Astro memenangi 3 anugerah Stevie

Datuk Rohana Rozhan

Astro memenangi tiga anugerah Stevie dalam anugerah perniagaan antarabangsa IBA.

Anugerah ini termasuk anugerah emas Stevie untuk kempen PR atau komunikasi tahunan dan anugerah Perak, Asia, Australia dan New Zealand untuk CSR Astro Kasih Beautiful Malaysia.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Astro Datuk Rohana Rozhan turut diberikan anugerah Perak Stevie dalam kategori eksekutif tahunan untuk media dan hiburan.

IBA adalah program anugerah peniagaan premier yang mengiktiraf syarikat dan organisasi antarabangsa.

Pada 2013, IBA menerima penyertaan dari lebih 50 negara dan acara kemuncak diadakan di Barcelona pada 14 October.

Pada acara kemuncak berkenaan Astro diwakili Datuk Rohana Rozhan.

Kerana difitnah Jenice buat laporan polis

Jenice Lee Ying Ha


KUALA LUMPUR - Bekas Anggota Dewan Undangan Negeri (Adun) Teratai, Selangor, Jenice Lee Ying Ha hari ini membuat laporan polis terhadap Anggota Parlimen Cheras Tan Kok Wai kerana didakwa memfitnah dan mengeluarkan kenyataan tidak benar terhadap dirinya di akhbar.

Beliau membuat laporan di Balai Polis Pandan Indah di sini.

Lee mendakwa kenyataan Tan kononnya pembantunya Lee Hsuan Ba terlibat dalam penyalahgunaan kuasa berkaitan isu tembok keselamatan di Taman Seraya, di sini merupakan satu fitnah.

Beliau mendakwa Tan turut mengeluarkan kenyataan berbaur fitnah seperti dilaporkan di beberapa akhbar pada 24 dan 25 April lalu yang menuduh dirinya terlibat dalam penyelewengan peruntukan kerajaan negeri di kawasan Sungai Pelek, Selangor.

"Ini merupakan satu fitnah untuk menjatuhkan saya. Saya telah berbincang dengan pihak peguam dan mereka meminta saya membuat laporan polis.

"Saya minta kes ini dapat disiasat segera kerana ia merupakan perlakuan jenayah yang cuba menjatuhkan reputasi saya," katanya kepada pemberita selepas membuat laporan polis itu.

Lee turut menggesa lembaga disiplin DAP mengambil tindakan tegas terhadap Tan bagi segala fitnah yang dilemparkan terhadapnya. -- Bernama

Perkeso bayar elaun khas RM500 kepada penjaga

Datuk Ismail Abdul Muttalib

MARAN - Pertubuhan Keselamatan Sosial (Perkeso) membayar elaun RM500 sebulan kepada mereka yang menjaga 'orang hilang upaya khas' menerusi Skim Bayaran Layanan Sentiasa (ELS) mulai tahun ini.

Timbalan Menteri Sumber Manusia, Datuk Ismail Abdul Muttalib berkata sehingga Ogos lepas 5,383 penjaga menerima manfaat itu dalam usaha kerajaan meringankan bebanan mereka.

"Elaun yang diberikan itu bagi meringankan bebanan yang terpaksa ditanggung penjaga semasa mengubati dan menjaga mereka yang hilang upaya itu," katanya kepada pemberita selepas menghadiri majlis korban anjuran Umno Bahagian Maran di Simpang Tajau, di sini hari ini.

Beliau meminta mereka yang menjaga pesakit hilang upaya kekal dan belum menerima bayaran supaya menghubungi Perkeso dengan mengemukakan dokumen lengkap berkenaan pesakit yang mereka jaga.

Dalam perkembangan berkaitan, Ismail berkata pihaknya menyasarkan 1.9 juta anggota Perkeso berumur 40 tahun ke atas menjalani pemeriksaan saringan kesihatan percuma di klinik panel Perkeso di seluruh negara sebelum akhir tahun ini.

"Sehingga ini 200,000 individu berumur 40 tahun ke atas menjalani saringan pemeriksaan kesihatan percuma itu bagi mengesan dan mencegah penyakit berjangkit pada peringkat awal, namun jumlah itu masih jauh daripada sasaran kita," katanya.

Ismail yang juga anggota Parlimen Maran berkata kerajaan memperuntukkan RM200 juta bagi program saringan kesihatan percuma itu.

- Bernama

Taufan Wipha, 13 terbunuh di Jepun

TOKYO - JEPUN. Sekurang-kurangnya 13 terbunuh selepas taufan Wipha melanda berhampiran ibu negara Jepun, kata laporan.

Dipetik dari BBC, taufan itu menyebabkan tanah runtuh dan banjir di Pulau Izu Oshima, selatan Tokyo, dengan beberapa buah rumah musnah.

Ramai orang mati apabila rumah mereka runtuh atau ditenggelami lumpur. Dua ditemui mati berdekatan dengan sungai.

Di Tokyo, jadual penerbangan dibatalkan, perkhidmatan kereta api peluru ditangguhkan dan sekolah ditutup.

"Ia merupakan taufan terkuat dalam tempoh 10 tahun melalui kawasan Tokyo," kata Ketua Peramal Agensi Meteorologi Jepun, Hiroyuki Uchida, pada Selasa.

Ribut itu membawa angin kencang dan jumlah hujan direkodkan, 122milimeter (4.8 inci) dalam satu jam pada pagi Rabu ke pulau Izu Oshima yang terletak 120 kilometer selatan Tokyo.

Menurut pegawai di pulau tersebut, 13 mayat telah ditemui dan lebih 50 mangsa tidak dapat dikesan.

"Kami tidak tahu betapa buruk kerosakan yang mungkin berlaku," kata pegawai bandar Hinani Uematsu.


ASTRO Awani

Dulu suami pukul isteri, kini isteri pukul suami

Mangsa keganasan rumah tangga pada masa kini bukan lagi isteri tetapi suami.

Statistik  polis menunjukkan bahawa angka suami didera oleh isteri semakin meningkat setiap tahun iaitu dari 650 kes pada tahun 2010 ke 815 kes pada tahun 2011 dan 930 kes pada tahun lepas.

Menurut laporan akhbar The Malay Mail, Naib Presiden Hal Ehwal Wanita (HELWA) Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) Fadlina Siddiq berkata suami sering diserang dengan kayu golf, mop, penyapu, malah ditampar oleh isteri mereka.

Beliau turut berkata sesetengah suami pula mengalami penderaan mental apabila isteri merajuk dan tidak bercakap berbulan-bulan lamanya atau tidak mengadakan hubungan intim untuk tempoh yang lama.

“Kami pernah beri kaunseling kepada beberapa kanak-kanak yang mengaku bahawa ibu mereka selalu mendera bapa mereka,” kata beliau.

Walau bagaimanapun, statistik itu turut menunjukkan bahawa angka isteri yang didera, iaitu 72 peratus, masih lagi lebih tinggi daripada angka suami yang didera, iaitu 28 peratus.

Laporan itu turut memetik kata-kata Menteri Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim, yang berkata suami yang didera isteri harus mendapatkan bantuan seperti kaunseling.

“Setakat ini ada beberapa mangsa lelaki yang berusia di antara 30 ke 40 tahun, yang sedang mendapatkan bantuan kaunseling dari Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (JKM),” katanya.

Beliau turut berkata Akta Keganasan Rumah Tangga 1994 bukan sahaja terhad  kepada wanita tetapi boleh melindungi lelaki juga.

Sumber: ASTRO Awani 

War-related deaths near 500,000 in Iraq

Nearly half a million people have died from war-related causes in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003, according to an academic study published in the United States on Tuesday.

That toll is far higher than the nearly 115,000 violent civilian deaths reported by the British-based group Iraq Body Count, which bases its tally on media reports, hospital and morgue records, and official and non-governmental accounts.

The latest estimate by university researchers in the United States, Canada and Baghdad in cooperation with the Iraqi Ministry of Health covers not only violent deaths but other avoidable deaths linked to the invasion, insurgencies and subsequent social breakdown.

It also differs from some previous counts by spanning a longer period of time and by using randomized surveys of households across Iraq to project a nationwide death toll from 2003 to mid 2011.

Violence caused most of the deaths, but about a third were indirectly linked to the war, and these deaths have been left out of previous counts, said lead author Amy Hagopian, a public health researcher at the University of Washington.

Those included situations when a pregnant woman encountered difficult labor but could not leave the house due to fighting, or when a person drank contaminated water, or when a patient could not get treated at a hospital because staff was overwhelmed with war casualties.

"These are all indirect deaths, and they are significant," Hagopian told AFP.

The aim of the study was to provide a truer picture of the suffering caused by war, and hopefully to make governments think twice about the harm that would come from an invasion, she said.

"I think it is important that people understand the consequences of launching wars on public health, on how people live. This country is forever changed."

The research team from the University of Washington, Johns Hopkins University, Simon Fraser University and Mustansiriya University conducted the work on a volunteer basis using pooled internal resources instead of seeking outside funds.

Their tally was compiled by asking adults living in 2,000 randomly selected households in 100 geographic clusters across Iraq if family members had died, when and why.

Researchers used the survey data, which was completed by 1,960 of those chosen, to calculate the death rate before the war and after. When multiplied by the whole population, they returned a number that represented "excess deaths."

Researchers estimated there were 405,000 excess Iraqi deaths attributable to the war through mid-2011.

They also attempted to account for deaths missed because families had fled the country, and estimated 55,805 total deaths, bringing the total to nearly 461,000.

About 70 percent of Iraq deaths from 2003-2011 were violent in nature, with most caused by gunshots, followed by car bombs and other explosions, said the study.

Coalition forces were blamed for 35 percent of violent deaths; militias were blamed for 32 percent. The rest were either unknown (21 percent), criminals (11 percent) or Iraqi forces (one percent).

Heart conditions were the most common cause of non-violent death from 2003-2011 -- indicating a key role of stress in war-related deaths -- followed by chronic illness and cancer.

In a perspective article accompanying the PLoS Medicine study, Salman Rawaf, director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center at Imperial College London, said the latest research would likely be called into question, as have other estimates before it, with most "perceived as being politically motivated, deliberately either over-reporting or suppressing the number of deaths."

"This estimate carries substantial uncertainty, and undoubtedly the methodology and findings of this latest study will be controversial and debated," he wrote.

However, the attempt to quantify the catastrophe created by war is "valuable" in the context of understanding the health consequences of war, he said.

"Living in Iraq today is no longer about how many have died, but how future deaths should be prevented." --AFP

iPhone 5S, 5C akan dilancar di Malaysia 1 November 2013

Berita baik buat penggemar telefon bimbit buatan Apple apabila model iPhone 5S dan iPhone 5C akan mula dijual di Malaysia pada 1 November depan.

Apple mengumumkan bahawa produk mereka, iPhone 5S dan iPhone 5C yang dinanti-nantikan ini boleh didapati di 35 buah negara pada 25 Oktober 25 dan 16 negara lagi pada 1 November.

Ia boleh didapati di negara-negara berikut pada 25 Oktober:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• French West Indies
• Greece
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Macau
• Malta
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Reunion Island
• Romania
• Russia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• South Korea
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Taiwan
• Thailand

iPhone 5S dan 5C boleh didapati pada 1 November di negara-negara seperti dalam senarai di bawah:

• Albania
• Armenia
• Bahrain
• Colombia
• El Salvador
• Guam
• Guatemala
• India
• Macedonia
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• Moldova
• Montenegro
• Saudi Arabia
• Turkey
• UAE

Telefon pintar terbaru Apple ini sudah boleh diperolehi di beberapa negara antaranya Amerika Syarikat, Australia, Kanada, China, Perancis, Jerman, Hong Kong, Jepun, Puerto Rico, Singapura dan United Kingdom.

Selepas 1 November, produk ini boleh didapati di 62 buah negara lagi.

iPhone 5, yang telah dilancarkan pada September 2012, telah dipasarkan pada penghujung tahun 2012 di lebih 100 negara.  


Sumber

Hans, Awie berkorban demi cinta kepada kerjaya

Sama ada kecil atau besar, setiap pengorbanan membuktikan kesungguhan anak seni dalam memartabatkan dunia hiburan tempatan.

Hans Isaac misalnya mengakui merajuk untuk mengarah dan menerbitkan filem tetapi kini ingin memeriahkan dunia pementasan.

Kegagalan filem "Lemak Kampung Santan" menawan pawagam membuatkan Hans tawar hati untuk terus berkecimpung dalam dunia filem. Apatah lagi selepas melaburkan jutaan ringgit untuk menghasilkan produk berkualiti.

Dia bertambah kecewa apabila luahan hatinya dikecam mengenai persepsi penonton tempatan yang gemarkan filem-filem berkualiti rendah.

Selepas berjaya dengan dua siri pementasan "Lawak Ke Der", Hans kini menumpukan perhatian kepada buah tangan terbarunya, teater muzikal "SuperMokh".

Pernah menerbitkan "Cuci The Muzikal" dan "Lat Sebuah Muzikal", kali ini, "SuperMokh" menelan belanja RM3 juta.

Seperti Hans, pelakon yang memegang peranan sebagai Mokhtar Dahari, Awie mengakui sifat kental dalam diri perlu dimiliki setiap selebriti agar mampu bertahan.

Menjadi artis selama hampir tiga dekad, Awie berbangga pengorbanannya selama ini sedikit sebanyak memberi impak.

Teater muzikal arahan bersama Harith Iskander ini turut dibintangi Maya Karin, Rashidi Ishak, Dina Nadzir dan Douglas Lim.

Teater muzikal "SuperMokh" bakal dipentaskan di Istana Budaya bermula 6 sehingga 18 November ini.


Sumber: Astro Awani

Mat Yo selamat maruah Harimau Malaya

Mat Yo


HARAPAN Malaysia untuk mara ke pusingan akhir Piala Asia 2015 Australia sedikit terencat apabila diikat Bahrain 1-1 pada aksi Kumpulan D di Stadium Shah Alam malam tadi.

Pelawat beraksi garang namun hanya mampu merobek awal gawang anak buah Datuk K Rajagobal lewat hasil jaringan Abdullah Salleh Aman minit ke-45.

Separuh masa kedua peledak Johor DT, Norshahrul Idlan Talaha menjadi penyelamat maruah negara apabila jaringannya pada minit ke-71 sekali gus menafikan tiga mata pelawat.

Keputusan itu meletakkan Harimau Malaya menghuni tangga ketiga kumpulan dengan empat mata selepas tiga perlawanan.

Bahrain kini mendahului kumpulan dengan tujuh mata, dua mata mengatasi pesaing terdekat Qatar ditempat kedua.


Sinar Harian

Pelajar Nigeria diculik, dikelar

Mohd Shukri


PUCHONG – Seorang pelajar kolej swasta warga Nigeria nyaris maut selepas diculik dan diseksa oleh sekumpulan penjenayah yang menculiknya di Puchong, Khamis lalu.

Mangsa yang berusia 20-an bagaimanapun berjaya diselamatkan pihak polis selepas tiga hari dikurung dan mengharungi detik mencemaskan itu di sebuah rumah teres di Taman Perindustrian Hijau, Rawang.

Ketua Polis Selangor, Datuk Mohd Shukri Dahlan berkata, isteri mangsa menerima panggilan kira-kira jam 10 malam daripada seorang lelaki mengatakan suaminya diculik di sebuah pusat beli-belah di sini.

“Suspek meminta wang tebusan sebanyak RM50,000 sekiranya mahu mangsa dilepaskan. Namun, disebabkan takut suaminya dicederakan, isteri mangsa membuat laporan kepada polis,” katanya.

Mohd Shukri menambah, isteri mangsa turut membuat ‘perbincangan’ dalam telefon dan suspek bersetuju mengurangkan tebusan kepada RM20,000. Deposit sebanyak RM2,000 kemudian dimasukkan ke dalam akaun suspek.

Hasil maklumat awal, polis memberkas seorang lelaki warga Pakistan berumur 34 tahun di Pusat Bandar Melewati jam 10 malam Jumaat lalu dan lelaki terbabit dipercayai individu terakhir yang bertemu mangsa kononnya untuk urusan perniagaan.

Hasil siasatan, anggota polis Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah Serdang kemudian memberkas tujuh lagi individu masing-masing empat lelaki dan tiga perempuan berusia antara 15 dan 44 tahun di sebuah rumah teres di Rawang sehari selepas itu.

Tambah Mohd Shukri, mangsa ditemui dalam bilik tidur utama rumah berkenaan dalam keadaan terikat dengan menggunakan dawai berduri dan cedera akibat dikelar di bahagian tangan.

“Suspek yang mempunyai ikatan persaudaraan dan saling mengenali turut berjaya diberkas. Seorang daripadanya mempuyai rekod jenayah lampau bersabit kes pemerasan dan samun manakala seorang lagi pernah terbabit dengan kes bunuh,” katanya.


Sumber

Lembu korban terkorban selepas terjun parit

ORANG ramai memeriksa seekor lembu yang sudah mati selepas terjun ke dalam sebuah parit sedalam lima meter di Jalan Matang-Laruh Skim, Kuching semalam.


KUCHING - Kemeriahan orang ramai melaksanakan majlis korban sempena Aidiladha di Jalan Matang-Laruh Skim dekat sini gempar seketika apabila seekor lembu yang hendak disembelih tiba-tiba mengamuk sebelum melarikan diri di sini semalam.

Malah, dalam kejadian pukul 12 tengah hari itu, lembu tersebut yang terlepas daripada ikatan juga bertindak agresif apabila mengejar beberapa penduduk yang berada di situ.

Lebih malang lagi, dalam situasi kelam-kabut itu lembu berkenaan kemudian terjatuh ke dalam parit sedalam lima meter sebelum menemui ajal di situ.

Salah seorang saksi yang hanya ingin dikenali sebagai Mohd. Safri, 30, berkata, lembu korban itu tanpa disedari terlepas daripada ikatan ketika menanti giliran untuk disembelih.

Ceritanya, kejadian itu menyebabkan orang ramai yang menunggu giliran untuk mengambil daging korban bertempiaran lari menyelamatkan diri.


Sumber: Kosmo! Online, Oktober 15

3 beranak maut di Lebuhraya KL-Karak

KUALA LUMPUR - Sepasang suami isteri yang bertugas sebagai anggota tentera dan anak perempuan mereka terbunuh selepas kereta jenis Perodua Alza yang dinaiki mereka merempuh sebuah lori tangki di KM49.0 Lebuhraya Kuala Lumpur-Karak dekat Bukit Tinggi hari ini.

etua Polis Bentong, Superitendan Mohamad Mansor Mohd Nor berkata, ketika-tiga mangsa yang meninggal dunia di tempat kejadian ialah pemandu Perodua Alza, Jiman Raup, isterinya Nik Zaieyahaliza Ya, dan anak perempuan mereka berusia dua tahun, Nurul Damia.

Beliau memberitahu Bernama kemalangan berlaku kira-kira pukul 7 pagi apabila kenderaan yang dipandu Jiman dari Terengganu ke Kuala Lumpur bertembung sebuah lori tangki tanpa muatan yang menghala ke Pantai Timur.

Sementara itu, pemandu lori yang hanya dikenali sebagai Abd Rahman, 38, tidak mengalami sebarang kecederaan.

Mohamad Mansor berkata ,pasangan anggota tentera itu bertugas di Markas Tentera Darat Cawangan Sumber Manusia, Kementerian Pertahanan di sini. - Bernama


Sumber: BERNAMA

Peluru dalam kerongkong budak

PARIT - Seorang anggota polis tidak menyangka kepulangannya untuk menyambut Hari Raya Aidiladha bersama keluarga mertua di Kampung Belanja Kiri dekat sini berakhir dengan tragedi kelmarin.

Dalam kejadian pada pukul 4.30 petang itu, suspek yang berpangkat sarjan dipercayai terlepas tembakan menyebabkan seorang budak lelaki cedera parah.

Mohd. Amar Mohd. Azizi, 10, yang cedera di leher dikejarkan ke sebuah klinik berdekatan sebelum dirujuk ke Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun (HRPB), Ipoh bagi menjalani pembedahan membuang peluru di dalam kerongkongnya.

Ketua Polis Daerah Perak Tengah, Superintendan Mohamad Fakri Che Sulaiman (gambar kecil) berkata, kejadian dipercayai berlaku ketika anggota itu yang duduk di atas tangga di hadapan rumah mertuanya sedang mengosongkan peluru daripada pistol jenis P99.

"Tiba-tiba satu das tembakan terlepas mengenai leher seorang budak lelaki yang kebetulan lalu di hadapan rumah mertua anggota tersebut.

"Mangsa yang cedera rebah di atas jalan tar mini mini dan dikejarkan ke klinik berhampiran bagi mendapatkan rawatan " katanya kepada Kosmo!


Sumber: Kosmo!, Oktober 15

Punca harga rumah naik ialah pembeli asing

Shaun Di Gregorio


RAKYAT Malaysia berpendapat bahawa pembeli hartanah dan pelabur asing adalah penyumbang kepada kenaikan harga hartanah di Malaysia, menurut satu kajian portal hartanah negara, iProperty.com.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Kumpulan Iproperty, Shaun Di Gregorio berkata, Malaysia sangat liberal dari segi pemilikan hartanah oleh rakyat asing berbanding negara jiran. "Harga hartanah di Malaysia agak rendah.

Dengan skim Malaysia Rumah Keduaku (MM2H) menarik lebih daripada 12,000 pemohon. Maka tidak hairanlah rakyat merasakan pembeli hartanah dan pelabur asing penyebab kepada kenaikan harga hartanah di negara ini," katanya.

Menurut kajian itu, lebih 90 peratus responden menyatakan bahawa kerajaan perlu mengenakan duti setem dan cukai yang tinggi ke atas pembeli dan pelabur asing yang bercadang untuk membeli hartanah di negara ini.

Sementara itu, mengulas berhubung dengan khabar angin bahawa kemungkinan kenaikan Cukai Keuntungan Harta Tanah (CKHT) untuk membendung spekulasi, 54 peratus mahu CKHT meningkat.

CKHT meningkat tahun lalu daripada 10 peratus kepada 15 peratus bagi penjualan hartanah dalam tempoh dua tahun. Manakala, penjualan hartanah bagi tempoh dua hingga lima tahun meningkat kepada lima peratus kepada 10 peratus.

"Peningkatan CKHT ini adalah untuk membendung spekulasi dan menggalakkan orang ramai daripada membeli dan menjual rumah untuk keuntungan cepat, tetapi tidak berkesan.

"Menurut beberapa analisis pasaran, dalam tempoh dua tahun lalu sahaja, harga rumah di beberapa kawasan di Lembah Klang meningkat antara 15 peratus dan 30 peratus," katanya.

Sejak kenaikan harga bahan api, 71 peratus responden mengatakan harga akan meningkat sehingga 10 peratus.

Ketika ditanya sejauh mana mereka fikir kerajaan harus menguruskan pasaran hartanah, hampir separuh (44 peratus) menyatakan mereka mahu kerajaan mengekalkan harga hartanah pada purata berpatutan. Manakala 35 peratus mahu melihat langkah memperlahankan menurunkan kadar kenaikan harga.

Sumber: Sinar Harian

Malaysia average house price in 2012 is RM251,731

Source: ASTRO Awani

No Eid holiday for hungry Damascus children

BEIRUT:  As Muslims around the world mark the Eid al-Adha holiday, sharing festive meals, children trapped in besieged areas around the Syrian capital are going hungry, activists and medics say.

In some areas children have died from severe malnutrition, according to one NGO, and a cleric told AFP he had issued a religious ruling allowing the eating of dog and cat meat.

For Muslims, Eid is a time for children to receive new clothes and play with friends after sharing a festive meal with their families.

But in a string of rebel-held areas under a months-long army siege south and east of Damascus, activists say food has all but run out and doctors lack the means to treat their patients.

"Of course there is no Eid for the children here" in Moadamiyet al-Sham, a suburb southwest of Damascus, said activist Abu Malek.

"For them, Eid will come when they see a plate of rice and bulgur," he added, speaking to AFP via the Internet.

Residents of Moadamiyet al-Sham are surviving on herbs and vegetables they have planted.

"We no longer have any food in the stockpiles. Everyone is planting in the orchards and the streets," said activist Abu Hadi, adding that no bread had entered the area for months.

But harvesting the food is dangerous, "and people have died in the orchards because of the shelling", he said.

Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said many children in Moadamiyet al-Sham were malnourished.

"Children are worst off because they need the right kinds of food in order to grow. Adults can survive on whatever they can find, but what about the children?"

The army says "terrorists," its term for the rebels, have trapped civilians against their will.

But activists accuse the military of using the siege to try to turn people against the rebels.

"It is a war crime to besiege civilians," Abdel Rahman said.

Shocking amateur videos have been distributed by activists from the town, showing visibly malnourished children.

One video shows a boy identified as Ibrahim Khalil laid out on a stretcher. His ribs and cheekbones protrude from underneath his pale skin, and dark circles surround his eyes.

Another video shows a girl with her two baby siblings, appealing for help so her family can secure baby milk.

"There is no road... The road is closed... What are we going to do?... We are feeding them milk but it's expired," says the little girl, as the babies cry.

For some, relief came earlier this week, when the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Red Crescent evacuated 3,500 people from Moadimayet al-Sham with the agreement of the authorities.

But only children, women and old men were able to leave, with the wounded left behind and aid workers prevented from entering the area.

"There are many more, including children, who remain in the town," said Magne Barth, head of the ICRC delegation in Syria.

The situation is just as bad for children in other rebel-held areas near Damascus.

"On any given day in the emergency room, some four out of 10 patients I see are malnourished children," said Abu Mohammad, a doctor working in a field clinic in the Marj area east of the capital.

"Many children have very low blood pressure, fatigue, dizziness, and a reduced (disease-fighting) white blood cell count. The worst affected by the food shortages are children aged under two years," he added.

The hardest part is not having the right medical equipment or food to fight malnutrition, he told AFP.

Source: AFP

Give Opposition leader Cabinet Minister status

The Government has been urged to give the Opposition leader the same status, and entitlements at  least equal to the Cabinet Ministers.

Pro-Pakatan think tank Political Studies for Change (KPRU) said that the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak should emulate the Selangor’s state government which recently upgraded the allowances of its state opposition leader.

“As a country that practices the Wesminster system of democracy like other Commonwealth countries, there should be greater recognition offered to the position of an Opposition leader in Malaysia in the form of remunerations and allowances,” said KPRU executive director Ooi Heng.

Ooi suggested that Najib should table such an announcement in the Oct 25 Budget 2014.



On October 9, the Pakatan Rakyat Selangor state government approved special allowances and privileges amounting to RM8,620 per month to the Opposition Leader of the Selangr State Legislative Assembly in accordance with Section 5 of the Members of the Administration and Members of Legislative Assembly (Remuneration) Act 1980.

Ooi said that what the Selangor government did was a “significant milestone” to strengthen parliamentary democracy in Malaysia.

According to him, it also worked towards "upholding the principles of democracy, as well as to advocate the rights and roles of the Opposition Leader as a crucial component in a democractic government in carrying out his or her role of check and balance to the existing government.”

“In particular, the recognition of the Opposition Leader is essential to bridge the gap between the remuneration and various forms of allowances received by the Opposition Leader, Cabinet Ministers and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.”

KPRU also suggested that that the office of the Opposition Leader should receive allocation for the purpose of employing staffs such as researchers, press officers, executive assistants and so forth to manage with different tasks and affairs in Parliament.

“Such provision is important to enabling the Office of the Opposition Leader to obtain sufficient manpower, as well as allocations in performing and carrying out his duties and responsibilities as the Opposition Leader, as well as an elected representative of the people effectively and smoothly.”

- ASTRO Awani 

Info graphic: How public transport can help you

Source: ASTRO Awani

Angelina Jolie brings Japanese rock star on board for her next film

The Japanese singer-songwriter Miyavi has landed a role in "Unbroken," a historical drama dedicated to the life of Louis Zamperini, a war hero who is alive today at age 96.

According to Deadline.com, the protagonist of the film, portrayed by Jack O'Connell, will suffer at the hands of a character played by the J-rock star.

The story will narrate Zamperini's atypical life journey, from brushes with the law in New York to competing in the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936, before fighting in the Pacific during World War II.

He was held as a prisoner of war from 1942 to 1945.

The 32-year-old Miyavi, who is a mega-celebrity in his native country, will play a Japanese army officer tasked with breaking Zamperini's spirits.

Angelina Jolie will begin shooting "Unbroken" in Australia at the end of this month. Jack O'Connell ("Skins") will co-star with Garrett Hedlund ("On the Road") in the film, slated for release in December 2014. -- AFP RELAXNEWS

Padah lari sekatan polis

Wan Shahruddin (dua, kiri) bersama Inspektor Mohd Jamil Zaifani Ja’amin (kiri) melihat mangsa yang terbabit dalam kemalangan.

IPOH - Gara-gara cuba melarikan diri daripada Ops Sekatan Jalan Raya (SJR) bersepadu, sepasang kekasih menaiki motosikal terbabit dalam kemalangan ketika membuat pusingan U di Jalan Raja Musa Aziz, tengah malam semalam.

Dalam kejadian jam 12.20 tengah malam itu, pasangan berusia lingkungan 20-an dalam perjalanan pulang ke rumah ibu angkat perempuan terbabit sebelum terlibat dalam insiden berkenaan.

Penunggang motosikal yang juga teman lelakinya dipercayai tidak mempunyai lesen memandu dan baru datang dari Kuala Lumpur untuk berjumpa kekasihnya.

Bagaimanapun, ketika membelok berhampiran Klinik Kesihatan Greentown, motosikal jenis Modenas yang dinaiki pasangan tersebut bertindak menentang arus sehingga menyebabkan mereka bertembung dengan sebuah kereta yang melalui jalan itu.

Akibat kemalangan itu, separuh daripada motosikal tersebut terperosok di bahagian bawah bonet kereta jenis Proton Iswara yang dipandu seorang lelaki berusia 30-an.

Pembonceng motosikal terbabit mengalami kecederaan di kaki kanan manakala teman lelakinya tidak mengalami tidak cedera. Mangsa kemudiannya di bawa ke Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun (HRPB) untuk mendapatkan rawatan.


Sumber, Oktober 14

Pirates steal oil from Vietnam-bound tanker

KUALA LUMPUR:  A Thai-flagged oil tanker that went missing for two days after being hijacked by pirates has been released with its cargo missing, the International Maritime Bureau said Tuesday.

The IMB's Kuala Lumpur-based piracy reporting centre said the vessel became uncontactable on Sunday after leaving Singapore four days earlier.

"The pirates stole its cargo and caused some damage to the ship's communication equipment. All crew safe," the centre said in a short alert.

It added that the ship, originally bound for Vietnam, was heading back to Singapore, citing its owners.
Pirate attacks in the region, home to the Straits of Malacca, a key shipping route connecting east Asia with Europe and Africa, have dropped in recent years following stepped up patrols and co-operation with neighbouring countries to secure waterways.

But pirate attacks have surged this year, with the Southeast Asian region reporting the highest number of incidences (57) in the first half of 2013, according to the IMB.

- AFP, October 15

Peneroka maut rempuh tiga kenderaan

Jenazah mangsa dituntut ahli keluarganya setelah selesai menjalani bedah siasat di Hospital Pekan malam kelmarin. - Foto Bernama


PEKAN – Seorang peneroka maut selepas lori sawit tiga tan tanpa muatan jenis Toyota yang dipandunya merempuh tiga buah kenderaan lain dalam kejadian di Jalan Salong-Chini, petang kelmarin.

Dalam kejadian 4.30 petang itu, sebuah kereta jenis Perodua Viva dari arah Salong berhenti di tengah jalan dua hala bagi memberi laluan kepada sebuah treler membawa muatan bijih besi keluar dari simpang kanan jalan dan ingin menghala ke Salong.

Ketua Polis Daerah, Superintendan Yahaya Othman berkata, sebuah lagi lori sawit tiga tan jenis Hicom Perkasa yang juga datang dari arah Salong kemudiannya turut berhenti di belakang kereta Viva berkenaan.

“Mangsa, Razelan Ahmad, 56, yang juga datang dari arah Salong bagaimanapun tidak sempat menekan brek lori yang dipandunya ketika tiba di tempat kejadian lalu merempuh lori sawit yang sedang berhenti di hadapannya dan melekat di bahagian belakang lori berkenaan.

“Lori sawit yang terdorong ke depan akibat dirempuh mangsa kemudiannya melanggar belakang kereta Viva yang berada di hadapan sebelum kenderaannya merempuh bahagian tepi sebelah kanan treler yang berada di laluan bertentangan, manakala kereta Viva berkenaan terbabas ke bahu jalan sebelah kiri,” katanya ketika dihubungi Sinar Harian.

Yahaya berkata, mangsa yang tersepit di tempat duduk pemandu kemudiannya dikeluarkan oleh orang ramai yang berada di tempat kejadian sebelum dikejarkan ke Klinik Kesihatan Chini.

“Mangsa bagaimanapun disahkan meninggal dunia ketika sedang dirawat akibat kecederaan parah di bahagian dada dan mayatnya dibawa ke Hospital Pekan bagi tujuan bedah siasat.

“Kes ini masih disiasat di bawah Seksyen 41 (1) Akta Pengangkutan Jalan 1987 dan mayat mangsa telah dituntut oleh keluarga bagi urusan pengebumian di Felda Chini 1,” katanya.

Yahaya turut mengingatkan orang ramai agar lebih berhati-hati ketika di jalan raya terutamanya di kawasan berisiko dan sering berlaku kemalangan.

“Pengguna jalan raya juga diingatkan agar tidak memandu secara melulu dan ketika keadaan fizikal diri tidak mengizinkan seperti berada dalam keadaan mengantuk terutamanya ketika musim cuti dan perayaan," katanya.

BERNAMA 

Apple sends invites to event amid rumors of new iPad

Apple on Tuesday sent out invitations to a special event on October 22 in San Francisco, revealing little about what is expected to be a day devoted to iPad updates.

Emailed invitations bore few details other that time and place, and bore the message “We have a lot more to cover.”

A colorful graphic the shape of an iPad showed the top of Apple’s iconic logo under a shower of colorful leaves.

The invitations came about a week after unconfirmed reports that Apple will show off a new version of its popular iPad tablet computer that will be thinner than its predecessor and boast improved camera capabilities.

An upgraded version of the iPad mini with an improved screen is also expected.

The iPad remains the largest-selling tablet, according to surveys, but its market share is being eroded by rivals using the Google Android operating system.

Apple was also expected to discuss its computer operating system and its laptop line at the event, timed for the start of the year-end holiday shopping season.

Apple is coming off a wildly successful launch of two new iPhone models last month. The California firm said it sold a record nine million iPhones in the three days after launching two new versions of the smartphone.-AFP

Movies with a 270-degree view to hit South Korean cinemas

A new format that gives movie-goers a panoramic 270 degree view will be rolled out by South Korea's biggest cinema chain this month, using the walls of theatres as additional screens.

Screen X, developed by cinema chain CJ CGV, was on show at the Busan International Film Festival last week in the premiere of a 30-minute spy thriller "The X", directed by Kim Jee-Woon, a film commissioned to showcase the expanded three-screen format.

Kim, who directed this year's Arnold Schwarzenegger action adventure "The Last Stand", said the technology brought a more immersive experience to the cinema.

He likened it to a "horizontal" version of IMAX, a format that offers greater size and resolution than conventional film.

Screen X requires filmmakers to use three cameras to shoot the same scene simultaneously from different angles to create the wider "surround" effect.

"The space in front of you is filled up completely," said Kim. "It provides a new depth for viewers."

"The X" showed off the capabilities of the format in a chase sequence and a dream sequence that seemed to envelop the cinema.

Audiences at Busan watching "The X" seemed at first confused whether to look left, right or straight ahead before settling in to the experience.

"It was really fun. I personally don't like 3D or 4D films but this made me feel like I was inside the film," 19-year-old student Jung Gwang-Soo told AFP.

CJ CGV, which also has interests in China, Hong Kong and the United States, has been testing the technology on advertisements, but has remained tight-lipped on installation costs -- reportedly between $139,300 and $185,800 per screening room, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

Installation will not be without logistical challenges, given that the effect is lessened in seats positioned to the sides of the cinema.

By the end of October the system will be available in 31 cinemas around South Korea in readiness for a series of planned feature-length productions to be rolled out over the next 12 months.

Others focus on intimacy

While Kim said he was excited to be able to explore the possibilities of the new technology -- and freely admitted he was more concerned with effects than plot in his first production with it -- other directors showcased technology they believe allows the audience to focus more on the stories they are telling.

The Israeli-French production "Ana Arabia", which looks at life in a Jewish-Arabic community, was one of a number of new films screening in Busan that used advanced steady-cameras to enable directors to shoot in one single take.

In "Ana Arabia's" case, that was for 74 constant minutes while the Iranian film "Fish & Cat" managed to a single take of 134 minutes.

"Ana Arabia's" veteran director Amos Gitai said the technology helped filmmakers engage with their audiences through providing a sense of intimacy not available when using multiple cameras and edits.

"This method is a way of concentrating the audience's focus," he said.

"Filmmakers are always looking for new ways to tell our stories and I am trying to find ways to encourage dialogue through my films." - AFP

Britney Spears cipta sejarah di Las Vegas

Penyanyi antarabangsa yang sedang hangat dengan single terbaru bertajuk 'Work Bitch', Britney Spears mencipta sejarah tersendiri apabila siri konsertnya di Las Vegas mendapat sambutan hangat hingga mendapat gelaran 'konsert terlaris dalam sejarah Las Vegas'.

Daripada 73,600 tiket konsert 'Britney: Piece of Me' yang dibuka untuk jualan, lebih daripada 70,000 sudah dijual. Fenomena ini sekali gus menutup laporan awal yang menyebut tiket konsert terbabit tidak mendapat sambutan.

Difahamkan, sepanjang dua tahun konsert ini dijangka berlangsung, Britney akan mengaut sehingga USD30 juta.

Sebelum ini, timbul spekulasi mengatakan Britney akan tampil 'miming' sepanjang konsert. Namun pendapat ini disangkal pihak pengurusan yang menjelaskan Britney telah menjalani latihan vokal sejak berbulan-bulan dahulu bagi mempersiapkan diri untuk konsert ini.


Sumber: MH Online, Oktober 9