Jumaat, 10 Jun 2011

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MACC hit by red tape in Taib probe

Posted: 10 Jun 2011 05:50 PM PDT

MACC hit by red tape in Taib probe

2011/06/11
By Lee Shi-Ian
shiianlee@nst.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud is being probed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for alleged abuse of power in his position as Sarawak
chief minister.

A source familiar with the case revealed that investigations began at the end of last year following several reports against Taib, including allegedly possessing properties in excess of his emolument and alleged abuse of power as the CM.


Senior MACC officers declined to reveal the exact nature of investigations against Taib, saying it would be improper and would jeopardise their work.


"Investigations are being hampered by the fact that many transactions were carried out abroad and there are problems obtaining the necessary documents and information from foreign agencies," one source said.

The Sarawak MACC is conducting investigations into the properties owned by Taib in the state and elsewhere in the country.


MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohamed had confirmed on Thursday that Taib was being probed over allegations of corruption.


Taib was also being investigated by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (Finma) after the President of the Swiss Confederation, Micheline Calmy-Rey, passed the matter to them.

Finma normally investigates cases of money laundering in Switzerland, with emphasis on fighting corruption and the restitution of embezzled funds to respective countries.

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MACC hit by red tape in Taib probe

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Sepandai-pandai tupai melompat akhirnya jatuh ketanah juga.

Selama tidak kurang daripada 30tahun sebagai CM Sarawak Taib berhadapan dan dalam keadaan yang paling getir dalam hidupnya.

Jika benar semua sakwasangka itu Taib akan berundur dalam semua hal tanpa akan dikenang budi oleh orang sarawak tetapi rakus.

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Faster way to scan fingerprints

Posted: 10 Jun 2011 11:31 AM PDT

2011/06/10
By Sim Bak Heng
news@nst.com.my

JOHOR BARU: Visitors to Malaysia coming through the Causeway and the second link will be assured of faster immigration clearance from today as they no longer have to alight their vehicles to have their fingers scanned under the biometric fingerprint scanning system.

They just have to sit back in their vehicles as the scanners at the Immigration booths could be extended to reach the hand of every passenger and driver for them to have their fingers scanned while Immigration officers on duty will verify and stamp their passports as usual.

Immigration personnel have been working around the clock this week to extend the cables connecting every scanner and computer system by 1.7 metres to enable them to be pulled out to reach every vehicle.


Immigration director-general Datuk Alias Ahmad said the hassle-free measure would significantly reduce the time needed for Immigration clearance.

To facilitate the process, Immigration officer will be stationed outside each booth to supervise the scanning process and assist visitors who are new to the system.

"These are among the proactive measures we have adopted in preparation for a possible influx of visitors during the weekends and public holidays. It will be implemented from today."


The security system is being implemented at 96 entry points natiowide from June 1 to curb transboundary crime and terrorist threats.

Previously, foreigners only had to have their passports stamped to enter Malaysia.

Last weekend, the system was too slow to cope with the influx of visitors from Singapore in conjunction with the republic's school holidays.


This slowed down immigration clearance at both the checkpoints at the Sultan Iskandar Building at the Causeway and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex at the second link.

The long and slow traffic leading to the checkpoints from Singapore, disrupted travelling and holiday plans of many Singaporeans and other visitors.

However, immigration clearance at both entry points was reported to be stable during weekdays.

Alias said the fingerprint scanning system had been upgraded to expedite the scanning process.

"For long term measure, we would like to advise foreigners to apply for the Malaysia automated clearance system at any Immigration office for faster Immigration clearance.

"Under the system, foreigners only have to scan their index fingers during the first visit to the country. For subsequent entry, they only need to have their passports stamped."

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3 killed, 23 injured in suicide bombing

Posted: 10 Jun 2011 10:29 PM PDT

KHOST: At least three people were killed and 23 others were injured Saturday morning when a suicide bomber blew himself up in Khost, the capital city of eastern Khost province, Xinhua news agency reported quoting an official as saying.

"Till now three killed and 23 injured were admitted in provincial capital hospital Saturday morning," director of provincial health department Hidayatullah Hamidi told Xinhua.

Earlier, a police official who declined to be identified said that a suicide bomber blew himself up near a police vehicle bringing the commander of fast-reaction police department, Mohammad Zahir, to office in western part of the city.


Meantime, the elder son of police commander Zahir said in talk with local media that his father, Zahir was killed in the suicide attack that took place near his office.

According to Hamidi, most of the casualties were civilian while some policemen were also among the victims of the blast that took place at around 07:30 a.m. local time.

He said that the number of casualties could further rise since the explosion occurred in morning rush hour. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far but Taliban militants have been behind most suicide and roadside bomb attacks across the country.


Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since the militant group announced on April 30 to start spring offensive against Afghan and NATO-led international forces.

The insurgents also warned the civilians to keep away from official gatherings, military convoys and centers because they are the legitimate targets of their attacks. -- BERNAMA

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Taiwan fraud suspects deported from Cambodia

Posted: 10 Jun 2011 09:40 PM PDT

The 122 suspects, detained Thursday in a rare co-ordinated police operation across several Asian countries, landed in Taiwan early Saturday and were taken to a police centre for questioning, said the Criminal Investigation Bureau.

TAIPEI: More than 120 Taiwanese nationals arrested in Cambodia on suspicion of fraud were deported to Taiwan Saturday for further investigation, police on the island said.

They were among nearly 600 people, including 410 Taiwanese and 181 Chinese, rounded up across the region for allegedly running Internet and telephone scams mainly targeting mainland Chinese, according to the bureau.


Details of the scams are sketchy and appeared to have varied from country to country, but police believe thousands of people were taken in.

Taiwanese fraud rings have recently relocated to Southeast Asia after the island's police joined forces with Chinese authorities to bust their operations.

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Kelantan have Terengganu riled

Posted: 10 Jun 2011 09:23 AM PDT

2011/06/10
By Devinder Singh


Fans from Kelantan and Terengganu who lined up from 7am with the Cup final tickets. — Picture by Osman Adnan

Fans from Kelantan and Terengganu who lined up from 7am with the Cup final tickets. — Picture by Osman Adnan

BATTLE lines were drawn yesterday ahead of an historic FA Cup final today with an irate Terengganu coach Irfan Bakti Abu Salim taking aim at "unethical" Kelantan players watching his side's training session yesterday.

Irfan was seen in a heated discussion with FA of Malaysia officials as the Kelantan players sat in the stands while Terengganu were training at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

It was only after about 20 minutes did the Kelantan players leave, forcing Irfan to cancel a penalty shootout practice in case the final stretched that far today.


"They should not be sitting here because their session is much later. I'm very upset because it is unethical to watch another team training. I know I would not do that," said Irfan, who missed the official press conference as the preceding pre-match meeting ran late.

"They were just hanging around there, doing nothing. Why not just wait to meet tomorrow (today)?"

Kelantan team manager Azman Ibrahim, however, did not understand what all the fuss was about.


"Last year, there was no problem against Negri Sembilan. We arrived early so that we could not get caught in traffic.

"There is no ruling to say we can't sit in the stands, they can do the same when we train. Maybe, they don't realise this as they've never been in a final," said Azman, in reference to Terengganu's last appearance in a Cup final in 2004.

Victory today, Kelantan's fifth major Cup final appearance in three years, could lead to a double in a space of week should the results go their way in the Super League next weekend.


Both teams have a full and fit squad available with Irfan insisting Tuesday's 3-0 league defeat in Kuala Terengganu is nothing but a memory.

"It has no effect on us. Our national players were tired then after just only returning from Hong Kong. We're mentally and physically ready," declared Irfan.

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Mexico march on amid drugs drama

Posted: 10 Jun 2011 08:28 AM PDT

CHARLOTTE (North Carolina): Javier Hernandez and Giovani Dos Santos scored two goals each on Thursday as Mexico shrugged off a potential doping drama to beat Cuba 5-0 in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The victory came hours after the Mexican football federation provisionally suspended five players, including defender Francisco Rodriguez and goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, for testing positive for the banned muscle-building drug clenbuterol.

Although Mexican officials said they believed the five ingested the drug accidentally through tainted chicken or meat at a pre-tournament training camp, they pulled them from the regional championship from which the winners advance to the Fifa Confederations Cup in Brazil in 2013.


Mexico got off to a slow start, but seized control with three goals in a five-minute span in the second half.

Dos Santos had two goals in the flurry, in the 62nd and 67th, with Aldo De Nigris adding another in the 64th. Hernandez opened the scoring in the 35th capped it with his 75th-minute strike as Mexico moved atop Group A with six points from two matches.

"We knew that game was gong to be complicated," coach Jose Manuel De La Torre said. "They were going to clog our spaces and counter-attack. But we needed to take care of the important opportunities.


"You could see in the first half we weren't effective. In the second half we took advantage of opportunities and you see the result." Mexico are assured of reaching the quarter-finals.

In the first of the evening's two Group A matches, Costa Rica snatched a 1-1 draw with El Salvador.

Randall Brenes, who came on in the 80th minute, fired a low shot from inside the penalty area that beat Miguel Montes to keep Costa Rica unbeaten in group play.


"We are improving. I think we played 50 or 60 percent better than we played against Cuba," said Costa Rica coach Ruben Israel, whose team won their opener 5-0. "We handled the ball a lot. We were able to shoot the ball a lot of times. But when you are not scoring, you're not scoring."

El Salvador coach Ricardo La Volpe was angry at the injury time awarded by American referee Jair Marrufo.

"We are very upset about the last-minute goal," La Volpe said. "The referee added four minutes and it was a huge exaggeration. And aside of those four minutes he even added another minute.

"I'm really, really upset about this. I don't judge the result of this game, but it's an uncomfortable situation."

Rodolfo Zelaya had given El Salvador the lead when his free kick found the net in the 44th minute.

Group A round-robin action concludes tomorrow in Chicago, where El Salvador will face Cuba and Costa Rica will take on Mexico.

With CONCACAF announcing that Mexico's 5-0 victory over El Salvador in their tournament opener will stand, El Salvador now must beat Cuba tomorrow to reach the knockout stage.

La Volpe declined to comment on that, and on Mexico's brewing doping scandal in general.

"When we got to the locker room they told us that information," La Volpe said. "I'm going to wait for the official CONCACAF release before I tell the press what's my opinion."

The suspensions left Mexico with just 17 eligible players. CONCACAF officials said they would meet to discuss whether Mexico could call up replacement players for the remaining matches. -- AFP

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US stocks post heavy losses

Posted: 10 Jun 2011 07:03 PM PDT

NEW YORK: US stock markets closed firmly in the red Friday, with the Dow posting six straight weeks of losses for the first time since 2002.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 172.45 points (1.42 per cent) at 11,951.91 in closing trades.

The broader S&P 500 lost 18.02 points (1.40 per cent) at 1,270.98, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite gave up 41.14 points (1.53 per cent) at 2,643.73.

All but three of the 30 Dow components were down, with Pfizer and Travelers down over three percent.

Caterpillar, Home Depot, Walt Disney and Boeing all lost over two percent.

There were few data releases on the calendar to give the market direction, but a sense of malaise prevailed.

"Uneasiness surrounding the global economic recovery remained omnipresent, exacerbated by a smaller-than-expected increase in China's trade surplus," said analysts at Charles Schwab. -- AFP

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CELEBRATING PARENTS

Posted: 09 Jun 2011 10:16 AM PDT

CELEBRATING PARENTS

2011/06/09
By Syed Abdullah Syed Mohamed


Johor Baru Senior Citizens Association held its inaugural Parents of the Year 2011 award recently

THE Johor Baru Senior Citizens Association (JBSCA) organised a Parents Day luncheon recently.

About 120 members attended the event which was organised by the association for the first time.


Guests-of-honour were Johor Baru member of parliament Datuk Seri Shahrir Abdul Samad and his wife Datin Seri Sharizat Abdullah.

Present to welcome the couple were JBCSA deputy chairman Francis Chaw and honorary secretary Soon Boon Keng.

Among the highlights were the Parents of the Year 2011 award.


There were also talks on ageing and the benefits of living at the Jeta Care Centre by retirement living consultant, Tan Choe Lam, and a line dance performance.

Lee Siew Yang, 83, and his wife Tan Sow Kooi, 83, were declared Parents of the Year.

Accompanied by their daughter, Cordelia Lee, the couple were thrilled when Shahrir congratulated them.


The couple were awarded a plaque and letter of commendation by the organisers.

Siew Yang thanked the organisers for choosing him and his wife as parents of the year.

"I love my wife and I will take care of her as long as I can," he said.

Cordelia, who stays in Kuching, Sarawak, was full of praise for her father.

"My mother has been bedridden for the past five years as she is suffering from Alzheimer's. My father has been taking care of my mum and he is so patient," said Cordelia, a 58-year-old grandmother of five.

Soon said Siew Yang has contributed a lot to the association and is an asset.

"Siew Yang has been a member of the club since 1990 and was JBSCA deputy president for three terms from 2004 to 2010," said Soon.

He attends almost all the programmes and seldom misses the committee's bi-monthly meetings.

Cordelia performed a solo dance backed by an a capella performance by Tan, who sang the evergreen Mandarin number, The Moon Represents My Heart.

Soon said unlike Mothers or Fathers Day, Parents Day was a momentous occasion, especially in the United States.

He said many families in the US thronged churches, mosques, temples, community halls and other places to celebrate the occasion.

Soon said though Parents Day is barely given any significance, the association has decided to celebrate the event on a grand scale.

In his talk, Tan spoke at length about the benefits of the Jeta Care Centre (JC).

Tan said JC is Malaysia's first aged care centre based on Australian concepts and Confucious's teachings.

The centre in Kulaijaya will begin operations soon. It boasts a resort-style living environment that includes a roof-top garden, cafe, hair salon, laundry service, kitchen and multipurpose hall.

There will be daily activities such as exercises, computer lessons, karaoke sessions and meals that cater to Asian, Western and vegetarian diets.

The rates are reasonable and an online banking system at the centre will allow senior citizens to withdraw cash with ease.

Shahrir lauded JBSCA's good work which does a lot to enhance the members' knowledge through its in-house programmes.

He termed the JBSCA members as "Otai" which literally means old timer. Shahrir said getting involved in gatherings such as the Parents Day event was a good move.

He advised members to be aware of their eating habits and stay healthy.

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Tattoo gives suspect away

Posted: 09 Jun 2011 06:33 AM PDT

A TATTOO with a sun motif on the left thigh of a snatch theft suspect gave him away when police picked him up 48 hours after the crime was committed.

District police chief Superintendent Abdul Majid Mohd Ali said the victim, Mohd Azhar Abd Ghani, 27, who is a son of a policeman, was riding his motorcycle when the suspect stopped him near Jalan Bukit Siput in Segamat.

The suspect was also on a motorcycle.


The suspect had allegedly asked for Azhar's identification card as he claimed that Azhar was riding a motorcycle that belonged to the suspect's relative.

"After the victim took out his wallet, the suspect snatched it and fled the scene," said Majid.

The suspect was later arrested at his house in Kampung Kadut in Jabi, near Segamat at about 1am on June 4.


The police also detained the 24-year-old owner of the motorcycle used by the suspect in the incident.

Majid said the arrests were possible because the victim had identified his assailant's tattoo.

He, however, denied that the tattoo links the suspect to any secret society.


Initial investigations revealed that the suspect has three children and his wife is expecting their fourth child.

He has three previous records and was involved in a brawl, robbery and drug-related cases.

"The suspect works part-time as a helper at an apam balik stall at a night market in Segamat. With his arrest, police have solved at least six snatch theft cases in the district."

The case is being investigated under Section 392 of the Penal Code for robbery. Those convicted would be caned and jailed up to 14 years.

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