is still a vocal anti-monarchist minority.

In addition to official and military ceremonies, the schedule of the royal visit has lighter moments planned, such as a cooking class, an aboriginal sports event and a rodeo. —AFP PATRIOTIC: Singers perform in Ditan Park in Beijing as part of celebrations for the Communist Party's 90th anniversary today.

China's ruling Communist Party topped 80 million members last year, a yearly increase of nearly three per cent. — AFPpic

Budget cut for Britain's monarchy

BRITISH lawmakers in the lower house yesterday approved historic proposals to alter the way in which the country's royal family is funded, potentially cutting their budget by nine per cent.

Under finance minister George Osborne's plans, the family will draw its income from a new Sovereign Grant from 2013-14 rather than the separate Civil List and grants-in-aid packages which currently fund official royal business.

The Sovereign Grant will be funded by a cut of the profits from the Crown Estate, property owned by the sovereign.

At present, profits from the Estate go to the government.

Although the family is expected to receive around £1 million (RM4.84m) more funding in 2015 than this year, it amounts to a cut when inflation is taken into account.

"We will see how the Crown

world

BEIJING

Communist party celebrates 90 years CHINA today marks the 90th birthday of its ruling Communist Party, which first emerged as a tiny grouping of intellectuals and now presides over the world's second-largest economy.

The country's top leaders are due to attend a glitzy ceremony at the Great Hall of the

People in central Beijing amid a nationwide propaganda blitz, but experts warn the future is less certain for the one-party regime.

China, which likes to mark official anniversaries with pomp, has already released a star-studded patriotic film, launched a flagship high-

speed rail link, and broadcast multiple revolutionary-style shows on television.

The nation's first aircraft carrier could also go on sea trials today, according to a Hong Kong Commercial Daily report, a move that would garner worldwide attention on the anniversary. — AFP

14 lifestyle

The Malay Mail Friday 1 JULY, 2011

A1 arrives

Baby Audi ready to take on the MINI

By Shamsul Yunos lifestyle@mmail.com.my The A1 has been a runaway success for German premium brand Audi, selling more than 100,000 units within its first year, making it one of the most successful premium compact hatchbacks in the market today.

The model was launched recently at a special roadshow at the glitzy Bukit Bintang area and the 1.4 TSI variant offered here is priced at RM180,000,

making it a very competitive alternative to the MINI. The popularity of the brand comes from the car’s impressive credentials, winning a number of awards, including the Auto Trophy from Auto Zeitung; the Golden Steering Wheel from Auto Bild and Bild am Sonntag; and the Car of the Year Award from What Car?.

It was also voted as one of the Best Cars of 2011 by the readers of Auto Motor und Sport. The A1 also received the top five-star rating in the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) crash test.

The A1’s styling is pure Audi, the clean lines, honest proportions and the gentle arching roofline all speak of a genetic line-up that is both handsome and intelligently designed.

The single-frame grille, together with the LED daytime running lights, is the most

prominent feature of the exterior and identifies it as an Audi even without any badging.

With ultra high-strength steel making up the passenger cell, the car is strong enough to score a perfect five star from the highly demanding Euro NCAP. In Malaysia, the Audi A1 comes with the 1.4 TFSI engine with 122 PS and it is paired with the seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmis-

sion. It can be operated as an automatic or manually, with paddles on the steering wheel available as an option. Thanks to its high efficiency and the intelligent control system, the S tronic also helps to reduce fuel consumption.

Those who want to take advantage of the power and economy would be pleased to note that the A1 has very good road manners and is eager and willing to be chucked hard into corners.

The agile, wide-track chassis moves the A1 to the head of its class while the sporty suspension set-up lifts it further above the crowd.

Audi is offering entertainment-based interior specifications — this means the car will have the best in terms of infotainment.

The Audi A1 comes with an infotainment and multimedia centre that sets new standards in the compact segment. It borrows closely from the system used in Audi’s A8 flagship,

including the monitor that folds out from the instrument panel, and the control unit which uses MMI operating logic.

The 465 watt Bose surround sound system with 14 speakers is just one example of the additional high-end complementary features available.

Convenient Bluetooth and wired interfaces are available for cellular phones and external players such as the iPod.

FriDay 1 JuLY, 2011

the malay mail

15

x

16 lifestyle news

Proud owners receive their new Myvi

By SHAMSUL YUNOS lifestyle@mmail.com.my WITH 12,000 orders in the books and new ones pouring in nicely, Perodua thanked their loyal customers by holding a special event for the early birds. Five customers were chosen to be among the first to receive their cars recently.

Siva Rajan Subramaniam, Mullai Arunasalam, Tan Soo Hong, Yusainianir Mohd Yassin and Kok Zhien Wei were invited to a simple handing-over ceremony in Subang.

“The five owners here are the first among thousands to receive their cars in the coming weeks and we could not be happier with the response from the public for our new model,” said Perodua’s managing director Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh.

Aminar said Perodua will also ensure that customers get their vehicle in the shortest time possible, compared to the previous experience of six

to nine months when the old Myvi was launched in 2005. He said those who made bookings before the launch on June 16, can expect their cars to be delivered anytime between now and end of July.

In terms of exports, Aminar said the company was on track to ship the first 500 Myvis, under the Daihatsu Sirion badge, to Indonesia this month. “On average, we expect to export 350 units per month of the model to Indonesia within a 12-month time frame,” he said, adding that the company is looking to export the new Myvi under the Perodua brand to five of its seven export markets, including Mauritius, Singapore, Nepal, Fiji and Sri Lanka.

Domestically, Perodua expects to achieve its year-end target of 195,000 units, with another milestone coming about before the year is out — a two millionth vehicle production mark should be achieved sometime in the fourth quarter.

ELATED OWNERS: Perodua will ensure that customers get their vehicle in the shortest time possible this time around

Classic race car replica wins top prize AFTER a gruelling fuel miser marathon that ran for more than half an hour under the blazing Malacca sun, Politeknik Ungku Omar’s (PUO) sleek racer that looked like a refugee from a pre-war Grand Prix was left as the only car running in a field of 14 competitors.

Held at the Melaka International Motorsport Circuit (MIMC) on June 25, the race saw an interesting collection of vehicles taking part as the 12 competing teams, while two invited teams took diverging approach towards the Perodua Eco Challenge 2011.

Now in its third year, the event is fast becoming a fixture that students look forward to as it gives them a chance to flex their creativity and apply their classroom knowledge to real world situations.

A range of racers, from those that looked like classic cars, to futuristic city cars, to roadsters and open wheel racers — even one that looked like a tiger —

lined up on the grid that day.

The challenge was to design a car that weighs no more than 350 kilogrammes and can travel the longest distance on half a litre of Petronas Primax 95 petrol.

Like all the other racers, PUO’s car consisted of a spaceframe chassis that is powered by a 660cc Perodua Viva engine.

The aluminium-skinned racer’s engine was tuned to run extra lean in order to sip as little fuel as possible. In fact, the team said if it was made any leaner, the engine would overheat in a very short while.

In the end, the team from PUO clocked 24.07km and for their effort, the students took home RM20,000 cash and trophy. PUO was the winner in the Manual category of the inaugural Perodua Eco-Challenge held in 2009.

Second place was the team from University Selangor (Unisel) whose car travelled 19.10km and won RM10,000

cash prize while twice winner in the Automatic category Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) only managed third place with a distance of 17.42km this time and returned with RM5,000 cash.

In the Engineering category, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) took the top prize and RM15,000, while USM, the first runner-up, drove home with RM10,000 and second runner-

up Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Spanish Institute (UniKL MSI) received RM5,000.

Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) which won in the Design and Participation category received RM5,000 and a trophy while Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and UTM each won RM3,000 and RM1,000, respectively, as first and second runner-ups.

A total of 12 institutions of higher learning namely USM, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten), UTM, UniKL MSI, Politeknik Sultan Azlan Shah and UMP participated in the Perodua Eco-Challenge 2011.

The others teams include those from Universiti Teknologi MARA, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Unisel, PUO, Politeknik Port Dickson and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka and Perodua’s own Research & Development (R&D) team also participated

in the Perodua Eco-Challenge as guest teams.

Thousands of supporters from the institutions of higher learning came to cheer their respective teams in the race which was flagged off by Malacca chief minister Datuk Mohd Ali Rustam and Perodua managing director Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh.

A mini carnival was also held in conjunction with the Perodua Eco-Challenge.

Perodua also showcased its latest model, the new Perodua Myvi, launched by deputy prime minister Tan Sri Datuk Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur on June 16.

The public was also entertained to a free concert, featuring several popular local artistes such as rocker Ella as well as Shiha, Ika and Salma from the reality show Mentor and the popular band Sixth Sense.

Police C THE Naza group of companies showed off their Chevrolet Cruze and Captiva as police vehicles at the 2nd General Police and Special Equipment Exhibition and Conference (GPEC ASIA 2011) at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre recently.

The vehicles were prepared as Proof-of-Concept and they are to be evaluated by the Royal Malaysian Police.

Joint executive chairman of the Naza Group, Datuk Wira SM Faisal Nasimuddin (pic, right) handed over keys to two Captivas and one Cruze to home minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein (pic, left).

Naza had also sponsored 60 Chevrolet Captivas to be used as the official car for the event’s VIPs, guests and international delegates. It is certainly an honour for Naza Quest as their very own Chevrolet Captiva has been given a boost of confidence for

The Malay Mail Friday 1 JULY, 2011

THE sleek lines of the Nissan Grand Livina has made it a favourite among MPV buyers who want to enjoy sporty characteristics in their family transport and now they can get an even sportier flavour with the Impul touch.

The Impul makeover includes newly-designed aerokit that gives the Livina an even more aggressive and dynamic presence and it is made unmistakeable with the presence of an Impul logo on the front grille.

Edaran Tan Chong, the franchise holder for Nissan, also gave this variant a suspension upgrade consisting of Impul shock absorbers and springs that lowers the car by 25mm.

The springs and shocks have

Range-topping Rover supercharges into Malaysia

Sporty family ferry also been tuned and matched to reduce unwanted roll and pitch for optimised handling and to enrich steering feel of the new Grand Livina.

It also gets a polished stainless steel exhaust muffler etched with an Impul logo on the tail pipe.

This Grand Livina wears Impul Aura SX-10 17â&#x20AC;? alloy wheels that are manufactured using Impul New Super Cast process that results in a 20 to 30 per cent weight saving in comparison to conventional processes, thereby delivering the latest in wheel design technology and ensuring higher quality and safety.

The Nissan Grand Livina Tuned By Impul version is offered at a cost of only RM10,700 above the standard Nissan Grand Livina. The onthe-road price (inclusive of

insurance, road tax, registration fee and ownership claim fee) for Peninsular Malaysia will be as follows: t .5 $PNGPSU RM97,500 t "5 $PNGPSU RM100,500 t "5 $PNGPSU RM109,500 The new Nissan Grand Livina Tuned By Impul comes with a three-year or 100,000km warranty (whichever comes first).

After-market purchase of Impul Performance Parts will also be available to existing Nissan Grand Livina owners.

Longer-lasting, fuel-saving rubber

Cruze-r both its brand and reputation as a safe, reliable and premium choice for the discerning individual.

Chevrolet has been the preferred choice of the police in the United States as it boasts of high performance, reliability, safety and versatility â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a plus point in this line of work.

GPEC ASIA 2011 showcased equipment and technology that aids law enforcement, including forensic IT research, vehicle technology, traffic control and road safety equipment, body armour, ballistic protection, non-lethal and self-defence weapons, first aid and rescue equipment.

Ministers, chief of Police, members of Parliament and other related law enforcement officers from 14 countries attended the show which was open only to law enforcement officers and companies offering the technologies.

TYRES make a difference in the way a car manoeuvres as well as how it works through a tank of fuel. Modern tyres like the Michelin Energy XM2, combines progressive and predictable handling with fuel economy and long wear life.

With such a strong package, the French tyre giant expects the new product to capture 50 per cent of the Asia Pacific passenger car replacement tyre market by 2015. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Energy XM2 has all the necessary attributes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 20 per cent more mileage and additional fuel savings with no compromise on safety â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to compete within the compact and lower mid-size passenger car segment that accounts for 80 per cent of all cars sold in Malaysia. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are confident of recording a good double digit market

17

share and strengthening our position to be among the top three preferred brands in Malaysia. Car owners in the mass market segment are demanding greater savings to mitigate the overall increase in the cost of living,â&#x20AC;? said Yves Pouliquen, managing director of Michelin Malaysia Sdn Bhd. According to Pouliquen, the Energy XM2 offers a great balance of performance and has evolved from a hybrid compound used in its predecessor, the Energy XM1, to full silica resulting in an 8 per cent reduction in rolling resistance and additional fuel savings of 1.1 per cent.

The Alternating Bridging Technology used in the Energy XM2 reinforces the rigidity of tread blocks, resulting in the tread blocks moving less freely while

reducing the rate of tyre wear.

Reduced fuel consumption is achieved as the full silica used in the rubber compound reduces friction between the rubber particles, generating less heat.

With less heat generated, less energy is lost, not only reducing fuel consumption but increasing the tyreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s flexibility thereby improving road holding.

The Micro Adaptive Compound and Optimum Void Grooves of the Energy XM2 guarantee user safety by reducing risk of hydroplaning and drivers losing control of their vehicle.

A total of 22 sizes in the Energy XM2 range will be available in Malaysia to fit rim sizes from 14 inches to 16 inches to cater for widths of 175 to 215.

The tyres are prized from RM217 for the 14 inch, to RM488 for the 16inch range.

A BETTER WAY FORWARD: Pouliquen at the launch of the Michelin Energy XM2 tyres recently

CLEARLY Land Rover thinks that one can never have enough power. How else would you explain the arrival of the Range Rover 5.0-litre Petrol Supercharged, which the company claims is the most capable and luxurious sports utility vehicle (SUV) in the world?

Packed with a 510bhp V8 lump that twists 625 Newton metres of torque through a six-speed automatic transmission, the model continues to fight for the upper crust of the SUV market and the price tag of RM798,888 ensures its exclusivity.

This is exactly the same price as the 4.6 Supercharged that it replaces.

All this power allows the Supercharged Range Rover to accelerate to 100 km/h from rest in a mere 6.2 seconds. Even more remarkable is the fact that CO2 emissions are just 384g/ km, a reduction of 7.4 per cent compared to its predecessor.

This model combines effortless power with outstanding efficiency, and therefore, green credentials for a vehicle with such a generous engine.

Key technologies that make this possible include the sixthgeneration, twin-vortex Eaton supercharger whose high helix rotor improves thermodynamic efficiency by 16 per cent compared to earlier designs.

The 2175psi (150bar), multi-hole, spray-guided direct injection system fully optimises combustion for both power and economy.

A number of clever design features such as the industry-first, torque-actuated variable camshaft timing on all four cams and reverse cooling, all contribute to engine efficiency, performance and in-car comfort.

The 2011 model Supercharged gets upgraded Terrain Response system in the form of Hill Start Assist (HSA) and Gradient Acceleration Control (GAC).

HSA retains the initial drivergenerated brake pressure, long enough for the foot to move from brake pedal to throttle

without the car rolling backwards. The brake is released after a sufficient time has elapsed or when the engine is supplying enough torque to move the car up the hill. HSA is always available, not selectable and neither is its operation indicated to the driver.

GAC is designed to provide safety cover on severe gradients when the driver does not have Hill Descent Control engaged. By pressurising the brake system, GAC slows the car to a limit determined by the throttle position when the car is descending the slope in the driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intended direction of travel. This includes descending the slope forwards in drive, or rearwards in reverse.

Otherwise (such as descending while facing up the gradient with Drive selected) GAC restricts speed to 5km/h for up to 20 seconds, allowing the driver to regain proper control.

Visual identifiers for this special model includes illuminated front door sills and Harman/ Kardon Logic 7 entertainment system with 14 speakers surround-sound.

The Range Rover Superchargedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s European leather trim for headlining and door casings combined with sumptuous perforated Oxford leather seat trim and 12-piece wood veneer set, cosset the occupants in luxury.

Exterior clues to what is under the bonnet include new 20-inch alloy wheels with sparkle finish and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Nobleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; grille mesh for the front and sides.

Dynamically, the Range Rover Supercharged is equipped with the last word in suspension systems, incorporating Adaptive Dynamics technology that exercises firm control over the body through turns while cosseting the occupants with the svelte ride Range Rovers are famous for.

18 lifestyle

Dial diesel for distance

testdrive

By Shamsul Yunos lifestyle@mmail.com.my While there have been fuel economy challenge run by car companies that see petrolpowered passenger vehicles clocking impressive fuel economies in the low 5-litres/100kilometres range, these figures are typically achieved through extreme measures.

Travelling more than 600 kilometres on a single tank of fuel is best achieved with a diesel-powered car, if you want to have a decent pace and sanity.

Going to extremes to achieve maximum fuel economy is called hypermiling and if the Diesel Focus is put through this regime, it has been known to travel over 1,300 kilometres before chok-

The Malay Mail Friday 1 july, 2011

Ford Focus TDCI gives more mile for your fuel money

ing on diesel fumes.

When we got keys to the Focus, the aim was to find out how far we can travel on a single tank of diesel and do it while driving normally but with an eye on fuel economy.

After two days of city driving, we finally took the car out to stretch its legs on the Selangor coastal highway, and headed towards the resort town of Lumut.

Since the road condition was far from smooth and perfect, we kept to the speed limit and maintained light pressure on the throttle, taking time to accelerate and overtake slower vehicles.

At times we would give the car all the go that it can have and zip past lorries and trains of slower cars, all in the name of real-world fuel economy.

When we left the city, the Focus’s trip computer suggested that we have been heavy drinkers, guzzling nearly 12 litres for every 100 kilometres travelled, which meant that we had consumed nearly 25 litres of diesel over 250 kilometres of urban cruising.

With half a tank and 400 kilometres to go, we felt it was a

Engine ▪ Type: Inline 4-cylinder, Duratorq Turbo Diesel ▪ Displacement: 1997cc ▪ Max Power: 134hp/4,000rpm ▪ Max Torque: 320Nm/2,000rpm ▪ Fuel Capacity: 53 litres Suspension ▪ Front: MacPherson Strut with anti roll bar ▪ Rear: Control blade multi-link ▪ Safety: Two airbags and Anti-Lock Brakes

ContiMax Contact MC5 Recommended Fitment 205/55 R16 91V

good challenge and a chance to see how low the overall average fuel economy can be.

On the drive up to Lekir, near Sitiawan, we kept a very close watch on the rev counter, keeping engine speed below 2,500 rpm and maintaining steady throttle whenever possible.

The torquey turbodiesel was happy to frolic at this low altitude, clattering gently as the car ate miles after miles.

As we arrived in Lekir, where we took the photographs you see here, the fuel economy indicator had dropped to about 6.5 litres per kilometre

and advised us that there is still 350 kilometres of travel in the tank.

With nearly 450 clicks under our belt and 350 still in the tank, we were quite happy but felt a bit like cheats because the drive up was more like hypermiling than normal driving.

The return journey saw the engine revving more freely and the car zooming past many more slower cars than on the drive to Lekir, and as a result, the trip computer calculated our rate of consumption to be a respectable 7.1 litres per 100 kilometres.

Considering that during the

first two days, the Focus was driven with lead boots. The 55-litre tank could have easily taken us 750 kilometres with every fill-up and we could have done it without too much effort.

These figures are not exclusive to the Focus TDCI but common to all diesels and we believe that with a little consideration to our driving habits, this car could easily return 800 kilometres per tankful without the driver suffering too much eco-driving pain.

If tree huggers want to save the world, they need to find eco-friendly alternatives that

are not killjoys at the same time, and the Ford Focus is one such alternative to petrolpowered cars.

In fact we would definitely go as far as to suggest that modern diesel cars are superior to hybrid vehicles in every way when it comes to minimising fuel consumption but of course, diesels are noisy and smelly.

Given a choice between a really efficient and hardworking gal with a slight body odour, and a slick, sweetsmelling hybrid, the marketing people would definitely tell you that the latter is a lot easier to flog on the buying public. And this is why hybrids come out smelling rosy while diesels continue to suffer side glances.

lifestyle15 19

The Malay Mail Friday 1 july, 2011

By Shamsul Yunos lifestyle@mmail.com.my SEPANG International Circuit (SIC) launched the newly refurbished Sepang International Kart Circuit recently as part of its efforts to promote SIC as not only a world class motorsports facility but also as an entertainment and corporate events venue.

The newly-revamped gokart track was designed by the renowned F1 track designer, Hermann Tilke, who was also responsible for the layout of SIC’s main F1 track, built in 1999.

It is 1.247 kilometres long and 10 metres wide, with 11 challenging bends. The tarmac used for the karting track’s surface is exactly the same as

used for the Sepang main F1 track, thus offering the best racing experience possible.

The re-launch marks the changes in the operator of the circuit, City Karting Events Sdn Bhd (CKE) which will now co-manage the circuit with SIC. CKE brings over 30 years of industry experience to the circuit with both planning to invite various international kart series to Malaysia.

The track also underwent some refurbishments recently such as the setting up of complete new tyre barriers, relaying of track surface and the installation of a better drainage system. The karts brought in by CKE are also brand new, and includes two-seater karts for parents to take their young kids.

SIC Kart Circuit relaunched

BEST RACING EXPERIENCE: The revamped go-kart track was designed by renowned F1 track designer Hermann Tilke

Proton completes gruelling IRC round in Belgium In a rally that claimed more than half of the 124 cars competing in it, Proton could count itself lucky to have two cars finishing the gruelling Geko Ypres Rally in Belgium.

Inflicting serious casualty, the Geko Ypres Rally claimed the likes of many top drivers, including local favourite Thiery Neuville who did not even reach the finish of the first special stage.

Restarting under Super Rally Format, Neuville again retired on the first special stage of the second and final day. Another casualty was Skoda driver, Andreas Mikkelsen who crashed in the first corner of the very first special stage on Day 1.

IRC favourite and Skoda driver, Jan Kopecky’s rally meanwhile, came to an end even be-

fore the start of the event when a crash during shakedown the day before, injured his co-driver Petr Stary.

Proton drivers Giandomenico Basso and P-G Andersson had both come within 9 seconds of creeping into the top 10 finishers at the rally which was dominated by Skoda and Peugeot, before being struck by misfortune.

Pushing hard to get into the top 10 after finishing the first day of rallying in 11th and just 9 seconds adrift, Basso’s rally came to an end in SS7 when he hit a low brick wall which was hidden in the tall grass that put the Satria Neo S2000 into a ditch.

But all was not lost for Proton when Andersson began to pick

up his pace in the rally and shot from 18th in the opening stage (SS7) to move up to 17th and then 16th over the next two special stages (SS8 and SS9 respectively).

By SS10, he was 12th and with one stage to go in SS17, the double Junior World Rally Champion had brought the Satria Neo S2000 to 11th and within 8.9 seconds of that top 10 finish.

The team’s valiant charge against the likes of Skoda, Peugeot, Ford, Mini and Abarth however, was dealt a cruel blow when Andersson’s final push saw him went wide 2km into the 10km final special stage (SS18). The off damaged the Satria Neo S2000’s left rear wheel but Andersson was still able

to continue, losing 24 seconds in the process to eventually complete the rally in 19th.

“Despite the misfortunes and missing out on a top 10 finish, we come away from what was clearly a very tough and treacherous rally, achieving tremendous progress in terms of the development of the Satria Neo S2000.

“Basso’s 11th placing on the first day and Andersson’s push from 19th to 11th on the final day of rallying clearly demonstrated the car’s potential and it gave us a real competitive assessment of where we are currently in terms of development and how much more we need to do in the IRC,” said head of Proton Motorsports, Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood.

BMW launches ConnectedDrive

If you have been wishing for a car that could keep you connected to the internet and is smart enough to report mechanical problems to the service centre, then you will appreciate BMW’s ConnectedDrive technology.

The system runs on two independent wireless connection — one that uses Bluetooth technology to connect to the internet through the driver’s cellphone, while another gains connectivity through a dedicated SIMcard.

The first system allows the occupants to stay updated with their social media and e-mail through the large central display while

the other keeps the car in contact with the service centre as well as the security service provider.

The car can pick up fault signals sent through the car’s management system and inform the service centre so that the next time it is sent, the mechanic knows instantly and exactly what is wrong with the vehicle.

The security system runs on a dedicated cellular connection and is designed to give the controller the ability to deactivate the vehicle if it is discovered stolen.

ConnectedDrive is available as standard on the 5-series upwards and as an option on the 3-series.

20 lifestyle

The Malay Mail Friday 1 july, 2011

Denise Richards adopts baby girl The World Is Not Enough actress — who has two daughters, Lola, six, and seven-yearold, Sam with former husband Charlie Sheen — has named the American tot Eloise Joni after her mother, who died from cancer in 2007.

A representative for Denise said: "Eloise Joni Richards is named after Denise's mum

Denise Richards

Jonathan Rhys Meyers hospitalised after suspected suicide attempt pills — rushed to hospital.

The Tudors star — who has One onlooker told The Sun been in rehab five times for newspaper: "I saw the ambualcohol problems — refused lance arriving and was worried treatment by paramedics for to death. more than 30 minutes, mean"Jonathan is a lovely guy. ing they were forced to call You see him all the time in the police and he was eventually taken away by ambulance to a facility near his home in Maida Vale, north London.

A source said: "This is very sad. It was the opinion of those present that he tried to take his life."

Worried neighbours saw the 33-year-old actor — who was believed to have overJonathan Rhy Meyers dosed on unspecified

street. He says hello and is very pleasant. I hope he is fine."

The Velvet Goldmine actor was discharged from hospital on June 29 (29.06.11) but would only answer "no comment" when questioned on whether he had tried to commit suicide.

A police spokesperson confirmed they had been asked to attend the incident.

An official said: "Officers were called

by London Ambulance Service following reports of a man refusing treatment.

The man was taken to hospital."

(Joni) and Denise and her daughters Sami and Lola chose the name Eloise.

Denise and Eloise's big sisters couldn't be happier and feel incredibly blessed."

The star added on Twitter: “Thank you all for your sweet messages. The girls and I are over the moon and so is my dad Grandpa Irv … xo. (sic)”

The actress also changed her profile on the microblogging site to read: “Actress, single mum of three adorable daughters, animal lover, some say I'm a good cook, and I'm always up for trying something new.”

Ironically, Denise, Charlie and their children were staying in the Eloise suite at

New York’s Plaza Hotel last year when panicked porn star Capri Anderson called police after Charlie — who was drunk and had been taking cocaine — began smashing up his room after accusing Capri of stealing his wallet and cell phone.

Denise and the girls were staying in a separate room.

Lindsay Lohan completes her house arrest The troubled actress — who was sentenced to the confinements of her Californian home for 35 days in May in lieu of jail time after taking a necklace from an upmarket boutique store and violating the terms of her 2007 conviction for driving under the influence (DUI) — walked out of the property on June 29 but instead of throwing a party, she made her way to the Los Angeles Downtown Women's centre, to begin her 480 hours of court-ordered community service.

When asked how she felt to be free again, the Mean Girls star — who has had her alcohol-monitoring bracelet

Lindsay Lohan

taken off — said: "I'm excited to start community service and focus on my work."

As well as the 480 hours of community service, Lindsay will also have to attend an anti-shoplifting class.

Lindsay — who turns 25 on

July 2 — was sentenced to the community service and 120 days in jail after stealing the necklace, but she was granted house arrest at her home in Venice Beach due to prison overcrowding and because she is a non-violent offender.

Her lawyer Shawn Holley recently insisted the decision to spare the actress jail time was "fair".

She said: "Anyone with her background would have gotten house arrest, she didn't get a special deal. I worried perception would harm her.

But everyone — the judge, the courts — were professional, so it was fair." — Bang Showbiz

Celebrating the final exclusive year with PICU (PAEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CAREUNIT (UMMC, KL)

PICU is dedicated to the care of critically ill children from newborn to fourteen years of age.

For the last 10 years, all proceeds from the Charity Jam Sessions were used to purchase LIFE SAVING equipment and subsidize the cost to CARE for these critically ILL CHILDREN A music / fiesta for a good cause where proceeds will be channeled to PAEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE UNIT of University Malaya Medical Centre and MALAY MAIL CARE FUND

THE 12TH

2011 2 July 2011, Saturday 2 pm to 1 am RP Entertainment Centre (The Saujana Hotel, KL)

“No child shall KNOCK in VAIN” For more information call

SS RAJA 012 278 0325 • RP ENTERTAINMENT (603) 7843 1234 • MAH SECRETARIAT (603) 4251 8477 BAND PERFORMING

Artstream • Bonfire • Carbolic SmokeBalls • Corn Cake Kings • D'Stags • Fats & Vernon • Joe ''Elvis'' Rozario • President's Men • Sensations • Sharin Band • Small Stones • Spellbound • SWV • Union • V Experiment

M A L A Y S I A N

A S S O C I A T I O N

O F

H O T E L S

P E R S A T UA N H O T E L M A L A Y S I A

Saujana Resort, Jalan Lapangan Terbang SAAS, 40150 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan Tel (603) 7843 1234 Fax (603) 7846 2789 info@thesaujana.com www.thesaujanahotel.com

What’sUp SHAH ALAM: Book Carnival

In conjunction with Hari Ilmu Negeri Selangor 2011, there will be a book carnival event titled ‘Pesta Buku Negeri Selangor 2011’. It started on June 24 and ends on Sunday, 10am to 10pm, at Ruang Legar, Pusat Konvensyen, Shah Alam (SACC).

For more information, visit http://www.pestabukuselangor.my/

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Institute of Art Open Day

Visit the Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA) Open Day on Saturday from 9.30am till 4pm at 294-299, Jalan Bandar 11, Taman Melawati, KL. For details, contact 0341088100 or visit http:// www.mia.edu.my

PETALING JAYA: MPSJ 10km Run 2011

The Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya (MPSJ) 10km Run 2011 aims to help the Red Crescent Society raise RM30,000 for a new ambulance to serve districts in Selangor. The July 9 charity run will kick off at 5pm from the MPSJ Stadium in USJ and circle the USJ development area.

Entry fees range from RM15 to RM50, based on category. Entry forms are available at Twenty First

sudoku

Century Sports (M) Sdn Bhd, No.51, Jalan SS18/6, Subang Jaya (03-56373681); Sports Intelligence Sdn Bhd, Tingkat 2, Nos. 2,4 & 6, Jalan 51A/227, PJ (03-79545605); and at Red Crescent Society Selangor, No. 34 Jalan Nipah, off Jalan Ampang, KL (03-42579221).

Online registration is also available at www.hooha.asia.

SUBANG JAYA: Surreal Optical Illusion

Fourteen artists from different design backgrounds will showcase their surrealism artworks at Core Design Gallery, 87, Jalan SS15/2A, Subang Jaya, on June 26 till July 17 at 10am to 7pm.

For more information, contact 012-6117976/0126674348 or go to the website at http://www.coredesigngallery.com

CHERAS: Hospis Malaysia Charity Bazaar 2011

Hospis Malaysia is organising a Charity Bazaar to raise funds, and generate awareness of their work and services in palliative care.

The bazaar will be held at Tesco Cheras Extra, Taman Midah, KL, on Sunday. Admission is free.

For enquiries on booth or coupon sales, contact 0391333936 or log on to www.hospismalaysia.org.

sudoku

By SHUHAIDAH SAHARANI iedas@mmail.com.my

Aloud Asia! concert

WHAT: McCann Worldgroup will launch Aloud Asia, an event that aims to provide an avenue for Malaysian acts to perform live and showcase their music. The inaugural Aloud Asia! concert will be headlined by Diplomats of Drum, K Town Clan, MC Syze, Bittersweet, and Seven Collar T-Shirt. Entrance is open to all aged 18 years and above.

WHERE: Bentley Music Auditorium at the Curve WHEN: 6pm-9pm, July 2 PRICE: RM30 and RM15 (for Facebook fans) WEBSITE: www.twitter.com/ aloudasia and www.facebook. com/aloudasia

Disco night with Kaiserdisco

WHAT: Kaiserdisco, the two buddies from Hamburg will be throwing some techno on the decks tonight. With their massive releases on MBF, Drumcode, Terminal M, Style Rockets, Micro.fon and their awesome remixes for Booka Shade, Extrawelt, Hermanez, Uto Karem and Rainer Weichhold, to name a few, makes you want to dance so it's time you dust off those dancing shoes.

WHERE: Zouk, KL WHEN: 9.30pm, July 1 PRICE: RM25 (Ladies), RM35 (Men) CONTACT: 03-21712075 (12pm-6pm) or 016-3323191 (After 6pm)

A potpourri of traditional and ethnic dances how to play Sudoku X is a simple variation of Sudoku with the only difference being the squares in white (which make up the numeral X) need to tally from 1 to 9 along with the remaining coloured squares.

Yesterday'S solution

lifestyle 21

The Malay Mail Friday 1 JULY, 2011

WHAT: The Petronas Performing Arts Group (PPAG) is ready to stage yet another set of spellbinding performances with Alunan Warisan. Inspired and produced by Hartini Abdullah, the show will bring audience to all states of Malaysia with Tandak Berinai (Perlis); Layang Si Burung Mas (Kedah); Kurung-Kurung (Sabah); Rodong (Selangor); Ngajat Serumpun (Sarawak); Mak Yong (Kelantan) and many rare dance presentations, blended with newly composed music and traditional asli, joget,

ntv7's Feel Good Run is this Sunday, and to add on to the excitement, over 70 celebrities will be participating in this charity fun run held in Sri Pentas, Bandar Utama, Selangor. Feel Good Run is organised in conjunction with ntv7’s 13th anniversary and aims to spread joy among friends and family while having fun and getting healthy.

Group general manager of ntv7 and 8TV, Airin Zainul said, “We’re truly glad to receive such wonderful support from the public for ntv7’s inaugural charity fun run in conjunction with the station’s 13th anniversary; this is going to be really BIG and we’re thankful for the support we’ve been receiving."

The organisers have linedup seven uber performances and one not-to-be-missed carnival with funfair booths, inflatable games, and others to get runners and visitors entertained and feel good!

For what seems like a very long time, catch Dina, the runner-up of Malaysian Idol Season 1, performing that day at around 11.30am.

"I hope to entertain my fans and the participants with some upbeat music after the run and I hope everybody will enjoy it! I really look forward to it and I think this is a great opportunity to hang out with my fans."

Dina sees this event as an opportunity to take a breather and chill out from her hectic schedule.

"I'm working in radio Era FM now, so I'm on air weekghazal and gamelan with a new touch.

WHERE: Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, Petronas Twin Towers, KLCC WHEN: 8.30pm, July 5 and 6 PRICE: RM15, RM30, RM50, RM60 CONTACT: 03-20517007 WEBSITE: www.mpo.com.my and www.dfp.com.my

Bobby Kimball 'live'

Feel good this Sunday! days. I just finished shooting two films that should be out on the cinemas by end of this year and early next. I'm currently rehearsing for Dreamgirls, a musical theatre in Istana Budaya which will be on from July 14 to 24."

Dina will not be the only one performing. Catch John Huang (winner of Project Superstar Season 1) and Shila Amzah (runner-up of One in a Million Season 2) belting out their ever famous songs on-stage. Also don’t miss out spectacular performances by Glitz, NASOM Maestros and many others.

The mass fun run will start at 7am with a warm-up session conducted by official fitness centre, Celebrity Fitness.

Flag-off begins right after at 7.30am. The start and finish point for all categories in the run will be at Sri Pentas. The route will be around Bandar Utama area.

Proceeds from the run will be channelled to Yayasan Jantung Malaysia, National Cancer Society Malaysia, Malaysian AIDS Foundation, and The National Autism Society of Malaysia.

Feel Good Run brings together a whole host of beloved entertainment and media personalities, which include Nazrudin Habibur Rahman, Aishah Sinclair, Jehan Miskin, Jaclyn Victor, Daphne Iking, Joanne de Rozario, Leslie Chai, Debbie Goh, Dynas Mokhtar, Cheryl Samad plus bloggers Mohd Zulkifli and Niki Cheong, among many others.

We asked Dina why she is not running at this event.

"I have asthma. I hope my performance is my way of showing support for the run," she smiled.

More information can be found on www.ntv7.com.my/ feelgoodrun

and R&B, moving on to the sounds of electronic music and now going towards the sounds of Techno, you can rest assured that DJ Romel & Sessionist will definitely entertain.

Guests dressed in white enjoy a Martini cocktail “Bootylicious” on the house.

WHERE: 7atenine, Ascott KL WHEN: 10.30pm, July 2 CONTACT: 03-21617789

your feet tapping hard to his sounds of electronic dance music.

WHERE: Bedroom KL, Pavilion KL, Jalan Bukit Bintang, KL WHEN: 10pm, July 6 and 7 CONTACT: 03-21419620 WEBSITE: http://www.bedroomkl.my/

KL Music Festival 2011

WHAT: Bobby Kimball, the former lead vocalist of the Grammy-nominated American Rock band Toto, is ready to shine once more with his greatest hits tomorrow.

WHERE: Arena of Stars, Resorts World Genting, Genting Highlands WHEN: 8pm, July 2 PRICE: RM200 (VIP), RM150 (PS1), RM110 (PS2), RM80 (PS3) and RM50 (PS4) CONTACT: 03-27181118 WEBSITE: www.rwgenting.com

WHAT: A concert not to be missed, performed by your favourite artistes Datuk Khatijah Ibrahim, Aizat, M Daud Kilau, Jaclyn Victor, Dayang Nurfaizah, OneNationEmcees and Bahbola. Definitely a night to remember!

WHERE: Istana Budaya WHEN: 8.30pm, July 1 to 3 PRICE: RM20, RM35, RM75, RM85, RM105, RM150, RM200 CONTACT: 03-41498600 WEBSITE: www.ticket2u.biz

Enjoy the music of DJ Romel & Sessionist

Share a Bedroom with Oliver Ingrosso

WHAT: Starting the art of DJing at the tender age of 15, DJ Romel has gone to be one of the fastest rising DJs in Asia.

Having first started DJ-ing with the sounds of Hip-Hop

HSBC Classics Opera Extravaganza

WHAT: If you love the sound of Sebastian Ingrosso of Swidish House Mafia, then get ready to hear the beats of his cousin, Oliver Ingrosso. The young Swedish lad will make

WHAT: The HSBC Classics Opera Extravaganza will feature works from some of the best known operas, with four workshops. This year's festival starts with the Chamber Concert, featuring Oh Yann Shie (piano); Antonella Aloigi Hayes (violin); Liu-Yi Retallick (violin); Angela Lou (viola); and Aamil Sulaiman (cello).

WHERE: Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre WHEN: 8.30pm, July 6 to10 PRICE: RM20, RM30, RM40, RM50, RM60 WEBSITE: www.klpac.org

22

the malay mail

Friday 1 July, 2011

FriDay 1 JuLY, 2011

the malay mail

23

24

PROPERTY / MOTORING / HEALTH / HOME / OTHERS

the malay mail

Friday 1 JULY, 2011

Readers can also look out for classified ads ONLINE as early as 9.00a.m at www.mmail.com.my

M22

Houses wanted

M89

Rooms to let

M130

Car for sale

M130

Car for sale

M137

Servicing & repairs

M321

Fashion/health & beauty

M321

Fashion/health & beauty

M392

Home repairs/maintenance

AROMA ASIAN Massage. For outdoor only. With Promotion price.

Interested please Call Julie: 016-293 1051

AMPANG, TAMAN MELUR Middle age lady or female retiree.

Rental RM100.

Interested call: 016-622 9696

M130 GOOD PRICES OFFERED for land / houses and Apt in Shah Alam, PJ & KL. Quick sale.

Owners TEL / SMS 019-228 6666

Car for sale

M30

Apartments for sale 11 MONT KIARA size range 2707-3317 sqf. Selling at RM900 psf. For more info call Adriel 012-685 5755 MONT KIARA Seni size range 2411-3531 sqf. Selling at RM710 psf. For more info call Adriel 012-685 5755

‘0’ DEPOSIT ALL PROTON Models, no license can buy, 100% loan for gov. & private staff, int from 3.0%, loan fast approval, high trade in. Meet at your place. Free smart tag, touch n go, full fuel, steering lock, tinted. Open everyday.Mr Lim 012-214 0207

HYUNDAI PROMOTION !!!

Sonata, Tucson, Santa Fe, Starex, Avante, i30, Accent, Getz, i10. Special discount.

Super high trade in (any car). Low d/p & interest.

Easy loan approval. Mystery gift. Beautiful plate no. Fast delivery. Excellent customer service. HQ 012-381 0737

KOMUTER VAN 15 seaters.

Brand new 2011. Call: KL Mr CHUA 012-855 9229

RAYA PROMO. ‘0’ d/p. Int. 2.33%.Grad scheme. Islamic loan.High trade in. Free Smart tag,TN Go, Steering Lock&Tinted Voucher. Nazim 012-548 1686

SALES, SERVICE & REPAIR available for Isuzu D-Max pick-ups and N-Series lorries.

Call Today: 019-329 2222

M321

Fashion/health & beauty

TOYOTA NEW, All models.

Vios, Altis, Camry, Prius, Avanza, Inova, Rush, Hilux, Fortuner, & Hiace Van. Full & Islamic loan, Int rate at 2. ++%, Special discount + free acc @ service @ tinted vou etc.

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7 STAR MASSAGE by young female. Relaxing out call / hotel.

016-375 2233, 012-340 3399.

M34

Apartment for sale/to let SUNWAY INDAH Villa Condo 900sf (2r+2b), facing flat, RM260k, Gd invest,ROI 6%.

Ampang Boulevard Condo 1300sf (3r+2b), Renovated, RM580K, Bumi Lot ,Panoramic view. PROPERTY WANTED > To let or To sale yr property , we hv potential buyer & tenant. Pls Call: sylvia 014-630 6666 E31343

Commercial vehicles for sale 0 DOWNPAYMENT. ALL CAR MODELS 2011. Full loan arrangement, graduated scheme. No-license accepted.

All INSPIRA rate from 2.33%, SAGA BLM RM378 (Best). FREE gifts given. Call 019-321 3100

MITSUBISHI ALL new models.

Fast loan & fast delivery, (Triton max loan accpt), Grandis, Pajero, Lancer, ASX, Sport back. Good trade in, Attractive promotion, good deal in town. All models stock available. 24 hrs in call. Oscar Tan 012-388 5897

ASX. MIT TRITON. PAJERO Sport, Lancer & Grandis.

Trade in accepted . Call: 012-977 6961 HARUN

M43

NEW MYVI 1.3 (A&M) Book now for fast delivery.

Int 3.25% 9 yrs. Free gifts.

Call: Salim 012-203 8434

NISSAN ALL NEW Models Promotion. Full loan. Debit cash RM3k - 10K. 100% ready stock with impuls earo kit. Leader seats, tinted. Guarantee 1 week delivery. High trade in. 24 hrs approval. Door to door service.

Call: Junson 016-6666 132

Office to let

AUSTIS MORRIS (LONDON TAXI) 1981/2007. 2.5 Liter diesel, very economical 6 seaters, Road tax RM930.00 per yr.Collectors item RM 55K ONO Call: MR.LIM 0123319225 ( LOC. BANGSAR)

PERODUA MYVI Lagi best kini dipasaran, Viva, Alza. Int 3.5%.

Mystery prize waiting for you.

Call: Mr Arshad 010-367 5694/ 0122614857

M44

Office for sale/to let

KL SG Wang Plaza (2nd floor). 2 Shop lots to let.

Free Basic Renovation Interested please call: Grace 017-350 1044

STRAWBERRY MASSAGE (1452468-W) Massage done by young girls. Relax & release tensions. Out call Tel: 011-1229 2872 THAI MASSAGE Jln Tun Razak, near Pasar Pudu Wisma Indah, Interested please call: Erna 016-963 6465

GOOD NEWS !!!

Great promotion. Immediate stock , Fast approval. High trade in. Low d/ payment. Free body kit & sport rim for Forte. All new Sorento ready stock. Sportage, Citra RS, Rondo, Picanto, Pregio.

Call: 03-4256 5556 Ampang

PROTON MAC 2.58% Saga FL 37k, d/p 0 9yrs RM398 Pesona 46k, d/p 0 9 yrs RM498 Exora 58k, d/p 0 9 yrs RM 608 - Exchange old car get 6K. SALARY RM1200 aprv. - GOV, BLACKLIST Aprv.

Student welcome - loan 140% -Trade in accpt. face book: rejalfaaisproton 013-679 9967

Home electrical appliances A/C, ASTRO, dismantle/ reinstall, t.v, tel, water heater, wiring, plumbing, lights & W/ machine. Sam 012-201 8305

GOLDEN MERMAID. Out call Relaxation massage by Male & Female masseurs. Call: 012-907 5995 / 03-2021 7637 TRADITIONAL MASSAGE Newly Opened in Damansara .Call Sandra,Nancy, or Fifi, Cindy.Tel: 012-258 1334 ( Just Relax Massage Centre ) PORTABLE AIR COND Italian design.

4 in 1 function cooling,heating, dehumidifying & fan. 1.0hp RM1388, 1.5hp RM1488. Call: 019-334 3997/ 03-7983 3993

(NEW) INOKOM & HINO Special promotion, free body. Call:0123211 453/ 012-3225334

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MPV, Van & 4 x 4. Call: ARI 016683 2111 / BEN 016-901 2276

M394

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A PRIVATE MASSAGE Done by full or part time young models. Sure quality.

Out call Only : 019-255 6622

Vehicles for hire

TMN SETIAWANGSA KL office space for rent, fully furnish.

Rental RM700 per mth. Free parking.Call: 019-279 2060

SPECIALIST IN REPAIR cushion sofa, curtains, car seat & new sofa, in Jalan Kuchai Lama.

Tel: 012313 0778 / 03- 7981 1898

CUSTOMIZE HAIRPIECE / Toupee / Wig - RM1,700 only. More info : www. hairsetup.com Call: 0193118916 , 03- 9274 7857 GENUINE MALAY Healthy Trad Massage. Any Gender.

RM100- 2 hours. 9am-7pm.

Antah Tower Condo, Jln Kuching. Alia 019-248 0412

M135 LIFESTYLE STUDIO & duplex office. Easy ownership scheme with Special Promotion. Size from 479sf - 2100sf. Call for more information CK Tan 012345 1236 / Sean Teo 016-778 3386 / Coral Chong 012-933 8788 / Office - 03-8945 8878

M393

Home furniture/furnishing

(NEW) HICOM, High discount, high trade in, cheapest in town. Call: 016248 8363 / 012-676 3609.

ALL NEW MODELS. Attractive promotion. Lancer. Fast delevery, max loan. Good service. Pls call: 012-326 9849, 012-6961 552

REPAIR ON THE SPOT., Air cond, fridge, water heater, & w/machine.

24hrs & 7 days operation.

Call: Syed 017-388 3154

SAUNA D’ HOME BEAUTY and Health care. Agent required.

019-735 5295 www.saunaku. com 2011 Great Promotion!

99 MASSAGE & SPA (1452468-W). Massage done by young girls. Release your tensions. Tel: 014-2288 921

M40

Office/office building for sale

BLUE ROSE AROMAS 24A, Lrg Ara Kiri 2, Lucky Gdn Bangsar.Therapist local Indian g i r l s . P r i v a t e & c o s y. 1 1 a m 11pm.

Ms Meera 0320945542/ 016-2056003

0 AARON MASSAGE Services (1606620-V) by Female.

Privacy assured. Out call service available. +6012-393 0136

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LEGAL / NOTICES

the malay mail

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The Malay Mail Friday 1 JULY, 2011

Seri Selangor Golf Club will host the Omega Mission Hills World Cup Asian Qualifier — Bernama

sports

27

MONT KIARA

Having fun with his Amigos

AMIGOS UNITED FC may not be a team that is known outside of Garden's Social League. In fact, this team was only formed in August last year.

So why is Johnathan Lau, one with potential to play at a

higher level, passionate about this amateur team?

"I treat football as my time to have fun. The players in the team are nice to hang out with.

We spend time together off the field as well," said Johnathan.

"There is less commitment

as some of us can't make it to every game. I see it as a way to improve myself."

The team was formed by a group of friends after finishing their higher education.

They had also roped in some other friends outside college to

strengthen the team.

Despite the difficulties to get the entire team to turn up for all the matches, Amigos play every weekend, be it in friendly or league matches, except during the festive season as it is a multiracial team.

It's in the game Talented Johnathan just wants to enjoy himself

JOHNATHAN LAU has been with the Arsenal Soccer School Malaysia (ASSM), trained with the Royal Selangor Club and undergone short stints in Spain and Taiwan with his school, Sri Cempaka.

Yet, the 17-year-old does not see football as a career. All he wants to do is play for fun and enjoy the game.

"Football is a hobby. I enjoy playing the game with friends and that's how I want it to stay," said Johnathan.

He picked up the sport when he was nine, watching kids in Mont' Kiara Pines play football. It was on a field that was smaller than a futsal court.

Johnathan would join them for a kick-about and has never looked back since.

"I was initially bullied into retrieving the ball whenever it went out of play since I was the youngest but as time went on, it was no longer the case."

The attacking player revealed he also developed goalkeeping

BackToSchool with Vijhay Vick

vijhayvick@mmail.com.my

skills at his backyard.

But for someone who does not take his football seriously, Johnathan has amazing talent.

He is not only quick but has good aerial control. He also never shies away from a good challenge.

Despite being part of ASSM, Johnathan benefitted most from his time at school.

Initially football was part of the physical education curriculum but the school soon hired Sulaiman Gerrard as coach.

"It was under him that I received a lot of exposure.

He trained us and sent us for various competitions. Among them were the Nike Cup, Milo Cup, and Figos Challenge.

"There weren't much expectations on us. That allowed

us to learn more," added Johnathan.

The Spanish stint last September was also useful.

The team had several training sessions under Valencia's youth coaches.

"The exposure gave me some ideas on how to react to different situations. In Taiwan, I learnt how to read the game better," said Johnathan.

Johnathan plays amateur football for Amigos United FC. They play in the Garden's Social League.

JOHNATHAN: Has amazing talent despite only playing football for fun

KUALA LUMPUR: DIVING

Asum to list divers by September

THE Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) will only list the divers for the Sea Games in Palembang and Jakarta by September.

Asum honorary secretary Edwin Chong said they would be taking part in other competitions, including the 14th Fina World Championship in Shanghai from July 16 to 30, before the Sea Games in November.

"We will only choose the best divers who are really prepared to bring back medals in this edition of the Sea Games."

He said the list of divers for the Sea Games would be submitted to the

Olympic Council of Malaysia once it was ready.

At the 2009 SEA Games in Vientiane, Laos, the diving squad won six gold medals, a silver and two bronze.

Edwin said the upcoming Fina Championship was a platform for Malaysian divers to secure a place to the Olympic Games in

PANDELELA: Currently Malaysia's best female diver

To advertise : Call 03-7495 1273

London.

He said 12 best divers in the final would automatically qualify for the Olympics.

He added that according to the current performance, national diving queen Pandelela Rinong had the advantage to be among the best divers. — Bernama

WHAT OTHERS SAY OF JOHNATHAN Mohd Sulaiman Gerrard — Johnathan's former coach at Sri Cempaka "He is a very talented boy.

He is still young. If he puts his heart to it, Johnathan can go far as a player.

"Johnathan has the speed that many do not possess. He also has good aerial control of the ball."

Sarathy Raja — Amigos United captain "Johnathan is a player who is consistent when he turns up for games.

He tries to have as much interaction and communicates well with his teammates during the game.

"His respect for other team members must also be noted."

28

sports

German chancellor Angela Merkel has written a personal letter urging International Olympic Committee (IOC) members to award the 2018 Winter Olympics to Munich — AFP

No time to relax

KELANA JAYA: FOOTBALL

Saravanan expects different ball game next season

Fixtures

TODAY Police v Sime Darby (Hang Tuah Stadium)

By VIJHAY VICK vijhayvick@mmail.com.my

USM v Pos Malaysia (USM Athletic Stadium) Armed Forces v Sarawak (Selayang Stadium) PKNS v Harimau Muda B (PJ Stadium) Johor v Penang (Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Hassan Yunos Stadium) SDM Navy v Muar City Council (Batu Kawan Stadium) (all matches at 8.45pm)

Standings P W PKNS 21 17 Sarawak 21 14 Police 21 11 Sime Darby 21 11 Forces 21 9 Johor 21 10 USM 21 10 Muar 21 8 Pos Malaysia 21 7 Harimau B 21 5 SDM 21 2 Penang 21 1

D L F 3 1 49 3 4 50 3 7 35 3 7 35 7 5 26 3 8 33 2 9 29 4 9 26 6 8 25 5 11 23 2 17 18 1 19 14

A 6 16 28 28 21 25 29 38 33 26 60 57

Pts 54 45 36 36 34 33 32 28 27 20 8 4

N E W LY- C R O W N E D Premier League champions PKNS will be looking to end their league campaign in style as they take on Harimau Muda B today.

Ve t e r a n s t r i k e r V. Saravanan is delighted to end the season as champions as he had joined the club side hoping to win them promotion.

Despite being a bit part

PREPARE FOR THE WORST: Abdul Rahman (right) talks to his boys during their training session at Selangor PKNS' grounds — Pic: SHARUL HAFIZ ZAM

player, the former international’s experience has been used well by former national coach Abdul Rahman Ibrahim to add more bite to their attack, especially during the last third of games.

While he did not form the expected lethal partnership with PKNS’ hitman Mohd Zamri Hassan, as injuries at different times of the season have hampered their

PETALING JAYA: FOOTBALL

partnership, the duo always seem happy to partner each other.

For the record, they bagged 38 goals between them last season. Zamri finished the season as top scorer with 20 goals while Saravanan, then playing for Armed Forces netted 18.

This season, they only managed 12 league goals combined.

"The goals have been well spread this season, with t he midf ielders s cor ing their share as well," said Saravanan.

"Now that the league is over, we cannot sit back and relax. The Super League is going to get much tougher."

Having dominated the Premier League, only failing to win in four of their 21

matches, the Super League will be a different proposition.

"But first we have to concentrate on the Malaysia Cup," added Saravanan.

Their opponents tomorrow will only be playing for pride as the young tigers cannot improve on their third from bottom position.

They cannot drop into the relegation zone either.

PARIS: MOTORSPORT/ FORMULA 1

Hanging by a thread Ricciardo clambers

By HUSSEIN SHAHARUDDIN hussein@mmail.com.my

MALAYSIA are walking on thin ice after conceding a late away goal to Taiwan in their World Cup qualifier at Bukit Jalil.

Leading by a two goal cushion, Malaysia should have put the game to bed but instead turned off their concentration in familiar fashion, allowing the Taiwanese to score a crucial away goal.

Malaysia now have to make sure they don't concede when they play away on Sunday and with the injury status of captain Safiq Rahim and other key players still uncertain, Malaysia is far from safe to progress to the next round of the qualifier.

Despite that, national team manager Datuk Subahan Kamal remains optimistic about the team's chances of progress to the next stage.

"I think the away goal was a blessing in disguise. This means our players now will have to go

into the match knowing that anything less than a win, could send them packing home," Subahan said.

"It was our first time trying out a different formation and it was a gamble we're not going to take again. We did not underestimate Taiwan. The goal conceded was just a reminder that we have to remain focused a hundred per cent for the the full 90 minutes."

"It won't be easy in the return-leg, but I'm confident Malaysia will pull through as the boys have yet to disappoint us and have always rose to the occasion when needed most.

The coach and players know exactly what to do and what is expected of them," added Subahan.

Malaysia will defend their 2-1 advantage on Sunday at the Taipei Municipal Stadium in Taiwan and will meet Singapore in the next stage should they qualify.

into Hispania hotseat

AU S T R A L I A N r o o k i e Daniel Ricciardo (pic) will drive for Hispania for the rest of the season, with the exception of the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, the Spanish Formula 1 team announced this morning Ricciardo, who turns 22 tomorrow, has been working as a test driver for the Red Bull and Toro Roso teams and was given permission to cut his teeth in race conditions with Hispania.

"Hispania Racing and Red Bull Racing signed a collaboration deal today which allows young Australian talent Daniel Ricciardo to join the Spanish team as its official driver," said the official statement.

Ricciardo, who is slated to drive for Toro Rosso in 2012, is likely to team up

with the Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi, replacing Narain Karthikeyan — who will return for his home Grand Prix in India on Oct 30.

The Australian, who was born in Perth, will make his debut at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 10.

"It's a dream come true for me — for the first time on an F1 starting grid," he told the team website.

"I had to pinch myself a couple of times to be sure that it's real. I'm excited and can hardly wait to drive at Silverstone.

"It's a new challenge, a new experience, a ne w te am , but I'm ready and will give of my best in any event."

— AFP

The Malay Mail Friday 1 JULY, 2011

LAUSANNE: ATHLETICS

Powell runs fastest 100m of the year ASAFA POWELL ran the fastest 100 metres of the year as he won at the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne this morning.

Powell, clear favourite after Usain Bolt chose to skip the meeting and with American Tyson Gay injured, charged out of the blocks to win in 9.78 seconds, one hundredth of a second better than Gay's time in Florida earlier this month.

Fellow Jamaican Michael Frater finished a further 0.10s behind while European champion Christoph Lemaitre recovered from a poor start to take third in 9.95s, not nearly enough to trouble Powell although he equalled the French record.

World record hold David Rudisha of Kenya comfortably won the 800m in his first Diamond League race of the season, having missed part of the season with an ankle injury.

Olympic silver medallist Sally Pearson of Australia set a personal best as she won the women's 100m hurdles in 12.47s, holding off Danielle Carruthers of the United States who was one hundredth of a second behind. — Reuters

The Malay Mail Friday 1 JULY, 2011

The match will be very difficult for me. I think he's playing at a very, very high level.

For me, the last few months of Andy have been very, very good — Rafael Nadal

london: tennis/ wimbledon

sports

29

Oh, I say

Wimbledon is Wimbledon, the English won't get tired of it PAULA MALAI ALI is a renowned figure in Asia.

As a presenter for ESPN and Star Sports, she has travelled round the globe giving us the best coverage in sports.

Here is her second postcard from London as she recounts her experiences exclusively with Mailsport in the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world.

PostcardFrom Wimbledon With Paula Malai Ali

HERE we are in the second week of the championships and SW19 has been a meteorological minefield.

A heatwave descended upon us on mid Sunday — our day off from the festivities at The All England Club which continued i n t o t h e s e cond

SHOCKING EXIT: Venus (left) and Serena — AFPpic

Monday and what a beautiful day it was.

Not such a beautiful day, however, if your name ended in Williams as both sisters, Serena and Venus, made an early exit from Wimbledon.

A day which also saw all the usual suspects book their way into the men's quarterfinals...

Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic...but you guys know all this.

Yesterday the weather went back to being "The Grump" that England is famed for... but of course all this unpredictability just adds to the magic that is Wimby...

Everyday tells a different story here but the one thing that is pretty standard is the fact that people who work here during these two weeks can't seem to get enough.

T h e nu m b e r o f stewards and staff who have proudly proclaimed this is

their "32nd year (or whatever) working".

Just goes to show, whilst this fortnight is hard work it's seductive and addictive to the point that coming one year simply is not enough.

The uniformed staff have hard and fast rules.

Unless you work directly with the agents or in an area for the players, talking to the players is strictly off limits.

Or should I say the rule is more like "Do Not Disturb Them". Which is extremely fair.

How tiresome would it be if every security staff member or ball boy shoved an iPhone in their faces in the hope of "tagging" their favourite player on Facebook?

I asked one colorful personality who has been working here since the 70's if he was beginning to feel jaded.

"Good grief, No!" he guffawed.

"Working on Wimbledon is one of the the highlights of my entire year and I've become like a piece of furniture!"

And, as if on queue, a popular player walked through the gates, a toddler in tow and said to the aforementioned steward: "Look Al, I'm still breeding!"

A lovely sense of familiarity and respect all rolled in six

seconds of friendly exchange.

I read in the English papers that it is these older men, in their purple and green blazers, particularly the stewards stationed at The Club's main entrance, that have become iconic.

Their flirty mannerisms and easy way with the thousands of people that come through the gates daily is a definite quirk of Wimbledon.

I have been stopped a couple of times just for a little chat and a chuckle, normally peppered with a cheeky line that always makes me smile!

So yes, we all know that watching tennis here on the beautifully manicured lawns is a sight for sore eyes, the weather always a topic of discussion, the strawberries the most luscious shade of pink and the Royal Box attendees enough to make you need to wear shades...but..Wimbledon is Wimbledon because it is so idiosyncratically English.

A n d n ot h i ng i s m ore English than a gentleman in an All England Club blazer and boater.

As Vijay Amitraj likes to bellow..."Oh, I say..." Catch Paula Malai’s coverage of the Wimbledon on STAR Sports, ESPN HD and online on ESPN Player.

Kvitova hopes Azarenka curse spells title success

VICTORIA AZARENKA lost to the eventual winner in all of her tournaments since March and Petra Kvitova will be hoping that curse continues after outmuscling the Belarussian yesterday for a spot in the Wimbledon final.

The eighth-seeded Czech secured a first Grand Slam final after her aggressive search for winners proved the difference in a topsy-turvy 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 last-four win over Azarenka on Centre Court.

The 21-year-old, who last year lost to eventual champion Serena Williams in the Wimbledon semifinals having never won a match on grass

before the tournament, will face 2004 champion Maria Sharapova in tomorrow's final.

"It's something unbelievable to be in the final at Wimbledon," a shy, smiling Kvitova told reporters. "I'm happy with how I played because it was tough mentally."

Kvitova, who also defeated Azarenka at Wimbledon last year, has lifted titles in Brisbane, at the Paris Open and in Madrid this season and becomes the first Czech to reach a Wimbledon women's final since Jana Novotna in 1998.

Much of the match saw both women glued to the baseline but Kvitova's piercing left forehand kept racing down the tramlines to undo a hesitant Azarenka, who was ultimately punished having momentarily imposed herself by taking the second set.

Kvitova ignored temptation to change tactics in the third, instead realigning some wayward ground strokes and beefing up her serve to seal victory.

Azarenka was impressed.

"I think she can beat anybody any day, because right now she has really good game.

She's really going for it," the

fourth seed said.

"She played a brilliant match today, and I have to give all the credit to her."

Kvitova has only played Sharapova once, losing to her in Memphis last year.

"She has an advantage with this. But we played already and I lost, so now I have to beat her," Kvitova said. — Reuters

FORMER French Open champion Ana Ivanovic has hired Nigel Sears, the head of women's tennis at the Lawn Tennis Association, to help rebuild a career which once saw her on top of the world rankings.

"I couldn’t be happier.

I’ve admired Nigel for some

time now, and I can’t wait to start working with him," said the world No. 18, who was knocked out in the third round at Wimbledon.

"It was important that I waited for the right coach, and we are both excited about the challenges ahead."

Sears spent almost five years with the LTA in London, a period which saw five British women break into the world's top 100, two make the top 50 and two girls (Laura Robson and Heather Watson) win junior grand slam titles.

"It's been a real privilege to

be in charge of women's tennis at the LTA, and an honour to captain Great Britain's Fed Cup team, and I feel we've made considerable progress in the women's game over this period," said Sears. — AFP

Ivanovic hires British coach Sears

KVITOVA: Hopes her semifinal opponent's jynx would go in her favour — AFPpic

Sharapova's off day good enough for final return

MARIA SHARAPOVA (pic), the glamour girl of women's tennis, showed she is not averse to winning ugly as she overcame some jitters to set up a Wimbledon final against Petra Kvitova this morning.

The 24-year-old Russian served 13 double faults on her way to a 6-4, 6-3 defeat of Germany's Sabine Lisicki to reach the final for the first time since she burst into the spotlight by winning the 2004 title as a carefree 17-year-old.

"It's a great feeling. It's been many years, but it's a really great feeling," said Sharapova, who has filled the vacuum left by the fourthround exits of champion Serena Williams, five-times winner Venus Williams and top seed Caroline Wozniacki.

"Today wasn't my best match of the championships so I was real happy to get through in two sets. So yeah, it's pretty amazing to be back on that stage."

The Centre Court was not full when Sharapova, the only genuine A-lister to survive until the semis, strode out under cloudy skies to take on wildcard Lisicki.

For three games the fifth seed could hardly get the ball in court, struggling on serve, lashing forehands into the net and shooting panicky glances to fiance Sasha Vujacic as he tried his best to offer encouragement from the players' box.

She improved steadily but her progress to the final was helped by an opponent whose belief drained away as quickly as Sharapova ramped up the volume on the "grunto-meter".

"But the next match starts from scratch. Everything that kind of went before, that doesn't really matter," said the Florida-based Russian, who gets to enjoy a few of the perks of being a member of the All England Club. — Reuters

Results (Collated) Women's SEMIFINALS Mar i a Sharap ova (RUS) bt Sabine Lisicki (GER) 6-4, 6-3; Petra Kvitova (CZE) bt Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 6-1, 3-6, 6-2

30 sports

We're at home, in our own country, and that adds spice. Argentina must win to return to the top of the podium — Argentina's Javier Mascherano

The Malay Mail Friday 1 JULY, 2011

Lion-el on the prowl Inspired 'La Pulga' can steer Argentina to record 15th title

LatinHeat

with Mustapha "El Loco" Kamaruddin moose@mmail.com.my

HOLA! Well... it's time for the Copa America fiesta again. And 14-time champions Argentina have the honour of hosting the 43rd edition of world football's oldest international tournament.

Long-suffering Argentina have already voiced their intention of winning the title this time, as it has been a while since they have won anything at senior level. The last time they did was in 1993, and ironically, in this tournament when they beat Mexico 2-1 with both goals coming from legendary striker Gabriel Batistuta or Batigol.

The Argentines have a good chance of repeating the feat this time, especially if their superstar, and two-time World Player-ofthe-Year, Lionel Messi can finally reproduce his club form with Barcelona on the international stage.

He is likely to do it this time and silence critics who say he can't perform for Argentina.

The bad news for Argentina's opponents is that Messi has this dream of lifting the trophy and put Argentina's long drought to bed.

La Pulga, or "The Flea", is confident he can lead his side to triumph, admitting he is pleased to have the support of his home fans.

Messi was criticised by some fans after the World Cup in South Africa last year where he did not even score a goal.

"I have never felt so loved by the Argentine people. It was the only place where, before, I was not treated with the same affection as in Barcelona," he told TyC Sports.

"I was always discussed in Ar-

gentina because, unfortunately, we could not win anything. I get to win everything at my club and people would recognise it. Hopefully, I can keep this going now for Argentina."

Argentina open their Group A campaign against Bolivia tomorrow (8.45am) with their fans obviously wanting nothing less than a win.

Will Messi start in style?

Probably a big yes. He has one or two points to prove and the Bolivians can expect to face hell trying to stop him.

But Messi and gang cannot forget what the Bolivians did to them during the last South American World Cup qualifier at La Paz which is 3,600 metres above sea level — a 6-1 humiliation for Diego Maradona and his men, and a historic win for the Bolivians.

So who will be partnering Messi up front in a 4-3-3 set-up expected to be employed by coach Sergio Batista for this opener?

Some say it is going to be Real Madrid's Angel Di Maria and Napoli's Ezequiel Lavezzi. But don't be surprised if Carlos Tevez is picked instead of Di Maria although the Manchester City man was included late in the squad.

Messi, Tevez and Lavezzi? They look awesome.

What about Sergio "Kun" Aguero? He can easily take over if needed and it is not because of his father-in-law Maradona. Football is football, father-in-law or not.

The midfielders expected to play tomorrow are the in-form but unsung Ever Banega of Valencia, Esteban Cambiasso of Inter Milan and

Barca's Javier Mascherano.

Interestingly, all these players are strong defensively but they are more than capable of assisting the front runners — especially Banega and Cambiasso.

The defence should comprise veteran Javier Zanetti of Inter Milan, Roma's Nicolas Burdisso, Barca's Gabriel Milito and Spartak Moscow's leftback Marcos Rojo. This 21-year-old is a newcomer to the squad with just four caps to his credit.

The centreback pairing of Burdisso and Milito seems to be the weakest link in the team but fortunately, these two have Mascherano, Cambiasso and Banega in front of them to do some covering. The goalkeeper is set to be Sergio Romero who plays for AZ in the Dutch league.

The opening match aside, the tournament promises to be one of the best ever despite invitee Mexico being represented basically by their Under-22 side plus several seniors.

One of the main reasons for this is the presence of several prolific and exciting strikers in action.

Besides Messi, there are the likes of Radamel Falcao and Teofilo Gutierrez (Colombia), Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani (Uruguay), Neymar and Pato (Brazil) — all of whom are already superstars. The question now is who will score the most in the end?

Then there is "big time" winger Alexis Sanchez of Chile, who is said to be joining Barca soon. Real Madrid fans must be praying this will not materialise... but this is another matter.

For now, it's Copa time.

Adios!

BUENOS AIRES: football/ Copa America

Pato vows to honour No. 9

AC MILAN striker Alexandre Pato (pic) is looking forward to the Copa America and the young gun feels he is ready to shine for champions Brazil.

Pato was handed the No. 9 jersey ahead of the tournament that kicks off tomorrow and he is proud to be wearing the number previously donned by Brazil legend Ronaldo.

"I still have a lot to learn, but my time has come in the national side. I am ready to fight for the Copa America

title and win the tournament.

We have a great team and we will do our utmost to play a great Copa," said Pato.

"It is an honour for me that I've been handed the No. 9 shirt. It used to be Ronaldo's jersey and he was my idol.

It's now my time to shine in this shirt. I am happy and feel ready to wear this jersey."

The 21-year-old, also known as 'The Duck", operates in a deeper forward position at Milan, but says he can adapt to a more direct role

with Brazil.

"Coach Mano Menezes sees me as his No. 9 and I have absolutely no problem with playing in that position.

I scored several goals when I played in that position with Milan. I am ready to play some of my best football here."

Menezes is expected to employ a three-man unit up front and joining Pato will be 19-year-old new sensation Neymar of Santos and AC Milan's Robinho.

The coach is confident Pato has what it takes to become the new Ronaldo.

"The fans always expect to see someone who will replace their previous idols and now they want Pato to be a Ronaldo or Romario," Menezes told La Repubblica.

"I ask for calm because I feel Pato has the right characteristics to occupy Ronaldo's place. People are always talking about Neymar, but Pato has the quality to become the player we all want him to be."

FIXTURES COPA AMERICA TOMORROW GROUP A Argentina v Bolivia (8.45am) SUNDAY GROUP A Colombia v Costa Rica (2.30am) MONDAY GROUP B Brazil v Venezuela (3am) Paraguay v Ecuador (5.30am)

PAST RECORDS

legends: Messi (right) can be as good as Batistuta — AFPpic

ARGENTINA Champions — 14 (1921, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1937, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1991, 1993) URUGUAY Champions — 14 (1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1956, 1959, 1967, 1983, 1987, 1995) BRAZIL Champions — 8 (1919, 1922, 1949, 1989, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2007) PARAGUAY Champions — 2 (1953, 1979) PERU Champions — 2 (1939, 1975) COLOMBIA Champions — 1 (2001) BOLIVIA Champions — 1 (1963)

The Malay Mail Friday 1 JULY, 2011

PRESSTALK

SOFIA ECHO

Los Che in for United striker

BULGARIAN striker Dimitar Berbatov has been linked with a £14m (RM67.9m) move to Spanish side Valencia.

Berbatov has 12 months left on his contract but has fallen down the pecking order behind Wayne Rooney and Mexican striker Javier Hernandez.

Speculation around the future of the Bulgarian, who has been hot and cold in the last two seasons despite topping the scorer's chart last term, has been rife. Most recently, French giants Paris SaintGermain "strongly denied" that they are interested in him.

Berbatov was also linked with a possible move to Bayern Munich at the end of the season.

DAILY STAR

Chelsea eye another Brazilian

CHELSEA are preparing an offer for Inter Milan defender Lucio, who is available for £7m (RM33.9m), a pittance for Roman Abramovich’s chequebook.

The player has a year left on his current contract, but could be tempted with a reunion with new Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas, who he worked with at Inter.

Villas-Boas said: "I agree that minor changes can be done and we can put some input here or there in certain sectors, but my confidence in them is for them to return to me and judge from that."

Villas-Boas knows he has massive spending power but at the same time is aware he has to spend wisely and build a winning Chelsea team.

THE GUARDIAN

City keen on Clichy, not Nasri

MANCHESTER CITY are confident that Arsenal leftback Gaël Clichy (pic) will become their first signing of the summer, while denying interest in Samir Nasri.

The two clubs have agreed a £7m (RM33.9m) fee for Clichy and the player is expected to arrive in Manchester early next week.

However, the Citizens have distanced themselves from reports they are also contemplating a £20m deal for Nasri.

Nasri, who has been prominently linked with a move to Manchester United, has a year left on his contract and City are monitoring him as a possible back-up option for later in the summer.

Former River Plate and Argentina midfielder Marcelo Gallardo has been appointed coach of Uruguayian side Nacional — Reuters

sports

Ready for Reds ROME: FOOTBALL/ PREMIER LEAGUE

Aquilani happy to return to Liverpool

LIVERPO OL midfielder Alberto Aquilani (pic) is looking forward to returning to Anfield after Juventus failed to take up the option to convert his season-long loan into a permanent deal.

The Italian playmaker, bought by Liverpool from AS Roma two seasons ago for an estimated £17 million (RM82.5m), enjoyed one of his most productive seasons, playing more than 30 matches in the heart of the Bianconeri midfield.

But the Serie A side, who finished a disappointing campaign in seventh spot and failed to qualify for Europe next season, baulked at the £13 million asking price set at the start of the loan period.

"I'm more than happy to go back to Liverpool," the 26-year-old Aquilani told Italian television's SkySport24

this morning.

"I'm going back to England feeling exactly the same as the first time with the same ambition. I've read that I don't want to go back, but that's not true.

I came back to Italy for family reasons and to try and get back into the Italy team."

Juventus, who last week approved a €120 million (RM526.2m) capital increase,

are instead likely to buy a striker to eventually replace Alessandro Del Piero, who will be pushing 38 when his new contract comes to an end next June.

In other Serie A transfer news, Parma handed 35-yearold striker Hernan Crespo a 12-month contract extension, the club said on their website (www.fcparma.com), while Lazio have signed French defender Abdoulay Konko from Genoa.

The club announced the transfer on their website (www. sslazio.it) with the 27-year old, who is due to have a medical today, set to take over the right-back berth vacated by Stephan Liechsteiner who moved to Juve earlier this week.

Meanwhile, Liverpool's assistant manager Sammy Lee has left the club by mutual

consent following an analysis of the backroom team.

In a statement released by the club, the board told fans that they are looking at making further changes to the club's backroom staff as they look to have a better start to the upcoming Premier League season than they did last year.

Lee, a former midfielder who spent most of his career with the Reds, had been in the dugout for three years following his sacking as boss of fellow Premier League club Bolton Wanderers.

He told the official website: "I returned to the club in 2008 and I'm proud of the contribution I've been able to make since then.

"I want to wish Kenny, the players and the supporters all the best going forward." — Agencies

FRANKFURT: FOOTBALL/ WOMEN'S WORLD CUP

Germany beat Nigeria to reach quarters GERMANY joined France in the quarterfinals of the women's World Cup from Group A after the hosts and defending champions spluttered to a 1-0 win over Nigeria this morning.

After their impressive 2-1 win over Canada on Sunday, this was a less assured performance from two-time winners Germany, who took nearly an hour to impose themselves against a bruising Nigerian side.

Midfielder Simone Laudehr scored the crucial second-half goal and Germany will now take on France in both teams' final group game in Moenchengladbach next Tuesday to decide who will finish top of the group.

Nigeria will be heading home after their final match against Canada in Dresden the same day, when both teams will be playing for pride after two successive defeats.

Germany failed to impose themselves on a Nigerian team whose coach Eucharia Uche has sparked controversy at this tournament by making several anti-homosexual comments, but her team have failed to impress on the pitch.

They made life hard for Germany, however, and the

SNEAKY SHOT: Laudehr (No. 6) manages to squeeze a shot for Germany's only goal of the match — AFPpic

hosts failed to get a clear shot on goal in the first half and were briefly booed by the sell-out crowd at the halftime whistle with the game scoreless.

Germany finally took the game by the scruff of the neck after the break and it was the introduction of the experienced Inka Grings on 52 minutes for captain Birgit Prinz that made an impact.

Barely two minutes later, the veteran forward latched onto a free-kick and her delicate backheel fell into the

path of Laudehr, who fired home in plenty of space.

The Africans certainly made their presence felt as Frankfurt midfielder Melanie Behringer had to come off after only half an hour after taking a knock to the leg.

Prinz, Germany's record goal-scorer and most capped player, who was making her 215th appearance, was also left on the bench with her leg heavily strapped.

With time almost up, Germany coach Silvia Neid threw on playmaker Fatmire

Bajramaj, but the winger failed to make an impact even as the spaces opened up in the dying stages.

Having won the 2003 and 2007 editions of the World Cup, Germany will need to raise their game if Neid's side are going to return to Frankfurt on July 17 to contest the final of the three week-long tournament.

Earlier, France brutally ended the World Cup hopes of Canada, booking their spot in their first quarterfinals with a 4-0 rout. — AFP

31

FULHAM: FOOTBALL/ EUROPA LEAGUE QUALIFIERS

Comfortable win for Cottagers GOALS from Damien Duff, Danny Murphy and Andrew Johnson gave Fulham a threegoal lead after the first-leg of their Europa League qualifier against NSI Runavik at Craven Cottage this morning.

Duff broke the deadlock when finishing off a sweeping team move with a low shot across keeper Andras Gango in the 33rd minute.

Murphy made it 2-0 from the spot after Simon Davies was brought down before Johnson beat Gango from 12 yards on the hour mark.

Ten minutes later, Johnson then got his name on the scoresheet, firing low across Gango into the corner of the net.

It was an assured performance from the Premier League side in Martin Jol's first game as manager, although the recentlyappointed former Tottenham boss sprang something of a surprise by naming his strongest possible starting line-up.

The return-leg is set for next Friday. — Agencies BERLIN: FOOTBALL

Frings signs for Canadian club Toronto

GERMAN midfielder Torsten Frings this morning announced he had signed a contract with Canadian side Toronto, with former Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann playing a major part in the decision.

The 34-year-old leaves Werder Bremen after being told last month that the north German club would not be extending his contract.

The former German international, writing on his personal website, confirmed: "I have signed (with Toronto) for two and a half years."

He said his interest in Toronto was triggered by Klinsmann, who acts as an advisor to the Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit.

"Jurgen Klinsmann telephoned me and asked me if I could imagine joining Toronto. He made me very curious.

"I've been a fan of this continent for a long time. It's Toronto's overall appeal which swayed me — it's a city with a great quality of life in a super country, with A full stadium, a professional environment and a vision at the club to which I can contribute in a central role." — AFP

Unimpressive victory

Riding her luck

MARIA SHARAPOVA proved she is not afraid to win ugly as she overcame her nerves for a straight sets win against Sabine Lisicki this morning

PETRA KVITOVA hopes Victoria Azarenka’s curse of losing to eventual tournament winners will go her way

>> pg29

>> pg29

Friday 1 JULY, 2011 LOCAL

BARCELONA: FOOTBALL/ PRIMERA LIGA

It’s curtains for famed Barca institution BARCELONA’S famed La Masia, the quaint 18thcentury Catalan stone farmhouse that became the symbol of Barcelona’s famed football academy, closed its doors to recruits this morning after more than three decades of nurturing talent.

The academy has produced homegrown players since 1979 including the club’s greatest crop of talents like World Playerof-the-Year Lionel Messi and current coach “Pep” Guardiola.

However, a move to a more modern complex at the club’s training ground means La Masia de Can Planes, built in 1702, will now be turned into a museum.

Director of sport and youth football Guillermo Amor, who was among the first players developed at La Masia, told Reuters: “For me, this place has not been just a residence for athletes but my home.”

“Today is not an easy day.”

“We will have a marvellous new residence and we should make sure the family atmosphere is transferred there.”

Barca director Carles Folguera said he and his colleagues were excited about the new Masia, which cost around €9m (RM39.4m) and will house some 80 young hopefuls when it opens next month.

“We are switching to a residence that will be an example for the world due to the immense possibilities it will generate,” Folguera told reporters.

“We will continue to work with the same ideas,” he added. “We are happy when success is accompanied by educating excellent people.”

-- Agencies

FOOTBALL

Precarious position MALAYSIA face a tough time ahead of the Asian World Cup qualifier second-leg against Taiwan after conceding a late away goal

>> pg28

Anfield beckons... yet again

ALBERTO AQUILANI is looking forward to returning to Liverpool after Juventus failed to convert his season-long loan into a permanent deal

>> pg31

PRESSTALK

Berba bound for Spain?

VALENCIA are the latest side reported to be interested in out of favour Manchester United forward Dimitar Berbatov

LATIN HEAT

Messi wants to end Argies’ cup drought LIONEL MESSI is determined more than ever to end Argentina’s trophy drought by bagging the Copa America in front of their own fans

>> pg31

>> pg30

LIVERPOOL: FOOTBALL/ PREMIER LEAGUE

Empty promises New Reds managing director hits out at former owners

NEWLY-PROMOTED Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre has hit out at the club’s former owners for failing to build a new stadium. Tom Hicks and George Gillett promised to make building a new ground on Stanley Park a priority when they took over the club in 2007, but failed to even start the project.

The Americans have since been bought out by Fenway Sports Group, which promoted Ayre from commercial director at the end of last season.

Ayre criticised Hicks and Gillett for neglecting their promise and said the club was lucky to be in as good a position as it is now.

“When you look at what we have done in growing the business, if we had started building a stadium in 2007 we would be in it by now,” he told the Li v e r p o o l

Daily Post. “It could have been brilliant but we have probably set ourselves back several years.”

Ayre also added the club have cost themselves money along the way by not putting up a new home.

“There was a great opportunity to maximise the value of the club and they (Hicks and Gillett) were right. They needed a new stadium and new people.

Without the significant increase in revenues God knows how much of a mess we would have been in.”

B u t Ayre said

the new owners have been great for the club and will continue to be so going forward.

“What we have now is people who really understand how to own, operate and run a sports business.

They are very honest about their objectives. They listen — that’s quite fundamental.”

Ever since the new Liverpool owners came in, there has been an ongoing discussion about whether to build a new stadium or redevelop Anfield.

However, Ayre said no decision has been made yet and they will not be rushed.

“Nobody is going to force ourselves or the owners to make a decision until we know what’s right for the club, because that was what partly went wrong before.

“Sometimes people won’t like that it takes a long time.

That’s unfortunate but it’s the way we do it. Once a week someone will ask me what is happening with the stadium and the answer is ‘we don’t know’.

“The reason we don’t know is there are still the two solutions. They are a new stadium

in Stanley Park or a refurbished Anfield — that obviously comes with all sorts of issues - and there are a million questions to answer.”

Ayre also added Liverpool will need a naming partner before deciding to move forward with a new stadium.

“The new stadium in the park comes down to the economics. How do we pay it back? It needs a big naming partner. Until you get the answer to those questions it would be wrong and unprofessional for us to make a statement about what we are doing.” — Agencies

BAD MANAGEMENT: Ayre (pic) claims former owners Gillett and Hicks let the club down by failing to build a new stadium — GETTYpic

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