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Good attendance despite incessant rain - The Borneo Post Online Berita Sarawak - News 2 Sarawak

Good attendance despite incessant rain - The Borneo Post Online

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 11:03 AM PST

KUCHING: The 2014 term started well for schools here yesterday despite the incessant rain.

At SK Matang Jaya, pupils were delighted to be seated in their respective classrooms, eager to learn new things and make new friends.

They were seen engrossed in their lessons and did not pine for their parents.

The school has 167 Primary 1 pupils this year.

At SK St Joseph, pupils were well behaved and listened attentively to their teachers' instructions.

During an ice-breaking session, some were shy when asked to introduce themselves but others were fearless and loved speaking with the microphone.

Only a handful of parents stayed when the school session began.

The school has four classrooms for the 133 Primary 1 pupils – interestingly named 1 Arsenal, 1 Manchester, 1 Chelsea and 1 Liverpool.

This year sees an increase in the number of schools and classes at preschool, primary and secondary level in Sarawak.

In a press release, state education director Datu Abdillah Adam said there are an additional 26 preschool classes this year, bringing the overall number of classes to 1,408 at preschools, 1,079 at primary schools and two classes at secondary schools.

There are also 15 preschool classes at four teacher-training institutes, four classes at religious schools and four classes at special education schools.

This will benefit 28,350 children aged between four and six.

There are also two additional primary schools – SK Tegulang and SK Metalun in Belaga – which bring the total number of operating primary schools to 1,265 this year.

This figure comprises 1,032 national schools, 221 national-type schools, eight government-assisted religious schools and four special education national schools.

The enrolment of pupils from Primary 1 to 6 in Sarawak this year stands at 249,209, of which 42,328 are in Primary 1.

Meanwhile, there are 186 secondary schools operating including the new SMK Sri Matang.

"The total number of student enrolment at national secondary schools is 216,205, which also includes 1,241 students from special education integrated programme classes," said Abdillah.

He also noted that 3,539 Primary 6 students will undergo transition class while 43,988 students are in Form 1 this year.

A total of 26,799 teachers are serving at primary schools while 15,520 teachers are based at secondary schools.

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Musharraf suffers &#39;heart problem&#39; on way to treason hearing <b>...</b>

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 09:18 AM PST

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf was rushed to hospital yesterday after suffering a 'heart problem' on his way to court for a hearing in his treason case.

The 70-year-old had been summoned to the special tribunal in Islamabad after failing to show up for two previous sessions due to security threats against him.

Musharraf's team says the allegations, which relate to his imposition of emergency rule in November 2007, are politically motivated and his lawyers have challenged the authority of the three-judge tribunal.

He is the first former army chief to go on trial in Pakistan, setting up a potentially destabilising clash between the government – which brought the charges – and the all-powerful military.

Jan Mohammad, a senior police official, told the court in Islamabad that Musharraf had fallen ill while being transported to the hearing under heavy security.

"He has been shifted to Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology after he got heart problem," Mohammad said.

Security was tight at the hospital in Rawalpindi, the garrison city which neighbours Islamabad, an AFP journalist said, with soldiers and paramilitary Rangers standing guard.

An aide to Musharraf, who is facing a series of criminal cases dating back to his 1999-2008 rule, told AFP the retired general was in "bad shape".

A statement from his spokesman Raza Bokhari said Musharraf was conscious and "oriented in time and space" and was being examined by military doctors.

Earlier yesterday his lawyers walked out of court, complaining of being threatened and harassed.

Anwar Mansoor Khan, one of the lawyers, told the court he has been receiving threats and was unable to sleep the night before the hearing.

"I was under total threat… from 1:00 am to five in the morning. Someone was banging on my door and ringing my bell," Khan told the court.

When one of the judges asked who was threatening him, Khan answered: "This very government."

The court promised to investigate but Khan walked out of court, followed by other members of Musharraf's legal team.

"This never happened in my 40 years of practice. I will walk out," Khan said.

Musharraf's lawyers have previously said the treason case is an attempt by the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whom Musharraf ousted in a coup in 1999, to settle old scores through the courts.

Sharifuddin Pirzada, another of Musharraf's lawyers, also complained that he had been threatened.

Khan told the court on Wednesday he had been attacked in his car while travelling to the eastern city of Lahore following an earlier hearing.

The treason allegations are the latest in a series of criminal cases faced by Musharraf since he returned to Pakistan in a thwarted bid to run in last May's general election.

These include murder charges over the assassination in late 2007 of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

On Sunday the retired general denounced the treason case as a "vendetta" against him and claimed he had the backing of the military.

There has been no public comment on the case from the army, but some observers say they are reluctant to have their former chief suffer the indignity of trial in a civilian court. —AFP

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Preschools reminded to help prevent HFMD - The Borneo Post Online

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 11:30 AM PST

by Peter Boon, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on January 3, 2014, Friday

SIBU: Childcare centres, nurseries and kindergartens have been reminded to take measures to prevent the spread of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD).

State health director Datu Dr Zulkifli Jantan warned that sick preschoolers are not allowed to attend classes.

"We ask for understanding and cooperation from parents not to send their children to school if they are sick. Instead, they should practise self-isolation," he said on Wednesday.

He also called on teachers and caregivers to teach preschoolers the importance of personal hygiene and cleanliness such as proper hand-washing techniques after visiting the toilet and before meals.

"There shall be strictly no sharing of personal items such as handkerchiefs, towels, spoons and others," he said.

He also reminded parents to take their children to the nearest clinic if they are unwell.

Statistics from the Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) of the state Health Department's Communicable Disease Control Section, show 8,180 registered HFMD cases for Sarawak until Epidemiologic Week 47 last year compared to 13,101 during the same period in 2012.

Miri Division recorded 1,938 cases, Kuching — 1,806; Sibu —1,307; Samarahan — 592; Sarikei — 521; Limbang— 448; Bintulu —406; Mukah — 387; Kapit — 318; Sri Aman— 231; and Betong — 226.

HFMD is characterised by fever, sores or ulcers in the mouth, and a rash with blisters.

The blisters may appear in the mouth, palms and soles of the feet; rashes may also appear on the buttocks, legs and arms; while mouth ulcers usually appear on the tongue, sides of the cheeks, gums or near the throat.

The usual period from infection to onset of symptoms (incubation period) is three to seven days.

Fever is often the first symptom of HFMD followed by blisters or rashes.

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Two Mexican clowns detained over kidnapping – BorneoPost Online <b>...</b>

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 06:14 PM PST

Two men who worked as clowns named "Pistachon" and "Freski Star" in western Mexico have been arrested in connection with an alleged kidnapping, authorities said Thursday.

The two suspects, 21 and 22 years old, were detained along with two associates on Tuesday as they tried to collect a second payment from the family of a kidnap victim, the Michoacan state prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The two suspects kidnapped a young man in the state capital Morelia on December 18 when they met him to rent video and sound equipment from the victim for a show, the statement said.

They demanded a 100,000-peso ($7,500) ransom but accepted a first payment of $1,500 from the family and freed their hostage pending a second payment of almost $2,000.

The pair, who are linked to at least one other kidnapping, were not in their clown suits at the time of their arrest, authorities said.

While murders fell nationwide last year, kidnappings have soared, with interior ministry figures showing 1,583 abductions between January and November compared to 1,317 in all of 2012.

But a survey by the national statistics institute revealed a more startling figure of more than 105,000 kidnappings in 2012 in the country of 118 million people, or almost 290 per day.

It is also the second crime involving clowns in recent months in Mexico.

In October, former drug capo Francisco Arellano Felix was shot dead by a man in a clown suit and makeup at a party in the northwestern beach resort of Cabo San Lucas.-AFP

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Local authorities have done their best - The Borneo Post Online

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 11:34 AM PST

SIBU: Local authorities have done their level best to fulfil the needs of the people with the resources available to them, said Ministry of Local Government and Community Development permanent secretary Datu Dr Penguang Manggil.

He was commenting on a news report calling for local councils to patch up all potholed roads.

"The councils should be sensitive enough to calls by the public but the public should also understand.

"Whether these roads are JKR (Public Works Department) roads or federal roads," he said yesterday.

"Some of these potholes were caused by utility agencies digging and cutting the roads to provide or upgrade their services."

Assistant Minister of Youth Development Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah had said it was time for the government to upgrade the standard of roads in the state, especially those in bigger towns.

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Two youths held over Putatan fight - The Borneo Post Online

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 09:35 AM PST

PENAMPANG: Police detained two youths to assist investigation into a fight and argument involving eight youths and six Pakistani men at a sundry shop in Kampung Ulu, Putatan on Wednesday.

District police chief DSP Ratan Kumar Singh said the two youngsters, both aged 19, were picked up by police from the Crime Investigation Department (CID) in Putatan around 11am yesterday.

"They are being held to assist police investigation into an argument involving eight youths and six Pakistani men at a sundry shop in Kampung Ulu two days ago," he said yesterday.

Singh said the youths were detained after continuous police investigation and tip-off from the public.

An argument broke out between eight youths and six Pakistani men outside a sundry shop at Kampung Ulu on January 1.

An elderly Pakistani man sustained injury during the 1.30am incident after he was allegedly attacked by the youths outside his sundry shop.

It is said that the attack happened due to a misunderstanding between one of the youths and workers of the sundry shop.

Fourteen people were subsequently arrested by the police to assist investigation.

Meanwhile, Singh urged business owners around Penampang and Putatan to call the Penampang police hotline at 088-712 222 if they witness any incidents around their areas.

"Inform the police immediately so we can take appropriate action to prevent unwanted incident from happening," said Singh.

He thanked the public for their continuous support to the police and hope such cooperation would continue in the future.

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