Price of clothes up next month
11:34 AM | Author: EmerGence
By K.M. LEW

PETALING JAYA: Consumers will have to pay more for new clothes this Christmas and the New Year after a surge in the price of cotton and yarn.
    The shortage of raw materials worldwide and higher demand for garments has led to the escalating prices of all raw materials for textiles and garments since early this year.
     Malaysian Textile Manufacturers Associa­tion chief executive officer Andrew Hong said local manufacturers had to absorb the higher manufacturing costs and cope with surging raw material prices.
     He said all raw material prices had surged by 25% to 40% in the past two to three months.
     He foresaw prices of apparels at retail outlets increasing next month onwards as manufacturers would pass on some of the costs to end users eventually.
     He explained that flooding in cotton-producing countries like China, India, United States, Pakistan and Brazil had caused the serious shortage of supply of raw materials.
     Hong said he expected the price of cotton to stabilise only in the middle of next year when the production of polyester fibre, a substitue for cotton, increased.
     “Currently, polyester fibre producers are struggling to increase production. They need time to enlarge their production capacity,” he added.
     Grand Bell Trading Sdn Bhd, a manufacturer and retailer of Skiva undergarments, has plans to increase retail prices for its products next month.
     Its chief executive officer Joseph See told The Star that the price of cotton was “surging crazily” last month, and its manufacturing unit had to pay 60% more for raw materials.
     He said the company was bearing the increasing manufacturing costs since January.
     “We have no choice but to pass on some of the costs to consumers by raising retail prices by about 20% next month,” he said.
     See expected retailers in the undergarment industry to increase prices by at least 25%.
     Sports and casual wear retailer Cheetah Holdings Bhd executive director Chia Kee Kwei also said prices of apparel and garments would be increased from next month.
     “We are still working on a new pricing list for our products according to the manufacturing cost,” he said, adding that 70% of its apparels were imported.
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Malaysian charged with hacking into US bank
11:24 AM | Author: EmerGence
By K.M. LEW

NEW YORK: A Malaysian man, charged on Thursday with hacking into computer networks of the US Federal Reserve Bank (FRB) and a defence contractor, was caught by Secret Service agents while selling stolen credit card numbers for US$1,000 (RM3,200) at a diner in New York.
     Court documents released by US prosecutors said the man, identified as Lin Mun Poo, 32, was arrested on Oct 21, hours after arriving in New York.
     He was indicted by a grand jury on Thursday on four charges, including hacking into the system of a US central bank branch in Cleveland, Ohio.
     “In his post-arrest statement, the defendant admitted compromising the computer servers of a number of major financial institutions and companies,” US prosecutors in Brooklyn wrote in a letter to US District Judge Dora Irizarry, who was assigned the case.
     It said Lin admitted exploiting a vulnerability he found in the bank’s computer system.
     “The Federal Reserve Bank in Cleveland, Ohio, has confirmed that an FRB computer network was hacked in June 2010, resulting in thousands of dollars in damages, affecting 10 or more computers,” the letter said.
     A court hearing for the judge to consider a government request to continue to detain Lin was postponed. No new date has been scheduled yet. Lin’s court-appointed lawyer was not available to comment.
     Lin is a Malaysian with no professional or family ties to the US, the letter said. He arrived at New York’s John F. Kennedy airport from Europe with a round-trip ticket, planning to return on Nov 22.
     “Within hours of his arrival at JFK, US Secret Service agents observed the defendant selling stolen credit card numbers for $1,000 at a diner in Brooklyn and arrested him shortly thereafter,” the letter to the judge said.
     Other allegations against Lin include possession of more than 400,000 stolen credit cards and debit cards on an encrypted laptop computer that the agents seized.
      If convicted, he faces a potential maximum prison sentence of between six-and-a-half years to eight years.
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Never too old for good sex life
10:40 AM | Author: EmerGence
By K.M. LEW
KUALA TERENGGANU: Sex is not just for the young and an inaugural workshop has been organised to rejuvenate the sex lives of elderly couples in Terengganu.
     A host of health specialists and geriatricians, including renowned sex therapist Prof Dr Mohd Ismail Mohd Tambi, have been invited as facilitators in the pioneer workshop to start tomorrow in Setiu. Some 300 senior citizens are expected to take part.
     The pioneer workshop, a brainchild of the Terengganu Family Development Foundation (YPK) comprises a series of courses with modules exclusively designed for elderly couples to bring back the joy of sex in their marriage.
     One focus was on how the participants should maintain a high level of self-hygiene and what to wear when the couples were together.
     YPK director Mohd Shafaruddin Mustafa said the workshop was aimed at correcting the perception of many that elderly couples had had enough romance after being married for decades.
     “Many of them are lonely although their spouses live with them,” he said in an interview.
      In most cases, couples had strained relationships in their twilight years as they slept in separate bedrooms and focused on other matters, mainly the welfare of their children and grandchildren.
     “This is unhealthy as elderly couples could still continue to have vibrant intimate relationships especially with all kinds of therapy and health supplements available these days,” Mohd Shafaruddin said.
     He also observed that senior couples easily get agitated with each other, probably due to their own aging process which could strain their union.
     “All these can be prevented if they were given tips on how to make their twilight years more exciting through renewed intimacies.”
     Mohd Shafaruddin lamented that elderly couples also seldom communicate with each other and were very embarrassed to openly talk about their health issues like erectile dysfunction or even menopause.
     “Through the workshops, we hope those with health problems could seek help from a panel of health specialists. The first session received an overwhelming response, and we believe those in other districts would be just as eager,” he said.
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E-bike must meet basic standards
10:39 AM | Author: EmerGence
By K.M. LEW
PETALING JAYA: The electric motorcycle must meet the basic standard dimensions of a petrol-powered motorcycle, including its length and the size of its wheels, for it to be registered with the Road Transport Department (JPJ).
     JPJ director-general Datuk Solah Mat Hassan said the vehicle must also be equipped with headlights, signal lights and brake lights, adding: “The braking system must be of a certain mark as it will be used on public roads.
     “While such motorcycles are not expected to be occupying the fast lane, it cannot be too slow either as that could obstruct traffic flow and endanger the rider,” he said yesterday.
     The Star recently reported that electric motorcycles were set to hit Malaysian roads as early as the first quarter of next year.
     This is following the amendment to the Road Transport Act 1987 to exempt the vehicle having to register the engine and chassis numbers with JPJ.
     The amendments are up for second reading in Parliament and will be debated at policy stage in the middle of next month.
     At present, Modenas and Eclimo Sdn Bhd are ready to assemble electric motorcycles.
     Modenas, the national motorcycle company, will offer the 1kw-powered motorcycle, currently referred to as CTRIC, which uses five sealed lead acid gel batteries and can hit a maximum speed of 110kph and travel up to 65km on a single charge. Its selling price is expected to be below RM5,000.
     Eclimo will offer Penan, a scooter that uses the more expensive lithium-ion polymer battery pack which it claims will offer a similar performance to a 125cc petrol-powered motorcycle.
     The scooter will be able to travel up to 120km at an average speed of 50kph while the battery can be recycled at the end of its life span of about 100,000km. It is expected to be priced slightly above RM10,000.
     Both companies said their motorcycles had undergone several private tests with encouraging results.
     Solah said the motorcycles would be evaluated by the department’s Vehicle Type Committee to test their roadworthiness.
     A licence was also needed to ride the motorcycle, he said, adding: “It is after all, similar to the petrol-powered motorcycle, so you need a valid licence to ride it on public roads.”
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AirAsia to open new hub in Chiang Mai
10:31 AM | Author: EmerGence
By K.M. LEW
BANGKOK: Beginning Jan 24, AirAsia will open a new hub in Chiang Mai, and launch daily flights from there to Hat Yai and Singapore.
      Thai AirAsia chief executive officer Tassapon Bijleveld said the move would offer more connectivity for people who wished to travel to or from the northern city of Thailand to Singapore or Hat Yai in Southern Thailand.
      Chiang Mai is known for its abundant natural beauty and rich culture and about five million tourists visit the destination every year.
      Hat Yai is Thailand’s important financial city in the south and Singapore is known as a shopping haven and excellent weekend destination.
      Tassapon said the new hub would also allow travellers to connect to Bangkok, Phuket and Kuala Lumpur. AirAsia, the leading and largest low-cost carrier in Asia, offered a special promotional price starting from 690 Baht (about RM69) per way from Chiang Mai-Hat Yai and 1,490 Baht (about RM149) per way for Chiang Mai-Singapore, he added.
      Booking is open Wednesday until Nov 28 for travel from Jan 24 until Nov 10.
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Couple and twin sons killed in road accident
10:28 AM | Author: EmerGence
By K.M. LEW

IPOH: A couple and their twin sons died when the car they were travelling in was involved in an accident with three other vehicles at the 377th kilometre of the North-South Expressway near Slim River.
      Their two other children were injured in the midnight Wednesday mishap that also involved a trailer, lorry and taxi, about 130km from here.
      Tanjung Malim deputy OCPD Deputy Supt Anuar Osman said the family was heading north from Labu, Negri Sembilan, to their hometown in Lenggong, northern Perak, to celebrate Hari Raya Haji.
The dead were Shaful Fadzilah Shahar, 35, Siti Suzana Md Nor, 33, and their six-year-old twins Fitri and Fikri.
      “The couple and Fitri died on the spot due to serious head injuries while Fikri, who suffered similar injuries, was pronounced dead at the Slim River Hospital.
      “Their other son, Firdaus, eight, was admitted at the same hospital with light injuries while their four-year-old daughter Fatihah, who was seriously hurt, was rushed to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh,” DSP Anuar said.
      He said a trailer had rammed into the back of the Proton Iswara driven by Shaiful.
      “The impact of the crash caused Shaiful’s car to ram into the back of a lorry. A taxi that was in front of the lorry was also hit but its driver escaped with minor injuries,” he said, adding that the driver of the trailer was also injured.
      He said it was believed the driver of the trailer was speeding and failed to break in time near the Slim River turn-off where vehicles had slowed down, adding that the wet weather could have also been a contributing factor.
      Meanwhile, in Kinabatangan, Sabah, the driver of a car was killed while two others suffered serious injuries in a three-vehicle pileup at the 68th kilometre of Jalan Sandakan-Lahad Datu near here, reported Bernama.
      The dead was identified as Nursia Yusof, 24, from Tawau while the identity of two other drivers whose vehicles were also involved in the accident, was not known yet.
      Kinabatangan police chief DSP Jaini Abdul Kadir said during the 10.50am incident, Nursia was driving from Kinabatangan to Sandakan when her car collided head-on with another vehicle from the opposite direction.
      “Upon impact, the Nursia’s car swerved to the left and was hit by another vehicle which was coming from Kinabatangan,” he said.
      The injured have been admitted to the Kinabatangan District Hospital and were reported to be in stable condition while Nursia’s body was also sent to the same hospital for post-mortem, he said.
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Eight teenage girls held over beating
10:26 AM | Author: EmerGence
By K.M. LEW
KUCHING: Eight female secondary school students were detained in connection with the beating of a female schoolmate.
     The girls, ages 16 to 17, were rounded up in a police operation from 11.30pm to 1am at their homes in Kampung Gita here yesterday.
     Their 16-year-old female schoolmate was beaten unconscious outside the school grounds on Thursday after she was accused of being conceited and a show-off.
     Kuching district police chief ACP Mun Kock Keong told The Star that statements from the eight girls were recorded and they were released at around 8am yesterday.
     “Investigation under Section 147 for student offences is nearing completion,” he said.
     At 11.30am on Thursday, the victim from Taman Sri Wangi in Petra Jaya was approached by a group of female schoolmates after she had gone to the school to return her loaned textbooks as she was allowed to return home early as it was the last day of the school term.
     She was said to have been ambushed outside the school grounds in Semerah Padi and was beaten up and left on the ground unconscious.
     A friend who happened to pass by took her home before contacting the victim’s sister.
     She suffered bruises to the head and body and was rushed to the Sarawak General Hospital.
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A three-year-old boy takes 10km bus ride alone and unattended
4:58 AM | Author: EmerGence
By K.M. LEW


KUALA LUMPUR: With his milk bottle in his hand, a three-year-old boy climbed onto a public bus on his own and went on a more than 10km ride before a good Samaritan brought him to a police station.
Bystanders recalled seeing the boy, who was wearing a red shirt, at the bus stop near the Sri Sabah Flats here at noon yesterday.
"A woman in her 40s noticed that the boy was alone and unattended.
"She then carried the boy when she got off the bus near Jalan Tun Hussien and took him to a police station to lodge a report," Cheras acting OCPD Supt Abdul Rahim Hamzah Othman Supt Abdul Rahim said.
Police took photographs of the boy before handing him over to the Welfare Department in Jalan Pahang. His photographs were distributed at the Sri Sabah flats area where he was first spotted.
At 5.30pm, a couple came to the Cheras district police station claiming that their child had gone missing while the husband was washing his car.
"We could not reunite the boy with his parents as the welfare centre had already closed. We will return to the department today and send the boy back," Supt Abdul Rahim said.
However, he said police would be conducting a DNA test to confirm if the couple were indeed the boy's parents. Supt Abdul Rahim said if the test was positive, police would take action against the couple for negligence.
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Fried onions and used condom for dinner
10:01 PM | Author: EmerGence
By K.M. LEW

     A USED condom was found in a 100gm packet of fried onion that was sold at a convenience store in Singapore, Sin Chew Daily reported.
     A 46-year-old air-con mechanic only be known as Ho told a daily in Singapore that he and his wife had the fried onion as a side dish for dinner last Saturday.
     When the couple finished eating, they poured the remaining fried onion into a container but to their horror they saw a used pink condom among the content while emptying the plastic bag.
     “It is ridiculous that a used condom could be found inside a packet of fried onion. If it is an insect, we can still understand and forgive,” said Ho.

     > Chinese dailies reported that a hospital in Singapore had used wrong sperm cell during an In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) process for a couple resulting in the test tube baby being born of a different skin colour as the parents.

     Oriental Daily News said the Singaporean Chinese woman and her Caucasian husband demanded an explanation from the hospital when the baby of a much darker skin colour was born on Oct 1.
The couple in their 30s decided to conduct a blood and DNA test. A report showed that the baby had a different blood group.

     When they confronted staff at the hospital, they were told that it could be due to a mix-up in the sperm cell being used during the IVF, reported the daily.


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Boy dies in Deepavali fire tragedy
9:31 AM | Author: EmerGence
By K.M. LEW

KUALA LUMPUR: It was a sombre Deepavali for the family of a three-year-old boy who perished in a fire in his flat in Batu Caves near here on Thursday.
     A. Praveen Dhurai, who had celebrated his birthday two weeks ago, was laid to rest at a Hindu cemetery in Taman Kepong yesterday.
     Praveen, who was with two older siblings. was in his house on the third floor at Jalan 3, Centre Point when the incident occurred at about 11.30am. His parents were away at the time.

Deep sorrow: B. Anadhurai sharing the grief of his wife Puguniswary as their son Saravanan, five, looks on.
 
     Police believe he had died due to burns and smoke inhalation.
     Gombak OCPD Asst Comm Abdul Rahim Abdullah said the victim, the youngest of five siblings, had injuries to his hands and face.
     “We believe the cause of death is asphyxia,” he said, adding a post-mortem would be conducted at the Selayang Hospital where the body was sent.
      He said initial investigation revealed that the fire was caused by a short circuit.
     At the Selayang Hospital mortuary, Praveen’s mother S. Puguniswary, 36, said she and her two other children had gone to Chow Kit to buy groceries for Deepavali while her husband B. Annadurai had gone to Puspakom.
     “My husband forced his way into the burning house to look for our son and found him on the floor. He was still breathing at that time,” she said.
     He sent Praveen to Hospital Kuala Lumpur but the boy was pronounced dead on arrival.
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