105-yr-old woman commits suicide

A 105-year-old woman, Anastasia Khoreva hanged herself after telling her family she was tired of waiting to die.

Friends said great-great-great-gran Anastasia Khoreva had been depressed after being struck down with a lung infection.

The pensioner waited until her family had left the house then used a clothes line to fashion a makeshift noose in her bedroom.

Anastasia, from Darsun, Russia, had lived through the Russian Revolution, two world wars and the mass executions of communist tyrant Joseph Stalin.

"It's a strange thing to do at her time of life but she used to say she was fed up with waiting for death — so she wanted to go and meet it," said one neighbour.

A family member added: "She'd tried once before saying she'd had enough, but that time we managed to stop her.

"This time we weren't so lucky."

Woman's bones eroded by pet parasites

A twenty one (21) year old woman, identified only as Zhou, has been left paralysed after parasites from infected pets eroded her bones.

Zhou, spent years consulting doctors after suffering from constant fever and began losing the use of her lower limbs.

According to Guangzhou Daily, doctors at Zhu Jiang Hospital eventually finally performed a biopsy and discovered the rare form of a type of echinococcosis.

Zhou using a walker to help her recover after her operation

Zhou's mother said her daughter is fond of cats and dogs and often sleeps with her pets.

Doctors believe Zhou may have been infected by the pet parasites since childhood.

Her bones have been eroded by the bites from the parasites over many years.

Experts say parasites can infect children through interaction with pets, and incubate in the human body for years.

Families with pregnant women or children are advised to fully quarantine their pets.

Woman dies from too much Coke

Experts have concluded that a New Zealand woman's eight to 10 litre a day Coca-Cola habit likely caused her to suddenly collapse and die.

Natasha Harris, 30, was a stay-at-home mother of eight who was helping her children get ready for school when she collapsed slumped against a wall.

Her partner, Chris Hodgkinson, quickly called emergency services and tried to resuscitate her using mouth-to-mouth.

However, all efforts failed and she passed away
.

Medical reports state that she died of a heart attack. However, expert witnesses at an inquest testified that her 2-gallon-a-day Coca-Cola habit, combined with poor nutrition, likely lead to hypokalemia.

Hypokalemia, also known as low potassium levels, can include abnormal heart rhythms.

Pathologist Dr Dan Mornin added that the high levels of caffeine in Coke that built up to toxic levels in her body may have contributed to her death.

Hodgkinson testified that Harris would drink between 2.1 to 2.6 gallons of regular Coke every day.

She would drink a Coke when she woke up and would drink another just before she went to sleep.

He admitted she was addicted to Coke.

Reports by the Daily Mail said she would go 'crazy' if she ran out of it, becoming moody, irritable and low.

In a press statement, Coca-Cola said their products are safe.

"But grossly excessive ingestion of any food product, including water" could be harmful," the statement added.

"We believe that all foods and beverages can have a place in a balanced and sensible diet combined with an active lifestyle."

Woman who weeps crystal tears

Thirty-five (35) year old Jody Smith from the United Kingdom weeps crystal tears that sparkle like jewels.

Sounds very poetic but she finds her condition a nuisance.

“My doctor and husband say the crystals look like beautiful diamonds, but to me they’re a painful nuisance," said Jody.

“I know they sound lovely but it’s really awful, especially when the sun’s in my eyes. It feels like I’ve got sand in them.”

There is no cure for cystinosis, which stresses the kidney functions.

She has undergone two kidney transplants.

Purple crabs discovered

A new species of crabs have been discovered in the Philippine island of Palawan and they're purple...

National Geographic reports the species is named Insulamon Palawanese.

"It is known that crabs can discriminate colours. Therefore, it seems likely that the colouration has a signal function for the social behaviour, e.g. mating," Hendrik Freitag of the Senckenberg Museum of Zoology in Dresden, Germany told AFP.

"The particular violet coloration might just have evolved by chance, and must not necessarily have a very specific function or reason aside from being a general visual signal for recognition," Freitag told National Geographic.

Freitag's report was published in the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology.

The newly discovered crabs are quite small in stature, each from about an inch to two inches wide.

Giant growth removed from 'Turtle Boy'

A young lad branded 'turtle boy' due to a large shell-like growth on his body is finally free of the birthmark thanks to a British surgeon.

Little Didier Montalvo, six (6) year old from Colombia, suffered from Congenital Melanocytic Nevus, which meant a mole grew so large it almost entirely covered his back.

He was teased and banned from going to school because of the growth.

Locals in his village feared he had been cursed by evil forces as he was conceived during an eclipse.

Didier had said, "I want to grow up. But the mole won't let me."

His mum, Luz, could not afford to pay for surgery to help her son get rid of the birthmark blighting his life.

But when plastic surgeon Neil Bulstrode, from Great Ormond Street Hospital, in London, heard about the boy’s plight, he and his team flew to capital Bogotá to operate on him.

They eventually managed to remove the mole with a series of skin grafts.


"Didier's was the worst case I had ever seen. Effectively three quarters of the circumference of his body was affected. Obviously he has had to go through a number of painful operations, but we feel it was worth it. It’s great to see the photos of how Didier is getting on now. I'm really happy with how things have healed," said Mr Bulstrode.

River dolphins may be extinct in 15 yrs

Finless porpoise is the last surviving mammal in China's Yangtze River after the extinction of the white Yangtze River dolphin.

But now, the species - commonly called river dolphin - is also facing extinction due to human impact – fishing with dynamite and electric current, draining of habitat, dredging, river traffic and pollution.

Chinese scientists believe the mammal – which has been around for twenty-five (25) million years - would be extinct in some fifteen (15) years if nothing is done to protect them.

Since January, more than twenty (20) river dolphins were found dead in China.

Post-mortems showed that most of them had starved to death and one was severely injured by a boat's propeller.

Today only around one thousand (1,000) finless porpoises live in the Yangtze River, including around eighty (80) in Dongting Lake and some in Poyang Lake.

The river dolphin has long been considered a signal of coming storms.

River dolphins need to breathe fresh air through their lungs and when the air pressure falls ahead of a major storm, they jump out of the water and fishermen know it’s time to head home.

Their appearance also marks good fishing sites.

An adult male river dolphin can grow up to two (2) metres long and weigh as much as two hundred and twenty kilogram (220kg).

The mammal is highly intelligent and is said to have an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) as high as that of a chimpanzee.

Chinese fisheries authorities have taken emergency measures to protect finless porpoises including taking measures to reduce human impact, cracking down on illegal fishing, suspending all sand gathering activities for a few months and monitoring pollution discharge.

Mum being filmed leaving her baby in a buggy in the path of a traffic

This mother has some lessons to learn about road safety - as she leaves her baby sitting in the traffic.

The shocking video was shot in a Russian city, from a camera mounted on a vehicle's dashboard.

The clip shows a bus moving slowly past a pedestrian crossingwhile changing lanes.

And as the bus swings out to the right, it is clear that the driver has moved to avoid a child in a pushchair.

Horrifyingly, the baby's mother has left the buggy around three (3) ft into the road, right in the path of the traffic.

It is only as a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) attempts to squeeze through the same space that the woman pulls the pushchair back.

As cars speed past, she gradually moves her child back onto the pavement, out of harm's way.

Shockingly, while a few other pedestrian shoot the woman an odd look, none of them seem upset by her placing her child in such a dangerous situation.

Musician, 75, in love with 55yr old politician

A seventy-five (75) year old musician, Lin Rong-de has written hundreds of love letters and poems to a Taiwan politician he admires.

He has expressed his love for the former vice premier Tsai Ing-wen, 55, in the about two hundred (200) letters he wrote over the past two (2) years.

He has also written dozens of his love poems for Tsai and gathered them in a book - A poetry collection for Xiao Ying - specially dedicated to the single woman, a millionaire with a law degree.

"She is so elegant and refined," said the septuagenarian, adding that he was attracted to Tsai because of her interactive skills and personality.

However, Lin has yet to pass his letters to the chairperson of the Democratic Progressive Party, saying he would do so when Tsai visits Tainan, where he is currently living.

When asked for her comment, Tsai thanked Lin for his support and said, "Hope to see (you) in Tainan."

Tsai is currently running against President Ma Ying-jeou of the ruling Kuomintang in the fifth (5th) presidential election in 2012.

She has set the record by becoming the first female presidential candidate in the history of Taiwan.

British PM shows romantic side

David Cameron, 45, has told how he and his wife Samantha, 40, keep their romance alive with weekly date nights.

The PM said that despite busy schedules, and three (3) kids, he and Sam, ensure they still find time for each other.

Cameron said, "We have one night every week where we either stay in and do nothing or go out on our own. We have a couple of favourite Italian restaurants."

The romantic PM says he still remembers every minute of his wedding and honeymoon night of June 1, 1996.

Asked in a Now magazine interview to name the best day of his life, he said, "Probably getting marrieda and the first night of my honeymoon.

"I can remember pretty much minute by minute."

Terrified girl jumps out of moving cab

In Seremban on Monday, a twenty-one (21) year old woman with her mother and sister, boarded the taxi in Jalan Bandar Tunggal to travel to Mantin.

However, a short distance away, the mother asked the taxi driver to stop outside a grocery store where she and her other daughter wanted to buy some provisions.

As soon as the two (2) passengers got down, the driver accelerated towards Jalan Temiang.

Frightened at being left alone and fear that she was being abducted by the cab driver, the woman opened the door and jumped out of the moving vehicle.

Passers-by rushed her to the hospital, where she was treated for her injuries.

Passenger boards wrong plane and run amok

A fifty-two (52) year old Filipino man, Carlito Frajes Cantalejo, ran amok on a flight after realizing he was on the wrong aircraft.

He also attacked an attendant of the Cathay Pacific flight from Bangkok, Thailand, April 19.

He told the court that he was to go to Libya but only discovered he was on his way when the cabin crew announced the flight was about to land.

He then threatened an air stewardess by holding a plastic pen to her neck, but was subdued by other crew members and passengers.

Cantalejo, who was remanded in custody, was charged with behaving in a disorderly manner on board an aircraft in Hong Kong.

505 Dogs Saved from Pot

Five hundred and five ( 505 ) dogs were saved from being eaten after animal lovers spotted them crammed into one hundred and fifty six ( 156 ) small cages on a truck.

Reports of the horrific load flooded Weibo, China's version of Twitter, and cops halted the lorry in Yunnan province.

Some dogs suffered so badly, they died upon being freed.

Homes are being sought for rest.

An Escaped Cow visits McD's drive-thru

Guess what would a dairy cow order upon arriving at the drive-thru window at McDonalds? Nothing - she just wanted a little attention.

That's what Sandy Winn says was the reason her cow, Darcy, wandered from her pen Friday and ended up at takeout window of the fast-food restaurant a half-mile away in Brush, Colorado.

Winn told KUSA-TV that Darcy is good cow until she's bored - and then she goes looking for attention.

Winn said that she did not know Darcy escaped her pen until police called asking if the family owned a dairy cow and informed her that it was "up at McDonalds".

Winn then fetched the cow and took her home.

Brush police clerk Vivian Llewellyn joked Tuesday that Darcy "didn't get her burger." - AP

Penang, One of Asia's Top Street Food Cities

If food is one of your greatest pleasures on earth, then Asia will not be a disappointment.


Lifestyle website CNNGo named ten (10) of Asia's greatest street food cities, describing some of these humble beginnings.


cnngo.com reported that Penang was listed as one of the top cities with best hawker fare.


CNNGo said that, while we can find Chinese, Malay, and Indian cuisines in Penang because of its multicultural background, Nyonya food is the most distinct.


Street food heavyweights like Taiwan and Bangkok are of course, not left out of the list.


Singapore too, has been named for her famous chicken rice dish - arguably the Republic's national dish - and Katong Laksa.

Legoland sells 35,0000 passes

Legoland Malaysia has recorded 35,000 annual passes sales at the closing date on April 16 since the online ticket sale started in January.

General manager Siegfried Boerst said the figure was the highest ever recorded in the pre-opening annual passes sales for any of the Legoland theme parks.

The other Legoland theme parks are Legoland Billund in Denmark, Legoland Windsor in Britain, Legoland California and Florida in the United States and Legoland Deutshland in Germany.

He said 60% of the passes were bought by Malaysians while the balance by foreigners mainly Singaporeans. “We are optimistic to attract one million visitors (10,000 to 15,000 daily) to pass through our door in the first year of operations,'' said Boerst at a press conference yesterday.

Reducing power cuts in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: A push towards further reducing power interruptions in Sabah is underway with some 142 projects to minimise the frequent problem in the state and Labuan.

Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd managing director Abdul Razak Sallim said that the government had allocated RM276.04 million for various projects to minimise power disruption in the state.

“The projects are already underway are 26 involving generation, 14 transmission, 94 for distribution and eight major projects”, he said during a media briefing recently.

He said these projects were specifically to tackle the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) for this year.

He said previous projects had helped the utility company bring down theaverage interruption time to 494.64 minutes in 2011.

“We are targeting to bring it down further”, he said, adding that the improvement was clear when compared to the 4,030 minutes per customer recorded under SAIDI in 2006.

“What we have achieved in 2011 is very good compared to 2006”, he said, adding with various measures being undertaken they could further reduce it by tackling problems at the electricity generation, transmission and distribution points.

Earlier, he launched the new look Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd website www.sesb.com.my.

“The website will have latest SESB news for their customers and their services.This website will be more interactive and consumer friendly. people can provide suggestions, ask questions and make complaints in our new upgraded website, he added.

He said queries and complaints would be responded to immediately and they hoped it would help build a closer relationship between the company and its customers.

Our gold medalist at London Olympic Games stands to become millionaire instant!

A Malaysian gold medallist at the London Olympic Games stands to become an instant millionaire — with a minimum reward of RM2mil.

Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Gan Ping Sieu said a new corporate giant had pledged RM1mil for a gold medal winner at the Games from July 27-Aug 12.

Gan said he would reveal the identity of the corporate giant soon.

“It is important to give moral support to our athletes and we hope more corporate figures would make pledges to reward the players,” he said after launching the 13-week NSC-100Plus Road to Olympics television series at Bukit Jalil yesterday.

The series will be aired on Astro Arena (Channel 801) from Saturday (April 28). The 30-minute show will depict the life, the struggle and the determination of the Olympics-bound athletes and the history of the Games.

Besides the latest announcement of the additional reward, an Olympic gold medallist stands to win RM1mil from the National Sports Council (NSC)’s incentive scheme and another RM5,000 a month for the rest of his life.

Gan said the prize money offer from the corporate giant would spur Malaysian athletes to excel at the London Games. Malaysia has yet to win a gold medal at the Olympics.

Gan praised 100Plus for its RM4mil contribution to the show.

“I hope the television series on the Olympic-bound athletes would garner the support of the public for our athletes,” he said.

He hoped the inspiring stories would create awareness and provide an educational platform for all sport enthusiasts to want to know more about the athletes and the Games.

On paper, Malaysian athletes with realistic chances of winning medals at the London Games are shuttlers Lee Chong Wei, Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, diver Pandelela Rinong, cyclist Azizul Hasni Awang and the men’s archery team led by Cheng Chu Sian.

Good luck to Dato Lee Chong Wei. We would love to see your match!

Lynas has the right to sue, but Malaysian have the right to a safer environment

Malaysians will not challenge the rights of Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) to sue, but they will defend their rights to live in a safer environment.

According to Kuantan MP, Fuziah Salleh  the anti-Lynas group will soldier on because this is a matter of life and death. “If we continue to allow the plant to continue on with its operations, there is no guarantee that it will be safe from contamination of the radioactive waste she said.

“No industry is one hundred percent efficient and accidents caused by human errors, do happen, whether you like it or not. Even the most advanced plants have been known to contaminate the environment. For example, the Bhopal disaster involving Union Carbide had killed thousands of people living in the area. UNOCAL,  rare earth refinery plant similar to Lynas reported of 60 incidence of leakages involving radioactive waste to the amount of 600,000 US Gallons being discharged into the ground and contaminating the environment in late 1990s in Southern California.”

As a foreign investor, Lynas, she added, should be concerned about the environment which it seeks to operate in. “Nick Curtis should realize that,  in his own country, the best practice for a rare earth refinery is to be located in a sparsely populated area where the water table is deep below the ground level” she said. “Why, in our homeland, should he think that he can get away by setting up the plant within the district of Gebeng, with a resident population of at least 10,000 within the 5 km radius of the plant?”

Commenting further on the issue, Fuziah said that as prime minster, Najib Razak should be concerned about the Lynas issue, since it was first raised a few months ago, despite the plant located in Gebeng, which is just about 50 kilometres away from Najib’s own constituency of Pekan.

“Is he not concerned?” she asked, citing the way Najib had responded to press enquiries about the Scorpene deal. “This appears to be his style of handling issues. Whenever he is involved in something unpopular, he prefers to remain silent. Malaysians will interpret this as his way of condoning the Lynas project.”

Fuziah said with the Himpunan Hijau 3.0 to be organised in conjunction with Bersih 3.0 on April 28, Malaysians from all walks of life will send a clear message to Nick Curtis, Najib and the entire Barisan Nasional government that “we do not welcome any industry that could potentially risk the lives of Malaysians.

Anwar told to step down

Several non-governmental organisations have urged parliamentarians to propose a law that allows impeachment of leaders.

A delegation of eight men representing five NGOs led by the Selangor Anti-Irregularities Federation (GAPS) met Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Abu Zahar Nika Ujang and submitted a memorandum demanding the resignation of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday.

Gaps president Hamidzun Khaisaid after meeting the senate president yesterday that Anwar, who is also Permatang Pauh MP, had been involved in several scandals and was not fit to be a leader.

Hamidzun added that the Opposition Leader had been involved in two sodomy trials and there was also a video circulating on the Internet implicating Anwar.

Although he agreed with Hamidzun's interpretation of the court judgment, Abu Zahar said currently there was no legal provision to impeach leaders.

“As of now, there is no provision to impeach a leader. But if there are weaknesses in our laws, then it is up to the MPs and senators to moot a bill to rectify the weakness. After all, Parliament is the place to make a change for the benefit of the people,” said Abu Zahar.

“As a lawyer myself, I agree that if a person is acquitted by the court, it does not mean he is not guilty.

“He is released because the prosecution could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt of the defendant's guilt,” he said.

Hamidzun said GAPS would meet several MPs and senators to seek their support in proposing a law to impeach leaders.

Other NGOs represented by the eight-man delegation were Selangor Youth Council, Waris Malaya, Warisan Anak Merdeka, Belia Warisan Tanjung Keramat and Ikatan Kebajikan dan Dakwah Selangor

Timber Tycoo sues for wrong detention

KUALA LUMPUR: A timber tycoon, who was detained under emergency laws and who alleged that he was not freed even though two release orders were issued, is suing the authorities for wrongful detention.

Teng Chi Lik, from Kuching, is alleging that his detention at the Simpang Renggam detention centre in Johor for seven months from March 12, 2008, was unlawful.

He claimed that the order to restrict him in Penang for a year until October 2009 was also wrong.

Teng was detained by police in Nov 2007 for his alleged involvement in secret society activities and violent crimes before he was held under preventive laws.

At the start of trial yesterday, Teng, 47, stated in his sworn witness statement that a warder at Simpang Renggam had told him that his name was listed on the notice board as to be released on March 12, 2008.

However, later that night, he was told by the warden that the release order was not sent to the detention centre.

He said when his wife came to visit him, she allegedly told him that she was threatened by people claiming to be policemen and who demanded RM1.5 million for his release.

Teng added that his wife could not afford the payment, and after seeing him, returned to Kuching.

The witness referred to an alleged second release order, which was signed by then home minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar authorising his release on March 28.

He said that, again, a warden told him that his name was on the release list. Teng waited but was not freed.

Three witnesses for the plaintiff took the stand yesterday: his wife, Yeo Kok Ling, and two lawyers who had acted for him previously.

Teng had named the deputy internal security minister, home minister, director of the criminal investigation department, inspector-general of police, Simpang Renggam detention centre superintendent and the government as defendants.

Zahirul Fahmi Zaini, who was then assistant secretary of the public prevention of crime and public order department in the Home Ministry, was the first witness to testify for the defendants.

He said he was informed that the release order for Teng could not be executed as the then deputy internal security minister, Datuk Johari Baharum, had no power to sign any order related to the Emergency Ordinance as a caretaker government was in place at that time.

High Court judge Datin Zabariah Mohd Yusof will deliver her decision on May 29.

Flat dweller's agony after water tank breaks

Using a long nylon string, a pulley and a hook, the 28-year old housewife would pull up to 10 pails of water every morning to meet her daily needs.

"It has been a very arduous task for me and my husband. This cannot go on forever, especially when we have been promised a new water tank to replace the broken one," said Boon, who was among 300 residents who were busy replenishing their supply with water supplied by Syarikat Air Darulaman yesterday morning.

Meanwhile, Boon's neighbours, an elderly couple who live on the top floor, have been forced to have meals delivered to their home since they wish to save water for needs other than washing dishes and cooking.

"I am not as strong as Boon to use the pulley system. So I walk up and down slowly to carry at least 10 pails of water every morning.

"I do this alone since my 73-year-old husband is too weak to help me," said the 62-year-old grandmother who declined to be named.

According to the flat dwellers, the state housing board had promised to instal a new water tank when they removed the broken one at the end of last month. However, the authorities have yet to honour their word.

State Housing Committee chairman Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah could not be contacted for comment.

Man hit by commuter train

Shah Alam: A man in his 50s was killed after being rammed by a commuter heading towards Port Klang at Section 15 here today, a Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) spokesman said.

The man, believed to be from Ladang Raja Musa, Kuala Selangor, was injured in the legs, waist and head in the 9.20 am incident, he said, adding that no identification papers were found on him.  

A Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) spokesman said the incident took place at Km22.5, and involved a commuter coming from Kuala Lumpur.   

Shah Alam Police chief ACP Zahedi Ayob, when contacted, said the body had been sent to the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR) in Klang.  

"Anyone missing a family member can contact any police station," he said, adding that the case has been classified as sudden death. -- Bernama

10 man Chelsea into Champion finals over Barcelona

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) – Ten-man Chelsea withstood another onslaught from Barcelona to reach the Champions League final on Tuesday after hanging on for a 2-2 draw against the defending champion.

Chelsea’s hopes looked all but over after going down 2-0 and having John Terry sent off for a needless foul in the first half, but Ramires’ audacious lob right before halftime gave the advantage back to the Blues on aggregate.

After Lionel Messi blasted a penalty off the crossbar in the 59th and hit the post with another shot, substitute Fernando Torres netted in injury time to make it 3-2 on aggregate and ensure that Chelsea reached the May 19 final at Allianz Arena in Munich.

Chelsea won the first leg 1-0 at Stamford Bridge last week after Didier Drogba scored with the hosts’ only shot on target amid a series of wasted chances by Barcelona.

It is Chelsea’s first Champions League final since losing to Manchester United on penalties four years ago, and gives owner Roman Abramovich another chance to finally capture the elusive title in Europe’s premier club competition.

Bayern Munich leads Real Madrid 2-1 in the other semifinal going into the second leg in Spain on Wednesday.

Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta had put Barcelona up 2-0 by the 44th as the Spanish club once again dominated possession from the start. In between those goals, Terry was given a straight red card for putting his knee into the back of Alexis Sanchez, making a Chelsea fightback look even more unlikely.

But just like at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea proved very opportunistic once it created a rare counterattack.

Ramires ran onto a long pass to send an impressive lob over Victor Valdes to calm Chelsea’s nerves and boost the visitors morale as they headed back into the dressing room.

Barcelona’s inability to convert its possession advantage into goals was symbolized by Messi’s rare miss from the spot in the 49th, as the Argentina winger has now been held scoreless in seven meetings against Chelsea.

Messi hasn’t scored in his last three games, after netting 63 times previously this season.

Torres, who has struggled all season, was then sent clear in acres of space and rounded Valdes to slot the ball into an empty net in injury time – his eighth goal in 11 games against Barcelona.

Libya bans religious, tribal or ethnic parties

 Libya, preparing for elections in June, has banned parties based on religion, tribe or ethnicity, the government said on Wednesday, and a new Islamist party viewed as a leading contender signalled it would challenge the decision.

National Transitional Council spokesman Mohammed al-Harizy said the council passed the law governing the formation of political parties on Tuesday evening. "Parties are not allowed to be based on religion or ethnicity or tribe," he told Reuters.

He did not make clear how this would affect a political party formed in March by Libya's Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists. The new party was expected to make a strong showing in the election, the first since last year's overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed popular uprising.

The head of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Development Party said the NTC needed to make it clearer what it meant by banning religious parties. He said this would cause controversy in conservative Libya, whose population of six million is made up almost entirely of Sunni Muslims.

"This kind of clause is only useful in countries where there exist many religions, not in Libya where most people are religious Muslims," Sawan told Reuters.

"This law needs to be reviewed by the NTC and if it's not changed, we would have to protest it."

Libya's NTC has already indicated that the country will be run in accordance with sharia, though the exact place of Islamic law in the legal system will be settled only once a new constitution is written after elections.

Political analysts have said the Muslim Brotherhood is likely to emerge as Libya's most organised political force and an influential player in the oil-exporting state where Islamists, like all dissidents, were harshly suppressed during the 42 years of Qaddafi's dictatorial rule.

Islamists have performed strongly in post-uprising elections in Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco since October and they are also likely to do well in Libya, a socially conservative country where alcohol was already banned before the 2011 revolution.

Teen sell herself to buy branded sport shoe

A 15-YEAR OLD Singaporean prostituted herself after she felt neglected by her feuding parents who did not want custody of her, Guan Ming Daily Reported.

The girl, who wanted a pair of branded sports shoe at the time, decided to prostitute herself to buy the shoe instead of asking for money from her parents.

“My parents were fighting among themselves – not to get the custody of me – but to push me away,” she said adding that her parents divorced in 2006.

Feeling rejected, the girl met 19-year-old prostitute who persuaded the girl to sell herself for money. The girl was caught by police and was sent to a youth rehabilitation centre, it reported.

The girl’s mother, who was a part-time hairstylist and karaoke waitress, said she was shocked when the police told her about her daughter’s sex activities.

I was earning $1,200 (about RM2,600) a month then, so I worried that I could not take care of her. I wanted her to follow her father so that she could have a better life.

“But her father decided to remarry and was not willing to bear the responsibility,” the mother said.

Woman accidently stabs self to death

In Sandakan, a restaurant operator slipped and accidentally stabbed herself to death with a kitchen knife.

Cynthia Tan Kian Hoon, 41, was preparing breakfast when she fell forward. The six inch knife which she was holding in her hand, pierced into her ribs.

Acting Sandakan police chief Supt Fadzil Mohd Ali said Tan’s son and a worker who were outside the restaurant ran in after hearing a scream and found her face down on the floor.

The son and a relative tried to carry the woman but she collapsed after three steps lost consciousness, Supt Fadzil said.

A pathologist confirmed the woman died after a main artery was served, he said, adding that police did not suspect foul play.

Student Falls to her death

 AN undergraduate fell to her death from a building at her university after complaining of being disturbed by unexplained voices.

Fatimah Mina Md Juferi, 22, was believed to be troubled by voices from “another world” that she claimed she could hear, the victim's friend told Kosmo!

The body of the student, who was in her fourth semester of an early childhood education programme, was found at a corridor near the entrance of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) on Sunday.

“Fatimah had complained of hearing whispers, which became more frequent a few months ago,” said the victim's friend, who declined to be named.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showed that the victim had taken an elevator to the fifth floor at 5.26pm, UPSI deputy vice- chancellor (student affairs and alumni) Datuk Dr Junaidi Abu Bakar said.  

“Another student, who had walked by (on the ground floor) near where Fatimah fell, was shocked to see Fatimah's body and quickly sought the assistance of security personnel,” said Dr Junaidi.

Perak Crime Investigation Department chief Datuk Dzuraidi Ibrahim said the victim sustained severe injuries to her face, body, right leg, ribs, shoulders and nose.

Her remains were sent to the Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun in Ipoh for post-mortem.

> Kosmo! also reported another fall this time involving a senior citizen who died after falling from a petai tree in Nilai.

The body of 62-year-old Saari Mahmud was found by passers-by under the tree, estimated to be about 30m in height.

His son Riduan, 21, said his father had climbed petai trees for decades to harvest the beans but somehow fell to his death this time around.

District police chief Supt Mohd Yusoff Awang said the incident had been classified as sudden death.

Katrina and Hui Chuen fail to make cut

The olympic dream remains out of reach for SEA Games gold medalist Katrina Ann Hadi and Png Hui Chuen

The duo finished 27^th in the duet discipline in the London Olympic qualification tournament for synchronized swimming on Sunday.

Katrina and Hui Chuen scored 36.650 for technical merit and 36.850 for artistic impression for a total of 73.500 points and did not make the second round.

Judging by the standards from the qualification tournament, the Malaysia duo will have raise the bar to score above 80.000 points to be in contention for the next Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Hungary grabbed the last spot at the end of the second round with 80.540 points.

Katrina is likely to be paired with a younger swimmer as Hui Chuen is 28 and may not be in contention for the next games.

Katrina is only 19 and will be reaching her prime by then as synchronized swimming is a sport where one 

North Korea, South Korea and Japan join World Championship silver medalists China as the four Asian representative for the duet discipline at the London Olympics.