Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as Permatang Pauh MP (updated)-Malaysiakini

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as Permatang Pauh MP at 10.05am Thursday in a brief ceremony in Dewan Rakyat here.

Anwar, who turned up for the event in a simple black baju melayu, was accompanied by his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and their daughter Nurul Izzah.

The moment he entered the Dewan, he was instantly surrounded by other Pakatan Rakyat members, including Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

However, only three ministers were present in the House for the swearing-in.

The swearing-in took place in front of Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia.

After the swearing-in, Anwar took his place on the first seat on the Opposition block.

Sepanggar MP Datuk Eric Enchin Majimbun, who is from Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) took the opportunity to congratulate Anwar on his win as he stood up to field the first query in the question and answer session.

Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz also congratulated Anwar on behalf of the Government when he stood up to reply the first question.

He later said that the live telecast of Parliament proceedings is only meant to show the question time and not other matters, which is why Anwar’s swearing-in was not aired.

Nazri said the opposition should not be over-sensitive about the matter.

Anwar Ibrahim sworn in as MP - MALAYSIAKINI

PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as Permatang Pauh MP at 10.05am Thursday in a brief ceremony in Dewan Rakyat here.

Anwar, who turned up for the event in a simple black baju melayu, was accompanied by his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and their daughter Nurul Izzah.

The moment he entered the Dewan, he was instantly surrounded by other Pakatan Rakyat members, including Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

However, only three ministers were present in the House for the swearing-in.

The swearing-in took place in front of Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia.

After the swearing-in, Anwar took his place on the first seat on the Opposition block.

Sepanggar MP Datuk Eric Enchin Majimbun, who is from Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) took the opportunity to congratulate Anwar on his win as he stood up to field the first query in the question and answer session.

Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz also congratulated Anwar on behalf of the Government when he stood up to reply the first question.

Dr M: Anwar won't get 30 MPs - malaysiakini

Wednesday August 27, 2008 MYT 2:18:02 PM
Dr M: Anwar won't get 30 MPs
By MAZWIN NIK ANIS


PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim may have won the Permatang Pauh seat and claimed his stake in Parliament, but he would not be able to get 30 MPs to switch to the Opposition to form the government, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.

The former prime minister said the Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser might think he could "buy" MPs to jump to his camp but it would be impossible for him to "outbid the other bidders who have more money."

"The Permatang Pauh by-election results is a clear message for Barisan Nasional, Umno and its leaders. Within five months after the March 8 polls, Barisan lost the seat again, with a bigger majority than the last time.

"This is not only because the by-election was held in Permatang Pauh and one of the candidates was Anwar Ibrahim. I believe this will be the trend at other places as well and those who came out to vote on Tuesday had voted for the Opposition," he said when met at his office on Wednesday.

Anwar won the Permatang Pauh seat with a thumping majority of 15,671. His victory marks a return to Parliament for the PKR adviser after an enforced absence of 10 years.

With the victory, Anwar will take over as the parliamentary Opposition leader. The PKR de facto leader last won the Permatang Pauh seat in 1995 with a majority of 23,515 votes.

Dr Mahathir predicted that with Anwar back in Parliament, he would be making "life very difficult" for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

"I don't think Abdullah is a match for Anwar. This man (Anwar) can convince even the devil to follow him. He is going to raise all kinds of issues and questions and will demand and pressure the Prime Minister for answers. It is going to be a tough time for Barisan," he said.

Dr Mahathir said Abdullah, his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and other leaders should not close their "ears and eyes" to the people's message and neither should they blame the Permatang Pauh defeat on sabotage or other elements.

"The people sent a message at the March 8 polls and again in the Permatang Pauh by-election. Leaders should sit up and take stock of this. They want changes and they want it quick. Not in June 2010.

"If changes are made two years from now, then Umno will face an uphill task to gain strength and the people's confidence. If they fail to do so, then Barisan can expect defeat in the 13th general election," he said, adding he was willing to come back to the party's fold and work towards reviving it if Abdullah step down before the 2010 deadline.

He said Umno should be concerned that it was losing in popularity and appeal, claiming that even DAP had become more appealing to Malays, referring to former Transparency International Malaysia chairman Tunku Aziz Tunku Ibrahim becoming the DAP's latest recruit.

5 Senses of love

Every time I see you,
Its like a fairy tale come true
As we looked at each other,
Its like were meant for one another

The scent of your perfume,
Has its undying bloom
The way you smell,
Is putting me on spell

Whenever I hear your voice,
Its like youre the only rejoice
Loveliness of your tone,
Is the only sound I own

Every time I touch your face,
It feels like Im in space
Whenever I stroke your hair,
Inside me wants to flare

Each time I kiss your lips,
It doesnt run out of its appeal
I like you more than ever,
But of course I love you forever.

One Day You'll Also Love Me....

Why do you hurt me?
Do you like seeing me cry?
How can you just walk away?
When you know I'm dying inside!

How can you drag me,
Through this heartache and all this pain?
You know everything about her,
But do you even know my name?

Do you know how much I love you?
Do you even really care?
How can you let me love you?
Why are you so unfair?

Why won't you let me move on?
Let me be happy once again?
You want me in your life I know,
But I want to be more than just your friend!

But, just let me go!
I don't even mean a thing.
But I don't want you to let me go!
I love you... Can't you see?

Do u have a Girlfriend? [Interview]

Story I

E: Do u have a boyfriend?
C: I have.
E: Is he working Locally?
C: No. He is working Overseas.
E: Sorry, my company cannot employ u !
C: Why?
E: U will not be able to settle down here permanently. And my Company don't want to pay extra expenses on the Overseas calls just because of u.

Story II

E: Any girl friends?
C: No.
E: So far chased any before?
C: Have, but not successful.
E: Ever think of getting a job first then start looking for a girlfriend?
C: Career is first priority. Currently didn't want to consider This personal issue.
E: Sorry, my company cannot employ u.
C: Why?
E: You are lacking of P.R skills and confidence!!

Story III

E: Any girlfriends?
C: Yes.
E: Is she pretty?
C: Not quite.
E: Sorry, my company cannot employ you.
C: Why? Will this affect your company's reputation?
E: No, it does not affect the company's reputation but because My company is dealing with arts, our company requested an artist.

Story IV

E: Any girlfriends?
C: Yes.
E: Is she pretty?
C: yes
E: Is she your first lover?
C: Yes.
E: Sorry, we can't employ you because you lack of fighting spirit.

Story V

E: Any girlfriends?
C: Yes.
E: Is she your first lover?
C: No. Have a few already.
E: Sorry, my company cannot employ you because you are a "grasshopper" ! (Job hoper lah!)

Story VI

E: Any boyfriends?
C: Yes.
E: Is he rich?
C: No.
E: Then sorry, my company cannot employ you because our Company is dealing with money and you will seduce.

Story VII

E: Any boyfriends?
C: Yes.
E: Is he rich ?
C: Yes, very rich.He owns a company.
E: Sorry, we cannot employ you because your boyfriend don't Even want to employ you, neither do we!
C: But,...... there is no position in his company.
E: Then,..... what is your qualification?
C: Secretary!
E: Sorry, we still cannot employ you because your prettiness Will affect your managers' working spirits.
C: But,...... I am not pretty at all.
E: It is even worse because my managers will not be interested In you!!

Men are like....

Now days, 80% of women are against marriage, WHY? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage.

1. Men are like . .... Laxatives . ..... They irritate the crap out of you.

2. Men are like. Bananas ....... The older they get, the less firm they are.

3. Men are like ...... Weather . Nothing can be done to change them.

4. Men are like . Blenders You need One, but you're not quite sure why.

5. Men are like ..... Chocolate Bars .... Sweet, smooth, & they usually head right for your hips.

6. Men are like .... Commercials ....... You can't believe a word they say.

7. Men are like Department Stores ..... Their clothes are always 1/2 off.

8. Men are like ..... . Government Bonds .... They take soooooooo long to mature.

9. Men are like .... . Mascara . They usually run at the first sign of emotion.

10. Men are like ... Popcorn ..... They satisfy you, but only for a little while.

11. Men are like Snowstorms .... You never know when they're coming, how many inches you'll get or how long it will last.

12. Men are like ........... Lava Lamps .... Fun to look at, but not very bright.

13. Men are like Parking Spots .......... All the good ones are taken, the rest are handicapped.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wins Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim polled 31,195 votes, Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah received 15,524 and Hanafi Hamat of Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (Akim) only 92 votes.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim won with a majority of 15,671 votes.

EC announces Anwar as winner - MALAYSIAKINI

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has won the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat with a majority of 15,671 votes.

The victory marks a return to Parliament for the PKR advisor after an absence of 13 years.

The Election Commission announced that Anwar polled 31,195 votes while his Barisan Nasional opponent, Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah received 15,524.

Hanafi Hamat of Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (Akim), who contested as an independent lost his deposit, polling only 92 votes.

Anwar last won the Permatang Pauh seat in 1995 with a majority of 23,515 votes.

The by-election was held after his wife Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail quit as Permatang Pauh MP on July 31. She had won with a majority of 13,388 votes in the March 8 general election.

With his victory, Anwar will take over as the Parliamentary Opposition Leader.

Anwar in the lead - Malaysiakini

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is in the lead in the Permatang Pauh by-election with the majority of the ballot boxes counted.

The counting of votes for the by-election started almost immediately after polling closed at 5pm.

Present at all centres were representatives from both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat to witness the tabulations.

As of 5pm, about 70% of the voters had turned up to have their say on whether Anwar will return to the seat he unceremoniously vacated a decade ago.

LOVE HURTS

Why does love have to hurt so...
How could something that felt so right..
go so wrong?
The love we once felt..
was oh, so strong
The love we shared, the bond we felt..
has now brought so much pain
Alone at night memories of us..
drive me insane
I lie awake thinking and wondering..
why did it have to end?
The pain I feel in my heart..
will never, ever mend
Honey, you were my lover..
my best friend
you showed me how to love and be loved
you made everything okay..
I know life goes on..I'll be strong
I'll pick up the pieces and move on..I only ask of one thing
Don't ever let the memories of us... ever go away

ADORING FROM AFAR

FOR THE ONE WHO I WILL ALWAYS ADORE...
FROM FAR OFF, FEARING RESULTS OF CLOSENESS
GAINING MY LOVE, SECRETLY, EVERMORE
ALWAYS WANTING MORE YET, SETTLING FOR LESS
WITH SKY BLUE EYES AND SILKY SOFT CLEAR SKIN,
COMPLIMENTED BY A TALL HANDSOME SHAPE.
HOW I LONG TO HOLD HIS BODY WITHIN
MY ARMS, ALTHOUGH PRESENTLY, I MUST WAIT.
MY INSPIRATION, MY MOTIVATION!
THE HOPE OF NO LONGER NEEDING TO HIDE
THIS FEELING; IN MY SKY, HE IS MY SUN.
BUT, WE KNOW OF THE LOVE FOR EACH OTHER
WAITING WITH WISHFUL HEARTS... TO TAKE IT FURTHER

Mixed legacy likely as China’s Olympics conclude

With help from British star power, China concluded its debut as Olympic host Sunday after 16 days of near-flawless logistics and superlative athletic achievement - coexisting awkwardly with the government’s wariness of dissent and free speech.


A spectacular closing ceremony opened with torrents of fireworks and included a pulsating show-within-a-show by London, host of the 2012 Games. From a stage formed from a red double-decker bus, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page played classic rock hit “Whole Lotta Love” and soccer icon David Beckham booted a ball into the surrounding throng of athletes on the stadium floor.

Then more lyrical music returned, and the Olympic flame atop the stadium was extinguished.

To a large extent, China, an emergent superpower, got what it had craved from these long-sought games: a dominant effort by its athletes to top the gold-medal standings for the first time and almost glitch-free organizing that showcased world-class venues and cheerful volunteers to the largest-ever peaceful influx of foreign visitors.

As a bonus, not just one but two athletes gave arguably the greatest performances in Olympic history - Michael Phelps with his eight gold medals in swimming, Jamaica’s ebullient Usain Bolt with three golds and three world records in the sprints.

The International Olympic Committee, whose selection of Beijing as host back in 2001 was widely questioned, insisted its choice had been vindicated.

“Tonight, we come to the end of 16 glorious days which we will cherish forever,” IOC President Jacques Rogge told the capacity crowd of 91,000 at the National Outdoor Stadium, and a global TV audience. “Through these Games, the world learned more about China, and China learned more about the world.”

“These were truly exceptional games,” he said, before declaring them formally closed.

The head of the Beijing organzing committee, Liu Qi, said the games were “testimony to the fact that the world has rested its trust in China.” He called them “a grand celebration of sport, of peace and friendship.”

Rogge and the IOC were criticized by human rights groups for their reluctance to publicly challenge the Chinese as various controversies arose over press freedom and detention of dissidents. Athletes shied away from making political statements, and “protest zones” established in Beijing went unused as the authorities refused to issue permits for them.

But the atmosphere was festive at the stadium as fireworks burst from its top rim - and from locations across Beijing - to begin the closing ceremony.

After an army band played the Chinese national anthem, hundreds of gayly dressed dancers, acrobats and drummers swirled onto the field, then made room for the athletes, strolling in casually and exuberantly from four different entrances.

China invested more than $40 billion in the games, which it viewed as a chance to show the world its dramatic economic progress. Olympic telecasts achieved record ratings in China and the United States, and the games’ presence online was by far the most extensive ever.

Rogge said these Olympics would leave a lasting, positive legacy for China - improved transportation infrastructure, more grass-roots interest in recreational sports, a more aggressive approach to curbing air pollution and other environmental problems. Smog that enveloped the city early in the games gave way to mostly clear skies, easing fears that some endurance events might be hazardous for the athletes.

American rower Jennifer Kaido of West Leyden, N.Y., said the games exceeded her expectations.

“We were prepared for smog, pollution, demonstrations, but everything has gone very smoothly,” she said.

Rogge acknowledged that China, despite promises of press freedom during the games, continued to block access to numerous politically oriented Web sites, including those related to Tibet and the outlawed spiritual movement Falun Gong.

However, he contended that media restrictions were looser during the Olympics than beforehand, “and so we believe the games had a good influence.”

Human rights groups disagreed.

“The reality is that the Chinese government’s hosting of the games has been a catalyst for abuses, leading to massive forced evictions, a surge in the arrest, detention and harassment of critics, repeated violations of media freedom, and increased political repression,” said Sophie Richardson of Human Rights Watch. “Not a single world leader who attended the games or members of the IOC seized the opportunity to challenge the Chinese government’s behavior in any meaningful way.”

Led by Phelps and Bolt, athletes broke 43 world records and 132 Olympic records during the games. Yet Rogge, who visited every venue, said the most touching moment for him came after the 10-meter air pistol event, when gold medalist Nino Salukvadze of Georgia embraced runner-up Natalia Paderina of Russia even as their two countries’ armies fought back in Georgia.

“That kind of sportsmanship is really remarkable.

Permatang Pauh Scene @ Night

This scene was taken around 8:30pm on 25-08-08 in Permatang Pauh. The town was decorated with alot of flags and banners. Trafic was smooth flowing.
In this by-election, it will be a three-cornered fight between BN’s Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah, PKR Advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Hanafi Mamat of Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (AKIM) for the P44 Parliamentary seat in the Aug 26 by-election.

P44 Permatang Pauh By-Election

Shot taken from Permatang Pauh By-Election campaign in Permatang Pauh around 8:30pm on 25-08-08. It’s a three corner fight between BN’s Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah, PKR Advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Hanafi Mamat of Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (AKIM) for P44 Parliamentary Seat in the Aug 26 by-election.

Russia's Kaniskina wins 20km walk

Russia's Olga Kaniskina led from the start and battled through relentless rain to win Olympic gold in the women's 20-kilometre walk on Thursday.

World champion Kaniskina jumped to the lead on her first step and slowly pulled away from the pack as she built a decisive one-minute lead going into the final kilometres to finish in an Olympic record of one hour, 26 minutes and 31 seconds.

"I haven't broken the world record because of the weather (but) it was better than a sunny and hot day," Kaniskina said.

Athens bronze medallist Jane Saville was the leading Australian, finishing 20th in 1:31:17.

Fellow Australian Claire Woods was 28th and Kellie Wapshott finished 40th, both on their Olympic debuts.

Kaniskina's victory gave Russia their fifth athletics gold, placing the Russians atop the track and field medal table ahead of Jamaica, with four gold medals.

Norway's Kjersti Platzer, silver medallist in 2000, finished second with a 36-second deficit, while Italy's Elisa Rigaudo took bronze after a late surge brought her back into medal contention.

"Today I thought I'll take the chance and if I blow it at the end, I don't care," Platzer said. "I started my Olympic career with silver and I'm ending my Olympic career with a silver."

China's Liu Hong, who finished a distant 19th at last year's world championship, came home in fourth place in a personal best time but her kick was not enough for a medal.

"I've been working so hard for the Olympic Games and that was the best I could do but I'm a little disappointed," Liu said.

European champion Ryta Turava of Belarus led the chasing pack until the final kilometres but, struggling with exhaustion, she dropped back after being forced to stop several times and finished in a distant 11th place.

Kaniskina's golden hopes got a boost halfway through the race when Tatyana Kalmykova, Russia's national champion and one of the main challengers, was disqualified for not making contact with the ground.

China's Yang Mingxia, who was also seen as a potential medal contender, was also disqualified

‘New’ Cabinet list circulating

KUALA LUMPUR: A “new” Cabinet list with named “Jemaah Menteri Malaysia 2008” is being circulated at the Parliament Lobby here with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the Prime Minister.

No body claimed ownership to the list, which also features Lim Kit Siang (DAP - Ipoh Timur) as Deputy Prime Minister cum Internal Security Minister, R. Sivarasa (PKR - Subang) as another Deputy Prime Minister also looking after law and judiciary and Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee, also the Deputy Prime Minister from Sabah/ Sarawak.

In the list, Yong, the SAPP president, is also named rural development minister.

Others included on the list as senior ministers are Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang (PAS - Marang) taking charge of religious affairs, Karpal Singh (DAP - Bukit Gelugor) as integrity affairs and federal ties minister, William Leong (PKR- Selayang) as economics cum international trade and industry minister.

Lim, when contacted, said he was not aware of the list and had not seen it yet.

PKR information chief Tian Chua (PKR - Batu) said the list was ridiculous and it was not done by PKR.

“The list is being circulated in Permatang Pauh,” he said.

Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar (PAS - Tumpat), the PAS secretary-general, said the list was not authoritative and was done with sarcasm, to stop some Barisan MPs from crossing over to the opposition.

“The new government, should it be formed, will include Barisan Nasional MPs because we do not have enough MPs.

“The new government should be inclusive of the current Cabinet. There are good MPs from BN to be retained,” said Kamaruddin.

Bolt’s home town parties after golden double

KINGSTON, Jamaica (Reuters) - Usain Bolt’s home parish was quickly into party mode after the big Jamaican clinched his second Olympic sprint gold medal in world record time in Beijing.

Parties sprung up like bush fires and sections of the north western parish of Trelawny were not planning on doing anything else but celebrate long into the Caribbean night following Bolt’s 200 meters triumph on Wednesday.

“There is a big motorcade in the town square of Falmouth that has been going on for more than two hours,” Bolt family friend and member of the local municipal council, Phillip Service, told Reuters by telephone.

“The town square was blocked for more than an hour before it cleared a bit but the celebrations are continuing.

“Some persons have placed desks in the road and placed a vast amount of liquor on them for everyone to drink and be merry. It is just like carnival down here,” Service said.

Bolt sped to victory in the 200 meters in a world record 19.30 seconds, to win his second Olympic gold medal in four days.

His father Wellesley left Jamaica for China late on Tuesday

to mark his son’s 22nd birthday on Thursday but friends and relatives of the sprint sensation are making plans for the celebration to continue.

“There will be a massive street dance in his home community of Sherwood Content later tonight,” Service said.

“We are also getting a committee together to plan a big home-coming celebration for whenever Usain decides to come home,” Service said.

President of the Trelawny Chamber of Commerce Dennis Seivright hailed Bolt’s performance as one that would lift the profile of the parish known for its production of yams and tourism.

“This will do us proud,” Seivright said.

“I was so excited. It was as if I had won the gold myself. This is truly amazing,” Seivright said.

Olympic roundup: Bolt’s double vs. Phelps’ feats?

Move over, Michael. Make way for Usain.

The Beijing Olympics will no longer be remembered only for what Michael Phelps did in the pool. Usain Bolt made sure of it on the track Wednesday night.

Already the champion at 100 meters, Bolt whizzed through the 200, too, making him the first winner of both Olympic sprints since Carl Lewis in 1984.

Yet Bolt one-upped Lewis, Jesse Owens and the other guys who’ve pulled off the 100-200 double. The long, lanky, joyous Jamaican also set a world record in both races, and that’s never been done at an Olympics.

“I blew my mind,” said Bolt, “and I blew the world’s mind.”

So now it’s time for a new debate, sports fans. Which is more impressive: Phelps’ eight gold medals and seven world records or Bolt leaving no doubt that he’s the fastest man in the world, the fastest man ever?

Bolt’s victory made memorable a day that was supposed to be a bit of a lull before the big finish this weekend. Only 11 medals were decided, fewest since the first day of competition.

There was other notable news, though, like the U.S. softball and men’s basketball teams getting tested before moving closer to playing for gold. There also was the first-ever medal of any color at any Olympics for Afghanistan (a bronze in men’s taekwondo), the debut of BMX cycling and another doping case, this one involving a medal winner.

The first-ever BMX medal, however, will be postponed a day as heavy rain Thursday morning forced a number of changes to the schedule. Olga Kaniskina of Russia flashed a huge smile as she won the women’s 20K race walk, a marked contrast to the competitors in the men’s javelin who struggled in slippery conditions.

The International Olympic Committee said it is investigating Ukraine’s Lyudmila Blonska. If found guilty of a doping offense, the 30-year-old Blonska would lose her silver medal in heptathlon and be expelled from the games.

Another piece of news is that these Summer Games are on pace to be the most-watched in history, a figure skewed by how many of China’s 1.3 billion residents were tuned in.

Then again, Phelps—and now Bolt—are making for must-see TV.

The United States still leads the medal count, up only 82-79 over China. The hosts bumped their gold count to 45, with a first-ever sailing victory joining the list.

China already has won more golds than the United States won when it hosted the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and has tied the number won by the Soviet Union in 1992. The Soviets won 55 in 1988, which is now within range for the Chinese, especially with 86 more golds to be decided through Sunday. Track and field

Bolt needed only 19.30 seconds to go from start to finish and he made sure not to waste any time showboating.

Pushing with all he had in his favorite event, Bolt broke Michael Johnson’s mark that had stood since Atlanta by a mere 0.02, but his margin of victory— 0.66—was the biggest ever in the Olympic 200.

Bolt is the ninth man to sweep the 100-200. But Bolt is likely more excited about being the first man to own the 100 and 200 world records since fellow Jamaican Donald Currie did it in the 1970s.

One more number of note: 22, Bolt’s age as of Thursday. During his victory lap, a version of “Happy Birthday” played over the loudspeakers inside the Bird’s Nest as Bolt took off his gold shoes and wrapped the Jamaican flag around his shoulders like a scarf.

While most eyes were on Bolt, judges saw that the second- and third-place finishers—including American Wallace Spearmon—went outside their lanes. They were disqualified, bumping Americans Shawn Crawford and Walter Dix up to silver and bronze.

Also at the Bird’s Nest on Wednesday:

— The Jamaican flag also waved proudly for Melaine Walker, who won the women’s 400-meter hurdles. American Sheena Tosta got silver.

— Aksana Miankova of Belarus set an Olympic record in winning the women’s hammer throw.

— Bernard Lagat advanced to the 5,000-meter final, moving on the Saturday night’s medal race.

— Three Jamaicans and three Americans were among those advancing to the women’s 200 finals, which will be Thursday night. Men’s basketball

This is what goes down as a “tough test” for the U.S. squad of NBA All-Stars: A five-point lead in the second quarter that turned to 12 by halftime … and was never close again.

“Sooner or later we’ll impose our will,” U.S. point guard Chris Paul said. “I don’t know if you can keep up with us for 40 minutes.”

Australia sure couldn’t. After a tight game into the fourth quarter on Aug. 5, the Aussies hung with the American until the middle of the second quarter but that was it. Kobe Bryant scored nine points during a 14-0 surge to open the second half and the only question after that was how much they would win by. It wound up being 31 points, 116-85.

Next up will be Manu Ginobili and defending champion Argentina on Friday night, with a spot in the gold-medal game going to the winner. The Argentines beat Greece 80-78, with the Greeks missing a potential winning 3-pointer in the final few seconds.

The Americans sure seem locked in toward their first gold medal in a major international competition since the 2000 Sydney Games.

China’s run before its adoring home fans ended with a 72-59 loss to Lithuania.

“I’m really happy, but also a little sad about our result,” said Yao, who battled back from an NBA season-ending foot injury in the spring to be ready for the Beijing Games. “We were determined to fight, but were limited by our capabilities.”

Lithuania advances to play Spain in the semifinals Friday night. The Spaniards advanced with a 72-59 victory over Croatia, led by 20 points from Pau Gasol. Softball

The U.S. came as close to defeat as they have in a long time. Not that it mattered in the end.

The Americans were in a scoreless tie with Japan after seven innings, then scored four runs in the ninth—three on a looooong homer by Crystl Bustos—for a 4-1 victory and a spot in the gold-medal game.

Again, their opponent will be Japan in what will be the last Olympic softball game until at least 2016.

The Japanese beat Australia 4-3 in 12 innings later to advance, leaving the Aussies with the bronze. Baseball

The guys went to extra innings against Japan, too, and also pulled out a win.

Brian Barden singled in the go-ahead run to break a scoreless tie in the 11th inning on the way to a 4-2 victory. The Americans earned the third seed in Friday’s medal round, with the Japanese getting fourth.

The U.S. will play defending champion Cuba, while Japan will take on South Korea. the only undefeated team. Diving

Now comes the tough part for China: The 10-meter platform, the one event the Chinese didn’t win at the two previous Olympics.

They’re off to a good start this time, with teenagers Chen Ruolin and Wang Xin leading the women’s standings in preliminaries.

China already has six gold medals in diving and is looking for two more to make it a clean sweep.

Attempting to avoid a second straight shutout in the diving medals for the United States, Laura Wilkinson was fifth after completing the second-best dive of the opening round. She won this event in Sydney and the Americans have not won a medal in diving since. Cycling

Remember the spark snowboard cross put into the Winter Games in Turin? Maybe bicycle motorcross—BMX, to those in the know—will do the same.

American racers Mike Day and Kyle Bennett gave the crowd a great introduction to the sport, with Day winning the time trial and each of his three quarterfinal heats and Bennett advancing but also dislocating his left shoulder in a wreck on his final heat.

Top-ranked racer Donny Robinson also moved on, as did Jill Kintner, the lone American in the 16-racer women’s field, who is competing despite a shredded knee ligament.

“You can’t get much more rad than this,” Robinson said. Wrestling

Ben Askren has to be thinking, “I cut my hair for this?”

The bushy-haired former NCAA champion who promised a gold medal lost in freestyle’s 74-kilogram round of 16, ending his Olympics after two matches. The gold ended up around the same neck it has been placed at the last two Olympics— Buvaysa Saytiev of Russia. The three straight golds in the sport ties a record.

“I lost—I don’t know what to say, my dreams are crushed,” said Askren, who cut the hair he’d been growing for two years because he feared having it pulled.

Doug Schwab, a former NCAA champion, lost in the 66-kg qualifications but made the bronze-medal bracket when the guy who beat him advanced. Schwab ended up losing again. Turkey’s Ramazan Sahin won the bracket.

Also, the Court of Arbitration for Sport will investigate the Greco-Roman bout that so incensed Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian that he dropped his bronze medal in disgust and eventually had it stripped by the International Olympic Committee. Taekwondo

Mexico’s Guillermo Perez has a gold medal. And Afghanistan now has a medal, period.

Perez won the men’s under 58-kg division, beating Yulis Gabriel Mercedes of the Dominican Republic. A bronze went to Rohullah Nikpai, marking the first ever medal—in any sport—for Afghanistan.

In the women’s under 49-kg class, reigning world champion Wu Jingyu of China took the gold. Men’s volleyball

The U.S. men beat Serbia, remaining undefeated and earning a spot in the semifinals against Russia.

Brazil plays Italy in the other semifinal match on Friday. Men’s water polo

The U.S. squad knows who it will be playing in the semifinals: Serbia. The other semi will pit reigning European champs Montenegro against two-time defending Olympic gold medalist Hungary.

Serbia beat Spain to advance. Montenegro moved on by upsetting Croatia, which came in as the world’s No. 1 team. Kayak

American Rami Zur failed to qualify for the finals of the men’s 1,000-meter single kayak (K-1).

China added three boats to the finals, with the 1,000-meter canoe double team, the 1,000 K-2 and the 1,000 K-4 all qualifying. Men’s beach volleyball

The stunning loss in the tournament opener seems like ancient history for Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, especially now that the Americans are playing for the gold medal.

The guys needed only 41 minutes to eliminate Georgia in straight sets in the semifinals, then watched Brazil’s No. 2 team beat its best, the Athens gold medalists. Boxing

British middleweight James Degale beat former Olympic champion Bakhtiyar Artayev of Kazakhstan to clinch Britain’s third boxing medal in Beijing, while Vijender Kumar clinched the first boxing medal in India’s history.

Cuba’s last two fighters also reached the semifinals with one-sided victories, guaranteeing a whopping eight medals for the sport’s now-unquestioned power. Flyweight Andris Laffita earned a marquee meeting with Russia’s Georgy Balakshin, while middleweight Emilio Correa emulated his medal-winning father with a win over Uzbekistan’s Elshod Rasulov.

Italy’s Vincenzo Picardi left the arena on his coach’s shoulders after beating Tunisia’s Walid Cherif to clinch a medal. Italy already clinched medals for its two heaviest fighters, world champions Roberto Cammarelle and Clemente Russo, but rarely does well in the lighter classes. Women’s field hockey

The U.S. had a chance to finish seventh. It didn’t happen.

At least it took two extra periods before Spain beat the Americans. The tournament was a total loss, though, as the ladies beat New Zealand and had draws with world No. 2 Argentina, Japan and Britain. The team’s other loss was to defending Olympic champion Germany.

“I think with more experience on these top levels, as we continue to play against the best teams in the world on a consistent basis, that’s what’s really going to continue to develop this team and this program,” U.S. captain Kate Barber said. Sailing

China found another sport to pad its gold-medal count, getting its first ever victory in sailing when windsurfer Yin Jian claimed the women’s RS:X class. Yin won silver four years ago.

“Is it real? Is it real? Did I really win gold?” Yin asked after the finish.

New Zealand’s Tom Ashley won the men’s RS:X. Bronze went to Israel’s Shahar Zubari, who has been under intense scrutiny in his homeland because during his national trials he defeated windsurfer Gal Fridman, who won Israel’s first-ever Olympic gold in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Open-water swimming

Larisa Ilchenko of Russia drafted behind the leading British duo most of the 6.2-mile race, then sprinted to a gold medal in the final 50 meters (yards).

The 25-woman race looked a lot like roller derby in water, turning lane-swimming into a contact sport.

The pace-setting Brits, Keri-Anne Payne and Cassandra Patten, got silver and bronze.

Natalie du Toit of South Africa, who lost her left leg below the knee in a motorcycle accident in 2001, finished 16th.

“My message isn’t just to disabled people,” du Toit said. “It’s to everyone out there that you have to work hard. I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs … but I’ve seen a lot of good things along the way. I was able to use the negativism in a good light and say after my accident, ‘I can still do it if I work hard.’” Synchronized swimming

Call them A-2. Or, Anastasia Squared.

Or just say that the Russian synchronized swimming duo of Anastasia Davydova and Anastasia Ermakova have repeated as Olympic champions. The pair received all perfect 10s for technical merit on their free routine.

“We waited four years for this gold and a whole row of 10s was our crowning achievement,” Ermakova said.

The Americans were fifth. Table tennis

All three members of the Chinese squad advanced easily in women’s singles competition, especially Zhang Yining, the defending gold medalist and top-ranked player in the world.

Two U.S. players—Gao Jun and Wang Chen—also stayed alive. Men’s handball

Croatia’s gold-medal defense reached the semifinals with a victory over Denmark. The Croats will next play the French, who beat Russia.

Iceland will play Spain in the other semifinal. Iceland defeated Poland and Spain beat South Korea.

ABHINAV BINDRA -INDIA GOLD WINNING SHOT VIDEO

ABHINAV BINDRA -INDIA GOLD WINNING SHOT VIDEO

Abhinav, we are very proud of your Olympic achievement by winning gold, regardless of any sports situation in India. May your country follow your example and win more golds!

First Phelps, then Bolt in Olympic greatness..

First the fastest man in the water. Now the fastest man on Earth.

The Chinese are having themselves quite the Olympics.

Michael Phelps gave us something we’ll probably never see again. Usain Bolt followed with something we had to see to believe.

He ran like Secretariat on two legs, blew away the field like Tiger Woods playing in a club championship.

It looked easy because it was. His fellow sprinters looked befuddled because they were.

No one was ever supposed to be this fast. No one was ever supposed to be this good.

A few days earlier Bolt clowned around on his way to a world record in the 100, toying with the other runners as if asking them why they had even bothered.

For his encore, he kept running all the way to the finish line to smash a world record in the 200 that had stood the test of time.

He did it while Phelps was jetting off to London, his eight gold medals safely stored and his place in this Olympics assured. These were always Phelps’ games, at least as far as NBC and its American audience were concerned, but Bolt reminded us that television doesn’t always dictate who is the star of the games.

The numbers can be debated, and they certainly will in the rural Jamaican parish that grows yams and sprinters. Two gold medals (with a possible third still to come in the 400 relay) against eight hardly seems a fair fight, but this was dominance as utter on land as it was in the pool.

Bolt did what no one thought possible, not only winning the races that define human speed but setting world records in both. He was so far ahead in both races that he could have turned around and run backward the last 30 meters and still won.

Then he did something Phelps always looked uncomfortable doing.

He celebrated.

Not just a little wave to the crowd, quick hug to a teammate kind of celebration.

A real celebration.

Bolt kissed the track and draped himself in the Jamaican flag. He danced and preened, showed everyone his golden spikes, and watched himself on the giant video screen at the end of the stadium.

He might still be dancing had they not needed to clear the track for Melaine Walker to add to Jamaica’s track treasures with a gold medal of her own in the 400 hurdles.

We watched last week as Phelps gave his mother flowers after all of his wins, a nice touch that NBC wasn’t shy about showing. Bolt gave his country— and a sport that was badly in need of a boost—an even bigger present with his startling run into history.

“He’s a bad mamma-jamma,” said silver medalist Shawn Crawford. “The guy came out and made this the best Olympics of my lifetime.”

Actually, what Bolt did was wrap a bow around these games as almost certainly the best Olympics of anyone’s lifetime. What else could they be when a man in the water did such astonishing things the first week and a man on the track did equally astonishing things the second.

Phelps started it all by thrilling everyone in his relentless—and ultimately successful—bid to break a 36-year-old record held by Mark Spitz.

And Bolt? All he did was bring down Superman.

“He’s Superman 2,” said Michael Johnson, who got his nickname after shocking the world with the 19.32 he ran in the 1996 Olympics.

No he’s not. He’s so good he deserves a nickname of his own.

“My name is Lightning Bolt, not Flash Gordon,” Bolt said.

On this sultry night in the Bird’s Nest, the Lightning Bolt struck quickly, with Bolt coming out of the turn with a big lead on his way to a 19.30 that will stand until the next time he wants to beat it. While other runners pump their fists and grind down the track, the 6-foot-5 Bolt seems to glide above it as if he’s wearing a cape of his own.

He runs for fun and he runs for glory. Then he runs for a microphone to tell the world all about it.

“I blew my mind,” Bolt said. “I blew the world’s mind.”

Yes he did, because the world didn’t see this coming. While Phelps was a known commodity after winning six golds in Athens, Bolt was untested on the biggest stage and had to talk his coach into letting him enter the 100 as well as run his favorite 200.

He ran both so fast that the whispers were beginning before Bolt even draped himself in the flag. That’s the way things are in track, where three of the last five Olympic 100 winners eventually tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and where startling times are greeted with suspicion.

But Bolt has been tested four times in the past few weeks, three of them blood tests, and come up clean. His coaches insist it’s raw talent and hard work that makes him so fast, and we might just have to accept that he’s a freak of nature.

It’s not fair to question Bolt, and it wouldn’t be fair to question what makes Phelps go so fast.

Just sit back and appreciate the magical moments two great athletes gave us when it mattered the most.

Usain Bolt’s mind-blowing 200m world record - VIDEO

Usain Bolt’s mind-blowing 200m world record - VIDEO

Usain Bolt World record 9.69 secs - Bejing 2008 Real Video

See this video while you can, my itention is to share and give the Opportunity to see this video since some people couldnt do it.

Jamaica seek more glory after Bolt double

Jamaica celebrated Usain “Lightning” Bolt’s double sprint Olympic victory and set their sights on yet more track glory in China on Thursday.

Bolt was again the toast of his Caribbean homeland with a blistering 200 meters win at the end of Wednesday’s action that broke American sprinter Michael Johnson’s 1996 world record.

Added to his earlier 100m victory, that made Bolt the first man since America’s Carl Lewis in 1984 to win the double and cemented Jamaica’s reputation for speed as well as reggae.

“I’m Number One,” the joyous athlete mouthed at cameras, thumping his chest and blowing kisses at the 91,000 Bird’s Nest crowd. They sang “Happy Birthday” to Bolt, who is 22 on Thursday.

In a remarkable double disqualification causing debate into the early hours, Americans Shawn Crawford and Walter Dix came fourth and fifth after Bolt but took silver and bronze when two athletes ahead were disqualified for running out of lanes.
The Jamaican, variously dubbed the “U-Bolt” and “Insane Usain,” may now return to the track and try for a third gold in the 400m men’s relay at the weekend.

Before then, the limelight turns to Jamaica’s similarly high-achieving women in Thursday’s 200m showdown.

Jamaican women have already swept the 100m medals.

The joint silver medalists from that race, Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart, plus defending champion Veronica Campbell-Brown, will lead the Jamaican charge in the 200m at 7.30 p.m. on Day 12 of the Games in the Bird’s Nest.

In a Jamaica versus U.S. speed showdown, world champion Allyson Felix, Muna Lee and Marshevet Hooker are the ones hoping to regain sprinting pride for the sport’s traditional superpower.

Campbell-Brown was relishing the chance to bring more gold home. “Over the years, Jamaica is very strong, and I think everyone is just working very hard,” she said.

Also looming on Thursday is the 110 meters hurdles final, which was shaping into one of the high points of the Games but is now deflated by the absence of Chinese idol Liu Xiang.

The Olympic champion limped off injured during a heat, leaving Chinese fans in tears and clearing the way for Cuban world record-holder Dayron Robles.

“I’m very calm. I’ll win the gold medal,” he said.

CHINESE POWER

The Chinese can at least console themselves with a look at the gold medal table, where they have built up a seemingly unassailable lead of 45. The hosts’ new sporting superpower status mirrors their growing global economic and political clout.

On a packed day of athletics, Americans Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merrit go head-to-head in the 400m on Thursday too.

The decathlon starts with 100 meters rounds, where Czech world record holder and Olympic champion Roman Sebrle will test his battered body once again in athletics’ most grueling event.

He was speared in the shoulder by a javelin in early 2007.

Away from the track, beach volleyball has been a hit in China, with the tanned players, scantily-clad entertainers and rock music drawing crowds in a carnival atmosphere.

Defending champions and triple world title holders Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh of the United States take on China’s top team in the women’s final.

U.S. women also figure in the soccer final against Brazil, hoping to repeat their victory against the South Americans in Athens four years ago.

“We’re pumped. Bring it on,” said midfielder Heather O’Reilly.

Bombarded with criticisms over pollution and human rights in the Games run-up, China’s Communist government must be delighted with the near-total focus on sport since the Olympics started.

While the hosts will probably be remembered for fantastic organization and an overall medals win, there is no doubt which individuals will be forever associated with Beijing 2008: Jamaica’s Bolt and American swimmer Michael Phelps.

Bolt refused to be drawn into comparisons with Phelps, who won an unprecedented eight golds at the Games. “I’m on the track, he’s in the water, so we can’t compare that pretty much, but he’s a great athlete and I congratulate him,” Bolt told reporters.

With Phelps having achieved what nobody has done before— eight golds in one Games and 14 Olympic golds in his career— the world has been wondering just what makes such a man.

Unfortunately for mere mortals, such success depends largely on natural brilliance as well as all the years of training, according to his coach and mentor Bob Bowman. He described first seeing Phelps’s unmatched swimming ability at the age of 11.

“I’d never seen anything like it and when I went home that night I couldn’t sleep I was so excited,” he said.

“But of course I didn’t tell him that.”

The rest, as we now know, is history.

The Greatest Man On Earth

He didn’t own a mansion on a hill
He didn’t drive a fancy automobile
He didn’t travel with the in crowd
He didn’t act as if he were too proud

He wasn’t the subject of tabloids pens
He never gossiped about his friends
He didn’t wear designer clothes of hue
He wore barefoot sandals instead of shoes

He had no earthly riches; not one red cent
He gave what he had and on others he spent
He accumulated no earthly treasures
He wasn’t interested in worldly pleasures

He heard the peoples’ cries and their laments
He gave them is blessings wherever he went
He healed their sicknesses and saved their souls
He gave them something far greater than gold

He was a virtuous man completely without vice
He gave His all and paid a heavy price
His gifts to man were more than money was worth
Jesus Christ was the greatest man on earth

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road your trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and its turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When they might have won, had they stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victors cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when your hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit!

The Reasons I Love You

I love you for that certain smile
that cheers me when I’m blue,
I love you for your tender kiss
that warms me through and through.

I love you for your gentle hand,
your understanding touch,
Your eyes that always seem to say,
“I love you very much.”

I love you for your faith in me,
your sweet and patient ways,
And for the thoughtful things you do
so often without praise.

I love you so for all these things
and many others, too…
But most of all for what I am
whenever I’m with you!

Cherished Friend

God must have known there would be times
We’d need a word of cheer
Someone to praise a triumph
Or brush away a tear.

He must have known we’d need to share
The joy of “little things”
In order to appreciate
The happiness life brings.

I think he knew our troubled hearts
Would sometimes throb with pain
At trials and misfortunes
Or some goals we can’t attain.

He knew we’d need the comfort
Of an understanding heart
To give us strength and courage
To make a fresh, new start.

He knew we’d need companionship
Unselfish…lasting…true,
And so God answered the heart’s great need
With a Cherised Friend….

Dr Koh: BN state govt had near perfect land record

KUALA LUMPUR: Penang under the Barisan Nasional government had a near-perfect record in handling land matters if not for five to seven “botched” cases, former Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said.

He said the state Exco’s performance would have been more than 99.9% if not for the botched cases in a debate entitled The True Story Behind the Land Controversy in Penang organised by online media Agenda Daily. In replying to the land scam allegations by current Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng that the previous state government was still trying to cover up their tracks, Dr Koh said: “Don’t use two or three cases to blame the previous government and tarnish our name.

“Every year the state Exco solved more than 500 land papers, which meant that in 15 years it was almost 10,000 cases. If there were mistakes in not more than seven cases, our performance is already 99.9%,” Koh said yesterday.

His debate opponent Lim Guan Eng, however, had a cynical reply at hand.

“It’s worrying enough to have only six or seven cases as it already involves up to millions of ringgit,” he said.

Lim had also questioned Dr Koh repeatedly as to why the officer involved in the RM40mil botched land deal was only given a warning, to which Dr Koh replied that the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) had investigated the matter twice, but did not have “solid evidence that a crime had occurred”.

Dr Koh then took his turn to pry Lim instead.

Dr Koh: The case is still open. The Chief Minister can still take action. Why has he not conducted a deeper investigation than the one done by the previous government?

Lim: Why didn’t we do more internal investigations? It’s double jeopardy. How can we punish him twice for the same mistake? But in the first place, why was he let off with only a warning?

To a question that Lim had also accused Koh of leaving him with an empty office without any files, Dr Koh replied: “His accusation is altogether baseless. The Chief Minister’s office on the 28th floor (of the Komtar Building in Penang) is 4,267sq metres (14,000 sq ft). And the Chief Minister’s office alone is less than 609 sq metres (2000sq ft).

“But most important is the bilik sulit (private room). In the office there are thousands of files. This is a case of shooting before looking, and one that causes misunderstanding to the rakyat,” he said.

Afganistan wins first Olympic medal

Afghanistan won its first Olympic medal Wednesday, when Rohullah Nikpai defeated world champion Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain to take the bronze in the men’s under 58-kilogram taekwondo competition.

Nikpai, a flashy kicker who has been practicing the Korean martial art since he was 10, defeated Ramos easily in their bronze medal contest, outscoring the limping Spaniard.

Nikpai placed second in the World Taekwondo Federation’s world qualifying event in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam last year.

The win brings him a US$50,000 prize from a mobile phone company in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan will get another chance at a medal in taekwondo. Nesar Ahmad Bahave is competing in a heavier weight class.

Melaine Walker wins women’s 400m hurdles

Melaine Walker of Jamaica has won the gold medal in the women’s 400m hurdles in an Olympic record time.

Walker won in 52.64 seconds in tonight’s final, with Sheena Tosta of the United States taking silver in 53.70 and Tasha Danvers of Britain third in 53.84.

The hurdles final was wide open with world record-holder Yulia Pechonkina skipping the Olympics because of a heart problem, two-time world champion Jana Rawlinson out injured and reigning Olympic champion Fani Halkia expelled after testing positive for a steroid.

Bolt wins 200m gold in world record

Jamaican Usain Bolt confirmed his place in the sprinters’ pantheon tonight, winning the Olympic 200m title in world record time.

There can be no greater compliment for a sprinter than to be spoken of in the same exalted tones as all-time greats Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson.

That is the company now being kept by Bolt.

His time of 19.30 stripped two hundredths of a second off the 12-year-old 200m record set by Johnson at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

It was his second gold medal and his second world record in Beijing, having also gone faster than any man in history in the 100m final last weekend.

In the 100m final, Bolt - who turns 22 tomorrow - was celebrating well before he crossed the finish line.

Tonight he ran flat out for the whole distance, becoming the first man since Lewis at the 1984 Los Angeles Games to complete the Olympic 100m-200m double.

Churandy Martina of the Dutch Antilles was second in 19.82, American Wallace Spearmon initially claimed bronze in 19.85 but was later disqualified, lifting the defending Olympic champion Shawn Crawford of the US from fourth to third in 19.96 as the top five runners dipped under 20 seconds for the first time ever.

Earlier today, Johnson predicted his 200m world record - for so long considered untouchable - was under real threat from the Bolt assault.

“Nothing Bolt does will shock me,” Johnson said earlier today.

“He has been working on his start and the first part of the 100 proved he has worked on that.

“He’s going to have to turn the corner a lot better and run the corner better (to break the 200m record).”

“He has incredible speed and an incredibly long stride,” added Johnson, who won the Olympic 200m-400m double in 1996 and successfully defended the one-lap title four years later in Sydney.

“That affords him the ability to cover more ground with every stride the way no-one else can.”

Kelantan MB in hospital for exhaustion

KOTA BARU: Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has been admitted to the Perdana Specialist Hospital here for exhaustion.

He was admitted on Tuesday evening after complaining of fatigue following a hectic programme last week, when he attended both the annual PAS muktamar (gathering) in Perak and in Penang, and campaigned for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election.

According to a hospital spokesman, the 78-year-old Nik Abdul Aziz, who is also the PAS spiritual adviser, was resting and responding to treatment.

His political secretary Annual Bakri Haron, when contacted, refused to comment on Nik Abdul Aziz’s medical condition except to say he was expected to be back in Permatang Pauh on Sunday for the final run-up to the polling, scheduled on Aug 26.

Nik Abdul Aziz’s has been in poor health since suffering a mild heart attack in 2004, weeks after the general election then, and as a result, required a pacemaker to be implanted into him at the National Heart Institute.

Since then, he has been admitted occasionally for routine check-ups and rest.

US beats Japan 4-1 to advance to gold-medal game

BEIJING (AP) - Crystl Bustos hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning as the U.S. Olympic softball team beat Japan 4-1 in extra innings and will play for its fourth straight gold medal. The Americans (8-0) pushed across four in the ninth Wednesday to extend their Olympic winning streak to 22 games.

Tied after seven, the teams went to the international tiebreaker in the eighth as both began their at-bats with a runner at second base.

Bustos, softball’s greatest power hitter, hit her fifth homer of the games and 13th of her Olympic career. Monica Abbott pitched eight shutout innings for the U.S., which could face Japan again for gold Thursday

Turkey’s Sahin wins wrestling gold at 66 kg

BEIJING (AP): World champion Ramazan Sahin of Turkey has won the Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medal at 66 kilograms (145{ pounds) with a tight victory over Andriy Stadnik of Ukraine.

Sahin, also the European champion, won Wednesday’s fight 2-2, 2-1, 2-2 . He lost the first period on a tiebreaker because Stadnik scored the final points of the period, but winning the third the same way when he scored last.

Stadnik, leading 2-0 in the third, had Sahin in a gut wrench along the edge of the minute but Sahin managed to tilt Stadnik’s shoulders toward the mat for exposure while working his way out from the bottom position.

The bronzes went to Otar Tushishvili of Georgia, a semifinal loser to Sahin, and Sushil Kumar _ only the second Beijing medal won by India, a country of more than 1 billion.

Rice, Phelps in fleshy embrace

World-beater Michael Phelps has sparked a flurry of excitement by ditching his shirt to hug golden girl Stephanie Rice under some rare Beijing sun.

The pair were cheered as they posed together for photographs today, 48 hours after the close of the swimming competition which saw them each become the individual standouts of their respective national teams.

The twosome giggled as they looped arms around each other to promote sponsor Speedo, later joined by other Aussie swim stars including Libby Trickett, Grant Hackett and Eamon Sullivan.

The photographers and around 50 journalists gathered for a piece of the athletes, with Phelps and Rice the centre of attention.

“I definitely admire him for his athletic ability and everything he’s achieved,” Rice told ninemsn.

“I’m just really glad to be in the mix with that.”

Phelps was keen to let his hair down after a record-breaking eight gold medals from as many appearances, a feat that made him the most successful Olympic athlete of all time.

“I’ve had a lot of water and now it’s just time to relax a little bit,” Phelps said.

The swimmers, many of whom have been spotted out enjoying the Beijing nightlife, were clearly enjoying being free from their responsibilities.

Trickett told ninemsn there were “different celebrations for different people.”

“I went out on the first night and that’s probably going to be enough for me.”

Bahrain’s Ramzi wins historic 1500m gold

Rashid Ramzi has won the 1,500 metres to give Bahrain its first ever Olympic track and field gold medal.

The Moroccan-born Ramzi, the 2005 world champion over 800 and 1,500, won the final in 3 minutes, 32.94 seconds.

Kipruto Kiprop of Kenya took silver in 3:33.11 and Nicholas Willis of New Zealand got the bronze in 3:34.16.

Mehdi Baala of France, a two-time European champion and world championship silver medalist in 2003, was fourth.

Bernard Lagat, who edged Ramzi at the 2007 world championships, was eliminated in the semi-finals.

Johnson finally gets her gold

Shawn Johnson of the United States finally got her Olympic gold medal, blowing away the field Tuesday with her routine on the balance beam _ the last event of the women’s gymnastics competition.

Johnson, bothered by a headache before the competition, nailed her routine that was full of difficult tricks, earning a 16.225.

“This is what we expected to see,” said her coach Liang Chow. “The thing I really am pleased with is she was a little under the weather and she still was able to do a wonderful routine.”

The world champion, who already had a silver behind fellow American Nastia Liukin in the all-around, and a silver on floor and in the team event, edged Liukin, who finished with a gold, three silvers and a bronze. Cheng Fei of China took the bronze, giving China six women’s medals, two behind the Americans.

“This was the right ending to conclude the Olympic Games,” national team coordinator Martha Karolyi said. “We proved the supremacy of U.S. women’s gymnastics. Johnson “proved she is absolutely a great balance beam gymnast,” she said.

“It’s crazy,” the 16-year-old Johnson said. “I remember seeing Nastia have hers from the all-around and it is so pretty. Silver is really pretty, too.

The Chinese men swept the two events Tuesday, with Zou Kai winning high bar and Li Xaiopeng winning parallel bars. In all, China took all but one men’s event, the vault _ in which there was no Chinese finalist.

China’s men won the team title, Yang Wei took the all-around, and the Chinese also took the still rings, pommel horse and floor exercise. The United States got its only men’s individual medal when Jonathan Horton soared through an energetic high bar routine that drew almost as loud a roar as Zou’s performance. Horton also won bronze with the U.S. men in team finals. The Chinese men swept two events Tuesday, with Zou Kai winning high bar and Li Xaiopeng winning parallel bars. In all, China took all but one men’s event, the vault _ in which there was no Chinese finalist.

China’s men won the team title, Yang Wei took the all-around, and the Chinese also took the still rings, pommel horse and floor exercise.

The United States got its only men’s individual medal when Jonathan Horton soared through an energetic high bar routine that drew almost as loud a roar as Zou’s performance. Horton also won bronze with the U.S. men in team finals.

The U.S women won eight medals to six for China. Liukin’s five medals tied the record for an American in one games.

“I’m really happy for her,” Liukin said of Johnson, her roommate in Beijing. “Three silvers is kind of hard to take. I couldn’t be more proud of her.”

While Liukin and Johnson were regulars on the medals podium, Horton’s high bar silver was somewhat unexpected. He was up against a strong field that included the 2004 gold medalist, Igor Cassina of Italy, and leading qualifier Epke Zonderland of the Netherlands. Plus 2007 world champ Fabian Hambuechen of Germany.

Horton didn’t flinch among such heady company, and coach Mark Williams was so excited after Horton’s high-flying routine that he engulfed his gymnast in a huge hug on the podium.

Hambuechen got the bronze. Behind Li on parallel bars were South Korea’s Yoo Won-chul and Anton Fokin of Uzbekistan.

Li overpowered the bars, and the competition, adding this gold medal to his Sydney title. The 2000 gold medalist and two-time world champion began with a sensational leap forward from one end of the bars to the other _ using only his arms to catapult him.

When he stuck his landing, Li and his coach pumped their arms as if they were trying to touch the ceiling. Then again, the Chinese men already had blown off the roof of the National Indoor Stadium with their dominance. And the U.S. women weren’t far behind.

Polis tambah anggota, SPR bimbang ‘panas’ Lunas, Ijok berulang di Permatang Pauh

Polis tambah anggota, SPR bimbang ‘panas’ Lunas, Ijok berulang di Permatang Pauh


19-08-2008 02:43:18 AM

(Dikemas kini) PERMATANG PAUH: Ketegangan pilihan raya kecil Ijok dan Lunas bakal muncul di Permatang Pauh kali ini?

Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) tidak menolak kemungkinan tersebut walaupun tempoh berkempen masih di peringkat awal.

“Nampaknya daripada pemerhatian kami, keadaan agak panas… sama seperti di beberapa pilihan raya kecil seperti di Ijok, Sanggang, Lunas dan Pendang,” kata

Timbalan Pengerusi SPR, Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar ketika dihubungi mStar Online hari ini.

Pilihan raya kecil Permatang Pauh ini sudah pun mencatatkan rekod himpunan penyokong iringan terbesar dalam mana-mana pilihan raya kecil di negara ini.

Kempen pilihan raya kecil Parlimen Permatang Pauh masuk hari ketiga hari ini. Penamaan calon berlangsung kelmarin manakala pengundian 26 Ogos ini.

Kempen sebelah pagi hari ini agak terjejas ekoran hujan lebat sejak 9 pagi lagi.

Sejak semalam rondaan anggota polis telah dipertingkatkan.

mStar Online difahamkan kempen yang agak dingin sepanjang dua hari lalu akan agresif dan lebih rancak selepas ini memandangkan lebih ramai penyokong parti-parti politik yang bertanding akan membanjiri Permatang Pauh.

Sehubungan itu Wan Ahmad menegaskan, para penyokong parti politik harus menghormati undang-undang dan tidak bertindak menguatkuasakan undang-undang.

“Jangan ada mana-mana pihak yang bertindak menjadi polis… biarkan pihak polis yang buat kerja,” kata beliau.

Sejak 2000, Lunas, Pendang, Sanggang dan Ijok dilihat sebagai antara pilihan raya kecil paling panas, sekali gus menyaksikan pertembungan antara penyokong parti-parti yang bertanding. Malah kaum wanita juga tidak terkecuali daripada kejadian-kejadian kurang senonoh.

Meskipun parti-parti yang bertanding berjanji bahawa akan berusaha mengelak sebarang bentuk provokasi dan kekasaran ketika kempen tetapi insiden buruk telah direkodkan tidak sampai dua jam selepas sesi penamaan calon berakhir Sabtu lalu.

Wan Ahmad ditanya pendirian suruhanjaya berhubung perkembangan kempen sejak Sabtu lalu dan ekoran kekasaran yang dilaporkan dialami pekerja-pekerja BN dan wakil media.

Pada Sabtu lalu, jurugambar Kumpulan New Straits Times Press, Mohd Sairen Mohd Nafis, 26, dan Halim Berbar dari HBL Press News di Perancis diserang sekumpulan lelaki dekat pusat penamaan calon di pekarangan Institut Tuanku Bainun, Mengkuang, Bukit Mertajam.

Semalam Penasihat Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim berkata, adalah tidak adil untuk menuding jari ke arah pihaknya berhubung insiden tersebut.

Anwar yang juga calon PKR dan Pakatan Rakyat memberitahu, siasatan polis perlu dikendalikan dan perlu diambil tindakan tidak kira parti mereka wakili.

Sementara itu, dalam sesi ceramahnya di Bukit Jelutong di Permatang Pasir dekat sini, Anwar menasihati penyokongnya agar tidak bertindak di luar batasan dan sentiasa memberikan kerjasama kepada polis.

“Saya ini bukanlah antipolis. Jadi kita buatlah apa yang mereka suruh asal jangan bertentangan dengan apa yang kita mahu. Kita bukan mahu keganasan, kita mahu satu perubahan,” katanya kepada kira-kira 5,000 hadirin.

Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi ketika berada di sini semalam juga menyifatkan tindakan sekumpulan yang dipercayai penyokong PKR memukul dan mencederakan dua petugas media yang meliputi pilihan raya kecil Parlimen Permatang Pauh kelmarin sebagai amat memalukan.

Perdana Menteri berkata, perbuatan mereka itu adalah serius dan boleh dibawa kepada pihak berkuasa untuk dikenakan tindakan menurut undang-undang jenayah.

Semalam Pemuda Umno juga membuat laporan polis, mendakwa pekerja-pekerja BN telah dihalang daripada menaikkan poster dan kain rentang.

Ketika ditanya mengenai tindakan SPR, jelas beliau, pihaknya akan memastikan proses pilihan raya berjalan dengan lancar tanoa sebarang suasana tegang wujud.

“Saya rasa pemimpin-pemimpin parti dan penyokong perlu menghormati tugas dan tanggungjawab polis.

“Saya rasa membimbangkan (apabila mendengar ada perkembangan tidak sihat) tapi SPR akan terus menjalankan tugas untuk memastikan kelancaran proses pilihan raya.

“Kalau orang ramai bimbang akan berlaku keganasan dan ada orang tidak peraturan, ini akan menyebabkan minat orang ramai untuk mengambil bahagian dalam pilihan raya akan terjejas,” katanya.

Dalam pada itu, Pengarah Strategik Pilihan Raya Kebangsaan PKR, Saifudin Nasution Ismail berkata, pihaknya menolak keganasan dan kesal dengan berlaku setakat ini.

“Kami menolak keganasan, kesal dengan apa yang berlaku, mahu siasatan… faktanya kekal, dalam sejarah pilihan raya kecil di Malaysia, yang pernah mati bukannya penyokong BN, yang pernah maut adalah penyokong pembangkang.

“Saya merujuk kepada pilihan raya kecil Padang Terap 1986, dalam tragedi Lubuk Merbau, semasa lawatan petang Datuk Seri Najib (Tun Razak), ketika itu Ketua Pemuda, di Felda Lubuk Merbau.

“Penyokong Pas yang mati dipukul dengan batu-bata ialah Osman Talib, 33. Dia adalah ahli Pas yang dipukul oleh samseng Umno. Itu adalah fakta yang jangan dilupakan,” kata pada sidang media harian PKR di Penanti dekat sini.

Tambah Saifudin, dalam pilihan raya kecil Indera Kayangan, beliau selaku Pengarah Pilihan Raya Pemuda telah membuat 43 laporan polis sepanjang 10 hari berkempen.

“Bagaimana penyokong kita dipukul, dihalang berjumpa pengundi. Itu fakta, boleh semak dengan Ibu Pejabat Polis di Kangar,” katanya.

Saiful gives statement to religious department (updated)

KUALA LUMPUR: Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, 23, who has accused Parti Keadilan Rakyat advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of sodomising him, gave a statement on the allegation to the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) Tuesday.

According to Bernama, he was dressed in a blue shirt and black pants and he wore a songkok when he arrived at the Jawi office at 10am. He was accompanied by his father, Azlan Mohd Lazim, and lawyer, Zamri Idris and escorted by police officers in plainclothes.

Saiful is believed to have been called by Jawi to give a statement relating to his sodomy allegation.

After spending more than three hours with Jawi officers, Saiful was taken away in a silver Proton Waja at 1.15pm. He left the Jawi office through the back exit without speaking to reporters who were waiting outside the building.

Minutes later counsel Zamri emerged from the building but declined to give comments. He also refused to confirm or deny if the meeting was related to Anwar’s case.

Anwar pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here on Aug 8 to sodomising his former aide in a condominium here on June 26.

Last Friday, Saiful swore on the Quran at the Federal Territory Mosque that he had been sodomised by Anwar on June 26 and that it was not consensual.

World indoor long jump champion Gomes out in qualifying

BEIJING (AP): World indoor champion Naide Gomes of Portugal was the main victim during a brutal day of qualifying for the women’s Olympic long jump final Tuesday.

Joining the year’s top performer on the sidelines was five-time world indoor champion Tatyana Kotova, who finished 14th with only the top dozen advancing.

Triple jump bronze medalist Hrysopiyi Devetzi of Greece was also eliminated in 15th place, and triple jump world champion Yargelis Savigne of Cuba lagged in 18th.

“It’s a shame. A final should be with the best ones,” said Carolina Kluft of Sweden, who did advance.

Anju Bobby George of India, the 2003 world championship bronze medalist, hurt her right foot on her last warmup jump and failed on all three of her attempts.

She said the surface was too fast and “we’re not getting the rhythm.”

“It’s good for the runners, not so good for the jumpers,” she said.

U.S. jumper Brittney Reese had the top mark of 6.87 meters, ahead of Maurren Higa Maggi of Brazil at 6.79.

Heptathlon silver medalist Lyudmila Blonska of Ukraine was third at 6.76, edging triple jump runner-up Tatyana Lebedeva.

And after failing to make the triple jump final, Kluft saved her Olympics by getting comfortably through in the long jump.

“I just want to jump my best and try to break my PB. We’ll see how far that takes me,” Kluft said, referring to her mark of 6.97.

The 2004 Olympic heptathlon champion switched away from her best event to try a new challenge.

Gomes, the dominating jumper of the season, had only lost one competition and was a strong favorite to add the Olympic gold to her indoor title from Valencia, Spain, in March.

She set a season’s best of 7.12 meters in the run-up to the Olympics last month.

But she imploded at the Bird’s Nest, fouling on her first two attempts before she stutter-stepped during her final attempt for a jump of 6.29 that left her 32nd overall.

“I am not happy but it’s life,” Gomes said. Only those reaching 6.75 or the top 12 jumpers qualified for Friday’s final.

Earlier report

BEIJING (AP): World indoor champion Naide Gomes of Portugal failed to make it into the final of the long jump competition at the Olympics on Tuesday.

The dominating jumper of the season, she had only lost one competition and was a strong favorite to add the Olympic gold to her indoor title from Valencia in March.

She set a season’s best of 7.12 meters in the runup to the Olympics last month.

She imploded at the Bird’s Nest on Tuesday morning, fouling on her first two attempts before she made a mess of her runup on her final attempt for a jump of 6.29 that left her 16th in her group.

Only those reaching 6.75 or the top 12 jumpers qualified for Friday’s final.

Germany’s Frodeno wins triathlon at the wire

BEIJING (AP): Jan Frodeno of Germany has won the men’s triathlon, edging Simon Whitfield of Canada in an exciting four-man sprint finish.

Whitfield led momentarily just a few meters (yards) from the finish line, but Frodeno raced past him to win by about 5 seconds.

Bevan Docherty of New Zealand took the bronze.

Favorite Javier Gomez of Spain was also in the final group of leaders, but the 2008 world champion didn’t appear to have the energy for a strong finish.

He ended up fourth.

Whitfield won the gold medal in 2000 in Sydney, the first year triathlon medals were awarded at the Olympics.

Docherty was the silver medalist four years ago in Athens.

Chong Wei touched by show of support

SEPANG: Lee Chong Wei returned home yesterday with a heavy heart after his failure to nail the first gold medal for Malaysia in the Olympics.

But getting a hero’s welcome at the Kuala Lumpur International Aiport (KLIA) brought back the smile on his face. About 300 people with huge congratulatory banners greeted Chong Wei and the Malaysian badminton team at the arrival hall to the beat of the kompang and thunderous applause.

On Sunday, Chong Wei suffered his worst defeat by China’s Lin Dan in the men’s singles final. Still, the silver medal was Malaysia’s best result in 12 years at the Olympics and the best achievement by a singles player

Chong Wei appreciated the show of support.

“I was sad because I could not win gold medal for the country. Many would have been disappointed with the manner I lost. But from the welcome I received today, I felt as though I had won the gold medal,” he said.

“I am glad that the nation is still supportive of me despite my defeat.

“This means a lot to me. It will only spur me on to work even harder to achieve more good results for the country.”

Chong Wei said that the experience playing at the Beijing Games was priceless.

“There were days that I could not sleep and there were days when I had no appetite to eat. The pressure was great. But I have no excuse for the defeat. Lin Dan was so fast, he had improved so much,” he said.

Chong Wei hoped for more singles talent to emerge for Malaysia.

“The next two major tournaments are the World Championships (2009) and the Asian Games (2010). With the help of my coach (Misbun Sidek), I will be ready for these tournaments,” he said.

“But like China, I hope that there will be more than one Malaysian singles player vying for honours in these tournaments. It helps when one can support the other, just like the players from China.”

Misbun said that he would not waste time as far as grooming new talent was concerned.

“The training will be tougher from now for Chong Wei. I want to get him ready for the next Olympics. At the same, my work will start immediately to groom other Olympians. This will be my challenge,” said Misbun.

Meanwhile, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president, Datuk Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, admitted that the doubles pairs were a letdown and said that there was a possibility of splitting the partnership of Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong, who crashed out in the second round

The BAM plan to have a review at the end of the month and will announce their new training and coaching set-up.

Liu Xiang’s dramatic withdrawal stuns the Bird’s Nest

Liu Xiang’s dramatic withdrawal stuns the Bird’s NestTHE biggest roar of the Beijing Olympics froze in the throats of 91,000 people in the National Stadium yesterday when Liu Xiang, China’s main hope for athletics gold, pulled up injured and withdrew from the 110m hurdles.

Liu Xiang has shouldered massive expectations since becoming China’s first male Olympic track champion four years ago and his duel with new world record holder Dayron Robles of Cuba was expected to be one of the highlights of the Games.

But he came into the Games struggling with a long-standing Achilles injury and a hamstring strain, and felt more pain while warming up in the morning.

When he left the blocks in the last of yesterday’s heats, which was signalled a false start, he pulled up limping.

To the intense disappointment of the crowd and millions of TV-watching Chinese, he limped away into the bowels of a stadium, which was supposed to be his to rule.

Double Olympic silver medallist Terrence Trammell of the United States also pulled up with a hamstring injury, seemingly clearing the path to gold for Robles in Thursday’s final.

Liu Xiang’s coach for 12 years, Sun Haiping, broke down and wept in an emotional news conference, which even left Chinese journalists in tears.

“The problem today is his foot, it’s not clear exactly when it began but it is six or seven-years-old. It was there before the 2004 Athens Games and it has been coming and going,” Haiping said.

“It’s the end of the Achilles tendon in his right foot. I’m afraid he won’t be able to compete before the end of the year … he can barely walk. He was in tears, he’s very depressed.”

Feng Shuyong, the head coach of the Chinese athletics team said: “Liu Xiang would not have withdrawn unless the pain was intolerable and there was no other way out.

“Until last Saturday, he was in good shape. We did all we could. I think all the Chinese people will understand this situation and will encourage him to come back to the track.”

“This morning he felt the pain intensify. Even though he felt the pain he decided to compete in the first heat.”

Liu Xiang’s stunningly anti-climatic departure left the stadium in gloom after what had been a lively morning of qualifying, which included Usain Bolt’s return to the track two days after his world record victory in the 100m to begin his bid for the cherished sprint double by easing through the opening heats of the 200m.

How the Malaysian shuttlers fared

MEN’S SINGLESbye

LEE CHONG WEI

First round:

Second round: bt Ronald Susilo (Sin) 21-13, 21-14

Third round: bt Navickas Kestutis (Ltu) 21-5, 21-7

Quarter-finals: bt Sony Dwi Kuncoro (Ina) 21-9, 21-11

Semi-finals: bt Lee Hyun-il (Kor) 21-18, 13-21, 21-13

Final: lost to Lin Dan (Chn) 12-21, 8-21

WONG CHOONG HANNbye

First round:

Second round: bt Taufik Hidayat (Ina) 21-19, 21-16

Third round: lost to Hsieh Yu-hsing (Tpe) 21-14, 17-21, 18-21

WOMEN’S SINGLESbye

WONG MEW CHOO

First round:

Second round: bt Kerry Lee Harrington (Rsa) 21-4, 21-4

Third round: bt Petya Nedelcheva (Bul) 21-16, 21-8

Quarter-finals: lost to Lu Lan (Chn) 7-21, 27-29

MEN’S DOUBLES lost to Lee Jae-jin-Hwang Ji-man (Kor) 22-20, 13-21, 16-21

LEE WAN WAH-CHOONG TAN FOOK

First round:

KOO KIEN KEAT-TAN BOON HEONGbt Shuichi Sakamoto-Shintaro Ikeda (Jpn) 21-12, 21-16

First round:

Quarter-finals: lost to Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan (Ina) 16-21, 18-21

WOMEN’S DOUBLES

CHIN EEI HUI-WONG PEI TTY

First round: lost to Lee Kyung-won-Lee Hyo-jung (Kor) 14-21, 19-21

Liu Xiang pullout a blow to advertisers

BEIJING (AP): Hurdler Liu Xiang’s surprise departure from the Olympics was a blow to advertisers including Coca Cola and Nike that made the 25-year-old hurdler a star of campaigns aimed at Chinese consumers.

“His marketing value has been seriously diminished,” said Chris Renner, president for China of sports marketing agency Helios Partners.

Liu has become one of China’s most familiar faces, appearing in advertisements on TV, billboards and public buses for Coca Cola Co., Nike Inc., Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group and telephone company China Mobile Ltd.

Liu’s endorsements have made him one of China’s richest athletes, bringing in 163 million yuan (US$23.8 million) last year, according to Forbes magazine.

He ranked No. 2 on its list of China’s most powerful celebrities, behind basketball star Yao Ming.

Nike plans to continue showing television commercials in China featuring Liu, said a company spokesman, Derek Kent.

Asked whether Liu’s advertising value had declined, Kent said, “He’s an icon here in China. He has a very bright future.”

On Monday, state TV broadcast a Nike commercial featuring Liu just hours after he pulled out of the first heat of the 110-meter hurdles due to leg pain.

It showed Liu getting into starting blocks and the company slogan, “Just Do It.” With Liu out, Nike’s advertising loses some of its punch, Renner said.

“If anybody takes a hit from it, it’s certainly Nike, simply because they’re all about performance, whereas the others are about brand image,” he said.

“Nike’s all about, you don’t win silver, you lose gold. With that attitude, it’s much tougher for them, because he was certainly the cornerstone for their program.”

Advertisers that want to expand in China’s fast-growing consumer market have spent heavily to build high-profile campaigns around its Olympians. Others include Yao, who is playing for the Chinese basketball team, and divers Guo Jingjing and Wu Minxia.

But Liu was seen as the most valuable.

Softspoken and boyish, the 25-year-old was a national hero after winning the 110-meter hurdles at Athens in 2004.

While even with Yao the Chinese basketball team was thought unlikely to take gold, Liu was expected to dominate the Beijing games by repeating his triumph.

Coach Sun Haiping, who broke down in tears at a news conference as he discussed Liu’s withdrawal, suggested the public exposure added to pressure on him.

“Whenever he goes out, he sees his own picture in the streets,” Sun said.

A Coca Cola spokeswoman, Christina Lau, said the company will continue to use Liu in marketing.

But she declined to give details of advertising plans or say whether Liu’s role would change after his injury.

Liu was one of a “Chinese dream team” of Olympians who appeared on a special edition Coca Cola can issued in China last year.

“We will continue to count on Liu Xiang as an ambassador for our company and our brand because his achievements both on and off the field will continue to inspire fans and consumers throughout China,” Lau said.

Liu was the only Chinese competitor among 11 athletes sponsored by Lenovo in its “Olympic Champions” program.

Lenovo spokesman Bob Page said Liu’s photo would appear on brochures and posters released through the autumn but he said he had no information on what would happen after that.

Nike has run full-page newspaper ads in China showing athletes who won gold medals this week, including the diver Wu.

On Tuesday, Nike published the same newspaper ad showing Liu - the first non-medalist of the series.

The company said it would appear in at least seven newspapers in Beijing, Shanghai and other cities, as well as on Web sites.

“It’s about picking yourself up when you’re down and coming back stronger,” Kent said.

World indoor long jump champion Gomes out in qualifying

BEIJING (AP): World indoor champion Naide Gomes of Portugal was the main victim during a brutal day of qualifying for the women’s Olympic long jump final Tuesday.

Joining the year’s top performer on the sidelines was five-time world indoor champion Tatyana Kotova, who finished 14th with only the top dozen advancing.

Triple jump bronze medalist Hrysopiyi Devetzi of Greece was also eliminated in 15th place, and triple jump world champion Yargelis Savigne of Cuba lagged in 18th.

“It’s a shame. A final should be with the best ones,” said Carolina Kluft of Sweden, who did advance.

Anju Bobby George of India, the 2003 world championship bronze medalist, hurt her right foot on her last warmup jump and failed on all three of her attempts.

She said the surface was too fast and “we’re not getting the rhythm.”

“It’s good for the runners, not so good for the jumpers,” she said.

U.S. jumper Brittney Reese had the top mark of 6.87 meters, ahead of Maurren Higa Maggi of Brazil at 6.79.

Heptathlon silver medalist Lyudmila Blonska of Ukraine was third at 6.76, edging triple jump runner-up Tatyana Lebedeva.

And after failing to make the triple jump final, Kluft saved her Olympics by getting comfortably through in the long jump.

“I just want to jump my best and try to break my PB. We’ll see how far that takes me,” Kluft said, referring to her mark of 6.97.

The 2004 Olympic heptathlon champion switched away from her best event to try a new challenge.

Gomes, the dominating jumper of the season, had only lost one competition and was a strong favorite to add the Olympic gold to her indoor title from Valencia, Spain, in March.

She set a season’s best of 7.12 meters in the run-up to the Olympics last month.

But she imploded at the Bird’s Nest, fouling on her first two attempts before she stutter-stepped during her final attempt for a jump of 6.29 that left her 32nd overall.

“I am not happy but it’s life,” Gomes said. Only those reaching 6.75 or the top 12 jumpers qualified for Friday’s final.

Earlier report

BEIJING (AP): World indoor champion Naide Gomes of Portugal failed to make it into the final of the long jump competition at the Olympics on Tuesday.

The dominating jumper of the season, she had only lost one competition and was a strong favorite to add the Olympic gold to her indoor title from Valencia in March.

She set a season’s best of 7.12 meters in the runup to the Olympics last month.

She imploded at the Bird’s Nest on Tuesday morning, fouling on her first two attempts before she made a mess of her runup on her final attempt for a jump of 6.29 that left her 16th in her group.

Only those reaching 6.75 or the top 12 jumpers qualified for Friday’s final.

Saiful gives statement to religious department (updated)

KUALA LUMPUR: Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, 23, who has accused Parti Keadilan Rakyat advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of sodomising him, gave a statement on the allegation to the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) Tuesday.

According to Bernama, he was dressed in a blue shirt and black pants and he wore a songkok when he arrived at the Jawi office at 10am. He was accompanied by his father, Azlan Mohd Lazim, and lawyer, Zamri Idris and escorted by police officers in plainclothes.

Saiful is believed to have been called by Jawi to give a statement relating to his sodomy allegation.

After spending more than three hours with Jawi officers, Saiful was taken away in a silver Proton Waja at 1.15pm. He left the Jawi office through the back exit without speaking to reporters who were waiting outside the building.

Minutes later counsel Zamri emerged from the building but declined to give comments. He also refused to confirm or deny if the meeting was related to Anwar’s case.

Anwar pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here on Aug 8 to sodomising his former aide in a condominium here on June 26.

Last Friday, Saiful swore on the Quran at the Federal Territory Mosque that he had been sodomised by Anwar on June 26 and that it was not consensual.

Polis tambah anggota, SPR bimbang ‘panas’ Lunas, Ijok berulang di Permatang Pauh

Polis tambah anggota, SPR bimbang ‘panas’ Lunas, Ijok berulang di Permatang Pauh


19-08-2008 02:43:18 AM

(Dikemas kini) PERMATANG PAUH: Ketegangan pilihan raya kecil Ijok dan Lunas bakal muncul di Permatang Pauh kali ini?

Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) tidak menolak kemungkinan tersebut walaupun tempoh berkempen masih di peringkat awal.

“Nampaknya daripada pemerhatian kami, keadaan agak panas… sama seperti di beberapa pilihan raya kecil seperti di Ijok, Sanggang, Lunas dan Pendang,” kata

Timbalan Pengerusi SPR, Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar ketika dihubungi mStar Online hari ini.

Pilihan raya kecil Permatang Pauh ini sudah pun mencatatkan rekod himpunan penyokong iringan terbesar dalam mana-mana pilihan raya kecil di negara ini.

Kempen pilihan raya kecil Parlimen Permatang Pauh masuk hari ketiga hari ini. Penamaan calon berlangsung kelmarin manakala pengundian 26 Ogos ini.

Kempen sebelah pagi hari ini agak terjejas ekoran hujan lebat sejak 9 pagi lagi.

Sejak semalam rondaan anggota polis telah dipertingkatkan.

mStar Online difahamkan kempen yang agak dingin sepanjang dua hari lalu akan agresif dan lebih rancak selepas ini memandangkan lebih ramai penyokong parti-parti politik yang bertanding akan membanjiri Permatang Pauh.

Sehubungan itu Wan Ahmad menegaskan, para penyokong parti politik harus menghormati undang-undang dan tidak bertindak menguatkuasakan undang-undang.

“Jangan ada mana-mana pihak yang bertindak menjadi polis… biarkan pihak polis yang buat kerja,” kata beliau.

Sejak 2000, Lunas, Pendang, Sanggang dan Ijok dilihat sebagai antara pilihan raya kecil paling panas, sekali gus menyaksikan pertembungan antara penyokong parti-parti yang bertanding. Malah kaum wanita juga tidak terkecuali daripada kejadian-kejadian kurang senonoh.

Meskipun parti-parti yang bertanding berjanji bahawa akan berusaha mengelak sebarang bentuk provokasi dan kekasaran ketika kempen tetapi insiden buruk telah direkodkan tidak sampai dua jam selepas sesi penamaan calon berakhir Sabtu lalu.

Wan Ahmad ditanya pendirian suruhanjaya berhubung perkembangan kempen sejak Sabtu lalu dan ekoran kekasaran yang dilaporkan dialami pekerja-pekerja BN dan wakil media.

Pada Sabtu lalu, jurugambar Kumpulan New Straits Times Press, Mohd Sairen Mohd Nafis, 26, dan Halim Berbar dari HBL Press News di Perancis diserang sekumpulan lelaki dekat pusat penamaan calon di pekarangan Institut Tuanku Bainun, Mengkuang, Bukit Mertajam.

Semalam Penasihat Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim berkata, adalah tidak adil untuk menuding jari ke arah pihaknya berhubung insiden tersebut.

Anwar yang juga calon PKR dan Pakatan Rakyat memberitahu, siasatan polis perlu dikendalikan dan perlu diambil tindakan tidak kira parti mereka wakili.

Sementara itu, dalam sesi ceramahnya di Bukit Jelutong di Permatang Pasir dekat sini, Anwar menasihati penyokongnya agar tidak bertindak di luar batasan dan sentiasa memberikan kerjasama kepada polis.

“Saya ini bukanlah antipolis. Jadi kita buatlah apa yang mereka suruh asal jangan bertentangan dengan apa yang kita mahu. Kita bukan mahu keganasan, kita mahu satu perubahan,” katanya kepada kira-kira 5,000 hadirin.

Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi ketika berada di sini semalam juga menyifatkan tindakan sekumpulan yang dipercayai penyokong PKR memukul dan mencederakan dua petugas media yang meliputi pilihan raya kecil Parlimen Permatang Pauh kelmarin sebagai amat memalukan.

Perdana Menteri berkata, perbuatan mereka itu adalah serius dan boleh dibawa kepada pihak berkuasa untuk dikenakan tindakan menurut undang-undang jenayah.

Semalam Pemuda Umno juga membuat laporan polis, mendakwa pekerja-pekerja BN telah dihalang daripada menaikkan poster dan kain rentang.

Ketika ditanya mengenai tindakan SPR, jelas beliau, pihaknya akan memastikan proses pilihan raya berjalan dengan lancar tanoa sebarang suasana tegang wujud.

“Saya rasa pemimpin-pemimpin parti dan penyokong perlu menghormati tugas dan tanggungjawab polis.

“Saya rasa membimbangkan (apabila mendengar ada perkembangan tidak sihat) tapi SPR akan terus menjalankan tugas untuk memastikan kelancaran proses pilihan raya.

“Kalau orang ramai bimbang akan berlaku keganasan dan ada orang tidak peraturan, ini akan menyebabkan minat orang ramai untuk mengambil bahagian dalam pilihan raya akan terjejas,” katanya.

Dalam pada itu, Pengarah Strategik Pilihan Raya Kebangsaan PKR, Saifudin Nasution Ismail berkata, pihaknya menolak keganasan dan kesal dengan berlaku setakat ini.

“Kami menolak keganasan, kesal dengan apa yang berlaku, mahu siasatan… faktanya kekal, dalam sejarah pilihan raya kecil di Malaysia, yang pernah mati bukannya penyokong BN, yang pernah maut adalah penyokong pembangkang.

“Saya merujuk kepada pilihan raya kecil Padang Terap 1986, dalam tragedi Lubuk Merbau, semasa lawatan petang Datuk Seri Najib (Tun Razak), ketika itu Ketua Pemuda, di Felda Lubuk Merbau.

“Penyokong Pas yang mati dipukul dengan batu-bata ialah Osman Talib, 33. Dia adalah ahli Pas yang dipukul oleh samseng Umno. Itu adalah fakta yang jangan dilupakan,” kata pada sidang media harian PKR di Penanti dekat sini.

Tambah Saifudin, dalam pilihan raya kecil Indera Kayangan, beliau selaku Pengarah Pilihan Raya Pemuda telah membuat 43 laporan polis sepanjang 10 hari berkempen.

“Bagaimana penyokong kita dipukul, dihalang berjumpa pengundi. Itu fakta, boleh semak dengan Ibu Pejabat Polis di Kangar,” katanya.