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Tea for two, or three or four Posted: 16 Dec 2011 04:40 PM PST A selection of TWG teas. — Pictures by Eu Hooi Khaw KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 17 — I was at the TWG Tea Garden in Marina Bay Sands in Singapore recently and got intimately acquainted with TWG teas. There's a range of 800 of them, among them exclusive blends with fine fruits, spices, essences and even chocolate and caramel. At the tea boutique I got to taste the unusual White Earl Grey, infused with young, fuzzy, whitish gray shoots, that produces a slightly bitter tea. "It cools you down," said Maranda Barnes, TWG co-founder and business development director. The vivid colour of the Creme Caramel tea. There's the Love Me Tea that's a green tea with a little cherry blossom, and the Tokyo-Singapore Tea that I liked very much, that has the fragrance of yuzu in it. The Secret of Vietnam gives a light bitter edge from the lotus in it. Even the scones I had here were served with jams infused with tea, such as the exquisite green tea jelly and the rooibos jelly. Chocolates infused with tea have caught on in Singapore, with a maitre chocolatier making the chocolates fresh every day at the TWG tea salon and boutique in Ion Orchard. TWG is a luxury tea brand based in Singapore that made its debut in 2007. Now it's in Harrods, London, and Dean & Deluca in New York; it has a tea boutique and salon in Tokyo. It has six stores in Singapore and so far it's in 36 countries! Scones, chocolate cake and some amazing sandwiches at the TWG Tea Garden in Marina Bay Sands. Back in KL, we tasted three TWG teas at the Pavilions Lounge at the Sheraton Imperial recently, under the guidance of Louise Benzrihem, PR manager and brand ambassador of TWG Teas from Singapore. The first was the Grand Wedding Tea, a black tea with tropical fruits and flowers that's tangy with passionfruit, with a bit of sweetness coming through. The Crème Caramel tea is a caffeine-free, red rooibos tea. A whiff of vanilla floats up, from the caramel. The Alexandria tea is a green tea blend with mint and Mediterranean spices that everyone favoured. It was light and refreshing. Strong black teas drunk with milk and sugar are for the morning, said Louise, and fruity blended teas are for the afternoon. "We also have a non-alcoholic Rum Tea infused with sugar-cane that smells and tastes like rum. It's great for making tea cocktails." Tea of course goes with scones, cakes, éclairs, strawberry tartlets, cupcakes and macarons, even kuih, at the Pavilions lounge. (I had some divine toasted sandwiches with foie gras at the TWG Tea Garden in Singapore and I'm still thinking of them!) The Pavilions Lounge at Sheraton Imperial where you can have tea and cakes. Still, I was content with scones served with clotted cream, marmalade and strawberry jam, a chocolate éclair filled with mocha cream and the strawberry tartlet. I hit a sugar high with these, and wished there were some savoury items such as finger sandwiches on the counter. Still, the lounge is a nice place to spend an afternoon — from 2pm to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Here you can have all the cakes, chocolate mousse, lemon madeleines and petit fours you can eat, together with a pot of TWG tea for RM38++ per person. If you stay long enough, you can move on to boutique beers, fine wines and spirits and indulge in some pizzas and finger foods while listening to musicians playing. Sheraton Imperial is in Jalan Sultan Ismail (Tel: 03-2717-9020). Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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F1 cannot be big in United States, says Ecclestone Posted: 16 Dec 2011 03:54 PM PST NEW YORK, Dec 17 — Formula One will continue to be viewed as a minority sport by Americans even though the United States is due to host two grands prix a year from 2013, supremo Bernie Ecclestone said yesterday. The United States, absent from the Formula One calendar since Indianapolis in 2007, returns to the schedule next year with a new race at Austin, Texas. The country will then have two races a season from 2013 when a grand prix is also planned for New Jersey, on a street circuit against a backdrop of New York's Manhattan skyline. Asked by television interviewer David Frost, in a programme aired on Al Jazeera yesterday, if he expected Formula One to be big in America in 10 years' time, Ecclestone (picture) said: "No. "We've got a maximum of two races in America and when you consider the country is as big as Europe and we've got several races in Europe, it's difficult (for the United States). "If we had a lot more races there and a lot more television it would be okay. It's (also) a bit like the rest of America in that they want to see a profit before they start something and it's not easy to do that." The Briton said he was disappointed Turkey was missing from the 20-race calendar in 2012 and hinted strongly that South Africa would host a grand prix in 2013. "I was talking to someone this morning about Turkey," said the 81-year-old. "It is a pity we have lost that because I think it is one of those countries that's going to really move on in the world and that's why I went there in the first place." Ecclestone said there were plenty of potential new grand prix hosts around the world but added he was loathe to extend the calendar beyond 20 races. "We have enough countries waiting (to come on board) but I think we have to stop now," he said. "It's difficult for the people who work in Formula One with all the travelling. They never see their families, that's the big problem." Ecclestone said he was particularly proud about the improvements in driver safety during his 30-plus years in charge of the sport. "If somebody has an accident today in a Formula One car, pick whatever speed you like, you see these guys have a big accident, undo their safety belts and get out — which is wonderful." — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

How watching football was nearly the death of a Man United fan Posted: 16 Dec 2011 07:45 AM PST The 58-year-old woman's life-threatening condition was brought on by watching knife-edge games at the Old Trafford stadium. — Reuters file pic LONDON, Dec 16 — Watching your favourite football team trying to hang on to a precarious lead in the dying minutes of a match is enough to frazzle anyone's nerves, but for one Manchester United fan the stress was nearly too much. The 58-year-old woman gets so anxious she has to take treatment for a life-threatening condition brought on by watching knife-edge games at the Old Trafford stadium. The condition, known as an Addisonian crisis, comes about when the adrenal glands do not produce enough of the stress-reducing hormone cortisol, a lack of which can lead to low blood pressure and even a coma. "We believe that our patient was having difficulty mounting an appropriate physiological cortisol response during the big games and therefore we present this as the first description of Manchester United-induced Addisonian crisis," said Dr Akbar Choudhry who treated the patient. Doctors suspected the condition when the woman started getting bouts of anxiety, palpitations, panic, light headedness, and a sense of impending doom towards the end of matches. The symptoms were less serious when the home side was playing a lower-rated team. An Addisonian crisis, which is a manifestation of Addison's disease, is difficult to diagnose because the main symptoms include fatigue, lethargy and low mood — often experienced by otherwise healthy people and frequently reported in many other chronic conditions. "Luckily, the patient was on holiday for United's 6-1 defeat by local rivals Manchester City in October," Choudhry said in a report on BMJ.com. "But, by this time, doctors had fine-tuned her therapy and she has remained symptom-free during recent tense contests against Sunderland and FC Basel," he added. Treatment coincided with the start of the 2011/12 football season and the patient has managed to attend all games at Old Trafford without any adverse effects. — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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Angry Birds to get own theme parks Posted: 16 Dec 2011 02:58 AM PST HELSINKI, Dec 16 — The Angry Birds are set to fly from the virtual into the real world next year as the cartoonish birds from the popular smartphone game get their own theme parks, a playground company said yesterday. "The idea is to create a different concept for gaming by integrating the virtual and physical worlds ... so parents can spend more time with their kids," Finnish playground maker Lappset's managing director Juha Laakkonen told AFP. Lappset and the developer of the game, Rovio, have agreed to build the first Angry Birds-themed play parks in Espoo, near Helsinki, and in the northern Finnish city of Rovaniemi, which are expected to be operational in April 2012. But the goal is to bring the activity parks to other venues worldwide, Laakkonen explained. "We are still in negotiations so we cannot disclose the specific cities, but they will be in America, Asia and Europe," he said. Laakkonen said he was as yet unable to say how the two companies planned to recreate in the real world the mobile phone and tablet experience of catapulting whimsical birds into absurd fortresses built by little green pigs who have stolen the birds' eggs, saying only that "safety issues are important." When Finnish game developer Rovio released Angry Birds in 2009 no one at the company expected the nonsensical game would become the most popular paid application for Apple's iPhone, with more than a half-billion downloads to date on various devices. — AFP/Relaxnews Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Jedi knights top 15,000 in Czech census Posted: 16 Dec 2011 12:41 AM PST The invented faith also has a strong following in countries such as New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Britain. — Reuters file pic PRAGUE, Dec 16 — More than 15,000 Czechs follow the faith of the Star Wars movies' Jedi knights, official census data showed yesterday, while half of the country's 10.5 million people declined to list any religion. "Many people adhered to the moral values of Jedi knights from the Star Wars saga," the Czech Statistical Office said in a statement, noting that the invented faith also had a strong following in countries such as New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Britain. It said 15,070 Czechs registered as Jedi knights in the census held in March, against 1,083,899 Roman Catholics and 707,649 people who said they believed in God but did not belong to any church. "Fifteen thousand adherents, which is the size of a small town, is not a negligible social phenomenon," Stanislav Drapal, deputy head of the statistical office, told reporters. In Prague, statisticians registered 3,977 Jedi knights, or 0.31 per cent of the capital's population. The lightsabre-wielding Jedi knights are an order of guardians of peace for the interplanetary Galactic Republic of the cult Star Wars series, known for their enhanced mind powers that allow them to harness "The Force" to control objects and influence others. Their moral code has long struck a chord among fans of the films, some of whom over recent years have decided to live their lives according to the Jedi philosophy, which taps elements of several existing religions. "We included this option (in the census form) despite a fierce debate over whether it's serious or not. But it's not up to statisticians to say what is or is not a religion," said Drapal. Almost five million people left the religion column empty. "If we add the 3.6 million citizens who said they were not religious at all, it looks as if Czech citizens ignored the issue or as if they really had no relationship to faith and religion," added Drapal. — AFP/Relaxnews Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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Keanu Reeves lands financing, distribution for film Posted: 16 Dec 2011 08:43 AM PST Keanu Reeves: Directorial debut. — Reuters pic LOS ANGELES, Dec 16 — Keanu Reeves has secured financing and distribution for his directorial debut, the martial-arts film "Man of Tai Chi". Village Roadshow Pictures Asia will co-produce the movie with China Film Group and Wanda Media Group. The film will be co-financed and distributed by the co-producing partners and Universal Pictures. Production will start in Beijing in February. Additional filming will take place in Hong Kong and Macau. Reeves and his team were now in China, Universal Pictures said. TheWrap exclusively reported in August that China Film Group and Village Roadshow Pictures were in negotiations to get funding for the film. The picture will be distributed by Village Roadshow Pictures Asia affiliates in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, by China Film Group and Wanda Media Group in Greater China, and by Universal in the rest of the world. "The opportunity to get further involved in the Chinese market and to bring Chinese films to audiences around the world is important to Universal," David Kosse, president of Universal's international division, said in a statement. "'Man of Tai Chi' has an amazing pedigree of filmmakers." Lemore Syvan is producing. Reeves also wrote and will star in the film, which will be in Mandarin and English. The "Speed" star plays the villain in the movie, which includes some serious fighting scenes. Reeves showed off his martial arts chops in "The Matrix" films and, earlier this year, finished filming "47 Ronin", Universal's adaptation of the Japanese martial arts picture. "Tai Chi" also stars Tiger Chen, a member of the kung fu team in "The Matrix". — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Kate Winslet finds delight in ‘Carnage’ Posted: 16 Dec 2011 07:00 AM PST Kate Winslet in this file photo accepting the award for outstanding lead actress in a miniseries or movie for "Mildred Pierce" at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, September 18, 2011. — Reuters pic NEW YORK, Dec 16 — When Roman calls, Kate goes to work. Holidays can wait. That's Roman, as in Polanski, and Kate as in Winslet, whose new film "Carnage", a satirical comedy of manners that skewers overbearing parents, opens today, one day after earning Winslet a Golden Globe nomination for acting. "I had planned not to work," Winslet told Reuters in a telephone interview. "But that notion just went right out the window the second I heard the name Roman Polanski. "One doesn't think of oneself as being ever sort of Roman Polanski-worthy," said Winslet about the director of such classics as "Chinatown" and "Rosemary's Baby". "So you'd have to be kind of stupid, really, not to change your plans." "Carnage", which co-stars Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly and Christoph Waltz, is based on Yasmina Reza's biting Broadway satire of two sets of parents who meet one afternoon to discuss their sons' playground fracas. Set smack in the middle of smug self-righteousness that is one of the hallmarks of upscale Brooklyn neighbourhoods, the film chronicles in real time the couples' downward spiral as polite overtures give way to Scotch-and-cobbler-fuelled invective — a sort of "Virginia Woolf lite". "What's so brilliant is that Yasmina was able to make this scenario funny, because if it wasn't funny, it really wouldn't be a very pleasant film to watch," Winslet said. "She lets us laugh with them, and at them, but more importantly, at them," she said of the four characters — a liberal writer (Foster), her plumbing fixtures salesman husband (Reilly), a shady lawyer (Waltz) and an investment broker (Winslet) — who are all in virtually every scene. Winslet, who won an Oscar for "The Reader" after six nominations, laughed heartily when recalling the "rather ridiculous set-up" of "Carnage", "where they eat cobbler and drink whiskey — in the middle of the day! It's just so absurd". UNFAZED BY DEMANDING DIRECTOR But while Winslet said the eight-week Paris shoot was "a really terrific time for all four of us", it wasn't full-on fun and laughter. Polanski, after all, has a reputation as one of the film world's more autocratic and meticulous directors. That didn't faze Winslet, who shot to fame on the strength of performances in small, independent films such as "Heavenly Creatures" and "Sense and Sensibility" before striking box office gold with "Titanic". Winslet, after all, is a woman who recently braved a raging inferno at Richard Branson's private island villa in the Caribbean to rescue his elderly mother and who took on Britain's notorious tabloids in a 2009 libel case — and won. "I've never come across such energy in a man, maybe ever," she said of Polanski. "He has such incredible charisma ... and the naughtiest, cheekiest energy." As to his working style, she called Polanski "incredibly direct. He is really blunt, really frank, which I love." "He can be cutthroat," she continued. "But at the same time I was surprised by how collaborative he was", telling the cast to "try it your way", before adding after a pause: "My way will be better, but try it." "Bless him, he would let us have a go," she laughed. Winslet allowed that in order to work with such a perfectionist "you have to be, as an actor, very tough. For a younger actor who isn't so experienced, I could imagine how Roman's directing style could be very overwhelming." The actress said she was surprised by how much she enjoyed the theatrical nature of the film shoot, which was preceded by two full weeks of rehearsal and the cast having to learn the entire script — the way it's done on stage. "People think because I'm English I've done so much theatre. But I've hardly done any," she said. "It was surprising to me, how much I did enjoy the process of repetition, repetition, repetition." So did it whet her appetite to return to the stage, which she hasn't visited professionally since age 18? "I have my children. They are my world and absolutely my priority, and the idea not to be able to put them to bed for three months and have weekends with them for three months ... I'll keep fantasising about it, but will have to park the idea for now," she said. — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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Graphic book reimagines key time in Steve Jobs’ life Posted: 15 Dec 2011 04:56 PM PST File photo of carnations placed before a computer screen showing a portrait of Jobs at an Apple store in St Petersburg, Russia on October 6, 2011. — Reuters pic NEW YORK, Dec 16 — Another new book about late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is hitting bookshelves next month, this one a graphic narrative exploring the innovator's spiritual development, the publishers announced on Wednesday. "The Zen of Steve Jobs," by Forbes reporter Caleb Melby, is described as a "thoroughly researched interpretation of a well-documented period" in Jobs' life which revolutionized technology and design, Forbes Media and John Wiley & Sons said. While the book spans the 1970s to 2011, it centres on the period starting in 1985 when Jobs left Apple and founded the computer company, NeXT. During that time he forged a relationship with a Japanese Soto Zen Buddhist priest, Kobun Chino Otogawa, a spiritual friendship that is reimagined in "The Zen of Steve Jobs," which will be illustrated by the data visualisation firm JESS3. "Kobun was to Buddhism as Jobs was to technology: a renegade and a maverick," the publishers said in a statement. Their time together, they said, was central to the great leaps forward that Apple took later on, after Jobs rejoined the company in 1996 and it became a model for design and business strategy. One section, set in the mid-1980s, takes places at a California Zen retreat. Kobun teaches Jobs walking meditation, and alludes to Jobs' quest to understand ma, a Japanese design concept which the publishers said was apparent in the simplicity of today's Apple products. After Jobs returned to Apple, his Buddhist experiences influenced his corporate philosophy, the publishers said. The book is just one of many creative arts offerings to arise since Jobs' death in October. An off-Broadway play, "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs" won strong reviews and extended its run after tickets sold out, and Walter Isaacson's biography "Steve Jobs" became an instant bestseller. — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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NFC: Pindah kes kepada polis bukan perkara baru, kata SPRM Posted: 16 Dec 2011 02:25 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR, 16 Dis — Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) sambil menafikan dakwaan beberapa pihak bahawa ia  tidak mengambil tindakan dalam kes Pusat Fidlot Kebangsaan (NFC) menegaskan, langkah memindahkan mana-mana kes tidak berkaitan kepada polis bukan perkara baru. Dalam satu kenyataan dikeluarkan petang ini, SPRM berkata, pihaknya ingin menegaskan bahawa tindakan pengumpulan bukti dan keterangan telah bermula sejak isu berkenaan dilaporkan dalam Laporan Audit Negara 2010 — yang menyatakan projek tersebut, yang dikaitkan dengan keluarga Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil — tidak mencapai sasaran yang telah ditetapkan oleh pihak kerajaan. "Semasa dalam proses pengumpulan bukti dan keterangan tersebut, SPRM telah menerima aduan daripada satu kumpulan NGO yang mendakwa berlakunya penyalahgunaan wang pinjaman yang diperoleh oleh NFC bagi membeli kondominium mewah berharga RM9.8 juta yang dibeli di Lembah Klang," katanya. Bagaimanapun katanya, setelah meneliti aduan itu, Jawatankuasa Menerima Maklumat SPRM mengklasifikasikan bahawa aduan tersebut tidak mengandungi unsur rasuah dan merupakan kesalahan bawah Kanun Keseksaan yang bukannya dalam bidang kuasanya, memutuskan supaya ia dirujuk kepada pihak polis. Perkara itu sedang disiasat pihak polis. "SPRM ingin menjelaskan bahawa tindakan merujuk maklumat atau aduan kepada pihak penguat kuasa lain atau lain-lain agensi bagi aduan atau maklumat yang tiada berunsur jenayah rasuah telah diamalkan oleh SPRM dan BPR sejak awal penubuhannya," katanya. Jelas kenyataan itu, pada 2009 sebanyak 313 kes dan 260 kes lagi tahun berikutnya, yang diadu kepada SPRM telah dirujuk kepada polis. "Sebaliknya pihak polis pula telah merujuk kepada SPRM sebanyak 102 aduan pada 2009 dan 95 aduan pada 2010," katanya lagi. Oleh itu kata kenyataan tersebut, SPRM ingin menegaskan bahawa semua aduan atau maklumat yang berunsur jenayah rasuah akan disiasat. "SPRM berharap orang ramai jelas dan tidak salah faham berhubung dengan sebarang tindakan SPRM dalam kes-kes seperti ini," katanya lagi. Ia menambah, maklumat atau aduan yang berkaitan rasuah  tetap diambil tindakan  oleh SPRM manakala maklumat atau aduan yang tidak ada unsur rasuah akan dirujuk kepada mana-mana agensi berkaitan untuk tindakan selanjutnya selaras dengan peruntukan undang-undang dan bidang kuasa agensi berkaitan. "Bagaimanapun SPRM tidak mendedahkan perkembangan dan hasil siasatan kerana peruntukan Seksyen 29(4) ASPRM 2009 yang menyatakan bahawa sesuatu aduan hendaklah dirahsiakan sehingga orang tertuduh dipertuduh di mahkamah," katanya lagi. Malah kenyataan itu berkata, kelmarin SPRM telah menerima satu lagi maklumat daripada NGO yang sama, Jingga 13 dan SPRM menjadikan aduan ini sebagai maklumat tambahan bagi meneruskan siasatan kes ini. "SPRM ingin menegaskan bahawa agensi ini sentiasa serius dan mengambil tindakan proaktif terhadap setiap maklumat yang berkaitan kesalahan rasuah. "SPRM ingin menyeru seluruh masyarakat memahami peruntukan bidang kuasa SPRM adalah menyiasat kes berkaitan rasuah, sepertimana yang diperuntukkan dalam Akta SPRM 2009," katanya lagi. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

IGP: Senjata ‘Steyr’ kes samun bank dipercayai milik anggota tentera Posted: 16 Dec 2011 02:18 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR, 16 Dis — Senjata jenis "Steyr" yang digunakan dalam cubaan melarikan wang tunai RM253,000 di sebuah bank di Taman Muda, Ampang, Selasa lepas, dipercayai milik seorang anggota tentera berpangkat pegawai. Ketua Polis Negara Tan Sri Ismail Omar (gambar) berkata perkara ini telah dimaklumkan kepada pihak berkuasa tentera. "Kami telah memberitahu kepada Panglima Angkatan Tentera (Jen Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin) mengenai perkara itu untuk siasatan lanjut," katanya pada sidang akhbar sempena Majlis Serah Terima Tugas Jawatan Pengarah Pengurusan Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) di Bukit Aman di sini hari ini. Dipetik Bernama Online, Ismail berkata polis percaya terdapat suspek lain yang terlibat dalam insiden itu dan sedang mengesan individu terbabit. Polis menemui senjata tersebut pada suspek yang ditembak mati seorang pengawal keselamatan dengan "pump gun" ketika hendak melarikan diri. Dalam perkembangan lain, polis mengesahkan sedang mengesan seorang suspek berhubung kes kehilangan Timbalan Presiden Komuniti Sukan Korea Selatan di Malaysia, Kim Chong Yong, yang dilapor hilang sejak hujung Oktober dan dipercayai dibunuh. "Polis sudah mengenal pasti identiti suspek yang kini berada di luar negara. Kita minta bantuan polis antarabangsa (Interpol) untuk mengesan suspek yang juga ada hubung kait dengan mangsa," katanya. Menurutnya, polis kini giat mengesan bukti selain mencari mangsa. Pada Khamis, polis mengesan isyarat telefon bimbit Kim, 53, yang juga ahli perniagaan, di sekitar kawasan hutan antara Batu 14 hingga Batu 25 Jalan Gombak-Bentong dekat sini. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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Euro2012 draw: Group of Death Posted: 15 Dec 2011 04:00 PM PST DEC 16 — Continuing my look at how the recent draw for the next Uefa European Championship, to be held in June/July 2012, turned out, it brings me to Group B, otherwise known as the Group of Death. Whatever one may say about the luck of the draw, historically, there just always has to be one Group of Death in every major tournament. With three former champions, the two most recent runners-up, and two traditional rivals — you can surely figure out who's who — in Germany, Holland, Denmark and Portugal, every match just promises to be an edge-of-the-seat thriller. Well, it promises to be, anyway. We will see when the time comes. So, the draw placed Portugal as the weakest team to qualify, as they qualified through the playoffs. The Portuguese will need to transform themselves into more than just a one-man team if they harbour any hope of progress beyond the group stages. The over reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo, and his desire to do it alone too, hampers their play. He was the player under the most pressure in South Africa 2010 and, unfortunately, will carry the same tag into Euro2012, which is jointly hosted by Ukraine and Poland. Incidentally, the Danes took top spot in their qualifying group ahead of Portugal. Both teams had an almost identical record, bar two significant matches that didn't go Portugal's way — a 4-4 draw at home to Cyprus and a 1-0 loss away to Norway. Yes, 4-4 at HOME to tiny Cyprus. Fortunately, Ronaldo and Co got over that by winning 4-0 in the return leg. That is why I believe that Denmark will not relish meeting Portugal again in Euro2012 proper. The Danes just do not look capable of matching a more focused and effective Portuguese side. In a one-off game, the Portuguese could hit form against a very dour Denmark. The latter do have experience but are very short on top quality players unless Nicklas Bendtner turns world class overnight on the pitch. Which is surely not going to happen in a club like Sunderland. The other two countries in Group B, Holland and Germany, have a much longer history of rivalry at the top level of international football. The Dutch, with a backbone of players who took them to the World Cup final last year, could still spring a surprise with their know-how and determination. There seems to be a lot of rumours coming from the dressing room, let alone the Dutch tabloids, on the lack of team spirit that is vital in any competition. Which is kinda frustrating when you look at the strength of quality among certain individual players in every department on the pitch. That quality must surely have helped them to come through the qualifying rounds with only one loss, that too in their final match, after nine consecutive victories. So, I would be willing to go out on a limb and say that they do look like the favourites to win the group. Of course, the Germans might disagree. But despite having the best record in the qualifying rounds — 10 wins out of 10 matches for maximum points — Germany are in a transitional period after their amazing WC2010 adventure . The abundance of riches in the squad could prove more of a bane to team selection than a boon. Still, the squad has tremendous togetherness, which has always been their strength, no matter who plays for Germany. I dare say that the Germans will actually go into Euro2012 as the second most exciting team after Spain. And whether they are top of the group or second, I believe Germany have the ability to become European Champions... provided Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich's super striker) can score goals and Bastien Schweinsteiger is fit enough to drive the team. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Polemik dalaman PAS, garis politik akhirnya dilukis Posted: 15 Dec 2011 03:43 PM PST 16 DIS — Sebaik sahaja keputusan PRU 12 diumumkan, cerita-cerita tentang perkahwinan politik diantara PAS dan Umno tidak pernah berhenti. Di negeri Selangor, diberitakan terdapat usaha untuk mengahwinkan kedua musuh tradisi bagi membentuk kerajaan kononnya untuk memastikan hak orang-orang Melayu terbela. Begitu juga di negeri Perak, terdapat juga usaha yang sama. Sayang seribu kali sayang. Tahun 2008 bukanlah seperti tahun 60an atau 70an dahulu dimana retorik politik Melayu laku untuk dijual. Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak tidak seuntung ayahnya. Dahulu arwah Tun Abdul Razak mampu untuk menarik PAS menyertai Barisan Nasional (BN). Kini, tidak mudah lagi bagi Najib untuk mengulangi kejayaan ayahnya kerana keadaan semasa tidak lagi seperti dahulu. Dari mula cerita tentang kerajaan perpaduan diantara Umno-PAS keluar sehinggalah hari ni, nama bekas timbalan presiden, Nasharuddin Mat Isa dan Exco Negeri Selangor, Dr Hasan Ali tidak henti-henti disebut. Kedua-dua pemimpin ini dilihat sebagai fraksi "Umno" di dalam PAS. Pada mulanya kedudukan mereka begitu kuat di dalam parti. Nasharuddin sebagai timbalan presiden dan Hasan sebagai Pesuruhjaya Selangor — negeri pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat (PR). Garis politik dilukis Pemilihan kepimpinan PAS dalam muktamar lalu menyaksikan "signal" jelas daripada ahli parti tersebut. Majoriti ahli-ahli PAS tidak mahu perkahwinan dengan Umno. Nasharuddin tersungkur ditangan ayam sabung PAS, Mohamad Sabu. Hasan Ali tidak dipilih semula sebagai Pesuruhjaya PAS Selangor. Baru-baru ini, Ketua Penerangan PAS Selangor, Shaari Sungib mengumumkan bahawa Hasan Ali tidak mendapat cukup pencalonan dari cawangan-cawangan parti tersebut untuk melayakkan beliau dipilih semula sebagai calon kerusi DUN Gombak Setia. Akhirnya Setiausaha Agung PAS, Datuk Mustafa Ali — diketahui umum sebagai orang kuat Presiden PAS — mengatakan Hasan dan Nasharuddin terperangkap dalam agenda Umno. "Saya buat kesimpulan, mereka berdua terheret dengan agenda (Umno) yang boleh menjejaskan parti. Sama ada mereka sedar atau tidak sedar, mereka sebenarnya terperangkap dalam agenda musuh politik PAS. "Ini sangat tidak wajar dan tidak baik bagi PAS walaupun tidak memberikan kesan besar bagi parti," kata beliau. Naib Presiden PAS, Datuk Mahfuz Omar lebih keras lagi. Katanya PAS tidak akan menghalang Hasan Ali untuk keluar parti dan menyertai Umno kerana parti tersebut percaya kepada demokrasi. "Isu keluar parti ini PAS sudah lama lalui dah. Presiden parti pun pernah keluar. "Tetapi PAS masih terus berjalan seperti biasa," katanya merujuk kepada keluarnya presiden keempat parti Islam itu Datuk Asri Muda pada tahun 1982 akibat krisis kepimpinan. Hasan Ali dan Nasharuddin Mat Isa adalah wira bagi Umno. Utusan Malaysia dan TV3 menyokong kuat kedua-dua ahli politik tersebut. Di dalam politik tidak begitu susah untuk menilai. Apabila musuh politik menyokong sesuatu perkara — dilakukan oleh sesuatu kelompok dalam kumpulan kita, sudah pasti apa yang dilakukan itu menguntungkan mereka dan merugikan kita. Persoalan Melayu dan Islam hanyalah "Ajinomoto" untuk menyedapkan cerita. Akhirnya kepimpinan PAS melukis garis politik jelas. Perkahwinan dengan seteru politik zaman berzaman tidak mungkin berlaku saat ini. Hasan dan Nasha gagal untuk melaksanakan misi mengahwinkan PAS dan Umno. Tambahan pula dengan barisan kepimpinan seperti Mohamad Sabu, Salahuddin Ayub, Husam Musa dan Mahfuz Omar, ianya tidak mungkin berlaku. Apabila Mustafa yang mesra dengan panggilan Cikgu Pa juga telah bersuara, Hadi pasti senada. Hasan dan Nasha pasti akan dikenang sebagai pemimpin yang gagal untuk mengahwinkan PAS dan Umno. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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