Tuesday, December 11, 2007

TUESDAY-11TH DECEMBER 2007-MESRA RAKYAT AND CRIME PREVENTION PROGRAMME









RELA MEMBERS ..... The RELA members personnel at the program


Mesra Rakyat and crime prevention programme
TAMBUNAN:
More than 350 people attended the Mesra Rakyat and crime prevention programme organized by Tambunan police at the community centre here recently. The participants were village headmen, Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) chairmen, RELA personnel, Government department staff and youths. During the function, a drugs exhibition and multi-media show were held. District Police Chief DSP Zahari Mohammad officiated the function and chaired a dialogue session with the participants. Various issues were raised by the participants such as crime cases drugs, rape, illegal immigrants and road accidents among others. Also present at thç function were District Chief OKK Augustine Kandawai, District Police Management Department head ASP Rahim Abdul Rahman, Logistics Department head Inspector Inspector Sharul Haji Harun, Narcotics Department head Chief Department Inspector Edrian, Special Branch head Chief Awang Damit Suanda and Tambunan OCS Sergeant Major Kasmin Saiman.

TUESDAY-11TH DECEMBER 2007-26 YOUTHS ATTEND INTEGRATION PROGRAMME

26 YOUTHS ATTEND INTEGRATION PROGRAMME
KENINGAU:
Twenty-six youths nationwide participated in three- day national integration program held at kampung Kota Ayangan here recently. Eleven of them were from Peninsular Malaysia, seven from Sarawak, six from Sabah and two from Labuan. The State-level program jointly organized by the Federal Youth and Sports Ministry was officiated by Liawan Assemblyman Datuk Haji Sairin Haji Karno. During the programme, all the participants stayed with their adopted parents in the kampung. The objective of the program is to expose youths in Malaysia to the socio-culture, political and economy development nationwide. It is also to increase the understanding and unity spirit among the Malaysian youths from various ethnics, cultures and religions. The program is also aimed at increasing the patriotic spirit and strong self-confidence value and to get closer with the community through interaction and community service programmes. The participants also carried out community service activities like gotong royong, Sukaneka games and showing their talent in the cultural shows. District Officer Haji Zulkifli Nasir, District Federal Youth and Sports Department officer Haji Idris Mohd Taufeck, Government officers and local community leaders attended the programme which was closed by Bingkor Assemblyman Justin Guka.

TUESDAY-11TH DECEMBER 2007-WOMAN DIES, HUSBAND INJURED IN ROAD CRASH

Woman dies, husband injured in road crash
KINABATANGAN:
A woman was killed while her husband was in critical condition when their car crashed into the rear of a stationary lorry at Km 74 Sandakan-Lahad Datu Road on Sunday night. Front seat passenger Lai Tit Lin, 38, died of serious injuries at the scene. Police and members of the public removed her body and her injured husband identified as Chin Tee Ting, also aged 38, from the wreckage of the vehicle. Their five-year-old daughter, Chin Wan Wai, who was seated in the rear of the car, was unhurt. They were travelling from the direction of Sandakan and heading towards Lahad Datu when the tragedy occurred about 7.4Opm. The lorry was said to have stalled and left on the road. The woman’s body was sent to the district hospital while her husband was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit of the Duchess of Kent Hospital here. OCPD DSP Jaini Abdul Kadir confirmed the incident when contacted.

TUESDAY-11TH DECEMBER 2007-CHAN TO PROPOSE S'PORE AIRLINE FLY TO LABUAN

Chan to propose S’pore airline fly to Labuan
LABUAN:
Any airline is welcome to operate here and a proposal would be made for a low-cost carrier from Singapore to make Labuan a destination. Transport Minister Datuk Sri Chan Kong Choy disclosed this when asked to comment on the open sky policy that has been proposed for the island, after he was briefed on the progress of the RM365 million upgrading project of the Labuan Airport, upon his arrival here on Sunday evening. The proposal for the open sky policy and the redevelopment of the terminal building and runway, first announced by Prime Minister Datuk Sri Abdullah Badawi in September 2004, is aimed at enabling direct international flights and bigger wide- bodied planes to land, a move to enhance the status of Labuan as an International Offshore Financial Centre, an oil and gas hub as well as to boost its tourism potential. “I want to make it very clear that there would be no problems at all for any airlines wanting to operate here. The Ministry of Transport will facilitate,” he stressed. Chan added that in view of the bilateral ties between Malaysia and Singapore, he would suggest and make a proposal during the next round of aviation talks, for a low- cost carrier from Singapore to include Labuan as a destination. “So far no international airline has applied to operate in Labuan yet, but we will welcome them,” he said. Tan Sri Ting Pik Kiing, the advisor of Global Upline Sdn Bhd - the main contractor of the airport upgrading works, welcomed the minister who arrived in a private jet. Upon being briefed by the project director Dr Shafie Karimin of KLIA Premier Holdings Sdn Bhd that the terminal building and landside of the airport were completed way ahead of time and the airside would be completed and handed over to Malaysia Airport Berhad by March 2008, eight months ahead of schedule, he commented: “I am very happy with the progress of the work”. When asked if a new date has been fixed for the official opening, he answered in the negative. It was earlier announced that the Prime Minister would officiate the opening on October 26 this year and plans were made for him to witness the first landing of a MAS Airbus 330 here.

TUESDAY-11TH DECEMBER 2007-AIRPORT UPGRADE PROGRESSESS NICELY

AIRPORT UPGRADE PROGRESSESS NICELY
Existing operations to shift to new main building soon
KOTA KINABALU
:
The operation at the existing Terminal One of the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) will be shifted in stages to the new terminal main building starting next month to help ease congestions, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy. He said starting January 22, passengers will be boarding their planes from the nearly completed main terminal but all check- ins will still remain at the existing building until all works are fully completed in April. “Once the new international terminal block is ready, the current old terminal will be closed fully to allow for the upgrading,” said Chan. The new terminal building which will be connected with the old terminal block is part of the upgrading project on the KKIA which also involves a runway extension and construction of a new low cost terminal costing RM1.2 billion. Speaking to reporters after visiting KKIA yesterday, Chan said he was very happy with the progress of both Package One and Two of the upgrading project. He said progress on Package Two which includes the construction of air-side infrastructures is now at 65 percent, about eight percent ahead of plan and expected to be fully completed by April next year. However works on Package One, which includes the building of the main terminal building and landslide infrastructure and facilities, has experienced a slight delay, according to him. “Despite a slight delay in some part of the Package One, we are catching up and everything will be completed by May as planned,” he said. Works on Package One is currently 49.35 percent completed. It involves the extension of the runway from the current 2,988 metres to 3,780 metres to enable Boeing 747 aircraft to land; construction of parking aprons which can accommodate four Boeing 747s, one AB330, seven Boeing 737s, three F50s and three Dorniers. It also includes the upgrading of existing taxiway the northern side, stretched 1,474 metres while the south some 792 metres, and the construction of new Traffic Control tower and cargo terminal and transmail cargo centre and new Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) office. “There are still some issues (to be solved) including the relocation of equipment from the existing terminal to the new one but I’m confident that with the very close cooperation between all the parties such as Malaysia Airports Berhad, the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and the two main contractors, it can be settled without problem. “So we can expect to have a very efficient and state-of-the-art airport by May 2009, and this is very important for the development of the State,” he said. Chan expressed his appreciation to the Sabah Government for its support and assistance for the upgrading project, particularly in successfully relocating Sri Tanjung squatters to pave the way for the expansion of the runway. He also thanked the public for their support in bearing with the inconvenience since the upgrading works started, adding, it is not easy to carry out a massive upgrading works on an operational airport.
“Unlike in other places, we are doing works on a live airport. Moreover, this is the second busiest airport in the country after KLIA,” he said. He said the existing terminal is designed to handle around three million passengers but has so far handled more than four million passengers this year. On the decison of Malaysia Airports to move operations of all airlines to the new terminal once completed in 2009, he said they would be looking at AirAsia’s request to remain at Terminal Two instead of moving to the international terminal complex. “They have written in. We have to hear them out before we make any decision,” he said, adding that the new complex when completed would be handling the needs of all airlines and would be convenient in terms of operations.

Monday, December 10, 2007

MONDAY-10TH DECEMBER 2007-CONTINUE TEACHING OF SCIENCE, MATHS IN ENGLISH, SAYS MAIJOL

Continue teaching of Science, Maths in English, says Maijol
KOTA MARUDU:
The Education Ministry has been urged to continue with the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English and give it a chance to succeed. UPKO vice president Senator Maijol Mahap made the call in his speech when officiating the presentation of certificates to 500 pre-school children. “The teaching of Science and Mathematics in English should be continued and be given the chance to succeed. This does not mean that we are sidelining the Bahasa Malaysia language in school. “Bahasa Malaysia has been and will always be the mainstream language to be used to teach all other subjects but since most English terminologies in Science and Mathematics are in English and they were adopted into the Bahasa Malaysia language, it would only be appropriate if we just use the English language to teach these two subjects. I believe many parents would be supporting this by starting to expose their children at the very young age to the use of the English language. “I also urge the Government to provide more educational facilities for pre-school children to start their early education in areas where such facilities are far from their villages. The Kota Marudu Districts has more than 80 villages and only 26 villages have pre-schools provided by KEMAS. If we take the 500 pre-school children who received their certificates as coming from 26 villages, I believe there could be even more children from the other remaining villages who are unable to get pre-school education,” he said. Maijol also urged all parents to send their children to a kindergarten nearest to them as much as possible.

MONDAY-10TH DAY OF DECEMBER 2007-107 PINTS OF BLOOD COLLECTED

107 pints of blood collected
KOTA KINABALU: One hundred and seven pints of blood were collected in a blood donation campaign jointly organized by the Kota Kinabalu Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Likas and City Hall at Lintasan Deasoka here yesterday. According to organizing chairman Benjamin Batindal, the blood donation campaign which was held from 7am to 1. l5pm, was the church’s annual activity to increase the supply of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s blood bank. “As the year before, our target is to collect 100 pints of blood. We are so happy as we managed to reach the target. I thank those who donated their blood to save the people’s lives,” Benjamin said. “I hope the people will continue to donate their blood when we organize a similar program next year,” he said, adding they managed to collect 103 pints of blood in last year’s campaign which was held at the same place. “Next year, we are planning to organize a similar activity, with the cooperation from the drug agency and City Hall. For this future program, there will be a talk about the danger of drugs,” he said.

MONDAY-10TH DECEMBE 2007-HAEMODIALYSIS ASSOCIATION HOLDS FOOD AND FUN FAIR

Haemodialysis association holds food and fun fair
KOTA KINABALU:
A food and fun fair was held in conjunction with the second anniversary of the Kinabalu Haemodialysis Association at The Cruise in Tanjung Aru here yesterday. The main objective of the event, which was officiated by Mayor Datuk Iliyas Ibrahim, was to raise funds to support the operation cost of the association. President of the association, Lim Hoek Chye, said the centre needed about RM10,000 a month to maintain its four dialysis machines and pay the workers’ salary. According to him, the centre sources its funds from the public and other parties. Presently there are four patients seeking dialysis treatment at the centre which charges RM13 to RM15 per session. Lim said the centre is hoping to increase the number of patient to eight with the availability of new machines. “To achieve the target, we need support from the public, especially the Government, private sector and also non-governmental organisations,” he said.

MONDAY-10TH DAY OF DECEMBER 2007-MAN SURVIVES FALL FROM BUILDING

Man survives fall from building
KOTA KINABALU:
Another local man is believed to have jumped down from a building in Damai on Saturday evening, jut three days after a businessman leapt to his death in the area. Hamzah Ismail, 27, suffered serious injuries and was put under observation at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The victim, believed to be a RELA member, was said to have jumped from the third floor of a building in an attempted suicide around l1.l5pm. His condition has become stable. Police are still waiting for him to regain consciousness to record a statement from him. A security guard on duty, who claimed to have witnessed the incident, said the man was unconscious and barely breathing after he landed on the road.
On Wednesday, a 61-year-old businessman, believed to be suffering from depression, died on the spot after jumping from the fifth floor of a building there. The businessman from Taman Friendly was said to have become depressed after learning his wife had cancer. He decided not to wait for her wife to die before him and took his own life.

MONDAY-10TH DECEMBER 2007-YEE URGES GRADUATES TO CONTINUE TO LEARN



Yee urges graduates to continue to learn
KOTA KINABALU
:
Resource Development and Information Technology Minister Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai has urged graduates to continue their learning and grab every opportunity to improve and equip themselves with the necessary skills. He said learning did not end after they have fmished their courses. “I would like to say here that you must continue your learning and not to be satisfied with what you have achieved today. It is very important to enhance your skills so that you can make a positive contribution to the society, the State and the country,” Yee said in his keynote address during the Sabah Skills and Technology Centre (SSTC)’s certificate presentation ceremony at ShangriLa’s Tanjung Aru Resort here yesterday. A total of 289 trainees received their certificates for completing their programs in Industrial Skills Enhancement Program (INSEP) and Workforce Technical Transformation Program (WTTP). The INSEP is for graduates while the WTTP is for SPM leavers. Yee added the State and Federal Governments had spent a lot of money to develop human capital as one of the key emphasis in the Ninth Malaysia Plan is the development of the country’s human capital.
Thus he hoped that the graduates could grab the opportunity to enhance their skills and could go to a higher level.
“We have also set up a job centre and I believe that there is some relevancy for your career,” said Yee who congratulated the SSTC Management Council and management team for making every effort to ensure these young people receive relevant skills training.
SSTC is a non-profit organisation set up jointly by the industry and Government to focus on the training of Sabah’s workforce. The centre is presently offering various courses such as technical, manufacturing, and management skills and continuing education. For 2006, the Federal Government had increased its commitment to skills training by fully sponsoring training for both graduates and schoolleavers.

MONDAY-10TH DECEMBER 2007-RIVER POLLUTED BY WASTE FROM DETENTION CENTRE



River polluted by waste from detention centre:

MENGGATAL
More than 1,000 residents of five villages here have stopped using the water from a river in their area as they claimed it has been polluted by waste from the temporary detention centre here. According to Inanam people development leader Ayem Sambuling, the residents are worried of getting skin diseases and falling ill if they use the water.The affected residents informed him that there is no septic tank system at the centre and this causes all the waste to discharge directly to the river. “All the villagers who depend on the river water are feeling unhappy over the situation. They call for immediate action from the authority to make the river useful again,” he said. He also disclosed that the villagers had complained about the matter two years ago but no action had been taken. “We hope the authority can help the residents in the area who are worried of getting skin diseases if they continue to use the river water,” Ayem added.

MONDAY-10TH DECEMBER 2007-I DID NOT SEE BLEEDING WOUNDS:AMINAH

I did not see bleeding wounds: Aminah
KOTA KINABALU:
Datin Aminah Ambrose, the mother of the late Datu Azlan Datu Amir Kahar, yesterday clarified that she did not see bleeding wounds on his son’s body and head before he was taken to the mortuary of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH). “When I arrived at the QEH Critical Zone, opened the door and pulled the curtains, I did not see any blood as the wounds had coagulated. “It was only at the QEH mortuary that I saw fresh blood at the back of my son’s head,” said Datin Aminah who was correcting the reports in the Borneo Post on December 5 and 6 which stated that she had seen bleeding wounds on his son’s body and his head before he was taken to the mortuary of the QEH.

MONDAY-10TH DECEMBER 2007-TWO GIRLS DROWN IN SANDAKAN

Two girls drown In Sandakan
SANDAKAN: Two girls drowned in separate incidents near Jalan Labuk over the past two days. Nursinah Madu, a 17-year-old Form Five student who recently sat for her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination, drowned when she was swept away after falling into a drain while crossing a wooden bridge near her house in Kampung Pertanian, Mile 25 Jalan Labuk, about 7am yesterday. Some parts of the area were flooded due to the downpour on Saturday night. Villagers and her family recovered her body not far from where she fell 30 minutes later. Her remains were brought to the Duchess of Kent Hospital. Family members later claimed the body for burial. Gum Gum Assemblyman Datuk Zakaria Haji Edris accompanied by his aides, was at the mortuary to convey his condolence to the family. In another case, six-year-old Saturia Samsuri drowned while bathing in a pond at a quarry in Mile 16 Jalan Labuk late Saturday afternoon. Her body was recovered and sent to the hospital by her family. The police were informed of the incident by the hospital around 9pm.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

SUNDAY-9TH DECEMBER 2007-INANAM, MENGGATAL AMONG ACCIDENT-PRONE AREAS

Inanam, Menggatal among accident-prone areas
KOTA KINABALU:
Inanam and Menggatal are among the areas listed as accident-prone areas here with over half of the fatal mishaps happening in these two places. As of November, of the 36 deaths in the City, 22 people were killed in accidents in Inanam and Menggatal. Acting City Traffic and Public Order Chief, ASP Mohd Nordin Mohd Noor, in disclosing this yesterday, said 11 of those fatal accidents involved pedestrians. “This is unique in Sabah; normally in other states pedestrians are the lowest in the list of victims in mishaps but over here, they made up the bulk of it,” he said in response to a question on the frequent mishaps in Menggatal and nearby areas by a resident during a crime prevention dialogue at the Menggatal community hall, Saturday. A resident had voiced out his concern over the big number of mishaps taking place in the areas, asking whether it was due to the lack of enforcement or the bad road conditions. Mohd Nordin explained that over 80 per cent of the time, motorists were to be blamed for the mishaps. “Most of the mishaps occurred because of the attitude of motorists. There were many instances when they were found driving under the influence of alcohol.” He stressed that the road conditions or enforcement aspect should not be blamed for the situation. “The enforcement cannot look after the safety of every motorist all the time. There were many occasions where we found drivers only putting on their seatbelts when they spotted the police or during roadblocks. This shows that they are more worried about getting booked rather than looking after their safety,” he said. As a solution to this, Mohd Nordin said they are creating an awareness among the young people on the importance of road safety. “Frankly, it is hard to tell older motorists to change their attitude but it is not too late to instil a sense of responsibility in the young …we hope they will learn and abide by traffic regulations at all times,” he said. On another issue, Mohd Nordin said the police are trying their best to ensure that the people’s needs are met. He was responding to a comment by a Telipok resident who felt the City Police had failed to do a follow-up on a report he lodged in August. The complainant said the thieves not only carted his belongings away but also parts of the house like the zinc roofs and planks. “Since the day I made the report, I have not been informed if it has been solved ... it is preferably we are informed on the progress of the investigation,” he added.
Acting City Police Chief, Superintendent Rowell Marong, who led the dialogue, later responded that he does not deny the police have its weaknesses. “But sometimes my personnel could fail to understand the gravity of the crime and subsequently the matter did not reach the higher ups,” he said, adding that he understands the public’s frustrations but the police are trying their best even with very limited manpower. He also urged the public to understand the problems they face and be patient. Also present at the dialogue were CID Senior Investigating Officer II, ASP Mohd Nazri Abd Razak , City Marine Police Commanding Officer, ASP Fauzi Ibrahim, City Anti-Narcotics chief, ASP Abd Halim Ahmad and Commercial Crime Department investigating officer Chief Inspector Abang Faizal.

SUNDAY-9TH DECEMBER 2007-AZLAN'S CASE PROBE COMPLETED, HANDED OVER TO DPP OFFICE

Azlan’s case probe completed, handed over to DPP office: CP
KOTA KINABALU:
The Deputy Public Prosecutor is expected to decide on the next move on the baffling death of 24-year-old Azlan Amir Kahar last week. Police have turned in all the investigation notes concerning the high profile case to the DPP’s office, according to Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Noor Rashid Ibrahim. “All concerns and doubts raised by the family were noted by us and we have explained it to the family,” he said yesterday. “We have completed our investigations and the matter is now in the hands of the DPP. The next course of action is up to them.” Rashid said this when responding to the “unhappiness” of Azlan’s mother Datin Aminah Ambrose who questioned the police investigations that allegedly failed to look at the various injuries found on Azlan’s body. Aminah is the wife of Banggi assemblyman Datuk Amir Kahar Tun Mustapha, who is the son of Sabah former Chief Minister, the late Tun Datu Mustapha Harun. The shocking death of Azlan sent shockwaves through the local community, more so when the tragedy was said to have taken place in the home of his fiancee, a fellow student and part- time model. The 21-year-old fiancee was remanded for five days by police after she lodged a police report and was later released on police bail. Police have said that Azlan died of heart failure following a post-mortem, but his family is disputing the finding, as they claimed that the victim’s body bore bruise marks all over and there were gashes in the back of his head. Rashid said that based on the postmortem report, the injuries sustained were not the cause of death though the victim was assaulted. “It will be up to the DPP to decide whether to hold an inquest or charge her for assault. I think things would become clearer then,” he said, adding that police classification of the case remains under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

SUNDAY-9TH DECEMBER 2007-TERRIBLE BRUISES ON AZLAN'S BODY-MUM

Terrible bruises on Azlan’s body: Mum
PENAMPANG:
Datin Aminah Ambrose, the mother of Datu Azlan, said she received a call on December 1 from the mother of Azlan’s fiancee that her son was suffering from a stroke and he was in pain but still alive and in the hospital. However, when Aminah arrived at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), she saw Azlan’s body was covered with a cloth and the hospital staff informed her that her son was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital at 7. l5am. “Why give me hope to see my son alive when actually he had died? Why did the mother of my son’s fiancee call me at 7.38am, saying that ‘Azlan is sick, please come to the hospital quickly, his face is pale’?” Aminah asked. “I want to know the truth as to what really happened to my son and why she (fiancee’s mother) lied to me,” the grieving mother said in an interview at her residence, yesterday. According to Aminah, she was aware of the time when the mother of her son’s fiancee called her, as it was recorded in her hand phone. “At the mortuary, seeing that my son had left us and nothing could be done, I kissed his forehead and touched his palm but they felt so cold like ice, not even a slight warmth on his skin. Any normal body of a person who has just passed away would not have felt so cold. It looked like my son had passed away for quite some time,” she said. “When Sheena’s mother (mother of Azlan’s fiancee) had left us, I felt concerned about my son’s condition... I opened the white cloth slowly that covered him and noticed scratches on some part of his face as if caused by nails. “I was shocked and continued opening the white cloth and was so surprised to see wounds on the head, at the back, and terrible bruises all over his body and his arms... my God, his arms had bruises that left some kind of holes on the skin and dry blood. To me, it looked like something painful had gone into his arms. “When I checked his legs, I noticed something which was so saddening,
as if something had been done to his two legs... it was so shocking! How could he had all those bruises, dried blood and marks if he only had a stroke only, tell me how?” Asked if she saw the sign of blood on arrival at the mortuary, Aminah said, “At first, I did not see any sign of blood because his body was covered with the cloth, and his shirt was so clean, not a drop of blood. But after uncovering the cloth slowly, after a while, I saw stains of blood coming from the back of his head, prompting me to call the doctor saying, ‘doctor, my son was battered!’ Asked if anyone else noticed the bloodstains, she said three other persons also saw them. Aminah said she had immediately asked her niece to take photographs of what they noticed on Azlan’s body, and the photographs were shown to the Borneo Post. “I have been informed by the authorities that the case is still under investigation... I am hoping for justice, please,” she said. Datuk Amir Kahar Aminah’s husband said: “Even someone who are much older, for example, over
60 would still have a chance to stay conscious after a stroke. My son was healthy and never had stroke, and he was just 24. “When Azlan was still with us and when Sheena visited us, I noticed Azlan was quite gentle towards her, opening the door for her and taking the chair for her. He treated her nicely. He was a gentleman,” said the father. According to Aminah, Azlan left the house around 1pm on the day he was reported dead. “Before he left, as usual we were in the computer room talking happily. He always prepared all kinds of nutritious shakes for the family, especially vanilla and chocolate shakes, and on that day he excitedly prepared some and served us. He was a very loving brother and a gentle son,” the mother said “I remembered that last day while he was making the shake, his fiancee kept calling him.., then he left, that was the last time I saw him alive,” she said, while showing Azlan’s neat room with a book, some cupboards and a TV beside his bed.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

SATURDAY-8TH DECEMBER 2007-EARTHQUAKE JOLTS JAPAN ISLAND

Earthquake jolts Japan island
TOKYO:
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6 jolted a tiny island about 500 km south of Tokyo on Friday, a Japanese government agency said. The quake, at 9:48 a.m. (0048 GMT), was felt in the capital and areas further north.
The epicentre of the tremor was near the island of Torishima and its depth about 50 km, the Japan Meteorological Agency said on its Web site (http://www.jma.go.jp). There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage and no tsunami warning was issued.

SATURDAY-8TH DECEMBER 2007-DEAD MAN'S WIFE FACES ARREST WHEN SHE RETURNS TO BRITAIN FROM PERU

‘Dead’ man’s wife faces arrest when she returns to Britain from Peru
LONDON:
A woman who admitted knowing her husband was alive despite his apparent death five years ago faces arrest when she returns to Britain, police said amid reports she was heading home Friday. Anne Darwin is likely to be arrested “at some point” after she arrives from Panama, a police spokesman said, as her husband John remained in custody after being detained on suspicion of fraud Panamian officials said late Thursday they had no information on whether Anne Darwin had left the central American country, prompting speculation she may have gone into hiding before heading home. The twists and turns of the case have dominated the British media, with focus on a statement from the couple’s sons, who disowned their parents for keeping them in the dark about the truth. “How could our mum continue to let us believe our dad had died when he was very much alive?” Anthony Darwin, 29, and his brother, Mark, 31, said Thursday. “We have not spoken to either of our parents since our dad’s arrest and at this present time, we want no further contact with them.” Anne Darwin, 55, was quoted as saying in newspaper interviews published Friday that she blamed her husband for the elaborate pretence and pleaded for her sons’ forgiveness. “I should never have listened to John, but he can be very persuasive. Of course, I’m to blame, too. I know I have done wrong. I just wish I had told the boys when I found out,” she told the Daily Mirror and Daily Mail newspapers. “I’m sure they would have talked some sense into me. But I didn’t. I didn’t tell anyone. And one lie led to another. “How can they ever forgive me for what I’ve done to them?” Former teacher and prison officer John Darwin, 57, was declared dead in 2003, a year after the remains of his canoe were washed up on the shore near the family home in Seaton Carew, in north-east England. But he turned up unexpectedly at a central London police station last Saturday, telling officers he thought he was a missing person, and had no memory of the last five years.- AFP The story began to unravel after a photograph of him posing with his wife and an estate agent in Panama City last July that appeared on the property company’s website was published in the British media. Confronted by reporters who tracked her down to her new home there, Anne Darwin—who initially hailed her husband’s re-appearance — broke down and confessed, admitting she knew he was not dead and had cashed in life insurance. John Darwin, whose sons said he had no memory of anything since June 2000, was arrested Wednesday. Police said they were to apply to a local magistrate Friday for an extension to keep him in custody for further questioning. The case has attracted massive media attention not only for its unusual nature, but also because of the questions that remain unanswered. It is still not clear why John Darwin disappeared in the first place, where he has been for the last five and a half years, how he travelled to Panama, and why he gave himself up. Detectives have said they began investigating his case three months ago after receiving information that suggested there was something suspicious of a “financial” nature about his disappearance. Anne Darwin told newspapers he used a false passport to travel to Panama, speculating that her husband missed their sons “tremendously”. “Maybe he wanted his old life back,” she said -AFP

SATURDAY-8TH DECEMBER 2007-CREMATOR DUMPS BODIES TO SAVE FUEL

Cremator dumps bodies to save fuel
HONG KONG:
China’s worst fuel crunch in years has led a crematorium to dump half-burnt corpses to try to save on diesel costs, a Hong Kong newspaper said on Friday. Villagers in Hengyang county, in the southern province of Hunan, discovered the practice when an “unbearable stench” started coming from the site, and tried to block a road on Wednesday to stop funeral vehicles from delivering more bodies. The village sent people to investigate the smell and the South China Morning Post said they saw “crematorium workers putting half burnt human remains and organs in plastic bags and throwing them into a nearby ditch”. “As the price of diesel rose, we saw more and more bags thrown out from the crematorium,” the paper quoted Xiao Gaoyi a village representative and one of the witnesses, as saying. China was hit by its worst fuel supply crisis in four years from October to November, as a widening gap between low, state-regulated domestic prices and market-driven international prices forced Chinese refiners to cut output. Fuel in many parts of the country was rationed and there were long queues at petrol stations. An increase of nearly 10 percent in the prices of domestic diesel and gasoline from Nov. 1, the first in almost a year and a half, failed to lift refining margins back into the black -Reuters

SATURDAY-8TH DECEMBER 2007-TODDLER THROWN OUT OF WINDOW TO HER DEATH

Toddler thrown out of window to her death
VIENNA: A two-year-old girl died Thursday evening after she was thrown out of the window of a first-floor flat in northern Austria, police said. The girl was seriously injured after the fall in the town of Ybbs and died on her way to hospital in nearby Linz, said regional police chief Franz Wendler. The child’s 22-year-old father has been arrested, he added. The incident occurred during a fight between the man and his girlfriend, both asylum seekers from the war-ravaged Russian province of Chechnya, police said.