Australian describes tsunami aftermath

An Australian woman living in American Samoa has described the terrifying scenes as the island was battered by a strong earthquake and a deadly tsunami.

Perth woman Sue Whitby and her husband David were woken up about 6.48am (local time) by a powerful 8.3-magnitude quake shaking their Pago Pago home.

"Our china cabinet was rattling so much that my husband was holding onto that and I was holding on to him," she told ABC News Online.

"It was terrifying and it seemed to last for two or three minutes; it was really frightening."

When the earthquake finally finished rocking her home, just when she thought she was safe, the tsunami warning bells began to ring throughout the town.

"We knew not to go out after we heard that," she said.

Ms Whitby, who has been living in Pago Pago for 12 months, says much of the power is still out, the airport is closed due to the debris, the roads are blocked and the hospital is flooded.

And even though the tsunami danger has passed, the death and destruction is all too clear.

Ms Whitby is still stuck in her home, which is luckily on higher ground, but she is hearing horrible stories from the outside about the deadly disaster.

She says her friend's brother was driving a bus when the earthquake struck.

"Water came in and his bus ended up being flooded," she said.

"He ended up in a mango tree and four of his passengers are missing from the bus."

Her neighbour's cousin was killed when the nearby village of Leone was destroyed.

"The village Leone, not far from us, had about six people die ... my neighbour's cousin was killed," she said.

Another friend's godmother was also killed.

Lucky escape

Ms Whitby lives in the higher part of Pago Pago - about 100 feet above ground - but she could see the rising seas from her neighbour's balcony.

"I do feel sorry for the people living low, just so many people have been affected," she said.

"A lot of houses have been flooded, businesses may not even open again. It's just a shock really."

She says many businesses in low-lying areas of Pago Pago have been destroyed.

Her husband works at the American Samoa ANZ bank and now that the tsunami warning has passed, he has ducked out to survey the damage.

"The branch at Pago Pago, which is still a distance from the harbour, got flooded," she said.

"The staff evacuated to the top of the hills behind the branch."

She says the government has called on people with machinery to come and help clear the roads.

Ms Whitby says even though the skies are clear and "beautiful" now, she fears the death toll is only going to rise.

"It really is a beautiful day now, I think the danger has now passed, " she said.

"But there's still so many people missing, it's going to be some time before we know the true figure."

MAFIA WARS

I have been playing this game for the past 3 months and i found out that it is very addictive and has a vast followers worldwide.

Perodua D46T

This is Perodua’s new 1.5-litre seven-seater MPV due for launch in November . The new car, Perodua D46T, was seen on a test drive in Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. Perodua managing director Datuk Syed Abdull Hafiz Syed Abu Bakar had said that the car is expected to be priced between RM60,000 and RM65,000. The Perodua D46T is based on the Toyota Passo Sette.

IS HE REALLY WORTH £80 MILLION?

Apparently, Real Madrid ardently thinks so and brandished the RM462 million offer to Manchester United, which found it hard to refuse. The English club permitted Real to talk terms with Ronaldo but a final decision won't be forthcoming until June 30.

Actor dies of cancer

Well-known film and TV drama actor Shukery Hashim died of pancreatic cancer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre in Cheras at 1.45pm yesterday. He was 55.

Shukery was admitted to the hospital last Friday after complaining of stomach-ache.

His wife, Faridah Md Desa, 51, said he had undergone a six-hour operation to remove a growth on his pancreas at Selayang Hospital on April 22.

"He was supposed to start chemotherapy but he kept postponing it. When he complained about a stomach-ache, we sent him to UKMMC. While there, he complained about difficulty falling asleep because of the excruciating pain."

Shukery was buried at the Muslim cemetery in Keramat. He had five children.
Shukery began his acting career in RTM's radio dramas in 1975. He acted in hundreds of TV dramas including Cinta Gila, which is currently being aired over Astro Prima.

Losing the war against dengue

“We declared war against dengue in February. It looks like we are losing.”

Director-general of Health Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican painted this grim picture when he revealed that 57 people had died of dengue between January and June 6 and warned that more would die from the disease.

Dr Ismail did not mince his words, blaming doctors in private clinics and hospitals for the high death toll.

He said the majority of those who died could have been saved if doctors had known what to do.

Dr Ismail said 35 of those who died had sought treatment at private clinics or hospitals early, but doctors there did not carry out proper tests or follow-ups, leading to their deaths.

“In fact, 30 per cent of those who died only came to the government hospitals when they became very ill.”
Dr Ismail warned that action would be taken against private doctors, clinics and hospitals if they did not report suspected dengue cases.

He said of the 22,426 cases reported, only nine per cent were notified by private practitioners.

Dr Ismail said without notification, health authorities could not take action, such as fogging, to prevent more dengue cases.

He told a meeting of state health directors, representatives from relevant

agencies and bodies, the Malaysian Medical Association and Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia yesterday that everyone must do their part to ensure the disease was defeated.

The meeting also discussed ways to get the community involved in the fight against dengue

Taking the harvest festivals to KL

Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said the government may host the National Tadau Kaamatan and Gawai Open House celebrations in Kuala Lumpur from next year.

"Having the event in Kuala Lumpur will enable Malay-sians in the peninsula to learn more about the culture and heritage of the Kadazandusun in Sabah and the Dayak and Iban in Sarawak.

"We want to enhance national integration by helping all communities to learn more about the people of Sabah and Sarawak," he told a meeting with media editors yesterday.

Rais also said the ministry would review the role of the Information Department in Sabah and Sarawak in view of the rapid development in information technology and the presence of satellite television provider Astro.

"In the 1980s, there was no Astro or handphones. The Information Department spread information by meeting the people.
"Things are different now. The department must evolve and improve its services, especially in getting information on government policies to the rural areas and interiors of Sabah and Sarawak."

Rais suggested that Radio Televisyen Malaysia form a smart partnership with Astro so that people in rural areas could enjoy watching TV programmes they would otherwise have no access to.

Aussie student is Malaysia's 7th influenza A victim

Malaysia confirms its seventh positive Influenza A(H1N1) case, involving an Australian student who is in the country with her mother to visit their relatives.

Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican, in a statement today, said the student and her mother arrived at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Sepang on board Air Asia flight X D7 2723 from Melbourne at 7am yesterday.

"She was found to be having a high temperature during screening using the thermo-scanner at LCCT, and from further checks by the health team there found that she had been having fever, coughing and sore throat a day before arriving in Malaysia," he added.

He said the student was referred to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital at 8.15am and admitted to a special ward there, adding that she was confirmed a influenza A(H1N1) case at 10.34pm the same day.

She was given anti-viral treatment and was now in stable condition, he added.
Dr Mohd Ismail said the student's mother, who did not have symptoms of being infected by the virus, had been placed under house quarantine.

He urged those who were in the same flight with the student, especially those seated near her to contact the Health Ministry at 03-88810200 or 03-88810300 between 8am and 9pm.

There were 258 passengers on the flight and the student''s seat was 31A, he added.

He said currently, 143 contacts were being placed under house quarantine and all of them were in good health.

Malaysia reported its sixth positive Influenza A (H1N1) case yesterday - a Malaysian student in New York who returned to the country on June 3.

Dr Mohd Ismail said that according to the latest report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), two more countries -- Barbados and Saudi Arabia -- reported a confirmed Influenza A(H1N1) case in their respective countries.

So far, a total of 22,092 Influenza a (H1N1) cases, with 125 deaths, have been reported in 69 countries.

Man Utd in new shirt sponsor deal

Manchester United has signed a four-year shirt sponsorship deal with the insurance giant Aon Corporation.

Aon will replace troubled US insurer AIG, which is restructuring itself having received a $150bn (£109bn) bail-out from the US government.

The new sponsor will appear on Manchester United's shirts from the start of the 2010/11 season.

Aon is based in Chicago and specialises in reinsurance, which is the selling of insurance to other insurers.

Neither Manchester United nor Aon has announced the terms of the deal or how much it is worth.

AIG paid £14m a year for its four-year deal, which ends in May 2010.

There have been reports that Aon's deal could be worth as much as £80m over four years.

Aon said it hoped that its relationship with Manchester United would help to improve its brand recognition.

It pointed out that after its first year sponsoring the team, AIG had become the 47th most recognised global brand and had jumped from number 84 to number 30 on Barron's list of most respected companies.

Actor flees Jais raid on fiancee’s home without his clothes

A TV actor tried to make a quick escape – minus his clothes – when Selangor Religious Department (Jais) officers raided his fiancee’s apartment in Petaling Jaya, reported Harian Metro.

The 20-something actor, who appears in a mystic and horror TV series, managed to climb to the next unit’s balcony on the fifth floor at 3am recently.

Five Jais officers raided the apartment after receiving complaints from neighbours that the actor and his fiancee would meet up frequently at her home.

The woman, also in her 20s and an assistant producer in the TV series, told the officers that she lived alone.

The woman, who was dressed in a sleeveless top and skimpy shorts, allowed officers into her room where they found a pair of men’s trousers and shirt.

Jais Special Force Unit chief Shahrom Maarop said: “Further inspection found signs that a person had exited through the balcony.”

The officers then went next door and found a few male foreigners living in the apartment.

One of the officers spotted a man who had wrapped himself with the curtains near the balcony.

“Officers questioned the actor who tried to pose as one of the foreigners. But the ruse did not work as his accent and skin colour were different from the occupants.

“The actor finally admitted that he had been sleeping at the woman’s home and that they were engaged,” Shahrom said.

They were detained for questioning and released on bail.

Red Tide

A kit for the detection of a harmful algae that causes the red tide won a gold medal at the recent International Exhibition of Inventions, New Techniques and Products in Geneva.

Called "Pyroscreen", the kit was the result of comprehensive research by a team comprising Grace Joy Chin Wei Lie, Teoh Pek Lin, Professor Datin Dr Ann Anton and Associate Professor Vijay Kumar of Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

Red tides are a frequent phenomenon in the coastal waters of tropical regions.

The algae species produces a paralytic shellfish toxin, which has been linked to neurological symptoms and human fatalities.

Chin said Pyroscreen was an effective and practical DNA probe for the speedy identification and detection of the harmful algae.
UMS researchers submitted nine works in Geneva, winning a gold, a silver and seven bronze medals.

The medals were displayed at a media briefing by UMS vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Kamaruzaman Ampon at its campus here.

Kamaruzaman said UMS researchers also won two gold medals at the recent International Invention, Innovation and Technology in Kuala Lumpur.

The medals were for an innovation on a new technique for surface tension by Dr Chan Eng Seng, Lee Boon Beng and Pogaku Ravindra, and an efficient pre-cast floor panel for modern buildings by Associate Professor Dr Mohd Abdul Manan, N.S.V.K. Rao, Doh Shu Ing and Ng Chee Hiong.

'Glass hold' reveals personality

Kuok, Ananda still the richest Malaysians

Robert Kuok, the Kuok Group patriarch, remains Malaysia's richest with a net worth of US$9 billion, down from US$10 billion a year ago, according to the 2009 Forbes Asia Malaysia Rich List. In a statement here today, Forbes said Kuok has held the top spot every year since Forbes Asia began ranking the 40 richest Malaysians in 2006. Businessman Ananda Krishnan held on to his second place with a net worth of US$7 billion,just down from US$7.2 billion last year. He has also maintained the same ranking every year since 2006.

Together, Kouk and Ananda account for 44 percent of the top 40's wealth.
They are also the two richest people in Southeast Asia.

The third richest is Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng, head of IOI Group, one of the world's leading operators of palm oil plantations. He is worth US$3.2 billion, down from US$5.5 billion last year but keeps his position in the top three.

Malaysia's 40 richest people are worth a combined US$36 billion, down from US$46 billion a year ago.

It said the 22 percent loss in wealth is largely in line with the 21 percent drop in the Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) and is not too bad, considering the fact that the Malaysian ringgit has lost 10 percent against the US dollar, the currency by which the net worths are measured. Malaysia has nine billionaires who are collectively worth US$30 billion or 84 percent of the total wealth amassed by the country's top 40.

This is the biggest wealth disparity among Forbes Asia's rich list.

Tan Sri Vincent Tan (ranked 10, US$750 million) of Berjaya Corporation Bhd is the only Malaysian to drop out of the billionaire ranks in the past 12 months as share prices in his companies have declined.

Three making their debut are IOI Board member Chan Fong Ann (ranked 18, US$209 million), gaming tycoon Tan Sri Chen Lip Keong (ranked 21, US$195 million) and software executive Goh Peng Ooi (ranked 34, US$112 million).

Four people have returned to the rankings after an absence of a year or more.Among them are Tan Sri Syed Mohd Yusof Tun Syed Nasir (ranked 37, US$100 million) and Tan Sri Tan Teong Hean (ranked 39, US$95 million), who cashed out of Southern Bank several years ago and is now making new investments.

The latest issue of Forbes Asia also features Tan Sri Francis Yeoh, head of conglomerate YTL (ranked seven,US$1.8 billion).

'War' on smoking stepped up June 1

Starting Monday, all cigarette packs must display pictorial health warnings on illnesses caused by tobacco.

Those caught selling packs without the pictorial warning would be fined RM10,000 or two years' jail, or both under the Control of Tobacco Products Regulations (Amended) 2008.

Director-general of Health Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said cigarette packs must display pictorial health warnings prominently on the front and back.

The pictorial warning must cover 40 per cent of the front and 60 per cent of the back.

Cigarettes are drawing millions of Malaysians into spending more than RM15 million daily. This amounts to a staggering RM6 billion annually.
Despite an aggressive campaign by the government to say "no" to cigarettes, Malaysians smoke 30 million sticks a day.

According to the Malaysian Medical Association's Committee on Action on Smoking and Health, 50 per cent of the 3.5 million smokers nationwide smoked nearly 10 sticks a day.

In 2005 and 2006, more than 30,000 children, some as young as 10, started smoking.

More than 10,000 people a year die of smoking-related illnesses.