Manchester United's Rooney out for a month with injury

England's national soccer team soccer player Wayne Rooney attends a training session at Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro June 1, 2013. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

MANCHESTER: Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney faces a month on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury training in Thailand on their tour of the Far East and Australia, the English champions said on Thursday.

The 27-year-old will be doubtful for the Community Shield clash with FA Cup winners Wigan Athletic at Wembley in the traditional season curtain raiser on Aug 11 before United begin their Premier League title defence at Swansea City a week later.

He could also miss England’s friendly with Scotland at Wembley on Aug 14.

“Following a scan this evening on a hamstring injury sustained in training, it has been decided that Wayne Rooney should return home immediately for further assessment and rehabilitation,” United said on their website www.manutd.com.

“It is anticipated he will be unavailable for selection for a month,” added the statement as Rooney prepared to fly back to England from Bangkok for treatment.

Rooney has been the subject of transfer speculation since retired United manager Alex Ferguson said at the end of last season the England forward had asked to leave the club.

However, new United coach Moyes reiterated on Wednesday the striker was not for sale and would not be leaving Old Trafford.

“I have met Wayne two, three, four times. A lot has been said about myself and Wayne over the years but we have a really good relationship,” said the Scot, who was manager of Everton when Rooney began his career on Merseyside.

“He is training great. They are telling me it is the best shape they have seen him in for a long time ... I am going to try and get the best Wayne Rooney I possibly can.”

Moyes has, however, stopped short of saying Rooney has changed his mind about wanting to leave the club.

Rooney suffered a series of injuries last season, including groin and knee problems, and even when he was playing his form and fitness came under scrutiny.

Having netted 27 league goals in the 2011-12 season, he did not manage even half that number last term with just 12 as last year’s new arrival Robin van Persie became the team’s leading scorer.

Often forced to play out wide or in midfield, Rooney was left out of the United team for their biggest match of the season at home to Real Madrid in the Champions League, fuelling further speculation about his future at the club.

United open their tour against a Singha All-Star X1 in Bangkok on Saturday and will also play in Sydney, Yokohama, Osaka and Hong Kong before facing AIK in Stockholm on Aug 6.

They have left Manchester without captain Nemanja Vidic, who is struggling with sciatica. The club said it was not serious and expected the Serbia centre back to join them at some point.

Bapa Dira Abu Zahar Meninggal Dunia

MERLIMAU, 12 JULAI 2013: Takziah diucapkan kepada pengacara dan pelakon, Dira Abu Zahar sekeluarga yang kehilangan ayahanda tercinta, Dato' Seri Abu Zahar Ithnin yang telah meninggal dunia, hari ini.

Allahyarham yang berusia 74 tahun meninggal dunia akibat sakit kencing manis dan buah pinggang di Merlimau Pasir, Melaka kira-kira jam 5.30 petang tadi.

Menerusi akaun Instagramnya, Dira telah berkongsi status bagi memaklumkan berita sedih ini;

"Tutup rapat dengan tenang. Perginya tanpa resah. Alhamdulillah atas setiap peluang. Irah sayang ayah selamanya. Al-Fatihah. Dato' Seri Hj Abu Zahar Hj Ithnin. 14/9/1939-12/7/2013."

Allahyarham menjadi wakil rakyat di Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Sungai Rambai pada 1986 selama dua penggal, diikuti DUN Merlimau (1995-1999) dan Parlimen Jasin (1999-2004).

Beliau menjadi Ketua Menteri Melaka kelapan menggantikan Datuk Seri Mohd Zin Abd Ghani yang meninggal dunia akibat angin ahmar pada 1997.

Jenazahnya dijangka dikebumikan di makam pahlawan di Masjid Al-Azim, Bukit Palah esok.

2 maut Boeing 777 terhempas

Anggota bomba berada dekat pesawat Boeing 777 selepas ia terhempas di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa San Francisco. Gambar bulat anggota bomba bekerja keras memadamkan api pesawat Korea Selatan yang terhempas.

Pesawat Asiana Airlines milik Korea Selatan patah ekor ketika cuba mendarat

San Francisco: Sebuah pesawat Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 membawa 307 penumpang terhempas dan terbakar kelmarin ketika mendarat di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa San Francisco.

Dua terbunuh dan lebih 180 lagi cedera. Pesawat itu berlepas dari ibu kota Korea Selatan, Seoul. 

Saksi berkata, ekor pesawat patah ketika cuba mendarat menyebabkan kapal terbang itu terhentak kuat sebelum berhenti. 

Gambar yang diambil mangsa terselamat menunjukkan penumpang keluar daripada pesawat dan bergegas keluar dari kawasan dekat situ.

Asap tebal keluar daripada tempat mengisi minyak. Rakaman televisyen selepas itu menunjukkan pesawat yang rentung dan hitam dimamah api selain bumbungnya yang sudah tiada.

Tiada petanda segera mendedahkan sebab punca kemalangan dan pegawai persekutuan dalam perjalanan dari Washington ke situ untuk menyiasat.

Tetapi, seorang daripada mereka yang selamat berkata, juruterbang seperti cuba membawa naik pesawat sebelum ia terhempas. 
Asiana Airlines berkata, penerbangan dari Shanghai itu membawa 291 penumpang dan 16 kru, kebanyakannya warga China, Korea dan Amerika.

Timbalan Ketua Bomba Dale Carnes berkata, dua orang yang maut dalam kejadian itu dan 49 dihantar ke hospital berdekatan kerana cedera parah.

Kemalangan pertama

Seramai 132 lagi dihantar ke beberapa hospital dengan kecederaan ringan.
Seorang pegawai kanan Asiana berkata, juruterbang ialah Lee Jeong-min, yang menghabiskan kerjaya dengan syarikat itu.

Dia adalah antara 4 juruterbang veteran syarikat penerbangan berkenaan. Ada dua juruterbang dalam perjalanan dari Seoul ke San Francisco selama 10 jam.

Pengerusi Lembaga Keselamatan Pengangkutan Kebangsaan, Deborah Hersman, berkata pihaknya menghantar sekumpulan penyiasat ke San Francisco dan masih terlalu awal untuk menyatakan punca kemalangan.

Nahas itu juga kemalangan udara pertama membabitkan pesawat Boeing 777 yang popular sejak dipekenalkan pada 1995.

Ia juga kemalangan pesawat komersial pertama di Amerika sejak kapal terbang kendalian Colgan Air terhempas di New York pada 2009.

Moyes: Rooney not for sale

MANCHESTER: New Manchester United manager David Moyes insisted that Wayne Rooney (pic) is not for sale as he faced the world’s media on Friday for the first time since his appointment as the successor to Alex Ferguson.

Moyes is adamant that the striker, who Ferguson claimed had requested a transfer before the end of last season, will not be leaving the club, but he stopped short of confirming that the England international had declared an intention to stay.

The Scot said that he had spoken to Rooney since he returned for pre-season training on Wednesday, but he would not reveal what was said during their conversations.

“I have had opportunities to speak to him,” Moyes told reporters at Old Trafford. “Wayne is not for sale. He’s a Manchester United player and will remain a Manchester United player.

“He is training really well, he is coming back in good shape and I am looking forward to working with him.

“We have spoken several times and as far as I’ve seen it, what has happened is gone. I’ve seen a glint in his eye, he looks happy and he looks like he is going to knuckle down.

“I do not know what those two gentlemen said – Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney. That conversation was private and as far as I am concerned, I am looking forward to working with Wayne.”

Asked if Rooney had categorically committed himself to United, Moyes replied: “I can categorically tell you that Wayne Rooney has trained fantastically well since I’ve been here. Wayne won’t be sold by Manchester United.”

Five killed in India building collapse, say police

Indian rescue workers remove bodies from the rubble at the site of the City Light Hotel building collapse in Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad on July 8, 2013. - AFP

SECUNDERABAD (India): A two-storey hotel collapsed in the southern Indian city of Secunderabad on Monday, killing five restaurant workers and injuring 15 others, a local police official told AFP. 

"Five people have died and 15 more have been injured when the City Light Hotel collapsed early this morning," local police official B. Surender said. 

Nearly 25 people were working at the hotel on a busy road in Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh state when one of the kitchen walls gave way, burying staff under the debris, Surender said. 

"Five of the workers have been admitted to hospital with serious injuries. We are still working to clear the rubble and find the remaining people," he said. It was unclear how many people were still trapped. 

"The building was very old and the walls showed cracks, according to people working nearby," he added.

Several buildings have collapsed in India in recent months, many of them apartment blocks in the financial capital Mumbai, including one in April that killed 74 people. 

The collapses have highlighted pervasive poor construction standards in the country, where massive demand for housing and endemic corruption often result in illegal buildings and a lack of safety inspections.

Akim, Hazama, Atilia Hiburkan Final Pentas Ceria Popstar

KUALA LUMPUR, 6 JULAI 2013: Detik yang dinanti-nanti telah pun tiba. Kini persaingan di atas pentas Ceria Popstar sudahpun sampai ke penghujung. Dan, ia bakal menyaksikan 5 bintang cilik iaitu Vision Mate, Razmil, Hairul & Leen, Flower Queen dan Trisya bersaing hebat untuk dinobatkan sebagai juara sekaligus membawa pulang wang tunai sebanyak RM20, 000?

Siapa agaknya yang bakal mememegang gelaran jauar Ceria Popstar ini? Sama-samalah kita saksikan Siaran Langsung Konsert Kemuncak Ceria Popstar pada 7 Julai 2013 (Ahad), jam 11.00 pagi @ Studio 1, Astro Bukit Jalil.

Menariknya, Konsert Kemuncak Ceria Popstar ini kelak akan turut dimeriahkan dengan persembahan istimewa oleh penyanyi popular seperti Akim, Daiyan Trisha, Radhi OAG, Cat Farish, Atillia dan Hazama.

Tambah istimewa apabila pelakon dan pengacara popular iaitu Aaron Aziz akan menjadi juri undangan pada konsert kemuncak itu nanti. Pasti Konsert Kemuncak Ceria Popstar ini akan menjadi satu acara yang dinantikan oleh semua.

Jadi, jangan lupakan tandakan kalendar anad untuk menyaksiakan Siaran Langsung Konsert Kemuncak Ceria Popstar pada Ahad ini. Hanya di Astro Ceria...

As spoken - we are pushing for the viewership of Ceria Popstar Akhir this coming Sunday, could you help us to write an article about the Konsert Akhir on Astro Gempak and put it up as a highlight on your homepage?

Untuk mengetahui info lanjut tentang undian sms setiap peserta, jangan lupa untuk klik di link ini:http://www.astro.com.my/ceria/articles/art_4703.html

Bagi anda yang mahu melanggan AstroCeritaTV di Youtube untuk melihat video video menarik peserta Ceria Popstar, anda boleh melakukannya menerusi link Youtube rasmi Astro Ceria :http://www.youtube.com/user/AstroCeriaTV.

Elaine Daly Dilantik Mentor Miss Universe Malaysia 2014!

KL, 2 JULAI 2014: Wah! Tahniah Murai Batu ucapkan buat model, pelakon dan pengacara Elaine Daly kerana dilantik menjadi mentor serta penasihat Miss Universe 2014. Khabarnya perlantikan anchor program Bella ini dilakukan berdasarkan kepada pengalaman serta pencapaiannya sebagai Miss Malaysia World 1999 dan Miss Malaysia Universe 2003.

Murai Batu diberitahu, dengan peranan baru yang dipegangnya itu Elaine Daly yang memiliki kerjaya profesional sebagai seorang peguam ini juga bakal memperkenalkan pencarian The Next Miss Malaysia Universe Malaysia 2014.

Dia juga akan memastikan bahawa pada The Next Miss Malaysia Universe Malaysia 2014 ini nanti adalah hip, urban, relevan dan real. Besar juga peranan Elaine Dalykan?

Tapikan, Murai Batu harap juga, sesiapa yang dipilih nanti, biarlah seorang yang boleh diklasifikasikan sebagai beauty with brain sepertimana Elaine Daly sendiri.


Murai Batu rasa Elaine Daly adalah contoh terbaik yang boleh dijadikan ikon oleh kebanyakan gadis-gadis di luar sana kerana dia telah membuktikan bahawa gadis yang jelita bukan sekadar bimbo semata-mata tetapi jugak bijak.

Akhirnya, Metallica Bikin Konsert Di Malaysia 21 Ogos Ini

KUALA LUMPUR, 4 JULAI 2013: Penantian peminat Metallica untuk melihat kumpulan heavy metal ini beraksi di Malaysia akhirnya bakal menjadi kenyataan. Dalam satu kenyataan akhbar yang dikeluarkan pihak Galaxy Group hari ini, kumpulan heavy metal lagenda yang popular dengan lagu karya agung, Master Of Puppets bakal beraksi di hadapan peminat setia mereka di Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur pada 21 Ogos ini.

Konsert yang dinamakan Metallica Live in Malaysia 2013 ini dianjurkan Galaxy Group dengan kerjasama LAMC Productions dan Rockstar Touring serta mendapat sokongan daripada Malaysia Major Events semepna Tahun Melawat Malaysia 2014.

Ditubuhkan pada 1981, Metallica yang kini dianggotai Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo telah menghasilkan lagu-lagu yang hits. Misalnya, Enter Sandman, The Unforgiven, Nothing Else Matters, Wherever I May Roam, and Sad but True.

Manakala, The Black album yang dihasilkan pada 1990 pula dianggap sebagai album studio terbaik mereka kerana ia mula menyaksikan peralihan Metallica dalam arena mainstream.


Tiket berharga RM680, RM550, RM450, RM380, RM350 dan RM195 dijual secara eksklusif di Fahrenheit 88 KL (concourse area, ground floor) from 11.30am hingga ke atas.

Manakala bermula Isnin, tiket Metallica akan turut dijual di kaunter Galaxy di Mid Valley, Sg Wang serta laman Ticket Charge, www.ticketcharge.com.my.

New dawn in elephant research

Taming the wild: Wildlife rangers and researchers collaring a wild elephant bull, which will enable tracking of its movements in the forest. – MEME

Mobilising cheap, modern technologies and out-of-the-box thinking, scientists are trying to overcome the challenges of studying elephants in the wild.

WHEN people ask Spanish biologist Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz whether he studies elephants because they are cute, he says no. He studies them because they are very, very large.

Showing off a picture of a dung-coated seed almost the size of his hand, he explains that very large fruits require very large mouths. Elephants might swallow a sugar palm seed (like the one he is holding) at one location and defecate it, along with a tonne of nutrients, at another. In this way, elephants occupy a unique and irreplaceable niche as gardeners of the forest.

They shape the landscape and promote forest regeneration – trampling the soil, eating and modifying the structure of vegetation, and releasing plant parts that are consumed by herbivores, says Campos-Arceiz.

Which is why the associate professor at the University of Nottingham Malaysia’s Tropical Conservation Ecology Lab wants to find out what would happen to large-seeded fruit trees, such as durian, cempedak and mango, if elephants disappeared from the forest.

MEME, which stands for management and ecology of Malaysian elephants, is a five-year umbrella research project with big ambitions. Spearheaded by Campos-Arceiz, the project is overseeing studies that delve not just into important ecological questions, but ones that relate to the behavioural, biological and social elements of the Asian elephant.

In many ways, MEME, which is a joint project between the university and the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, has signified a new dawn not just in research but also in the way we look at elephant conservation in Malaysia. Up until now, conservation and human-wildlife conflict mitigation strategies have been based on expert advise. The problem with that is, if it’s wrong, years of conservation efforts and dollars could end up down the drain.

“What we want to do, is let the data talk,” says Campos-Arceiz, who has studied elephants for 10 years.

The aim is to generate data that will facilitate evidence-based conservation. This in turn will help government devise more effective and cost-efficient management strategies.

Thanks to funding from the Sime Darby Foundation, Campos-Arceiz has assembled a dream team for MEME comprising conservationists, IT experts, and a new generation of environmental science graduates. Mobilizing cheap, modern technologies and out-of-the-box thinking, they are trying to overcome the challenges of doing research in the tropical rainforest.

Elephants on show

It is very rare for researchers to conduct elephant behavioural studies in the jungle. MEME is doing this by making use of the increasing affordability of camera trap technology. The cameras are craftily positioned at specific locations within the Belum-Temengor rainforest in Perak, where elephants are known to come and eat the mineral rich soil to supplement their diet.

The behaviours and interaction caught on camera (footage of this is available on YouTube) have provided insights not just into the demographic composition of Asian elephants living within the Malaysian rainforest, but also their social dynamics.

“One sub-adult was seen holding the leg of the female in front with its trunk, as if holding hands,” enthuses Hii Ning, a bright, 23-year-old research assistant.

Some, Campos-Arceiz included, admit to envying Hii’s job, which can be seen as spending hours watching back-to-back episodes of National Geographic. But it isn’t all fun and games. Every detail is meticulously recorded. Hii’s initial task is to identify distinguishing features for each elephant. Then she has to keep track of the elephants’ physical conditions and notable behaviours, before organising all the data for a more thorough analysis.

Of course she’s found nicknames for them.

“That one’s Lady lumpy,” she says pointing to a female with lots of bumps on her back – probably the result of a skin infection, according to Campos-Arceiz.

A month into the video analysis, the effort has proven to be priceless. It shows 50 elephants – about four times what Campos-Arceiz was expecting – have been frequenting the same mineral-rich soil spot.

“This means elephants are coming from far away, so this resource is very important,” says Campos-Arceiz.

Elephants in the African savanna may be among the most studied wildlife in the world, however we know little about the demography for Asian elephants.

For example, how many newborns are there every year? How long before calves separate from their mothers? What is the ratio between newborns, juveniles and adults within a population?

Hii and the team hope that over time, their camera trap footage will help us answer some of these questions, shedding light on the private lives of these fascinating, but endangered animals.

New dawn in elephant research

Taming the wild: Wildlife rangers and researchers collaring a wild elephant bull, which will enable tracking of its movements in the forest. – MEME

Mobilising cheap, modern technologies and out-of-the-box thinking, scientists are trying to overcome the challenges of studying elephants in the wild.

WHEN people ask Spanish biologist Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz whether he studies elephants because they are cute, he says no. He studies them because they are very, very large.

Showing off a picture of a dung-coated seed almost the size of his hand, he explains that very large fruits require very large mouths. Elephants might swallow a sugar palm seed (like the one he is holding) at one location and defecate it, along with a tonne of nutrients, at another. In this way, elephants occupy a unique and irreplaceable niche as gardeners of the forest.

They shape the landscape and promote forest regeneration – trampling the soil, eating and modifying the structure of vegetation, and releasing plant parts that are consumed by herbivores, says Campos-Arceiz.

Which is why the associate professor at the University of Nottingham Malaysia’s Tropical Conservation Ecology Lab wants to find out what would happen to large-seeded fruit trees, such as durian, cempedak and mango, if elephants disappeared from the forest.

MEME, which stands for management and ecology of Malaysian elephants, is a five-year umbrella research project with big ambitions. Spearheaded by Campos-Arceiz, the project is overseeing studies that delve not just into important ecological questions, but ones that relate to the behavioural, biological and social elements of the Asian elephant.

In many ways, MEME, which is a joint project between the university and the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, has signified a new dawn not just in research but also in the way we look at elephant conservation in Malaysia. Up until now, conservation and human-wildlife conflict mitigation strategies have been based on expert advise. The problem with that is, if it’s wrong, years of conservation efforts and dollars could end up down the drain.

“What we want to do, is let the data talk,” says Campos-Arceiz, who has studied elephants for 10 years.

The aim is to generate data that will facilitate evidence-based conservation. This in turn will help government devise more effective and cost-efficient management strategies.

Thanks to funding from the Sime Darby Foundation, Campos-Arceiz has assembled a dream team for MEME comprising conservationists, IT experts, and a new generation of environmental science graduates. Mobilizing cheap, modern technologies and out-of-the-box thinking, they are trying to overcome the challenges of doing research in the tropical rainforest.

Elephants on show

It is very rare for researchers to conduct elephant behavioural studies in the jungle. MEME is doing this by making use of the increasing affordability of camera trap technology. The cameras are craftily positioned at specific locations within the Belum-Temengor rainforest in Perak, where elephants are known to come and eat the mineral rich soil to supplement their diet.

The behaviours and interaction caught on camera (footage of this is available on YouTube) have provided insights not just into the demographic composition of Asian elephants living within the Malaysian rainforest, but also their social dynamics.

“One sub-adult was seen holding the leg of the female in front with its trunk, as if holding hands,” enthuses Hii Ning, a bright, 23-year-old research assistant.

Some, Campos-Arceiz included, admit to envying Hii’s job, which can be seen as spending hours watching back-to-back episodes of National Geographic. But it isn’t all fun and games. Every detail is meticulously recorded. Hii’s initial task is to identify distinguishing features for each elephant. Then she has to keep track of the elephants’ physical conditions and notable behaviours, before organising all the data for a more thorough analysis.

Of course she’s found nicknames for them.

“That one’s Lady lumpy,” she says pointing to a female with lots of bumps on her back – probably the result of a skin infection, according to Campos-Arceiz.

A month into the video analysis, the effort has proven to be priceless. It shows 50 elephants – about four times what Campos-Arceiz was expecting – have been frequenting the same mineral-rich soil spot.

“This means elephants are coming from far away, so this resource is very important,” says Campos-Arceiz.

Elephants in the African savanna may be among the most studied wildlife in the world, however we know little about the demography for Asian elephants.

For example, how many newborns are there every year? How long before calves separate from their mothers? What is the ratio between newborns, juveniles and adults within a population?

Hii and the team hope that over time, their camera trap footage will help us answer some of these questions, shedding light on the private lives of these fascinating, but endangered animals.

Giggs handed Man United coaching role

New ball game: Ryan Giggs is due to acquire the top-level UEFA Pro Licence next year.

LONDON: Manchester United announced on Thursday that long-serving midfielder Ryan Giggs is to take on a player-coach role with the English Premier League champions next season.

Giggs, who signed a one-year contract extension last season, has been studying for his coaching badges and the 39-year-old is due to acquire the top-level UEFA Pro Licence next year.

“It’s a great privilege to be appointed a player-coach. I hope I will be able to bring my experience to bear, having been both a player and part of the Manchester United family for so long,” said Giggs, who will work alongside new United manager David Moyes.

“It’s no secret that I have been taking my qualifications and I see this as the first step in my future career. I’m really looking forward to working alongside David and the team.”

United are expected to announce that former player Phil Neville, who played under Moyes at Everton, will also join the back-room staff at Old Trafford.

The club have already confirmed that coaches Steve Round, Chris Woods and Jimmy Lumsden have followed Moyes to Manchester from Goodison Park.

Giggs handed Man United coaching role

New ball game: Ryan Giggs is due to acquire the top-level UEFA Pro Licence next year.

LONDON: Manchester United announced on Thursday that long-serving midfielder Ryan Giggs is to take on a player-coach role with the English Premier League champions next season.

Giggs, who signed a one-year contract extension last season, has been studying for his coaching badges and the 39-year-old is due to acquire the top-level UEFA Pro Licence next year.

“It’s a great privilege to be appointed a player-coach. I hope I will be able to bring my experience to bear, having been both a player and part of the Manchester United family for so long,” said Giggs, who will work alongside new United manager David Moyes.

“It’s no secret that I have been taking my qualifications and I see this as the first step in my future career. I’m really looking forward to working alongside David and the team.”

United are expected to announce that former player Phil Neville, who played under Moyes at Everton, will also join the back-room staff at Old Trafford.

The club have already confirmed that coaches Steve Round, Chris Woods and Jimmy Lumsden have followed Moyes to Manchester from Goodison Park.

Germany destroy hapless Malaysia

No way through: Malaysia’s Tengku Ahmad Tajudin trying to get past Germany’s Linus Butt during their World Hockey League semi-final match at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Baru on Thursday. - ABDUL RAHMAN EMBONG / The Star

JOHOR BARU: World No. 1 and Olympic champions Germany gave a masterclass as they whipped Malaysia 6-0 in the quarter-finals of the FIH World Hockey League semi-final at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium here on Thursday.

Germany will meet South Korea in the semi-finals on Saturday while Malaysia take on Pakistan in a classification match.

It was such a mismatch that one only had pity for the Malaysians who just didn’t have a clue on how to stop the German juggernaut.

It didn’t take long for the Germans to stamp their class. They gained their first penalty corner in the fourth minute and Christopher Zeller made no mistake with his drag flick.

Then, in a four-minute spell from the eighth minute, the Malaysians went tumbling out as the Germans scored three goals to put the issue beyond the Malaysians.

Linus Butt scored in the eighth minute followed by Moritz Polk and Zeller in the ninth and 13th minutes. From then on, it was a matter of how many goals the Germans would score.

Moritz Furste and Thilo Stralkowski added two more goals in the 16th and 18th minutes for a 6-0 first-half lead.

Malaysia played a little better in the second half that yielded no goals from either side. But then the Germans were probably conserving their energy for the semi-final match.

Rosberg bids for a triple treat at ‘home’

Rosberg: ‘We are fast and we are setting the pace and we are growing into the role of being favourites for the races now.’ - EPA

NUERBURGRING: Just days after claiming his second win of the season in last weekend’s tumultuous British Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg aims this weekend to complete a perfect set of three ‘home’ wins when he leads the Mercedes team into the German Grand Prix.

After Monaco, where he grew up and lives, and Silverstone, a circuit that is barely 15km from his outfit’s Brackley base, the Nuerburgring, a traditional Formula One venue steeped in history and located in the Eifel mountains, represents the track of his motherland - and he believes that with the momentum he has generated, he has a great chance of claiming another win.

“We are fast and we are setting the pace and we are growing into the role of being favourites for the races now,” said Rosberg.
“That is a fantastic feeling and for me, personally, it would be so good, so fantastic, if I can win again to complete a hat-trick of three wins on my home circuits.”

Rosberg, 28 last Thursday on the eve of the British Grand Prix, emerged triumphant last Sunday after a spectacular tyre failure had blown Mercedes team-mate Briton Lewis Hamilton out of the lead at his home race after he had taken pole and dominated from the start.

Three other drivers suffered major tyre blowouts during a race that ended in chaos and controversy with some drivers threatening to strike unless the sport made immediate changes to the low-wear, low-durability Pirelli tyres that had failed.

In the end, following interventions by Frenchman Jean Todt, the president of the sport’s ruling body, the International Motoring Federation (FIA), Pirelli announced this week that they will be changing the tyres supplied from those built round a construction of steel to tyres that are made with a Kevlar structure.

Mercedes have managed to build momentum based on the speed that has brought them pole in five of the eight events so far this year and two wins, just one fewer than Red Bull.

Robbers break into three ATMs

Scene of the crime: ATM parts strewn on the road outside the supermarket in Taman Kinrara as a police officers arrive to investigate.

PETALING JAYA: Robbers struck at three Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) at two supermarkets and a bank within two and a half hours yesterday.

The CCTV recorders in both supermarkets were also taken by the robbers, who had used oxy-acetylene torches to cut through the ATMs.

However, the robbers of the third ATM at the bank failed to get anything after they tried to pull the machine using chains fastened to a truck.

In the first case at Taman Connaught in Cheras, supermarket staff were about to open their premises for business at about 7am yesterday when they saw an ATM broken into.

Police later found that the robbers had drilled through a wall of a Tenaga Nasional Bhd substation which was adjacent to the supermarket before entering the supermarket.

City CID chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Ku Chin Wah said that the losses from the Cheras ATM were still being ascertained.

The same scenario was also repeated in Taman Kinrara in Puchong when supermarket employees were about to start work at 7.50am yesterday.

Serdang OCPD Asst Comm Abdul Razak Elias said that about RM70,000 was missing.

“The suspects were believed to have drilled a hole through the garbage bin store before entering the supermarket,” he said when met at the scene.

Earlier, two robbers in Kepong tried to pull an ATM at a bank in Kepong using chains hooked to a truck. However, SAC Ku said that they abandoned their attempt at about 5.30am.

“The suspects abandoned the ATM and escaped taking their chains with them,” SAC Ku said in a press conference.

SUKMA: Esmelda julang Sarawak

Esmelda Arecia Menti Alfred Gelin

Kuala Lumpur: Atlet gimnastik artistik wanita Sarawak, Esmelda Arecia Menti Alfred Gelin (gambar) muncul wira apabila menyumbangkan dua pingat emas pertama kontinjen negeri itu, semalam. 

Selepas empat hari SUKMA membuka tirai secara rasmi, Sarawak gagal meraih emas sehinggalah Esmelda memecahkan kebuntuan apabila memenangi emas menerusi acara melombol dan titian imbangan pada hari terakhir acara dipertandingkan di Gimnasium 3 Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) Bukit Jalil, semalam. 

Atlet berusia 13 tahun itu turut cemerlang apabila menyumbangkan dua perak menerusi acara palang bertingkat dan senaman lantai. “Saya beraksi tanpa tekanan berbanding semalam (kelmarin) kerana hanya fikir mengenai perkara positif. 

Melombol 

“Sasaran saya hanyalah satu emas iaitu acara melombol dan satu perak tetapi saya berjaya memenangi emas titian imbangan dan itu adalah bonus,” kata Esmelda yang membawa pulang keseluruhan dua emas, tiga perak dan satu gangsa. 

Sementara itu, dalam kategori lelaki, tumpuan terarah kepada atlet Sabah, Hamzaruudin Nordin yang memenangi tiga emas daripada enam acara akhir iaitu senaman lantai, gelang roman dan melombol selain perak menerusi acara palang sejajar. 

Emas acara kekuda pelana dimenangi atlet Selangor, Daniel Iskandar Richard manakala Saw Chao Wei (Pulau Pinang) raih emas palang sejajar dan Chau Jen Rong (Selangor) ungguli palang tunggal.

Kim Swee harap derita Harimau Muda berakhir

Kazan: Jurulatih skuad bola sepak Malaysia ke Sukan Universiti Dunia (UNIVERSIADE), Ong Kim Swee mengharapkan 'derita' yang ditanggungnya kerana hanya berbekalkan 17 pemain tidak bertambah dengan kecederaan baru menjelang aksi pertama, Sabtu ini. 

Malaysia dijadual bertemu Itali dalam aksi pertama bertemu di Stadium Olimpik dan Kim Swee tidak mahu masalah kecederaan terus menjadi beban kerana mereka bakal mengharungi lima perlawanan dalam tempoh 10 hari. 

Baginya, ketika ini keadaan pasukan boleh dilabelkan ‘kritikal' selepas pemain pertahanan tengah, Wan Amirzafran Nadris mengalami kecederaan di saat akhir. 

“Dia cedera dan saya harap pemain yang akan diturunkan nanti dapat memberi saingan selain tidak lagi berdepan sebarang masalah kecederaan," kata Kim Swee semalam. 

“Amir cedera sehari sebelum bertolak ke Kazan dan setidak-tidaknya perlu berehat kira-kira seminggu... jadi mungkin dia tidak akan diturunkan untuk perlawanan pertama nanti (Itali)." 

Mengulas mengenai perlawanan pertama dalam peringkat Kumpulan C bertemu Itali, Kim Swee berkata: “Itali mempunyai latar belakang bola sepak yang bagus dan kami perlu realistik dalam membuat penilaian. 

“Kami juga tidak boleh memikirkan satu perlawanan saja, jadi kita fokus satu demi satu,” katanya. 
Skuad bola sepak dibarisi 14 pemain Harimau Muda A yang berkampung di Slovakia sejak Mac lalu ditambah dengan tiga pemain luar iaitu K Reuben (Tentera), K Prabakaran (Sime Darby) dan Nazirul Naim Che Hashim (FC Ryukyu). 

Bagaimanapun, Kim Swee tidak dibenarkan mendaftar maksimum 20 pemain penganjur menolak pendaftaran dua pemainnya, Adam Nor Azlin dan Ariff Farhan Md Isa dengan alasan tidak cukup umur.

Liga Super ke Singapura

PERDANA Menteri Singapura, Lee Hsien Loong bersama pemain meraikan kemenangan pasukan Lions XII yang menewaskan Felda United 4-0 pada perlawanan Liga Super 2013 di Stadium Jalan Besar, Singapura, malam tadi. - Foto Hairul Anuar Abd Rahim

Kemenangan membenam FELDA United 4-0 menutup terus peluang Selangor dan Johor Darul Takzim (DT) untuk mengejar Lions XII

Singapura: Stadium Jalan Besar yang dianggap gelanggang keramat buat Lions XII bagaikan berpesta tatkala barisan pemain tuan rumah menjulang Piala Liga Super 2013 selepas membelasah FELDA United 4-0, malam tadi. 

Kejayaan itu sekali gus menebus kekecewaan Lions XII musim lalu apabila menamatkan saingan liga di tangga kedua. 

Sokongan padu penyokong sepanjang saingan liga memberi semangat kepada kami untuk memberi persembahan terbaik.” Kapten Lions XII, Shahril Ishak.

Yang pasti, kemenangan itu menutup terus peluang Selangor, Johor Darul Takzim (DT) dan Tentera untuk mengejar Lions XII yang selesa kekal di tangga teratas dengan mengumpul 43 mata dan sukar dicabar ketiga-tiga pasukan itu ketika aksi liga berbaki satu perlawanan.

Skuad Kim Swee tempang

Kuala Lumpur: Jurulatih skuad bola sepak Malaysia ke Sukan Universiti Dunia (UNIVERSIADE) 2013, Ong Kim Swee tiba di Kazan, Russia, semalam dengan hanya berbekal 17 pemain untuk menghadapi lima perlawanan dalam tempoh 10 hari, sekali gus berharap tiada masalah kecederaan baru melanda skuadnya. 

Skuad bola sepak negara dibarisi 14 pemain Harimau Muda A yang berkampung di Slovakia sejak Mac lalu ditambah tiga pemain luar iaitu K Reuben (Tentera), K Prabakaran (Sime Darby) dan Nazirul Naim Che Hashim (FC Ryukyu). 

Kim Swee yang sepatutnya boleh mendaftar maksimum 20 pemain tidak dapat berbuat demikian selepas penganjur menolak pendaftaran dua pemainnya, Adam Nor Azlin dan Ariff Farhan Md Isa dengan alasan tidak cukup umur. 

“Saya pun tak faham alasan penganjur yang mengatakan pemain perlu berusia 17 tahun ke atas sedangkan Adam Nor dan Ariff Farhan memang sudah mencecah usia 17 tahun jika diikutkan bulan kelahiran mereka. 

Dia cuma mengharapkan tiada masalah kecederaan baru sepanjang kejohanan kerana ketika ini Wan Amirzafran Nadris masih cedera. Masalah itu mungkin dapat diatasi sekiranya lima pemain yang dipanggil sebelum ini dilepaskan pasukan masing-masing iaitu Nik Shahrul Azim Ab Halim (Kelantan), Junior Eldstal (Sarawak), Zubir Azmi (Terengganu), Nazri Ahmad (Johor DT) dan S Sivanesan (N Sembilan). 

Beberapa tonggak Kim Swee yang lain pula terpaksa ditinggalkan di Slovakia kerana masalah kecederaan antaranya Fandi Othman, Azrif Nasrulhaq Badrul, Syahid Zaidon dan Izzaq Faris Ramlan manakala penyerang sensasi, Rozaimi Abd Rahman pula tidak dapat didaftarkan.

Tiada halangan tunai umrah ketika Ramadan: Jamil Khir

KUALA LUMPUR: Tiada halangan bagi rakyat Malaysia untuk menunaikan umrah ketika Ramadan walaupun virus Sindrom Pernafasan Asia Barat (MERS) dilaporkan menular di Arab Saudi. 

Justeru, Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom berkata, tidak timbul isu sekatan bagi jemaah umrah akibat penularan virus itu. 

"Tidak timbul isu sekatan, cuma visa sekarang ini diperketatkan oleh kerajaan Arab Saudi bagi memberi laluan pembinaan semula kawasan Tawaf di Masjidil Haram ketika ini," katanya selepas majlis Anugerah Perkhidmatan Cemerlang Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan (MAIWP) di Kompleks Darul Kifayah di sini, hari ini. 

Turut hadir, Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif MAIWP, Zainal Abidin Jaffar. 

MERS dilaporkan meragut 33 nyawa di Arab Saudi sejak September lalu selain menyebabkan 55 lagi jatuh sakit setakat ini. 

Jamil Khir berkata, ketika ini, tempoh sah visa umrah dipendekkan kepada 15 hari berbanding 30 hari sebelum ini bagi memberi laluan kepada projek pembesaran Masjidil Haram demi keselesaan jemaah. 

Sementara itu, beliau menegaskan bahawa Malaysia tidak akan berkompromi dalam hal ehwal kesihatan para jemaah di mana mereka wajib melepasi pemeriksaan kesihatan sebelum dibenarkan mengerjakan umrah atau haji. 
Terdahulu, Jamil Khir menyampaikan Anugerah Perkhidmatan Cemerlang 2012 kepada 70 kakitangan MAIWP bagi menghargai individu yang menunjukkan prestasi kerja memberangsangkan sepanjang tahun lalu.

Blatter hails electric Maracana, predicts great World Cup

FIFA President Sepp Blatter arrives attends a media briefing to discuss the Confederations Cup and the latest preparations for next year's World Cup finals in Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro July 1, 2013. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes

RIO DE JANEIRO: FIFA president Sepp Blatter hailed the Maracana fans and the electric atmosphere at Sunday’s Confederations Cup final as the most incredible he had ever heard and said Brazil would host a great 2014 World Cup.

Speaking at a news conference where FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke pledged possibly to bring World Cup matches to Brazil’s impoverished favelas via fan zones and giant screens, Blatter declared the test event a success despite unrest on the streets.

What moved Blatter most during the two-week competition was the astonishing rendition of the Brazilian national anthem before Sunday’s final between Brazil and Spain, a game the hosts won 3-0.

“In all my years I have never witnessed anything like that,” Blatter said on Monday.

The 70,000-plus crowd at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium continued singing the anthem after the musical accompaniment stopped, rising to an ear-splitting crescendo.

They continued chanting and singing after the match began and by the time Fred scored the opening goal after two minutes it was impossible to hear the person next to you talking without them shouting.

“The Maracana is something exceptional and that was a very special roar. The fans were extraordinary yesterday. Not fanatical fans but fantastic fans,” Blatter said.

“They sang the national anthem for so long they delayed the start of the match for two minutes but it was not important. Yes there have been problems but they will be solved and we will have a great World Cup in Brazil next year.”

Scenes of riot police firing tear gas were common during the tournament with protests centred on a number of grievances, the main one being the contrast between expensive new stadiums and the poor state of public services including health and transport.

“It was a success despite all the unrest and protests,” Blatter said. “But I think the social unrest is now resting. I don’t know (for) how long but it is now resting.”

Valcke said the protests would not stop the governing body’s plans to take the World Cup to the people next year.

“There are three million tickets available for the World Cup but this is a land of 200 million people so we will have fan zones and giant screens in different locations, maybe in the favelas and other places where people have no access to the stadium,” he said.

“We want to give them the chance to watch and be part of the World Cup. We have done it before in past World Cups and that is exactly what we will do in Brazil.”

F1 introduces stronger rear tyres in Germany

LONDON (Reuters) - Formula One teams will have stronger rear tyres at the German Grand Prix this weekend, and a new type from the Hungarian race at the end of this month, Pirelli said on Tuesday.

A series of high-speed tyre blowouts triggered safety fears and driver complaints at Silverstone last weekend.

The Italian company said in a statement that it would bring in rear tyres with inner belts made of Kevlar, a reinforced fibre, which had been made originally for teams to try out in Canada last month but were not used.

From the Hungary race onwards, new tyres that will combine the 2012 structure and 2013 compounds will be introduced after being tested at Silverstone in mid-July.

Syura Dedah Keinginan Mahu Jadi Chef Dalam @MeleTop?

KUALA LUMPUR, 2 JULAI 2013: Kemenangan penyanyi Syura sebagai juara MasterChef Selebriti Malaysia 2, nampaknya mendapat reaksi yang pelbagai daripada masyarakat penonton.

Namun, Syura nyata telah pun membuktikan bahawa dia selayaknya diangkat sebagai juara MasterChef Selebriti Malaysia 2 selepas menewaskan pengacara Celina Khor di dapur final program tersebut.

Pun begitu, apakah perasaan sebenar Syura apabila memenangi gelaran tersebut kerana ia nyata jauh berbeza dengan bidang nyanyian yang pernah diceburinya dulu. Dan, apakah benar Syura mahu mendalami pengajian dalam bidang kulinari selepas memenangi gelaran ini dan apakah dia akan menjadi chef sepenuh masa selepas ini?

Semuanya dapat anda saksikan di program MeleTOP di Astro Ria, jam 10 malam ini bersama hos Neelfoa dan Nabil Ahmad. Ketahui juga perkembangan terbaru Yana Samsuddin, Hazama dan Shila Amzah. 
Menariknya, Shila Amzah juga bakal membuat persembahan dalam program MeleTOP.

Farid Kamil, Diana Danielle Dapat Anak Lelaki

KUALA LUMPUR, 2 JULAI 2013: Pelakon Farid Kamil hari ini menerusi laman Instagram mengumumkan yang isterinya Diana Danielle selamat melahirkan anak lelaki di Australia petang tadi.

Menerusi laman Instagram tersebut, Farid turut berkongsi foto bayi lelakinya dengan kata-kata "Welcome to the world my son" selain menulis bayi ini lahir dengan berat 9.7lbs atau 4.39kg.

Diana Danielle selamat melahirkan bayi lelaki itu sekitar jam 4.30 petang waktu Malaysia.

Sebelum ini, Farid telah memaklumkan Diana sepatutnya bersalin pada 15 Julai ini tetapi proses kelahiran berlaku lebih awal.

Bulan lalu. industri hiburan dikejutkan apabila Farid memuat naik gambar dia mengucup seorang bayi sehingga menimbulkan salah faham kanonnya Diana Danielle telah melahirkan anak sebelum genap sembilan bulan usia perkahwinan mereka.

Bagaimanapun gambar itu telah dinafikan oleh adik Farid iaitu Fadzil Zahari yang mendakwa bayi itu adalah anak saudara mereka yang lahir pada 11 Mei lalu.

Farid dan Diana bernikah pada 3 November 2012 dalam satu majlis yang diadakan di Hotel Flamingo by the Lake dekat sini.

Selepas beberapa bulan berumah tangga, Diana berhijrah sementara ke Sydney, Australia untuk melanjutkan pelajaran di negara itu.