BORNEO DIGEST DICOROBOHI

BORNEO DIGEST telah dicorobohi oleh pemain WEB yang tidak bertanggungjawab. Usaha memulihkan sedang dilakukan. Kami memohon maaf. --- EDITOR.

ANWAR AKUR KEPUTUSAN PRU 13

ANWAR

KUALA LUMPUR (Malaysia): Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hari ini dalam perutusan sempena Hari Kemerdekaan negara ke-56 menyatakan kesediaan untuk bertemu dengan kerajaan bagi menyelesaikan masalah negara.

Anwar turut menggesa pertemuan segera diadakan antara Pakatan Rakyat (PR) dan Barisan Nasional (BN).

“Titik pertemuan BN dan PR perlu segera dicari bagi menyelamatkan negara di samping menyeru melupakan kesalahan masing-masing sempena hari kemerdekaan negara esok,” katanya dalam satu sidang media di Ibu Pejabat PKR di Petaling Jaya.

Ketua Umum PKR itu berkata, meskipun PR mendapat undi majoriti rakyat, namun mereka bersedia melupakan ketegangan dan penyelewengan yang dilakukan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) semasa pilihan raya 5 Mei lalu.

Beliau berkata, antara topik yang boleh dibincangkan bersama ialah membabitkan isu kaum dan agama yang mencetuskan ketegangan akhir-akhir ini; masalah ekonomi negara yang semakin merudum dan masalah jenayah yang semakin membimbangkan rakyat di seluruh negara.

Katanya, perbincangan juga harus menyentuh aspek urus tadbir kerajaan bagi membasmi rasuah dan keadilan dalam pemberian tender.

“Datuk Seri Najib Razak harus terbuka untuk berbincang kerana banyak dasar dan program yang boleh disepakati bersama. Pendekatan PR untuk mengajak BN berbincang bukan bagi membentuk sebuah kerajaan perpaduan tetapi perbincangan terbuka yang biasa diamalkan kerajaan demokrasi.

“Kami mahu perubahan yang adil bagi memastikan negara mengamalkan prinsip demokrasi. Ini kerana pendedahan Fitch Ratings baru-baru ini perlu dipandang serius oleh kerajaan kerana kira-kira RM20 billion setahun dapat dijimatkan jika urus tadbir ekonomi negara dilakukan dengan cara yang baik.

“Bagi mencapai hasrat itu, maka penting kerajaan BN mengurangkan defisit fiskal serta menangani rasuah serta telus dalam pemberian tender,” katanya.

Beliau berkata, Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) harus diberi kebebasan sepenuhnya baagi menyiasat pembabitan rasuah tokoh besar di samping pihak polis digesa untuk menjalankan siasatan mengikut lunas undang-undang yang ditetapkan.

Anwar berkata, kerajaan harus segera menghentikan kegiatan menghasut rakyat menggunakan media arus perdana serta tidak menggunakan badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) sebagai alat bagi menyampaikan propaganda kerajaan.

“Dalam usia kemerdekaan negara mencecah 56 tahun, negara masih berdepan dengan isu polarisasi kaum dan menghadapi bibit perpecahan dalam agama. Masyarakat sepatutnya dididik untuk menjadi lebih matang bukan didedahkan dengan agenda politik sedemikian.

“Kita harus bertanya adakah hari ini Perlembagaan Persekutuan subur diamalkan dalam negara atau sudah ada pencabulan terhadap kanun negara itu,” katanya yang menyifatkan pemimpin BN masih enggan belajar dari sejarah negara yang lalu.

Perdana menteri sebelum ini berkata, PR perlu bersedia menerima keputusan PRU13 sebelum perbincangan dimulakan. 

Kerajaan akan merayu kepada Facebook untuk dapat data 197 pengguna, kata Ahmad Shabery

KUALA LUMPUR (Malaysia): Kerajaan akan merayu kepada Facebook untuk mendapatkan maklumat peribadi 197 pengguna laman sosial itu, kata Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek.  

Menurut Menteri Komunikasi dan Multimedia itu, Facebook berhak menolak permohonan kerajaan malah pastinya laman media sosial itu mempunyai sebab tersendiri mengapa mereka menolak permohonan itu. "Aduan kepada Facebook beratus juta sehari maka pastinya pihaknya memilih untuk melayan aduan tersebut," katanya semasa ditemui pemberita di pusat membeli belah Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur hari ini.

Katanya, laporan kepada Facebook bukan sahaja datang dari kerajaan seluruh dunia malah pemilik akaun individu juga mempunyai masalah dengan kandungan laman sosial berkenaan. 

The Malaysian Insider hari ini melaporkan Putrajaya meminta maklumat 197 pengguna laman sosial daripada Facebook namun tiada satu pun daripadanya yang dipenuhi.

Semakan terhadap "Global Government Requests Report" yang dikeluarkan Facebook semalam mendapati, selain Malaysia, negara Asia Tengara (Asean) lain yang turut memohon maklumat pengguna ialah Singapura (117) dengan sejumlah (70 peratus data diberikan), Filipina (4) (25 peratus), Thailand (5) (0 peratus) dan Kemboja (1) (0 peratus).

Bagaimanapun, Facebook tidak mendedahkan dengan lengkap jenis permohonan yang dibuat kerajaan.

Negara tertinggi membuat permohonan adalah Amerika Syarikat dengan sejumlah 20,000 - 21,000 permohonan, dan 79 peratus data diberikan oleh Facebook.

Menurut kenyataan Facebook itu, laporan itu dikeluarkan bagi tempoh enam bulan tahun 2013 yang berakhir pada 30 Jun.

Menurut peguam Facebook, Colin Stretch dalam kenyataan itu juga berkata, pihaknya menolak permohonan yang tidak mempunyai asas kukuh.

"Seperti yang kami maklumkan, kami percaya bahawa walaupun kerajaan mempunyai tanggungjawab penting untuk memastikan rakyat selamat, ia adalah mungkin untuk berbuat demikian pada masa sama menjadi telus.

"Ketelusan kerajaan dan keselamatan awam bukan idea cita-cita yang saling eksklusif. Setiap satunya boleh wujud pada masa sama dalam masyarakat yang bebas dan terbuka, dan mereka membantu menjadikan kita lebih kuat.

"Kami amat menggalakkan semua kerajaan untuk menjadi lebih telus mengenai usaha mereka yang bertujuan untuk menjaga keselamatan awam, dan kami akan terus menjadi penyokong agresif untuk pendedahan lebih besar,” katanya.

Evander Holyfield wanted to bite Mike Tyson to get even when Tyson bit him in 1997 title bout

FORMER  heavyweight champions Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield were once bitter rivals. Their names will be linked together in history because of the night in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden when Tyson twice bit Holyfield in the ears.

Tyson gnawed the tip of Holyfield's right ear off and spit it onto the canvas.

Evander Holyfield after losing the tip of his right ear (AP file photo)They've subsequently reconciled and have become close friends. Last year, when Holyfield was launching a line of barbecue sauce, called "Real Deal BBQ Sauce," Tyson joined him for the launch in Chicago. Tyson joked that he should have put the sauce on Holyfield's earbefore biting him.

They shared a little more insight on that infamous night on Fox's upcoming series, "Being: Mike Tyson." The six-part series on Tyson's life debuts on Fox at 4 p.m. ET on Sept. 22. It moves to Fox Sports 1 on Sept. 24 at 10:30 p.m. ET, where it will stay for its run.

Holyfield had stopped Tyson in 1996 as a 25-1 underdog. Tyson complained that Holyfield was using his head -- a common complaint against Holyfield throughout his career -- and demanded a different referee for the June 28, 1997, rematch.

In the clip provided by Fox, Holyfield was talking about the way he positioned his head when Tyson bit him and what he wanted to do.

When you bit my ear, I pulled my arms up and went, 'Arrgh.' Everybody was telling me, 'Man, Holy, you got leap. Did you see how high you jumped?' I jumped and by the time I came down, boy, I'm from the ghetto. My first thing was, 'Man, I'm going to grab him and bite the daylights out of him to get him back.' I kept on saying, 'I'm going to get him back. I'm going to get him back. I want to get him back.'

Mike Tyson (L) bites Evander Holyfield in 1997 (AP file photo)Referee Mills Lane deducted two points from Tyson for the bite, but allowed the fight to continue. When it did, Tyson bit Holyfield a second time, prompting Lane to disqualify him.

At that point, Holyfield had other thoughts of revenge.

I said, 'I know. I'll just kick him.' [Expletive]. [Expletive]. I just said, 'I'm going to kick him.'

Holyfield was moved away before he could kick him and before the situation got any more out of hand than it already was.

Clearly, though, they've reconciled and though it was one of the dark nights in the sport's history, the two are still making money off it. Holyfield's profiting by sales of his barbecue sauce and Tyson is profiting by his TV shows and various other projects, including an upcoming book, in which he discusses the bite.

That night is never going to be a shining example of boxing at its best, but at least the men have settled their differences and have gotten past the animosity that existed at the time.

Again, Malaysia’s churches release ‘Allah’ fact sheet after court loss

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 — After taking a major blow in court today over the Catholic Church's claim to use "Allah", Malaysia's leading Christian front pressed for the dispute to be tried fairly at the next hearing on September 10.

The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM), which represents churches nationwide, also reminded the public that Malay-speaking Christians in Southeast Asia have been using the Middle Eastern word to call their god for centuries.

"In the meantime, we pray that this matter will not be politicised but that the Court of Appeal be allowed to fairly adjudicate over the matter," CFM chairman Rev Dr Eu Hong Seng said.

His emailed statement included a fact sheet the group had put together and released previously, providing a chronological history on the use of the word "Allah" by indigenous Christians here.

"It is our solemn hope that our factual perspective on the issue will prevail in the courts of our land," he said.

The CFM fact sheet notes that the Arabic word "Allah" cannot be substituted with the Malay word "Tuhan", as both terms have different connotations.

"In the Malay language, 'Allah' means 'God' and 'Tuhan' means 'Lord'," said CFM in the fact sheet.

The Court of Appeal dismissed today the Catholic Church's application to strike off Putrajaya's appeal, noting that the subject matter was "not academic".

"It is still a live issue. The controversy has yet to be resolved," Justice Datuk Seri Abu Samah Nordin said in his judgment today.

The three-man bench - which was led by Abu Samah, and included Justices Datuk Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahim and Datuk Rohana Yusuf - unanimously decided to dismiss the Catholic Church's application with costs.

The Catholic Church argued earlier today that it was illogical to prohibit the Catholic weekly, Herald, from referring to God as “Allah” when Putrajaya had allowed shipments of Malay-language bibles containing the Arabic word in 2011.

The Church's lead counsel, Porres Royan, noted that the Cabinet had issued a 10-point solution in April 2011 that allowed bibles in Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia and in indigenous languages to be imported for the use of the Christian community in Sabah and Sarawak.

Porres also stressed that the Cabinet, in its 10-point solution, expressed its intention to resolve the blockade of Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia bible shipments, as well as "other religious issues...and Christian materials".

But Haniff Khatri - lawyer for the Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association, an intervenor in the appeal - argued that then-Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, in an affidavit, said the "word 'Allah' was not considered at all" in the Cabinet's 10-point solution.

The Catholic Church had sued the government for violating its constitutional rights after the Home Ministry threatened to revoke the publication permit of Herald in 2008 for using the Arabic word “Allah” to describe God.

The 2009 High Court judgment, which ruled that the word "Allah" was not exclusive to Muslims, had sparked one of the worst religious attacks in the country, where a church was firebombed and other places of worship desecrated.

With today's decision, the hearing of the appeal will continue on September 10.

We Want to Know Who Killed Altantuya

THE Altantuya Shaariibuu murder case has taken another appalling turn. First, political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, who seemed to have more of a motive for killing the Mongolian model, was acquitted in 2009, without his defence being called. Now the Court of Appeal has freed the two police commandos convicted by the High Court of actually killing her and blowing her body up with a C4 explosive.

The Court of Appeal acquitted Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar because it ruled that the judge who heard the case in the High Court committed serious misdirection. Among other things, he did not allow then deputy prime minister Najib Razak’s aide-de-camp, DSP Musa Safri, a key witness, to be called to testify, and he failed to establish how the two accused came to possess the C4 and whether there was common intention between them to commit murder.

The Malaysian layman, however, doesn’t want to know the legal implications. He is concerned only with the moral aspects. He knows that Sirul made a cautioned statement describing what he and Azilah did to Altantuya that fateful night, and that he mentioned the offer of a reward of RM50,000 to RM100,000 for killing her.

This cautioned statement was ruled not permissible as evidence by the judge, Mohd Zaki Yassin, and the two commandos were never asked during the trial as to who made that offer to them. But it seemed clear that Sirul and Azilah were merely hitmen. They didn’t know the victim. If they had a motive to kill her, it would appear to be only to collect the reward.

That being so, it was, however, never asked in court who instructed them to kill Altantuya. To the layman, it is extremely strange that the prosecution did not ask that crucial question.

To the layman, therefore, someone else must have been behind the murder of the Mongolian model. And as such, it would not be quite right for the two commandos to be hanged for it. But then again, it’s also not right for them to be freed on technicalities. It’s not right for them to be freed because the High Court judge made bloopers. If they did commit the act of killing, they must be held accountable. Perhaps on a lesser charge. They can’t simply be absolved of it.

Even more important to the layman is knowing the truth about the murder. He has invested seven years of interest in the case, and its outcome has a bearing on how much confidence he can give to his country’s system of justice. He doesn’t want to be disappointed – no, devastated – by an outcome that reveals nothing.

As a concerned citizen, he wants to see justice done. He wants the real culprit to be found. He wants closure. He doesn’t know Altantuya personally, but he wants justice for her and her family.

So he wants something concrete done about it. But as a layman, he doesn’t know what can be done. He is putting his trust in the country’s authorities, but so far, they have not inspired confidence.

In fact, he is beginning to feel suspicious about whether the prosecution and the High Court judge mishandled the case by design. He wonders what should happen to public officials who do their job badly. He wonders if the purpose of mishandling the case was to allow it to be closed with no one getting convicted. And once the case was closed, people would in time forget it.

He even wonders if it was to cover up something. Or to protect someone. He is reminded of what Sirul said, in tears, on February 3, 2009, when he pleaded with Mohd Zaki not to pass the death sentence because he was “a black sheep that has to be sacrificed” to protect unnamed people who had not been brought to court or faced questioning.

“I appeal to the court, which has the powers to determine if I live or die,” he said, “not to sentence me so as to fulfil others’ plans for me.”

Who are these “others”? Why do the people who are responsible for dispensing justice not want to know? That’s what haunts the layman. How do we proceed to find out?

The prosecution has said it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision, but that still won’t get to the bottom of the crime because the Federal Court will not allow fresh evidence to be presented then. Besides, might not the Federal Court judges also agree that the prosecution did indeed present a shoddy case and the judge did misdirect, and therefore uphold the decision of the Court of Appeal? And after that, what? Would that be the end of the story?

Some people are saying the Court of Appeal should have ordered a retrial, and some are saying it wouldn’t have been fair because it would give the prosecution a second chance to do better. The layman doesn’t care. He only wants to know the truth.

Could it be achieved by launching new investigations? The layman is aware that the Bar Council said last March that there is enough new evidence to persuade the Attorney-General (A-G) to do just that. So why not?

Bar Council President Christopher Leong said then, “The revelations by Deepak Jaikishan, the late P. Balasubramaniam and Americk Singh Sidhu have raised sufficient concern to warrant further investigations by the authorities.” So why not?

With new investigations, the layman thinks, we might be able to answer the questions of who instructed the two commandos to kill Altantuya; how they managed to obtain the C4 explosives; what Musa Safri’s role was; who instructed the Immigration Department to expunge all records of Altantuya’s entry into Malaysia; what Najib Razak meant when he allegedly SMSed Razak Baginda: “I am seeing IGP [Inspector-General of Police] at 11.00am. Today … matter will be solved … be cool.”

And whether Najib did SMS Shafee Abdullah, who was Razak Baginda’s lawyer: “Pls do not say anything to the press today. I will explain later. RB will have to face a tentative charge but all is not lost.” And if he did, what he implied by that. And whether he was trying to intervene.

The layman is being idealistic in hoping that everything will eventually fall into place, but he is also aware that there will be stumbling blocks. Would the A-G be willing to call for new investigations? After all, why didn’t he appeal the acquittal of Razak Baginda?

But the truth is important to the layman. Like it or not, the Court of Appeal verdict has raised even more questions without answering any. Well, not directly. If there had been any intention on anyone’s part to bundle off the case so that it would be removed from the public sphere, it hasn’t worked. In the court of public perception, it has instead been brought into sharper focus.

It has also made Malaysia look bad to the rest of the world. Our public attorneys cannot conduct a proper prosecution. A High Court judge misdirects. Another court acquits on technical grounds. We can’t ensure that justice is done.

The layman finds this unacceptable. He wants the right thing done, he wants the truth. He wishes the prime minister would come out to call for a way to get to the truth, no matter what, no matter how. He knows it’s idealistic and beyond his wildest dreams, but if Najib were to do that, it would be the best thing he’s ever done. And why not? Isn’t this the era of ‘Endless Possibilities’?

Gang rape of photojournalist shocks Mumbai

MUMBAI (Reuters) - A photojournalist was gang-raped in Mumbai, police said on Friday, evoking comparisons with a similar assault in New Delhi in December that led to nationwide protests and a revision of the country's rape laws.

The attack on Thursday night triggered protests and an outcry on social media, with many users shocked that it took place in Mumbai, widely considered to be India's safest city for women.

One man was arrested on Friday and 20 police teams were pursuing four men who had been identified, said Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh.

"Mumbai police will do its best to collect all the evidence - clinching evidence, scientific evidence - so that a fool-proof case is made out in the court, and they get maximum punishment," Singh said. "We will also request the government that this case be conducted in a fast-track court."

In rowdy scenes in the Rajya Sabha, opposition lawmakers accused the government of not doing enough to protect women, despite tougher sex crime laws brought in this year.

The victim, who is in her early twenties, was admitted to hospital in south Mumbai where she was in stable condition, a hospital official told Reuters by e-mail.

The attack took place shortly before sunset in an abandoned textile mill in Lower Parel, a gritty former industrial district that is now one of the city's fastest-growing neighbourhoods of luxury apartments, malls and bars.

The woman was at the mill on an assignment with a male colleague. The pair were separated by the attackers and her colleague was tied up with a belt while she was assaulted, Singh said.

Several dozen mainly male supporters of the right-wing Shiv Sena political party gathered with flags and banners outside the police station where the case was filed. A further protest was called for later in the afternoon.

Women's safety in India has been in the spotlight this year following the brutal gang-rape of a 23-year-old student on a moving bus in New Delhi in December, which led thousands of Indians to take to the streets in protest. The woman died of her injuries two weeks later in a Singapore hospital.

The trials of the four men and one juvenile accused of the December attack are expected to conclude within the next three weeks. The verdict on the juvenile suspect is set for Aug 31. Closing arguments in the trial of the four adult suspects started on Thursday.

Following public outcry over the Delhi attack, India introduced tougher rape laws in March, which include the death penalty for repeat offenders and for those whose victims were left in a "vegetative state".

In contrast to Delhi, Mumbai has long been considered a safer place for women to travel alone, even at night.

"(Mumbai) has this sense of security ... but these things make us feel that maybe we are not really that safe," said A. L. Sharada, director of Population First, a Mumbai-based NGO that works on women's rights issues.

"Women should be able to move freely and take up work. Why should we be worrying about something bad happening to us all the time?"

(Reporting Aradhana Aravindan in MUMBAI and Shyamantha Asokan and Aditya Kalra in NEW DELHI; Writing by Shyamantha Asokan; Editing by John Chalmers)

SPAD: Fatal Genting bus didn’t break rules, not overloaded

KUALA LUMPUR (Malaysia), Aug 22 — The ill-fated bus that crashed near Genting Highlands and killed 37 people onboard yesterday was not blacklisted by the authorities and had not violated its passenger capacity, the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) said today.

Its chief, Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar, told reporters that a check in its transport records had failed to show any black mark against the bus company.

“The bus was not overloaded, not according to the conditions of the license,” he told a joint news conference with acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

Syed Hamid said the bus was classified as a feeder bus, and explained that it was within regulations for the vehicle to ferry the reported 53 passengers at the time of the incident.

According to its licence, the feeder bus was allowed to carry up to 65 passengers, with a maximum of 45 seated and 20 standing.

Conflicting reports had surfaced in the aftermath of the crash that claimed the lives of the bus driver and 36 passengers; some alleged that the bus had been blacklisted by the Road Transport Department (RTD) while other reports claimed it had been blackballed by the police.

Syed Hamid advised against speculating over the condition or legality of the bus's status, and asked that the authorities be given time and room to piece together all the facts.

In an earlier statement, SPAD said it will form a special task force as suggested by deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, working with all relevant agencies to find the cause of the crash.

The federal land transport authority said it will also place greater attention on security audits on all express and feeder bus operators.

Hishammuddin, who was in Hospital Kuala Lumpur to visit some of the survivors, emphasised that the government had already put in place a mechanism to find the root cause behind the fatal accident.

He pointed out that the investigating bodies, especially the police and the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros), must be given sufficient time to probe the incident.

"The bus has not even been taken out yet, so it is hard for the investigators to look at it," he said, referring to the vehicle, which has yet to be extricated from where it landed in the ravine after falling 60 metres from off the mountain road.

"We must learn from this," he said of the road crash, said to be the country's worst mishap involving buses in recent years.

"But the lessons learnt [will] depend on the investigations that are done," he added.

Hishammuddin said he will form a special independent panel under his office to coordinate information on public transport, which he hopes will result in better policies.

Also at the news conference was the city hospital's head of the emergency department, Dr Abu Hassan, who confirmed that autopsies on all the 37 dead have been concluded, with 30 people successfully identified as at 6pm.

"There are seven more who have yet to be identified, and we are doing our best to try and complete everything today," he told reporters.

In the last count, the dead who have been identified included three foreigners — one Korean, one Nepalese and a Bangladeshi with a Canadian passport — with the remainder being Malaysians.

The Malay Mail Online understands it has been slow-going for the hospital authorities in releasing the remains of those who died with relatives still trickling in to make the claim.

In an unofficial count, the remains of 14 victims who died in the crash have been claimed from the hospital mortuary.

Nahas bas ekspres: Waris mangsa berkumpul di HKL

KUALA LUMPUR (Malaysia): Kesedihan dan kesayuan menyelubungi bilik mayat Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) hari ini ketika waris mangsa yang terkorban dalam kemalangan bas ngeri di Genting Highlands semalam berkumpul untuk mengenal pasti dan membawa pulang mayat mangsa.Ada antara anggota keluarga itu dilihat menangis teresak-esak dan enggan ditemubual media.

Seorang jurucakap HKL berkata, setakat 11 pagi ini, bedah siasat selesai dijalankan ke atas 30 mayat dan 17 mayat dikenal pasti.

Proses pengecaman masih berjalan ketika anggota keluarga menjalankan urusan menuntut mayat orang tersayang.

Wakil media, yang menunggu seawal jam 7 pagi, tidak dibenarkan memasuki perkarangan bilik mayat.

Sementara itu Yayasan Tzu Chi, sebuah pertubuhan kemanusiaan bukan kerajaan, turut memberi perkhidmatan untuk membantu anggota keluarga mangsa.

Seramai 37 orang termasuk pemandu bas terbunuh dalam kemalangan di KM3.5 Jalan Genting Highlands pada 2.22 petang semalam.

Bas yang membawa 52 penumpang, termasuk beberapa warga asing itu, sedang menuruni laluan curam dari Genting Highlands menghala ke pusat bandar raya apabila terjunam ke dalam gaung.

Suasana di sekitar bilik mayat menjadi semakin sibuk menjelang  tengah hari apabila lebih ramai kaum keluarga yang tiba untuk membantu proses pengecaman mayat.

Sebahagian daripada anggota keluarga mangsa menunggu dengan penuh gundah di khemah yang didirikan oleh Yayasan Tzu Chi.

Beberapa kereta mayat juga dilihat memasuki perkarangan bilik mayat pagi ini. - Bernama, 22 Ogos, 2013.

Bus in Genting Highlands accident on JPJ blacklist

KUALA LUMPUR (Malaysia): The bus involved in the country's deadliest accident in Genting Highlands had been blacklisted by the police prior to the incident yesterday.

   The Star reported that checks on the Road Transport Department website revealed that the ill-fated bus was not road-worthy although the reason was unclear.

   Bentong OCPD Superintendent Mansor Mohd Noor disclosed that the bus belonged to a Kuala Lumpur-based company known as Genting Highlands Transport Sdn Bhd.

However, the company could not be reached for comment.

   According to bus enthusiast website JomNaikBas, the company uses the Scania L113 single-deck bus.

Meanwhile, The Star also reported that a Genting Malaysia Berhad spokesman said the road heading downhill from the Chin Swee Cave Temple in Genting Highlands has been closed after the bus crash.

The spokesman said the uphill road to the hillside resort had been divided into two to enable two-way traffic.

   Motorists leaving the resort area, he said, could still use the downhill road but would have to go through the Chin Swee Temple. From there, they could rejoin the uphill road and make their way out of the area.

The spokesman also conveyed Genting Malaysia's deepest sympathies to the families of the victims of the crash.

   Thirty-seven people have been confirmed dead in the crash, when a bus plunged into a 200-foot deep ravine as it made its way down from the Genting Highlands resort in Pahang yesterday afternoon. - August 22, 2013.

37 DEAD IN MALAYSIAN BUS ACCIDENT

KUALA LUMPUR (Malaysia): At least 37  dead bodies have been recovered from a bus that plunged into a deep ravine near a Malaysian mountaintop tourist resort Wednesday, a fire department official said.

Police have said the bus was carrying up to 45 people when it tumbled down a hill in the Genting Highlands, a gambling and entertainment resort about an hour's drive from the capital Kuala Lumpur.

"We have 20 confirmed dead," the fire official, M. Mahendran, told AFP by phone.

"We have taken out some injured people but we are unable to confirm how many were in the bus."

He said officials have been unable to confirm the nationalities of victims.

Lines of rescuers clinging to an orange rope for support were seen pulling out injured victims from the mangled bus which was lying on its side in thick vegetation about 30 metres (100 feet) down from the road.

Amateur photos posted on the Internet also showed damage to the road's concrete embankment, suggesting the bus had managed to smash through the barrier.

Malaysian media had earlier reported that at least 15 people had been sent to hospital after the accident at around 3 p.m. on a steep and winding road.

Police have said the bus was part of a regular line that ferries visitors between the capital and the hill resort.

The flashy resort, whose bright lights can be seen from the city at night, is operated by Malaysian gaming firm Genting, one of the country's largest companies.

The resort includes the country's sole casino and has attracted more than 20 million visitors per year since 2011. It is currently undergoing a reportedly three billion ringgit ($900 million) refurbishment.

The plans include a 400 million ringgit Twentieth Century Fox theme park set to open in 2016.

However, the steep and winding road leading up to the Genting Highlands is notoriously perilous.

Two Indian tourists died and 22 other people were hurt when their bus overturned in the area last year.

Muslim-majority Malaysia has banned gambling but allows non-Muslims to bet at the casino in the Genting Highlands, as well as on horse-racing and private lotteries.

ANAK TERKEJUT PENGASAS ARAB MALAYSIAN BANK DIBUNUH

KUALA LUMPUR  (Malaysia) -- Anak lelaki pengasas Kumpulan Perbankan

Arab Malaysian Hussain Ahmad Najadi terkejut dengan pembunuhan bapanya di sini

hari ini.

   "Saya terkejut apabila mendengar tentang kejadian bunuh itu, lebih-lebih

lagi apabila ia dilakukan pada waktu siang di Kuala Lumpur," Pascal Najadi

kepada Bernama dalam satu temu bual menerusi telefon dari Eropah.

   Sehubungan itu, Pascal, 45, pemegang kerakyatan dua negara iaitu Switzerland

dan British, menggesa pihak berkuasa Malaysia mengambil tindakan sewajarnya bagi

menahan individu yang terlibat dalam pembunuhan bapanya serta mengheret mereka

ke muka pengadilan.

   Pascal, yang turut menceburi bidang perbankan, berkata ironinya adalah

Hussain Ahmad dibunuh di Malaysia, negara yang amat disayanginya dan dianggap

sebagai tanah tumpah darah beliau selama lebih empat dekad.

   Hussain Ahmad, 75, maut manakala isterinya yang berusia 49 tahun cedera

parah ditembak dari jarak dekat di parkir kereta selepas keluar dari Tokong Kuan

Yin di Lorong Ceylon pada 2 petang.

   Mangsa terkena dua das tembakan di bahagian dada dan meninggal dunia di

tempat kejadian manakala isterinya cedera di pergelangan tangan kiri serta peha

kanan.

   Siasatan awal polis mendapati seorang lelaki bersenjata merupakan antara

tiga individu yang menunggu Hussain Ahmad di luar tokong berkenaan, yang

dikatakan ke situ untuk bertemu rakannya bagi membincangkan urusan jual beli

saham.

   Pascal berkata beliau mengetahui tragedi yang menimpa bapanya beberapa jam

selepas kejadian selain menerima panggilan daripada polis Malaysia berhubung

pembunuhan itu.

   Hussain Ahmad mengasaskan Kumpulan Perbankan Arab Malaysian pada 1975

sebelum ia bertukar tangan pada 1982 dan dikenali sebagai Arab Malaysian Bank

atau Ambank – Bernama.

JOHNNY DEEP GIVES WILLIAM PARENTING TIPS

Johnny Depp has given some advice to Britain’s Prince William, saying fatherhood is the “greatest ride ever”.

  The 31-year-old royal and his wife Catherine welcomed their first child, a son, into the world yesterday. Johnny has two children with his ex-partner Vanessa Paradis and is confident that William will relish having a family just as much as he does.

  “I would say the same thing to any pop, you know,” he told UK TV show Daybreak when asked to give the prince some words of wisdom. “The best thing – the only thing you can do – first of all it’s the greatest thing you will ever experience, without question. It’s the greatest ride ever. The best thing you can do is just love them and be there.”

  Bruce Willis also has a lot of experience as a father, raising three grown up daughters with ex-wife Demi Moore. He became a dad for the fourth time last year, when his wife Emma Heming gave birth to a baby girl called Mabel. The Hollywood star has urged William and Catherine to spend as much time as possible with their new arrival.

  “Stay home for the first year, don’t go anywhere, just be there,” he smiled. “Play with that baby every day. They will be very good at it, they seem like really cool people.”

  Dame Helen Mirren famously won an Oscar for portraying Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 movie The Queen. She was thrilled to hear that the Prince of Cambridge had been safely delivered when the news was announced on Monday evening in the UK. The actress was also full of praise for the 31-year-old duchess, insisting she will be a natural when it comes to parenting.

  “It’s a lovely moment in our history, it’s always important when the heir to the throne is being born and it’s very exciting,” Helen smiled at the UK premiere of Red 2. “And I think we are very blessed with the mother, I think we have a great mum there.”

William spent his first night as a father with Catherine and their son at St Mary’s Hospital in London.

  The future king, who remained with his wife during the labour, released a statement following the birth, saying the couple “could not be happier”.

  He personally phoned his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, to tell her the good news, before calling his father Prince Charles and his younger brother Prince Harry. William also contacted the Middleton family, who briefly spoke to Catherine.

  The baby will be known as Prince (Christian name) of Cambridge, and replaces Harry as third in line to the throne.

  The Muppets are currently shooting their new movie in the city and Miss Piggy admits the announcement has left her feeling broody.

  “Kermit, it’s so exciting, Kate is a mommy and Prince William is a daddy and there is a new royal baby boy... It kind of makes me want to have a royal child of my own, what about you Kermit?” she asked her long-term partner during a TV interview. “Can’t you just hear the pitter patter of tiny tadpole feet?”

  Kermit was quick to deflect Miss Piggy’s question, replying: “Tadpoles don’t have feet…. Congratulations William and Catherine.”

  The duke and duchess are expected to leave hospital later today, and will pose on the steps of St Mary’s to give the world a first glimpse of the new prince.

  A series of celebrations will be held in the UK to mark the royal baby’s arrival, including gun salutes across London.

A DIVE GONE WRONG

IT  was supposed to be the dive that would’ve put Pandelela Rinong on the brink of capturing the elusive World Championships individual medal in Barcelona, instead it cost her dearly as she ended up in sixth place in the 10m platform individual final.

The two-time National Sportswoman of the Year, who is competing in her third consecutive finals chalked up 334.55 points.

Pandelela falls at the final hurdle to end up sixth
 in the 10m individual platform final

Pandelela, an Olympic bronze medallist in the event, failed to balance herself while preparing to take-off from the platform for her ‘Armstand Back 2 Somersault 1 1/2 Twist Free’ routine during her third attempt.

To her credit, she then retook and execute the dive well enough, but was slapped with a hefty penalty that cost her 14 points, with each of the seven judges deducting two points.

She was awarded a low 54.50 for that attempt.

It dealt a huge blow to the 20-year-old’s morale, having started convincingly with 70.50 and 76.80 in the first two dives to stay on course for the bronze medal. She was already off pace from the two mighty Chinese divers Chen Ruolin and Si Yajie, who had opened a big lead at the top.

The previous dive indeed affected Pandelela’s spirit as she flopped in the subsequent dive, earning just 56.00. With two poor scores in a row, her position plummeted from third to sixth.

But to her credit, she picked herself up to conclude her unhappy campaign with a decent dive that gave her 76.80 points to hang on in sixth place – a standing that left her crushed in the end.

The competition also saw 14-year-old prodigy Yajie (392.15) became new world champion as she narrowly dethroned defending champion Ruolin (388.70).

Ruolin, also a two-time silver medallist in Rome 2009 and Melbourne 2007, had never lost in any of the world major competition since 2011 as she went on to win the World Cup and London Olympic last year.

European champion Iuliia Propkochuk (358.40) of Ukraine, won her first ever world meet medal as she emerged triumphant in the ‘battle of the rest of the world’ to take the third spot.