Jumaat, 30 Disember 2011

The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Sports


PSG name Ancelotti as coach

Posted: 30 Dec 2011 06:41 AM PST

Carlo Ancelotti in his time at Chelsea. —Reuters pic

PARIS, Dec 30 — Paris St Germain named Carlo Ancelotti as their new coach today, having parted company with Antoine Kombouare despite the club lying top of the French league at the mid-season break.

Sporting director Leonardo made the announcement at a news conference. The club had earlier issued a statement saying Kombouare was leaving but gave no explanation.

Kombouare's position had come under intense scrutiny after the club's ambitious new Qatari owners bankrolled a close-season spending spree of around €85 million (RM348.2 million).

A bigger name such as Ancelotti fits with their aim of turning PSG into one of Europe's top clubs, and their pursuit of former England captain David Beckham, who reports say could sign soon, is another example.

Italian Ancelotti, who twice won the Champions League as coach of AC Milan, left Chelsea at the end of last term despite guiding the London club to a domestic league and cup double the previous season.

Ancelotti had previously said he would like to stay in England.

Under Kombouare, PSG spent almost half their outlay on Argentina international Javier Pastore from Palermo, whose sparkling early-season form tailed off as the club, who had made a strong start, began to stutter at home and in Europe.

They suffered an embarrassing 3-0 league defeat by arch-rivals Olympique Marseille in November and were knocked out in the group stages of the Europa League, winning only three of their six matches.

However, they recovered in Ligue 1 to be top after 19 games but that was not enough to stop the owners and sporting director Leonardo, who worked with Ancelotti at Milan, from wielding the axe on the unheralded former Valenciennes boss. — Reuters

Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

United to keep Berbatov as Ferguson praises Spurs

Posted: 30 Dec 2011 06:13 AM PST

MANCHESTER, Dec 30 — Manchester United will be exercising their option to extend club record signing Dimitar Berbatov's contract by a further season, manager Alex Ferguson said today.

Dimitar Berbatov: More affinity with Sir Alex than chewing gum. —Reuters pic

The Bulgarian striker, who became United's most expensive player when he joined from Tottenham Hotspur in 2008 for £30.7 million (RM150.1 million), had been linked with a move to Bayer Leverkusen or Fulham.

"We'll be exercising it (the option to renew)," Ferguson said. "I think it kicks in in March."

Speaking to reporters before United's Premier League match with Blackburn Rovers tomorrow when he celebrates his 70th birthday, Ferguson dismissed reports that defender Chris Smalling was suffering from glandular fever and could be out for three months.

"He has tonsillitis," Ferguson said, adding that Smalling should return to action next week.

Berbatov, 30, the joint top scorer in the Premier League last season, has struggled to find a place in the United starting line-up with just two league starts this season, but he has netted four times in his past two appearances, including a hat-trick in United's 5-0 win over Wigan Athletic on Monday.

United will top the table if they beat bottom-placed Blackburn at Old Trafford as they did last season when Berbatov scored five times in a 7-1 win.

While Manchester City appear to pose the most serious threat to United retaining their title, Ferguson acknowledged the challenge of third-placed Tottenham.

"They are playing the best football in the country. They could win it on this form," he said.

With the season reaching its halfway mark this weekend, leaders City and United both have 45 points, seven ahead of Spurs who have a match in hand. Chelsea are fourth on 34, followed by Arsenal on 33. — Reuters

Full content generated by Get Full RSS.
Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz


Kings of Leon frontman Caleb expecting first child

Posted: 30 Dec 2011 02:51 AM PST

Caleb Followill, in this file photo before performing on NBC's "Today" show in New York, July 31, 2009. — Reuters pic

LOS ANGELES, Dec 30 — Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill and his wife, Victoria's Secret model Lily Aldridge, said yesterday they were expecting their first child, ending a rollercoaster year for the rock band.

"We are thrilled to announce that we are expecting our first child together," Followill and Aldridge said in a statement. "We can't wait to meet the new addition to our family."

Followill, 29, and Aldridge, 26, married in May in California after dating for two years. This will be the first child for both.

Grammy-winning Kings of Leon, formed by Followill brothers Caleb, Jared and Nathan and their cousin Matthew in Nashville, Tennessee, broke through with their 2008 album "Only By the Night", featuring hit singles such as "Sex On Fire".

The band was forced to cancel the remainder of the US leg of their "Come Around Sundown" tour in August. Bass player Jared Followill tweeted at the time, "there are internal sicknesses & problems that have needed to be addressed". The band announced a hiatus shortly afterwards.

A documentary, "Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon", on their rise to fame, premiered at Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year. — Reuters

Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Country singer Wynonna Judd goes for marriage No. 3

Posted: 30 Dec 2011 02:13 AM PST

Country singer Wynonna Judd goes for marriage No. 3

Wynonna (left) and mother Naomi as the Judds at the 46th annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, April 3, 2011. — Reuters file pic

LOS ANGELES, Dec 30 — Country music star Wynonna Judd received an early Christmas gift when her boyfriend, Cactus Moser, proposed on Christmas Eve, the singer's spokesman said yesterday.

Grammy-winning Judd is currently touring with Moser, the drummer of country music band Highway 101, as Wynonna and The Big Noise.

This will be the third trip down the aisle for the singer, who married first husband Arch Kelley III in 1996 and with whom she has two children. The couple divorced in 1998, and the singer married her former bodyguard D.R. Roach in 2003, and split in 2007 after Roach was arrested for sexual assault of a minor.

No wedding date has been set yet, but the singer said yesterday she would be tweeting on New Year's Eve with more details on her engagement.

Judd, 47, rose to fame in the 1980s performing with her mother Naomi in the duo band The Judds, with hit songs such as "Love Can Build a Bridge" and "Why Not Me" winning Grammy awards.

After the duo parted ways in 1991, Judd went on to pursue a successful solo career under the moniker Wynonna, garnering hits such as "She is His Only Need" and "No One Else On Earth".

Judd's personal life has been in the spotlight recently after she and her mother revealed they had both been sexually abused as children, and Judd's younger sister, actress Ashley Judd, published a memoir detailing her own painful childhood.

Judd and her mother took part in a six-part documentary series on Oprah Winfrey's OWN network earlier this year, allowing cameras to film their tempestuous relationship. — Reuters

Full content generated by Get Full RSS.
Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Features

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Features


Hello Heidi to bye bye bunga bunga in 2011 odd news

Posted: 30 Dec 2011 07:26 AM PST

Hugh Hefner: Jilted by prospective wife No. 3. —Reuters pic

LONDON, Dec 30 — Bunga Bunga, Zenga Zenga, a tweeting cobra and other wacky news capped a year that saw the capture of America's most wanted man and the overthrow of dictators.

2011 was filled with animal antics that began with the introduction of Heidi, the cross-eyed opossum, as the latest feral German celebrity to capture hearts around the world.

The star of Leipzig Zoo made an appearance on US television in February predicting Oscar winners, had her own merchandise, a song written about her and gained more than 330,000 fans on Facebook before dying in September to join Paul the oracle octopus and Knut the polar bear in the hereafter.

"The cross-eyed opossum Heidi has closed her eyes forever," the zoo wrote on its website.

But Heidi wasn't the only news story about the animal world that saw New Zealanders rescue, set free and then lose track of "Happy Feet", the wrong-way Emperor penguin. A fox also escaped from a Belarus hunter by shooting his would-be killer with his own rifle and a flying bear killed two people in Canada.

And who could forget Mia, the cobra who escaped from New York's Bronx zoo? She became a Twitter sensation when an anonymous Twitter user began posting tweets from @bronxzooscobra, which followed the snake's progress visiting New York landmarks and a popular cafe for morning coffee.

"Getting my morning coffee at the Mudtruck. Don't even talk to me until I've had my morning coffee. Seriously, don't. I'm venomous," one Twitter message read.

Twitter gained followers and broke news, including the musings of Osama bin Laden's unwitting neighbour who tweeted about the "unusual" noises in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad during the raid to capture America's most wanted man in May.

"Uh oh, now I'm the guy who live blogged the Osama raid without knowing it," IT consultant Sohaib Athar said on Twitter a few hours after reporting a loud bang rattling his windows.

Video-sharing website YouTube delighted millions with hit videos showing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev parking a car and then trying to hold it back from ploughing into a crowd. It also showed the US Presidential Cadillac marooned on a Dublin ramp and a music video entitled "Zenga Zenga", which lampooned embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Gaddafi, who is flanked by gyrating female dancers in the video, was later captured and killed — one of four dictators overthrown in an Arab Spring that also swept through Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen.

Bunga bunga

Other less authoritarian leaders also fell in 2011.

Silvio Berlusconi: "From Bunga Bunga to Banca Banca." —Reuters pic

In seven tumultuous days in November Italy went, as one cartoonist put it, "from Bunga Bunga to Banca Banca". The first refers to the name that former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi bestowed on the wild parties he allegedly held at his villas.

The second, Italian for bank, refers to the financial world that will dominate much of new Prime Minister Mario Monti's term as he tries to reign in Italy's profligate spending and tackle a major debt crisis threatening the entire euro zone.

The flamboyant Berlusconi, who is accused of sleeping with a teenage prostitute and hosting parties where girls dressed up in sexy nun or nurse outfits, said he had no regrets.

"I have a high regard for myself and I have nothing to reprimand myself for when I look at myself in the mirror," he said. "Perhaps at times I've exaggerated with irony, but never with brutal offences like those directed towards me."

Berlusconi once described US President Barack Obama as "suntanned", suggested that he seduced Finnish President Tarja Halonen, and held up two fingers behind a Spanish minister's head in an EU summit photograph.

British royalty enjoyed a surge of global popularity, with the marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton in April, which sparked celebrations across Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and a horse-racing victory on the day for the aptly named Royal Wedding at odds of 4/1.

Irish leprechauns, tea-sipping Britons, Australian ABBA impersonators and the oldest yoga teacher on the planet were just some of the people who set records on Guinness World Records Day in November.

In Ireland, 262 people in Dublin set the record for the largest gathering of people dressed as leprechauns.

"We believe that a record for leprechauns belongs to its native soil and we're really pleased to bring it back to Ireland," Derek Mooney from Ireland's RTE Radio One said.

No jobs, hope or cash

Charlie Sheen wasn't the only celebrity to top odd stories with his "winning" ways.

Three Polish police commandos were sacked from an elite anti-terrorist unit for serving as bodyguards for Paris Hilton, and singer Lady Gaga threatened to sue a London ice cream shop for its "Baby Gaga" ice cream made from breast milk.

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner was jilted in June by prospective wife No. 3 and French actor Gerard Depardieu apologised to fellow passengers for urinating during takeoff on an Air France flight.

The presenters of British motoring TV show "Top Gear" described Mexicans as "lazy, feckless, flatulent, overweight" and didn't fear complaints from Mexico's UK envoy. Ambassador Eduardo Medina Mora described the comments as "vulgar", "inexcusable" and "xenophobic" in a letter to the BBC.

Apple's iPhone edged past pop stars and celebrities as the top searched term on the Web in 2011, despite the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

"10 years ago we had Steve Jobs, Bob Hope and Johnny Cash. Now we have no Jobs, no Hope and no Cash," according to a joke lamenting the dire straits of the current US economy.

The world of comedy also lost one of its favourite figures with the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in December.

Although he was a brutal dictator reviled by human rights groups for jailing or starving hundreds of thousands of North Koreans and abhorred for his proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Kim was comedy gold to satirists.

The late leader with his elevator shoes and bouffant hairstyle was immortalised in the 2004 US film "Team America: World Police" in which a foul-mouthed Kim drops UN nuclear inspector Hans Blix into a shark aquarium and sings a heartfelt ballad about the burden of leadership in politically incorrect accented English: "I'm so Ronery" (I'm so Lonely).

The last laugh fell to The Economist magazine, which put a waving Kim on its cover in 2000 under the headline "Greetings, earthlings" as the world's most reclusive nation began cautiously opening up to South Korea.

Eleven years later, the British magazine's Asia blog noted Kim's death with another photo of Kim waving under the caption "Farewell, earthlings". — Reuters

Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

African rhino poaching hits record on Asian demand

Posted: 30 Dec 2011 06:54 AM PST

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 30 — A record number of rhinos were poached this year in South Africa, home to the greatest number of the animals, as rising demand in Asia for their horns led to increased killing of the threatened species.

Rhinoceros horns worth their weight more than gold, platinum and cocaine. —Reuters pic

At least 443 rhinos have been killed in South Africa in 2011, up from 333 last year, the national park service and conservationists said.

The street value of rhinoceros horns has soared to about US$65,000 (RM206,100) a kilogram, making it more expensive than gold, platinum and in many cases cocaine, as a belief — with no basis in science — has taken hold in recent years in parts of Asia that ingesting it can cure or prevent cancer.

South Africa, home to more than 20,000 rhinos, was losing about 15 animals a year a decade ago. But poaching increased dramatically from about 2007 as a growing affluent class in places such as Vietnam and Thailand began spending more on rhino horn for traditional medicine.

The number of rhinoceroses dying unnatural deaths in South Africa, either through illegal poaching or legal hunts, has reached a level likely to lead to population decline, according to a study by Richard Emslie, an expert in the field.

About half of poaching takes place in Kruger National Park, the country's flagship park covering an area about the size of Israel, where soldiers and surveillance aircraft have been deployed in recent months to slow the carnage.

The park has been the focal point of an arms race as gangs of poachers sponsored by international crime syndicates have used high-powered weaponry, night vision goggles and helicopters to hunt the animals, investigators said.

In a separate study, the number of large-scale ivory seizures is likely to set a record this year, pointing to increased African elephant poaching.

South Africa, home to over 90 per cent of the rhinos in Africa, grants licences for legal hunts, with a growing number of the horns then mounted as trophies, shipped to Asia and sold on the black market, according to police and customs officials.

Many poachers were trained by Mozambique's military or police and are now living in squalor in the border region next to Kruger, South African investigators said.

Their cut of the rhino money is relatively small compared with other players in the international trade but is considered a fortune at home.

Rhino horn has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine, where it was ground into a powder and often mixed with hot water to treat a variety of maladies including rheumatism, gout, high fever and even devil possession.

In recent years, it has also taken on a reputation for being an aphrodisiac and cancer cure.

"Nothing is more tragic than to see this totally unnecessary and brutal killing of an animal for its horn, and the horn in turn has zero medicinal value," said Pelham Jones, a leader of the South Africa Private Rhino Owners Association. — Reuters

Full content generated by Get Full RSS.
Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion


MILF-PRON Special Report for 2011: Malays under threat

Posted: 29 Dec 2011 04:17 PM PST

DEC 30 — As the year draws to a close, the researchers at the Malaysian Institute of Learning Foundation for Political Research On Nationalism (MILF-PRON) have decided to release a special report for public consumption on a very important issue, that is the threats which threaten the Malays such that they are constantly feeling threatened.

There is absolutely no doubt that 2011 has been the most threatening year for the survival of the Malays in their own land — which includes Malaysia, southern Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, parts of South Africa and the Liverpool docks.

The challenges that have come the way of the Malays from every direction have put all hard-working and grafting Malays at risk of once again being colonised by (or at the very least, under the protection of) foreign powers, whether physically, emotionally or, even especially, spiritually.

Before the year started, there was a letter allegedly written by an MCA member complaining about the volume of the azan coming from a mosque 1km away from where he normally sleeps. Since this is an issue that would crop up every few months or so, the Malays did not feel very threatened going into the new year.

However, there was brief excitement when former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad claimed that the Malays in Kampung Baru would end up like the Malays in Singapore if they (the Kampung Baru ones) were not careful.

This claim was greeted with some concern, even though a small segment of the Malays in Kampung Baru opined that it wouldn't actually be too bad a thing. At least, they would already have an MRT system working in the area, if nothing else.

The claim from the former PM was in response to a book published by a former PM of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, in which he wrote, among other things, the Malays in Singapore should be "less strict" about observing their religion.

And so, at the start of February, a Malay NGO in Singapore called for Lee Kuan Yew to be detained under the republic's Internal Security Act for being seditious. The minister mentor, in a display of restraint, did not bother to respond.

In the meantime, Mahathir said in a talk on the "Malay race and the future" that Malaysians as a whole need to accept that the country belonged to the Malays. He felt that the people of the nation have to "be sincere and accept that the country is Tanah Melayu."

In a separate statement, he also took the opportunity to call PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz a, well, opportunist who was willing to forsake his Islamic beliefs for political mileage. This then led to Nik Aziz accusing Mahathir and his party, Umno, of oppressing the Malays.

This was then followed up by Utusan Malaysia claiming that Nik Aziz prefers the company of Lee Kuan Yew to that of the Malays nationalists who fought for the freedom of the nation.

Nik Aziz, in response to something else entirely, said that he did not ask to be born a Malay, adding that it was pure coincidence that he was born in Malaysia.

At this juncture, it was still unclear as to the nature of the threats that threaten the Malays, apart from being run over by statements which make no sense whatsoever.

Which then brings us into March where Mahathir said that the Malays are not immigrants, even if they originally came from the Arab peninsula, India, Indonesia or anywhere else. He also pointed out that "those who support racist statements by the opposition are the real racists."

Not wanting to be left out, Singapore's minister mentor then made a statement in which he felt that his observation that the Malays in Singapore needed to be integrated better into the rest of the country may possibly be outdated and therefore he stood to be corrected.

Since he was no longer threatening, no Malay NGO called for him to not be detained under the ISA.

While Mahathir continued his series of warnings to the Malays by warning that the Malays could end up like the Palestinians who sold their own country out to the Jews, a new threat to the Malays reared its ugly head — Kentucky Fried Chicken could possibly be out of Malay hands.

Based on an unconfirmed rumour, it was said that the majority owner of KFC in Malaysia, Kulim Bhd, could be sold off to a non-Malay company and therefore this would constitute a major threat to the ability of Malays to consume chicken fried in 11 secret herbs and spices.

The owners of Kulim Bhd, Johor Corp, denied the rumours.

When asked whether they were the ones responsible for spreading the rumour, the owners of the Radix Fried Chicken chain refused to comment. They did however say that Radix Fried Chicken contained more that 11 herbs and spices as well as Tongkat Ali and quite possibly ginseng. For a stiffer fried chicken experience, presumably.

In April, the simmering controversy regarding the import and distribution of Bahasa Melayu (or more likely Bahasa Indonesia) bibles, referred to as "The Alkitab Controversy", came to a boil that no one seemed capable of lancing. With the Sarawak polls looming, the government decided to allow the release of said bibles that had been held back by Customs.

The existence of these bibles was clearly a threat to the faith of the Malays, given that — according to a few mullahs — the Malays are clearly so easily trapped into converting into Christianity and thus commit apostasy simply because they know how to read in their own language.

That the Alkitab can easily be read and downloaded digitally via the Internet onto PCs, tablets, phones and wristwatches seemed to be less threatening than the actual physical books, all of which are clearly stamped with the words "Untuk Kegunaan Penganut Kristian Sahaja."

In addition to the Malay Bible, the mufti of Perak also identified another Christian plot to convert impressionable Malays, this time using dance. Specifically, poco-poco. His fatwa banning poco-poco caused a stir, and a few twisted knickers among the Malays, not all of whom live in Perak. This prompted the National Fatwa Council to convene a special meeting to discuss the fatwa.

Rumour had it that the council instructed several military personnel to demonstrate the poco-poco, and after deep deliberation the council decreed that the dance is not threatening to the Malays. The mufti of Perak remained adamant, however, saying that his department had studied the issue and found that the dance incorporated moves originated by Jamaican Christians.

The additional rumour that the National Fatwa Council was planning a trip to the Caribbean to investigate the gyrating Jamaican Christians themselves has not been substantiated.

The "Christianisation of Malays" threat is to remain a recurring theme throughout the rest of the year, for as we go into May …

A report appeared in Utusan Malaysia saying that a couple of bloggers have uncovered a plot by a group of pastors in Penang to create a Christian Malaysia — by installing a Christian prime minister. Apparently, at the invite of the DAP, what seemed on the surface to be a dinner in appreciation of either the the DAP being in Sarawak, or Sarawak pastors being in Penang, a pledge was allegedly made by those present to work towards getting a Christian to be made PM of the country.

While this already presented a clear and present threat to the Malays and the sovereignty of the land, the situation became even more precarious when it was alleged by Datuk Ibrahim Ali of Perkasa that former members of the Communist Party of Malaysia were also involved in the dastardly plot to replace Islam as the official religion of Malaysia.

If these rumours were proven true (and who's to say that they aren't?) then it was obvious that the secular democrats in the DAP are truly in collusion with the godless heathens in CPM to put a Christian priest into the highest executive office in the land.

At this point, it was clear that there was an unholy trinity comprising secularists, communists and Malay-speaking Christians threatening the unity, harmony and prosperity of the Malays.

On a brighter note, though, it seemed that KFC would still remain in Malay hands.

The "Christianisation of Malays" threat then took a back-seat in June when a coalition of NGOs calling itself The Coalition For Clean And Fair Elections (stupefyingly simplified to "Bersih", instead of TCFCAFE, or even COFOCAFE which would be much catchier) announced plans to hold a rally in Kuala Lumpur. While the rally was to be held the following month, July, plans were already in place.

Bersih had planned to hold this rally mainly to pressure the Election Commission to implement a set of changes encapsulated in Bersih's "8 demands." However, according to independent lawmaker, Datuk Zulkifli Nordin, Bersih's true aim is to enslave all Malays by pressing for equality and fairness in elections while at the same time supporting apostasy and interfaith discussions. According to Zulkifli, this fact was made amply clear by the fact that the leader of the coalition is a non-Malay. 

In addition, there was a raft of hacker attacks on Malaysian government websites which, it was the belief of Information, Communications, and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim, was connected to the rally.

How the anonymous collective calling itself Anonymous (which executed the attacks) is linked to the coalition named Bersih was not quite made clear, but a threat is a threat is what we say.

As June headed to a close, the feeling of being imminently threatened by what was now obviously going to be referred to eventually as the "Bersih riots" was assuaged somewhat when the mahaguru of the Pertubuhan Seni Silat Lincah Malaysia (PSSLM), Tan Sri Omardin Mauju, declared that the silat exponents constitute the third line of defence for the country, and would therefore not hesitate to go to "war" against Bersih should Bersih go on with the rally.

It was then that we headed into July, knowing that the defence of the Malays would partially be handled by men in black pajamas striking artful poses while holding bendy knives …

This then ends the first part of MILF-PRON's special report on the threats which threaten the Malays such that they are constantly feeling threatened.

In the second part, we cover the rest of the year as we continue to expand on the Christianisation plot (which now includes solar-powered bibles), as well as cover the aftermath of the Bersih bloodbath, the triumphant gathering of one million Malays in a football stadium, and the great threat of homosexuals espousing acceptance, understanding, self-pride and sex fiestas.

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Berakhir dan bermula sesuatu episod

Posted: 29 Dec 2011 03:56 PM PST

DEC 30 — Tinggal berberapa hari lagi tahun 2011 akan berakhir. Sepanjang tahun ini, telah banyak cabaran dan rintangan yang dilalui. Tahun 2011 tidak akan kembali. Ianya menjadi kenangan yang tersimpan di minda ataupun video dan gambar didalam "hard disk" kita.

Isu-isu politik, tidak kurang hebatnya. Persaingan hebat diantara Barisan Nasional (BN) dan Pakatan Rakyat (PR) merancakkan lagi politik negara.

Dari satu isu ke satu isu timbul dan tenggelam dengan begitu pantas. Teknologi membantu mempercepatkan perkembangan ini.

Facebook, Twitter, blog dan lain-lain menjadi senjata utama abad ini dalam menyampaikan maklumat. Media-media tradisional seperti akhbar, televisyen dan radio terpaksa mengikut kelajuan penyampaian maklumat oleh Internet.

Telefon pintar (smartphone) seperti BlackBerry, Iphone, Samsung Galaxy dan macam-macam lagi kini dimiliki oleh rakyat ramai.

Kalau dahulu maklumat hanya diperolehi apabila membuka komputer riba atau komputer, kini maklumat diperolehi melalui telefon bimbit.

Jika dalam PRU 12 lalu, blog menjadi senjata utama dalam perlawanan dialam maya, kini Facebook dan Twitter megambil alih peranan tersebut.

Dalam kesibukan tugas harian, masa untuk membaca bagi mendapatkan maklumat menjadi begitu pendek dan hanya maklumat yang penting menjadi pilihan.

Cabaran kedepan

Alhamdulillah, perkembangan pantas yang berlaku dalam politik negara membantu mematangkan majoriti rakyat. Kini rakyat Malaysia sudah meningkat maju kefahaman politiknya dan tidak mudah diprovokasi.

Jika provokasi-provokasi yang dilemparkan pada hari ini berlaku pada tahun 60an, 70an dan 80an, sudah pasti huru-hara telah berlaku.

Melihat kembali bagaimana isu agama dan kaum yang seringkali dimainkan untuk kepentingan golongan tertentu, hanya kematangan rakyat menjadi benteng kepada keharmonian negara.

Terima kasih kepada Internet yang membantu rakyat untuk mendapatkan maklumat alternatif selain dari media arus perdana.

Tanpa maklumat yang disalurkan oleh Internet, tidak mungkin rakyat Malaysia mampu menjadi matang dari segi politik seperti hari ini.

Tahun 2012 akan menjadi lebih mencabar bagi Malaysia. Apatah lagi, ianya dilihat sebagai tahun dimana PRU 13 akan berlaku.

Keputusan kes Anwar Ibrahim

9 Januari 2012 akan menjadi titik penting dalam arena politik negara. Mahkamah akan mengumumkan keputusan perbicaraan kes liwat ketua pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Minggu lalu, Mahkamah Tinggi Shah Alam telah memutuskan bahawa bekas menteri besar Selangor, Dr Khir Toyo bersalah dan dihukum 12 bulan penjara dalam isu pembelian tanah di Seksyen 7, Shah Alam.

Khir Toyo sendiri mendakwa beliau telah dijadikan "kambing hitam" dan akan mengumumkan masa depan politik beliau pada tarikh 9 Januari (tarikh keputusan perbicaraan Anwar).

Ramai penganalisis politik melihat keputusan mahkamah terhadap Khir Toyo adalah taktik untuk mengolah persetujuan (manufacturing consent) rakyat terhadap keputusan kes Anwar Ibrahim.

Ertinya, jika Khir Toyo seorang bekas menteri Umno didapati bersalah oleh mahkamah, tindakan mahkamah pada 9 Januari menjatuhkan hukuman bersalah terhadap kes Anwar Ibrahim membuktikan sistem kehakiman di Malaysia adalah adil.

Dalam ertikata lain, apabila mahkamah menjatuhkan hukuman bersalah terhadap Khir Toyo pada minggu lalu, maka "halal" tindakan untuk memenjarakan Anwar Ibrahim.

Episod baru politik Malaysia

Jika Anwar Ibrahim dipenjarakan, bermulalah episod baru dalam politik Malaysia. Walaupun episod seperti ini telah berlaku pada akhir 1990an yang lalu, kali ini ianya pasti berbeza.

Sewaktu akhir 1990an lalu, parti pembangkang di Malaysia masih lagi lemah dan belum bersatu. Akan tetapi kali ini jika Anwar dipenjarakan, parti pembangkang di Malaysia telah bersatu di bawah Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

Parti pembangkang dan kumpulan yang menyokong Anwar Ibrahim lebih tersusun dan teratur.

Suka atau tidak, Anwar Ibrahim adalah musuh politik utama bagi Barisan Nasional (BN). Beliau adalah antara punca BN kehilangan majoriti 2/3 di parlimen dan hilang penguasaan di beberapa negeri.

Menghantar Anwar Ibrahim ke penjara dianggap akan melemahkan PR oleh sesetengah pihak kerana mantan timbalan perdana menteri itu adalah penyatu kepada parti-parti di bawah PR.

Akan tetapi, ramai juga yang percaya jika Anwar dipenjara, simpati rakyat terhadap PR akan bertambah. Kita tunggu dan lihat sejauh manakah kebenarannya. Tinggal beberapa hari saja lagi kita akan bertemu dengan 9 Januari.

Tahun 2011 akan pergi dan 2012 menanti. Selamat tahun baru kepada pembaca-pembaca The Malaysian Insider. Semoga 2012 akan menjadi lebih baik buat anda semua dan juga untuk Malaysia.

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

Full content generated by Get Full RSS.
Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

0 ulasan
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa


‘Imej maya’ dalam MyKad baru dapat elak kad dipalsu, kata JPN

Posted: 30 Dec 2011 01:23 AM PST

PUTRAJAYA, 30 Dis — Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN) akan mengeluarkan "MyKad  dengan strukur baru" pada 3 Januari yang dipertingkatkan ciri keselamatan dan dapat menangani pemalsuan kad itu.

Ketua Pengarahnya Datuk Jariah Moh Said berkata agensi itu menggunakan "teknologi laser terbaru" untuk mencetak MyKad baru yang mempunyai "imej maya" pemegang kad yang tidak boleh dibuang.

"Biasanya mereka akan mengubah warna foto. Tetapi jika anda mencuba untuk ubah imej maya ia akan memusnahkan keseluruhan kad," katanya kepada pemberita sambil menambah imej itu akan dicetak di bawah lapisan permukaan kad.

Wakil rakyat pembangkang telah mendakwa Barisan Nasional (BN) telah memberi MyKad kepada sekurang-kurangnya 1,600 warga asing antara Mac hingga Jun untuk mengundi pemerintah pada pilihan raya umum akan datang.

Pakatan Rakyhat juga mendakwa pada Ogos lalu seramai 1,108 pemastautin tetap di Lembah Klang telah diberikan status kewarganegaraan dalam satu hari sahaja.

Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak telah menubuhkan  jawatankuasa pilihan khas Parlimen untuk mengkaji transformasi pilihan raya negara.

Jariah juga berkata kad baru itu dibuat daripada polikarbonat yang lebih kuat dan dilengkapi mikrocip berkualiti tinggi yang boleh mencapai kapasiti 80 kilobait (kb) berbanding 64 kb yang digunakan sekarang.

Beliau menambah langkah itu diambil berikutan aduan-aduan yang dikemukakan terhadap MyKad yang mula dikeluarkan pada 2000 tidak tahan lama dan mikrocip sering tidak boleh dibaca mesin pengimbas.

Walaupun enggan mendedahkan jumlah aduan yang dikemukakan kepada JPN namun beliau berkata kos untuk mengeluarkan setiap MyKad hanya RM24.50 berbanding RM27.20 sebelum ini.

Semasa dilancarkan, MyKad asal dikatakan berkebolehan mencapai fungsi tambahan seperti maklumat lesen memandu dan perdagangan elektronik.

Tetapi kebanyakan fungsi-fungsi itu tidak berjaya disebbakan kekurangan sambutan pasaran dan kad pintar tidak boleh dikesan.

MyKad baru yang akan diperkenalkan di Shah Alam dan Putrajaya pada 3 Januari ini akan dikeluarkan di seluruh negara dalam tempoh enam minggu selepas itu.

Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Ahli perniagaan bergelar ‘Datuk’ didakwa menipu pengerusi NFC

Posted: 30 Dec 2011 12:45 AM PST

Datuk Shamsubahrin Ismail keluar dari mahkamah sambil melambaikan tangan kepada media. — Foto oleh Jack Ooi

KUALA LUMPUR, 30 Dis — Seorang ahli perniagaan bergelar "Datuk" yang cuba memberi rasuah kepada pegawai kanan CCID semasa siasatan  skandal Pusat Fidlot nasional (NFC) hari ini didakwa atas tuduhan menipu di Mahkamah Tinggi di sini.

Datuk Shamsubahrain Ismail dituduh menipu Pengerusi NFC Datuk Seri Mohamad Salleh Ismail sebanyak RM1.76 juta sebagai bayaran rundingan untuk mendapatkan perkhidmatan penasihat.

Shamsubahrin didakwa dengan dua tuduhan menipu di bawah seksyen 420 Kanun Jenayah.

Beliau dikatakan melakukan kedua-dua kesalahan itu pada 20 November di sebuah restoran di Bukit Tunku dan antara 25 November dan 6 Disember di Solaris Mont Kiara, juga di Kuala Lumpur.

Jika sabit kesalahan Shamsubahrain boleh dijatuhkan hukuman penjara maksimum 10 tahun dan sebat serta boleh dikenakan denda jika sabit kesalahan.

Beliau mengaku tidak bersalah di atas kedua-dua pertuduhan itu.

Hakim Ahmad Zamzani Mohd Zain menetapkan ikat jamin sebanyak RM300,000 dengan seorang penjamin dan mengarahkan Shamsubahrain menyerahkan passportnya.

Kes ini akan disebut semula pada 21 Januari.

Shamsubahrain sebelum ini ditahan reman oleh polis kerana dikatakan cuba memberi rasuah kepada tiga hingga empat pegawai kanan CCID yang menyiasat skandal NFCorp.

Polis menyiasat NFCorp atas kesalahan pecah amanah berikutan dakwaan PKR bahawa syarikat itu menyalahgunakan dana jutaan ringgit yang diberikan kepada NFC.

Shamsubahrain, yang memiliki syarikat khidmat perunding dan syarikat teksi premium kemudiannya diserahkan kepada Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM).

Agensi anti-rasuah itu telah mengumumkan akan menyiasat dakwaan terhadap NFCorp walaupun sebelum ini mengatakan tidak akan berbuat demikian.

SPRM turut merampas sebuah komputer dan beberapa dokumen semasa melakukan serbuan di ibu pejabat NFCorp di Solaris Mont Kiara.

PKR membangkitkan perkara itu selepas projek ternakan lembu bernilai RM250 juta yang dibiayai kerajaan — diuruskan Mohamad Salleh, suami kepada Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil — gagal mencapai sasaran pengeluaran dalam Laporan Ketua Audit Negara.

Parti pembangkang juga turut membuat beberapa pendedahan berkaitan dengan skandal itu termasuk pembelian dua unit kondominium oleh NFC di Bangsar dan mendakwa syarikat itu menggunakan dana projek untuk perbelanjaan peribadi dan ke luar negara.

Ia juga mendakwa berlaku perpindahan wang ke syarikat yang tidak berkaitan dengan NFCorp di Singapura serta pembelian Mercedes-Benz CLS350 berharga RM534,622 dan dia lot tanah di Presint 10 Putrajaya bernilai RM3,363,507.

Pendedahan terbaru dibuat PKR Selasa lalu, menuduh sebanyak RM10 juta telah digunakan untuk pembelian seunit kondominium di Singapura untuk keluarga Shahrizat.

Shahrizat cuba mengelak daripada dituduh terlibar dengan mengatakan hanya beliau "satu-satunya isteri" pengerusi NFC dan tiada apa-apa kaitan dengan NFC.

Beliau turut berdepan dengan gesaan agar meletakkan jawatan sebagai menteri termasuk dari pemimpin Umno serta bekas perdana menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Full content generated by Get Full RSS.
Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com
 

Malaysia Insider Online

Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved