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Posted: 02 Sep 2011 08:05 PM PDT

KOTA BELUD -- Sabah Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Salleh Tun Said Keruak has dismissed as untrue a Wikileaks report on his purported comment over the failed bid by the opposition Pakatan Rakyat to take over the federal government on Sept 16, 2008.

"I never confirmed or endorsed the purported defection of MPs to the opposition or Pakatan Rakyat. At that time, as far as I can recall, the opposition tried hard to win over MPs from Sabah but they failed to woo them.

"What had happened was more of a "psy war" adopted by the opposition to destabilise the Barisan Nasional (BN) government," Salleh, a former Sabah chief minister, told Bernama after attending the Kota Belud Wanita Umno Aidilfitri open house in Kampung Siasai, here.

Online portal Malaysiakini was quoted as reporting yesterday that a leaked US embassy cable had lent credence to Pakatan Rakyat leader Anwar Ibrahim's claim that a group of Sabah and Sarawak politicians had planned to defect from the BN on Sept 16, 2008, over alleged marginalisation of the two states.

An entry in the cable, posted by Wikileaks, quoted Salleh as telling US embassy officials that potentially more than half of the 25 Sabah MPs were ready to abandon the BN.

The cable claimed further that embassy officials found "no expressions of support" for then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's leadership among the senior Sabah politicians they met in a series of meetings in the state from June 18 to 20 that year. -- BERNAMA

Germany claim first Euro 2012 berth

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 07:24 PM PDT

GELSENKIRCHEN - Germany became the first team to book their Euro 2012 place through the qualification groups as they hammered neighbours Austria 6-2 here on Friday.

This was the Germans' eighth straight qualification victory, giving Joachim Loew's side an unassailable 24 points at the top of Group A to leave second-placed Turkey 11 points adrift.

Plucky Austria, however, exposed some weaknesses in the Germany defence and both Austrian goals were scored by players who ply their trade in the German league.

Despite the hosts making an explosive start to the game, the result suggests Loew still has some fine-tuning to do if Germany are to challenge at the finals in Poland and the Ukraine next June.

"As a defender, of course you get a bit annoyed about conceding goals," said Germany captain and left-back Philipp Lahm.

"But the joy of qualifying outweighs any negative thoughts and the team has shown what it is capable of."

Goal-scorer Lukas Podolski described it as a "beautiful night of football" and said Germany have to be one of the favourites to win the Euro 2012 final in Kiev on July 1 next year.

Austria captain Christian Fuchs said his team got what they deserved, despite a battling display.

"We made our lives difficult because we made too many mistakes in the build up," said the Schalke defender.

"Germany isn't the third best team in the world for nothing." - AFP

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Jumaat, 2 September 2011

NST Online: Latest

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