K-pop fan Siti a hit with Korean bowlers

Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman: ' Hopefully, I’ll be able to put up a consistent performance and get back my spot in the elite team. I will try to win my second Malaysian Open title.'

KUALA LUMPUR: National bowler Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman is a big hit with the Korean bowling team.

And it has nothing to do with her being pretty, friendly and good at her game. It’s because she is rather fluent in the Korean language!

In fact, she has been given the unofficial job of being the Korean translator in the ongoing Malaysian Open at Pyramid Mega Lanes.

And the 23-year-old Siti, who picked up the language last year, is enjoying it.

“It all started because of my love for Korean dramas, shows and K-pop groups. Do you know Lunafly? Do you know Rain? I just adore these entertainers,” said Siti, bursting with sheer excitement.

She explained that Lunafly is a three-member South Korean pop group while Rain, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon, is a unique singer with an “awesome” voice.

“All these piqued my interest and I started to attend Korean classes last year. I can speak now – not as fluent as I want to but I can understand them very well,” said a smiling Siti.

“A lot of Korean bowlers are here and this gives me the opportunity to brush up on the language. And I do try to help out whenever translation is needed.”

Siti, the 2009 World Ranking Masters champion, may have taken steps to master the Korean language but she knows that it won’t be all that easy to beat the mighty Koreans at the bowling alley.

South Korea have sent their national team and professional bowlers to the Malaysian Open and Siti believes that reigning Masters champion Son Yun-hee will be one of the strong contenders for the title in the women’s competition.

“There are other good Korean bowlers, too. The field is quite competitive ... it will be tough indeed. It will all depend on how accurate and consistent one can be to challenge them here,” she said.

Siti, who won the Malaysian Open at the tender age of 14 in 2005, is hoping to perform well in a bid to regain her spot in the elite squad.

“I’m still in the national team but demoted to the second squad. Hopefully, I’ll be able to put up a consistent performance and get back my spot in the elite team. I will try to win my second Malaysian Open title,” she said.

Siti’s impressive bowling career suffered a hiccup when she developed thyroid problems three years ago, which saw her missing most of the major tournaments.

However, she battled her way to the top again and won the right to represent the country at the World Championships in Nevada in August.

In the Malaysian Open, Siti, who was one of the members of the team that won a bronze medal at the world meet, is in joint fourth spot with a six-game score of 1,369 in the local pool of the Masters qualifying round.

Only the top 10 bowlers in the local pool, top 10 bowlers in the overseas pool and top 12 in the mixed pool will make the cut for the Masters event. And, right now, all six elite women bowlers – Esther Cheah, Shalin Zulkifli, Jacqueline Sijore Jenelee, Sin Li Jane, Zandra Aziele Ibrahim Hakimi and Sharon Koh – are looking good for the next round.

In the men’s division, defending champion Zulmazran Zulkifli, who turned 30 on Wednesday, stayed on top of the local pool qualifying round with his six-game score of 1,488 pins.

Chong Wei v Wei Feng in HK Open

Chong Wei Feng faces his senior Lee Chong Wei in the Hong Kong Open second round on Nov 21, 2013. – AFP Photo

KUALA LUMPUR: Shuttler Chong Wei Feng will be out to avoid a beating when he takes on his illustrious senior Lee Chong Wei in the second round of the Hong Kong Open in Kowloon on Thursday.

On Wednesday, top seed and defending champion Chong Wei and Wei Feng assured one ticket for Malaysia in the quarter-finals when the duo cleared their first round matches in convincing fashion.

The 31-year-old Chong Wei, who skipped last week’s China Open due to discomfort in his ankle, showed that he was back in the groove by dumping India’s future star K. Srikanth 21-18, 21-14 in just 30 minutes.

Wei Feng, tipped to be his successor, also played superbly when he defeated Japan’s No. 2 player Sho Sasaki 21-8, 21-12 in 36 minutes.

It was sweet revenge for Wei Feng after having lost to the Japanese in the opening round of the French Open just two weeks ago.

The 26-year-old Wei Feng hopes to steal at least one game against world No. 1 Chong Wei on Thursday.

“On paper, Chong Wei is the favourite. It is my dream to beat him at least once before he retires one day but right now, there is still a gulf in standard between us. I will be happy to steal a game off him and challenge him to the end,” said Wei Feng.

So far, Wei Feng has played Chong Wei twice at the international stage last year.

In the Malaysian Open Grand Prix Gold, he started well before running out of gas to lose 18-21, 21-15, 8-21 in 49 minutes but in the Japan Open, he went down 15-21, 15-21 in just 28 minutes.

If Chong Wei wins, he will take on the winner of the match between French Open champion Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark and Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen.

There was however, good news for Chong Wei Wednesday when one of his strongest rivals – second seed Chen Long of China withdrew from the competition.

The reigning China Open champion’s decision to skip the last leg of the Super Series gave Germany’s Marc Zwiebler a free ride into the second round against Wang Zhengming of China.

Zhengming is the last man standing for China in the men’s singles when three others - fourth seed Du Pengyu, Gao Huan and Chen Yuekun - crashed out in the opening round.

Meanwhile, Malaysia kept the flag flying high in the mixed doubles when world No. 5 Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying survived a tough ordeal before winning 19-21, 21-12, 21-16 against Indonesians Gideon Markus Fernaldi-Rizki Amelia Pradipta in the first round.

On Thursday, they have a tricky match against Germany’s Michael Fuchs-Birgit Michels for a place in the quarter-finals. The Malaysians have lost once to these Germans during the Sudirman Cup and should not take their opponents lightly.  


(Source- Berita Harian)

Semporna kidnap: Taiwan legislator says abducted woman is ill and negotiations are ongoing

PETALING JAYA: Taiwan’s legislator Tsai Cheng-yuan said he had been in touch with the abductors of Chang An Wei and that she had fallen ill in captivity.

Taiwanese press quoted him as saying this in Taiwan on Wednesday, several hours after Minister of Interior Lee Hong-Yuan’s disclosed that the Taiwanese government had received a phone call from the Philippines demanding a possible ransom.

Tsai said, however, he was unable to say how ill Chang was.

He revealed that the group of abductors who shot dead Chang’s husband Hsu Li Min before taking away Chang at the Pom Pom Island resort in Sabahlast Friday, were not the Abu Sayyaf group.

Following the incident, Tsai has been telling the press that he was gathering information on Chang’s whereabouts through various channels and the Taiwanese authorities were negotiating with the abductors.

He also said he was making arrangements to meet Sabah government leaders and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak over the safety of the abducted Chang.

At a press conference, Tsai repeated what he had told the abductors during his conversation with them.

“Your Highness, thank you for your mercy in providing help to the lady who is ill.

“Please give her more help in this critical time. Your contribution and help will be highly appreciated by all Taiwanese people. Thank you so much,” Tsai said he had said.

He said he would fly to Malaysia to see what he could do to get Chang back safely.

Dr Subramaniam suffers minor neck injury during car accident

MALACCA: Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam sustained a minor injury in the neck when the car he was travelling in skidded on the North-South Expressway near Pedas-Linggi Wednesday night.

State MIC chairman Datuk M.S. Mahadevan said the incident occurred about 8.30pm when Dr Subramaniam was on his way to Malacca to attend a meeting to discuss the organisation of the MIC General Assembly, which will be held on Nov 30 here.

He said Dr Subramaniam, who is also the MIC deputy president, was currently being treated at the Alor Gajah Hospital and was in stable condition.

"He is fine. He only sustained a minor injury on the neck and is being treated. If there is anything serious we will take him for follow-up treatment at the Malacca General Hospital," he said. - Bernama

PAS willing to work with Umno on matters of Malay unity, but no further, says Mat Sabu

PETALING JAYA: PAS has not closed its doors to Umno on matters of Malay unity, said the Islamist party's deputy president Mohamad Sabu, but would not join forces with them.

He said they were willing to talk on matters of common interest, but that is as far as they would go.

"They (Umno leaders) are winking and waving at us. They can wink, but we are not winking back.

"If they extend their hands, we will slap their hands away," he said in his speech at the opening of the 54th PAS Youth Muktamar at Dewan Sivik MBPJ here Wednesday night.

Mohamad claimed that Umno was trying hard to win over PAS because they had been weakened.

"When they are strong, they will smash us," he said.

Mohamad said PAS had not closed its doors on any party, but he cautioned that it would be wary of any unity move as it had bad experience with Umno in the past.

Mohamed also called on party members not to wash their dirty linen in public, adding that it would demoralise the party.

In Shah Alam, party vice-president Datuk Husam Musa said there had been concerns among PAS members that it would become the weakest link in Pakatan Rakyat if Umno lost its powers.

The former senior Kelantan state exco member said this was because the majority of Umno elected representatives would choose to join DAP and PKR instead of PAS.

"This is the worrying bisikan (whispers) that have been spreading among the PAS members," he said in his opening speech at the PAS Muslimat (women's wing) 53rd muktamar here Wednesday night.

He said PAS needed to get assurances from DAP and PKR that its position in Pakatan Rakyat was secure.

"If this is our concern, we should strike a deal with our colleagues in Pakatan that every seat allocated to PAS in  past general elections would remain ours, even if Pakatan won the Federal Government," he said.

He added this 'deal' was in addition to the seats that PAS had already won in past elections.

Earlier, Husam said that there would be "weaknesses" in any political cooperation, but stressed that any shortcomings could be improved through good governance.

"Even a marriage has its ups and downs, let alone a political cooperation," he said.

Family members in tears upon seeing Hsu’s body

TAWAU: The pain was too much for the family of the Taiwanese couple at the Pom Pom Island Resort as they wept inconsolably upon seeing the body of Hsu Li Min.

Richard Chang, brother of the abducted 58-year-old Chang An Wei, was in tears after seeing the body of his brother-in-law, 57-year-old Hsu at the Tawau mortuary yesterday.

Richard had flown in from Taipei with Hsu’s brother, Li Ren, and their two nephews.

All of them looked solemn and were dressed in black suits and their eyes welled with tears upon reaching the mortuary.

Later at a hotel lobby, Richard who had his hair tied up in a ponytail and was wearing sunglasses, said he still had not received any information on the whereabouts of his sister.

However, he was hopeful that he would see her again.

“We believe she’s still alive. Most of the information we have is from the media. We were not officially updated on this case,” he said calmly.

Richard said they did not want to say too much as they did not want to jeopardise her safety.

Sombre atmosphere: Li Ren (with yellow vest) and other family members at the Tawau Hospital mortuary. -NORMIMIE DIUN/The Star

“I don’t want to be misinterpreted,” he explained.

Hsu was shot dead by Abu Sayyaf-linked gunmen who abducted Chang from the resort on Friday.

Richard also said his sister was suffering from some health problems including diabetes.

He also thanked all the parties who had helped him so far.

Accompanied by Taiwanese Foreign Ministry officials and the police, they arrived in Kota Kinabalu International Airport from Taipei at 11.30am.

A Buddhist monk also accompanied the family to perform religious rites.

Hordes of Taiwanese journalists and broadcasters from Taiwan were also on the same flight.

They then took a flight to Tawau Airport and arrived at about 3.15pm.

“We are nervous and sad,” Richard told the hordes of waiting reporters at the airport.

The family members were brought to the hospital from the airport by the Pom Pom resort vans escorted by the police.

A post-mortem will be conducted before Hsu’s cremation today.

At 8pm yesterday, the family held prayers for the deceased at the Fo Guang Shan temple in Tawau, attended by about 30 people.

Meanwhile, the Sabah government has extended its condolences to Hsu’s family.

State Tourism, Culture and Environment assistant minister Datuk Pang Nyuk Ming extended condolences to the four family members at the Kota Kinabalu Inter-national Airport.

When contacted, Pang said he assured family members that steps were being taken by various authori­ties to help in Chang’s return.

Throngs of visitors not spooked by Villa Nabila

Popular haunt: Groups of curious visitors walking through the ruins of Villa Nabila.

JOHOR BARU: Even after it was found that the 16-year-old teenager who allegedly went missing after entering Villa Nabila was actually sleeping elsewhere, nosey visitors and supernatural enthusiasts continued to throng its crumbled ruins.

Rahimah Ahmad, 43, from Pasir Gudang, who was there with her husband and five children, aged between three and nine, said that she was excited when she heard about the “mysterious disappearance” of the teenager and wanted to have a look herself.

“My husband and I went earlier to survey the place and once we were convinced that it was safe, we brought our children with us,” she said.

Rahimah said that even after learning that the teenager was found, she was still convinced that there was something weird about the place.

“I definitely felt something, especially when I stepped into the kitchen area of the main house,” she said.

Filmmaking student Mohd Luqmanul Hakim, 19, who recently injured his arm in an accident, joined his parent in touring the ruins.

“I was thrilled when the news first broke out and wanted to have a closer look,” he said, adding that the villa would be a great place to shoot a movie for his final exam project.

Telephone operator Anim Zumi Salam, 26, said she felt goose bumps while passing by the house in her car.

“I decided to stop by because so many people have been talking about the villa,” she said.

Rows of cars and motorbikes were parkedoutside the villa, and crowds were seen at the abandoned structure.

Several people were also seen climbing a steep slope to gain access to another part of the villa.

Most of the visitors took pictures and recorded videos while others were heard sharing their experiences with each other.

Among the crowd was an ice-cream seller doing brisk business.

Meanwhile, a source at the Johor Baru City Council said that the land on which the ruins stood was owned by a Singaporean.

“The lot was bought in 2008,” he said adding that the area measured more than 23,040sq metres (248,000sq ft) and that the owner was paying more than RM18,000 in quit rent for the place.

Indonesian woman charged with trafficking drugs in Penang

     Siti Norhidaya being escorted to court by the police.
BALIK PULAU: An Indonesian woman is charged in a Sessions Court on Wednesday with trafficking methamphetamine on Nov 6.

Siti Norhidaya, 39, is alleged to have committed the offence at the Penang International Airport at 8pm.

The offence under Section 39 (B) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, carries a mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Insp Mohd Yusuf Mohamad Kasim prosecuted while Siti Norhidaya was unrepresented.

Sessions court judge Caroline Bee Mejanil fixed Jan 22 next year for mention pending chemist report.

Ahmad Ammar Ahmad Azam Pelajar Malaysia Dimuliakan Di Turki Sumber: Ahmad Ammar Ahmad Azam Pelajar Malaysia Dimuliakan Di Turki | melvister.com

Ahmad Ammar Ahmad Azam pelajar Malaysia dimuliakan di Turki. Dilaman Sosial, video kenangan Ahmad Ammar menjadi perkongsian sehinggakan individu boleh sebak dan mengalirkan air mata jika menonton kisah perjalanan pemuda yang berusia 20 tahun itu. Untuk info, Ahmad Ammar telah pun meninggal dunia pada 2 November 2013 jam 1.30 petang akibat dilanggar ambulan ketika melintas jalan di Istanbul, Turki. Jenazah Ahmad Ammar dimuliakan di Turki kerana beliau merupakan pemuda yang banyak berjasa kepada masyarakat dan juga dalam ilmu agama dan aktif dalam berdakwah. Selain itu, pada usia semuda itu beliau telah menyertai pelbagai misi kemanusiaan di beberapa negara di dunia seperti di Syria dan sebagainya. Ahmad Ammar juga pernah berhasrat untuk mati Syahid dalam kehidupannya. Namun, kematiannya akibat kemalangan jalan raya pada 2 November lalu telah menyebabkan beliau digelar sebagai  “Syahid yang tertangguh” oleh para sahabatnya.

Biodata Ahmad Ammar Ahmaz Azam

Ahmad Ammar Ahmad Azam yang berusia 20 tahun merupakan pelajar cemerlang tahun dua bidang sejarah di Marmara University (Goztepe) Istanbul. Ahmad Ammar telah kembali ke rahmatullah pada petang Sabtu 2 November 2013 akibat kemalangan jalan raya. Beliau merupakan anak keempat dan satu-satunya anak lelaki Tuan Haji Ahmad Azam Abd Rahman, mantan Presiden Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM). Beliau juga merupakan pelajar  cemerlang SPM 2010 di Maktab Tentera Diraja dan memilih menyambung pengajian dalam bidang Sejarah di Turki.

Punca Ahmad Ammar Ahmad Azam Dimuliakan Di Turki

Pada umur yang masih muda, Ahmad Ammar telah mengembara banyak tempat untuk menuntut ilmu, menimba pengalaman dan mencurah bakti untuk kesejahteraan ummah tanpa mengira bangsa dan agama. Selain itu, beliau juga telah menjadi sukarelawan untuk menyertai misi kemanusiaan seperti di negara Syria. Ahmad Ammar juga pernah berhasrat untuk mati Syahid ketika menyertai misi kemanusiaan. Selain itu, Ahmad Ammar amat dikenali kerana mempunyai budi pekerti yang baik, tekun, berdisiplin, taat, bercita-cita tinggi dan sikap hormatnya kepada yang lebih dewasa. Ahmad Ahmad juga dihormati sebagai seorang yang kuat ilmu agama dan aktif dalam dakwah memperjuangkan agama Islam.

Keistimewaan Jenazah Ahmad Ammar Di Turki

Allahyarham Ahmad Ammar disemadikan di Perkuburan Eyub Sultan menghadap Laut Golden Horn. Tanah perkuburan ini menempatkan lebih 60 jasad para sahabat nabi, auliya’, panglima Uthmaniyyah dan orang-orang kenamaan di sana. Namun Datuk Bandar telah memberi pengecualian kepada Ammar hingga allahyarham menjadi orang Malaysia pertama disemadikan di sini. Malah begitu ramai orang termasuk masyarakat setempat selain rakan satu universiti yang hadir ketika allahyarham disolatkan di Masjid Ayub Sultan, Istanbul seterusnya mengiringi jenazah Ammar ke kubur.

Sumber: Ahmad Ammar Ahmad Azam Pelajar Malaysia Dimuliakan Di Turki | melvister.com 

23 Remaja Hilang Di Villa Nabila Hanya Berita Palsu

23 Remaja Hilang Di Villa Nabila Hanya Berita Palsu. Heboh di laman sosial apabila ramai orang mengatakan tentang kehilangan sekumpulan remaja yang kononnya masuk ke Villa Nabila tersebut untuk buat aktiviti paranormal tetapi tidak menjumpai jalan keluar. Dikatakan seramai 30 orang yang masuk ke villa Nabila tersebut tetapi yang peliknya hanya 7 orang sahaja yang berjaya keluar dari Villa Nabila itu dan selebihnya lagi 23 orang dikatakan hilang kononnya tidak menjumpai jalan keluar.

Berita palsu tentang kehilangan sekumpulan remaja menyebabkan Villa Nabila dikerumuni orang ramai

Tapi kisah sebenarnya, pihak polis hanya menerima 1 laporan mengenai seorang remaja hilang di kawasan Villa Nabila tersebut. Pihak polis menafikan dakwaan orang ramai yang mengatakan tentang kehilangan 23 orang remaja di Villa Nabila tersebut tetapi hanya seorang sahaja yang disyaki hilang iaitu Mohd Izzat Izzudin Hussin berusia 16 tahun.

Remaja Hilang Di Villa Nabila 18 November 2013

Nama : Mohd Izzat Izzudin Hussin
Umur : 16 Tahun 
*Masih dalam siasatan sama ada mangsa hilang ketika masuk ke dalam Villa Nabila atau sebaliknya.

Khabar angin yang disiarkan di laman sosial menyebabkan Villa Nabila itu penuh sesak dengan kehadiran ramai orang yang ingin mengetahui situasi sebenar.