Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

---

Brazil’s Corinthians reach Club World Cup final Posted: 12 Dec 2012 04:38 AM PST Paolo Guerrero (second right) heads the ball to put Corinthians through. — Reuters pics TOYOTA, Japan, Dec 12 — Corinthians beat African champions Al-Ahly 1-0 today to reach the final of the Club World Cup but the Brazilian side failed to impress as they set up a potential showdown with Chelsea. Peru striker Paolo Guerrero twisted superbly to head the winner for the Libertadores Cup holders on the half-hour mark to the delight of the Corinthians fans in Toyota. "We were expecting a difficult match," Corinthians coach Tite told reporters. "We had huge responsibility on us to win and mentally we were under a lot of pressure." Al-Ahly coach El Badry: "We deserved to win." Corinthians, the first team since 1978 to win South America's premier club competition without losing a game, survived a second-half onslaught from Egypt's Al-Ahly to advance. Chelsea, whose defence of their Champions League title ended in the group stage last week, face Mexico's Monterrey in the other semi-final in Yokohama tomorrow (1030 GMT). The Chelsea players, stopping to watch the second half of the game in Yokohama's mixed zone after training, will have seen precious little to worry them from the Brazilians. Ramy Rabia and Elsayed Hamdi missed gilt-edged chances for Al-Ahly, whose players are still scarred by a stadium riot in which more than 70 fans died earlier this year. Al-Ahly coach Hossam El Badry could hardly mask his disappointment after his side failed to take their chances after dominating the second half. "I'm frustrated that we lost because it was a really good performance," he told reporters. "We made a mistake and got punished but we deserved to win the game." European sides have won the last five editions of the Club World Cup, Barcelona lifting the trophy in 2009 and 2011. Many fans have made the long trip from Brazil to cheer on Corinthians, the first winners of the FIFA competition in 2000. — Reuters

Chelsea will score but we can beat them, says Monterrey coach Posted: 12 Dec 2012 04:28 AM PST YOKOHAMA, Japan, Dec 12 — Monterrey coach Victor Vucetich says his side will be powerless to prevent Chelsea from scoring in their Club World Cup semi-final here tomorrow, but he still believes the Mexicans can pull off their biggest ever win. Chelsea have scored nine goals in their past two games following a difficult start under interim manager Rafael Benitez, with misfiring striker Fernando Torres netting four times. Coach Vucetich: "Great respect" for Chelsea but … — Reuters pic Monterrey beat South Korea's Ulsan Hyundai 3-1 in the quarter-finals at the weekend after experiencing a powerful earthquake following their arrival in Japan. "I'm sure Chelsea will score goals tomorrow," he told reporters today. "They are a strong, physical side and technically skilful. "We have great respect for them, they are one of the top teams in the world and in the Premier League but we have talent too," said the 57-year-old. "We will look to show our quality. You always want to win the biggest tournaments regardless who your opponents. We want to write a new page in Monterrey's history. "We passed the first step and we are even more motivated for the next game and to show our strengths." Asked if beating Chelsea would be the biggest result ever for a Mexican club, Vucetich replied: "Yes, of course. We know Chelsea very well but I believe we can win." Vucetich said he was stunned that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich had fired Italian Roberto Di Matteo last month and replaced him, at least temporarily, with Benitez. "I was very much surprised they suddenly changed the manager," he said. "They played under one coach in the Champions League and he's not coming. "However, Benitez is a big coach and very capable manager with experience of big matches," he added of the Spaniard, who won the 2010 Club World Cup with Inter Milan in Abu Dhabi. "We are aware of his tactics and are confident of dealing with Chelsea." Monterrey defenders Darvin Chavez and Hiram Mier, part of Mexico's gold medal-winning side at this year's London Olympics, were equally positive about the semi-final tomorrow. "London gave us a lot of confidence about playing at a high level outside Mexico," said Mier. "We want to perform well again for Mexico." Mexico upset Brazil 2-1 in the Olympic final at Wembley in August and Chavez was confident of pulling off another shock at the Club World Cup. "It has been a childhood dream to play for a big club abroad," he said. "But I'm a Monterrey player and focused on doing my job for them here." Brazil's Libertadores Cup holders Corinthians will play Egypt's Al-Ahly in the tournament's first semi-final in Toyota later today. — Reuters

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

---

New Yorkers live longer than other Americans, says mayor Posted: 12 Dec 2012 06:14 AM PST Since 2001, New Yorkers' life expectancy has increased by three years. — shutterstock.com pic NEW YORK, Dec 12 — New Yorkers are living longer than Americans overall, and the margin is increasing, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday as he praised his administration's health policies. A New Yorker born in 2010 has a life expectancy of 80.9 years, 2.2 years longer than the national life expectancy of 78.7 years at the time. Since 2001, New Yorkers' life expectancy has increased by three years, against 1.8 years at the national level, according to data released by Bloomberg and the city's health department. Women in New York are now expected to live 83.3 years and men are expected to live 78.1 years. Bloomberg has aggressively pushed for sweeping public health policies. In 2003, he banned smoking in bars, restaurants and places of work, a measure widely reproduced elsewhere. He again stirred controversy this year by announcing a limited ban on super-sized soda drinks he blamed for a national obesity crisis. "Not only are New Yorkers living longer, but our improvements continue to outpace the gains in the rest of the nation," Bloomberg said. "Our willingness to invest in health care and bold interventions is paying off in improved health outcomes, decreased infant mortality and increased life expectancy." — AFP-Relaxnews

A TV in the bedroom may boost a kid’s risk for obesity Posted: 12 Dec 2012 05:40 AM PST Letting your children bask in the glow of a television or computer in their bedrooms at night doesn't benefit their waistlines, research finds. — AFP pic NEW YORK, Dec 12 — Prior research has already linked watching television with childhood obesity, but a new study finds that kids who have televisions in their bedrooms are at greater risk. Researchers from Pennington Biomedical Research Centre in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, looked at data on nearly 370 children ages 5 to 18. Rather than rely on body mass index readings, they had all of the subjects undergo body scans to measure their fat mass. Results showed that children who had a television in their bedroom were twice as likely to have a high fat mass than kids who didn't have a TV in their room. Kids with a bedroom television were also more likely to have a large waist circumference. Viewing TV for more than two hours a day was linked to these same risks, the study found. "A bedroom TV may create additional disruptions to healthy habits, above and beyond regular TV viewing," says study coauthor Dr. Amanda Staiano. "For instance, having a bedroom TV is related to lower amounts of sleep and lower prevalence of regular family meals, independent of total TV viewing time." She adds: "Both short sleep duration and lack of regular family meals have been related to weight gain and obesity." The average American child from age 8 to 18 watches about 4.5 hours of TV each day, the researchers said. Seventy percent have a TV in the bedroom and about one-third are considered obese. The new study, announced Tuesday, will be published in the January issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. In a separate study published in October in the journal Paediatric Obesity, researchers from the University of Alberta in Canada found that electronic devices -- televisions, computers, and mobile phones -- in kids' bedrooms are linked with both poor sleep and obesity. — AFP-Relaxnews

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 :: Breaking Views

---

Renault-Nissan seals Lada deal in quest for Russian growth Posted: 12 Dec 2012 08:36 AM PST MOSCOW, Dec 12 — Renault-Nissan has finalised a long-awaited deal to take control of Lada-maker AvtoVAZ as it looks to snatch market share from rivals in Russia by taking the boxy cars upmarket for a rising middle class. Carlos Ghosn, leader of the Franco-Japanese alliance, who was in Moscow to sign the agreement, said the deal deepened a four-year partnership it had had with AvtoVAZ, hoping to tap demand for new cars from Russians with growing incomes and rising aspirations. Reviving the Lada brand — still Russia's market leader — is a top priority for Ghosn, who says it is expected to lead the group's growth plans. AvtoVAZ only survived a 2009 slump with the help of a state bailout and its clunky saloons, with a reputation for breaking down, are often the butt of jokes. "Without any doubt, the Lada brand will be in the short term and the long term the largest brand in Russia for the alliance," Ghosn told Reuters. "We are here to strengthen the brand and give it everything it needs." Ghosn said he wanted Lada to be competitive at the bottom end of the market but also wanted to move the marque into higher price brackets. Two new Lada models, the Largus and Granta, had already attracted high demand and the company was still trying to deliver six months' worth of orders, the group said. Ghosn expects the newly-created venture to capture 40 per cent of Russia's market by 2016, up from 30 per cent, as Renault-Nissan contributes technology and product knowledge to Lada while benefiting from AvtoVAZ's manufacturing base. "Russia is poised to become the largest auto market in Europe by 2015," Ghosn told a news conference today. The group will be competing against several foreign makers that have been investing in Russia, such as General Motors, Ford, Fiat and Volkswagen. Sales rise Russia's car market has been growing rapidly on a rise in disposable incomes and an expansion of the country's middle class, to between 15 and 30 million from just one million in 1999, according to recent research by Sberbank. Car sales in Russia grew 40 per cent last year to more than 2.6 million vehicles, recovering most of the ground lost after halving in the post credit-crunch slump of 2009. Growth has been flattening out, but overall sales for the year look set to reach around 2.9 million and Ghosn expects yearly sales to reach four million at some point in the 2020s. Analyst Vladimir Bespalov at VTB Capital doubted the new alliance would achieve a market share of 40 per cent in the face of increasing competition, but saw around 35 per cent as possible. Under the deal, first announced in May, Renault-Nissan will invest 23 billion roubles (RM2.3 billion) to take control of AvtoVAZ via a 67.13 per cent stake in a joint venture with state-owned holding group Russian Technologies. The venture, to be completed by mid-2014, will own 74.5 per cent of AvtoVAZ. Russian Technologies will own 32.87 per cent of the joint venture. AvtoVAZ's debt to Russian Technologies will also be restructured under the agreement. The Russian manufacturer will sell non-core assets to pay 8 billion roubles in loans. A remaining 46 billion interest-free debt is being extended and will be repaid by 2032. As part of the agreement, Renault-Nissan will have eight seats on a board expanded to 15 members from 12. — Reuters

Hong Kong leader survives no confidence vote over building work Posted: 12 Dec 2012 08:11 AM PST Pro-democracy lawmakers chant slogans against Chief Executive Leung outside the Legislative Council December 10, 2012. — Reuters pics HONG KONG, Dec 12 — Hong Kong's new leader Leung Chun-ying narrowly survived a motion of no-confidence today over unauthorised building works in his home that have undermined his integrity and triggered calls for his resignation. Beijing-backed Leung was criticised by pro-democracy lawmakers in a four-hour debate for failing to give a clear account of building work in the hilltop mansion — something he in turn had seized upon to oust his rival Henry Tang, when both ran campaigns for Hong Kong's chief executive post this year. In space-starved Hong Kong, embellishments to homes are common to maximise living space, but similar violations have ensnared several prominent officials over the past year. "He did not come clean, he did not tell us the whole truth and he was deliberately hiding things from us ... he has no integrity," said pro-democracy opposition lawmaker Dennis Kwok who tabled the no-confidence motion. Protesters with a paper cutout of Chief Executive Leung outside the Legislative Council. In the end, 28 lawmakers backed the motion, 34 opposed it and five abstained. The fraught vote caps a difficult half year for Leung, who has wrestled with issues including high property prices, perceived interference from China over a national education curriculum, and grassroots resentment caused by a growing tide of Chinese visitors and pregnant mainland mothers cramming local maternity wards to gain local citizenship. While there is no sign that Leung's support from Beijing's leaders has suffered as a result of the scandal, a planned "anti-Leung" mass protest on January 1 could heighten tension. Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997, remains a stable financial centre, though its political arena has been stormy at times as the city and its opposition pro-democracy forces push for full democracy in 2017. A mass half-million strong protest in 2003 against the policies of unpopular former leader Tung Chee-hwa ultimately forced him from office mid-term. Leung had initially been considered an underdog in the March poll against Tang. But a series of scandals, including one over illegal structures discovered in Tang's home, proved a tipping point that ruined Tang's campaign. Leung has apologised for "negligence" over the matter, denying he'd covered anything up while blaming a "memory lapse" for much of the confusion. Leung has faced further criticism over confidential US diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks that showed his adviser, Shiu Sin-por, told US diplomats that Beijing was not willing to cede complete control over the city's first direct election for its leader in 2017. Shiu said Chinese leaders would ensure that even with universal suffrage, individuals deemed unacceptable to Beijing would never get nominated or elected as Hong Kong's leader. — Reuters

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: ALL 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

---

Actor Depardieu’s Belgium move ‘pathetic’ — French PM Posted: 12 Dec 2012 07:57 AM PST French President Francois Hollande calls actor Gerard Depardieu's decision to reside in Belgium "pathetic". — Reuters pic PARIS, Dec 12 — Actor Gerard Depardieu's decision to establish residency in Belgium, which does not have a wealth tax, by buying a house just over the border with France is "pathetic" and unpatriotic, French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said today. Depardieu has become the latest wealthy Frenchman after luxury magnate Bernard Arnault to look for shelter outside his native country following a series of tax hikes by Socialist President Francois Hollande. "Going just over the border, I find that fairly pathetic," Ayrault said on France 2 television. "Being a Frenchman means loving your country and helping it to get back on its feet." The "Cyrano de Bergerac" star bought a house in the Belgian village of Nechin near the border with France where 27 per cent of the population is composed of French nationals, local mayor Daniel Senesael told French media on Sunday. Depardieu also enquired about procedures for acquiring Belgian residency, he said. Belgian residents do not pay wealth tax, which in France is now slapped on individuals with assets over 1.3 million euros (RM5.2 million) starting at a rate of 0.25 per cent, nor do they pay capital gains tax on share sales. France has also imposed a 75-per cent tax on incomes exceeding 1 million euros. The tax hikes have been welcomed by left-wingers who say the rich must do more to help redress public finances but attacked by some wealthy personalities and foreign critics, who say it will increase tax flight and dampen investment. Depardieu's move comes three months after Arnault, chief executive of luxury giant LVMH, caused an uproar by seeking to establish residency in Belgium — a move he said was not motivated by tax reasons. The left-leaning Liberation daily reacted with a front-page headline next a photograph of Arnault telling him to "Get lost, you rich jerk", prompting luxury advertisers including LVMH to withdraw their advertisements. Ayrault said he did not support the idea floated by some Socialist lawmakers to withdraw French nationality from people who sought residency abroad to lighten their tax bill. "I'd rather appeal to people's intelligence, to their hearts," he said. — Reuters

A Minute With: Director Peter Jackson on shooting ‘The Hobbit’ Posted: 12 Dec 2012 07:52 AM PST Director Peter Jackson poses for a portrait while promoting his film "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" in New York, December 7, 2012. — Reuters pic LOS ANGELES, Dec 12 — After bringing J R R Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy to life, filmmaker Peter Jackson is back in the world of Middle Earth with the author's prequel, "The Hobbit." The three-film series is due to open in US theatres on Friday with "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." The Oscar-winning director, 51, told Reuters about the 3D film, including the 48 frames per second (fps) format he used, which was widely debated by fans and critics. Q: You originally intended "The Hobbit" to only be two parts. Why stretch it out to three? A: "Back in July, we were near the end of our shoot and we started to talk about the things that we had to leave out of the movies. There's material at the end of 'The Return of the King' (the final part of 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy) in the appendices that takes place around the time of 'The Hobbit.' "We were thinking, this is our last chance because it's very unlikely we're ever going to come back to Middle Earth as filmmakers. So we talked to the studio and next year we're going to be doing another 10 to 12 weeks of shooting because we're now adapting more of Tolkien's material." Q: At what point did you decide you would direct the film yourself after originally handing it to Guillermo del Toro? A: "At the time (we wrote the script), I was worried about repeating myself and worried that I was competing with myself. I thought it would be interesting to have another director with a fresh eye coming in and telling the story. But after Guillermo left, having worked on script and the production for well over a year at that stage, I was very emotionally attached to it. I just thought, this is an opportunity I'm not going to say no to." Q: You hired Gollum actor Andy Serkis to do second unit directing on the film, something he has never done before. What made you hand the task to a novice? A: "I know how strongly Andy has been wanting to direct. One of the problems with second unit is that you tend to have conservative footage given to you by the director. They play it safe. I knew that I wouldn't get that from Andy because he's got such a ferocious energy. He goes for it and doesn't hold back. I knew that if Andy was the director I would be getting some interesting material, that it would have a life and energy to it." Q: What inspired you to make a film in 48 fps? A: "Four years ago I shot a six or seven minute King Kong ride for Universal Studios' tram ride in California. The reason we used the high frame rate was that we didn't want people to think it's a movie. You want that sense of reality, which you get from a high frame rate, of looking in to the real world. At the time, I thought it would be so cool to make a feature film with this process." Q: Not everyone has embraced "The Hobbit" in 48 fps. A: "For the last year and a half there's been speculation, largely negative, about it and I'm so relieved to have gotten to this point. I've been waiting for this moment when people can actually see it for themselves. Cinephiles and serious film critics who regard 24 fps as sacred are very negative and absolutely hate it. Anybody I've spoken to under the age of 20 thinks it's fantastic. I haven't heard a single negative thing from the young people, and these are the kids that are watching films on their iPads. These are the people I want to get back in the cinema." Q: Why all the hoopla over a frame rate? A: "Somehow as humans, we have a reaction to change that's partly fear driven. But there are so many ways to look at movies now and it's a choice that a filmmaker has. To me as a filmmaker, you've got to take the technology that's available in 2012, not the technology we've lived with since 1927, and say how can we enhance the experience in the cinema? How can we make it more immersive, more spectacular?" Q: George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney for US$4 billion (RM12 billion). Do you think you will sell your New Zealand facility Weta someday? A: "I would if I want to retire at some stage and want to have a nice easy life, which will hopefully happen one day. But in the foreseeable future, the fact that I'm an owner of my own digital effects facility is a fantastic advantage for me." Q: How so? A: "When we asked the studio if we could shoot 'The Hobbit' at 48 fps, we promised the budget would be the same. But it actually does have a cost implication because you've got to render twice as many frames and the rendering takes more time. The fact that we owned Weta and could absorb that in-house was actually part of the reason we were able to do the 48 frames." — Reuters

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 :: Books

---

500k entries for expanded Chinese dictionary, says media Posted: 11 Dec 2012 04:45 PM PST BEIJING, Dec 12 — China's "most inclusive" dictionary is set to expand by nearly a third to nearly half a million entries across 25 volumes, state media reported yesterday. It will take seven years to fully revise the Hanyu Da Cidian, first published in 1986, for its second edition, the state news agency Xinhua said, with the first volume due to be released in 2015. China's most authoritative dictionary, the Contemporary Chinese Dictionary, included a relatively sparse 69,000 entries by comparison in its sixth edition, published earlier this year. It had 3,000 new phrases but sparked controversy with its inclusion of 239 English words and acronyms such as "NBA" and "GDP". More than 100 Chinese scholars, mostly linguists, sent a petition in protest to the General Administration of Press and Publication, China's publishing watchdog. English abbreviations for international bodies such as the WTO are widely used in China, while PM2.5, a measure of air pollution, has become a familiar term among urban residents, who are increasingly concerned about air quality. — AFP/Relaxnews

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Books 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

---

PKR desak Zainuddin Maidin mohon maaf kerana fitnah Habibie, Anwar Posted: 12 Dec 2012 02:20 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR, 12 Dis — Timbalan Presiden PKR Mohamed Azmin Ali (gambar) hari ini mendesak bekas menteri penerangan, Tan Sri Zainuddin Maidin kerana memfitnah bekas presiden Indonesia, Prof B J Habibie dan ketua umum PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dalam sebuah rencana di akhbar Utusan Malaysia pada 10 Disember yang bertajuk 'Persamaan B J Habibie dengan Anwar Ibrahim'. Ahli parlimen Gombak itu berkata, rencana Zainuddin adalah amat memalukan, lantaran beliau menggambarkan prasangka keji kepimpinan Umno terhadap negara Indonesia. "Hubungan diplomatik Malaysia — Indonesia yang melangkaui sempadan geografi. Persaudaraan antara dua negara berteraskan ikatan saudara serumpun yang akrab dari sudut budaya dan juga agama. "Kenyataan Zainuddin yang dangkal dan bersifat fitnah keji terhadap B J Habibie, mantan presiden Republik Indonesia dan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim seperti dalam rencana yang ditulis beliau tidak langsung menjana pemikiran rakyat secara intelek tetapi sentiasa menjadi alat untuk menghambur fitnah dan cerca. "Adalah tidak salah untuk kita menyatakan bahawa Zainudin Maidin ini sedang menghidap Sklerosis Intelek yang kronik sebagaimana sebahagian besar pimpinan Umno yang lainnya," kata Azmin dalam sebuah kenyataan hari ini. Menurut Azmin, PKR mengecam keras kenyataan Zainuddin yang akan mempersulit hubungan dua hala Kuala Lumpur-Jakarta. "Habibie adalah seorang reformis dan intelektual bangsa yang berjaya mengubah hala tuju pentadbiran negara ke arah sebuah sistem yang demokratik dengan memerdekakan rakyat dari belenggu pemikiran dan hegemoni yang sempit. "Sebagai seorang negarawan, beliau juga seorang yang peduli rakyat dan memiliki semangat setiakawan yang luhur dimana saya sendiri menyaksikan secara dekat betapa Habibie dan isterinya, Ibu Ainun begitu prihatin semasa Datuk Seri Anwar semasa menjalani rawatan di Munich, Jerman pada tahun 2004, dan menjelaskan betapa akrab hubungan keluarga kedua-dua tokoh yang turut memperkukuh hubungan dua hala Malaysia - Indonesia," katanya. Dalam rencana yang ditulis Zainuddin itu, beliau mengkritik Habibie sebagai 'gunting dalam lipatan' terhadap Presiden Indonesia Suharto, walaupun Suharto yang membawanya kembali dari Jerman untuk kemudiannya menjadi wakil Presiden. "Demikian juga yang dilakukan oleh Anwar Ibrahim terhadap Tun Dr Mahahtir Mohamad ketika beliau menjadi Timbalan Perdana Menteri setelah "dipungut" daripada Abim," kata Zainuddin dalam rencananya. Zainuddin juga mempersoal tindakan Anwar menjemput Habibie, yang disifatkan beliau sebagai 'pengkhianat bangsa Indonesia' untuk berucap di Universiti Industri Selangor (Unisel). "Dia tidak mempedulikan perasaan rakyat Indonesia kerana mungkin mereka telah sekata hendak menunjukkan kebesaran dan keagungan masa silam mereka untuk melindungi dosa besar mereka dan mungkin masing-masing berangan-angan bahawa zaman besar itu akan datang semula. "Saya tidak tahu bagaimana terseksanya para hadirin di Unisel mendengar ucapan manusia yang egonya amat tinggi, apatahlah lagi mendapat peluang berucap kepada orang yang dianggap bodoh sesudah sekian lama tidak mendapat kesempatan berucap kepada rakyat Indonesia yang tidak lagi mahu mendengarnya dan tidak lagi menghormatinya. Pada hakikatnya mereka berdua tidak lebih daripada "The Dog Of Imperialism"," tulis bekas menteri penerangan itu.

Pasukan bola sepak negara akan dirombak menentang Singapura Posted: 12 Dec 2012 02:06 AM PST VIENTIANE, 12 Dis — Posisi skuad bola sepak universiti negara akan dirombak bagi menghadapi perlawanan kedua menentang Singapura esok, kata jurulatih pasukan Azman Eusoff di sini hari ini. Azman berkata pasukannya tiada pilihan lain dan perlu menang besar menentang skuad Singapura bagi melayakkan diri ke pusingan separuh akhir temasya Sukan Universiti Asean (AUG) yang berlangsung di Stadium Kompleks Sukan Nasional, Vientiane, Laos, esok. Pada perlawanan pertama peringkat kumpulan semalam, skuad negara mempamerkan aksi hambar apabila tumpas 0-3 kepada pasukan tuan rumah, Laos. "Kita perlu layak ke separuh akhir, bahagian tengah dan hadapan akan ada perubahan untuk menentang Singapura. "Saya mengharapkan pemain yang ada mampu memberi kemenangan di atas padang esok," katanya kepada pemberita  di sini hari ini. Azman berkata beliau juga mahu pasukan memberi sokongan dan komunikasi yang baik kepada pemain Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM), K Reuben ketika beraksi di atas padang. "K Reuben sebagai pemain tengah adalah posisi yang terbaik buat pasukan, saya meletakkan beliau di posisi itu disebabkan faktor fizikal dan pengalamannya tetapi beliau tidak mendapat sokongan yang baik daripada pasukan ketika beraksi semalam," katanya. Pada Ogos 2008 di Kuala Lumpur, pasukan negara berjaya meraih pingat perak, bagaimanapun terkandas setakat peringkat kumpulan pada edisi 2010 di Chiang Mai, Thailand. — Bernama

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

---

All the world’s a stage Posted: 11 Dec 2012 04:05 PM PST DEC 12 — Looking at the various characters that people our political landscape, I cannot help but be reminded of Shakespeare. An old man, once in the leader's place, wringing his hands, moaning at the thanklessness he sees around him. A would-be "prince" seeking revenge and justice for past wrongs, planning the ouster of the current leadership. These are plots straight out of Shakespeare. Yes, The Bard could have been writing about Malaysia. "Malaysia really is Shakespearean," says my mentor and theatre expert teacher, Rey Buono. He should know; the man forgets more Shakespeare than most people will ever learn. I've met Malaysians who think satire website The Onion is the real thing because our local headlines read like farce most days. On one side, "I am a man more sinned against than sinning!" our own Lear cries. At the other end, we have a Hamlet, who instead of saying "To be or not to be" instead mulls "To be PM or not to be PM". Am I the only one tired of this farce? The neverending beating of drums. The plot twists. The hidden daggers. It's like being trapped in a theatre, held ever at suspense. But you have to give the audience what it's waiting for. Everyone's waiting. Investors are reluctant to invest. Projects are stalled, or "kept in view". The media is growing tired recycling the same old election date predictions. The audience is restless. The allegations are getting wilder. The politicians are getting cruder. Stop stalling for time. I leave you with these words from Shakespeare: Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time, And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. — Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5, lines 19-28) * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

Tak kiamat lagi 21 Disember ini Posted: 11 Dec 2012 04:03 PM PST 10 DIS ― Telah heboh di barat sana membincangkan pendapat nujum dunia akan kiamat pada 12 Disember ini. Kiamat itu wajib dipercayai kerana ia satu dari rukun iman yang enam. Siapa yang tidak mempercayainya, dia kafir. Masanya sudah tidak jauh tetapi tidaklah dekat sangat hingga pada 21 Disember ini. Walaupun sudah banyak tanda yang kiamat itu sudah dekat tetapi tidak pada 21 Disember ini. Masih banyak lagi isyarat kiamat itu belum berlaku. Antaranya Nabi Isa a.s. belum turun dari alam ghaib. Nabi Isa al-Masih datang sekali lagi ke dunia, lepas itu barulah kiamat. Tetapi tidak pula secepat itu kiamat itu. Ada lagi kejadian selepas itu barulah kiamat. Selagi Nabi Isa a.s. belum turun, kiamat tidak akan berlaku. Imam Mahadi pun belum turun lagi. Imam Mahadi datang dulu sebelum Nabi Isa. Ada yang mengatakan Imam Mahadi sudah tutun. Ada yang menyangka abuya As-Syaari Muhamad itu Imam Mahadi. Ia sangkaan yang silap. Ada juga yang menyangka Ayatullah Khomeini itu Imam Mahadi. Ia juga sangkaan yang silap. Lepas ada Imam Mahadi baru datang Nabi Isa yang peranan besarnya adalah untuk membunuh Dajjal. Datang Dajjah dulu yang kerjanya adalah untuk menindas dan menyiksa orang beriman, sesudah barulah turun Nabi Isa untuk menyelamatkan dunia dan manusia dari belenggu kekufuran. Tidak pula kiamat serta merta selepas dibunuhnya Dajjah. Lepas itu baginda membersihkan dunia dari babi dulu. Setelah habis babi, dekatlah kiamat itu, tetapi tidaklah ia dekat sangat tetapi tidaklah jauh sangat. Wafat Nabi Isa dulu. Nabi Isa yang datang semula itu hidup selama 40 tahun lagi. Selepas baginda wafat ada lagi perkembangan yang menunjukkan tanda-tanda kiamat itu kian dekat. Tetapi bukan pada 21 Disember ini. Kita tidak tahu bila Nabi Isa akan turun. Lepas Nabi Isa turun, ssekurang-kurangnya ada masa 40 tahun lagi sedang 21 Disember itu hanya beberapa hari saja lagi. Maka sahlah tiada kiamat pada 21 Disember ini. Lambat lagi kiamat itu ialah kerana orang beriman iaitu orang Islam masih ada lagi di dunia. Orang Islam itu bukan pula sedikit. Lebih dari satu bilion. Mungkin kebanyakan orang Islam itu nilainya seperti buih dilaut, tetapi bertambah bilangan orang Islam menghantar anaknya ke kelas menghafaz al-Quran. Bilangan hafiz dan hafizah pun bertambah. Selagi ada orang yang hafaz Quran, maka kiamat tidak berlaku lagi. Dunia jadi sifar Islam dulu barulah kiamat. Setelah dunia ini sudah tidak ada ulama dan tiada lagi yang hafaz Quran ia diikuti habis orang Islam mati, maka barulah sampai kiamat yang Allah janjikan itu. Orang Islam tidak sempat untuk menyaksikan dunia ini kiamat. Mereka semua mati dulu. Selepas dunia ini kosong dengan orang Islam, orang kafir ada lagi. Kita tidak tahu berapa lama lagi orang kafir boleh hidup. Orang kafir dapat merasakan hari kiamat itu. Baki orang kafir itu akan mati semuanya semasa angkakala yang pertama ditiup. Semua cekrawala bersama manusia dan binatang hancur menjadi debu. Apabila sangkakala ditiup kali kedua bagi memulakah alam mahsyar bangun semula sekalian manausia dari alam kubur. Berapa lama pula antara ssekarang hingga tiupan sangkakala yang pertama tiada siapa tahu. Boleh jadi sekejap dan boleh jadi lama. Tanda awal kiamat itu sudah dekat ialah dengan kelahiran Rasulullah SAW. Tetapi yang dikatakan dekat itu sudah berlalu 15 kurun belum juga kiamat. Adakah kita menunggu 15 kurun lagi? Tiada siapa tahu. Ia tidak lama lagi tetapi tidaklah dekat sangat hingga tinggal beberapa hari saja lagi. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

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