Four caught in the act of stealing ATM

A Colombian gang skilled in disabling sophisticated alarm systems before carting away ATM machines was caught in the act by police.

Policemen in Bandar Teknologi Kajang spotted the gang members trying to load an ATM machine, containing some RM200,000 (S$83,000), into their rented Cherry Eastar car at 1.10am on Jan 28.

A scuffle ensued before police managed to arrest one of the suspects, aged 35, said district police chief Asst Comm Abdul Rashid Abdul Wahab.

Young trainee lawyer almost raped in her own room

SINGAPORE - A 22-year-old trainee lawyer was almost raped after an intruder entered her bedroom in the middle of the night, reported The Straits Times (ST).

The horrifying incident happened two weeks ago after the woman, who only wanted to be known as Ms Tan, returned to her Yishun maisonette after a late night out with friends on Saturday.

After taking 15 minutes to wash up, she was in bed and getting ready to sleep.

S'poreans have to understand need for immigrants: LKY

SINGAPORE - Singapore's Former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew called for Singaporeans' understanding towards the government's decision to continue taking in immigrants, saying that the alternative is economic stagnation.

Mr Lee was speaking at the Tanjong Pagar GRC and Radin Mas SMC Lunar New Year celebration dinner on Friday.

He said Singapore faces an ageing and shrinking population, and called the task of increasing the country's population as its "biggest challenge".

More than 62,000 babies were born in the year 1959, when Mr Lee became prime minister. However, only 36,000 babies were born last year, The Straits Times reported.

Singapore's total fertility rate was 1.2 last year, Mr Lee said.

Teen pretends to be Chinese God to trick girl into oral sex

One of the youths started acting like a ghost.

Another accomplice then ordered the victim to perform sex acts on them. She refused at first, but gave in after they threatened her.

The court heard that the girl was first targeted in early 2008 after she rejected one of the boys.

Their ringleader then decided to get his revenge. Telling his friends that he had seen people being possessed by 'Chinese gods' during temple visits, he suggested that they all pretend to have been taken over by spirits.

Confirmed: MCA is a ‘Dumb and Dumber’ outfit

I AM deeply relieved to see the MCA leadership openly displaying and confirming that it is led by a “Dumb and Dumber!” leadership that knows no shame.

My article uploaded by Malaysia Chronicle (MC) and titled “‘Dumb and Dumber’ MCA drives white ang-pows issue round and round”, has to date attracted 86 comments, including a deranged ‘Samuel’ who uses vulgarity to curse MC readers who have responded angrily towards Perkasa-MCA’s white ‘death’ packets distributed to the Chinese community this lunar year of the Dragon.

My article was prompted by MCA youth secretary-general Chan Kim Sen’s silly ‘damage control’ statement that created even more damage to the integrity of MCA.

Instead of defending the dignity of the Chinese community being given pak kam (white gold), signifying death, MCA tried to pin the blame on PAS. (for more, read the article)

I thought that was the pits from a party that claims to represent and defend the Chinese community.

‘Illogical’ to ban Ibrahim Ali from entering Selangor, says Perkasa

The Selangor government has no legal standing to ban Datuk Ibrahim Ali from entering the state, Perkasa said today.

The Malay rights group was responding to a statement made by Faekah Husin, who is political secretary to Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim yesterday.

Faekah had called for the Perkasa president to be banned from entering Selangor, and that Khalid was mulling legal action against the Pasir Mas MP for his remarks about Khalid.

“This has to be the stupidest statement I have ever heard. Selangorbukan mak bapak awak punya tempat (Selangor does not belong to your mother or father),” said Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali.

Shahrizat says will stay on as Wanita Chief

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said today that she would not bow down to pressure from any quarters to resign as Wanita Umno chief.

Shahrizat said it was nothing unusual for political leaders to face pressure and that this was all part and parcel of politics.

"If there are people who know the workings of Wanita Umno and are calling me to quit, it must be because they have their own agendas," she said when met at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport here today.

Kita leaders reject dissolution, want Hasan Ali to replace Zaid

Zaid Ibrahim: Resignation sought

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 — Several Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air (Kita) state leaders have rejected their president Datuk Zaid Ibrahim’s bid to dissolve the party and are instead lobbying his resignation.

According to media reports here, the leaders now want recently sacked PAS leader Datuk Hasan Ali to replace Zaid, saying the proposal to dissolve Kita was ”unprincipled” and “irresponsible”.

“For any party in Malaysia, this is not the time to talk of dissolution when we are getting ready for war,” said Kedah Kita chief Zamil Ibrahim. “I ask the 10,000 Kita members to be calm. The president cannot dissolve the party according to his whim and fancy.

“It will need a three-quarters majority at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM).”

Six dresses disappear with them

It looked like a regular shopping outing among girlfriends.

For about an hour, three women in their mid- to late 30s tried on up to 20 dresses at a Chinatown shop on Pagoda Street.

After all that, the women bought just one dress costing $160.

But after they left, the shop owner discovered that six dresses, each also worth about $160, had disappeared along with them.

Madam Qin Yong Juan, 34, said the stolen dresses were designs that the women had tried on and were in sizes suitable for them.

The outfits were also the most expensive pieces in the store.

Philippine boxer dies after fight injury

MANILA - An undefeated Philippine boxer has died after sustaining head injuries during a fight and falling into a coma, a hospital official said Saturday.

Flyweight Karlo Maquinto, 21, died in hospital on Friday, Dr. Chester Tan, a surgeon at Manila's Far Eastern University Hospital told AFP.

The right-hander, fighting only his ninth bout as a professional boxer, was taken to hospital last Saturday after rallying from two early knockdowns to salvage a majority draw against fellow Filipino Mark Joseph Costa.

Blogging can help stressed teens

When Lydia (not her real name) started attending a top girls' school six years ago, she experienced loneliness and insecurity.

She felt out of place in school and was weighed down by family problems.

For four years, she cut and even burned herself.


Lydia started a blog because of her struggle with self-injury and depression (which she was diagnosed with after her church pastor asked her to see a psychiatrist) and found it helped her to vent her frustrations.


A new study on anxious or stressed teenage students in Israel said that there is therapeutic value when young people blog about their social-emotional woes.


As reported in The New York Times, research by University of Haifa psychology Professors Meyran Boniel-Nissim and Azy Barak shows that improvements in mood was greatest among bloggers who opened their posts to comments as compared to those who did not allow comments or who kept a traditional diary.

Husband rams wife's car over 20 times with lorry

SUNGAI BULOH - A fight between a husband and wife turned ugly when the former decided to vent his anger by ramming onto his spouse's black Perodua Myvi more than 20 times using his lorry at Taman Suria in Desa Aman here two nights ago.

The badly battered car was left with serious damage to the front, broken windows, punctured tyre and a leaking engine in the 11.30pm incident.

Luckily the wife was no where near the vehicle during the incident. A front gate and a water pipe belonging to a neighbour was also damaged in the drama which occurred close to midnight.

Residents claimed the man was behaving like a mad man and repeatedly rammed his wife's vehicle even when they told him to stop.