4 November 2011

Friday 4 NOVEMber, 2011

NATIONAL

PR at odds over PPSMI

PP423/01/2012(029578)

Pakatan partners have opposing views on Maths and Science in English

WORLD

Ultrasound scan reveals mystery image ‘Its mouth was agape as if it was also experiencing severe pain’

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MTUC, govt on same side The Human Resources Minister tells MTUC ‘we are fighting the same battle’

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The Malay Mail wishes its Muslim readers Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha. There will be no publication on Monday. We’ll be back on Tuesday.

KUALA LUMPUR

Festival stopped ‘Seksualiti Merdeka’ organisers suspend activities after police declare them unlawful SEKSUALITI MERDEKA, the annual sexuality rights festival, has been temporarily halted after police declared the activities unlawful.

Celebrating the “human rights of people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities”, the festival is organised by a loose coalition of NGOs, including the Malaysian Bar Council, and individuals. Its programme includes forums, talks, workshops, book launches, art exhibition and performances.

This year’s festival is themed “ Queer Without Fear”.

Pang Khee Teik, the co-founder of the group, said the members had yet to decide whether to continue or cancel the activities.

Yesterday, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Khalid Abu Bakar declared a ban on any function

By AIZAT SHARIF aizat@mmail.com.my organised by any group relating to the festival in the interest of public order.

Said Pang: “We are going to have a meeting among our organising committee. For now, all our planned activities will be temporary inactive.”

He said the festival had been organised for the past four years “with a slow increase in participation”. About 1,500 people took part last year.

“How could it be unlawful when the only activity we do is give talks on sexuality awareness and rights so that the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people can be accepted by society and not be discriminated against?” Pang said when interviewed

by The Malay Mail at The Annexe Gallery at Central Market yesterday.

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D E N N

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The Annexe Gallery was where the Seksualiti Merdeka exhibition area was supposed to be but it has since been abandoned.

Pang criticised the authorities, saying Perkasa and Pas Youth were among the movements “that have always been against all good intentions that Seksualiti Merdeka tries to portray”.

“It not just unfair but it creates a hype of craziness among the authorities. I don’t understand — they make noise, judging us like we are all bad but did they come to us or join our talks to understand the equality and anti-discrimination that we are trying to preach?”

He said “society cannot simply kick somebody out because of a person’s sexual orientation”.

“Instead, society should accept

them as minorities who have the right to live. They do not bring harm to people.”

Pang did not rule out the possibility of the group shifting their programmes to other venues if the committee’s meeting called for them to soldier on.

Commenting on the involvement of former Bar Council president Datuk S. Ambiga, who was supposed to officiate at the programme next Wednesday, Pang said her role had nothing to do with politics.

“Ambiga is a woman who stands for all people regardless of ethnicity and religion. She is also a protector of human rights in Malaysia. I don’t see any political interference here. This is solely about human rights,” he said.

• More on pg2

PANG: Society cannot simply kick somebody out because of a person’s sexual orientation

2

news

Historians are welcomed to correct mistakes, if any, and add new information to ensure our historical records are updated — Deputy Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum

KUALA LUMPUR

Cops to quiz group Many have protested against 'Seksualiti Merdeka' festival, says Deputy IGP

By AIZAT SHARIF aizat@mmail.com.my

THE police have banned functions by any group relating to the Seksualiti Merdeka festival in the interest of public order.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Khalid Abu Bakar said police had received "information" on the movement that organised the festival promoting the equality and rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

"We received two police reports lodged in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday and yesterday, protesting against the programmes organised by the group," he said.

Khalid said police would take action under Section 27A(1)(C ) of the Police Act 1967 and Section 298A of the Penal Code for "causing disharmony, disunity or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will or prejudicing the maintenance of harmony or unity, on grounds of religion".

"We have identified and will call everyone involved, including former Bar Council president Datuk S. Ambiga, to record their statements," he said.

He said police had been told many people and organisations,

ACTIVITIES ON HOLD: Level Two of the Central Market Annexe, where the festival was supposed to be held, was quiet last night — Pic: ASHRAF SHAMSUL AZLAN

including 17 non-governmental organisations, objected to the activities, scheduled to be held at the Central Market.

"We received protests from NGOs, including Islamic and non-Islamic ones, which feared the programmes could create disharmony and enmity and disturb public order."

He said the law did not recognise any deviatory activity that could destroy the practice of religious freedom.

"We hereby declare the festival banned and we urge the organisers to stop the activities with immediate effect," he said.

"If they fail to adhere, action

will be taken against them."

Khalid also urged the public not to attend any of the programmes organised by the group.

"The Bar Council should advise the organisers that their action is against the law. I don't understand why they did not explain to them," he said.

Khalid said that as a national security agency, the police were responsible for public order and they must tackle any threat early.

"The police are not against any human rights expression.

But when the programme threatens national security, we have to act," he said.

Religious groups OK with activities if they are legal RELIGIOUS groups are fine with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) movement as long as their activities go by the book.

The leaders of the groups were commenting on yesterday's police ban on the ongoing Seksualiti Merdeka movement festival at the city centre. The festival is until Nov 13.

Hindu Sangam president R.S. Mohan Shanmugan said the LGBT people had rights and should be free to exercise them within the confines of the law.

"We should not discriminate against them. They are also human beings and have their rights. They should be free to express what they strongly believe in. But, at the same time, they should abide

Being Queer Without Fear SEKSUALITI MERDEKA is an annual sexuality rights festival held in Kuala Lumpur.

Organised by a coalition of local NGOs, it features talks, forums, workshops, art, theatre and music performances, interactive installations and film screenings, by a coalition of Malaysian NGOs, artists and individuals.

This year's theme — Queer Without Fear — highlights how homophobia and transby the laws on such matters," he said.

"If they have to apply for a police permit to organise such a festival, they should do so.

They have to follow the law."

Buddhist Maha Vihara Brickfields temple president Leslie Jayawardena said soci-

THE MALAY MAIL IS PUBLISHED BY Malay Mail Sdn Bhd, Lot 2A, Jalan 13/2, 46200, Petaling Jaya

phobia have negatively affected and continues to affect the lives of untold numbers of Malaysians who are discriminated against and persecuted because of their sexual orientations and gender identities.

The first Seksualiti Merdeka was held in August 2008, coinciding with Merdeka celebrations, bringing together about 500 people including those from the LGBT community.

ety had to accept the sexual preferences of individuals and it was not an offence to hold such a festival as long as it was held privately.

"If they are disturbing the peace and causing public nuisance then police have the right to move in. But if it is

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a closed event held privately, then the matter falls under the responsibility of the property owner.

On Wednesday, Malay rights group Perkasa sent a note of protest to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) demanding they stop

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the Seksualiti Merdeka movement festival.

Perkasa youth wing chief Irwan Fahmi said the move to ban the festival was important to prevent certain nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) from encouraging “abnormal and immoral activities”.

He said if the organisers continued with the programme, people would learn to accept homosexuality and “forbidden relationships”.

Yesterday, Deputy IGP Datuk Seri Khalid Abu Bakar said police banned the festival after receiving objections from groups, including Muslim and non-Muslim NGOs. The groups feared the programme could create disharmony, enmity and disturb public order.

The Malay Mail Friday 4 NOVEMBER, 2011

Exhibition area abandoned THE Seksualiti Merdeka exhibition area at the Central Market Annexe, which is supposed to host a series of speeches and talks, has been abandoned.

There were supposed to be 12 sessions of talks and discussion on sexual awareness and rights at the venue from Wednesday to Nov 13.

A talk titled "Nine to Five: Sexual Rights In The Workplace" was scheduled to be held at 8pm yesterday.

The Malay Mail visited the area at Level Two of the building, hoping to get the reaction of the participants on the police ban.

However, the banners, posters and paraphernalia on the festival, put up earlier, had been removed.

Instead, the section was temporarily occupied by a catering company providing food and drinks for a private function next door.

Interviewed by The Malay Mail, Seksualiti Merdeka cofounder Pang Khee Teik said they were suspending the activities until a decision was reached made by the organisers.

On Tuesday, police halted a human rights workshop organised by the group. The raid was carried out by four police officers — two uniformed and two in plainclothes — who demanded they be allowed to enter the room.

Said Pang: "We refused at first but they returned with the building security and asked us to cooperate. They peeped through the doors and left."

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The Malay Mail Friday ● 4 November, 2011

The construction industry in Malaysia must find a new approach to reduce dependency on foreign workers — Peninsular Malaysia Labour Department director-general Datuk Sheikh Yahya Sheikh Mohamed

news

3

Kuala Lumpur

At odds over PPSMI Pakatan partners differ on teaching of Maths and Science in English

AFTER Pas and DAP agreed to disagree over the implementation of hudud law, another conflict is brewing over the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English (PPSMI).

The DAP has maintained that students must given the option to learn the two subjects in English, believing that such move would counter the brain drain.

On Sunday, DAP publicity

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani asrul@mmail.com.my

chief Tony Pua said PPSMI would allow schools to produce “the best human capital for Malaysia” which was in line with the government’s goal to become a high-income nation.

PKR, however, came out with a strong rebuttal yes-

terday stating that PPSMI as an option was not Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) policy.

“We understand the need for students to master English and get a quality education.

But PPSMI is not the basis for achieving both these objectives," PKR’s communications director, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, said in a statement.

“In addition, PPSMI was not mentioned in the Orange

Book (Buku Jingga) and PR’s common policy framework."

Pas has also been vocal by being at the forefront of the Movement for the Abolition of PPSMI (GMP).

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng yesterday reiterated the importance of having PPSMI as option and denied there was any conflict between the three parties.

“We felt that there were

many schools that didn’t have the adequate teaching capabilities so what we are saying is that there should be a choice for PPSMI," he told reporters.

“No, I don’t think there is any conflict between PKR, DAP and Pas. I don’t think that is the problem."

The Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) last Monday handed a memo-

CHERAS

Watch where you wash — City Hall targets dirty eateries

A POPULAR franchised cafe ended up as an "unplanned" target of a Kuala Lumpur City Hall operation on eateries yesterday.

Said its health director, Dr Sallehudin Abu Bakar: “It happened to be along our route.

"The outlet was previously compounded for placing tables and chairs on the pavement without a permit and they repeated the offence."

He said some of its workers were also found without aprons or cooking caps while cooking.

The cafe was slapped with

By RAM ANAND ramanand@mmail.com.my

three compounds by the 15-strong team in the twohour raid, which was conducted as part of City Hall’s weekly inspection.

The team issued seven compounds on four eateries. Three other restaurants were ordered temporarily closed when their workers were caught washing dishes on the back-lane pavement.

“They can’t wash dishes here as it will cause the waste to enter

the drainage system, leading to clogging and a host of other problems,” said Dr Sallehudin.

Cockroaches were also spotted at two of the restaurants.

“There were also those who mixed raw food with cooked food." said Dr Sallehudin.

He said other eateries were also issued compounds for placing tables and chairs on pedestrian walkways.

“We don’t mind restaurants putting up awnings to provide shade but they can’t simply place tables which obstructs pedestrians.”

FILTHY: Dr Sallehudin posting a closure order at a food outlet — Pic: RAZAK GHAZALI

Vernacular schools important for economic growth, says Chua "The study of languages must not be politicised and Malaysians must have a strong command of Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mandarin," he told delegates at the Third World Chinese Economic Forum held at the Palace of Golden Horses here.

"As such, emphasising mother tongue education is not just for cultural reasons. It is also because of its immense economic potential

that comes with it."

Using Mandarin as an example, Dr Chua said the language was now of greater value "looking at the many links in business and politics Malaysia can forge with better understanding and communication of the language".

He said Malaysia's trade with Chinese-speaking nations had accounted for only 20 per cent of the total trade while bilateral trade

with China was worth US$74 billion.

“For us to embark on more collaboration with these nations, we need to encourage Malaysians to be multilingual — in Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mandarin,” he said.

Although Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools were guaranteed under the Education Act, Malay rightwing groups led by the Malay

Consultative Council (MPM) have called on the government to abolish the current system and replace it with a single national school system.

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had also proposed the formation of Vision Schools to group national, Chinese and Tamil primary schools in a single compound but this was opposed by vernacular educationist groups.

State stand on implementation of hudud, DAP told MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said the DAP must explain the economic and social ramifications if hudud is implemented in the country.

He warned that the implementation of the Islamic syariah would have a negative effect on the country’s social economic development, education and political system.

“We want DAP to make a stand on the implementation

of hudud and its impact on non-Muslims because Pas has claimed that hudud will not bring any implication to non-Muslims.

"So we want DAP to say if there will be any impact because DAP seems to understand hudud better than MCA," he said at a Press conference yesterday.

“So please tell us what is wrong? Why are they so silent?”

Dr Chua said DAP had a responsibility to inform the public of its stand and opinion over the matter.

“If there is any impact and effect, we want to know if it is positive or negative,” he said.

DAP and Pas have been at odds over the use of Islamic law, especially after Pas announced plans to enact hudud in Kelantan.

The Pakatan Rakyat part-

KUALA LUMPUR

High hopes for better BPI ranking

By T.K. LETCHUMY TAMBOO t.k.letchumy@mmail.com.my

SERI KEMBANGAN

MALAYSIA must become a multi-lingual society, so vernacular schools are still important because of their "immense economic potential", MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said yesterday.

He said this was necessary because with the weakening of the US market, China and India were emerging to become the world's fastest growing economies.

randum to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak last Monday, requesting there be an option for PPSMI. The memorandum was shot down yesterday by Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin when he said the decision to scrap PPSMI was final.

He said he understood there would be those who disagree.

ners recently announced they would agree to disagree over hudud and reiterated the Islamic law would not be part of the pact’s 2009 common policy framework.

On another issue, Dr Chua condemned an incident where red paint was splashed at the entrance of Wisma MCA yesterday.

“I have advised the MCA headquarters to make a police report and we hope police

can investigate the matter as there has been much speculation."

He also said there were suggestions the incident was related to MCA’s objection to hudud.

"There are those who say that because MCA has opposed Pas in the implementation of hudud it is related to Pas. We do not know. I am not saying there is any relation,” he said.

MALAYSIA is hoping to secure a better ranking in the next round of Transparency International’s Bribe Players Index (BPI).

International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed told The Malay Mail yesterday the government had a number of initiatives in place to curb the bribery practices of companies.

"We have numerous initiatives in place but, of course, there is always that lag effect with the implementation of any plan," he said.

"Nonetheless, Corporate Malaysia should take note of the problem and we look forward to a better ranking in years to come."

Yesterday, Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) announced that Malaysia's BPI ranking was 15 from a list of 28 countries.

Malaysia scored 7.6 out of 10 points along with Hong Kong, South Africa and Italy.

The top countries are the Netherlands and Switzerland, which scored 8.8. The lowest are China with 6.5 and Russia with 6.1.

The least corrupt nation would be the one whose score is closest to 10.

This is the fourth time that Malaysia had been listed in the BPI. Its previous scores were 3.9 in 1999, 4.3 in 2002 and 5.6 in 2006. It did not qualify in 2008 as it was not considered an important trading nation.

4

news

Southeast Asian countries will benefit from the rise of China as the world's second largest economy — Straits Exchange Foundation chairman Dr Chiang Pin Kung

KUALA LUMPUR

Let's talk, says Subra Minister: MTUC and govt fighting the same battle

DESPITE the peaceful gatherings organised by the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) nationwide to protest against the controversial amendment to the Employment Act 1955, the Human Resources Ministry still has hopes of discussing the matter with them.

Mi n i s t e r, D atu k D r S .

Subramaniam, said yesterday both the MTUC and the ministry are "fighting the same battle, on the same side" and are merely experiencing a difference of opinion on the best approach in protecting workers' welfare.

"They can carry on with their peaceful gathering later this after-

KLANG

By AZRIL ANNUAR azrilannuar@mmail.com.my

noon. I have already said it is their constitutional right to do so and we allow peaceful gatherings. We know they will continue but the issues they are highlighting are non-issues," he told a Press conference after launching the first Malaysian-German Conference on Education and Training here yesterday.

"Both have the same goals: to protect workers' rights. There's only a difference of opinion. I hope once they have calmed down we can meet again to discuss the matter.'

MTUC secretary-general Abdul Halim Mansor welcomed the ministry's intentions, saying the organisation "is always open to such discussions as long as it has the interests of workers in mind".

"We are always positive about such efforts of discourse. Even though we are holding a gathering to protest, it does not mean we are cutting all ties with the ministry. Our only gripe is regarding the amendment. Apart from this particular disagreement, we are still cooperating," he told The Malay Mail.

Asked whether ministry officials have approached MTUC

for a new round of discussions, Abdul Halim said there had been none so far.

"Prior to our plan to have public gatherings, we've had about 18 meetings with the ministry. As I've said before, we are disappointed and shocked with the decision to amend the Act. Perhaps the minister is incapable of attending to our requests and proposals."

MTUC is an umbrella body comprising 390 of the 692 labour unions nationwide and a total of 802,323 members.

Its main complaint against the amendment is their belief that it would be a return to 'slavery' and

will give investors the okay to hire Malaysians as contract workers instead of permanent staff.

Abdul Halim expected a turnout of at least 500 MTUC members at each of the 17 locations identified throughout the country, with a total turnout of 8,500 members.

The demonstration and picketing took place simultaneously from 5pm to 6.30pm.

Subramaniam also expressed hopes of developing the nation's vocational training institutes, citing Germany as a country that churns out good human capital from technical and vocational apprentices.

Anti-crime campaign captivates students

MORE than 700 students from 16 schools in the district gathered at SMK Meru yesterday for the launch of a school-based crime prevention campaign, jointly organised by Klang Utara police headquarters, the Klang Education Department and China Press.

Highlights of the day were shows put together by the police, such as a demonstration by the K9 Unit and a re-enactment of a snatch theft incident.

There was also an exhibition of weapons used by criminals and success stories reported in the media.

The students were particularly mesmerised by the demonstration of the K9 Unit.

Form Three student Ng Fong Fong said the campaign was a learning experience for him.

"I will definitely share these with my friends. It was so cool watching the K9 Unit in action up close and learning how they help police in their investigations," he said.

NG: It was cool watching the K9 unit in action

For Nur Syafika Abdullah, 15, the crime prevention campaign gave her a new perspective of life in the "real" world.

"The police showed us some of the tactics used by criminals and this for me, as a girl, is very important. I learned how to protect myself and be careful," she said.

Selangor police Management D e p a r t m e nt h e a d D at u k Jamaluddin Abd Majid opened the one-day event.

EXHIBITION: A police officer educating pupils on weapons used by criminals

The Malay Mail Friday 4 NOVEMBER, 2011

SEPANG

Sepang police to weed out criminals

By G. PRAKASH prakash@mmail.com.my

CRIMINALS beware. Sepang police are doubling efforts to flush out wanted persons in the district.

Its police chief Supt Imran Abdul Rahman said they have formed a special task force to reduce the crime rate and weed out wanted criminals hiding in the area.

Imran said those with criminal records and habitual criminals would also be hauled up for questioning during the dragnet beginning next week.

"This is one of our efforts to reduce crime here," he said.

Imran said the crackdown would focus mainly on wanted persons because these individuals seemed to be repeat offenders and pose a danger to society.

“We know who they are and the task force will track them down," he said.

Imran said the crime index in the district had dropped by 9.4 per cent or 761 cases from January to October this year compared to 840 cases in the corresponding period last year.

“Although this is an improvement, we have to strive to do better and I am confident the crime rate can be reduced further,” he said.

Simultaneously, Imran said security at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport had been beefed up with the assistance of 40 soldiers patrolling the terminal.

“We are grateful for the backup as we are currently short of manpower. The collaboration with the Armed Forces came at the right time,” added Imran.

Earlier, Imran witnessed the promotion of 84 police personnel attached with the Sepang police headquarters.

KUALA LUMPUR

Pakatan wants ROS to explain delay in registration

PAKATAN RAKYAT yesterday demanded an explanation from the Registrar of Societies (ROS) on why it said the coalition had failed to make a fresh application to register itself when it had already done so in March.

PK R s e c re t ar y - ge ne r a l Saifuddin Nasution told a Press conference at the Parliament lobby yesterday it was strange for ROS director-general Abdul

By T.K. LETCHUMY TAMBOO t.k.letchumy@mmail.com.my

Rahman Othman to make such an announcement as the coalition had gone to great lengths to register itself.

"We had conducted an emergency general meeting (EGM) immediately after PR's protem chairman (Datuk) Zaid Ibrahim left PKR in November last year," he said.

"During the EGM, we elected Tumpat MP Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar, who is also a PAS central committee member, to replace Zaid.

"We had a meeting with the ROS in March to submit the application with the necessary changes. However, ROS refused to accept it claiming they were

awaiting a decision on Zaid's previous application to register the coalition although, according to PKR’s constitution, Zaid was no longer a member."

Saifuddin said the coalition had followed up on the matter with ROS every three to four weeks up until early this month "yet the same answer had been given every time".

Saifuddin said that on March 3 this year, when the pro-tem

committee named Kamaruddin as its new chairman, it had also submitted documents including six sets of the necessary applications, six sets of the coalition's constitution in Bahasa Malaysia, copies of coloured logos and flags among others.

"We did all this and yet Abdul Rahman said we didn’t submit a fresh application.

This just shows he doesn’t

know what is happening in his department.

"So now I pass the ball back to their court. I want Abdul Rahman to explain why our application was not accepted in March," he said.

Saifuddin said the pro-tem committee will continue to pursue the matter and decide their next course of action if there is still no favourable response from ROS.

5

the malay mail

FRIDAY 4 NovemBER, 2011

The Hills Are Alive THE 1Malaysia Green 1Malaysia Clean photography competition moves into the new week with more great shots from all the ardent photographers vying for the top prizes.

If you're not part of it yet, it is time for all you to push the envelope further, think outside the box and be more creative with your compositions. You just might be one of the top contenders for the RM5,000 grand prize.

So, what are you waiting for? Just get out there, start exploring and snap away. Do remember that the competition is also a chance for all nature lovers to show off their love for a greener and cleaner Malaysia while showing off their skills in composing a beautiful picture that might tell a great story.

The contest, which started on July 15, will continue for 24 weeks (that's 24 publications), and it is aimed at avid

photographers everywhere.

Organised by the Tourism Ministry and The Paper That Cares, all you need to do is snap away and send us as many pictures as you like that go with each week's theme.

Each photo must also be accompanied by a description about the picture, its location and details that could support the entry, particularly on what CLEAN tourist spots mean and how one can help make a difference. All entries

should include the type of camera used, shutter mode, exposure mode, type of lenses and aperture specifications.

The topic for last week was “The Hills Are Alive" and quite a lot of entries were received. After a rather long deliberation, three of the best pictures have been chosen for this week's publication. (The best three pictures of the

LAST WEEK’S BEST PHOTOS: The Hills Are Alive

week will be published every Friday in The Malay Mail).

This week, the theme is "Heritage". So, what are you waiting for? Turn your photography into a quest, and you might just compose pictures that could win you the grand prize at

the end of January.

Our special committee will choose the three most outstanding photos from the entire collection of entries that would be awarded the grand prize of RM5,000, the second prize of RM3,000 and the third prize of RM1,000.

So snap away and send as many pictures as you like to

1mgreen@mmail.com.my Contest Rules & Regulations

Tan Ee Long • • •

Camera: NikonD2xs Exposure: 1/60, f22 ISO: 400

Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain in southeast Asia. Every year, there are many mountain climbing tourists.

LEE THIAN LYE • • • •

Camera: Canon 20 D Lens: 120mm Speed: 1/500, f6.3 ISO: 200

Weekend tourists at the Cameron Highlands tea plantation. A place not to be missed.

Tan Ee Long Camera:NikonD2xs Aperture:F10 Exposure:1/250 ISO:160 Kenyir Mountain Lake in the morning is very beautiful.

 The contest is open to all Malaysian citizens.  There is no limit to the number of entries.

However, a winner can win only one (1) prize.  Each entry must be based on the weekly theme and must be accompanied by a short essay (150 words or less) telling what CLEAN tourist spots mean and how one can help make a difference.  Images captured by cameras can be of any format, in colour. However, mobile phone and PDA images are not acceptable.  No digital super imposition is allowed.

Composite photographs, trick photographs or any form of digital imaging or image manipulations will not be accepted. Only minor photo touch-ups, such as cropping, adjustment of brightness and colour as well as softening or sharpening of the image, are allowed.  Photographs submitted

must not have been previously published in any form.  All entries must be complete with accurate information. The results of the contest will be decided by a panel of judges, appointed by the organisers. The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entertained.  Copyright and reproduction: The organisers reserve the absolute rights to exhibit or reproduce any acceptable entries in whatever way deemed fit for exhibition and for any print-based publicity and promotional purposes without prior notice, consent or payment of fee whatsoever to the contestants.  Contest runs from July 15 to Jan 13, 2012. Deadline for entries is Jan 21, 2012.  Winners will be notified via email. Details of winning entries will also be published in The Malay Mail.

6

news

The list of 140,000 youths picked for the 9th National Service (NS) Training Programme will be announced by the end of this month — NS Training Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kecil

The Malay Mail Friday 4 NOVEMBER, 2011

BRICKFIELDS

Revised bus route proposed Jalan Tun Sambanthan business owners fed up with daily congestion

By HAMZAH NAZARI hamzah@mmail.com.my

MORE than a dozen business owners and residents have taken it upon themselves to come up with a revised bus route for Jalan Tun Sambanthan here.

At a press conference yesterday, the stakeholders, who are fed up with the daily congestion in the area, said City Hall’s plans for a new bus route would not only burden taxpayers, but would also disrupt their businesses.

Dr R Narkunan, who runs a clinic, said they were not happy with plans to replace the parking spaces in front of their shops with bus stands and assigning the lanes closest to their business lots for buses and taxis heading towards Bangsar.

“This will cause great inconvenience to my patients who will have to walk very far to get to my clinic and in the case of an emergency, there will be no

DR NARKUNAM: New route is not convenient for patients

NATHAN: We need the space in front of shops

way for an ambulance to drive up,” he said.

Business owner S. Nathan, 49, said: "If they change the parking spaces in front of our shops to bus stops, we won't be able to load and unload our goods."

Restaurant owner Amar Singh said customers would not be able to get to their shops and they would have to close down after a few months.

“Why can't they use the bus

stands that already exist on the KL Sentral side?” he asked.

The business owners also suggested buses from the city should use Jalan Syed Putra to get to Brickfields and later take the second exit back to Jalan Syed Putra as opposed to City Hall's plans of getting buses to go against traffic flow along Jalan Tun Sambathan to get to the city.

They proposed that buses from Federal Highway travelling

OUR WAY: Business owners and residents want a solution to traffic congestion on Jalan Tun Sambanthan

to Brickfields should use Jalan Travers and the buses could take the exit a few hundred metres in front which leads directly into the transportation hub.

The group also said there was no need for buses to use the back lanes of Brickfields "which

ADVERTORIAL

Weight and NCD health problems

NON-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the cause of death for three out five people in Southeast Asia, a number the World Health Organisation expects will increase over the next 20 years.

In Malaysia, Health deputy minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin, said roughly 4.8 million Malaysians are suffering from NCDs. The percentage, she said, is worrying as NCDs are a predisposing factor to mortality, debilities and lifelong agony.

For the uninitiated, NCDs are non-infectious, long-term, diseases that usually progress slowly over time. Examples of NCDs are cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic lung diseases and diabetes.

Rosnah said research conducted at Malaysian government health clinics showed 70 per cent of their patients were in danger of having NCDs. However, most NCDs are considered preventable as risk factors can be changed.

Among flexible risk factors are those that are behavioral such as smoking, having an unhealthy diet and a lack of physical activity.

These flexible risk factors often lead to obesity and hypertension, in turn causing NCDs. Though the risk factors are not necessarily the cause of NCDs,

are already causing chaos in the area".

Long-time resident Pradeep Singh, 49, said there was no need to build new bus stands or allow buses into the back lanes in Brickfields because previously, buses only trav-

Tips to lighten the load

IT may seem a little obvious, but adopting a healthier lifestyle is the safest way to lose weight.

Starting with determining your body mass index (BMI) the Malaysian Health Ministry has provided some tips for those looking to shed a few kilos:

EXERCISING: Having an active lifestyle can lower the odds of developing diseases

statistical correlations have been made between them and these types of diseases.

So while for some, gaining weight is often seen as a cosmetic problem and others might joke about it with their friends, being overweight should not be taken lightly as it can be the root cause of a number of more serious or deadly health problems.

Malaysia has the highest percentage of obese citizens in Southeast Asia as one in six Malaysians are either overweight or obese, according to the Health Ministry.

The easiest method for determining whether an individual is overweight or obese is using the

body mass index (BMI).

Those with a BMI of less than 18.5 are considered underweight, while those with a BMI of between 18.5 to 22.9 are of the ideal weight.

A BMI of between 23 to 27.4 are overweight, while those with a BMI of over 27.5 are considered obese.

The formula for calculating your BMI is simple: “Kg/ (hxh)” or, in laymen’s terms, to multiply your height, in metres, by itself and then divide your weight in kilogrammes by that number.

For example, if a person’s height is 1.75 metres and their weight is 70 kilogrammes, we first multiply 1.75 by 1.75, arriving at 3.06, then

divide 70 by 3.06. This results in a BMI of 22.87 which is just barely within the ideal weight for that height.

Interestingly, studies conducted by University Kebangsaan Malaysia in 2001 revealed that women were statistically more obese than men, with a higher rate among Indian and Malay women compared to Chinese women.

Chinese men, however, recorded the highest obesity rates among men, followed by Malays and Indians.

Things, however, are not as bleak as they may seem, as there are many tips and tricks for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

elled on the main roads.

“The current bus routes have resulted in more traffic jams and City Hall’s plan will cause even more accidents as cars trying to turn into the back lanes have to cross in front of buses coming towards them,” he said.

● You should first determine your daily calorie requirements as the number differs according to gender, age and daily physical activity.

A woman who is not physically active and spends a vast majority of her time sitting in an office only requires 1,800 kilocalories while the average adult male requires between 2,000 to 2,200 kilocalories daily.

by the food. Whenever possible, instead of frying foods, healthier cooking methods such as grilling, baking, boiling and steaming are encouraged. ● To cook food that is low in sugar, use less sugar when cooking and serving, sweetening food with fresh or dried fruits when possible, while coating cakes with sugar or icing is obviously discouraged. ● When it comes to drinks, do not add sugar to fruit drinks and serve milk and sugar in separate containers if they are required, possibly substituting sweetened condensed milk with low fat or fresh milk.

● Healthy cooking is another step down the path to losing weight. Among the tips for cooking low fat foods provided by the ministry is: to remove chicken skin and cut the fat off the meats before cooking.

● When it comes to salt, use as little as possible when cooking and try to minimise the use of sauces such as oyster, tomato, chili, and soy sauce. Instead, try natural flavours such as black pepper and cumin.

● It is also advisable to use a non-stick pan to reduce the need for oil, but if oil is needed, ensure that it is already hot before frying in order to reduce the amount absorbed

● Regular exercise and maintaining an active lifestyle are other steps that should not to be forgotten. Walking 10,000 steps a day is one of the way to control your weight.

FRIDay 4 NOVEMBER, 2011

the malay mail

7

8

The Malay Mail Friday 4 NOVEMBER, 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.

By SITI NURSURAYA ALI

Ladies in the gents LIONEL WONG has been having 'delicate' moments at the Wangsa Maju Light Rail Transit (LRT) Station.

"I frequently commute between Wangsa Maju and Masjid Jamek, and would use the washroom facilities at both stations.

"I, however, find it strange to see female cleaners entering the men's toilet at Wangsa Maju Station even when they are not working.

"Worse of all, they would stare at us!"

LIONEL says this has been going on for months and he wonders why female workers often go to the gents.

"This is embarrassing and inappropriate. Why don't they go to the ladies?"

SHOCKWAVE: Power load damaged this wall fan and lighting

WEAK JOINTS: Tranmission lines held together by duct tapes

Thunderbolt blues

Puchong resident claims power source not weatherproof, TNB says otherwise LIGHTNING has struck twice at IMRAN RAZALI's home this year in more ways than one.

Every time it hits his Jalan SP7/5, Saujana Puchong, residence, it causes a power load or overvoltage — and cost him in damaged household electrical appliances.

In fact, the problem has been plaguing IMRAN's house since 2007 and he is claiming Tenaga Nasional Berhad is not being helpful in resolving it.

"I experience this overload incident once a year until this year, when it stuck twice, in

August and Oct 17."

IMRAN says every time it happened, some household electrical appliances are damaged.

"In the latest incident, I replaced a flat screen television, a ceiling fan, a microwave oven and even several ceiling light bulbs, some of which were replacements from previous overvoltage."

He says the next-door unit is also affected. "My neighbours are, however, not complaining since they are only tenants renting the place."

IMRAN notices TNB tech-

nicians only used duct tapes on power transmission lines outside his home following the latest outage. "Is that how professionals do their job?"

He says an independent contractor find no fault in the wiring and advises him to contact TNB Careline, which he claims is no help as a staff not only insulted him, but raised her voice and blamed him for the problem.

IMRAN wants the electric utility company to resolve his home power source issue, once and for all. ● A SPOKESMAN for

Tenaga Nasional Berhad says investigations revealed the area's electrical installation is in "good working condition".

"This was confirmed by our checks at 12 other houses that receive electricity supply from the same network or line as IMRAN’s home. They were not affected by any incidence of overvoltage on that day."

The spokesman advises the customer to appoint a competent electrical contractor registered with

Online comments www.mmail.com.my Next-door foreigners fuss (Nov 1) ● BLAME the house owners!

They rent it to foreigners with a higher rental. — zul

IS the complainant 100 per cent sure all the crimes and social ills are committed by

foreign nationals? Typical of Malaysians to blame foreigners for all their misgivings.

— RoboKop HOW about the residents association there? What steps have they taken as a community to solve the problem? Is there

anything within their capability they can do to alleviate the problem? — Anonymous THE onus is on the building owners or management.

They should warn culprits and serve the eviction notice. — Anonymous

the Energy Commission to conduct a thorough check of his internal wiring.

When contacted, IMRAN said TNB was blaming the consumer for something they were supposed to be experts in.

"Why ask me to keep calling contractors when I have clearly told them I have done so? TNB is again blaming me."

IMRAN says he will lodge an official complaint with the Energy Commission.

● WHEN contacted, Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (Prasarana) group director, rail division, Khairani Mohamed expresses regret over the matter.

"We wish to inform station cleaners are required to clean the toilets every hour to ensure consumable items, such as tissues and soap, are available to maintain cleanliness."

He says Prasarana has immediately instructed only male cleaners are assigned to the gents.

Khairani advises customers to channel feedback via the Helpline at 03-78852585, 7am to 8.30pm (Monday to Friday) and 8.30am to 5.30pm (Saturday to Sunday); or email suggest@rapidkl.com. my.

LIONEL says he is happy Prasarana has taken immediate action on the matter and hopes there will be no more awkwardness when answering the call of nature at LRT stations.

TAKE NOTE 1. Petaling Jaya Municipal Council is stepping up enforcement in Jalan 19/1 where vehicle owners can be fined up to RM100 for illegal parking.

2. Kuala Lumpur City Hall is checking if maintenance works by contractors are debris-free. The public are advised not to dump at work sites. Anyone who spot such activities can call 03-26179000.

3. Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd contractors must follow safety procedures in public maintenance or repair work. Any information on offenders can be forwarded to the headquarters at 03-20885400.

The Malay Mail Friday 4 NOVEMBER, 2011

Greece needs the next €8 billion (RM34.5b) slice of aid from its partners

by Dec 15, Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said yesterday — AFP

BEIJING

Chinese public 'condemn' idea of bailing out Europe China's people have a clear message for their government — don't even think of saving Europe.

Ahead of a G20 summit in France yesterday, tens of thousands of ordinary Chinese have been venting their anger online, demanding their leaders sort out China's own problems before bailing out Europe.

"Domestic pressure (on China's leaders) is huge.

Ordinary people are condemning" any decision to throw Europe a lifeline, one source with ties to China's top leaders told Reuters, requesting anonymity because of political sensitivities.

European officials have asked China to put cash in a mooted special purpose investment vehicle to enhance the region's rescue fund four-

to five-fold, to about €1 trillion (RM4.3 trillion).

China has given the idea a cautious response, saying it wants details first, but Europe will surely deliver the message again to Chinese President Hu Jintao at the summit, which ends tomorrow.

But a large swathe of China's 1.3 billion people is poor and many believe there are far better ways to spend excess cash in the US$3.2 trillion pile of foreign exchange reserves the country has amassed in its rise to manufacturing might.

High on their priority list: handouts to help lower soaring prices of basic goods, subsidies to cut the crippling cost of home ownership, more investment to support job creation and easier access to bank credit for consumers and companies alike. — Reuters

CANNES

Obama congratulates Sarkozy on birth of daughter US P r e si de n t B arack Obama congratulated France's Nicolas Sarkozy on the birth of his daughter yesterday amid signs of a thaw between two leaders with a history of tense relations.

Obama made the gesture ahead of a difficult G20 summit hosted by Sarkozy in Cannes, and today he is due to make an unprecedented joint appearance alongside his counterpart on French television.

"I want to congratulate Nicolas and Carla on the birth of Giulia," Obama said, referring to Sarkozy's supermodel-turned-singer wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, who last month gave birth to the couple's first child together.

"And I informed Nicolas, on the way in, that I am confident that Giulia inherited her mother's looks rather than her father's," Obama joked to muted laughter from reportSIMULATION: Israeli soldiers take part in a defence drill in Holon, near Tel Aviv — AFPpic

ers and a rueful smile from Sarkozy.

"You can see Barack Obama's great influence. It's been four years that he's been telling me that being a father of daughters is fantastic, he who has two.

So, I listened to him and followed his example," Sarkozy said. — AFP

world

9

French paper reprints cartoon

TIGHT SPOT: Papandreou said he would be happy if referendum was not held — AFPpic

CANNES

Greek tragedy

A FRENCH satirical weekly whose office was firebombed after it printed a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad has reproduced the image with other caricatures in a special supplement distributed with one of the country's leading newspapers. The weekly Charlie Hebdo defended "the freedom to poke fun" in the four-page supplement, which was wrapped around copies of the left-wing daily Liberation yesterday, a day after an arson attack gutted Charlie Hebdo's Paris headquarters. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place hours before an edition of Charlie Hebdo hit newsstands featuring a cover-page cartoon of the Prophet and a speech bubble with the words: "100 lashes if you don't die of laughter".

— AFP

PM on brink, world tells Europe to fix crisis Greece's teetering government backed away from a proposed referendum on staying in the euro yesterday, while European leaders talked for the first time of a possible Greek exit to preserve the single currency.

Fast-moving events in Athens overshadowed the first day of a summit of the Group of 20 major economies on the French Riviera, with world leaders anxiously urging Europe to take decisive action to halt its sovereign debt crisis.

Beleaguered Prime Minister George Papandreou said after an emergency meeting of his Socialist Cabinet that his call this week for a referendum, which sparked panic on global financial markets, "was never a purpose in itself," and he would be happy if the vote

were not held.

Papandreou said he had agreed to talks with the centre-right opposition on a transitional government to implement a new EU/IMF bailout programme. Early elections would follow.

At a torrid meeting in C an n e s on We d n e s d ay night, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Papandreou that Athens would not receive a cent more in aid until it met its commitments to the euro zone.

Greece was due to get a vital €8 billion (RM 34.5b) installment this month and said it will run out of money in mid-December if it does not get the loan.

Political turmoil in Greece and uncertainty over the euro

zone sent stocks and commodity prices tumbling in Asia, and fueled a rush into safe-haven German bonds.

But markets rallied in feverish trading as the likelihood grew that Greece would not hold the highly risky referendum.

The European Central Bank also provided a surprise boost by cutting interest rates by 25 points to 1.25 per cent and saying its policy of buying euro zone government bonds would continue for now in a limited scope to support its monetary policy.

The leaders of China, Russia and the United States pressed the Europeans to move swiftly to contain the debt crisis, with the United States urging Germany to relent and let the ECB play a greater role in financial firefighting, G20 sources said. — AFP

JERUSALEM

Israelis hold defence drill for missile attack ISRAEL staged a mass drill yesterday, simulating a missile attack in the centre of the country at a time of intense speculation the Jewish State could launch strikes on Iran, although the military dismissed any link.

Civil defence drills happen several times a year in Israel and the military said

this exercise, which caused air-raid sirens to ring out around the Tel Aviv area, had been planned months in advance.

There has been a weekl ong su rge of sp e c u l a tion in Israeli media that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is working to secure Cabinet consensus for

an attack on Iranian nuclear installations.

Yesterday's simulation of a missile attack involved various Israeli emergency services, with ambulance workers and soldiers, some wearing masks and equipment to protect against chemical weapons, practicing treating the wounded. — AFP

British teen to ski to the South Pole A schoolgirl whose father was the first Briton to reach the South Pole solo and unsupported said yesterday she hoped to become the youngest person to ski there when she joins him on a return visit. Amelia Hempleman-Adams (pic), 16, will join adventurer David Hempleman-Adams when he sets off on the two-week challenge on Nov 18. "I am frightened about the harsh conditions as I don't know what to expect, the cold, the wind. I am not sure if I'll be able to sleep as it is 24 hours daylight at the South Pole and Dad is a terrible snorer," the teenager said. — AFP

Russia set to join WTO Russia is on the verge of ending its 18-year wait to join the World Trade Organisation after accepting a trade deal with Georgia, the last big obstacle to membership of a club that will seal its integration into the global economy. Russia's accession will be the biggest step in world trade liberalisation since China joined a decade ago, making its US$1.9 trillion (RM5.9 trillion) economy more attractive to investors 20 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. After nearly two decades of negotiations with the club, Russia's last challenge was to reach a deal with Georgia to stop its entry being blocked by the former Soviet republic with which it fought a short war in 2008. — AFP

10

world

New Bond film called 'Skyfall' DANIEL CRAIG returns as British secret agent James Bond in Skyfall, the 23rd installment in one of the world's longestrunning and most successful film franchises. Director Sam Mendes assured fans Bond's latest adventure would adhere to the high octane formula that has made the films an enduring genre.

"It, I think, has all the elements of a classic Bond movie, including, to quell any rumors, a lot of action," Mendes told reporters at the launch of the film in London yesterday. Spanish actor Javier Bardem will play the villain and Judi Dench returns as Bond's stern boss "M" in a cast that will also include Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney, French actress Berenice Marlohe and Britain's Naomie Harris.

Jobs bio a US bestseller STEVE JOBS, the only authorised biography of the Apple co-founder, has sold around 379,000 copies in the United States in its first week of publication, making it one of the best selling titles this year.

Although not a record-breaker, the biography still outsold the next bestselling book of the week by three times, already making it the 18th bestselling book of the year in the US, according to numbers from Nielsen BookScan via thebookseller. com. The biography, written by former managing editor of Time magazine Walter Isaacson, was granted with Jobs' full cooperation even in his final days, reports the Xinhua news agency.

N. Zealand eyes Asian travellers NEW ZEALAND'S quake-hit city of Christchurch is targetting Asia as it ramps up efforts to boost tourist arrivals while Western economies continue to struggle, a top official said yesterday. Tim Hunter, chief executive of the Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism office, said Asia "is hugely important now because of the financial catastrophe in America and Europe," Hunter said. "We are pleased that we are reasonably close to Asia," added Hunter, who will also visit Malaysia, Japan and South Korea — all major tourism markets. — AFP

Rhino poaching hits record RHINO poaching in South Africa has hit a new record high, with 341 of the animals lost to poachers so far this year as black-market demand for rhino horn soars, wildlife group WWF said yesterday. Poaching deaths have already outstripped last year's total of 333, the previous record, WWF said. Officials blame the poaching surge on organised crime syndicates selling rhino horn for use in Asian medicinal treatments — especially in Vietnam, where it is believed to cure cancer. — AFP

China will complete the second step of its three-phase development strategy for its manned space programme by establishing its own space lab around 2016, a spokesman said yesterday

The Malay Mail Friday 4 NOVEMBER, 2011

LONDON

Back from mission to nowhere Hatch to open for space crew after 18-month simulation of Mars mission

THE six-strong crew of the European Space Agency's most gruelling mission yet will emerge from their capsule today after an 18-month voyage that went, literally, nowhere.

The would-be spacefarers spent more than 500 days in windowless isolation in a simulated mission to Mars that played out in a complex of chambers at a research centre in Moscow, reports the Guardian.

Once sealed inside, the crew's only contact with the outside world was over the Internet and by phone lines that carried a delay of up to 20 minutes to simulate the time it takes for radio signals to pass between Earth and Mars.

The crew of the US$10m (RM30m) Mars500 project — three Russians, two Europeans and a Chinese man — return to the world safe in the knowledge that the medical, physical and psychological examinations they have endured for the last year and a half will prepare future astronauts for real journeys to far-flung planets.

"We are proud of them. They

HOME SWEET HOME: Crew members of the programme will emerge today

have been brave, enormously motivated and worked well as a team. It was never a given that it would work," Martin Zell, ESA's head of astronauts, said.

"We have a lot of good science from the experiments and we learned about how to deal with a crew that is enduring this kind of mission." Asked how the crew found the experience, Zell answered: "To be blunt: long."

The crew fought boredom by reading books, watching DVDs and playing Guitar Hero on a games console. They spent an hour in the gym each day, on equipment that would be taken on a mission to reduce muscle wastage. At Christmas, the crew adopted the Apollo 13 spirit and fashioned decorations from wires and electrodes meant for electrophysiology tests.

Yury Bubeyev, the chief psychologist on the project, said his 10-person team noted no serious conflicts during the mission. The most serious problems were the laziness and boredom that afflicted the men after they "reached Mars" in February, he said.

"The most dangerous period came after their virtual walk on Mars, when the most interesting

work had already been fulfilled and they were on the way home," Bubeyev said. "The objective had been reached, there was nothing new, the experiments had all been done several times, and they knew each other well.

There was laziness and boredom and light fatigue."

Intercultural differences proved to be among the most difficult — the Italian and Frenchman, for example, could not understand why Russians devoted so much time to celebrating New Year and so little to Christmas, a Soviet legacy.

And no one understood Wang Yue of China, Bubeyev said, so they were sent ebooks on Chinese culture.

"There were some moments of misunderstanding," Bubeyev said. "But then the Europeans and Russians asked him to teach them Chinese, and they can all write and speak it now.

"We didn't note any serious conflicts. It's a different question whether they'll continue to interact after the experiment.

Maybe they're tired of each other."

PARIS

Soldier commits suicide live on webcam FACE OF PAIN: The ultrasound scan with the unexplainable image

OTTAWA

Canadian doctors see face in testicle DOCTORS in Canada saw a divine face in the testes of a man admitted to a hospital with severe pain and an inflamed scrotum, a scientific journal article said yesterday.

Or at least, that is one possible explanation.

Two years ago, doctors at a teaching hospital affiliated with Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, spotted what appeared to be a face in ultrasound images of a 45-year-old patient's scrotum.

"While scrolling through the ultrasound images, the residents and staff alike were amazed to see the outline of a man's face staring up out of the image, his mouth agape as if the face seen on the ultrasound scan itself was also experiencing severe (pain)," doctors Gregory Roberts and Naji Touma wrote in the journal Urology.

"A brief debate ensued on whether the image could have been a sign from a deity (perhaps

Min the Egyptian god of male virility); however, the consensus deemed it a mere coincidental occurrence rather than a divine proclamation."

The growth turned out to be benign and surgeons removed the testicle.

The discovery was published in the latest issue of the journal Urology under the banner "The Face of Testicular Pain: A Surprising Ultrasound Finding".

— AFP

A YOUNG soldier committed suicide live on a webcam in France during an online chat with another user of a health forum, French newspaper Le Parisien reported.

The man, named only as JeanEdouard A., 22, shot himself at his uncle's home in Marseille, southern France, during a live chat on the website Doctissimo. fr, a health discussion site.

The other user, known online

as "Ravioli," then alerted other users.

One tracked down the site's administrators in Canada, who managed to identify the IP address of the computer JeanEdouard A. was operating. The website alerted Interpol and local police.

The image of the dead man was left on the site for several hours, according to the newspaper.

SHANGHAI

Chinese rich keen to emigrate About 60 per cent of the rich Chinese people, each of whom has a net asset of at least 60 million yuan (RM29.6m), said they intended to migrate from China, a report has found.

About 14 per cent have either already migrated from China or have applied for migration, reports

the Xinhua news agency.

The three most favoured destinations by the Chinese rich are the United States, Canada and Singapore. The US is the first choice of some 40 per cent of the people interviewed, according to a white paper jointly released by Hurun Report and the Bank of China.

The Malay Mail Friday 4 november, 2011

A landscape by painter Gustav Klimt, 'Litzlberg am Attersee', that was stolen by the Nazis, then returned this year to the family of the Jewish owner, sold for a huge US$40.4m (RM126m) yesterday at Sotheby's in New York — AFP

MOSCOW

Bolshoi backlash

First production after six years at famed Russian theatre sparks scandal RUSSIA'S Bolshoi Theatre has provoked a scandal with the first production in its reopened historic home which was booed and whistled by part of the opening night audience despite praise from critics.

The new production of Glinka's opera Ruslan and Lyudmila, a love story based on a Pushkin poem, is the first in the restored Bolshoi Theatre which reopened with a gala last week after an agonising six-year closure.

Russian director Dmitry Chernyakov makes no attempt to please traditionalists in his version of what some see as Russia's national opera which received its premiere on Wednesday night.

The opera opens in period dress and decor with a display of almost dazzlingly kitsch colours in a bright blue hall. It then transfers to

modern times with elements including a Thai massage and a tattooed athlete.

At the curtain several members of the audience yelled "shame!" and booed and whistled, an unusual outburst in Russia which is unaccustomed to Italianstyle displays of audience dissatisfaction with performances.

Some even shouted out their dissatisfaction while the performance was in course and the audience was considerably thinner after the interval. However other viewers also shouted "bravo!" in approval.

"When cries of 'shame!' are made after the curtain but are topped by the cries MODERN ELEMENTS: Artists perform during a dress rehearsal of 'Ruslan and Lyudmila' — AFPpic of 'bravo!' this means that a great cultural event has happened in Moscow," Mikhail ITAR-TASS news agency. a scandal but that he was "The subject is completely Shvydkoi, the Kremlin's Chernyakov said ahead of prepared for attacks from modern and the emotions envoy for international cul- the performance that it was more conservative elements will be as in real life," he tural cooperation told the not his intention to create in the public. said. — AFP

BANGKOK

LONDON

'Hunger Games' Katniss no badass, says Lawrence J E N N I F E R L AW R E N C E doesn't want her Hunger Games character to be a "badass".

The actress plays the role of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who volunteers to be the representative from her district to fight to the death in the games held by the government in order to save her younger sister from taking part and Lawrence was adamant her character would not enjoy the violence, reports the Times of India.

"I had read the books before I even knew I would be auditioning for the movie and was a huge fan of the material.

Katniss is an incredible character: she's a hunter but not a killer, a 16-year-old who's being forced into the arena.

These kids are killing one another only because if they don't they'll die. It's needless, pointless, unjustified violence.

It's heartbreaking.

"When I auditioned, I told (director) Gary (Ross), 'I understand if you don't hire me but please remember that after Katniss shoots a bow and kills someone, her face cannot be badass'. So, there's nothing cool about her. It's not like she

Florence set to knock Coldplay off FLORENCE And The Machine are set to knock Coldplay off the top of the UK album chart this weekend with their new album Ceremonials.

The album, which is the band's second, has already sold over 50,000 copies in its first two days onsale and is set to comfortably push Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto down

to number two.

Professor Green is also on for a high new entry, with his second album At Your Inconvenience currently set to enter at number three. Noel Gallagher is presently at number four with his solo debut Noel Gallagher's High Flying Bird, while Michael Buble is at number five with his festive LP Christmas, reports NME.

world 11 Oprah tried to kill herself OPRAH WINFREY has revealed she tried to kill herself in 1981 when she discovered that the man she was in love with was married and had children.

Winfrey, 57, was so upset she could not be with radio DJ Tim Watts she drove her car into a tree in an apparent suicide bid. The chat show queen had even wrote a suicide note to her best friend Gayle King, who put her on a 24/7 watch after she survived the crash. According to the National Enquirer, Watts said he and Oprah were both young and at an age when people do stupid things they might regret later, reports the Times of India.

Williams wanted to escape film ACTRESS Michelle Williams wanted to "hop on the next train to the Alps" when she began shooting My Week with Marilyn.

The 31-year-old actress said she found the first few days on the set of the film so "terrifying" she felt as though she was in "free fall" the entire time, reports the Times of India. "I was so scared.

Making this film felt like being in free fall. I think after the second day, I told them they had to take away my passport because I was a flight risk. I wanted to hop on the next train to the Alps or something and get the hell out because it was terrifying."

Bieber's 'balls have dropped' SINGER Justin Bieber's manager claims the singer's "balls have dropped". Scooter Braunt said Bieber had found recording a duet of All I Want For Christmas with Mariah Carey difficult as his voice had broken and was not as high as it used to be. Braunt told Billboard.com: "Vocally, his balls have dropped." He added on the song with Carey: "That was the hardest song to do. A year ago, that would have been no problem."

BUENOS AIRES

Model turned 'Narco Queen' nabbed

HEARTBREAKING ROLE: Lawrence (left) and Hemsworth

looks around the arena and goes, 'Yeah, I got this'. I think she looks around helplessly and thinks, I made a promise to my sister that I would survive; now I have to kill in order to do so."

While Lawrence loved working on the movie, she admitted filming conditions were

tough for her and co-stars, including Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson.

She told Vanity Fair: "When we were filming in the woods, it didn't have that Hollywood gloss — it was real snakes, real bears and real scenes of running up and down a mountain for 13 hours."

VALENCIA: Told the court she was not involved in drug trade

A COLOMBIAN lingerie model has been convicted of trying to ship cocaine to Europe in her suitcases.

Angie Sanclemente Valencia, 31, was sentenced to more than six years in jail, reports NewsCore.

The former beauty queen and model tried to smuggle cocaine to Europe in late 2009 via Mexico. She was arrested in Buenos Aires in May last year after months on the run from police.

He r at t or n e y G e r m a n Delgado said he would appeal the conviction. He said Valencia should be acquitted as she had

no criminal record.

Nicolas Gualco, her boyfriend, was also sentenced to six years and eight months for his role in the same plot.

Valencia, a beauty queen turned model and actress, claimed during the trial she travelled to Argentina to marry Gualco and was not involved in the drug trade, according to Sky News.

She told the court: "I did not come here to commit crimes, I am not a narco-trafficker."

She said all she had done for her boyfriend was "make a few calls," saying, "God knows I did it for love".

12 lifestyle

Inspira gets R3 treatment Limited to 100 units and available only in 1.8 manual form THERE is always a strong demand for special edition cars, especially if the model is fitted with the right kind of bodykit and accessories so Proton made their R3 work a little magic into their Inspira lineup and this is what they came up with.

The R3 special edition Proton Inspira comes with many external design changes, including a more aggressive and sporty front bumper and spoiler combination, side skirts and signature R3 18-inch alloy wheels.

The chrome grille trim has also been blacked out to give the car a more youthful and dynamic appearance.

Apparently anyone who orders the Inspira 1.8 Manual automatically gets upgraded to this kit for no extra cost, the only catch is that you have to be quick because the offer only lasts until they run out of the 100 units that have been planned for.

The Inspira 1.8 manual has an

By SHAMSUL YUNOS lifestyle@mmail.com.my OTR price of RM78,549 for solid colours and RM78,999 if it comes with metallic paint. The R3 parts which include (bodykit, 18-inch alloy wheels and tyres are worth RM9,000.

Booking opens now and ends on Dec 31 and the colours available are white, silver, red and black, but we hear a majority of them are white.

Evoque-ing passion

THE BIG REVEAL: (From left) Land Rover Malaysia operations chief Mohd Hanif Tan Abdullah and Mohd Hazem

SOMETIMES people buy cars because of the brand, sometimes people buy cars because it looks good and sometimes you buy the Land Rover Evoque because it looks good and it has the best of brands.

Although RM350,000 is not exactly cheap for a compact Sports Utility Vehicle, it is the first time that anyone can buy a brand new Range Rover for under RM400,000 in a very long time and the target buyers cannot believe that it is such a ‘bargain’.

According to Land Rover managing director, Mohd Hazem Abdul Rahman, among the 250 people who have put a deposit

on the Evoque are those who swerved at the last minute from a BMW 330i Coupe because they have always wanted a Range Rover that would suit their image and lifestyle.

“The Range Rover brand is powerful and the Evoque is a fantastic looking car, it is really a great proposition for someone looking for a premium lifestyle vehicle,” he said.

For the launch, Land Rover Malaysia is offering the Evoque with a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine or a 2.2-litre turbodiesel.

The 2.0-litre petrol unit generates 240PS and 340 Newton metres of torque while the oil

burner can crank 190PS and 420 Nm of twist.

These numbers should be enough to make the Evoque a spritely little number, the Petrol should be good for high-speed driving while the diesel looks set to be an effortless highway cruiser. With 420 newtons of torque, the diesel variant is also good for embarrassing hot hatch drivers at traffic lights.

Both engines are paired with the company’s latest AW F-21 six-speed automatic transmission and together they clock rather impressive performance figures. Mashing the throttle to the carpet will get 0-100 km/h sprint time of 7.6 seconds for the

petrol versions and 8.5 seconds for the diesel. Top speed for the petrol Evoque is 217 km/h while the oil burner runs out of breath at 195 km/h.

LRM are offering the five and three-door body styles. The three-door variants are called Dynamic and Dynamic Plus while the five-door versions are called Prestige.

Standard kit across the range are push-button start, 8-inch touchsreen monitor, adaptive Xenon headlamps, 380-watt 11-speaker Meridian audio system, 5-inch driver information full colour display, powered tailgate, rear climate control vents, paddle shifters, cruise control and electronic parking brake.

Electronic nannies that will come along for every drive are Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Roll Stability Control (RSC), Traction Control System (TCS), Trailer Stability Assist (TSA), Hill Start Assist, Hill Descent Control (HDC), Enhanced Understeer Control (EUC), Gradient Release Control (GRC) and Engine Drag torque Control (EDC).

The coupe gets Adaptive Dynamic suspension system, glass roof, aluminium trim, sports bucket seats and metal-finish pedals.

All Evoques land in Malaysia

with 20-inch wheels that first appeared in the LRX concept.

The 2.0-litre Coupe Dynamic Plus is the range topper at RM393,888, followed by the 2.0L Petrol 5-Door Prestige at RM363,888 while the 2.2L Diesel 5-Door Prestige plays greeter at RM353,888.

These prices put the Evoque in a very competitive position compared to the BMW X3 and Infinity EX. It is no surprise that they have

sold all 200 cars that was the first order for the Evoque. Book now and you will be put on a waiting list that will force you to stare at the calendar for a few months.

The Malay Mail Friday 4 NOVEMBER, 2011

13

Mini Coupe loses its head signed and powerful.

Mini says it is a faithful reproduction of their design language within the proportions of a roadster.

The short overhangs, wheelat-each-corner stance and high waistline are the defining DNA that has been retained and makes it easily identifiable as the Mini.

Mini wanted the roadster to have a full-blooded go-kart feeling and outstanding safety levels and they achieved this by engineering a bespoke chassis

set-up, that can take advantage of the low centre of gravity, torsionally rigid body and optimised aerodynamic properties of the Roadster.

Although it is a fun car, the Roadster still tries to make concessions to practicality with features such as stowage area behind the driver and passenger seats, through-loading system and 240-litre luggage area.

As a high-end model, the Roadster comes with a mindboggling array of options to make the car truly individual and

apart from the huge selection of colours and trim materials, the car also comes with speed-sensitive steering assistance, Park Distance Control, and a high-power in car entertainment system.

Optional extras include xenon Adaptive Headlights, Comfort Access, navigation system and Mini Connected.

The Roadster also comes with a selection of petrol and diesel engines to reflect the trim and specification levels which start with Roadster S and capped by the Roadster John Cooper Works.

Naza holds Deepavali open house

MOMENTOUS: (From left) Datuk Seri Shahril Shamsuddin, honorary treasurer of the Perdana Leadership Foundation, president and CEO of Sapura Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, honorary president, Perdana Leadership Foundation, Asmat and Aminar looking at the mockcheque

Perodua contributes to country's legacy IN recognition of the role of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in building the Malaysian automotive industry into the thriving economic sector that it is today, Perodua contributed RM500,000 to the Perdana Leadership Foundation.

Perodua chairman, Tan Sri Asmat Kamaludin said the RM500,000 contribution came from a pledge made by Perodua to contribute RM1,000 of every limited edition ALZA M2 variant it sold last January in commemoration with the former prime minister’s visit to Perodua.

“We have chosen the Perdana Leadership Foundation as the recipient of this contribution as it highlights the legacy of our past leaders so that future generations would benefit from their wisdom,” Asmat said in his speech at the handing over ceremony held here today.

Also present at the event was Tun Dr Siti Hasmah, members of the Perodua

board, Perodua managing director Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh and buyers of the ALZA M2.

He also said that Perodua continues to share the former premier’s hopes and aspirations for the company when it first launch its iconic Kancil in August 1994, that is to reduce cost, increase local content, grow its export markets and make customer satisfaction a main priority.

Asmat said, in terms of export, Perodua was looking to double its export capacity by 100 per cent this year to 8,000 and plans on growing its exports to 20,000 units by 2015.

“I am also very happy to note that local contents for our products have shown vast improvements. Since we first started local content was at about 45 per cent but now, our ALZA has 90 per cent local content.”

“But we did not stop there, we now export our engine components to international car makers totalling RM45 million last year and we are set to grow that number even further this

SUDOKU

CAR PRESENTATION: (From left) A. Kohilan, Subramaniam and Wira SM Faisal present a Kia Pregio to Pertubuhan Sukarelawan Hospital-Hospital Selangor

EVERY year, Naza plays host to hundreds of friends, patrons and family members during its Hari Raya and Chinese New Year festivities. This year, for the first time in its history, the auto giant also celebrated Deepavali with an extravagant open house at the Naza World Automall Petaling Jaya.

Approximately 1,000 people attended the event which was graced by Minister of Human Resource, Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senator A. Kohilan Pillay and Hulu Selangor Member of Parliament, P. Kamalanathan.

Naza plans to make the Deepavali open house an annual affair.

Datuk Wira SM Faisal Nasimuddin, Joint Group Executive Chairman of NAZA Group of companies, said it felt only right to also pay tribute to our customers and friends that celebrate Deepavali.

“Well, this may be the first time but I assure you this shall definitely not be the last.”

Children from two Indian charity homes, Agathians Shelter and Pusat Jagaan Siddharthan were invited to join in the festivities. In keeping with its passion for CSR activities, Naza made contributions of RM5,000.00 to each home and the 71 children were delighted with the individual “money packets”

GIFT: (From left) A. Kohilan, Subramaniam, Wira SM Faisal and a representative from the homes with the mock cheque

HOW TO PLAY Sudoku X is a simple variation of Sudoku with the only difference being the squares in white (which make up the numeral X) need to tally from 1 to 9 along with the remaining coloured squares.

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTION

WHY stop creating new variations of the Mini when the market is eagerly buying everything that the brand can come up with, so BMW came up with another variant of the popular car and this time it is a two-seater roadster that looks the part of a small fun open-top ride.

The Roadster is the sixth model in the brand's current line-up and it is targetted at demanding customers who want something unique that is sporty, fun, beautifully-de-

14 lifestyle

The Malay Mail Friday 4 NOVEMBER, 2011

TestDrive: Kia Sportage 2.0

Sizzling Korean athlete The Kia Sportage is futuristic, feature-packed and gorgeous

By Shamsul Yunos lifestyle@mmail.com.my

Kia Sportage 2.0 ▪ Engine Type: 2.0 DOHC DCVVT THETA II ▪ Displacement: 1,998 cc ▪ Horsepower: 166 ps @ 6200 rpm ▪ Torque: 197 Nm @ 4600 rpm ▪ Transmission: 6-Speed Automatic ▪ Tyre Size: 235/55R R18 ▪ Special features: Panoramic glass roof, keyless go, reverse camera, high-powered sound system, electric driver’s seat

ContiMaxContact MC5 Standard Fitment 235/55R18 104V

The Kia Sportage is so good looking that it is possible to recommend it on the strength of its design alone.

The Sportage has a combination of futuristic and athletic beauty, almost like one of those lycra-clad characters in a science fiction.

Everytime I approach the Sportage, it offers a new take, a new cut to the SUV profile that makes it look more like a sports hatchback than a mudplugger and it is this cross-category design vocabulary that makes it so beguiling.

Peter Schreyer is not someone who just draws a car on a whim, he holds on to the classical artistic discipline of maintaining elegant proportion and dynamic composition. It is in his German nature and training.

The Sportage starts with a wheel at each corner stance that makes it look like a car crawling up a rock,

then it gets a strong wedge-shaped motif in the form of the strong character line on its flank and it is finished with a sloping roof that accentuates the aggressive wedge.

The designers then filled this beautiful form with nice details such as the unique windshield shape, clean and modern door handles, v-shaped grille and headlamp combination and a strong and outstanding reverse-sloping c-pillar that adds tension to the sleek shape.

The rear windscreen is equally characterful and so are those bulging rear lamp clusters that creates a stubby wing when seen from the front three-quarter angle and help to fill the void created by the boattail rear.

The interior is equally interesting to look at with the well-developed three-dimensional dashboard that is playful and well laid out.

The seats are comfortable and the sound system powerful enough to

satisfy most cravings for high-fidelity music recreation.

The driving dynamics is not bad either.

Thanks to the relatively low centre of gravity and a suspension setup that is biased for road use, the Sportage can be hustled without feeling rustled.

Body roll is well controlled and the steering is fairly precise but as with most SUV’s the Sportage’s steering is rather numb and lacks feedback. But then again, this is an SUV and they need a rather well insulated steering system just in case they go offroad and have to deal with uneven terrain.

Obviously Kia is an upcoming marque and this means that they still cannot command the same premium that the Japanese asks from its customers but the gap is now very small.

In fact when compared with the Honda CR-V, the king of the compact SUV market, the Sportage’s price is not even RM10,000 less than the Japanese.

The company has no plan to offer cars at cut rate prices anymore and to do this in the face of tough competition, they decided to pack their rides with a lot of features and the Sportage is a very good example of this strategy.

No other SUV can boast all-wheel drive system, panoramic glass roof, reverse camera, power driver seat, keyless go and high-powered sound system for the price.

If the Japanese were to offer the same level of specifications, their price would probably breach the RM200,000 mark.

Kia knows that they are fighting a winning battle with the current lineup of vehicles but they also know that their history is not far behind them and customers could so easily revert to their perception of the brand that they had three years ago and that would be devastating.

To make sure that they can back the promise made by the well designed and specified models on offer, Kia is bumping up their after sales service and for the first time, the service centres are making money and bustling with business.

Parts prices are now comparable to the Japanese and the stock room is full of parts that customers need.

Verdict: Highly recommended for anyone looking for a compact SUV, the value proposition is fantastic, the design is modern and coherent and Naza Kia Malaysia is doing everything it can to improve customer service.

lifestyle 15

The Malay Mail Friday 4 NOVEMBER, 2011

Proton looking for clean sweep at rally

By Shamsul Yunos lifestyle@mmail.com.my Proton’s first full year of campaign in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship is bearing fruit for the company and they are of the champion, blue-ribbon variety.

Alsiter McRae and Chris Aktinsons will likely fight it out for the Drivers championship in an all-Proton showdown at the last round of the APRC in the China Rally.

McRae is leading the pack with 116 points, seven points ahead of his team mate Atkinson, and this is setting the stage for what is expected to

be a competitive and combative weekend of rallying.

“Whatever the outcome, Chris and I already have a strong reason to celebrate in that it is Proton that comes out on top this season,” said McRae. The Proton Satria Neo S2000 has been a dominant force in the 2011 APRC, winning three out of five rallies so far, securing two second places and two third places finishes.

Mathematically, the driver championship is already in the team bag and the only thing left is for the two drivers to slug it out to decide

who gets to take it home.

McRae said the bigger objective at the China Rally will be to secure maximum points to win Proton the 2011 APRC manufacturer’s title. Proton currently tops the point standings with 162 points. Six points behind in second place is Mitsubishi while a distant third is Subaru.

“China is going to be extremely competitive given its rough and challenging terrain, the enormous number of entries and especially the high level of competition.

And you can bet that the boys in Mitsubishi will be going all out to clinch the title,” said At-

kinson.

Both McRae and Atkinson had piloted their Proton Satria Neo S2000 to a one-two victory at the China Rally last year.

With the current third place contender to the APRC driver’s title no longer posing a threat to McRae and Atkinson, Proton will head to the China Rally having already won a host of other titles that include the APRC co-driver’s championship, the APRC Teams Trophy, and the manufacturer’s title in the FIA APRC Rally Cup for two-wheel drive.

The Malaysian car manufacturer has also won the FIA APRC Junior Cup driver’s and

7-year glitch-free ride for Ferrari owners Maintenance is always a nuisance that car owners have to put up with, regardless of the model that they drive, even if they are lucky enough to have a Ferrari in the garage.

To put a bigger smile on their clients in Malaysia, Ferrari

recently announced a new customer care package, those ordering a Ferrari California, 458 Italia, FF or 458 Spider from the authorised dealership network will be entitled to a free sevenyear scheduled maintenance programme.

This service commences in Malaysia from today, and will be progressively available in all Ferrari markets, covering all global authorised dealership networks.

Genuine Maintenance is Ferrari’s exclusive service that ensures that its cars are maintained to the highest standards to meet the company’s strict requirements for safety,

performance and reliability.

The programme is unique – this is the first time a car manufacturer offers such cover and is evidence of the attention paid by Ferrari to ensuring its clients enjoy the maximum peace of mind.

The Genuine Maintenance programme covers each individual vehicle, and thus extends to any eventual subsequent owner during the entire seven-year period.

The programme covers the scheduled maintenance at standard service intervals (20,000 km, or once a year, with no restriction on total kilometres) along with the relevant original spare parts, engine oil and brake fluid.

co-driver’s titles and FIA APRC Rally Cup driver’s and co-driver’s titles with with Japanese drivers Akira Bamba and Malaysian Karamjit Singh driving the 1600cc Proton Satria Neo. And depending on how McRae finishes, the Scottish driver also has a shot at clinching the FIA Asia Cup driver’s championship in which he currently leads with 60 points.

With sufficient points at stake this weekend, Indian driver Gaurav Gill and Japanese Katsuhiko Taguchi currently at 37 and 35 points respectively, still have a clear shot at the title should either

driver win the rally.

Also gunning for a second title is Atkinson who is currently leading the FIA Pacific Cup driver’s championship with 78 points. He will need to fend off Indonesian Rifat Sungkar for the title.

“Overall it has been an excellent season for Proton. Depending on what the weekend of rallying has in store for us, we may be heading for a clean sweep of all 13 individual titles in the 2011 championship and that would simply make it a remarkable year,” said Proton Holdings Berhad, Group Marketing and Branding Director, John Chacko.

Hybrids park for free in PJ Petaling Jaya City Hall wants to reward and encourage green car owners by giving them three-months free parking within the city limits. This is part of the council’s green incentives programme announced for next year's budget.

Owners of the Honda C-RZ, Insight, Civic Hybrid, Lexus CT200H, Lexus RX450H and Toyota Prius registered from Jan 1, 2012 can apply for a special pass.

Reports on the incentive is not clear how the council plans to dish out the 90 days of free parking, from Jan 1 next year or 90 days

from the day the pass is approved.

There are also some uncertainties as to whether the passes are valid at all parking facilities or just on those operated by the City.

16

PROPERTY / MOTORING / HEALTH / HOME / OTHERS /JOBS

the malay mail

Friday 4 NOVEMBER, 2011

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sports

France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga suffered a blow in his bid to seal a berth in the ATP World Tour finals when he crashed to 116th-ranked American Sam Querrey in Valencia — AFP JAKARTA: TENNIS

The Malay Mail Friday 4 NOVEMBer, 2011

KVITOVA

Ivanovic into Commonwealth semis FORMER world No 1 Ana Ivanovic (pic) entered the semifinals of the women's Commowealth Bank Tournament of Champions on Indonesia's Bali island yesterday.

The Serbian beat Italy's Roberta Vinci 6-3, 6-3 in an 80-minute match with a close second set that saw Vinci making strong returns down the line.

The win moved Ivanovic

a step closer to successfully defending the title she won last year.

Ivanovic has been pushing through an ankle injury and took a medical time-out with her doctor and trainer, but bounced back to win the second set with consistent forehand winners. "(Vinci) is a tough opponent and I've lost to her twice this year, so I knew I had to be aggressive and settle into the

rhythm of the match," the Serb said.

Earlier in the first round, Russia's Nadia Petrova beat China's Shuai Peng 6-4, 6-3, with Peng losing her reach on the ball as Petrova used her strength to dominate the court in the final games.

Petrova got more first serves in than Peng, allowing her to set up winners to Peng's backhand.

The turning point came in

the second set when the opponents were neck to neck, on deuce with three games each.

Petrova won the game with a forehand shot and easily put away the next two games to see her into the semifinals to face Ivanovic.

France's Marion Bartoli will meet Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigies today, and Germany's Sabine Lisicki plays Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova for a spot in the semifinals. — AFP

Ready to roar

SINGAPORE: GOLF

I'm lucky to be selected for Presidents Cup, says Woods

FORMER world No 1 Tiger Woods (pic) is counting his blessings to have been picked

by US captain Fred Couples for the Presidents Cup defence in Australia later this month.

Woods, winner of 14 Majors and considered one of the finest players ever, has tumbled to 56th in the world rankings and not won a single title since the explosive revelation of his marital infidelities at the end of 2009. The dramatic collapse has left many questioning his inclusion by Couples ahead of the likes of US PGA Championship winner Keegan Bradley for the matches against an International team at the Royal Melbourne club from Nov 17-20.

"I'm honoured to be picked," Woods, who has played every

Presidents Cup since 1998, told reporters in Singapore yesterday. Freddie had plenty of different candidates he could have chosen, I'm lucky

to be on the team, we have a great team.

"I know I have got four starts guaranteed and I'm looking forward to getting out there and seeing who is going to be my partner and hopefully, winning our matches."

Woods, 35, finished 128th on the PGA Tour money list this season after making just nine starts following his selfimposed exile at the start of the year and knee and Achilles injuries.

The last of those nine starts came at the Frys.com Open last month, where he finished tied for 30th, but Woods was happy that the work he had been putting in on remodelling his swing was beginning to pay off.

"I was pleased with what I

worked on going into Fry's.

Unfortunately, I did it in streaks, I wasn't as consistent as I wanted to be," he said.

"I would get in these nice grooves for nine or 10 holes then I would lose it for two or three holes.

"That is something we have been working on, I have been playing a ton of golf at home with a minimum of 36 holes.

"So I have been getting out there and just getting my playing instincts back, something I hadn't done all summer as I have been injured."

Woods will have the opportunity to justify his inclusion in the team when he takes part in the Australia Open next week. And the fact that he has been made joint favourite for the Sydney tournament

elicited a big laugh from the American.

The 2009 Australia Masters title was the last of his wins and he hope to emulate Sergio Garcia, who won back-to-back European Tour events last month, to end a three-year title drought.

"He went through a period where he struggled a little bit and he has come out the other end," Woods said.

"We all go through it.

Unfortunately, I have gone through it the last couple of years where I really haven't played as well as I like. Now I'm healthy, playing again, playing more and playing consistently so I'm looking forward to the end of this year and going into the next."

-- Reuters

PETALING JAYA: SURFING

Smaller waves tests your skills, says Bryan KUAL A TERENGGANU could be the next international surfing destination.

Skeptics would frown as the waves along the Terengganu coastline is smaller compared to Hawaii or even Bali.

Nevertheless, local surfer Bryan Ng says there need not be a huge wave to surf.

"When the wave is small, it tests your skills and capabilities. It's easier to surf on a bigger wave than a smaller one," said Bryan, 34.

"But waves at Batu Burok and other parts of Terengganu are generally good and are also suitable to host competitions."

Surfers, especially those

By HARESH DEOL haresh@mmail.com.my

from Japan and Brazil, are eager to explore new venues as they are often put off by overcrowded spots.

Several other locations in Terengganu which are a hit among local and foriegn surfers include Chendering and Merang.

Bryan believes the best way to put Kuala Terengganu on the surfer's map is through the inaugural Terengganu Quiksilver Best Event Surf Contest scheduled from Dec 2-4 at Batu Burok.

The event is divided into four divisions — Men's Short-

board Open, Women's Shortboard Open, Master Shortboard Open and Body-board Open — and offers a total prize money of US$10,000 (RM32,000). Some 40 local talents are expected to join their foreign surfers in the event.

There have been several surfing competitions and clinics mainly in Sunway Lagoon, Cherating and Kuala Terengganu in the past including the Quiksilver Revolution Tour in 2006, Revolution 2.0 in 2008, the Billabong Pro Am Cherating and the Terengganu Go Surfing Day held last year.

However, there has not been a dedicated annual tournament

which could push Malaysian surfers to the next level.

Bryan, who hails from Klang and started surfing at the age of 20, is hoping that the Terengganu Quiksilver contest would turn out to be an annual affair as it is part of the Asian Surfing Championship (ASC) series.

This event would compliment the Monsoon Cup, an annual sailing tournament, which is also held in Kuala Terengganu during the yearend.

Among the Malaysians ranked in the ASC 2011 standings include Mohd Daud Mohd (ranked 10), Mohammad Didaqt (27) and

Nazrin Nasrudin (35).

Neighbours Indonesia continue to dominate the region as they have been actively surfing since the 70s. However, ASC chief executive officer Tipi Jabrik is confident Malaysia can market itself as a surfing paradise in time to come.

"Just by this event, Quiksilver will make money, the State government will get more tourists, we get to see more Malaysian surfers in action and the Press will have more stories to write. Everyone is happy," said Jabrik, who is also a surfer.

"With the right support, I'm confident Malaysia will have a good future (in surfing)."

MOSCOW: TENNIS

Red hot Kvitova bids to help Czechs THE Czech Republic, spearheaded by in-form Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, enter the Fed Cup final as favourites to overcome Russia to win the women's world team tennis trophy for the first time as an independent State.

Kvitova should enter the event full of confidence after beating five Top 10 players on her way to a moraleboosting win at the seasonending WTA championships in Istanbul to gain the world's number two position.

Kvitova's straight-sets win over Russia's team leader Vera Zvonareva in the group stages of the Istanbul event should also add to the 21-year-old Czech star's self confidence.

Kvitova will probably get a chance to rubberstamp her superiority over Zvonareva at Moscow's Olympic indoor stadium in what will be their seventh meeting, with the current head-to-head score tied at 3-3.

The Czech team skipper Petr Pala also included Lucie Safarova, who is 24th in the WTA rankings, Lucie Hradecka, 46th in the world and the doubles specialist Kveta Peschke.

"It's going to be a very tight tie as we're facing probably the strongest team in the world.

They have so many good players at the top of the rankings," Pala said.

"We are looking forward to a big crowd even if it's not gonna be a home crowd (for us). But our girls like the big stage and we expect the Czech fans are going to be a big part of it.

"It's going to be a very interesting and tight tie to watch." — AFP

The Malay Mail Friday 4 novemBER, 2011

VfL Wolfsburg will be without midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger for the foreseeable future as the 29-year-old is set to undergo knee surgery — AFP

sports

21

MANCHESTER: football/ champions league

At centre stage Rooney stars in midfield for United's win

MANCHESTER UNITED s t r i k e r Wa y n e R o o n e y believes his side are firmly on course for the round of 16 after defeating Otelul Galati 2-0 in a Group C match at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Rooney started the game in an unfamiliar midfield role but still managed to get on the scoresheet as the Red Devils moved above Benfica on goal difference with the hard earned victory over the Romanian side.

With Benfica up next in the group at Old Trafford, a win would secure a place in the last 16 for either side, a fact not lost on Rooney.

"Thankfully we've got the two goal win and now I think win the next home game and we'll win the group," he told Sky Sports.

"We've done a job against Galati, we knew we had t o w i n b e c au s e i n t h e Champions League there's no easy games and they've come and defended and pressed us quite high which is surprising. " It ' s d i f f i c u l t — s e e Chelsea (on Tuesday where the Blues were held 1-1

by Genk), there's no easy games. People might think that Galati are not the best team but if they work hard and defend well they can be difficult to break down."

United scored after only eight minutes when Antonio Valencia tapped in from a Phil Jones cross but had to wait until the 87th minute to seal the win as Galati offered

COMING THROUGH: Rooney (right) tries to get past Otelul Galati's Gabriel Giurgiu during the match — AFP photo

SUNDAY Mallorca v Sevilla (1am) Away win Real Betis v Malaga (3am) A draw Levante v Valencia (5am) Away win Real Madrid v Osasuna (9pm) Home win Granada v R. Santander (11pm) Home win R. Zaragoza v S. Gijon (11pm) A draw MONDAY Espanyol v Villarreal (1am) Home win R. Vallecano v R. Sociedad (1am) A draw Ath Bilbao v Barcelona (3am) Away win Getafe v Atle Madrid (5am) Away win Predictions by Mailsport

Standings

a stern test.

The nature of the second goal was contentious but Rooney was confident the deflected shot will be awarded in his favour.

"I think it's mine. I've had the shot and I'm sure the lads won't want it down as an own goal, I'll wait and see," said the England international.

With Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen occupying the forward positions, Rooney was required to play from midfield but he had no issue with the demand.

LIVERPOOL: Football/ PREMIER LEAGUE

Dalglish urges FA to wrap up Suarez probe LIVERPOOL manager Kenny Dalglish urged the FA to wrap up their investigation of alleged racist abuse by Luis Suarez against Manchester United fullback Patrice Evra.

The FA has yet to issue its verdict on Evra's allegations, nearly three weeks after they emerged in the aftermath of Liverpool's 1-1 draw with United at Anfield.

Suarez has categorically denied the allegations while United have stated they are fully behind French international Evra.

FIXTURES

Dalglish however is anxious to draw a line under the affair as quickly as possible.

"The FA have been here and spoken to us," said Dalglish.

"Our philosophy and desire has not changed whatsoever — we want it resolved as quickly as it possibly can be and want the perpetrator punished.

"I don't think we need to add any more than that."

An FA spokesman said the governing body did not expect a verdict on the investigation this week. — AFP

"It was no problem. I've played there a lot when I was younger and it's somewhere where you get a lot of the ball, and we had to defend at times tonight, and if the manager asks me to do it, I'm happy to do it," he said.

Un ite d m an age r A l e x Ferguson praised Rooney for his central midfield performance on Wednesday.

In a game where United failed to put on a display of their best football, Rooney was a shining light for the hosts as they were pushed

hard throughout by the Romanian champions.

Ferguson applauded Rooney's contributions, but was unsure whether the position in the middle of the park was going to be made a common one for the former Everton striker to fill.

Asked if Rooney's performance was the best, Ferguson said: "Yes, I thought so.

"I thought he was fantastic in the centre of midfield, I really do. He was aware of the people around him, his choice of passing was very, very good so he did really

well for us.

"It's difficult to say if he will play there against sterner competition. What our opponents did was defend well against us and try to stop us in terms of attacking. So, it's difficult to say, but I'd be confident to put him there again.

"We are just tr ying to organise our midfield around all these injuries in that department. Michael Carrick's still injured, Tom Cleverley is still injured and with Darren Fletcher we are spacing his games out."

P W D L Real Madrid 10 8 1 1 Barcelona 10 7 3 0 Levante 10 7 2 1 Valencia 10 6 3 1 Sevilla 10 4 5 1 Malaga 10 5 1 4 Espanyol 10 5 0 5 Osasuna 10 3 5 2 Ath Bilbao 10 3 4 3 Atle Madrid 10 3 4 3 R. Vallecano 10 3 3 4 R. Betis 10 4 0 6 Villarreal 10 2 4 4 Mallorca 10 2 3 5 R. Zaragoza 10 2 3 5 R. Sociedad 10 2 2 6 S. Gijon 10 2 2 6 R. Santander 10 1 5 4 Granada 10 2 2 6 Getafe 10 1 4 5

F A Pts 32 6 25 32 4 24 17 7 23 15 9 21 11 8 17 12 14 16 9 13 15 13 17 14 15 12 13 12 11 13 10 13 12 10 15 12 9 17 10 8 16 9 10 20 9 9 14 8 8 14 8 7 15 8 4 12 8 9 15 7

TOP scorers 13 goals Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 10 goals Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid) 6 goals Roberto Soldado (Valencia) Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid) 5 goals Juanlu (Levante) Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao)

BARCELONA: football/ primera liga

Neymar not going to Real, says Santos president

BRAZILIAN club Santos' president Luis Alvaro Ribeiro (pic) dismissed claims that star striker Neymar has agreed to join Real Madrid in January.

Reports on Wednesday had suggested Jose Mourinho's side were closing in on the 19-year-old's signature, with a fee of €53 million mentioned.

However, the latest batch of rumours have forced Ribeiro to publicly declare that no such move is currently in the pipeline.

"There is no agreement with Real Madrid," Ribeiro told Catalan station Ona FM.

"We still have the intention of keeping Neymar for the time being. Real can offer figures close to his release clause, but we are not a commercial company and Santos are not interested in the money.

"We have no interest in selling, and I think a renewal is possible. He has a contract until 2015 but we are willing to improve his terms, as we will do everything for him to stay with us. However, we are also open to the will of player."

Ribeiro then discussed the

chances that Neymar would move to Barcelona after he was asked where he would prefer the player to go if he did leave.

"I am trying to set up a dinner date with Sandro Rosell (Barca president), as he is my friend. I feel great sympathy for Barca. However, Real are a great club as well, as they wear white like Santos — but Catalunya and Barcelona have a place in my heart."

Neymar has scored 11 goals in 18 appearances in the Brasileiro this season.

22

sport

Before I came to the club, Real always lost when they played here, but under me we have managed one draw and a win in Lyon — Jose Mourinho

The Malay Mail Friday 4 NOVEMBER, 2011

results

LYON: football/ champions league

Centurion Ronaldo

yesterday GROUP A

Bayern Munich 3 Napoli 2 Villarreal 0 Man City 3 GROUP B

Inter Milan 2 Lille 1 Trabzonspor 0 CSKA 0

Real ace thanks Mourinho and teammates for his 100th goal

AT TAC K E R C r i s t i a n o Ronaldo was delighted to have scored his 100th goal for Real Madrid and he thanked his teammates and coach for helping him reach the milestone.

The 26-year-old Portugal international scored both of Real's goals in their 2-0 victory over Olympique Lyonnais in a Group D match at Stade de Gerland yesterday.

The second goal, which came from a penalty, was Ronaldo's 100th in just 105 competitive matches for Los Blancos, and he was naturally overjoyed with the landmark.

"I didn't expect to score my 100th goal so soon,” he said on Real's website.

"I'd like to thank my teammates and manager Jose Mourinho, who gives me the chance to play and grow as a player and as a person."

Ronaldo then reflected on his team's win, which was their fourth in succession

in the group and secured them a berth in the last 16 of Europe's premier club competition this season.

"It was important to win and qualify for the next round," he said.

"We made it. We're calmer now that we've won our first four games. We all played well against a team that made things difficult for us.

We must keep this up and avoid comparing ourselves with other sides.

"We're more mature than last year and we're having a good run, but we must also take things slowly," said Ronaldo.

Real are now on top of the Primera Liga table with 25 points from 10 matches — one ahead of bitter rivals and champions Barcelona, who have also qualified for the knockout phase of the Champions League.

Striker Karim Benzema also stressed that Real are better now than they were last season in the wake of

landmark: Ronaldo (left) scores a penalty against goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (second right) during the match — AFP photo

GROUP D

Ajax 4 D. Zagreb 0 Lyon 0 R. Madrid 2

TABLES

his side's away win over Olympique Lyonnais.

Real had never before won at Stade Gerland.

"We've improved this year. We had a good season

last year, but we're better now. We can still progress, though, and we will continue to improve," said Benzema.

"I don't know why Real had never won at Gerland

before, but what matters is we finally did it. We played well and we're very happy.

Olympique Lyonnais have great players and they made things difficult for us."

GROUP E

P W Bayern Munich 4 3 Man City 4 2 Napoli 4 1 Villarreal 4 0

D 1 1 2 0

L 0 1 1 4

F 8 6 6 1

A Pts 3 10 4 7 5 5 9 0

GROUP F

P Inter Milan 4 CSKA Moscow 4 Trabzonspor 4 Lille 4

D 0 2 2 2

L 1 1 1 2

F 6 7 2 4

A Pts 4 9 5 5 4 5 6 2

F 8 5 6 1

A Pts 4 8 2 8 7 5 7 0

W 3 1 1 0

GROUP G

Man United Benfica FC Basel Otelul Galati

P W D 4 2 2 4 2 2 4 1 2 4 0 0

L 0 0 1 4

GROUP H

Real Madrid Ajax Lyon D. Zagreb

P W D 4 4 0 4 2 1 4 1 1 4 0 0

L F A Pts 0 10 0 12 1 6 3 7 2 2 6 4 4 0 9 0

MUNICH

MILAN

Don't rule out troubled Inter, says Zanetti IN TER M ILAN cap tai n Javier Zanetti (pic) says he and his teammates still believe they can win the Champions League this season but admits they will have a better outlook of the competition in February.

Zanetti was speaking after his team's 2-1 victory over Lille in their Group B clash in Milan yesterday that saw them increase their tally to nine points from four matches.

The Nerazzurri have endured a tough start to the season. They lost 2-1 to Juventus at home last weekend consigning them to just a place above the relegation zone in Serie A after nine matches.

Zanetti, however, refuses to let go of the belief they can reclaim the Champions League trophy from Barcelona this season but concedes that it is not going to be easy.

"All the big sides are doing well," the veteran defender told Inter Channel. "It will be a well balanced competition.

"Do we believe we can

GROUP C

Benfica 1 FC Basel 1 Man United 2 O. Galati 0

do it? You have to believe you ca n a n d l ook to improve every day. But the Champions League is such a strange competition that you have to see how each team is set come February, when it's make or break."

Reflecting on the win over Lille, the Argentine underlined the impact of striker and compatriot Diego Milito, who scored the eventual winner despite missing a number of chances against the French champions.

“It went well for us tonight and I'm especially happy for Diego — he needed that goal," said the 38-year-old.

"He's like a brother to me and setting up his goal was like scoring myself.

"Strikers get periods like this, periods when you do everything right. Diego is working hard for the team, he makes sacrifices and he deserved this goal."

Inter centreback Walter Samuel has stressed the win over Lille was vital in order to show the football world that the Nerazzurri are still a force to be reckoned with.

"We knew it was important to win tonight (yesterday), important to edge closer to qualification and important after losing to Juventus last Saturday," Samuel told Inter's website.

"We wanted to show everyone that Inter are still here and that's what we did with this win. We're happy today but we're already thinking ahead towards the match against Genoa at the weekend because now we have to climb back up the table."

Inter take on Genoa at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Sunday.

Schweinsteiger blow for Bayern BAYERN MUNICH'S prolific striker Mario Gomez admitted Bastian Schweinsteiger's injury is a bitter blow for his side but they must quickly find a way to cope without the influential midfielder.

S c h w e i n s te i g e r s u s tained a broken collarbone in Bayern's 3-2 win over Napoli in a Group A match at Allianz Arena yesterday.

The 27-year-old will be out of action until the New Year as a result of the injury, much to the disappointment of Gomez.

"His injury is a bitter blow for us," Gomez told Uefa's website.

"Bastian is our midfield motor. He dictates the tempo of the game and you could see that we lost our rhythm without him."

Schweinsteiger's place in the starting line-up is likely to be taken by Ukraine i n te r n a t i o n a l A n a to l i y Tymoshchuk.

Germany international Schweinsteiger, 27, limped of f just eight minutes into the second-half after a collision with Gokhan Inler and was replaced by Tymoshchuk.

"Schweinsteiger is an important player," said manager Jupp Heynckes. "It is

bitter blow: Schweinsteiger is carried off after an injury during the match against Napoli — AFP photo

a pity, but we have so far been able to replace injured players well."

Bayern are now on top of the group after the win with 10 points, and will host pointless Villarreal in their next match.

Meanwhile, Heynckes denied his team were careless in the match against Napoli.

Bayern raced into a threegoal lead courtesy of a firsthalf hattrick from Gomez, but a brace from Federico Fernandez ensured a nervy end to the clash.

Heynckes maintained that even at 3-0, Napoli were

never out of the game.

"There is no way we were careless after we went 3-0 up. I told the team before the game that it would be very difficult. Napoli never gave up, they have superb morale and are at the top when it comes to fighting and running," he said.

"At this level, you get nothing for free and until today (Wednesday) they had not lost a single Champions League game. We have to be pleased that we won.

Such games happen in Europe, maybe this will help bring expectations back down to earth."

The Malay Mail Friday 4 novemBER, 2011

sports

He loves everything about his job — Ryan Giggs on Alex Ferguson

Perfectly in Toon Newcastle looking good to challenge for a Champions League spot

FIXTURES SATURDAY Newcastle v Everton (8.45pm) Home win Arsenal v West Brom (11pm) Home win Aston Villa v Norwich (11pm) A draw Blackburn v Chelsea (11pm) A draw Liverpool v Swansea (11pm) Home win Man United v Sunderland (11pm) Home win SUNDAY QPR v Man City (1.30am) Away win Wolves v Wigan (9.30pm) Home win Bolton v Stoke (11pm) A draw MONDAY Fulham v Tottenham (12am) Away win Predictions by Mailsport

Standings

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

P 10 10 10 10 9 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 10 10 10 10

W D L 9 1 0 7 2 1 6 4 0 6 1 3 6 1 2 5 3 2 5 1 4 3 4 3 2 6 2 3 3 4 3 3 4 3 3 4 3 2 5 2 4 4 2 4 4 3 1 5 2 2 6 1 3 6 2 0 8 1 2 7

F A Pts 36 8 28 27 12 23 15 7 22 23 15 19 18 14 19 14 10 18 20 21 16 14 15 13 13 13 12 12 15 12 8 14 12 8 17 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

TOP SCORERS 10 goals Robin van Persie (Arsenal)

"THE table never lies," and "you can only beat what's in front of you". Two hoary old footballing cliches, and, like most cliches (however irritating) grounded in truth.

Newcastle United are third in the Barclays Premier League table heading into this weekend's round of fixtures, and commentators and pundits alike are scratching their heads trying to work out how and why.

The club dispensed with the services of arguably their three key players — namely Andy Carroll, Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton (and let's not forget the often underrated Jose Enrique) — were expected to struggle in this campaign, focusing their attentions on avoiding relegation as opposed to pushing for a Uefa Champions League spot.

With a quarter of the season gone, Newcastle find themselves a point behind Manchester United, and three points clear of both Chelsea and Tottenham, having won six and drawn four of their opening 10 league games.

Some will point to a fairly forgiving start to the season in terms of the teams they have had to play, but Arsenal and Spurs have failed to beat them, and on Monday they did something that no side have done this season, going to the Britannia Stadium and emerging with three points.

There is a new-found belief and unity at the club, made all the more surprising by the influx of new players in the summer, and the outflux of established stars.

GameOn with Andrew Leci The belief extends to a brand of football that is both easy on the eye and effective — just ask Stoke.

Pass completion on Monday night was high, work rate was phenomenal, and the conversion of chances created just about as good as it gets. Alan Pardew, an eyebrow-raising choice in the North East when nominated to replace the popular Chris Hughton, has to take a great deal of the credit for this.

Not only for creating a football philosophy that will endear him to the Toon faithful, but also for getting his players to carry out his plans. In Yohan Cabaye, Newcastle have one of the summer's best buys — especially as the fee remains "undisclosed".

He possesses great vision and technical ability, as well as the kind of "engine" that will get him from box to box throughout a game. His skill on the ball is complemented perfectly by the pit bull terrier masquerading as Cheik Tiote, who picks up more than his fair share of yellow cards, but is the kind of player every team needs.

Interestingly, Tiote was injured for Monday night's game and Danny Guthrie came in to replace him. If the naysayers are to be given credence, then Newcastle's lack of strength in squad depth may well turn out

to be what prevents them enjoying a truly successful season. And yet Guthrie did an excellent job on his first league start of the season to allay fears that Pardew may have limited options when key players are on the sidelines.

Apart from Demba Ba's eight league goals this season, the major revelation for me has been the form of Fabricio Coloccini.

I don't think it would be harsh to say that in previous campaigns, the 29-year-old Argentina international has been responsible for his fair share of defensive mistakes, and has often looked less than comfortable on the ball.

Given the captaincy, after the departures of Messrs Nolan and Barton, Coloccini has stepped up a notch (or two) in every facet of his game. He is leading by example, and appearing to enjoy the responsibility. His form, and the exuberance he brings to the side, have contributed to what has become the meanest defence in the entire league — not something we would ever associate with a Newcastle side.

Having said all this, pundits will point to a reasonably straightforward run of fixtures to start the campaign, and much sterner tests ahead.

After tomorrow's home

PARDEW

g a m e a g a i n s t Ev e r t o n , Newcastle face both Manchester clubs away, and then return to St James’ Park for a date with Chelsea. If the Toon are still unbeaten by that stage, and if their key players continue to enjoy only a fleeting relationship with the treatment table, then may b e just may b e we can look at expanding the current group of clubs looking for European experiences next season.

That's to take nothing away from what Newcastle have already achieved. They're getting results; they're playing with passion and no little verve, and they're good fun to watch. The Toon Army, ever the realists, will simply be hoping that the run continues for as long as possible.  Catch Andrew Leci on Monday Night Verdict every Monday at 8pm on ESPN and send in your feedback to the ve rdic t@espn star. com.

Magpies set to go with the flow MANAGER Alan Pardew does not believe that expectations are a problem at Newcastle, claiming they will continue to take things one game at a time.

The Magpies have surged into third place in the Premier League table on the back of an unbeaten start to the season.

Ten games have been successfully negotiated and a 3-1 win over Stoke last Monday saw them clamber above title hopefuls Chelsea.

It has been suggested that

the Magpies should reevaluate their goals for the campaign on the back of such an impressive opening, with talk of European qualification doing the rounds.

Pardew is aware that a positive run of results will lead to an inevitable rise in expectation, but he is adamant no one at St James' Park is getting carried away.

"I don't think it's a problem," he told Sky Sports. "I think our fans are underestimated about their knowledge of the game. They

know where we are at, they know we are playing with confidence and we have got a decent side.

"How good it is, we don't know. We are just going from game to game at the moment.

"I don't see the expectation levels rising or going through the roof here. I think everyone has got their feet on the ground and hope we can keep it going."

Pardew is happy for others to do the talking for Newcastle, with his focus

Presstalk METRO

Blues keeping tabs on Higuain CHELSEA are eyeing up Real Madrid's reborn goal machine Gonzalo Higuain as a potential replacement for Didier Drogba. Spanish reports suggest Roman Abramovich has targeted Higuain as the man to take over from Drogba, and is willing to break the bank once again in order to land his man. The 23-yearold Argentinean ace has 14 goals in 19 appearances this season, which includes three consecutive hattricks for club and country, so it's unlikely Jose Mourinho will let him leave without a fight.

A £30 million offer may well tempt Real into selling, as they already have one eye on Eden Hazard and Brazillian Neymar, who could replace Higuain.

DAILY MIRROR

NEWCASTLE: football/ premier league

9 goals Wayne Rooney (Man United) Sergio "Kun" Aguero (Man City) Edin Dzeko (Man City) 8 goals Demba Ba (Newcastle) 6 goals Rafael van der Vaart (Tottenham) 5 goals Frank Lampard (Chelsea) Mario Balotelli (Man City)

23

locked squarely on a home m at c h a g a i n s t Ev e r t o n tomorrow.

"We've had a great start and we've shown a lot of sides to us as a team. We will take that to Everton and look no further than that," he said.

"We are coming up against a side that is an established Premier League side, with a great manager and good players and you have to respect every team in this division. That is what we will do in our next game."

Whopping price-tag on Junior

BLACKBURN want a stunning £18 million for attacker Junior Hoilett (pic) — as they try to scare off potential suitors Tottenham and Newcastle.

The Canadian's contract is up at the end of the season and he has yet to commit to a new deal, but Rovers' Indian owners are not going to sell him in the January window unless the fee is huge.

Manager Steve Kean hopes he can still persuade Hoilett to carry on with the club, despite their current troubles, and neither he nor the Ewood Park money men want to cash in.

Spurs have been long-time admirers of Hoilett, while Newcastle would also like him in their ranks.

DAILY MAIL

Defoe being monitored by QPR QUEENS PARK RANGERS are monitoring Jermain Defoe's position at Tottenham.

Manager Neil Warnock is short of a striker who can find the goals to keep his team in the top flight and has earmarked the England forward for a January transfer bid of around £8 million. Warnock believes the 29-year-old has one big move in him and is hoping he can persuade Defoe that his future lies at Loftus Road.

Defoe has been pushed out of the picture with Emanuel Adebayor's arrival and the form of Rafael van der Vaart and was on the bench last Saturday — a recurring position that may lead him to find a new challenge elsewhere.

Petrifying Petra

Missing link

THE Czech Republic’s Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova oozes confidence as favourites in Fed Cup final

BAYERN MUNICH’S injured midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger will be missed especially by Mario Gomez (pic)

>> pg20

>> pg22

Friday 4 November, 2011

VILLARREAL: FOOTBALL/ CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Fearless City

golf

Roaring luck

Tiger Woods vows to do good in the Presidents Cup

>> pg20 Football

Wayne’s world

MANCHESTER UNITED striker Wayne Rooney shines in midfield against Otelul Galati

>> pg21 football

Portuguese poacher

CRISTIANO Ronaldo hits 100th goal for Real Madrid

>> pg22

presstalk

Hitman Higuain

CHELSEA want Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain at Stamford Bridge

>> pg23

The Citizens can beat anyone now, warns Kompany

MANCHESTER CITY captain Vincent Kompany believes they are as strong as anyone following their confident display in the 3-0 win over Villarreal in a Group A match at El Madrigal yesterday.

Two goals from Yaya Toure and a coolly finished penalty

by Mario Balotelli saw Roberto Mancini’s team move to second in the group following Napoli’s 3-2 defeat by Bayern Munich in another match.

“We put in a good shift,” Kompany told ITV. “We did everything as planned. We didn’t do anything crazy. But we were patient and it paid off for us. In the Champions League, it was defensively our strongest performance and our strikers are lethal on their day. Definitely a great job yesterday.”

When asked about the impressive partnership between Toure and Balotelli, he said: “We score goals nearly every game and there are a lot of partnerships. That’s a good thing. We can change a lot of players and still we don’t lose in strength and that’s important.

“We’ve always thought that

city slickers: Kompany (left) celebrates with teammates after Yaya Toure’s (second from right) first goal during the match against Villarreal — AFP photo

if we do our job properly we are as strong as anyone. We don’t need to look too much at the other teams. It’s a hard group but if we do what we

need to do, we can win any game.”

A win against Napoli in their next match will see them qualify for the knockout

ROTTERDAM: Squash

Nicol earns shot at revenge WORLD champion Nicol David earned a chance of potential revenge when she reached the quarterfinals of the World Open in defence of her title here yesterday.

Nicol’s 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 win over Nour El Sherbini, the 16-year-old world junior champion, brings a repeat encounter with Kasey Brown, the much improved sixth-seeded Australian who beat her at the US Open in Philadelphia in August.

The Amsterdam-based Malaysian won with an impressively creative display, showing how she has added stroke-playing ability, especially with volleys and tight

drops, to her supremely athletic game.

“After the US Open I came out in Qatar and played some of my best squash,” Nicol said, making a positive out of her rare loss.

“I am just going to bring that forward and I shall go all out tomorrow.”

She was given a good workout by El-Sherbini in their first match on the all-glass show court after the tournament’s move from the conventional courts at the Victoria club to the Luxor theatre.

The tall teenager used her heavy driving and long reach on the volley to lead 6-5 in the first game and pulled

back a four-point deficit to 7-7 in the third.

But Nicol, 28, found a slight weakness in her opponent’s ability to the frontleft corner in the second and ran away with the game, using the resulting openings to create damage with boasts, drops and perfect-length drives.

In the final stages, Nicol unleashed a winning backhand drop from very deep, a flicked forehand to a perfect length, and a forehand cut off volley to conclude the match sharply.

“She’s not become world junior champion for nothing at the age of 13,” Nicol said

stage, and Kompany insists they are relishing the test.

“It (the Napoli game) will be a big game but that’s why you play in the

Champions League.

Mancini was delighted with his team after their win over Villarreal, but stressed the level of performance they produce needs to remain consistent.

The Italian indicated he was eager for his side to continue the good form they had shown since the start of the season, and suggested that he may make changes for the upcoming Premier League game against Queens Park Rangers tomorrow.

“We want to continue to play well if it’s possible, but we know that every game is hard. Now we play another game in 60 hours, it will be hard and we’ll need to change some players,” said Mancini.

David Silva was substituted midway through the secondhalf after picking up an injury, and Mancini also took a knock to the head after he stood up and clashed with the dugout.

Asked how he was feeling after the game, he said: “So sore, so sore. I took a knock very hard. Five years ago here, I did the same to my head. I’ll be fit for Saturday, no problem.”

back with a bang: Nicol was made to work hard — FILE photo

of El Sherbini. “And coming into this, she’s just going to go for it. I was hanging on

the rails a few times, but was able to step up my game.”

— AFP

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