STORY TO BE TOLD

Human error blamed in fatal bus crash

IPOH: An accident involving a high-decked bus that crashed on its way down from Cameron Highlands last month is due to human error and not caused by an oil spill on the road as speculated earlier.

State Infrastructure Committee chairman Datuk Ramly Zahari said police investigations showed human error was the reason for the crash which killed 28 people.

“Claims that the accident was caused by an oil spill on the road are just assumptions,” he told reporters after visiting the accident site near here yesterday.

Safety measure: Ramly (right) and Perak Public Works Department director Datuk Dr Safry Kamal Ahmad inspecting a new road divider that was put up at the accident site Tuesday.

He said although the accident was caused by human error, the state government would improve the physical condition of the road at the accident site.

“We will be asking the state government to approve another RM200,000 to enhance the safety aspect at the road which would include widening a 100m stretch,” he said.

“A groove will also be built before the accident site to warn motorists to slow down,” Ramly said.

He added that the works would be completed in a month.

Ramly said installing multiple warning signs and solar-powered street lamps were among the measures that had been done immediately after the bus crash.

Queen of Reversals surpasses Athena, another extension?
by girlfriday | January 11, 2011

The battle of the Monday-Tuesday dramas is heating up, as MBC’s Queen of Reversals noses ahead in the ratings. Monday’s broadcast pulled in 15.7% (AGB Nielson), beating SBS’s Athena: Goddess of War for the first time. Athena began its run with explosive 22.8% ratings, but has steadily declined over the last five weeks, landing at 15.2% on Monday.

The growing ratings might be a factor in MBC’s decision to offer Queen yet ANOTHER extension. It’s just by one episode, due to a scheduled preemption on January 31 for the 2011 Asia Cup. Because most Monday-Tuesday dramas end on a Tuesday, MBC wants the show to go out with an additional episode, bringing the total count to 33. The production has yet to agree, mostly due to the fact that the entire cast and staff have already been exhausting themselves with the current extension, although I’m not sure what one episode either way will do. If the drama decides against the offer, MBC plans to air the last two episodes on a Tuesday night, one week earlier. Perhaps the extension is yet another move to give The Duo an extra week before premiering. Couldn’t hurt.

As far as the current ratings battle, they seem to be leveling out, which is about where they fare with me on the to-watch scale: that is, some Mondays I start with Athena, and others I start with Queen. Strangely, I like them equally too, but for wholly different reasons, as they inhabit two completely different ends of the drama spectrum. I like the dark spy world of Athena peppered with funny antics, and well, Queen is boring one minute, and then coffee laced with crack the next minute.

It’s taken the extended episodes (twelve more added to the original twenty) to flesh out Park Shi-hoo‘s character, and now he’s totally taking over in leading man territory. It’s just enough to take me from skeptical, to hopeful….to downright delusional. I don’t think I’m alone, though, as the drama is pushing the Kim Tae-hee/Gu Yong-shik pairing in a way that it wasn’t before the extension. All the romantic moments are reserved for them, which is either a really good sign (*crosses fingers, throws salt, does chant*) or a totally evil move to fake me out. I’m preparing an effigy in case it’s the latter.

Via Star News, Nocut News

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Malaysians in Brisbane on edge as floods worsen
By SHARIN SHAIK

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians in Brisbane are on edge as floods continue to worsen in various parts of the city.

Professor Rusdin Laiman of Queensland University of Technology had to leave his home and seek refuge with a fellow Malaysian, who is staying on higher ground in Highgate after his home in Toowong was almost completely submerged in water.

He said the power supply to the Central Business District has been shut off and all roads closed.

“It is devastating, the university is closed, offices are closed, and the situation is expected to get worse.

“There are many Malaysians here who had to leave their homes to live with friends or go to evacuation centres because many suburbs here are flooded,” he said in a telephone interview on Wednesday.

Griffith University student Lidiana Rosli who lives in Robertson says that the town is on standby for evacuation.

“Before this, it did not register with me because I only saw the floods on TV,” “Yesterday, it was terrifying to see the river bank break because I finally came to the realisation of what was happening,” she said in a telephone interview.

According to Lidiana, many people left work early in a panic to stock up on food and by afternoon, the grocery stores were almost completely depleted of stocks.

She is ready for an emergency evacuation however. The nearest evacuation centre from her home - the ANZ Stadium in Nathan -is a 25-minute-walk away.

According to Australia’s Courier Mail, the death toll of the flood has risen to 12 and 67 people are missing so far.

Non-stop rain causes major flooding

KUCHING: Incessant rainfall all through Monday night caused major flooding in low-lying areas here, cutting off access roads to a number of villages and schools as well as causing close to a thousand people to evacuate from their homes.

The first area to experience flooding was low-lying Bau district, affecting a number of villages in the Siniawan, Taiton, Krokong and Opar area.

Continuous rainfall for a period of 10 hours straight also caused two schools in the district, namely SK Suba Buan and SK Jagoi, to cease operation with their access roads inundated.

Family in distress: Mohamad Nizam Bustaman, 34, his daughter Mellie Mohamad Nizam, his wife Nurul Sakinah and son Mohamad Syahriel Mohamad Nizam waddle through a metre of flood water in their kitchen.

Apart from Bau, the other affected areas were Desa Wira and Kampung Sinar Budi in the Batu Kawa area.

The State Operations Room located at Wisma Bapa Malaysia recorded its first distress call from the public at Desa Wira near midnight after continuous heavy downpour from 9pm.

An official told The Star at press time that three evacuation centres, namely Dewan Stapok along Jalan Stephen Yong, Dewan Kampung Sinar Budi and Balai Raya Kampung Sinar Budi, had kicked into action with 169 families comprising 790 flood victims already being given shelter there.

Two tents were also erected at Kampung Batu Kitang and Kampung Sungai Tengah to accommodate 100 evacuees.

She said the Meteorology Services Depart­ment had forecast the heavy rainfall to last till tomorrow and classified Kuching to be in the Orange stage, which indicated a sign of alert.

As such, all ops flood rooms in the state, divisional and district levels had started operating 24 hours since Monday. It is learnt that Sarawak’s 200 over evacuation centres are also on standby mode.

She said that so far, the State Operations Room had not received any reports of flooding in other divisions of the state.

When visiting Batu Kitang yesterday, Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan said Kuching recorded more than 300mm of rainfall from midnight, which was almost half of what it usually got in a month.

“Kuching normally gets 600mm to 700mm rainfall in January but since Monday midnight, we have already recorded 300mm,” he told reporters.

Dr Chan, who is the State Disaster Relief Committee chairman, said the rainy weather was far from over as continuous rainfall was expected to occur throughout these few days as heavy north-easterly rain clouds blow inland.

“We see heavy clouds coming from the sea and if that is so, then we are really in trouble. Luckily, the king tide just finished on Monday or it (flood situation) could have been worse.

“Nonetheless, we still have to be prepared ... it does not look too good this year,” he added.

Sazzy Falak pregnant with twins

By Noorsila Abd Majid


Sazzy Falak and her beloved husband, Nazril Idrus

It's no longer a secret. Local actress Sazzy Falak is pregnant with twins.

The Daily Chilli first heard about news of the babies in November last year, but had to swear to secrecy out of respect for Sazzy - who was observing the Malay pantang (taboo) during her first trimester.

As she is a first-time mum-to-be, the petite actress is taking all precautionary measures to sensure that the babies are safe during the early stage of her pregnancy.

Besides, she and her hubby had waited for four years for the miracle of life to happen.

The 29-year-old, however, has not stopped working despite her bulging belly.

The Gol & Gincu star has just wrapped up filming of her latest telemovie, Mimpi, in Dublin, Ireland.

Her husband, actor/model/financial coach Nazril Idrus is acting alongside her for the first time in the TV movie.

"Sazzy and Nazril are flying back to KL on Jan 13 (Wed). In spite of the blistering cold Irish weather, the first-time mum-to-be is as fit as a fiddle," said her manager, Kajai.

The twins are due in May.

Photos by Azman Ghani

Published Jan 11 2011

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Owen Wilson is going to be a dad

A spokeswoman for 42-year-old Owen Wilson says he and his girlfriend are expecting a child together.

Publicist Ina Treciokas says Wilson and Jade Duell "are happy to be expecting a baby."

No other details were available.

Wilson appears in the recent films "Little Fockers" and "How Do You Know." His other credits include "Marley & Me," "Drillbit Taylor" and "Wedding Crashers." - AP

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Michael Douglas says his cancer is gone

Actor Michael Douglas says his tumour is gone and that he may have beaten throat cancer.

In a taped interview with NBC's Matt Lauer, Douglas said he felt relieved after a "wild, six-month ride." Excerpts of the interview were released Monday ahead of its airing Tuesday on "Today."

Douglas says the odds are that he has beaten the disease.

He said that he had lost 32 pounds (14.5 kilograms), but was now working out and had put 12 pounds (5.5 kilograms) back on. He said he'll continue to go in for monthly checkups.

The 66-year-old actor is set to begin shooting Steven Soderbergh's "Liberace" in May or June, with Douglas playing the title part. He's also nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps." - AP

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3yr old girl beats breast cancer

The youngest person ever to be diagnosed with breast cancer has made a full recovery at the age of three, reported the Daily Mail.

When Melanie Hunter found a little lump on her daughter Aleisha's chest, she thought it was a harmless cyst. "It was a tiny little hard lump, the size of a pea," Mrs Hunter told the Daily Mail.

After hospital tests, Mrs Hunter was told it was nothing serious and Aleisha was sent home, but the lump carried on growing. After the lump had grown to 2cm and was causing Aleisha such pain she was unable to sleep, Mrs Hunter took her daughter back to the hospital.

"I couldn't believe it when they told me what it was," Mrs Hunter said. "I was unbelievably shocked - stunned. I didn't think a child that young could get breast cancer."

Aleisha, from Toronto, Canada, underwent a mastectomy and had 16 lymph nodes removed from her armpit to see if the cancer had spread after the doctors discovered the cause of the lump in December 2008, when she was two.

Luckily, the cancer had not spread which meant Aleisha did not need chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

"I know I had cancer in my booby and that the doctors made it better," Aleisha said. "I know that cancer can make some people go to heaven, but I am better now," she told the Daily Mail.

Source: Korea Herald/ANN
Published Jan 11 2011

'Space child' on the way

By Noorsila Abd Majid

Malaysian astronaut Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Al-Masrie and his wife, Datin Dr Halina Mohd Yunos are expecting their first child.

The angkasawan has posted the baby news on his official Dr Sheikh Muszaphar FanClub on Facebook.

"We are looking forward for this coming July
for the due of our tiny baby astronaut ....
Just sharing the good news .....," he writes.

His publicist, Dewi Safina further confirms the good news, "Dr Halina is exactly three months' pregnant," she says.

The photogenic doctors tied the knot on Oct 10 last year.

Published Jan 11 2011

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6,000-yr-old winery found

This undated handout photo provided by National Geographic shows a wine press, behind which an archaeological identification kit is placed, in Armenia.

This undated handout photo provided by National Geographic shows a wine press, behind which an archaeological identification kit is placed, in Armenia.

The earliest known winery has been uncovered in a cave in the mountains of Armenia.

A vat to press the grapes, fermentation jars and even a cup and drinking bowl dating to about 6,000 years ago were discovered in the cave complex by an international team of researchers.

While older evidence of wine drinking has been found, this is the earliest example of complete wine production, according to Gregory Areshian of the University of California, Los Angeles, co-director of the excavation.

The findings, announced Tuesday by the National Geographic Society, are published in the online edition of the Journal of Archaeological Science.

"The evidence argues convincingly for a wine-making facility," said Patrick McGovern, scientific director of the Biomolecular Archaeology Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania Museum in Philadelphia, who was not part of the research team.

Such large-scale wine production implies that the Eurasian grape had already been domesticated, said McGovern, author of "Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Wine, Beer and Other Alcoholic Beverages."

The same Armenian area was the site of the discovery of the oldest known leather shoe, dated to about 5,500 years ago. That discovery at the area known as Areni-1 was reported last summer.

According to the archeologists, inside the cave was a shallow basin about 3 feet across that was positioned to drain into a deep vat.
The basin could have served as a wine press where people stomped the grapes with their feet, a method Areshian noted was traditional for centuries.

They also found grape seeds, remains of pressed grapes and dozens of dried vines. The seeds were from the same type of grapes - Vitis vinifera vinifera - still used to make wine.

The earliest comparable remains were found in the tomb of the ancient Egyptian king Scorpion I, dating to around 5,100 years ago.

Because the wine-making facility was found surrounded by graves, the researchers suggest the wine may have been intended for ceremonial use.
That made sense to McGovern, who noted that wine was the main beverage at funeral feasts and was later used for tomb offerings.

Indeed, he said, "Even in lowland regions like ancient Egypt where beer reigned supreme, special wines from the Nile Delta were required as funerary offerings and huge quantities of wine were consumed at major royal and religious festivals."

McGovern noted that similar vats for treading on grapes and jars for storage have been found around the Mediterranean area.

In his books, McGovern has suggested that a "wine culture," including the domestication of the Eurasian grape, was first consolidated in the mountainous regions around Armenia before moving to the south. - AP

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Judge orders Michael Jackson doctor to stand trial

LOS ANGELES (AP): A judge on Tuesday ordered the personal physician of Michael Jackson to stand trial for involuntary manslaughter after hearing testimony that he administered a lethal dose of a powerful anesthetic and other sedatives then left the pop star alone.

The ruling in the case against Houston cardiologist Dr. Conrad Murray came after a six-day preliminary hearing before Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor.

Prosecutors concluded their case with testimony from two doctors who said Murray acted outside the standard of medical care when he administered the propofol then failed to provide proper care.

Both witnesses said that even if Jackson had self-administered the final dose of the drug, his death would be a homicide because of Murray's actions.

Murray, 57, has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys have said he did not give Jackson anything that should have killed him. Murray could face up to four years in prison if tried and convicted.

During closing arguments at the hearing, Murray's defense attorney, Joseph Low IV, argued the case should be dismissed because prosecutors didn't adequately prove how Murray caused Jackson's death. He also said Jackson's health may have been a contributing cause.

"In contrast to Mr. Low's comment, let me just say, it was not Michael Jackson's time to go," Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said. "Because of Dr. Murray's actions, Michael's children are left without a father."

During the hearing, prosecutors built a timeline of Jackson's final hours and Murray's actions, suggesting the singer died because of Murray's gross negligence.

Though many details were previously revealed in court filings and accounts from law enforcement officials, the hearing featured new disclosures and compelling moments such as Jackson's burly former bodyguard choking back tears as he recalled the two oldest Jackson children watching their father in his death throes.

The guard, Alberto Alvarez, said daughter Paris fell to the ground crying out, "Daddy!" before Alvarez led them from the room.

Jackson's mother, Katherine, seated in the courtroom, dabbed at her eyes during the testimony. The famous Jackson siblings - Janet, Jackie, LaToya, Randy and Rebbie - were present every day along with their parents.

Alvarez also testified that Murray instructed him to place medicine vials in bags before calling an ambulance on the day Jackson died.

Police Detective Orlando Martinez said Murray told him he found Jackson not breathing just after 11 a.m. on June 25, 2009. Phone records showed an ambulance was not called until 12:21 p.m.

Paramedics and an emergency room doctor all testified that they thought Jackson died in his bedroom, before he was transported to a hospital where Murray insisted resuscitation efforts continue.

The medical personnel also said Murray didn't tell them he had given Jackson propofol, which is normally administered in hospital settings.

Using phone records and testimony from Murray's current and former girlfriends, prosecutors also showed the doctor was on the phone before and after he gave Jackson the lethal dose of propofol and sedatives.

Martinez testified about the timeline Murray laid out in a nearly three-hour interview with police two days after Jackson died.

Murray described a nearly 10-hour ordeal of trying to get Jackson to sleep, giving him a valium pill and two other sedatives intravenously before yielding to the singer's demands for propofol.

Jackson called the anesthetic his "milk," and coroner's investigators later found several vials of it in a bag labeled "Baby Essentials" in Jackson's closet.

Martinez said Jackson told Murray if he couldn't get sleep, he might have to cancel his widely heralded "This is It" comeback tour. The doctor spoke of feeling pressured to give the star the propofol he wanted, the detective said.

Defense attorneys rarely call witnesses or present their own theories during preliminary hearings, which have a lower standard of proof than criminal trials.

But lawyers for Murray did reveal possible trial strategies while questioning witnesses.

Defense attorney Ed Chernoff challenged Alvarez's recollection of events in Jackson's bedroom but stopped short of asking if there was enough time for him to do everything he said he did before dialing an ambulance.

Another defense attorney, J. Michael Flanagan, quizzed a coroner's investigator about whether a syringe and an empty vial of propofol found under a table next to Jackson's bed, were within reach of the singer.

The judge barred an answer after a prosecutor objected.

Under Chernoff's questioning, Martinez said Murray recalled Jackson asking to self-administer propofol. Prosecutors said they expect the defense to claim Jackson administered the deadly dose himself while Murray was out of the room.

The testimony painted a troubled portrait of a singer who had grown more reclusive since his 2005 acquittal on child molestation charges. He was plagued by insomnia, and the choreographer of his show said he seemed ill and "lost" a few days before the final rehearsals but rallied to do "fabulous" work in the final two days Jackson had been receiving propofol intravenously six nights a week for the two months before his death, Murray told detectives.

When Alvarez and paramedics arrived at the singer's bedroom, they were surprised to find the 136-pound singer wearing a surgical cap and urinary catheter.

Far from looking like a pop superstar about to embark on a 50-concert tour, Jackson seemed more like a hospice patient, one paramedic said.

Jackson's family and fans have contended the doctor should be tried for murder.

During the hearing, a plane flew over the courthouse trailing a banner with Jackson's image that read, "Change the Charge to Murder."

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Australia floods inundate Brisbane, over 90 missing
By Ed Davies

BRISBANE, Australia (Reuters) - Thousands of residents of Australia's third-largest city evacuated homes on Wednesday as massive floods threatened to inundate the financial district, sparked panic buying of food and left authorities despairing for more than 90 people missing.

Sandbags are seen stacked in front of an electrical substation in Brisbane January 11, 2011. (REUTERS/Mick Tsikas)

The biggest floods in decades have so far killed 14 people since starting their devastating march across the northern mining state of Queensland last month, crippling the coking coal industry, destroying infrastructure, putting a brake on the economy and sending the local currency to four-week lows.

With a flood surge expected to peak in the Queensland capital of Brisbane, a city of two million, on Thursday, search and rescue crews took advantage of rare sunshine on Wednesday to look for those still missing from tsunami-like flash floods that tore through townships west of the city this week.

"I think we're all going to be shocked by what they find in these towns that were hit by that tsunami yesterday," Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh told local television on Wednesday.

The worsening floods are forcing economists to raise estimates of the economic impact, with one central bank board member quoted on Wednesday as saying the disaster could cost as much as 1 percent of economic growth -- equal to almost $13 billion, double the previous highest estimate.

The Australian dollar sank to a fresh four-week low of $0.9803 on the comments from Warwick McKibbin, an academic and a member of the central bank's policy making board.

In Brisbane, thousands of homes and businesses were inundated as swirling flood waters rose in and around the riverside city, triggering residents to flee with few possessions to higher ground and evacuation centres.

City Mayor Campbell Newman said the number of homes expected to be hit by flooding had risen to 19,700, affecting up to 45,000 people, with the military now running relief flights with helicopters and C-130 transports.

Dams built to protect communities are at bursting point.

Power company Energex has shut power to some low-lying areas of Brisbane, including parts of the financial district, for fear that live power lines could electrify floodwaters. Up to 100,000 homes in Brisbane and nearby Ipswich were without electricity.

'TERRIFYING, CHAOS'

Bligh said the Brisbane River, which winds through the city centre, should peak at the high tide on Thursday around mid-afternoon, with thousands of properties to be inundated before that time, but she appealed for calm.

"Right across this region, this river is creating chaos, terrifying people and causing damage already," she said.

Unmoored boats and pontoons with speedboats still attached could be seen adrift on the Brisbane River, which was swirling with flotsam as the sun broke through on Wednesday for what was expected, allowing rescue helicopters into the air.

Showers, though, were forecast to return next week.

Some scenes in the city were surreal with early-morning joggers trying to carry on as normal, despite parts of the their routes being submerged.

Amy Cotterill, a waitress at a central Brisbane cafe, said she was unsure about the fate of the city, with flood levels of around 4.5 metres expected on Wednesday and worse to come.

"They make it sound like it's going to be bad, cutting power and so on," she said, adding that so far her home in the Hawthorn area of the city was on dry ground.

Hundreds of people were evacuated overnight from homes at Ipswich, west of Brisbane, with a third of the town expected to go under water as the Bremer River peaks.

Further south, in neighbouring New South Wales state, entire communities were evacuated around Grafton and Maclean, as the Clarence River swelled, catching emergency teams by surprise.

In southeast Victoria state, heavy rain caused flash flooding around the town of Horsham, prompting fears a nearby lake could break its banks, while in Western Australia authorities fought bushfires in a summer of extremes.

Thin lines of sandbags surrounded some businesses in downtown Brisbane, with some motorists braving flooded streets.

"There is nothing we can do about it," said Ricardo Rindu, who runs a Latin Restaurant on Melbourne Street. "I tried ringing the council for sandbags but there was no answer."

Floodwaters entered the lobby of Brisbane's Cutting Edge TV production house. A day earlier workers had tried desperately to sandbag the glass-front building full of high-tech equipment.

Some residents wheeled shopping carts and carried bags laden with food as supermarkets ran out of staples such as milk and bread. Food prices are surging around the country as the floods ruin crops in Queensland and sever distribution networks.

Police were starting to close off more streets in the centre of Brisbane as some streets were flooded with knee-high water.

SHOCKED PM VISITS FLOODED CITY

Prime Minister Julia Gillard arrived in the city to inspect the devastation and said she was deeply concerned about the impact of the flood on jobs and livelihoods.

"I have been shocked. I think we've all been shocked by the images of that wall of water just wreaking such devastation. The dimensions of it are truly mind-boggling," Gillard said.

"We will have to work through the long-term economic impacts for Queensland, and of course the huge infrastructure re-building task to come as floodwaters subside."

(Additional reporting by Rob Taylor in CANBERRA and Balazs Koranyi, Amy Pyett and Wayne Cole in SYDNEY)

(Writing by Rob Taylor; Editing by Mark Bendeich)

Copyright © 2011 Reuters

Year One students can choose from five elective languages
By KAREN CHAPMAN
educate@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: The Education Ministry is going ahead with the move to make the elective languages of Arabic, Chinese, Tamil, Iban and Kadazandusun compulsory for all Year One pupils this year.

Under an Education Ministry circular, schools should offer all elective language subjects for 90 minutes per week (three periods of 30 minutes each).

This is part of the Standard Curriculum for Primary Schools (KSSR) which was introduced this year.

The move, however, has caused much confusion among parents.

Education director-general Datuk Abd Ghafar Mahmud assured parents that in the event of a shortage of language teachers in a particular school, teachers can substitute the three periods with the teaching of Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mathematics or Science and Technology.

“The implementation of the elective languages depends on the availability of such teachers for this year,” he said.

An Education Ministry official said district education officers were meeting school heads to find out more about the teacher shortages in schools and collecting data on how the problem could be overcome.

“We are also looking into having schools within the same area sharing language teachers. For example, a Chinese or Tamil language teacher could go from school to school to teach,” he said.

The official said more language teachers were being trained to ensure all 7,695 primary schools in the country could offer at least one elective language.

“Ideally, if a school only offers one elective language but pupils want another one, the school should be able to provide the alternative,” he said.

Some parents have expressed concern that some schools are offering only one elective language and forcing the children to take it up.

Weather across peninsula is erratic and cold

KUALA LUMPUR: A blast of cold air is blowing across the Klang Valley and most of the peninsula states, bringing with it much lower temperatures.

Unlike previous years when temperatures took a dip during the monsoon season and tailed off towards the end of December, the cold season seems to be extending into the new year.

Many readers of The Star have called up to ask for the scientific reason for the cool climate experienced by residents across the Klang Valley.

Cool times: That’s right, it really is 26°C in the afternoon as this clock tower along Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur, displays.

Some readers from Klang said that the temperature on some days this year was 27°C and that some parts in the port town were covered in mist in the morning.

Generally temperatures in the lowlands of Malaysia range between 29°C - 35°C during the day and 26°C - 29°C at night, depending on the amount of rainfall and sunlight.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department said the weather pattern was a bit erratic and the cool weather was expected to continue into the Chinese New Year.

Department spokesman Ramlan Abdul Rahman said Malaysia was still not out of the Northeast monsoon season, which started in November and lasted till March, that brought heavy rainfall to the east side of Peninsular Malaysia such as Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang as well as Sabah and Sarawak.

“As this monsoon wind is particularly strong, it often brings heavy rain to the west side of Peninsular Malaysia as well during this period,” he said.

The department has also registered greater cloud activity during the period and forecasts the erratic cloud patterns to last longer.

It said the erratic cloud pattern and rain were the two major contributing factors for the cool weather.

And for many the Year of the Rabbit will not have a ferocious start like in previous years when hot weather reigned throughout the Chinese New Year.

Rather it will be gentle with warm breeze, intermittent rain and occasional thunderstorms.

According to the Meteorological Depart­ment, Klang Valley was expected to experience thunderstorms in the afternoon on the first day of Chinese New Year while the skies up north were expected to be clear.

So for a change sit back and enjoy the cool weather while it lasts.

Malaysian student is tops again in Singapore
By SHARIN SHAIK
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: For the third year in a row, a Malaysian has become a top scorer in the island republic, with Chia Pei Yun scoring 10 A1s in Singapore’s GCE O-level exams.

The 16-year-old student of the St Nicholas Girls’ School (SNGS) loves to read, practise handicraft and play the piano.

Chia, from Damansara Utama here, said she was a down-to-earth person and a “normal teenager” who was often on Facebook in her free time.

All smiles: Pei Yun celebrating as she is recognised for being the top O-level student in Singapore.

The Asean scholar managed to score As in Mathematics, English, English Literature, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Huma-nities, Malay and Chinese.

According to Chia, she managed to achieve her excellent results through perseverance in revising throughout the year.

“This helped me relax when the exams approached,” she said in a telephone interview.

Chia said she was focused and determined in her journey towards achieving the position of top scorer in the GCE O-level exams.

“When I am away from home, I miss my family a lot but I do not let my feelings get in the way of my studies,” she added.

According to SNGS principal Chan Wan Siang, Chia was a hardworking girl who was always positive and willing to learn.

“Pei Yun loves music and was a level coordinator in the school choir,” she said.

Chan is proud at the school’s achievement in having top O-level scorers for three years in a row.

‘Dead’ woman comes alive during funeral
OTHER NEWS & VIEWS
Compiled by LEE YEN MUN, RACHAEL KAM and A. RAMAN

A woman who was pronounced dead by doctors came alive during her funeral procession – two days later.

She reportedly stirred and stood up while family members were burning firecrackers in accordance with local custom in the small Inidan village of Vepachettu in Allipuram, about 50km from Hyderabad, Tamil Nesan reported.

On Wednesday, Pinnitla Varalakshmi had been admitted to the King George’s Hospital after she collapsed at her house while attending to her daily chores.

Doctors pronounced her dead on arrival and issued a death certificate.

While her “body” was being carried in a funeral procession on Friday, mourners saw her waking up, sending shivers down their spine. A relative, Nageswara Rao, said ambulance staff noticed her pulse and took her to a private hospital.

She was later pronounced dead again.

> A poor farm labourer from a remote village in Cuddalore, a district in Tamil Nadu, handed over her baby to a home run by a Christian missionary in Puducherry after her husband died in 1968.

The two-year-old baby was baptised, christened Jasmine and given to a childless Belgian couple for adoption.

More than 40 years later on Saturday, Jasmine had a tearful reunion with her mother at the missionary’s branch in Karaikal, Makkal Osai reported.

Jasmine, married with two children, flew from Belgium to India about 15 days ago with her husband and visited the home run by the missionary.

Other News & Views is compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with this > sign, it denotes a separate news item.

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‘Brother Snake’ celebrates birthday with its owner
By VANES DEVINDRAN
vanes@thestar.com.my

KUCHING: Turning 21 signifies freedom and adulthood – even if you are a python.

Phang Sako, a seven-metre long pet python, is getting a better and bigger home – one where he can really stretch himself – for his 21st birthday.

Owner Phang Joon Siong (pic) said that Sako, which means “Brother Snake” in a local dialect, would be celebrating its birthday together with Phang who turns 51 today.

“For the Chinese. the male must always celebrate the year when his age has the number one. So since Sako will turn 21 and I will turn 51, we will have a grand celebration,” he said at his home in Stampin yesterday.

Joon Siong said he had spent RM4,000 to provide Sako a better “home” by building a special cage with steel bars and granite flooring.

“Sako will have a wide area to stretch and it will be very airy for him too. He has been living in the house with us for the past two weeks already.

“So tomorrow night (tonight), after the celebration, we will introduce him to his new room,” said the proud owner.

The reptile has been a family pet for many years and the bond they share is a special one.

The car dealer received Sako as a baby python from a friend on the eve of Chinese New Year in 1990 and it has been part of the family since.

Joon Siong, his wife Wong Siew Yii, and their four children are all happy with Sako living with them and have come to treat the python as a member of the family.

Even their other pets, three dogs and two cats, have adapted well to their slithery housemate.

Wong said Sako never gave her any problem at home.

He ain’t heavy, he’s brother snake: Little Phang Li Chen, 11, playfully stroking her pet python Sako in Stampin, Kuching. Sako, which means Brother Snake and its owner, Phang Joon Siong, will have a double birthday celebration Tuesday. The python turns 21 while Phang turns 51. —ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE/The Star

“He eats once every two months at least and he will show us signs that he is hungry by following us around,” she said.

Sako now goes through five chicken in one sitting.

Many also drop by to meet Sako for good luck with 4-digit numbers.

“Sako does not give you the numbers. He simply shows if you are going to be lucky or not by raising his head when you approach it,” she said.

She said her husband had once tried to give Sako away for he was too busy to look after the reptile.

However, she said in less than a month, Sako slithered away from its new home only to show up at Joon Siong’s home four months later.

“We have even been offered RM10,000 for Sako but my husband refused to part with him. Sako is part of the family so there’s no way we are going to sell him,” she said.

Published: Tuesday January 11, 2011 MYT 10:04:00 PM
Updated: Tuesday January 11, 2011 MYT 10:20:44 PM
Kuching airport reopens

KUCHING: The Kuching International Airport was reopened at 9pm Tuesday, after being closed following an incident involving an AirAsia aircraft Monday night.

The first aircraft to land after the airport reopened was MASwings Flight 3807 from Bintulu, which arrived at 9.45pm.

The second arrival was MASwings Flight 3155 from Kota Kinabalu/Sibu, at 10.10pm.

The first flight out was AirAsia AK6540 to Miri, which departed at 10pm.

It is also learnt that MAS has cancelled all its flight for the day and will resume flights on Wednesday.

However, AirAsia was expected to operate 16 flights into Kuching that had been cancelled earlier.

A Malaysia Airports Berhad (MAB) spokesman said the closure had affected some 80 flights, both incoming and outgoing, as at 9pm.

The airport was closed after an AirAsia aircraft skidded and veered off the airport's runway 25 when it tried to land during heavy rain.

Earlier Tuesday, MAB corporate communications senior general manager Datuk Azmi Murad said airport workers managed to remove the aircraft from the grassy area at 6pm and moved it onto the runway.

"We are now moving the aircraft very slowly to the hangar. Workers have also inspected the runway, while others will be replacing the runway lights that were damaged," said Azmi.

All passengers were evacuated safely from the aircraft.

Efforts to remove the aircraft had been hampered by continuous heavy rains.

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Budak tiga tahun mati didera
Oleh Azida Shaharuddin dan Sahlina Sahkirin
bhnews@bharian.com.my
2011/01/11


NUR Dania Qistina

Ibu luluh dapat peluk jasad selepas 3 bulan tak bertemu

JOHOR BAHRU: Kerinduan seorang kerani akaun untuk menemui anak perempuannya berusia tiga tahun sejak tiga bulan lalu, luluh apabila hanya dapat memeluk jasad kanak-kanak itu yang meninggal dunia dengan 73 kesan kecederaan di badannya dipercayai akibat didera.
Nur Aquilla Razali, 27, hanya mampu meratap pemergian anak keduanya itu, Nur Dania Qistina Nurafizan, serta pengsan beberapa kali selepas menuntut jenazah kanak-kanak itu di Hospital Sultan Ismail (HSI) di sini, tengah hari semalam.
Tidak mampu menahan sebak, wanita itu turut pengsan beberapa kali menyebabkan beliau gagal ditemubual sehingga kanak-kanak itu dikebumikan di kampungnya di Tanah Perkuburan Islam Felda Tenggaroh 6, dekat Mersing kira-kira jam 4.30 petang semalam.

Adik Nur Aquilla, Mohd Kamaruzzaman, 25, berkata kakak sulungnya itu merindui Nur Dania serta dua lagi anaknya masing-masing perempuan berusia lima tahun dan lelaki berusia setahun, selepas mereka menetap dengan bapa mereka sejak tiga bulan lalu.

Beliau berkata, kakaknya pernah cuba mencari mangsa dan dua anaknya itu namun menemui jalan buntu apabila dimaklumkan keluarga suaminya mereka tidak tahu di mana kanak-kanak itu berada.

“Namun semalam, abang ipar menghubungi saya dan memaklumkan Nur Dania sudah tiada. Saya sendiri memberitahu Nur Aquilla kejadian menimpa anaknya menyebabkan beliau agak sebak.
“Nur Aquilla sudah lama cari anak beliau, tahu-tahu saja anak keduanya, Nur Dania sudah menjadi arwah,” katanya ketika dihubungi di rumahnya di FELDA Tenggaroh 6, semalam.

Difahamkan, anak lelaki Nur Aquilla turut mendapat rawatan di Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA) di sini, berikutan kesan lebam pada muka, belakang telinga dan punggung selain mengidap demam sejak kelmarin.

Ketua Polis Daerah Seri Alam, Superintendan Roslan Zainuddin berkata, berdasarkan laporan yang dibuat di Balai Polis Tiram, bapa mangsa Nurafizan Ludin, 30, menyatakan beliau menerima panggilan daripada isterinya, iaitu ibu tiri Nur Dania, mangsa tidak sedarkan diri selepas lemas dalam baldi di rumah pada kira-kira jam 8.30 pagi kelmarin.

Katanya, bapa mangsa yang bekerja di sebuah kilang di Pasir Gudang kemudian membawa Nur Dania ke hospital sebelum kanak-kanak itu disahkan meninggal dunia oleh doktor di HSI kira-kira sejam kemudian.

Roslan berkata, laporan bedah siasat ke atas mangsa mendapati ada 73 kesan kecederaan di seluruh badannya dan doktor mengesahkan mangsa mati akibat pendarahan dalam paru-parunya dipercayai akibat penderaan fizikal.

“Polis akan menahan bapa dan ibu tiri mangsa dalam masa terdekat dan kes disiasat mengikut Seksyen 302 Kanun Keseksaan kerana membunuh,” katanya.

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