Foul!

As published in Malay Mail today By Haresh Deol haresh@mmail.com.my PETALING JAYA - The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is expected to haul up more Felda Investment Corporation (FIC) officers following the arrest of a decision maker over the purchase of a multi-million ringgit boutique hotel in London. The high-ranking official was nabbed on Sunday and has been remanded until today. A middleman, in his 40s, allegedly linked to the deal, was arrested last week. His remand was extended by four days yesterday. FIC, the investment arm of Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) acquired the four-star Park City Hotel for £60million (RM330 million). It was renamed Grand Plaza Hotel on Dec 15 last year. Last May, Lavista Sdn Bhd and Pegang Impian Holdings Sdn Bhd, the major shareholders of Encorp Bhd, sold a 49.45 per cent stake in Encorp to FIC for RM239.72 million. MACC special operations director Datuk Bahri Mohammad Zin confirmed the arrests. Asked if MACC was probi...

UPDATE 8.30am: As many continue to speak about giving our paralympians equal rights, here is an article I wrote on the same subject last year - Robbing 'em blind . Ironically, that article is still the 'latest highlight' on the Malaysia Paralympic Council website. ------ Once again our Paralympians hog the limelight. Muhamad Ziyad Zolkefli secured a bronze medal in the men's shot put F20 category at the London Paralympic Games. Ziyad's effort came days after archer Hasihin Sanawi won the silver medal in the men's individual recurve W1/W2 final. There's also Faridul Masri, who despite missing out a place on the podium by finishing fourth, set a new Asian record of 36.78m in the men's javelin (F54/55/56) event. However, there are those questioning to the lack of support and publicity of such achievements. The vast difference between the reward system has also taken center stage. I have been invited as a guest on Astro Arena (801) at...

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange 's ( pic ) speech from the balcony of the Ecuador Embassy as published on TripleM.com.au "I am here because I cannot be closer to you. Thank you for being here. Thanks you for your resolve and your generosity of spirit. On Wednesday night, after a threat was sent to this embassy and the police descended on the building, you came out in the middle of the night to watch over it, and you brought the world's eyes with you. Inside the embassy after dark I could hear teams of police swarming up into the building through the internal fire escape. But I knew that there would be witnesses. And that is because of you. If the UK did not throw away the Vienna conventions the other that is because the world was watching. And the world was watching because you were watching. The next time somebody tells you that it is pointless to defend those rights we hold dear, remind them of your vigil in the dark before the Embass...

And who would have thought that the Badminton World Federation (BWF) will take action against China. World champions Wang Xiaoli-Yu Yang from China were among the four pairs expelled. The others were South Koreans Jung Kyun Eun-Kim Ha Na, Ha Jung Eun-Kim Min Jung and Meiliana Jauhari-Greysia Polii from Indonesia. London Olympics chairman Sebastian Coe described the badminton 'match throwing' scandal as " depressing " and " unacceptable " - as seen here . The International Olympic Committee, meanwhile, said; "We applaud the federation for having taken swift and decisive action," said IOC communications manager Emmanuelle Moreau. "Such behavior is not compatible with the Olympic values." Read more here . And Indonesia have accepted BWF's decision despite wanting to appeal it earlier - as seen in BBC Indonesia's report. Kontingen Indonesia memutuskan untuk menarik kembali permohonan banding untuk pasangan ganda ...

By Jennifer Smith ( The Telegraph, UK ) 1. Shakespeare was the first person to use the word “Olympian” in 1591, in Henry VI, with the line: "Promise them such rewards / As victors wear at the Olympian games." 2. The ancient Olympics were first referred to in Homer’s Iliad, written in the 7th or 8th century BC. 3. The earliest record of the Games dates from 776 BC, when the only event was a foot race …. 4. ... and women, slaves and “impious” persons were banned from taking part in or watching the Games. 5. The “Olympic Truce” required that wars and disputes with the Hellenic world be suspended for the duration of the Games. 6. The first post-classical “Olimpick” games took place near Chipping Campden in 1612, exactly 400 years before London 2012. 7. The National Olympic Association was set up in 1865. Its aim was to establish a National Olympic Games, which would be held in a different city every year. 8. The first National Olymp...

UPDATE: Aug 1 (8.38am): Having seen and heard enough with regards to the issue of the contingent's attire at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, OCM President Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Jaafar said that it had been OCM's domain in the past but the government had taken over over two decades. "Having given serious consideration and looking at the issue with regards to the attire in London, we have decided that it will be OCM that will determine the attire for multi sports events from now on, " said Imran when met at the sidelines of the Olympics.   Read the full article at Malaysian Sports .  ------ UPDATE 1.50pm: Former Mailsport journo Graig Nunis alerted me of this on my Facebook page -     Olympic Uniform #18 – Malaysia Someone pulled a shifty on the Malaysian team and told them the opening ceremony was team fancy dress. That was the take of fashion website Dmarge.com as seen here . ------ What do you think of th...

By Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY LONDON – To the beat of two hearts, a Malaysian woman eight months pregnant competed in Olympic air rifle shooting Saturday morning. Though 29-year-old Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi ( pic ) did not make the final, she treasured the moment. "A pregnant woman can do whatever they think they can do. The most important thing is how they think," Taibi said. Taibi, who said her daughter is due to be born in 3-4 weeks, came here prepared to compete while aware the birth could come at any time. "I just prayed to God that if anything happened during my competition, I want to go the labor room. … I just accept it with an open heart," she said. She didn't see herself as limited. "I don't feel like there's a challenge during pregnancy. I just feel like ordinary, normal people, as if I am not pregnant. I still can do whatever a normal person can do," she said. Over a span of 75 minutes in the quali...

There will not only be officials and athletes in London - but parents too! The Terengganu government went a step further by sposoring the parents of their athletes to London. They include cyclists Adiq Husaini Othman, Amir Mustafa Rosli, Fatihah Mustafa dan Azizul Hasni Awang and archers Khairul Anuar Mohamad and Nurul Syafiqah Hashim. This will certainly provide an additional boost for the athletes who will want to make their families proud. There are officials there who - and I hope - to "learn" and "support" our Malaysian athletes. For latest results and updates, visit the official website here . And here's a preview of the Games by national news agency Bernama; As the 2012 London Olympics raises its curtains tomorrow, Malaysia will take off the starting block in its hunt for the elusive first gold medal from the world's biggest sporting event since its maiden participation in the 1956 Melbourne Games in Australia. Since 1956, only shuttlers...