31 October 2011

Monday 31 OCTOBER, 2011

PP423/01/2012(029578)

Right time to host CHOGM The Prime Minister says Malaysia is seeking to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2019 because it will be 30 years since it first hosted CHOGM in 1989

WORLD

Qantas back in the air Flights to resume today after fleet grounded across the world

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NATIONAL

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Unhappy over bus stand move THE closure of the Klang Bus Stand in Kuala Lumpur is causing unhappiness among transport operators and bus passengers

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Group wants to free workers SHAH ALAM

Nod for student protests?

Minister agrees they need ‘space to voice own views’ THE days of student activists holding demonstrations could be making a comeback with the nod given by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin when he commented on the recent demonstration organised by students at the International Islamic University Malaysia.

Khaled told a press conference after launching the Polytechnic Entrepreneurship Carnival 2011 here yesterday he believed the students should be given some “space to voice their own views”.

“I have no problems or issues on this matter (peaceful student demonstrations). I believe they should be given some space if they want to show their stand on certain things. It’s okay.

This is in line with the government’s saying that we need contribution from all sides,” he said.

However, he cautioned that political parties would “take advantage” of the situation and pointed out that the ones who were extremely passionate about voicing out their views “are not from the university in question”.

“There are many ways for us to relay our views and stand. There are some who like to use that as a way. But there are others who are in communication with the ministry and universities leadership,” he said.

“The ones that get coverage are those who use that method. But there are many other ways that students use to relay their views.”

Khaled was commenting on the peaceful demonstration held by supporters of International Islamic University lecturer Prof Abdul Aziz Bari, who was suspended recently for his remarks on the Sultan of Selangor’s decree on the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department’s (JAIS) raid on the Damansara

By AZRIL ANNUAR azrilannuar@mmail.com.my Utama Methodist Church (DUMC).

The demonstration was incited by Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) student activist and blogger Khalid Mohd Ismath. Khalid Mohd was also suspended from studies in the aftermath of his actions in inciting the demonstration.

There are threats by other student activist bodies such as Independent Student Activist Group (KAMI), Malaysian Youth Solidarity (Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia - SAMM) and Malaysian Student Solidarity (Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia – SMM) to conduct another demonstration on behalf of Khalid Mohd’s suspension.

Malaysia saw its student activism and demonstration heyday back in the early 1970s under the leadership of former Deputy Prime Minister and now defacto Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim when he himself

was a student leader.

Back then, Anwar was the president of a Muslim student organisation, Malaysian National Muslim Student Association (Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia -PKPIM).

Around the same time, he was also the president of Universiti Malaya Malay Language Association (Persatuan Bahasa Melayu Universiti Malaya – PBMUM).

He was one of the protem committee of Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) or Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia which was founded in 1971. He was also elected President of the Malaysian Youth Council or Majlis Belia Malaysia (MBM).

In 1974, Anwar was arrested during student protests against rural poverty and hunger. This came as a report surfaced stating that a family died from starvation in a village in Baling, in the state of Kedah, despite lack of evidence that the deaths had even occurred.

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I have no problems or issues on this matter (peaceful student demonstrations). I believe they should be given some space if they want to show their stand on certain things. It’s okay.

— Mohamed Khaled Nordin

A group says nine Myanmar workers have been wrongfully detained by the Immigration Department for nearly a month

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A friend in need, a friend indeed Liz Try has been helping others since 13 and has spent the last two decades dealing with suicide prevention

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LIFESTYLE

Confident Lenna wins big Penang-born undergraduate Lenna Lim wins a TV host contract and a luxury car after she is crowned Miss Astro Chinese International Pageant 2011

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news

PETALING JAYA

Continue 'Look East' Policy: Dr M

FORMER Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Malaysia and other Islamic countries should look to other Eastern countries and not the West as a model for their development.

He said he believed he made the right decision in introducing the "Look East" Policy of emulating work ethics and business techniques from Japan and South Korea during his tenure as the prime minister.

"Right now, there are so many problems with Western countries.

The problem in the West is that they have borrowed too much and cannot repay. You cannot have that kind of a country as a model," he said during a question-and-answer session at the Third Langkawi Islamic Finance & Economics International Conference (LIFE 3).

"If you see countries like (South) Korea, Japan and China in the East ... China has US$3.2 trillion in reserves. They are swimming in money. Korea can come up with major products better than that produced by companies in the West.

"Japan, as you know, is a country which lost a war ... totally destroyed but as it rebuilt itself, it become the second biggest economy in the world. If you want to copy or learn something, learn from the successful people, not from the failures."

Dr Mahathir said one could not learn much from the West because it was a total failure.

"So, we should continue to look to the East and not to the West.

The West is going bankrupt," he said.

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Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim will represent Malaysia at the London Conference on Cyberspace beginning tomorrow — Bernama

The Malay Mail Monday 31 OCTOBER, 2011

PETALING JAYA

'Let students assemble' Amend universities Act if you are sincere, youth leaders tell minister

IF the Higher Education Ministry is going to talk the talk, it must also walk the walk.

Malaysian Youth Solidarity (Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia — SAMM) senior member Ahmad Halimi Mohd Ali said the minister, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, should follow up on his statement to give students "space to voice their own views" by proposing to the Cabinet to amend the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (Akta Universiti dan Kolej Universiti — AUKU) regarding

By AZRIL ANNUAR azrilannuar@mmail.com.my

student demonstrations.

“If he is sincere, he should propose to amend or abolish AUKU altogether. With AUKU, students can be suspended from their studies if they are politically active. This inhibits their freedom of speech," he said.

“But why is it with the case of Prof Abdul Aziz Bari, who gave his academic opinion and was suspended from duty, and the students who rallied to his

cause by demonstrating, the student leaders involved were only questioned for about three hours?

“This shows the Federal government’s realisation that the power to vote belongs with the youth, especially the university students which can easily make or break a government. We don't know whether his statement is sincere or if he’s preparing for the next general election."

Malaysian Student Solidarity (Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia – SMM) chairman Shukri Razab

also supported Ahmad Halimi’s view, saying Khaled must “encourage” public and private institutions of higher learning to allow the students the freedom to assemble.

“We are happy with what the minister has said and I do hope it is not a political statement," he said.

"I hope he will encourage the institutions of higher learning to be more open, showing that he really supports his statement instead of making it a personal one to avoid political backlash.”

Shukri said students were still being threatened with the Act whenever they tried to exercise their right to speak or assemble.

Asked whether their demonstrations and idealism might be hijacked by unscrupulous political parties, he said they “will never” allow it to happen.

However, he said Malaysian Student Solidarity would cooperate with any organisation who shared the same idealism for justice, freedom and academic and intellectual discourse.

KUALA LUMPUR

Tsu Koon: I didn't say I will stand against Guan Eng GERAKAN president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon (pic) yesterday dismissed a blog report that he is prepared to take on Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in the next general election, saying the blogger had not interviewed him at all.

He also said he would not

comment further and that the blogs could write whatever they wanted to.

"Several blogs have written all kinds of things about me. My Press secretary has dismissed them. I was not interviewed by any blogger, so how can they quote me as having said that?"

he told reporters after officiating at the Gerakan Deepavali open house at Menara PGRM in Cheras.

Koh, who is the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, was asked to comment on a posting in the PapaGomo blog where he was quoted as saying he was

PETALING JAYA

prepared to take on Lim, who is also the DAP secretary-general, in any constituency in the next general election.

About 3,000 people, including Gerakan vice-president and Deputy Foreign Minister A. Kohilan Pillay, attended the open house.

PERTH

Lim to lodge police report Malaysia seeks to against Umno Online today host CHOGM 2019 PENANG Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s political secretary, Zairil Khir Johari, will lodge a police report on his behalf at the State police contingent headquarters today.

Lim had given Umno Online a 48-hour ultimatum on Thursday to withdraw articles attacking his son, or a police report would be made.

Lim, who is also the DAP secretary-general, said both he and his wife were outraged by the continued accusation by bloggers against his 15-year-old son despite having issued a denial that none of the alleged incidents took place.

His son had been accused of outraging the modesty of a female classmate, causing him to be transferred to another school and that Lim paid RM200,000 to the girl’s family to keep things under wraps.

Lim said his son was the vic-

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tim of "morally despicable and barbaric lies" and he had not wanted to involve the police in the matter initially.

Umno Online, in its reports, had called on Lim to address the allegations, claiming he was inconsistent in his statements regarding the issue.

Lim's Press secretary, Cheong Yin Fan, said Lim could not personally lodge the police report because he had to attend the State assembly sitting.

“Lim’s political secretary will be making the police report because we have not received any apology from Umno Online and the articles attacking his son have not been removed from the site,” she told The Malay Mail.

Zairil also confirmed Lim was considering taking legal action against the portal.

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“I have been asked to lodge the police report by the Chief Minister. We are considering legal action but we will tell you when the time comes,” he said.

DAP chairman Karpal Singh had made a separate police report last week against Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin for his comments on the allegations against Lim’s son in the microblogging service Twitter.

Khairy had twitted on Oct 17: “Mungkin dia roboh Kampung Buah Pala sebab nak ganti dengan Kampung Buah Dada” (Maybe he destroyed Kampung Buah Pala because he wants to replace it with Kampung Buah Dada).

Karpal also said he would initiate legal action against a tweet Khairy made on Oct 17 for criminal defamation.

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MALAYSIA is seeking to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2019, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said yesterday.

He told reporters in Perth, Australia, the date was significant as the last time Malaysia hosted CHOGM was in 1989, which would make it 30 years from 2019.

Najib was among 53 heads of government who attended CHOGM 2011 in Perth, declared open by Queen Elizabeth on Friday.

Yesterday was the last day of the three-day meeting.

Najib said many countries were receptive to the idea of Malaysia hosting CHOGM 2019.

"A decision on whether Malaysia's desire to host the meeting will be known at CHOGM 2013 to be hosted

by Sri Lanka, or after that," he said.

After Sri Lanka, Mauritius will host CHOGM 2015. Najib said there had not been any offer to host CHOGM 2017 yet.

He said Malaysia had initiated the move early to be the host of CHOGM 2019 because the date was most meaningful and significant.

"The date (year) signifies a period of 30 years after Malaysia first hosted CHOGM in 1989," he said.

Najib and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, who arrived here on Wednesday, left for home yesterday evening after hosting a barbeque for Malaysians in Perth.

Some 1,000 people attended the function held at Burswood Park.

The Malaysian delegation to the CHOGM included Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman and International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.

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The Malay Mail Monday 31 OCTOBER, 2011

29 out of every 100,000 Malaysian women had breast cancer, the most common type of ailment among women, up to 2007 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin

BERA (Pahang)

TRADERS have been warned not to raise the price of goods at their whims and fancy during the Hari Raya Aidiladha celebrations next week, as the

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Merchants warned against raising prices Festive Season Price Control Scheme would not be activated during the festival.

Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Minister

Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the ministry's enforcement team would monitor the prices of essential goods during the festival.

"We will not tolerate traders who raise the price of goods listed as controlled items," he said after attending a meetthe-people session in Felda

Purun here yesterday.

Ismail Sabri said the Festive Season Price Control Scheme would only be activated during Hari Raya Puasa, Deepavali,

Christmas and Chinese New Year.

He gave an assurance the supply of essential goods for Aidiladha was sufficient.

AMPANG

'Leave guardhouse alone' Residents claim Ampang council approved its construction in 2009

DESPITE an order by the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ), residents in Taman Nirwana Phase Two here are refusing to remove the neighbourhood guardhouse as it would impinge on their safety.

They have until tomorrow to dismantle the guardhouse in Jalan Nirwana 39 or risk being fined RM250,000 a day by the council.

MPAJ councillor Tan Hua

By MEENA LAKSHANA meena@mmail.com.my

Meng said a notice by the council to the residents last Tuesday said the structure contravened Section 70 of the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 and they had a week to "demolish" it.

"But, according to a document provided by residents, the one-stop committee (OSC) of the council had, in July 2009,

approved the application for erection of a guardhouse," he told The Malay Mail.

"Also, the guardhouse had been there for several years. Why act now?"

Tan said he would check details of the committee's approval with the council to verify its status.

However, the residents are of the view the council was taking it out on them because of their protest against the construction of a

high-rise development consisting of serviced apartments along Jalan Nirwana 38 and 39.

Taman Nirwana Phase Two Residents' Association vicechairman Ismail Majid said the guardhouse, built to contain crime in the neighbourhood, did not warrant such stern action.

"It's not blocking the road or an eyesore," he said.

Ismail said the developer of the project claimed it was inter-

KUALA LUMPUR

Transport operators, commuters unhappy over Klang Bus Stand closure THE closure of Pasarama Kota or Klang Bus Stand for southbound buses to make way for the Mass Rapid Transit project is a big inconvenience, say transport operators and passengers.

The Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) announced the relocation of the station's bus operations to Pudu Sentral, formerly Puduraya, on Saturday.

Fauzi Dahalim, a supervisor with one of the station's bus operators, Cityliner, said passengers were unhappy.

"We don't have much choice and can't do anything about it.

Our management decided and arranged everything (for the move)," he said.

"Some passengers say Pudu Sentral is too far. Most preferred this place as it is centralised and close to the LRT station."

Bus passenger Iwan Abdul Jamil, 20, who studies at the Banting Industrial Training Institute, said the changes would affect senior citizens and the disabled.

"I don't mind the move, but how about them? Imagine having to walk close to a kilometre to Pudu Sentral," he said.

"Here, at the Klang Bus Stand, most passengers take the LRT or a bus from their homes and stop at Central Market. It takes just

By MEENA LAKSHANA meena@mmail.com.my

five to 10 minutes to reach the bus station."

Told that there was an LRT station at Pudu Sentral, Iwan said passengers like him would need to pay extra to arrive there.

"I take a train from the Kelana Jaya LRT station and stop at the Pasar Seni station near the bus station. With the move, I have to change train at Masjid Jamek LRT station heading towards Pudu Sentral," he said.

Causeway Link supervisor S. Ramanavel said that with the relocation, their buses were not allowed to pick passengers in front of Central Market and Kotaraya Plaza.

"We know the purpose of the move is to centralise public transportation and make it more efficient. However, it would burden bus passengers," he said.

He questioned why some RapidKL buses to certain destinations were still based outside Pasarama Kota.

"It is not fair to us and to the passengers. SPAD should consider relocating all bus services at Pasarama Kota into one place if they want public transport to be more efficient."

GIVING WAY TO MRT: Bus operations at the Klang Bus Stand will move to Pudu Sentral

Welder P. Shang, 40, of Setapak, agreed with the suggestion.

"I will have to spend more on bus fares.

"I usually take a taxi from Setapak as early as 5am and then board a bus to my workplace in Westport in Port Klang."

Shang said he was unsure what time he would return home as it took him at least an hour to return from Port Klang.

"Everyone knows there is traffic congestion at Pudu

Sentral and it will take time for the bus to depart or drop passengers here."

With the move, all Klang and Banting-bound buses will be stationed at Pudu Sentral.

Beside Cityliner, Causeway Link and RapidKL, the other operator servicing southbound destinations is Seranas.

However, RapidKL buses bound for Subang, Taman Medan and Petaling Jaya, among others, will move to Jalan Sultan Mohamed close to Pasarama Kota.

fering with the development.

He said residents were appealing to the council to let the guardhouse remain until the serviced apartments were built.

"It would take up to two to three years before the project is completed," he said.

The residents will draft a letter against the removal of the guardhouse to Selangor executive councillor for Housing, Building Management and Squatters

Iskandar Abdul Samad.

About 100 residents staged a protest against the high-rise development on Oct 16 as they feared it would lead to an exacerbation of traffic congestion, flooding and indiscriminate parking in the neighbourhood.

The developer planned to construct two blocks of serviced apartments, each with 17 floors, and four blocks of shophouses on a1ha plot.

Traders want move delayed till year-end TRADERS at Pasarama Kota want the move to relocate operations from there to Pudu Sentral delayed until Dec 31.

K. Puspa (pic), 35, who maintains the toilets there, said the traders had not been informed of their new premises.

"Where are we going? We don't have another place to go," she said.

Puspa said there was a discussion between the traders' association and Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Datuk Raja Zainal Abidin last month.

"The association sent a letter to City Hall requesting a postponement of the closure until the end of the year but no decision was made."

Puspa, who has been maintaining restrooms for the past 11 years, felt the authorities should be more responsible.

"We have to feed our families.

The authorities should also compensate us," she said.

R. Kumari, 49, who sells newspapers and magazines at Pasarama Kota, said she would continue her business even after the deadline.

"Even though they have given me notice to move, my shop will remain open until they find me new premises."

Food and drinks seller Radziah Mohd, 58, said she would not move to the food

court at Pudu Sentral even if offered. "I am told by friends who operate here that business is not good because of the high rentals," she said.

Radziah wants City Hall to move them closer to their current premises as most of the regular customer work nearby.

Meanwhile, People's Progressive Party Federal Territor y chief Datuk A. Chandrakumanan said he SMSed Raja Nong Chik to consider relocating the traders to a suitable place nearby.

"Raja Nong Chik replied that he would look into it, including allowing the traders to operate there until the end of the year."

Earlier, Chandrakumanan met with 14 Pasarama Kota traders who claimed they did not have any other place to go.

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Aziz gives statement on death threat POLICE in Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, yesterday recorded a statement from International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) law lecturer Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari after he received a bullet and death threat on Saturday. A note warned him not to show disrespect to the Sultan of Selangor. Aziz was on his way to his mother-in-law's house in Taiping, Perak, when the note and bullet arrived at 11.45am at his home in Bandar Baru Selayang. He lodged a report at theTaiping police station and went to the Gombak police headquarters to have his statement recorded. Gombak police chief ACP Abdul Rahim Abdullah said the bullet was of 9mm calibre. The case is investigated under Section 507 of Penal Code for criminal intimidation.

30 motorcycles seized, 130 booked in ops THIRTY motorcycles were confiscated and 130 summonses issued in a joint operation at Dataran Merdeka, Jalan Tun Perak and Jalan Raja Laut in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday night. Kuala Lumpur traffic Enforcement and Operations officer DSP Ng Sook Long said the joint operation by police, Road Transport Department (RTD) and the Department of Environment (DOE), started at 11.30pm and ended about 3am. He said owners of the seized motorcycles were aged between 18 and 30, and were mostly penalised for modifying their motorcycles. One hundred and thirty summonses were issued for various offences, including using excessive tints on vehicle windscreens and two for reckless driving.

Ex-Thai cop nabbed for causing unrest POLICE arrested a former policeman from Thailand for allegedly attempting to cause unrest at a dental clinic and hospital in Baling, Kedah, yesterday. The 33-year-old suspect is being held at the Baling police headquarters to facilitate investigations.

Baling police chief Supt Mat Daud Mat Hassan said the suspect was believed to have been under the influence of drugs when he entered the Baling dental clinic at 2am and started damaging equipment there. After his arrest, he was sent to the district hospital where he suddenly went berserk and tried to grab a nine-year-old boy but was overpowered by onlookers.

The government will continue to provide RM200 a month in living allowance to more than 55,000 fishermen nationwide next year -- Deputy Finance Minister Senator Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin

The Malay Mail Monday 31 October, 2011

PETALING JAYA

Bid to free workers Nine from Myanmar wrongfully held by Immigration, says NGO

NINE Myanmar factor y workers have been wrongfully detained by the Immigration Department since Oct 4, representatives of a non-profit organisation (NGO) said yesterday.

Burma Campaign Malaysia director Tun Tun said the workers were detained after failing to provide their work permits or visa documents to officers from the Shah Alam Immigration office who went to their apartment in Section 6, Kota Damansara, where they were staying.

"The officers went to the apartment at 1am after a

By MEENA LAKSHANA meena@mmail.com.my

complaint about noise was lodged against the workers by their neighbours," he told The Malay Mail.

Tun Tun claimed t he outsourcing company that recruited the workers were in the midst of preparing the documents.

He said the workers had arrived in Malaysia in June.

He also said the workers' employer was holding their passports.

Tun Tun said the workers

were being held at the KL International Airport (KLIA) Immigration detention centre in Sepang.

"They paid US$850 (RM2,604) each to come to Malaysia to work and were made to believe their documents would be ready on their arrival," he said.

He said the outsourcing company had shortchanged the workers as their documents were still not prepared.

"Every time we call them to ask about it, they would give us different answers," he said.

AMPANG JAYA

the matter."

Kandiah said the department had yet to answer his queries on the reasons for detaining the Myanmar workers.

"I've been trying to contact them since last Thursday but to no avail," he said.

"I was given the runaround when I visited the Immigration Department office. I even left my contact details but no one got back to me."

Immigration Department director-general Datuk Alias Ahmad said he needed to check the details of the case before commenting.

KUALA LUMPUR

Family entertainment centres front for gambling dens

GAMBLING MACHINE: Amiruddin checking out one of the games offered at an outlet raided in Taman Muda yesterday â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Pic: China Press

POLICE are concerned many family entertainment centres at shopping complexes in and around the city are fronts for gambling dens.

These centres appeared decent enough on the outside and open to all, both adults and children.

However, closer inspection revealed otherwise as discovered by Ampang Jaya police during a raid at four family entertainment outlets at Paragon Point in Taman Muda yesterday.

Ampang Jaya police chief ACP Amiruddin Jamaluddin said that following a tip-off, a team of policemen raided four centres on the second floor of the shopping complex at 1pm yesterday.

The team seized 16 computers and 143 machines used for gambling activities.

Tu n Tu n s ai d Bu r ma Campaign Malaysia was working with the Malaysian Trades Union C ongress (MTUC) for their release.

MTUC industrial relations director Peter Kandiah said officers from the Immigration Department should conduct thorough investigations before detaining foreign workers without proper documentation.

"Why weren't the outsourcing company's staff remanded?" he asked.

"I'm upset with the Immigration Department for the manner they are handling

By ANDREW SAGAYAM andrew@mmail.com.my

Four caretakers and 43 customers, including four women, all Malaysians aged between 20 and 40, were detained for questioning.

Amiruddin said the cause for concern was that many centres like these tended to lure school-going teenagers.

"Generally, these outlets are open to families, so anyone can enter these centres.

Many parents are unaware these centres are fronts for gambling activities. We are worried children, especially teenagers, are tempted to 'try out' the games available there," he said.

The gambling games popular among the customers included football and casinogames such as roulette and

blackjack.

"Parents should be aware of the gambling going on and monitor the movement of their children," he said.

Amiruddin urged the public to continue providing police with information regarding these types of outlets.

"Without information from the public, we cannot close down their activities. If anyone comes across such outlets, please inform us," he said.

The Ampang Jaya police headquarters can be reached at 03-4252 2222.

Am i r u d d i n s ai d f rom January to October, including yesterday's raid, Ampang Jaya police arrested 233 people for gambling and conducted 173 raids, in which 1,305 computers and gambling machines were seized.

Facebook page for dead Canadian A PAGE dedicated to a Canadian who died in a freak accident in the city centre last week has been created on Facebook.

Titled "In Memory of Jason Price Krull", the page was put up in his honour by family and friends.

Krull, 28, and his business partner, also a Canadian in his 20s, were killed after the car they were in crashed through the barrier of an overpass and plunged into Sungai Bunus, off Jalan Ampang here, on Oct 17.

A third man, a Malaysian, who was travelling with them escaped unhurt.

City traffic chief Asst Comm Rusli Mohd Noor told The Malay Mail that with help of the Canadian High Commission, the family claimed Krull's body from Kuala Lumpur Hospital on Oct 20.

Rusli said the body of the other Canadian was also been claimed by his family on the same day.

Krull was from Coquitlam, and his business partner was said to be from Victoria.

Rusli said the cause of Krull's death was believed to be drowning. Police have yet to receive the post-mortem report.

The three men were in a rented Honda Accord travelling from Jalan Sultan Ismail to Jalan Munsyi Abdullah at 3.45am when the accident occurred.

HAPPIER DAYS: Krull with his year-old son Tenzyn

Investigations revealed that the driver, believed to be the Malaysian, swerved to make a turn but lost control of the car. The vehicle hit a divider and plunged into the river.

The man, said to be a friend of the Canadians, escaped with minor injuries.

The trio were working for an IT firm here.

Tragedy has struck the Krull family before. This was the second tragic loss for the family in just over a year.

Krull's free-spirited younger brother, Jordan, 26, died in an accident in Bangkok, Thailand, in August last year.

Jordan died when he fell off a moving train, according to Thai media reports.

He gained Internet notoriety during the 2010 Games in Vancouver when he was tackled by police on video after attempting to light a cigarette off the Olympic Torch.

On the Facebook page dedicated to Jason Krull, a link to make a donation can also be found.

The Malay Mail Monday 31 OCTOBER, 2011

Merchant vessels and fishing boats should install equipment to communicate with Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) to facilitate possible rescue operations â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi

PETALING JAYA

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Try-ing to save lives Liz has been dealing with suicide prevention for the past two decades

DRESSED in a black outfit with shiny metallic bracelets and necklaces and wild blonde hair, Liz Try looked more like a punk rocker than the head of an international non-profit body.

But the Befrienders Worldwide chairman is all heart. Dealing with suicide prevention for the past two decades, Try lives by her own quote, "I passionately believe the only hope for humanity is if we give each other the chance to be individuals."

Recently, she visited the local chapters while travelling the region, and gave a talk to mental health groups and NGOs at the Befrienders centre in Petaling Jaya.

Try, who has two younger brothers, was raised in the countryside outside of London. Her father worked at a building firm started by his father. Her mother was a housewife who

By HAMZAH NAZARI hamzah@mmail.com.my

was an active volunteer with the Red Cross.

She has always been driven to helping others and started volunteering at the tender age of 13. Without her parents' knowledge, she joined other volunteers from "Shelter" by sleeping in a cardboard box for a few nights to draw attention to the plight of the homeless.

She then went on to study 3-Dimensional Design in Ceramics at the West Surrey College of Art & Design in Farnham and became a technical staff member and part-time tutor at the University of the Creative Arts.

She has been a member of Samaritans, the equivalent of Befrienders in the United Kingdom, for 26 years now.

Relating how she first started

What we do is give them someone to talk to who won't judge them or tell them what to do

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Liz Try

in advocacy work, she said: "I've had some colleagues who took their own lives. But the one case that stuck with me till today was when one of my own students killed himself. He took his father's shotgun and shot himself in the head. He was 23."

That incident, she said, drove her to ask the question: "What's

going on here?"

"Suicide touches everyone," said Try, who also quoted the World Health Organisation's statistics that 800,000 suicides and 20 attempts per suicide occurred worldwide every year.

She said this was a conservatively low figure; the real figure may be much higher as many

suicides go unreported. The reasons for this is often to protect the deceased, or friends and family from the cultural stigma towards suicide.

The top suicide cause is mental disorder, with one in every five people experiencing some form of mental illness throughout their lives. Some slide in and out of their illness while some never recover.

Some also suffer from reactive depression following a traumatic event or even chronic depression.

Hanging is the most common method of suicide among victims, but access to other means such as poison or firearms are preferred where available.

Studies have shown that just by adding a simple obstacle, such as a barrier near train tracks or storing pesticides in a locked box, could often cause suicide

rates to drop dramatically.

"This is because most people just need that extra moment to allow that thought of suicide to pass through their minds and disappear," said Try. She said suicide prevention organisations worldwide were currently working with local authorities to provide such physical obstacles as well as lend emotional support to those in need.

Befrienders were carefully selected and specially trained, and given a lot of support to help potential suicide cases, she said.

"We don't take their sense of responsibility from them," said Try. "What we do is give them someone to talk to who won't judge them or tell them what to do.

"What often happens is that we help them get back their responsibilities."

6

news

Most local dairy farmers are inexperienced in breeding dairy cattle and thus the country is compelled to import them — Veterinary Services Department deputy director-general Datuk Dr Ibrahim Che Embong

The Malay Mail Monday 31 October, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR

Designing a movement Monorail 'art hub' set to expose the public to culture and crafts

THE Bukit Bintang Monorail Station is doubling up as a cultural and arts centre as the busy transit point hosts the maiden Arts Appreciation Campaign until Dec 18.

Launched yesterday by Information, Communication and Culture Ministr y Secretary-General Datuk Seri Kamaruddin Siaraf, the drive will showcase local contemporary arts to raise awareness among the station's 90,000 daily commuters.

Organised by monorail operators RapidKL, it also features batik and craft exhibitions.

The campaign kicked off with performances by National Arts and Heritage Academy (Aswara) students, who will be at the station in Jalan Bukit Bintang until Friday.

Aswara public communi-

By RAM ANAND ramanand@mmail.com.my

cations officer Mohd Rizal Roslan said appreciation of arts in Malaysia was not as high as it was in other countries.

"It is average at best. And this is the first of its kind event in Malaysia. I believe this will raise public awareness.

"People often think art does not provide a sustainable future for a youth but it resides in every part of our lifestyles. From our clothes to our culture, they all embody a form of art. Art is our identity and I am happy efforts are underway to preserve our arts and heritage."

Mohd Rizal suggested similar performances be held at other transit stations.

"This is just the beginning

of an idea. There might be a tour, where we will be performing in places like KL Sentral and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport."

His thoughts were echoed by student Anith Fatin Hafidzi.

"Before, appreciation for arts in Malaysia was low, but now, the government is taking the initiative to raise awareness," said the 19-year-old.

Aswara is the country's only higher education institution specialising in the performing industry supported by a government body, namely the Unity, Cultural, Art and Heritage Ministry.

The 17-year-old institution, formerly the National Art Academy until its namechange in 2006, has more than 800 students in seven faculties at its Jalan Tun Ismail campus in Kuala Lumpur.

PORTRAIT OF A LADY: An Aswara student sketching at the station — Pic: Ashraf Shamsul Azlan

KUALA LUMPUR

'Old boys' kick-start Confucian school fund

By FAIZAL NOR IZHAM faizal.nor@mmail.com.my

SM J K C o n f u c ia n i n Lorong Hang Jebat hopes to live up to its namesake's ideals by instilling value-driven culture in its students, said Pandan MP Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.

This was announced during the graduation ceremony of the 105-year-old Chinese school's Form Five students last Friday.

"In accordance with the universal philosophy of Confucianism, we want to teach our future leaders to proactively address problems for national, public and individual interests," he said in a Press conference after the event.

Also present were the school's principal Siew Lai Yue, alumni president Robert Cheong, alumni adviser Kok Kim Tong, Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) chairman Lim Tan Yeow Kuan and board of directors.

The ceremony saw a scholarship awarded to Form One student Teh Zhi Sheng for scoring 7As in the 2010 UPSR examinations, as well as certificate and gift presentations for exemplary Form Three and Form Five students, co-curricular students, athletes and annual

REAL REWARDS: Ong (centre) hands Teh an RM800 award as Siew looks on during the graduation ceremony — Pic: Shahir Omar

attendees.

It was rounded off with a video presentation and performance from Form Five students.

"As a multi-racial school comprising a 10 per cent Malay and Indian community, we are pleased to note our exam results are improving," said school board member Chua Boon Teck, adding all their students speak Mandarin, English and Malay fluently.

"We are also proud to have Datuk Seri Ong as an honourary adviser of our alumni, who himself graduated from here in 1974."

He said as the school was not politically-affiliated in any way, there were no con-

cerns about any political friction due to his inclusion.

"Our only focus is producing responsible citizens who can contribute to the betterment of the community."

The school's newly-implemented annual education fund, officiated during the ceremony, will become one of their ways of achieving this and Ong personally donated RM10,000.

"The idea came to fruition when two of our ex-students working in Singapore donated to our scholarship programme last year," Chua said.

Ku a l a Lu mp u r ' s o l d est Chinese school decided to continue the "old boys' alumni" fund, rallying its

former students to pool their resources.

"Our PTA was also awarded RM100,000 from the Prime Minister's Office this year. We have another RM80,000 collected for next year's fund.

"We plan to use it to improve school resources and premises so we can be more competitive in fields such as sports," Chua said, adding the programme also awards RM500 to students from lowincome families.

Issues such as leaking toilets, pipes and old floors have been attended to, while the school is also using the funds to introduce Chinese literature classes and technical studies next year.

SANDAKAN

Nurture 'political family' values, urges Muhyiddin DEPUTY Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (pic) said yesterday bonding among components of the Barisan Nasional (BN) is fundamental to maintain the coalition's position as the only party that can administer the country well.

He said it was vital the component parties uphold and consolidate the BN struggle.

"It is important for us to uphold the spirit of helping one another and understanding our duties and responsibilities.

"This becomes extremely im­­­ portant now because we are ab out to face the 13th general election soon," he said when opening the 22nd congress of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a Sabah BN component.

Muhyiddin said solidarity within and among the component parties has to be nurtured at all times as it would determine the people's support.

The BN deputy chairman said the role of parties such as the LDP will become more challenging and will face big-

ger challenges in the future.

"The current challenge is most extraordinary because the next general election may be the most bitter in the history of the country and we cannot ignore that," he said.

Muhyiddin reminded BN components to consider themselves members of "one big family" when it comes to raising issues or making comments.

"We must ensure we do not spark feelings of uneasiness among ourselves because the challenge we are to face is great."

O n t h e m atte r of seat allocation, Muhyiddin reminded BN components the distribution of seats for the next general election would adhere to the quota set.

"The candidates will be winnable candidates. They will have to be considered and evaluated in terms of acceptance by the people.

"The decision is not that of the party president or the BN chairman but that of the voters, whether they are prepared to accept the candidates and give us the victory we desire."

MONDAY 31 OCTOBER, 2011

the malay mail

7

8

The Malay Mail Monday 31 october, 2011

hotline@mmail.com.my

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

your right to be heard ● ● ● ●

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.

It takes two to tango

City Hall and Alam Flora needed to clear same mess on Bangsar sidewalk — finally BEFORE

HARD AT WORK: Alam Flora crew clearing up the mess inside the drain — Pic courtesy of Alam Flora Sdn Bhd

AFTER

EYESORE: The rubbish pile at the foot of the tree and clogged storm drain — Pic: Shahir Omar

ON Oct 11, RONALD NG of Bangsar complained a Kuala Lumpur City Hall's appointed contractor had left a pile of debris after completing a tree maintenance job in Lorong Maarof.

He had said some unscrupulous people then saw the opportunity to discard trash at the spot under a tree and turned it into a dump site.

A nearby storm drain was also clogged up by rubbish washed away from the heap by heavy rain.

City Hall subsequently sent a crew for the removal work after being alerted by Hotline on Oct 13 While grateful for the action, NG is puzzled why the dried leaves that have fallen

CLEAN AS A WHISTLE: The spotless tree and drain — Pic courtesy of Alam Flora Sdn Bhd

garbage and tree leaves clogging the storm drain is Alam Flora's 'baby'.

GETS THE ACTION off the cut branches are not taken away.

"On top of this, garbage bags of household refuse, and even old shoes and clothing thrown into the pile have not been removed as well."

Subsequent checks by Hotline Roving Team confirmed only the branches were gone.

It was learned City Hall was only responsible for removing any debris created from the maintenance work by its contractors.

The collection of other

● WHEN contacted on Oct 20, Alam Flora Sdn Bhd CEO Mohd Zain Hassan says they have immediately deployed a cleanup crew upon receiving the complaint.

"The team-of-four started cleaning the area at 11am and completed the job two hours later."

He says its crew not only cleared rubbish from the storm drain but used two large suction machines to remove debris trapped inside.

Mohd Zain reminds residents not to dump into

drains as it could contribute to flash floods, and damages to public and private properties.

"Please do not litter.

Rubbish bins are located in and around the area.

Take the time to walk over or drive to these designated bins and dispose your rubbish there."

He advises anyone who comes across similar problems to contact Alam Flora at 1-800-88-7472.

Meanwhile, RONALD says he is satisfied the area is finally cleared of rubbish and hopes residents will cooperate, adding he will also alert Alam Flora if the problem persists.

By NURSURAYA ALI and RAM ANAND

TAKE NOTE 1. Do not dispose solid waste into the sewerage system. Every month, Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd resolves more than 200 cases of overflowing manholes, and sewage and waste water backflows.

2. A scheme to help some 24,000 people buy People's Housing Project (PPR) units awaits Cabinet approval. If passed, the Federal Territory Foundation's 'Special Purpose Vehicle' will give out the loans, repayable between RM150 and RM300 a month.

3. Touch 'n Go holders must use the card at KTM Komuter station properly to avoid minimum penalty of RM10 being deducted from its preset value. Offences include using card upon entry but not exit, or visa versa, and touching card reader more than once.

Banking issues bore STEPHANIE CHONG is not happy with the long wait for her loan and what she claims to be a "disrespectful" bank staff.

She applied for refinancing on her house loan at Hong Leong Bank’s Brickfields branch in Kuala Lumpur on June 1.

Although the standard procedure takes two months, she requested the bank to speed up the approval process. “But four months on, I am still waiting. My numerous calls to them are also proving to be futile."

CHONG is also fuming over the treatment she received from a customer service executive at the bank’s Jalan Cheng Lock branch on Sept 2.

“Since the bank had no directory, I asked for directions, but the staff was disrespectful to me.”

CHONG claims she complained to the branch manager but the latter’s assurances never materialised

into action. “I never got a reply from them regarding my experience at the branch.” ● IN response, a Hong Leong Bank Berhad spokesman says they have acted affirmatively in solving both issues for CHONG. “Our staff had contacted her accordingly and apologised to her for her experience at the said branch.

“Our mortgage centre manager had also called the customer personally to explain the delay in her disbursement process.”

The spokesman, however, did not specify when CHONG could expect her loan application to be approved.

When contacted, CHONG says she is satisfied with the bank’s response on her issue with the staff 's treatment, but is still waiting for a final confirmation on her long overdue loan process.

Online comments www.mmail.com.my Busted baggage blues (Oct 12) ● MY baggage was forced opened at the Kuching International Airport a few months ago in which my camera disappeared. The paperwork for compensation was submitted but no response to date. — Anonymous ● I AM surprised people would put cameras in the checked in luggage. The bag is thrown about, gets weighed down by other baggage and is sardine-packed into the main cargo contain-

er. It is common knowledge not to put money, valuables like jewellery or fragile items like laptops, cameras, etc., into the checked in luggage.

You can easily hand-carry them. — Dan ● HOW many times must this be reiterated? Do not keep valuable items/electronics/ cash in your checked in luggage! — earl-ku Apartment in shambles (Oct 19) ● Why this thing don't happen in Singapore? — GOUNDAMANI

The Malay Mail Monday 31 octoBER, 2011

It is the fault line, and if you play with the ground you will cause an earthquake — do you want to see another Afghanistan, or tens of Afghanistans? — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a warning to the West

MELBOURNE/SYDNEY

Qantas back on board Flights to resume today after dispute terminated

Australia's workplace regulator early today ordered a termination to the industrial dispute that has seen Qantas Airways ground its entire fleet.

"We have decided to terminate protected industrial action in relation to each of the proposed enterprise agreements immediately," Fair Work Australia said after a marathon meeting.

The decision clears the way for planes to start flying again.

The industrial umpire could have opted to suspend strike action for as long as 120 days so talks could take place, a move favoured by unions, but instead came down in Qantas' favour.

"We have decided that in

the particular circumstances of this case, which on the evidence include the particular vulnerability of the tourism industry to uncertainty, suspension will not provide sufficient protection against the risk of significant damage," it said.

"We should do what we can to avoid significant damage to the tourism industry."

It follows the national carrier announcing a shock decision to lock out union staff and cancel all flights indefinitely on Saturday, a move that left the country reeling and passengers scrambling for alternatives.

Baggage handlers, pilots and engineers unions have been protesting against pay and restructuring plans that would see 1,000 jobs axed and

the establishment of two new Qantas group airlines focused on Asia.

Qantas chief Alan Joyce said aircraft could be back in the air by this afternoon after Australia's workplace regulator ordered a termination to a bitter industrial dispute.

"This decision provides certainty for Qantas passengers," he said.

"We will be getting our aircraft back up in the air as soon as we possibly can. It could be as early as Monday afternoon on a limited schedule with the approval of the regulator.

"I apologise to all Qantas passengers that have been impacted by the industrial action by unions over the past few months and in particular the past few days." — AFP

World's 7 billionth baby expected moment or place where the child would be born could not be pinpointed.

This has not deterred nonprofit organisations working on maternal health and children's issues from choosing their own prospective seven billionth child in villages in Uttar Pradesh, the Calcutta-based Telegraph news-

paper reported.

A primary health centre in Sunhaida village has predicted the baby will be born to 25-yearold Pinky Pawar, wife of a local shopkeeper.

Celebrations are planned today with sweets and fireworks ready for the new arrival, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

NEW YORK

Big freeze chills east coast of US

FREEZING conditions prevailed on the US East Coast yesterday after a rare October snowstorm and icy rain reportedly killed at least three people, sparked long airport delays and caused massive power outages.

The "historic early season"

snowstorm wrought havoc on air, rail and road traffic from Washington to Boston, with the National Weather Service warning that travel at night would be "extremely hazardous".

One person died in Connecticut in a traffic acci-

A CRISIS was declared in the Australian tourism industry yesterday as the workplace law umpire continued a prolonged hearing on the Qantas lock-out.

For the first time a "category red incident" has been notified for the AU$41 billion (RM134bil) industry, triggering consultations by State and Federal public servants, reports news.com.au.

The incident plan was created in 2004 and this is the most seri-

ous level it has reached.

There is not much that can be done immediately but it is expected that extra frontline staff will be allocated to help passengers stranded by the sudden Qantas decision to ground all its aircraft.

"It is clear that the tourism industry is being gravely impacted at a time when it can least afford additional pressures," said Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson.

Crisis cost RM820m a day

AS ten of thousands of passengers were stranded across Australia and the world during the bitter dispute between Qantas and its unions, the cost to the national economy was more than AU$250 million

(RM820mil) a day.

More than 100 planes are parked in ports around the world, more than 24 hours after the airline ordered the grounding of its entire global fleet, reports The Australian.

9

China to keep 'one child' policy CHINA will maintain its strict "one-child" policy, State media said yesterday, despite calls for the rules to be relaxed. The population control measure has prevented almost half a billion births since it was introduced in 1979, Chinese experts claim. But it has turned into a demographic time bomb as the population ages, storing up huge economic and social problems for the country as well as fostering a gender imbalance.

"Over-population remains one of the major challenges to social and economic development," Li Bin, director of the State Population and Family Planning Commission told Xinhua, adding China's population will hit 1.45 billion in 2020. — AFP

CEO defends decision

NEW DELHI

At least two villages in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh are preparing to celebrate the arrival of the world's seven billionth baby today, media reported.

The United Nations recently declared the world's population would touch seven billion on Oct 31, although the exact

Tourism in 'category red'

world

dent caused by icy road conditions, local media reported.

In Massachusetts, a fallen power line electrocuted a man, and a tree that fell under the weight of snow killed a person in Pennsylvania, the reports said. — AFP

QANTAS Air ways chief executive Alan Joyce is staring down criticism that his militant strategy of grounding the airline's entire fleet could damage the brand and alienate corporate customers.

He has also dismissed sug-

gestions that his tenure as chief executive of the national carrier could be undermined by his high-stakes gamble to end the long-running industrial dispute with pilot, engineering and baggage handler unions, reports The Australian.

@AlanJoyce abused on Twitter AN AMERICAN science student who shares his name with the CEO of Qantas has found himself the target of a deluge of abuse on Twitter.

The unfortunate American, whose name is Alan Joyce and who holds the name @ alanjoyce on Twitter, is currently studying computer science at Stanford University, as well as having written two guidebooks to the Disneyland Resort in California, reports

the Herald Sun. The American Alan Joyce first responded to the attacks after @DognutsTom tweeted, “Well I'm stuck at home with broken wheelchair thanks to QANTAS! You think @alanjoyce CEO of QANTAS could work it out right?”

Alan replied, “Sorry about your wheelchair, but I'm no more CEO of Qantas than @willsmith is a famous movie actor.”

BEIJING

China mine blast kills 29 A gas explosion at a coal mine operating without a proper licence has killed 29 miners in central China, State media said yesterday, the latest in a series of deadly accidents to hit the industry.

S ome 35 miners were working in the State-owned Xialiuchong Coal Mine in Hengyang city, Hunan province, at the time of the blast, which happened early Saturday evening, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The bodies of all the dead had been recovered. Six miners had been rescued and were being treated in hospital to the relief of relatives, who had gathered outside the mine awaiting news.

The explosion occurred after

London tops Lonely Planet list LONDON, home to the 2012 Olympics, has been named the best city in the world to visit in 2012, reports The Australian. The Lonely Planet's new travel book on the best things to see and do next year lists London in the top spot, followed by Muscat in Oman, and Bangalore, India. Other cities in the top ten include Cadiz in Spain, Sweden's capital Stockholm, Guimares in Portugal, Santiago in Chile, Hong Kong, Orlando in the US and Darwin in Australia.

Fiennes: Twitter killing English British actor Ralph Fiennes says social networking sites such as Twitter are dumbing down the English language.

Speaking at the BFI London Film Festival awards, the actor said that modern language "is being eroded" and blamed "a world of truncated sentences, soundbites and Twitter," adding "Our expressiveness and our ease with some words is being diluted so that the sentence with more than one clause is a problem for us, and the word of more than two syllables is a problem for us," reports the Herald Sun.

Cops stop drunken 'Yoda'

INCONSOLABLE: A woman cries at the site yesterday

sparks from machinery ignited flammable gas that had filled the mine, it said. — AFP

GERMAN police called to a traffic incident yesterday were astonished to find themselves face-to-face with Jedi master Yoda from Star Wars, much the worse for wear after Halloween celebrations. The 42-year-old driver, resplendent in his Yoda costume, had a minor collision with a pedestrian and sped off in his car. Authorities took him to the station and confiscated his licence. "The hapless Jedi returned home on foot," said police. "In this case, the force was not with him." — AFP

10 lifestyle

The Malay Mail Monday 31 october, 2011

Come face to face with the supernatural This Halloween, mysteries abound on TV

By Karina Foo karina@mmail.com.my IT is Halloween, and if you’re not planning to scare the daylights out of people dressed as Snooki from Jersey Shore, you can always stay home, by yourself. But you won’t be alone, not tonight….

Don't turn around, you might see the figure of your nightmare staring back at you, (and it could be Snooki). Terrified? Good, but the fear has only just begun…

Let us take you to the world of Haven, Maine, where it ap-

pears to be another lively New England seaside town but with a paranormal and mysterious underside to the unexplainable.

Haven, based on the Stephen King novella The Colorado Kid, shows FBI Agent, Audrey Parker being drawn to this town as she begins her quest to unravel the mysteries surrounding the people. She begins to dig deeper into the unsettling truths about her own past and her ties to this extraordinary place.

When Parker arrives at Haven on a routine case, she soon discovers that certain people in the town are not only troubled, but seem affected by the supernatural and the inexplicable powers that could lead to their demise.

It's uncanny that many would recall the name Emily Rose as the girl who was believed to be possessed by demons that finally were exorcised but with a tragic outcome. Now actress, Emily Rose who plays Parker,

sudoku

has to deal with the supernatural world herself (sans the gory exorcisms). In a recent phone interview, Rose recalls why she was immediately attracted to this role as it seemed to create a whole new world for her.

“When I first saw the script, I was really excited because I loved the writing, the characters and the banter shared between them. It was a really big idea and script,” Rose said.

When Parker finds herself mysteriously drawn to this town, it's not because of the great shopping or sightseeing, but something more profound.

“Audrey feels that Haven contains a piece of her she feels at home with, so she stays there and tries to find what it is,” explained Rose.

The people of Haven seem to be troubled heroes in their own right, but you won't see a disgruntled Batman or the slightly perturbed but amazing Spiderman, instead, the residents appear to be the victims of super powers.

“Actually, power is a tricky word. Instead, you can see it as paranormal experiences these people can’t control. You'll see something different in each episode and I guess that's the mystery of Haven. People are grappling with stuff they don't know how to deal with and it’s like a metaphor for anything that happens to our lives that we don't know to deal with,” explains Rose.

With strong female characters in many other popular TV

IN THE PARANORMAL REALM: The cast of 'Haven' with Balfour (left), Bryant and Rose

series, Rose chirped about her excitement and how honoured she was to play this part as it was a rare opportunity to find a well-written female lead.

“The great thing about Parker is that she's so real, and the fact that you could know this girl. The other awesome thing about playing a female lead, especially in law enforcement, is that these women really do exist. Such a woman is interesting and fascinating because of her strength of character. I think that's why entertainment has been featuring this kind of person as the hero because it's a strong position yet she

still has to be nurturing as a woman.

“These two qualities are essential for Parker's character.

Through her discovery and investigation, she builds one-onone relationships with people, and the fact that she's a woman helps her connect and help these people,” explained Rose.

One skill a woman would innately have is to sacrifice her own needs before others, but at least Parker finds allies in Haven to help her along the way. There’s Nathan Wournos (Lucas Bryant), a wry local detective who also suffers from a supernatural affliction, as he

is numb to all sensations, from a simple human touch to extreme pain. Wournos becomes Parker’s partner in the police force.

Duke Crocker (Eric Balfour) is Wournos’ nemesis, a rogue who makes a living doing secretive work on both sides of the law. Also in the background are some Haven locals who will aid or impair Parker’s journey. It’s up to Parker and Wournos to discover for themselves whether they are with them, or against them.

Haven airs every Thursday at 10pm on Diva Universal (Astro Channel 702).

Develop your own super powers how to play

Friday'S solution

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.

WHEN you get a call from the person you were just thinking about, you might think it is pure coincidence or that you are gifted with some kind of inexplicable psychic ability. Sure, it’s cool to fly or possess super human strength, but having psychic powers is probably the most intriguing and powerful ability most people would want to have. The good news is that you don’t have to be The Professor in X-men, as you may already have some psychic ability and here’s how you can develop it: • Learn how to read and be sensitive to body language: This means studying how a person moves, where their arms and hands are positioned and what their eyes are doing.

These signs can tell you what may be going on in their minds.

• Meditate: Take time to have a time-out and relax. This will allow you to listen to your thoughts and analyse your own mind. The more you spend time with yourself, the more you’ll be able to control your mind and be in-tune with your own selfawareness and needs, which, in turn, will make you more sensitive and receptive to others.

• Follow your intuition: You know when you feel something is meant to be, or when you feel that there’s something amiss. That’s your intuition, or your innate psychic ability trying to communicate with you. When you allow your intuition to help make your choices, re-

UNLIKE THE X-MEN: You can tap into your own mind power without the use of tubes and wires

member how the decisions turn out. At the same time, let your feelings guide you.

If you feel like something’s right and you have a strong urge to do it, go for it. But if you have a bad feeling about something, then don’t do it. The way you feel about something can be your strongest “supernatural” power.

• Develop some EQ: Emotional Intelligence, that is. When

you put yourself in someone else’s shoes, your brain will recognise that when you study how someone does something, you will soon emphatise with that person. You’ll slowly begin to understand how others are feeling and thus, are able to figure out the reasons and anticipate their future reactions and even thoughts.

lifestyle 11

The Malay Mail Monday 31 october, 2011

Island girl wins crown

Penang-born Lim chosen as Miss Astro Chinese International Pageant 2011 They all had beauty and brains. But for Penang-born beauty queen, Lenna Lim, she possessed that X-factor that shone brighter than the rest of the pretty faces.

What set her apart from the other contestants at the Miss Astro Chinese International Pageant (MACIP) 2011 which ended its three-month long search in the finale held on Saturday at the Arena of Stars, Genting Highlands, was that the 22-year-old undergraduate from Universiti Malaya carried so much confidence that it radiated throughout her performance.

The hot favourite for the grand title, Lim, who walked away with a luxury car, a TV host contract, a cover girl feature on iFeel magazine and cash prizes totalling RM25,000 by Astro channel, did not expect any award, let alone a tiara and a beauty queen title that will forever be hers to keep.

"It was just like I was dreaming! I never expected myself to win," she said when met at the short Press conference during the afterparty session. "I think this was something like a ‘princess-y

Story and pix by Loong Wai Ting waiting@mmail.com.my dream’ that every girl dreams of.

This was totally unexpected."

Lim, an eloquent speaker who also bagged the Miss Photogenic award, remarked that it was her confidence that won her a lot of marks.

"I never thought of it as a competition. I saw it as a challenge set for myself," she said. During the talent showcase, Lim also impressed the judges with her traditional Dun Huang dance which she executed flawlessly, earning her extra points.

Now focused on learning how to speak Cantonese properly, Lim, who bears a

top THREE: Lim (centre) flanked by second runner-up Joevy Chua (left) and first runner-up Kate Wong

striking resemblance to Hong Kong TVB artiste, Fala Chen, is set to represent Malaysia at the Miss Chinese International Pageant, pitting herself against other contestants from the Chinese diaspora.

This year’s MACIP 2011 theme was "Caring for Cultural Heritage," where culture was seen as a symbol for transcending beauty.

The new theme also allowed contestants to capture a whole new explanation for inner beauty which was associated with cultural heritage.

Also, this year's production team went the extra mile by inviting Hong Kong King of Comedy, Jim Chim or Jim Sir, as he is more commonly known, who took centre stage dressed as a woman when he enacted his popular character, Madame Kate.

Jim Sir, who will be back again for a full-fledged performance next month at Bukit Jalil got the hall in stitches with his parody of daily issues, including the popular mobile game, Angry Birds.

"The fans here are lovely!,” he said later. “It's been very relaxing and this will help in my preparation for my show next month.”

A no-nonsense person, just like his on-stage persona Madame Kate, Jim Sir said the local pageant was better than those held at home.

"I am not lying when I say Malaysia holds better beauty pageants than Hong Kong. The local contestants put in a lot of effort, more than those in HK. They (local contestants) are certainly more talented and I think the show should be broadcast to HK for comparison.”

Jim Sir, who said that his hot favourite was also Lim, had wanted her to imitate his Madame Kate style. "I wanted her to copy my style of saying my character's favourite quips like ‘right’ and ‘angry’ but I ‘let her off’ due to time constraints.

"Lim is very calm and photogenic. I think she did extremely well but appeared to be a little nervous during the Q

FUINNYMAN: Chim as Ma dame Kate

JUBILANT: Lim giving the winner's wave

and A session. But overall, she was perfect."

The pageant was hosted by Jack Lim and Cleo Tay. Also jointly hosting the event were Emely Poon, the second runner-

up for MACIP 2007, Katrina Ho and Jane Tan, who were the first and second runner up from last year's MACIP respectively.

Seated at the judges' podium were Victor Goh, the art director of MACIP, Amber Chia, international model, Roth Lai associate publisher of iFeel magazine, Ann Lee, the CEO of Adonis Group, and Choo Chi Han, vice president of Astro Chinese customer business.

Also in the judges' seats were Gillian Hung, the president of Malaysian Official Designers' Association and Robert Middleton, Astro creative director.  The MACIP 2011 top 10 finalists were Evonne Cheng (21), Joey Chong (21), Stephy Liu (22), Sophie Cheng (22), Ivory Wong (23), Joevy Chua (23), Lenna Lim (22), Kate Wong (22), Vivienne Wen (23) and Casswen Lim (23).

Teo wants fans to read him like a book Let's Not Fall in Love Again.

Is that his current state of mind, you might ask? Perhaps, as the new album speaks for itself through the many emotional songs that the singer has personally chosen.

Breaking out from the conventional mould of glossy album cover images, Teo opted for an eyecatching CD album resembling a booklet for a cover. "The reason is I wanted to try out something different, boyish YOUNG ADMIRERS: Teo's partly because I also fect 'big per the him persona gives love travelling and eal app r' the bro photography,” he said.

While the above "When you try to inject statement might not make sense, Teo insisted that emotion into each song he acquired his inspiration and you try to show your through the selected listeners how you feel songs. "I got most of inside and emote each note the ideas through the appropriately, that's where songs in the album the pressure sets in."

The 29-year-old singer and I wanted to have a more mature feel to has been working tirelessly it, hence the booklet around the clock for this inviting local form. I wanted people album, to read me from a songwriters to send in their works for selection to make different side.”

Like most artistes the ‘quota’.

In Let's Not Fall in Love working under pressure, Teo told fans Again Teo has included and reporters at his Let's his regular contributors Not Fall in Love Again Yu Heng and Wu Jia Hui. album Press conference And he will be travelling at Sunway Pyramid last throughout the country week, that his stress next month to promote the level usually spikes in album. —By LOONG WAI TEO: Has invested effort TING the recording studio. in his latest album

After winning the Astro Talent Quest in 2002, singer-actor Nicholas Teo has been enjoying a highflying career.

He first broke into the music scene with his boyish demeanour and good, clean voice but nine years later, the "Smiling Pasta" actor has matured in terms of style and music. Now that he has come back to his country of birth, the Sarawakian lad has brought with him a new album entitled,

12 lifestyle

Hot on forerunner

New kid on the block takes to YouTube for self pr ISN’T it amusing how pop culture attempts to latch on to the latest trend or fad even when the world has moved on to the next big thing?

Take for example the immense hype for “the latest YouTube sensation” in 16-year-old Najwa Latif.

The teenager is undoubtedly talented though she is in dire need of guidance. Yet, the spotlight appears to have shifted on her now.

This young lady has been given a chance to prove herself without labels but putting her in the shadows of those who have succeeded online through viral marketing is quite obvious the approach is

NAJWA: Launching her career online

Hear, Say

By JOE LEE joelee@mmail.com.my

twitter @klubbkiddkl nothing short of commercial marketing.

We all remember KokoKaina

Johan offers no comment JOHAN AS’ARI is not confirming or denying remarks made by Izreen Azminda that the latter has a video recording of him saying he loves her.

Refusing to comment on the matter, Johan — who initially denied that the couple they were serious about each other after Izreen claimed she was disappointed he was not taking their “relationship” seriously — dodged questions and said he

was unable to think and could not recall any such recording.

He said that if indeed proven that they were a couple, then she was the one to blame as Izreen had repeatedly insisted that they tell the media they were merely friends.

Johan maintained they were just close friends and said Izreen was unnecessarily making the issue public. He also hoped he would not have to face such “cheap publicity” in the future.

Couple comes clean

JOHAN: has nothing to say — pic: budiey.com

Heard through the grapevine

MALICIOUS TALK: Nana (left) and Brian, still happily married

HARD truth or idle chatter?

Radio personality Nana Mahazan vented her frustrations over rumours that she and husband Muhammad Raqeem Brian were headed for splitsville. Nana said the gossip was just ridiculous.

Meanwhile, R&B queen, Ning Baizura brushed off rumours that her other half in Omar, also known as Christopher Layton Dalton, was having an affair with his secretary. She said that was impossible as he had quit his job months ago and was now managing her career.

Where in the world do people come up with such things?

TAKING TIME TO GROW: Zee Avi (left) and Shila

ACTOR Remy Ishak, 29, has finally come clean and professed his love for actress Tiz Zaqyah, 22.

Having been rumoured to be an item from last year, the duo have not been forthcoming about the nature of their friendship.

Tiz however described Remy’s action to publicly profess his love for her as the best birthday present ever as she celebrated her big day last week.

We applaud both Remy and Tiz for their honesty, and hope the duo remain together as they do make a sweet couple.

NING: The other target of gossip mongers

IN LOVE: Tiz (left)and Remy

The Malay Mail Monday 31 OCTOBER, 2011

ers' heels

romotion who became Zee Avi, or Estrella, who then evolved into a solo act called Liyana Fizi. Yuna, however, has still remained as Yuna.

These independent acts used the social media platform well to market themselves, with two of the three already States-side based.

Now it appears that marketing is attempting to recreate the phenomenon that launched the careers of these talented individuals.

And Najwa appears to be the product in question.

It is unfortunate, but for talents like Najwa and many others discovered online, the hype should not be

generated by outfits that do not understand the platform that is utilised by independent acts to gain credibility.

Forced attempts, in the end, always wind up as a sham.

We have a lot of young talents but even the likes of 24-year-old Elyana or 21-year-old Shila Amzah or 19-year-old Amir Jahari have taken time to mature.

Here’s hoping that Najwa and all young talents out there find their way without being labelled unnecessarily, especially when they do indeed have the goods for a bright future.

Second helping of ‘Nasi Lemak 2.0’ NOT having the luxury of the compulsory screening scheme, and relegated to smaller halls trailed by endless negative publicity, Nasi Lemak 2.0 has been confirmed to have surpassed the RM7 million mark.

This puts the film as one of the biggest earners of the year, beating out other heavilypromoted local movies that have bombed at the box office.

The production last week held an event to announce the collections, a l s o

revealing that bonuses would be handed out to the film's multiracial cast.

Meanwhile, despite the brickbats thrown at the controversial rapper Namewee, we hear the young man is coming up with his second effort quite soon, with scripts being reviewed.

Well, one thing’s for sure – with such impressive returns on his debut outing, he won’t have to beg for funding.

‘Muzik Muzik’ keeps in tune with direction

By JOE LEE joelee@mmail.com.my IN a year dented by controversies, the semifinal qualifiers of Muzik Muzik 26 have offered a ray of hope for those in the music industry.

There is chance that their work will be recognised.

While the inclusion of some songs may have raised a few eyebrows, the mixed bag of goodies announced was reason to rejoice as the names announced showed relevance.

With 30 songs scheduled for a showdown in three stages before moving on to the highlight of this compositionbased competition, the Muzik Muzik 26 semifinals will take to stage with its live performance format every Friday at 9pm, beginning Nov 18.

In its 26th year, Muzik Muzik continues to highlight the changing scenario with the domination of singersongwriters.

STRONG CONTENDER: Yuna

JOSTLING FOR PLACING: (Clockwise) Hujan, Anuar Zain and Faizal Tahir

the Press.

And this, apparently, has not been an isolated incident.

In fact, some colleagues in the business have already shunned publicity for the young act, considering how unbecoming their behaviour have been.

Oh well... we suppose this will be the litmus test of whether the newcomer survives showbiz or not.

SONGS IN CONTENTION NOV 18 (Title/ Performer / Composer/ Lyricist)

• Babak Pertama (Drama/ Ammar Habir/Aepul) • Di Penghujungnya (Iqa/ Edry Abd Halim/Edry Abd Halim) • Mata Hati (Nubhan/Audi Mok/Audi Mok) • Janji (Akim/Akim/Akim) • Kisah Hati (Alyah/Manusia Putih/Manusia Putih) • Kisah Dongeng (Stacy/ Edry Abd Halim/Edry Abd Halim) • Gadis Semasa (Yuna/Yuna/ Yuna) • Maaf Dari Hati (Sofazr/ Mohd Atlas/Mohd Atlas) • Muda (Hujan/Noh/Noh) • Awan Nano (Hafiz/M.Nasir/ Budi Hekayat) • Beribu Sesalan (Ning Baizura/Jaclyn Victor/Shila Amzah/Kevin Chin/Tinta)

NOV 25 (Title/ Performer / Composer/ Lyricist)

Yuna and Noh of Hujan lead the pack with double nominations for their efforts with the former having Penakut and Gadis Semasa in contention while Noh will crank out Muda with his band, Hujan, as well as Kurnia, with his other half in Mizz Nina.

MIZZ NINA: Will be performing

It’s also a double nomination of sorts, there are also two acts that feature a trio of performers namely Shohaimi Mior Hassan, Ana Raffali and Altimet earning some stage time with Bila Berpacaran while Ning Baizura, Jaclyn Victor and Shila Amzah will join in for Beribu Sesalan.

• Kurnia (Mizz Nina & Noh. Noh/Noh) • Kekanda Adinda (Atilia & Monoloque/Monoloque/ Monoloque) • Cinta Muka Buku (Najwa Latif/Najwa Latif/Ika Latif ) • Luar Biasa (Shahir/Audi Mok/Zelfirdaus) • Perpisahan Ini (1st Edition feat. Nubhan/Erol/Jijo) • Cinta Teragung (Hazama.

Kuncidemak/Kuncidemak) • Pokok (Meet Uncle Hussein feat. Nubhan/ Taja/Tun Teja) • Sungai Lui (Aizat/Aizat/ Anas, Aizat/Anas) • Bagaikan Bidadari (Tomok /Aubrey Suwito/Tomok) • Ilusi (Adira/Audi Mok/Audi Mok) • Wanita Seluruh Dunia (Projek Pistol/Boy Clifford/ Boy Clifford)

DEC 2 (Title/ Performer / Composer/ Lyricist)

Improper behaviour MANAGING a new act, especially one that might just wind up a one-hit-wonder, one would think the management would be prudent enough to ensure the young singer doesn’t unnecessarily ruffle feathers.

However, after the recent spotlight on the singer’s personal life, some members of the media have reported that the singer's manager has been verbally abusive and abrasive towards

13

SEMIFINALISTS: Stacy (left) and Shahir

• Kalau Berpacaran (Shohaimi Mior Hassan, Ana Raffali & Altimet/ Shohaimi Mior Hassan / Shohaimi Mior Hassan/ Ana Raffali /Altimet) • Penakut (Yuna/Yuna/Yuna) • Sedetik Lebih (Anuar Zain/ Edry Abd Halim/Edry Abd Halim) • Bila Bertemumu (Shiha/ Ajai/Ajai) • Cinta Matiku (Sixth Sense/ Sixth Sense/Sixth Sense) • Karma (Faizal Tahir/Audi Mok/Faizal Tahir/Audi Mok/Faizal Tahir) • Menyesal (Sixth Sense/ Gjie/Sixthsense) • Aku Permata (Salma/Taja/ Tun Teja)

14

the malay mail

MONDAY 31 OCTOBER, 2011

MONDAY 31 OCTOBER, 2011

the malay mail

15

16

PROPERTY / MOTORING / HEALTH / HOME / OTHERS / JOBS

the malay mail

Monday 31 OCTOBER, 2011

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

M22

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JOBS / LEGAL / NOTICES

Monday 31 OCTOBER, 2011 M515

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M580

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the malay mail

M580

M580

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MANAGEMENT TRAINEE (Sales & Marketing Division).

Required urgently at Menara Yayasan in Petaling Jaya (next to Amcorp Mall), SPM /fresh graduates are encouraged to apply. No experience required as training will be provided.

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18

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the malay mail

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Monday 31 OCTOBER, 2011 M580

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sports

The Malay Mail Monday 31 OCTOBER, 2011

19

PETALING JAYA: FOOTBALL/ MALAYSIA CUP REVIEW

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: Negri players celebrating after their win — Pic: RAZAK GHAZALI

'The circus goes on' Season ends with much pomp and fare

THE 2011 season is over amidst much drama and highlights, more so throughout the Malaysia Cup campaign.

Firstly, we had Selangor coach K. Devan quitting after the team struggled in the group stage of the tournament. Yet the Merah Kuning lads booked a berth in the quarterfinals thanks to the guidance of P. Maniam.

H o w e v e r, M a n i a m ' s fair ytale-run was shortlived after Selangor lost to Terengganu in the semifinals.

Terengganu hogged the limelight prior to the final and perhaps that contributed to their downfall.

Negri Sembilan edged the Turtles 2-1 in the final at the Shah Alam Stadium on Saturday.

Many had anticipated Terengganu to win. After all, the East Coast team did beat Kelantan in the final of the FA Cup and achieved a similar feat in the quarterfinals of the Malaysia Cup. Negri, through coach Azraai Khor Abdullah, were drawing up plans to burst Terengganu's bubble and they did so in the final 10 minutes of the match.

Terengganu wasted their 1-0 goal lead through Ashaari Samsuddin after their goalkeeper Sharbinee Allawee fumbled S. Kunalan's free-kick — giving Negri a Deepavali treat.

Minutes later, Negri's

By HARESH DEOL haresh@mmail.com.my

Hairuddin Omar scored a goal to give the Deers a comfortable 2-1 lead. It was a perfect belated birthday gift for Azraai who turned 59 on Oct 25.

Azraai was all smiles after the win.

"It is a good birthday gift for myself," said Azraai.

But what Azraai said later had to be the quote of the season.

When asked of several players moving to different teams next year, Azraai said: "As my president (Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Hassan) said during a meeting recently, the clowns can go but the circus will go on."

However, evident by the lax of security in the stadium, fans managed to sneak in flares and invaded the pitch after the match. The pitch too wasn't impressive.

While the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil is undergoing refurbishment works, the Shah Alam Stadium is the second largest stadium in the country — forcing the FA of Malaysia (FAM) to hold the final there.

Efforts by certain fan clubs to boycott the final didn't materialise as the turnout was good. After all, the majority did not pay RM50 as dictated by FAM as the tickets were subsidised by the Negri Sembilan FA (RM20) and

Terengganu State government (RM25).

FAM's website was hacked and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the new layout of the website is better than before.

However, many now hope FAM would be forthcoming when it comes to their decision making.

For one, both Terengganu and Negri Sembilan FAs did not agree to the ticket price as widely reported.

The FAs were merely informed of the price as the FAM ticketing committee decides on the price as per Article 56 of the FAM statute.

Also, FAM kept mum about the fact that it takes between RM450,000 to RM500,000 of the gate collection, in the form of levy, before pocketing another 30 per cent of ticket sales. The balance of the sales will only then be distributed equally between both FAs. A passive calculation will see FAM pocketing more than RM1 million. It must be noted that FAM will use the money to pay for the rent of the stadium, security and other miscellaneous expenses. But many allege that they earn a bigger profit compared to the State FAs. That aside, it has been a dramatic season as fans now look forward to the return of foreign players and Singapore's Young Lions in the M-League next year.

20

sports

World No 1 Tseng Yani cantered to her eleventh title at the Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open with a blistering seven-shot victory — AFP

The Malay Mail Monday 31 October, 2011

NEW DELHI: MOTORSPORT/ FORMULA 1

ROTTERDAM: Squash

Undisputed champion Vettel bags Indian GP in style

R E IG N I NG wor l d ch ampi on Sebastian Vettel (pic) led all 60 laps on his way to victory at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit yesterday but reckons there are still lessons to be learnt.

Starting from pole position, Vettel easily took the lead off the squabbling Mark Webber and Jenson Button, who soon swapped positions.

And although Button tried to close the gap to Vettel, it proved to be impossible with the German banging in fastest laps on his way to a comfortable lead.

However, there were a few occasions when Button was able to close up just a little bit and that was when they pitted, which Vettel said was something Red Bull need to look into.

But it was a comfortable Sunday drive and an 11th win of the campaign for the Red Bull driver.

"It was a very good race for us, I enjoyed the time in the lead very much," said Vettel. "I had a little bit of a fight with Jenson in the distance, he was always about four seconds behind. Strangely, he kept closing in around the pit stops, as I was pushing very hard in and out of the box but we seemed to lose a bit there.

"But on the circuit it was crucial to manage the tyres and to make sure we had enough left at the end. All in all, it was a very smooth race, the car was very well balanced and I even

felt a little bit more confident on the hard tyres in the end."

However, the race began on a sad note with the drivers, team personnel and fans paying tribute to the late Dan Wheldon and Marco Simoncelli, both of whom died from racing accidents recently.

And Vettel admits that while racers understand the risks, there's always a heavy heart when reality hits home.

"To be honest with you, it is a little bit mixed emotions," he said. "On the one hand, I'm very happy as it's the first Grand Prix in India and I'm proud to be the first winner.

"But on the other hand, we lost two of our mates. I didn't know Dan Wheldon but he was a big name in motorsport.

"This year I got to know Marco Simoncelli, and our thoughts are with them. Yes, we are ready to take certain risks when we jump into the car, but we pray that nothing happens. Sometimes you get reminded and it's the last thing that we want to see."

Button admits it was "very difficult" racing in India with Wheldon and Simoncelli in his thoughts.

"We've had two fatalities and it's very difficult," he said. "I knew Dan from a young age — so I think we should dedicate this first Indian race to Dan and Marco, who was the

most amazing man to watch on a bike."

As for his race, Button lamented the fact that his McLaren just didn't have the pace needed to challenge Vettel for victory.

Nicol will not stop at World Open record NICOL DAVID (pic) will attempt a record sixth title at the World Open next week, but may only be halfway through an already extraordinary list of achievements.

Although the 28-year-old is favourite to surpass the five world titles achieved by Sarah Fitz-Gerald of Australia, she clearly does not see this as the pinnacle of her career.

Instead, if Nicol has her way it will be a stepping stone to many more — perhaps as many as double this number of World Open titles.

"I want to stay away from injury and play for (another) five to seven Team Time years," she said. "I think I have a lot Red Bull 1h30:35.002 to learn."

(Average speed: 204.157 kph) Her light frame, superb moveMcLaren at 8.443 sec ment, and increasing awareness of when to take breaks from competition, suggest she has the physical Ferrari at 24.301 sec and motivational ability needed for the challenge.

What she will not do is think about Constructors Pts the title record when she begins 595 Red Bull her campaign against Delia Arnold 442 McLaren tomorrow.

325 Ferrari "Once I start thinking of titles 145 Mercedes GP it does not become my focus," she 72 Lotus-Renault said. — AFP

Indian Grand Prix Result Driver

Pts

Sebastian Vettel Jenson Button Fernando Alonso

25 18 15

Overall standings Drivers

Sebastian Vettel (GER) Jenson Button (GBR) Fernando Alonso (ESP) Mark Webber (AUS) Lewis Hamilton (GBR)

Pts 374 240 227 221 202

SERI KEMBANGAN: GOLF

SHANGHAI

Danny does nation proud NATIONAL No 1 Danny Chia is pleased to have finished in the top 20 despite not having the best of finishes on the last day of the Asia Pacific Classic Malaysia at the Mines Resort and Golf Club yesterday.

"It was a great feeling to have the entire country cheering me on for a good finish in the tournament. It’s not often we (local golfers) get this sort of attention. I may have not performed today (yesterday) as compared to the last couple of days but I’m delighted to finish tied at 13," he said.

Danny, who started the day just five shots behind leader and eventual winner Bo Van Pelt, could only manage oneunder 70 yesterday. However, a good Day 2 and 3 with a sixunder and five-under ensured the 39-year-old could still feel proud of his overall finish of 12-under 272.

"I made a wise decision of not challenging leader Van

By VIJHAY VICK vijhayvick@mmail.com.my

Pelt. I had an outside chance of winning the title but I wasn’t hitting well enough so I decided to play it safe," added Danny.

Danny takes home US$85,000 (RM260,000), the highest prize money he has ever taken home. The highest amount he had previously won was at the 2009 Hong Kong Open where he claimed US$39,000. He also took home US$33,500 in the Malaysian Open that year.

"I am not going to rest on my laurels. I want to end the year with an Order of Merit top 30 placing. I’m leaving for the Taiwan Masters tomorrow."

Danny will be having a hectic November as he navigates the Singapore Open and Johor Open, which runs consecutively after the Taiwan

Open. He will end his 2011 calendar at the Thailand Golf Championship in Bangkok in December.

Meanwhile, winner Van Pelt is delighted to end a twoyear drought, with his last win coming at the US Bank Championship in 2009. He finished 23-under 261 to set a new course record. Tiger Woods held the previous best of 21-under, achieved at the World Cup in 1999.

Van Pelt also revealed that he had once quit the game due to burnout.

"I was in college, probably about 20 or 21, it just wasn't in my heart anymore," said Van Pelt, reflecting on the period more than a decade ago when he gave up the game. "I didn't want to put in the work anymore.

"I didn't pick up a club for over two months, then I got the itch to start playing again and the rest is history," he

FINAL LEADERBOARD 261 Bo Van Pelt 66-64-67-64; 267 Jeff Overton 67-62-69-69; 268 Fredrik Jacobson (SWE) 65-64-71-68; 269 Cameron Tringale 66-68-71-64,

Camilo Villegas (COL) 69-66-68-66, Mark Wilson 67-66-67-69;

270

John Senden (AUS) 67-70-68-65, Vijay Singh (FIJ) 72-64-66-68, Ryan Palmer 71-65-67-67;

271

Jeev Milkha Singh (IND) 69-69-67-66, Jerry Kelly 69-66-69-67, Jason Dufner 70-67-65-69;

272

Brandt Snedeker 71-68-67-66, Robert Allenby (AUS) 63-72-70-67, Stewart Cink 67-66-71-68, Jimmy Walker 66-67-71-68, Chris Kirk 71-65-67-69, Danny Chia (MAS) 71-65-66-70;

273

Ricky Barnes 69-71-66-67

added, attributing his state of mind at that time to burnout and the impulse of youth.

"I had to give it up to realise how much I loved it. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to do this for a living."

McIlroy glad to end win drought with new managers GOLF'S new US$2 million man Rory McIlroy said his new management team will help inspire him to more victories.

The world No 3 was speaking after claiming golf 's richest prize at the Lake Malaren Shanghai Masters yesterday — his first win under new management team, Horizon.

The 22-year-old suddenly sacked long-term agent Andrew "Chubby" Chandler nine days ago, having failed to win a tournament since his momentous eight-shot victory in the US Open in June.

"The thing that will help me get over the line more is by putting myself in these positions to win golf tournaments," he said.

McIlroy said he wants to enter more tournaments to gain experience and hinted his first victory under Dublinbased Horizon augured well

for the future.

"I am just delighted to get another win," said the relieved Northern Irish star after his dramatic sudden death playoff with American Anthony Kim helped him to the US$2 million winner's cheque.

The lucrative win does not improve his world ranking position or boost his Ryder Cup points because the inaugural Shanghai event was unsanctioned.

But McIlroy said victory was important to end his title barren patch.

"This is my fourth win and second of the year and I feel like I can win more," he added.

"But I am delighted and it gives me great confidence going into next week's HSBC Shanghai Champions. I want to try and chase a place in the European Tour's Race to Dubai." — AFP

sports

Italy forward Antonio Cassano was taken to hospital during the night after feeling ill on his return to Milan following his team's 3-2 victory at Roma — AFP

The Malay Mail Monday 31 OCTOBER, 2011

BARCELONA: FOOTBALL/ PRIMERA LIGA

No Messi crisis

... and Argentine ace is not bothered who scores for Barca BARCELONA'S hattrick hero Lionel Messi (pic) praised his teammates after their 5-0 thrashing of Mallorca at Nou Camp on Saturday, and then claimed he was not in crisis for going three games without a goal.

The Argentine wizard struck the hattrick within 30 minutes before Isaac Cuenca and Dani Alves completed the rout against Joaquin Caparros' side.

Messi has scored 199 goals for Barca — 36 goals behind C esar Rodriguez — the club's record goalscorer but the striker is more focused on team accolades.

"The team played well again," he told Gol TV. "We

VIENNA: TENNIS

got quick goals and in the first-half, the result was nearly confirmed. We have to continue this way.

"And it's crazy to say that after three games (without a goal) I was in crisis. I don't care whether I score or not, what matters is that the team wins and continue to do so.

The 24-year-old was also asked about his celebration after his third goal, where he held up three fingers, one by one. Messi denied it had anything to do with going three games without scoring, saying it was a personal tribute to a friend.

"I have a friend from home who told me to do that. The number 123 has a special

meaning for him," he said.

Messi will now travel with his teammates to the Czech Republic where they will face Viktoria Plzen in a Group H

tie of the Champions League on Wednesday (2.45am).

Meanwhile, despite Barca's convincing win over Mallorca, manager Josep "Pep" Guardiola was disappointed with the amount of effort his team put into the game as he was hoping his players would conserve energy for the clash against Viktoria Plzen.

"We ran too much, we didn't want to have put in so much effort," he said.

However, he congratulated Cuenca on his first goal for the club, with the youngster scoring on his first start at Nou Camp in Primera Liga.

"Isaac played very well, he is a guy who is good at taking

players on and passing. He scored his first goal at our stadium and played very well so congratulations to him."

Guardiola a ls o hai le d rightback Alves, who struck via a long-range strike.

"Thank to Dani for all his efforts. As a player, his reliability is priceless. I have to thank him very much because he gives us the possibility of playing in many ways.

Vic tor y against Plzen could confirm Barca's place in the round of 16 of the Champions League where they are the champions — if AC Milan avoid defeat against BATE Borisov in the group's other game.

ISTANBUL

Grunting won't go away, says women's tennis chief

Tsonga hits back to beat Del Potro

JO-WILFRIED TSONGA (pic) bounced back from a set behind and a service break down to beat Juan Martin del Potro for the first time and win the Vienna ATP tournament yesterday.

The Frenchman's 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-4 win also kept him on course for a place in the season-ending World Tour finals in London next month, moving him to seventh place in the 2011 rankings ahead of Mardy Fish.

Top-seeded Tsonga crashed 25 aces on his way to a first win in four meetings over the former US Open champion, who has been fighting his way back to form after being plagued by a wrist injury last year.

"That was really tough," said Tsonga. "Juan Martin played very well.

"I lost a little motivation after losing the first set but fortunately I got it back quickly."

— Reuters

GRUNTING tennis players won't be quietening down any time soon, according to Stacey Allaster, the chief executive of the Women's Tennis Association.

World No 1 C aroline Wozniacki of Denmark last week hit out at rival players who grunt while playing, equating the practice to a form of cheating.

However, the loud noises are part of hitting a tennis ball and will remain so, according to the leader of the women's tour.

"I thought we had got away from this," Allaster responded when asked if the WTA was doing anything about the aesthetically displeasing noises some spectators say they dislike.

"Grunting is part of our sport — full stop," she emphasised. "Athletes hitting the ball as hard as they do, will do it. Women do it, and men do it, and they will continue to do it."

Speaking on the final day of the association's season-ending tournament, the WTA Championships, Allaster admitted she was mindful of reactions from spectators who, according to the WTA's statistics, are watching women's tennis in increasing numbers.

The issue of grunting was included on the WTA board's agenda for the first time when it met at the US Open

KVITOVA: Will now focus on Czech Republic's Fed Cup match against Russia — AFP photo

New York in September, she said. It decided to look at "what it could and could not do".

Allaster continued: "It is true that there is an increase in fan communication to me about some of the grunting.

But I wonder if enhanced technology, digital sound, is part of the issue.

"No one is doing it on purpose. It's the way that they train," she asserted, referring to the fact that players are encouraged by some coaches to exhale when striking the ball, usually as an aid to a greater impact.

Wozniacki also appears to think that excessive noise can cause unfair advantage.

"If you grunt really loudly, your opponent cannot hear how you hit the ball," she said.

"Because you think the grunt is so loud, you think the ball is coming fast and suddenly it just goes slowly."

But Allaster pointed out: "I have not had one player come to me to complain about it. It's not bothering the athletes. And we have a hindrance rule in place."

Meanwhile, Petra Kvitova

provided further proof that she is the rising force in women's tennis when she beat Victoria Azarenka 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to win the WTA Championships this morning.

The 21-year-old Czech, who shot to fame by winning Wimbledon this year, produced a display of power and skill to finally overpower the gritty Azarenka and claim the US$1.75 million (RM5.4m) jackpot after remaining undefeated at the year-ending event which featured the world's top eight players. — AFP

21

SAN SEBASTIAN

Can't win big all the time, says Higuain REAL MADRID'S in-form striker Gonzalo Higuain told fans that not all games are going to be won easily after his ninth minute goal gave Los Blancos all three points in an away match against Real Sociedad on Saturday.

The 1-0 win was Real's sixth consecutive in Primera Liga and Higuain was naturally happy with the result.

"The game in general was good," he told Real's website.

"In the second-half, we had chances and they didn't have anything clear, even if they did have more of the ball.

"It shows that we are a compact device that are capable of suffering at times. Not all games are going to be won easily.

We knew Real Sociedad are a team that would be defensive.

We also knew it was a difficult place to play — Barcelona drew here."

Higuain's strike was his 10th goal in the league this season but the Argentina international was keen to play down his impressive form.

"Of course, I'm happy to score. It helped the team out and that is important," he said.

"We played well. There is an eternity left in the league but we're on the right track," he said.

Real will now travel to France to play Olympique Lyonnais in a Group D match of the Champions League on Thursday (2.45am). A win here will confirm Real of a place in the round of 16.

Meanwhile, Real manager Jose Mourinho said that mental power was the key to his side's win over Real Sociedad.

After scoring 21 times in their previous five domestic fixtures before the visit to the Basque region, Mourinho admitted the win by a single goal was a tough one.

"In the last few minutes, we managed to play with fatigue," he told Marca. "We lost physical freshness in the second-half but we won the game with our mind which helped us control the game."

Mourinho made four changes to his team following their 3-0 home victory against Villarreal last Wednesday, and he defended his decision to rotate his squad.

"I changed four players and I am pleased by the response of my team," he said. "We have now finished a very difficult month and a very difficult week in which we also beat Malaga and Villarreal."

22

sports

Sven Bender is an injury doubt for Borussia Dortmund's Champions League clash against Greece's Olympiakos on Wednesday as he is suffering from a numb foot — AFP MANCHESTER: football/ champions league

Fixtures WEDNESDAY Racing Genk Valencia

GROUP E v Chelsea (2.45am) v Leverkusen (2.45am)

GROUP F Arsenal v Marseille (2.45am) Bor. Dortmund v Olympiakos (2.45am) Zenit St Pe. Apoel Nicosia

GROUP G v S. Donetsk (1am) v Porto (2.45am)

BATE Borisov Viktoria Plzen

GROUP H v AC Milan (2.45am) v Barcelona (2.45am)

THURSDAY GROUP A Bayern Munich v Napoli (2.45am) Villarreal v Man City (2.45am) Inter Milan Trabzonspor

GROUP B v Lille v CSKA

Benfica Man United

GROUP C v FC Basel (2.45am) v O. Galati (2.45am)

Ajax Lyon

GROUP D v D. Zagreb (2.45am) v R. Madrid (2.45am)

(2.45am) (2.45am)

RESULTS SATURDAY Everton Chelsea Man City Norwich Sunderland Swansea Wigan West Brom

0 3 3 3 2 3 0 0

Man United Arsenal Wolves Blackburn Aston Villa Bolton Fulham Liverpool

1 5 1 3 2 1 2 2

Fixtures TOMORROW Stoke

v Newcastle (3am)

STANDINGS

P Man City 10 Man United 10 Chelsea 10 Newcastle 9 Liverpool 10 Tottenham 8 Arsenal 10 Norwich 10 Aston Villa 10 Swansea 10 Stoke 9 QPR 9 West Brom 10 Sunderland 10 Fulham 10 Everton 9 Wolves 10 Blackburn 10 Bolton 10 Wigan 10

W 9 7 6 5 5 5 5 3 2 3 3 3 3 2 2 3 2 1 2 1

D 1 2 1 4 3 1 1 4 6 3 3 3 2 4 4 1 2 3 0 2

L 0 1 3 0 2 2 4 3 2 4 3 3 5 4 4 5 6 6 8 7

F A Pts 36 8 28 27 12 23 23 15 19 12 6 19 14 10 18 15 13 16 20 21 16 14 15 13 13 13 12 12 15 12 7 11 12 7 14 12 9 13 11 14 12 10 13 12 10 10 13 10 9 17 8 13 23 6 13 27 6 6 17 5

Note: Does not include this morning's match between Tottenham and QPR

Unleashing Mario City boss Mancini poised to give 'cult hero' Balotelli a start against Villarreal

MANCHESTER CITY manager Roberto Mancini admits they could unleash Mario Balotelli in their Group A tie of the Champions League against Villarreal at Estadio El Madrigal on Thursday (2.45am).

The Italian striker has sat out City's opening three games in the competition while serving a suspension hanging over from last season. The 21-yearold is now enjoying the best spell of his City career after playing his way back into Mancini's affections with a series of increasingly influential displays.

Such has been the maturity of his performances of late that even the off-field controversies that continue to follow him — such as the recent infamous firework episode — are now enhancing his status as a cult hero.

It seems Mancini is prepared to accept the baggage that goes with Balotelli if his attitude in training and in games remains good.

Balotelli will undoubtedly be itching to get involved against Villarreal as City look for a second successive win to get their campaign firmly on track.

"Mario in the last two months was more serious. He has trained very well. I hope he can continue like this but I don't know if it is possible!" said Mancini.

"For the supporters he is an important player, an important guy, but this is normal. He scored two goals in a derby (against Manchester United), he has been scoring a goal every time. As a player he is fantastic.

"I joke when I say he is crazy, I love him. I know he is a good guy."

City travel to Spain after securing their first win in the competition with a last-gasp Sergio Aguero goal against the same side at Etihad Stadium.

Another victory would keep the pressure up on group leaders and German giants Bayern Munich and Napoli ahead of the final two fixtures.

City still have to travel to Naples before hosting Bayern in their final game.

Ref lecting on the last encounter with Villarreal, who have since been weakened by a serious injury to star striker Giuseppe Rossi, Mancini said: "When we score a goal in the last second, it is perfect. It was important, that game.

"They also played very well but we had more possession, we had four or five clear chances to score, so I think we deserved the result.

"Now for first place everything is open. With a draw it would have been very difficult.

Now we have three games, two away one at home and I think it is good."

With City flying high in the Premier League as well as enjoying the Champions League for the first time, these are heady days for the club.

"I think it is the best moment for the club in the last 40 years," said Mancini. "I am happy for the supporters because for them it is a fantastic moment.

But everyday we should think about a different opponent.

"We know that in two or three games everything can change so if we want to try to stay on the floor we should have the same concentration for every game."

City are on top of the Premier League table with 28 points from 10 matches — five more than champions and second-placed United.

Balotelli: Enjoying his best time with City — AFPpic

The Malay Mail Monday 31 October, 2011

MUNICH

Bayern legend Rummenigge warns against complacency B AY E R N M U N I C H president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge indicated that Napoli must not be taken lightly in their Group A clash at Allianz Arena on Thursday (2.45am).

The Bundesliga leaders maintained their place at the top of the group with a 1-1 draw at Stadio San Paolo earlier this month.

Playing at home is expected to give Bayern a slight advantage, but Rummenigge has told his players to be fully alert against the inform Serie A side.

"We respect Napoli, who have a very lively squad, capable of causing us problems," Rummenigge told Sky Sport Italia. "We should be focused and we know it will not be easy to play against them, we want to win to get closer to the round of 16.

"At San Paolo, Napoli gave us a hard time, they are not opponents to underestimate."

Bayern Munich head into this clash on the back of a 4-0 trouncing of Nurnberg in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger should be fit to face Napoli.

Schweinsteiger limped off after 70 minutes of Bayern's 4-0 Bundesliga defeat of Nuremberg on Saturday with a sore calf, ruling him out of training.

While the 27-year-old Germany midf ielder is expected to train alone before rejoining the squad for practice tomorrow, Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes feels he should be fit to play.

"Things are much better today," said Heynckes.

ROME: Football: SERIE A

Siena's win moves them up to seventh RESULTS Yesterday Bologna Fiorentina Lecce Parma Udinese Siena

3 1 1 2 1 4

Atalanta Genoa Novara Cesena Palermo Chievo

1 0 1 0 0 1

Saturday Catania Inter Milan Roma

2 1 2

Napoli Juventus AC Milan

1 2 3

SIENA thumped Chievo 4-1 in Serie A yesterday to move up to seventh in the table ahead of the day's later matches.

Before the match, the two sides' games had produced fewer goals than anyone else in the league, so there appeared little hope for a classic encounter.

Siena's eight previous matches had produced just 12 goals, with only one more goal being scored in games involving their visitors.

And yet a double from Mattia Destro and one from Gaetano D'Agostino gave Siena a 3-0 lead before Davide Moscardelli's consolation strike. Emanuele Calaio fin-

ished things off deep into injury time.

On Saturday, Juventus maintained their lead with an impressive 2-1 win at arch rivals Inter Milan.

Juventus scored through Mirko Vucinic and Claudio Marchisio. Maicon got Inter's equaliser just before the hour work.

AC Milan moved up to second, ahead of the Sunday afternoon games, with a 3-2 win at Roma.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a brace and Alessandro Nesta added the third while Nicolas Burdisso and Bojan Krkic scored for the hosts.

Napoli missed the chance to keep pace with the front

runners as they fell to a 2-1 defeat at Catania.

They opened the scoring after just 29 seconds through Edinson Cavani but had Mario Santana sent-off before half-time.

Goals either side of the break from Giovanni Marchese and Gonzalo Bergessio gave the Sicilians victory. — AFP

I'm getting better all the time. The real Mario is coming and it isn't the same Mario as last year — Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli

The Malay Mail Monday 31 OCTOBER, 2011

sports

LONDON: football/ premier league

Defiant AVB

MATCH STATS CHELSEA 3 ARSENAL 5 14(7) Shots (on Goal) 13(7) 8 Fouls 19 3 Corners 2 5 Offsides 2 52% Possession 48% 2 Yellow cards 3 0 Red cards 0 2 Saves 4

Chelsea boss to maintain attacking play despite defeat by Arsenal

PLAYER RATINGS CHELSEA Petr Cech - 5 Ashley Cole - 6.5 John Terry - 5 Branislav Ivanovic - 5 José Bosingwa - 5.5 Juan Mata - 8.5 Frank Lampard - 7 Daniel Sturridge - 5.5 John Obi Mikel - 5.5 Ramires - 6.5 Fernando Torres - 6.5 Substitutions Florent Malouda - 4 Romelu Lukaku - 7

Raul Meireles - n/a ARSENAL Wojciech Szczesny - 5 Andre Santos - 5.5

Laurent Koscielny - 7 Per Mertesacker - 5 Johan Djourou - 5 Mikel Arteta - 6 Alexandre Song - 6 Aaron Ramsey - 7.5 Gervinho - 7.5 Robin van Persie - 9 Theo Walcott - 8 Substitutions Carl Jenkinson - 6 Thomas Vermaelen - n/a Tomas Rosicky - n/a

CHELSEA manager Andre Villas-Boas (AVB) insisted he will not change his attacking philosophy after the Blues suffered a stunning 5-3 defeat to Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

T he cl e arly sh atte re d Portuguese said his team would try to eradicate their defensive faults but they would never stop trying to entertain.

"The philosophy is a personal value and a club value," said Villas-Boas. "You should never sell it cheaply.

"It is something that makes us all proud and we will stick to this philosophy throughout this league. It is our way of playing, we are proud of the way we play and we just have to correct things to get a positive result."

Villas-Boas denied Chelsea were fragile defensively and compared their last minute setbacks, in which they conceded two late goals, to Manchester United's 6-1 defeat by Manchester City at Old Trafford last week.

"We fought hard to get to 3-3, the emotions were behind us and it could have gone either way. If we can recall, there was a 3-1 result at Old Trafford, United thought they could swing it and they lost 6-1. We were punished

in that sense," he said.

"You have to take the last two goals out of the situation, because one is a slip from a player (John Terry) to leave the other player (Robin van Persie) one against one. So it's nothing to do with defensive organisation. And the other is when you are trying to do something with three minutes on the clock.

"We were one of the three best defences in the Premier League. We committed mistakes that we will try to

old Uruguay international in action since joining Andre Villas-Boas' backroom staff.

Sources close to Napoli, who rejected approaches from Manchester City for Cavani in the summer after he scored 26 goals last season, suggest an offer of around £35 million (RM193m) could be too good to resist, the report claimed.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are also favourites to land Lille

star Eden Hazard.

The Express reported Chelsea have emerged as favourites — among English clubs at any rate — to land the brilliant Belgian midfielder now that French champions Lille appear to have resigned themselves to losing the wonder boy they have nurtured since he was 16.

Lille president Michel Seydoux on Saturday signalled

at home for the first time in the history of the Premier League.

"You could see how happy we were at the end because we fought hard and every one of us showed character," said van Persie.

"It's a big, big win for us."

On a day when all eyes were on Chelsea centreback John Terry following his week in the headlines, he was left cursing himself after a slip let in van Persie to put the Gunners 4-3 up.

When asked about the

Wenger gunning for Granero ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger is lining up a move for Real Madrid's £7 million-rated midfielder Esteban Granero.

Wenger is understood to be preparing a bid for the 24-year-old in time for the transfer window in January.

Although Wenger invested in compatriot Mikel Arteta on deadline day in August, the Frenchman remains keen in bolstering his midfield following the departures of former captain Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. Granero is being tracked by a number of clubs with Malaga also in the hunt to capture one of the brightest prospects to come out of the Bernabeu's youth team system.

Hugo could go... to Juve

WATCH MY HEAD: Terry (right) tangles with van Persie during the match — AFP photo

evolve and maybe we can improve them for the game against Blackburn."

Villas-Boas also denied that Terry, who put Chelsea 2-1 up with a header but then slipped to allow van Persie to score Arsenal's crucial fourth, had been distracted by the FA investigation into claims that he racially abused Queens Park Rangers' Anton Ferdinand last week. " No, it w a s n ot d i s tracting," he said. "It is a misunderstanding, let

them investigate."

Villas-Boas claimed "the two decisive moments" were in the opening 15 minutes when Chelsea were opening up Arsenal's defence at will but "only converted one chance" and they failed to score from two presentable opportunities in the dying minutes when it was still 3-3.

"We were punished by an unlucky situation," he said of the fourth goal. "It can happen."

the start of a Europe-wide auction that could top £40 million by admitting the search for Hazard's replacement had begun.

And the 20-year-old's academy mentor Jean-Michel Vandamme revealed: "Chelsea have been following him the closest."

Hazard, who will be 21 in January, is just the sort of uninhibited young talent

Villas-Boas is looking for — especially if he is forced to give up on luring Luka Modric from Tottenham.

But he will face fierce competition from Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris St Germain and Inter Milan.

Vandamme said all those clubs were tracking Hazard, whose sensational 2010-2011 season has made him Europe's most wanted player.

Enter Arsenal's goal machine, RVP

ARSENAL'S deadly striker Robin van Persie (RVP) did nothing to hide his delight after destroying Chelsea with a stunning hattrick at St am ford Br i d ge on Saturday.

The Holland international's treble took his tally to nine goals in five Premier League games. It also saw van Persie's personal tally reach an amazing 28 goals in 27 league appearances this year alone.

The day of records saw the Blues concede five goals

Presstalk

DAILY MAIL

THE PEOPLE

Chelsea target stars Cavani, Hazard CHELSEA are chasing Napoli star striker Edinson Cavani.

The Daily Mirror reported The Blues are watching the prolific Cavani as they look to replace powerhouse striker Didier Drogba.

Drogba, 33, is thought to be in his final season at Stamford Bridge, and Chelsea's new European scout, Mick Doherty, is said to have made a number of trips to watch the 24-year-

23

goal, van Persie said: "I was surprised when Terry slipped because it was an easy back pass and I only saw later that he slipped because I was closing him down.

"I suddenly realised I was one on one with (goalkeeper) Petr Cech and a couple of things came to my mind as to what to do, but I did the easiest one. It means a lot to get a hattrick here because this is one of the hardest grounds to play at."

Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who was

fortunate to escape a straight red card in the second-half after bringing down Blues leftback Ashley Cole, tweeted: "I don't know why I stayed on the pitch, but what a game! Great spirit, great atmosphere and a great win!

RVP needs to start scoring though!"

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey believes they are starting to show what they can do after a slow start to the season. "It was a really good game for us, we showed great character coming back from

behind,” added Ramsey.

"We deserved it in the end, we created a lot of opportunities and took a lot of them.

"We are finally gelling together now and showing what we are capable of doing and this is just an example of that. I'm sure the manager (Arsene Wenger) will look at some of the defending and work on that, but at the end of the day we're happy to get the win."

The win saw Arsenal maintain their push for the top four.

WIGAN raider Hugo Rodallega (pic) is a surprise name on the Juventus winter shopping list alongside Carlos Tevez, Giuseppe Rossi and Dimitar Berbatov. But all three players seem out of reach so Juve coach Antonio Conte has now cast his eye towards Wigan's exciting front man Rodallega.

Representatives have been made aware of the interest, with a source saying: "It could be an interesting winter. We will know more about this possibility in mid-December."

Wigan are currently trying to tie the 26-year-old Colombian down to a new long-term contract but with nothing agreed, Juve could afford to blow any of the Latics' financial terms out of the water.

METRO

Devils to swoop for ex-Red

MANCHESTER UNITED are lining up a shock move for former Liverpool favourite, Javier Mascherano, in a bid to add some bite to their struggling midfield. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson has tried to sign Mascherano before, but was put off by complex third-party ownership details.

But with these now resolved, the Scot is likely to be back in the market for the ex-West Ham player, who won the Champions League and La Liga titles last season.

One obstacle United must overcome if they are to capture Mascherano is his affinity for former employers Liverpool — United's fierce north-west rivals — which could put him off a move to the Red Devils.

Bale strikes twice in Spurs’ win GARETH BALE (pic) bagged a brace this morning as Tottenham Hotspur beat Queens Park Rangers 3-1 at White Hart Lane.

Bale netted for the north London club in the 20th and 72nd minutes while Rafael van der Vaart scored in the 33rd minute.

Neil Warnock’s QPR could only salvage a consolation goal in the 62nd minute courtesy of Jay Bothroyd.

Monday 31 OCTOBER, 2011 LOCAL

Deer season NEGRI SEMBILAN reap what they have sown in eventful Malaysia Cup season

>> pg27

TENNIS

Goodwill grunting OKAY for players, like Victoria Azarenka, to grunt while playing, says women’s tennis chief

>> pg21 FOOTBALL

Submarine hunter MANCHESTER CITY’S Mario Balotelli itching to sink the Yellow Submarine

>> pg22

PRESSTALK

Pirate for Gunners

Rising force

LONDON: FOOTBALL/ PREMIER LEAGUE

Arsenal can beat anyone now, says Walcott

THEO WALCOTT believes Arsenal’s sensational 5-3 victory at Chelsea proves the Gunners are back to their best and capable of beating any team in Europe.

Arsene Wenger’s side were widely written off after the pre-season departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri triggered the club’s worst start to a season for 58 years.

A humiliating 8-2 loss at Manchester United left Arsenal in crisis. But Wenger has managed to revive his beleaguered squad and the north London team are now just three points off the top four following their demolition of Chelsea.

With games against West Brom, Fulham, Norwich and Wigan ahead, it looks likely Arsenal will improve on their current run of eight wins from nine matches and Walcott is confident his team can live with any opponent at the moment.

“We are not looking too far ahead. We don’t want to say where we’re going to finish at the end of the season, but the way we’re playing at this moment in time we believe we can beat anyone,” Walcott said.

“We’re enjoying our football. Our run is great and we’re just going to keep on continuing that. Everyone is buzzing at the moment.

“We were disappointed to go 2-1 down just before halftime, but before that we were

READY, AIM: Walcott shoots to score Arsenal’s third goal — AFP photo

playing some great football.

“It seemed that every time we went forward, it looked

like we were going to score and it could have been 8-7.

It was just one of those crazy

games that I’ll never forget.”

After seeing Nasri and Fabregas depart, Wenger was

accused of panic buys when he brought in Mikel Arteta, Andre Santos, Per Mertesacker and Park Chu-young just before the transfer window closed.

But England winger Walcott thinks the new arrivals have started to settle in properly, helping the club climb the table.

“We have got some absolute characters in that dressing room and Andre Santos was absolutely brilliant. He looks like he has been in the Premier League for many years.”

“We have the right balance between youth and experience now and we’ve got a lot of players coming back from injury too.”

Walcott also paid tribute to Robin van Persie, whose hattrick took his Arsenal goal tally to 12 this season.

“Robin’s form is fantastic.

It makes our job much easier when he plays like that,” Walcott said.

“I have been playing alongside him for many years. It’s nice to see a fit Robin. He is enjoying playing his football, he is enjoying scoring, he is enjoying getting other people involved.

“He is a great leader, a great captain. Anyone in that dressing room will tell you he is an absolute leader.

“We never had a fit Robin throughout the whole season. Hopefully, we can have a run until the end of the year.”

— AFP

MADRID: FOOTBALL/ PRIMERA LIGA

Levante lose at last, Real stay top

ARSENE WENGER is lining up a move for Real Madrid’s midfielder Esteban “El Pirata” Granero

>> pg23

LEVANTE finally lost their first game of the season yesterday to allow Real Madrid to stay top of La Liga a point ahead of Barcelona.

First-half goals from Juan Martinez “Nino” and Alvaro Cejudo were enough to deny Levante an eighth straight league victory.

Real Madrid moved top on Saturday thanks to a 1-0 away win at Real Sociedad with Gonzalo Higuain scoring the winner for his 10th league goal of the season.

Real have a one-point lead on unbeaten archrivals Barcelona, for whom Lionel Messi starred with a first-half hattrick in a 5-0 thumping of Mallorca.

Levante remain third, two points behind Madrid after the defeat in Pamplona, their first in ten games.

An amazing run of seven straight wins, starting with a 1-0 defeat over Madrid in midSeptember, had taken the small

Valencia-based side to the top of the league.

Osasuna are now unbeaten in four games and move into the top half of the league.

Earlier, Sporting Gijon salvaged a point in a 1-1 home draw with Athletic Bilbao which allowed the hosts to continue their slow but steady crawl out of the relegation zone.

Markel Susaeta opened the scoring for Bilbao on 63 minutes,

finishing from close range after a corner was flicked on at the near post by Gaizka Toquero.

Gijon substitute Mata Bilic equalised eight minutes later with a thunderbolt from 25 yards which made sure the hosts avoided what would have been their seventh defeat in 10 games.

Having plummeted to the bottom of the Primera Liga at the start of the season, Gijon have now picked up seven points from a

possible nine, while Bilbao — unbeaten in eight games — move up to seventh.

Also on Saturday, Valencia beat Getafe 3-1 to remain fourth, four points off the pace, as they prepare to host Bayer Leverkusen tomorrow in a must-win Champions League clash. Villarreal warmed up for their Champions League tie at home to Manchester City on Thursday by beating Rayo Vallecano 2-0. — AFP

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