Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

---

Hearts name Paulo Sergio as manager Posted: 02 Aug 2011 04:41 AM PDT LONDON, Aug 2 – Portuguese Paulo Sergio has taken over from Jim Jefferies as Hearts manager, the Scottish Premier League club said today. Jefferies left Hearts yesterday just two league matches into the new season after turning down the chance to become the club's Director of Football. The 43-year-old Paulo Sergio (picture) coached Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes before joining Sporting Lisbon in 2010 but he quit in February following a poor run of results. Russian-born Lithuanian businessman Vladimir Romanov became the majority shareholder at Hearts in 2005 and he has appointed a succession of managers who have failed to bring the success he has demanded. Hearts finished third in the Premier League last season behind Rangers and Celtic, the two clubs who traditionally dominate Scottish soccer. The Edinburgh club won the last of their four league titles in 1960. – Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

Hooker, Pearson, Watt lead Aussie team for Daegu Posted: 02 Aug 2011 02:52 AM PDT SYDNEY, Aug 2 – Defending champions Steve Hooker and Dani Samuels as well as in-form Sally Pearson and Mitchell Watt head a 47-strong Australia party for this year's world athletics championships in Daegu, South Korea. Pole vaulter Hooker, who is also the Olympic champion, will captain the team as he bids to defend the title he won two years ago in Berlin, where Samuels also claimed the women's discus gold medal. Olympic silver medallist Pearson has been in dazzling form in the Diamond League this season with three 100 metres hurdles victories and the world's best time of 12.48 seconds. Long jumper Mitchell Watt, a bronze medallist in Berlin, has also been in fine form with the three best jumps of the year, including the world-leading 8.54m he leapt in Stockholm last week. "We are excited by this group of athletes who will be heading to Daegu," chairman of selectors Dion Russell said in a news release. "We have a solid mix of experienced major championship performers alongside a group of potential stars for whom we have the London Olympics, and beyond, in mind." There is no place in the team for Jana Rawlinson, who won the 400m hurdles world title in 2003 under her maiden name of Pittman and again in 2007. The 28-year-old's comeback under her old coach Phil King foundered when she pulled out of the Australian championships in April with a calf strain. The other main hope of Australia adding to the nine gold medals they have won since the world championships were started in 1983 comes in the men's race walking. Jared Tallent, who won silver and bronze medals at the Beijing Olympics, will again compete in both 20 and 50 kilometres races in Daegu, where the championships open on Aug. 27. – Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Sports To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Features

---

Half of European men share King Tut’s DNA Posted: 02 Aug 2011 08:26 AM PDT Scientists believe the common ancestor lived in Caucasus about 9,500 years ago. — Reuters file pic LONDON, Aug 2 — Up to 70 per cent of British men and half of all Western European men are related to the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun, geneticists in Switzerland said. Scientists at Zurich-based DNA genealogy centre, iGENEA, reconstructed the DNA profile of the boy Pharaoh, who ascended the throne at the age of nine, his father Akhenaten and grandfather Amenhotep III, based on a film that was made for the Discovery Channel. The results showed that King Tut belonged to a genetic profile group, known as haplogroup R1b1a2, to which more than 50 per cent of all men in Western Europe belong, indicating that they share a common ancestor. Among modern-day Egyptians this haplogroup contingent is below one per cent, according to iGENEA. "It was very interesting to discover that he belonged to a genetic group in Europe — there were many possible groups in Egypt that the DNA could have belonged to," said Roman Scholz, director of the iGENEA Centre. Around 70 per cent of Spanish and 60 per cent of French men also belong to the genetic group of the Pharaoh who ruled Egypt more than 3,000 years ago. "We think the common ancestor lived in the Caucasus about 9,500 years ago," Scholz told Reuters. It is estimated that the earliest migration of haplogroup R1b1a2 into Europe began with the spread of agriculture in 7,000 BC, according to iGENEA. However, the geneticists were not sure how Tutankhamun's paternal lineage came to Egypt from its region of origin. The centre is now using DNA testing to search for the closest living relatives of "King Tut." "The offer has only been publicised for three days but we have already seen a lot of interest," Scholz told Reuters. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

Saudi billionaire to build world’s tallest tower Posted: 02 Aug 2011 07:41 AM PDT When completed, Kingdom Tower (L) would replace Dubai's 828-metre Burj Khalifa as the tallest tower in the world. — instinctmagazine.com pic RIYADH, Aug 2 — Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal unveiled plans today to build the world's tallest tower in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, signing a 4.6 billion riyal (RM3.69 billion) contract with Bin Laden Group. The proposed tower, which will rise more than 1,000 metres and take just over five years to complete, is the centerpiece of the planned Kingdom City development being built outside Jeddah by Prince Alwaleed's Kingdom Holding. "Building this tower in Jeddah sends a financial and economic message that should not be ignored," Prince Alwaleed told reporters. "It has a political depth to it to tell the world that we Saudis invest in our country despite what is happening around us from events, turmoil and revolutions even." When completed, the tower would replace Dubai's 828-metre Burj Khalifa as the tallest tower in the world. The Burj Khalifa was built by Emaar Properties for a total cost of US$1.5 billion. The Jeddah tower, which is to include a hotel, serviced apartments, luxury condominiums and offices, will be designed by US architecture firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill. Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal speaks near a model of the world's tallest tower during a news conference in Riyadh today. — Reuters pic Prince Alwaleed, a nephew of Saudi King Abdullah, said the Jeddah tower would eventually top 1,000 metres, but the final height is a closely guarded secret. "It is not 1,000 metres. It is more, could be more by many metres ... The figure is secret, only a small number of people know," he said. Kingdom Holding shares were up 2.55 per cent on the Saudi bourse at 1255 GMT (1955 Malaysian time). Kingdom said a 33.35-per cent-owned associate firm, Jeddah Economic Co, had been set up to build the tower. Abrar International Holding Co. will also have a 33.35-per cent stake, while Bin Laden Group will have 16.63 per cent, and businessman Abdurrahman Sharbatly will own 16.67 per cent. Last month, Kingdom, which holds stakes in companies such as Citigroup, reported a 21-per cent rise in second-quarter net profit helped by higher income from its investments. TRANSFORMING A CITY Saudi Arabia is currently undergoing multi-billion dollar projects to improve its infrastructure, spending over US$400 billion in the five years to 2013 and rolling out three consecutive record budgets along the way, in addition to over US$130 million in social spending. Jeddah, the country's second largest city of around four million residents, has long complained of neglect. Flash floods that swept through the city earlier this year are said to have damaged 90 per cent of its roads and more than 27,000 buildings, which residents complain were poorly constructed. "This will be a transformational project in Jeddah. It will be a source of pride for Saudi Arabia. Jeddah is in great need for it now," Prince Alwaleed said. The Kingdom Tower and Kingdom City, estimated to cost 75 billion riyals and to take around 10 years to complete, are among other projects to transform Jeddah into a city with high-rise buildings to rival Dubai. Saudi Arabia faces massive housing demand, due to a rapidly growing population. But its nationals have a preference for villas over apartments. Prices for villas have jumped by over 20 per cent in the first half of the year, according to a report by Banque Saudi Fransi. About 1.65 million new homes are needed by 2015 to meet growing demand in the world's largest oil exporter, Saudi Fransi said in March. Prince Alwaleed also said that within the next few weeks or months he plans to announce plans for another real estate project in Riyadh, spanning an area of 20 million square metres. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Features To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

---

Kings of Leon cancel US tour after Dallas concert cut short Posted: 02 Aug 2011 05:16 AM PDT American rock band Kings of Leon are cancelling the remainder of their US tour. – AFP pic LOS ANGELES, Aug. 2 – On August 1, American rock band Kings of Leon announced their plans to cancel the remainder of their US tour after lead singer Caleb Followill abruptly left the stage at a concert in Dallas this weekend due to heat exhaustion and stress. US dates are cancelled and won't be rescheduled due to the band's international tour schedule this fall, according to an announcement on the band's website. Tickets will be refunded. The band will resume touring in Canada at the Rogers Center in Vancouver on September 28. That show was originally scheduled for September 14. After Followill left the stage in Dallas, the band issued an official apology to fans, then took to Twitter to further discuss the situation. "Dallas, I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am. There are internal sicknesses & problems that have needed to be addressed. No words," Caleb's brother Jared Followill tweeted on Saturday. "I love our fans so much. I know you guys aren't stupid. I can't lie. There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade," he added later. The third brother Nathan also sent a Tweet saying: "Not so good morning 4 me today. Ashamed & embarrassed by last nights fiasco. Can't apologise enough, utterly gutted. A million I'm sorry's." Founded in 1999, the band has five albums behind it, including its latest album, Come Around Sundown, which debuted at number one in eight countries. – AFP Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

Cutting-edge ballet rocks Russia’s Bolshoi Posted: 02 Aug 2011 03:45 AM PDT Russian ballet dancers perform British choreographer Wayne McGregor's 'Chroma'. – AFP pic MOSCOW, Aug 2 – A modern ballet with music by cult US rock band The White Stripes has wowed Bolshoi Theatre audiences, helping the company shake off a conservative image as it plans a return to its historic home. "Chroma", British choreographer Wayne McGregor's 2006 exploration of the influence of psychology on movement, is a sharp contrast to the 19th-century narrative ballets that have been the staple of the Bolshoi repertoire. Set to a pulsating, dissonant score of orchestrations of White Stripes songs as well as original music by British composer Joby Talbot, "Chroma" demands from its 10 performers a whole new vocabulary of dance. Legs are flung out in extensions at all angles, arms whirled through the air and dancers intertwined in intricate couplings. The set resembles a gigantic white box with an open back whose colour changes throughout the show. With no tutu or pair of tights in sight, the dancers wear thin drapes that merge with their own bodies in a world that inhabits a different universe to the ritual formality of "The Sleeping Beauty" or "Don Quixote". But the Moscow dancers and audiences have embraced the work's stark modernity, earning the ballet's creative team a rousing reception at the July 21 premiere. "For the Bolshoi Ballet, 'Chroma' is a breakthrough into a new era," wrote the ballet critic of the Kommersant newspaper Tatyana Kuznetsova. "The troupe has jumped into the 21st century." McGregor, who came to Moscow to rehearse the dancers, expressed amazement at their abilities and is now set to choreograph a new version of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" specially for the Bolshoi in 2013. "It's a fantastic time for the Bolshoi to be experimenting with very modern choreography," said McGregor. "They have these incredible dancers who can really do anything, so why not explore it." "The dancers have great proportions, amazing limbs and they can do extraordinary things with their bodies – they have a real kind of elasticity which is something that I really love." Artem Ovcharenko, one of the soloists in Chroma, said: "You hear the first chords of that music standing in the wings. You start to burn, you want to get on stage and to dance to this." The success of "Chroma" has come at a crucial time for the Bolshoi company which has in recent years been accused of being held back by its own traditions and being afraid of experimentation. It is on October 28 finally to resume performances in its historic theatre which closed in July 2005 for urgent restoration whose completion was embarrassingly put back year after year. In the interim, the company has performed on its New Stage theatre nearby, whose smaller proportions have frustrated some of its stars. The Bolshoi Ballet – run for three decades from its Soviet heyday until 1995 by the authoritarian Yuri Grigorovich – has endured a rocky time since the 2008 departure of modernising director Alexei Ratmansky. Ratmansky left allegedly because he fell out with the pro-Grigorovich old guard and the company appeared to tread water after his departure. This year a top candidate to become the new artistic director became embroiled in a dark campaign to smear him using pornographic images. But the Bolshoi then scored a coup by appointing as ballet director ex-dancer Sergei Filin, who had turned Moscow's Stanislavsky Musical Theatre into a rival of its more famous counterpart by promoting innovative dance. Along with "Chroma", there is a new freshness in the repertoire of the Bolshoi, which has also taken on its first ballet by iconic US choreographer William Forsythe. The one-act "Chroma" is coupled in a thrilling evening of dance with the 1978 "Symphony of Psalms" by Jiri Kylian, another new Bolshoi acquisition, and "Rubies" by George Balanchine, the Russian-born US dancemaker who is only now being re-discovered in his homeland after his death in 1983. "Five years ago it was hard to imagine that the Bolshoi would ever present Forsythe, Kylian or McGregor," wrote critic Anna Galaida in the daily Vedomosti. "Now we have had premieres by all of these stars at the Bolshoi in one season." Meanwhile, the Bolshoi boasts possibly the most sought-after young dancers in ballet in Ivan Vasiliev and Natalya Osipova, a real-life couple who have dazzled the world with their heart-stopping jumps and dizzying spins. Filin said the dancers had initially been nervous of the difficulties of McGregor's choreography but said he had now given the company whole new possibilities. "We got even more than a McGregor ballet. We got artists who are capable of working and delivering a very great result." Traditions, however, are not entirely dead at the Bolshoi. According to the theatre's general director Anatoly Iksanov, the first full-length ballet to go on show at the reopened theatre is to be "The Sleeping Beauty" in an updated production of Grigorovich's Soviet-era version. – AFP Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

---

Haram jika Najib panggil PRU-13 tanpa reformasi pilihan raya, kata Nurul Posted: 02 Aug 2011 03:11 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, 2 Ogos — Pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat meminta Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak tidak mengadakan pilihan raya umum ke-13 tanpa melakukan pembaharuan pilihan raya yang dituntut rakyat termasuk janjinya Ahad lalu. Ahad lalu, Najib berkata beliau juga komited untuk menangani isu pengundi hantu menjelang pilihan umum ke-13 — salah satu aspek yang ditekankan oleh pembangkang selama ini. Kata Perdana Menteri, sistem biometrik yang akan diperkenalkan oleh Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) akan menjadi kaedah terbaik mengatasi perkara itu yang sentiasa dibangkitkan oleh pembangkang. Justeru kata Najib, pentadbirannya juga mahu memastikan agar transformasi pilihan raya dilakukan SPR. Sehubungan itu tegas Naib Presiden PKR Nurul Izzah Anwar (gambar), adalah tidak bermoral dan haram bagi Najib untuk mengadakan pilihan raya umum ke-13 tanpa melaksanakan refomasi pilihan raya yang perlu bagi memastikan pilihan raya yang bersih dan adil. "Pilihan raya yang bersih dan adil merupakan prasyarat di dalam sistem demokrasi  yang moden; ke arah mereleasasikan mandat sebenar daripada para pengundi untuk memilih kerajaan yang memerintah hari ini. "Oleh itu, saya ingin menyatakan bahawa jika YAB dan BN dipilih secara bebas dan adil sebagai kerajaan, maka menjadi tanggungjawab saya untuk berkhidmat sebagai pembangkang yang setia kepada negara," kata beliau yang juga Ahli Parlimen Lembah Pantai dalam satu kenyataan dikeluarkan hari ini. Nurul Izzah juga berkata, sebagai peringatan dan imbauan sejarah, rakyat tidak pernah memilih Najib sebagai perdana menteri dan oleh itu, peluang untuk melaksanakan reformasi pilihan raya menyeluruh ini merupakan peluang terbaik untuk menerima mandat dari rakyat untuk memerintah. "Pelaksanaan reformasi pilihan raya yang berani ini juga memberi isyarat bahawa YAB (Najib) tidak lagi terbuka kepada ugutan oleh elemen-elemen pelampau berhaluan kanan yang telah menyekat refomasi untuk Malaysia yang lebih baik. Wakil rakyat penggal pertama ini berkata Najib juga perlu menyelami hati nurani dengan menyedari bahawa pelaksanaan reformasi sistem pilihan raya akan memastikan beliau mendapat pengesahan daripada rakyat bukan daripada mereka yang ingin merampas "takhta politik YAB." Katanya, dengan melaksanakan tanggungjawab moral ini, YAB secara efektif memenuhi syarat-syarat di bawah Perkara 114 Perlembagaan Persekutuan. "Akhir sekali, saya mengucapkan terima kasih kepada YAB sekurang-kurangnya kerana menyenaraikan  refomrasi pilihan raya sebagai perkara yang memerlukan tindakan segera dan secara jujur berharap YAB akan melaksanakan lapan tuntutan yang dibuat oleh Bersih 2.0 sebelum pilihan raya umum ke-13," kata beliau lagi. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

Ramadan: Ekoran kecaman, Media Prima tarik balik iklan rasis Posted: 02 Aug 2011 02:20 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, 2 Ogos — Ekoran tekanan daripada orang ramai, Media Prima Bhd memutuskan untuk menggugurkan iklan sempena Ramadan, yang disifatkan banyak pihak sebagai berbaur rasis dan mencetuskan rasa kurang senang di kalangan rakyat pelbagai kaum. Ketua pegawai operasi Media Prima Ahmad Izham Omar (gambar) mengumumkan keputusan itu menerusi Twitter ekoran kritikan pelbagai pihak sejak awal hari ini. "OK kawan-kawan. Kami menarik balik iklan itu. Terima kasih atas keprihatinan anda," kata Ahmad Izham dalam mesejnya yang dikeluarkan menerus Twitter pada pukul 3.40 petang tadi. Ahmad Izham kelihatan mengambil ringan isu ini dengan mengubah topik perbincangan tujuh minit kemudian. "Dan, sekarang perkara lebih penting ... adakah satu seksyen bunyi hon lebih baik berbanding empat trombon? Atau hanya tiga trombon sudah memadai?" tulis beliau lagi. Awal hari ini, bekas ketua eksekutif 8tv ini cuba meredakan keadaan dengan meminta orang tidak membesarkan iklan berkenaan yang menasihatkan bukan Islam supaya bersopan ketika bulan Ramadan. Diterbitkan sebagai pengumuman perkhidmatan publik menerusi 8tv, tiga iklan menggambarkan seorang budak perempuan 'Cina' makan secara terbuka, mengenakan pakaian kurang sopan dan kurang beradab ketika Ramadan seolah-olah mencetuskan kurang senang di kalangan umat Islam. Umat Islam di negara ini berpuasa sejak semalam selama sebulan. Iklan-iklan itu mengesyorkan agar bukan Islam menjauhkan diri daripada tingkah laku sedemikian dan mahu mereka memahami dan menghormati bulan Ramadan. Tahun ini, Media Prima berhadapan dengan kritikan apabila menyiarkan iklan sempena Aidilfitri, didakwa membawa gambaran dan mesej penganut Kristian. Iklan itu turut ditarik balik ekoran kritikan orang ramai khususnya kalangan Muslim. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

---

Transfer market poised to explode Posted: 01 Aug 2011 05:05 PM PDT AUG 2 — There are less than two weeks to go before the start of the new English Premier League season, and it's fair to say that the summer transfer market has not yet exploded into life. Inevitably, Manchester City have been the biggest spenders so far, nabbing Gael Clichy from Arsenal and then breaking their transfer record to sign Argentine striker Sergio Aguero — a long-term replacement for disaffected compatriot Carlos Tevez — for a reported £38 million (RM182.6 million) from Atletico Madrid. Elsewhere, it's been pretty quiet: Manchester United have signed Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea to replace the retiring Edwin van der Sar, along with Ashley Young from Aston Villa and Phil Jones from Blackburn, while Liverpool have snapped up Blackpool's Charlie Adam, Villa winger Stewart Downing and Sunderland midfielder Jordan Henderson, but otherwise not a lot has happened. It won't last. Big money transfers are often delicately negotiated, with heavy involvement from the unavoidable and often malign influence of fee-hungry agents, and generally take weeks, rather than days to conclude. But, by and large, big clubs around Europe are wealthier than ever due to the ongoing spiralling increases to television revenues, and many major moves will undoubtedly occur across the continent before the transfer window closes at the end of August. Often, one big transfer can be the catalyst for a spree of spending affecting a number of clubs — the domino effect of a club receiving a significant sum of money and spending it on replacements who, in turn, then need to be replaced themselves. That's certainly the case at Arsenal, where Arsene Wenger has already acknowledged the need to make a number of improvements to his squad. Wenger has started to address his team's lack of firepower with the capture of Ivory Coast striker Gervinho, who won the French title with Lille last season, but the biggest stories to emanate from the Emirates until now have concerned two transfers that haven't yet happened: Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona and Samir Nasri to one of the Manchester clubs. It would be very surprising if the Gunners are able to keep both players. In particular, there's a sense of inevitability about Fabregas' return to his hometown club: when a player is desperate to join a club that is equally desperate to buy him, there's usually only one outcome. Nasri's departure is a little less certain, although the fact that the French winger only has one year left on his contract at the Emirates could persuade Wenger and his board to sell if City or United up their offers by a few more million. And until the Nasri and Fabregas issues are resolved, it will be difficult for Wenger to act in strengthening his squad. Firstly, he won't know how much money will be at his disposal to spend and, secondly, he won't be sure of the priorities to address. If Fabregas does leave, for example, Wenger will urgently need to fill the sizeable hole of his departure by signing a proven central midfielder – and they don't come cheap (unless he's planning to put the weight of responsibility for replacing Fabregas onto the talented but young shoulders of Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey). A few miles across London, Chelsea are another club whose lack of involvement in the transfer market surely won't continue for much longer. The biggest signing of the summer at Stamford Bridge has been a new manager, Andres Villas-Boas, but their player intake has been limited to a trio of promising but unproven teenagers: midfielder Oriol Romeu from Barcelona, striker Lucas Piazon from Sao Paolo and Genk goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois — who has promptly been loaned out to Atletico Madrid. But the Blues have been repeatedly linked with Tottenham playmaker Luka Modric, with two bids already being turned down and another one apparently in the offing within the next few days after the Croatian international reiterated his desire to leave White Hart Lane. From Tottenham's firm stance on Modric's future — repeatedly stating "he is not for sale" — it's pretty clear that the Blues will have to fork out a sizeable fee, maybe somewhere in the region of £35 million, to eventually persuade Spurs to sell. But Roman Abramovich has the money to make it happen and, as with Fabregas and Barcelona, it would be a surprise if Modric  isn't wearing a Chelsea shirt by the start of September. And what of Manchester United? Will Sir Alex Ferguson be satisfied to limit himself to the arrival of De Gea, Jones and Young? Probably not — an attacking midfielder is also on the Old Trafford wishlist, and there has to be credibility in the persistent rumours linking Inter Milan's Dutch ace Wesley Sneijder with a move to the reigning English champions. Unless United are able to snatch Nasri away from Arsenal or gazump Chelsea's bid for Modric, I believe we can expect to see Sneijder heading for Old Trafford within the next few weeks. That might not be all; Dimitar Berbatov's future with the Red Devils looked increasingly bleak towards the end of last season, with the Bulgarian not even given a place on the bench for the Champions' League Final. But Ferguson's striking options are relatively short and, unless he's had an unexpected change of heart about Berbatov, it would be no surprise to see the veteran boss snap up another centre forward. Amidst a never-ending stream of often misleading speculation, at least we can be sure of one thing: the next few weeks will deliver some major moves. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

Tribute untuk Abim setelah 40 tahun Posted: 01 Aug 2011 04:58 PM PDT 2 OGOS — Semasa saya menerima undangan dari Abim (Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia) untuk memberikan ulasan pembentangan sebuah Kertas Kerja, saya tidak teragak-agak untuk menerima jemputan itu walaupun program itu jauh 3 bulan lagi ke hadapan. Persetujuan saya untuk hadir sememangnya diuji dengan berbagai dugaan. Pertama jadual saya bertindih pada hari yang sama walaupun dah dimaklum lebih awal, kedua pihak urusetia mengandaikan pelawaan tiga bulan lalu tak perlu diingatkan semula. Ketiga sebagai ahli politik jadual mengejut memang biasa. Saya hampir membatalkan temujanji dengan pihak ABIM, tetapi memandangkan jemputan Abim lebih awal saya terpaksa menyusun jadual yang ketat pada hari itu. Hari itu 23hb July saya ada kuliah pagi mingguan di Pasar Taman Sardon Gelugor, flite saya ke KL pukul 11.50 pagi dan saya perlu berada di program Abim pada pukul 2.00 ptg. Jadual pesawat kembali ke Penang ialah pukul 4.50ptg kerana saya terpaksa menghadiri kuliah maghrib di Penaga dan kemudian bergegas ke ceramah politik di Seberang Jaya. Ini bermakna saya ke Kuala Lumpur semata-mata kerana memenuhi undangan ABIM dan saya diberi hanya 10-15 minit untuk membuat ulasan kertas kerja Prof Ghazali Basri di atas tajuk "Di antara Pluralisme dan Plurality: Sikap Islam". Walaupun hanya untuk 10-15 minit tetapi saya merasakan kehadiran saya di program Abim sempena sambutan 40 tahun Abim berada di pesada dakwah cukup bermakna bagi saya. ABIM begitu sinonim dengan Anwar Ibrahim dan seringkali nama-nama awal tokoh Abim seperti Kamarudin Mohd Nor, Kamarudin Jaafar dan Sidiq Fadhil dikaitkan dengan gerakan belia Islam yang dinamik dan progresif. Anak-anak muda yang begitu idealis melihat nasib anak bangsanya menjadikan Islam sebagai teras perjuangan dan berdasarkan kepada pendekatan umatik yang dinamik. ABIM satu ketika dilihat sebagai 'anak' PAS yang memberontak kepada cita-cita sebuah Gerakan Islam yang lebih tegas pendirian Islamnya pada saat PAS menghadapi krisis dalam kepimpinan Datuk Asri Haji Muda. Anak-anak muda ini mahukan sistem pentarbiyahan ala ikhwan melalui unit-unit usrah yang benar-benar berfungsi manakala dari sudut memacakkan perjuangan di bumi Malaysia mereka mendapatkan bimbingan Pak Nastir dari Indonesia. Gabungan idealism pan-Islam Ikhwan dan pribumisasi Islam dalam kerangka negara bangsa mencetuskan satu fenomena baru dalam ledakan kebangkitan Islam di sekitar awal 80an. Hanya setelah Anwar Ibrahim memilih untuk menyertai Umno, Abim hilang taringnya dan dilihat sebagai alat untuk ajenda Islamisasi kepimpinan Tun Dr Mahathir. Keakraban PAS dan Abim terhakis sehingga ia mencetuskan gegaran dalaman di kalangan pendokong Abim sendiri yang membuat pilihan sebahagiannya menyertai PAS. Namun saya mempunyai cerita saya sendiri dengan perjuangan Abim, malah saya memulakan ucapan saya dalam perhimpunan Abim hari itu dengan menyatakan dalam bahasa Inggeris: "I grew up with Abim".  Mungkin generasi hari ini tidak mengetahui bahawa sekitar awal 80an, Abim banyak memperkenalkan program Islami untuk pelajar-pelajar sekolah menengah seperti saya. Saya mengikuti setiap musim cuti sekolah satu program yang sinonim dengan Abim iaitu Khemah Ibadat. Tempat kami ialah di Madrasah Masriyah Bukit Mertajam. Kami akan mengikuti program selama 3 hari 2 malam di mana pengisian program terbahagi kepada tiga elemen ialaitu Spiritual, Mental dan Fizikal. Saya didedahkan dengan qiyamullail, solat dhuha, ma'thurat dan berbagai aktiviti spiritual ibadah yang lain. Untuk mental kami mendengar kertas kerja yang dibentangkan oleh pensyarah-pensyarah dan ustaz-ustaz tentang perjuangan Islam, tokoh-tokoh Gerakan Islam dan idealism perjuangan Islam. Saya mula mengenali nama Hassan Al Banna, Syed Qutb dan Mustafa Mashor dalam program-program ini. Fizilkal, kami didedahkan dengan riyadhah, main bola dll aktiviti. Nama Ustaz Abdul Majid Zainal Abidin dan Dr Wan Salim memang saya kenali sejak di bangku sekolah menengah lagi. Bukan setakat program  musim cuti sekolah, malah saya menjadi anak murid ustaz Abdul Majid di Mesjid Gelugor dengan mengikuti kuliah tafsirnya dan usrahnya selepas kuliah. Tafsir Fi Zilal yang menjadi rujukannya cukup memberi kesan pada jiwa saya yang masih mentah lagi ketika itu. Saya juga menyertai aktiviti PKPIM (Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia) sebagai mewakili badan pelajar di sekolah saya iaitu Penang Free School. Saya menghadiri perhimpunan agung PKPIM tahun 1981 atau 82 di UM dan pertama kali didedahkan dengan activism pelajar walaupun saya lebih mendengar daripada berpartisipasi. Saya mengkagumi kepimpinan Abim ketika itu kerana melihat mereka mempunyai daya pemikiran yang hebat tentang Islam dan masa depan anak-anak muda seperti saya. Saya masih ingat yang meresmikan Muktamar Agung PKPIM tahun itu ialah Kamarudin Mohd Nor (kini bergelar Datok), dia bersalaman dengan saya dan ketika diperkenalkan saya anak Pak Yusof Rawa, dia bertanyakan khabar ayah saya dan mengambil sedikit masa bersembang dengan saya. Saya membaca Risalah Abim yang memuatkan artikel-artikel yang bermutu tentang idealism perjuangan Islam era 80an. Buku-buku tentang fikrah Islam yang diterjemahkan banyak diterbitkan oleh ABIM dan bacaan-bacaan saya ketika itu banyak merangsang idealism Islam dalam diri saya hingga ke hari ini. Buku yang paling memberi kesan kepada saya ialah terjemahan dua serangkai karangan Al Maududi dan Syed Qutb oleh ABIM Kedah. Saya menjadikan ia teks usrah saya semasa di tingkatan Enam di Penang Free School  di mana saya adalah naqibnya (ketua usrah). Kehadiran saya pada Muktamar Senawi Abim sempena 40 tahun membawa saya mengimbau masa lampau sewaktu saya mengenali idealism perjuangan Islam di bangku sekolah. Apabila saya berkata : I grew up with Abim (saya membesar dengan Abim yang memperkenalkan saya idealism perjuangan Islam), saya memang jujur dalam ungkapan saya, malangnya waktu 15 minit tak memberikan saya kesempatan untuk menceritakan sejarah silam ini untuk dikongsi dengan peserta-peserta dari anak-anak muda yang ramai hadir hari itu. Namun wajah-wajah Dr Mohammad Nor Manuti, Datuk Kamarudin Jaafar dan lain-lain kepimpinan Abim yang senior tampak tersenyum riang sepanjang pembentangan saya, mereka memang mengetahui peranan besar Abim dalam menarik anak-anak muda seperti saya seketika dahulu menyertai karavan perjuangan Islam ini. Hari ini saya berdiri di hadapan mereka sebagai AJK PAS Pusat dan Ahli Parlimen Malaysia, tidak ada apa yang lebih hebat yang boleh saya nukilkan dalam tulisan ini melainkan ungkapan: "Syabas dan Tabik Abim kerana sempat membesar dengan mu!" * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search.

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com