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  • Pint-Clutching Man Becomes Symbol Of London’s Defiance Against Terrorism

    Pint-Clutching Man Becomes Symbol Of London’s Defiance Against Terrorism

    A man pictured calmly taking his pint of beer with him as other people fled past him during Saturday’s (Jun 3) deadly attack in London has been cast as an unlikely hero who encapsulates British humour and defiance.

    Dressed in a red t-shirt and sauntering casually with a friend, the drinker stood out in Sky News footage of men and women running down Borough High Street, away from the London Bridge scene of the attack that left seven people dead and 48 injured.

    The image spread like wildfire across Twitter and British newspapers said the man, whose identity is unknown, was a symbol of defiance.

    “True symbol of the British spirit as man flees terrorist attack clutching his pint,” said student Henry Slesser (@HenrySlesser), on Twitter.

    Others joked that it was only right that he should take his beer with him, given London’s notoriously high prices.

    “Evacuate? Well, OK. But this beer cost six pounds (US$7.74) a pint. I’m taking it with me,” said another Twitter user, Andrew Brooks (@taxbod).

    Londoners take pride in, and sometimes joke about, showing fortitude during adversity.

    Tourist shops are awash with memorabilia emblazoned with “Keep calm and carry on”, a slogan drawn from a World War II poster that became popular in the last 10 years.

    Saturday’s attack, in which three men drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing people in nearby bars and restaurants, occurred five days before a parliamentary election.

    British Prime Minister Theresa May said the vote would go ahead as planned on Thursday.

    Residents of the northern English city Manchester also looked to their city’s culture for solace after a suicide bombing at a pop concert killed 22 people and injured 116 nearly two weeks ago, Britain’s deadliest attack in almost 12 years.

     

    Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Chef Bob Berjaya Hilangkan 90kg Berat Badannya, Berazam Turunkan Lagi 15kg Demi Anak

    Chef Bob Berjaya Hilangkan 90kg Berat Badannya, Berazam Turunkan Lagi 15kg Demi Anak

    Anda yang sudah lama tidak melihat Chef Bob, mungkin terpaksa menggosok mata berulang kali untuk memastikan apakah itu Bob yang sama.

    Manakan tidak, personaliti tempatan itu yang dahulunya dianggap ‘montel’ kini jelas kelihatan lebih kurus, sihat dan juga mungkin lebih kacak! Perubahan fizikal Chef Bob memang amat ketara – selepas beliau berjaya menurunkan berat badannya dengan sebanyak 90 kilogram!

    Gambar di atas dan di bawah ini menjadi buktinya.

    Ketika dihubungi BERITAMediacorp, Chef Bob atau nama sebenarnya Shahrizal Salleh, pada awalnya mengaku berasa agak malu untuk berkongsi perjalanannya.

    Chef Bob membuka cerita: “Sebenarnya ini adalah putaran keempat bagi saya untuk berusaha menurunkan berat badan. Yang pertama, adalah semasa saya menjalani Perkhidmatan Negara, di mana saya hilang lebih 56 kilogram dalam masa dua tahun.

    “Yang kedua, apabila saya tertekan untuk nampak langsing di hadapan TV bagi siri Cef Skuter. Dan yang ketiga pula, sejurus sebelum saya naik pelamin. Maklumlah nak ada ‘badan pelamin’.”

    Chef Bob menambah, badannya bagaimanapun kembali “naik lemak” setelah beliau berkahwin.

    “Terus naik badan sehingga mencecah 188kg. Bagi putaran kali keempat ini pula, ia bermula dua tahun lalu. Dan saya memberitahu diri bahawa, sudahlah. ‘Enough is enough’ (Sudah cukup),” kongsi beliau dengan terus terang kepada BERITAMediacorp.

    APA DIA PENDORONG UTAMA BOB KURUSKAN BADAN?

    Ditanya kenapa beliau bersungguh-sungguh bertekad ‘membakar habis-habisan’ lemak ditubuhnya? Jawapan Bob boleh dirumuskan dalam satu perkataan – Umar. Semua ini demi anaknya yang tersayang yang bakal menginjak usia 3 tahun, Umar.

    “Umar menjadi pendorong utama saya untuk terus bertekad dan berusaha. Saya mahu dia membesar dengan seorang ayah. Memang benar, hidup mati itu di tangan Allah. Tetapi apabila anda gemuk, pelbagai komplikasi kesihatan yang akan timbul.

    “Malah, sepotong ayat Quran turut menyatakan bahawa ‘kaum lelaki adalah pelindung dan penjaga isteri-isteri dan anak-anak mereka’. Bagaimana dapat saya melindungi keluarga saya sedangkan saya tidak dapat melindungi diri saya sendiri? Bagaimana dapat saya jaga keluarga saya apabila saya sendiri tidak boleh berjalan dengan betul untuk melakukan tugas saya?” luah Chef Bob tanpa berselindung.

    Bagaimanapun, usahanya untuk menurunkan berat badan tentunya bukan mudah. Malah, Chef Bob memberitahu BERITAMediacorp, beliau berulang kali berasa hampir berputus asa.

    Menurunkan berat badan mudah katanya. Tetapi untuk mengekalkannya adalah amat sukar. Kini, setelah hilang hampir 100 kilogram dan tubuhnya menjadi lebih cergas, Chef Bob nampaknya ditiup semangat baru.

    “Saya memang sudah bertekad dan tidak mahu berat badan yang turun naik lagi. Penatlah,” katanya, yang kini berjaya mengurangkan berat badannya kepada 99 kilogram.

    TUBUHKAN KELAB KECERGASAN ‘FAT BOYS FITNESS CLUB’

    Yang jelas, beliau menerima dorongan dari pelbagai pihak, termasuk pelatih kecergasannya, Sazali. Sazali, yang juga suami kepada seorang sepupunya, melatihnya selama lebih tiga tahun mengikut jadualnya yang fleksibel.

    Bahkan, kedua-dua Chef Bob dan Sazali kini sama-sama menubuhkan sebuah kelab kecergasan khas yang diberi nama ‘Fat Boys Fitness Club’ (FBFC).

    “Saya menyarankan idea untuk mengadakan latihan ‘bootcamp’ khusus buat lelaki bersaiz besar seperti saya sendiri. Saya tahu bagaimana perasaannya untuk menjadi gemuk dan mahu hilangkan berat badan. Dan setiap kali saya ke gim, orang akan mula menilai saya.

    “Sebenarnya, itu bukan suatu masalah bagi saya sebab saya tidak peduli tentang pendapat orang lain. Keyakinan diri saya tinggi, tetapi kebanyakan orang-orang gemuk pula mempunyai keyakinan diri yang rendah dan agak sensitif apabila dinilai berdasarkan berat badan mereka,” terang tukang masak itu, yang kini menjadi turut menjadi konsultan dan duta jenama bagi restoran Central Thai.

    Oleh itu, FBFC menjadi ruang bagi lelaki bersaiz besar untuk membuang rasa janggal selain dapat sama-sama memberi motivasi kepada satu sama lain, katanya.

    Chef Bob memberitahu BERITAMediacorp pusingan pertama FBFC yang dihadkan kepada 20 peserta mendapat sambutan sangat memberangsangkan sehingga mereka terpaksa membuka ruang bagi pusingan yang kedua.

    Bahkan, 20 tempat bagi pusingan kedua itu dipenuhi hanya selang beberapa jam sahaja, sehingga mereka bertindak untuk mengadakan tempat bagi 20 peserta lagi bagi bootcamp yang berlangsung selama 10 minggu itu.

    “Kaum wanita bersaiz besar pernah menyarankan agar saya membuka ‘Fat Girls Fitness Club’ tetapi saya tak nak,” jelasnya.

    (Gambar-gambar: Shahrizal Salleh/ Instagram)

    INGIN TURUN LAGI 15KG

    Pada hari-hari biasa, Chef Bob akan ke gim sekurang-kurangnya dua kali seminggu, melakukan latihan angkat berat, senaman kardio selain bermain futsal dari 11.00 malam hingga 1.00 pagi pada setiap Jumaat.

    Bagaimana pula dengan rutin senaman Chef Bob semasa Ramadan?

    “Bagi bulan Ramadan pula, saya tidak melakukan sebarang latihan sebelum berbuka puasa. Saya hanya melakukannya sesudah solat Isyak atau terawih, tetapi saya masih tetap bermain futsal.

    “Walau bagaimanapun, saya masih perlu menurunkan lagi 15 kilogram untuk mencapai berat badan dan BMI yang ideal,” kongsinya.

    Yang jelas, tekad Chef Bob untuk benar-benar langsing, kekal sihat dan aktif wajar dijadikan contoh dan dorongan bagi mereka yang mengalami masalah serupa.

    Pastinya, tiada yang mustahil. Jika Chef Bob mampu hilang lebih 90 kilogram – ibarat tubuhnya ‘dipotong dua’ dan dibuang separuh – mereka yang bersaiz seperti Chef Bob ‘yang dulu’ juga boleh mencapai matlamat serupa. Selagi ada niat, tekad dan usaha.

     

    Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

  • Pihak Polis Siasat Bantahan Dalam MRT Yang Berlalu Pada Sabtu Lalu

    Pihak Polis Siasat Bantahan Dalam MRT Yang Berlalu Pada Sabtu Lalu

    Aduan polis sudah dibuat terhadap bantahan yang diadakan di dalam kereta api pada hari Sabtu (3 Jun) dan pihak polis mengesahkan bahawa ia sedang menyiasat aduan tersebut.

    Bantahan itu diadakan bagi menentang penahanan yang berlaku 30 tahun lalu di bawah Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA).

    Pada Mei 1987, 22 orang ditahan di bawah Operasi Spectrum dan dituduh terlibat dengan pakatan Marxis untuk mewujudkan sebuah negara komunis.

    Menyusuli pelancaran sebuah buku pada bulan lalu oleh bekas tahanan bagi menandakan ulang tahun penahanan mereka, para aktivis mengadakan bantahan secara aman di Laluan Utara-Selatan dengan menutup mata mereka dengan kain sambil memegang buku “1987: Singapore’s Marxist Conspiracy 30 years on”.

    Aktivis sosial Jolovan Wham turut mengongsi gambar-gambar mengenai bantahan itu di Facebooknya, yang kini tersebar online.

    Pihak polis menyatakan,” Sesiapa yang mempunyai sebarang maklumat boleh menghantarkannya online di www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. Semua maklumat akan dirahsiakan.”

     

    Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

  • Qatar Calls Decision By Gulf Nations And Egypt ‘Unjustified’; Allegations Against Doha Have ‘No Basis In Fact’

    Qatar Calls Decision By Gulf Nations And Egypt ‘Unjustified’; Allegations Against Doha Have ‘No Basis In Fact’

    Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain say they are severing diplomatic relations with Qatar.

    The Saudi kingdom made the announcement via its state-run Saudi Press Agency early on Monday, saying it was taking action for what it called the protection of national security.

    The three Gulf states gave Qatari visitors and residents two weeks to leave their countries, Reuters news agency reported.

    Saudi also closed the border and halted air and sea traffic with Qatar, urging “all brotherly countries and companies to do the same”.

    The statement appeared to be timed in concert with an earlier announcement by Bahrain, which was similarly cutting ties and halting air and sea traffic between the two countries.

    ‘Unjustified’

    Qatar’s foreign ministry said it regretted the measures by the Arab nations, calling the decisions “unjustified”.

    “The measures are unjustified and are based on claims and allegations that have no basis in fact,” the statement said, adding that the decisions would “not affect the normal lives of citizens and residents”.

    “The aim is clear, and it is to impose guardianship on the state. This by itself is a violation of its (Qatar’s) sovereignty as a state,” it added.

    Bahrain’s foreign ministry issued a statement saying it would withdraw its diplomatic mission from the Qatari capital, Doha, within 48 hours and that all Qatari diplomats should leave Bahrain within the same period.

    Egypt also announced the closure of its airspace and seaports for all Qatari transportation “to protect its national security”, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

    Etihad Airways, the UAE’s flag carrier, said it would suspend flights to and from Qatar beginning Tuesday morning.

    It was not immediately clear how Monday’s announcement would affect other airlines.

    A Saudi-led coalition which for more than two years has been fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen separately announced that Qatar was no longer welcome in the alliance.

    A senior Iranian official said the measures by the Arab nations would not help end the crisis in the Middle East.

    “The era of cutting diplomatic ties and closing borders … is not a way to resolve crisis … As I said before, aggression and occupation will have no result but instability,” Hamid Aboutalebi, deputy chief of staff of Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, tweeted, referring to the coalition’s involvement in Yemen.

    US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gave a statement on Monday while on state visit in Australia, urging the Gulf states to stay united.

    “We certainly would encourage the parties to sit down together and address these differences,” he said in Sydney.

    “If there’s any role that we can play in terms of helping them address those, we think it is important that the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) remain united.”

    Tillerson said despite the impasse, he did not expect it to have “any significant impact, if any impact at all, on the unified fight against terrorism in the region or globally”.

    “All of those parties you mentioned have been quite unified in the fight against terrorism and the fight against Daesh, ISIS, and have expressed that most recently in the summit in Riyadh,” he added, using alternative names for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

    Hacking dispute

    The dispute between Qatar and the Gulf’s Arab countries escalated after a recent hack of Qatar’s state-run news agency. It has spiralled since.

    Following the hacking on Tuesday, comments falsely attributed to Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, were broadcast in Qatar.

    Qatar’s government categorically denied that the comments, in which the country’s leader expressed support for Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and Israel – while suggesting that US President Donald Trump may not last in power, were ever made.

    “There are international laws governing such crimes, especially the cyberattack. [The hackers] will be prosecuted according to the law,” Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s foreign minister, said on Wednesday.

    UAE-based Sky News Arabia and Al Arabiya kept running the discredited story, despite the Qatari denials.

     

    Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/

  • Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia And The UAE Cut Diplomatic Ties With Qatar

    Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia And The UAE Cut Diplomatic Ties With Qatar

    The Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting Yemeni rebels also announced it was ending Qatar’s membership.

    DUBAI: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced on Monday (Jun 5) they were severing diplomatic ties with Qatar, as they accused the Gulf state of supporting terrorism.

    Saudi Arabia’s official state news agency, citing an official source, said the kingom decided to sever diplomatic and consular relations with Qatar “proceeding from the exercise of its sovereign right guaranteed by international law and the protection of national security from the dangers of terrorism and extremism”.

    Saudi Arabia said it has cut all land, air and sea contacts with Qatar and “urges all brotherly countries and companies to do the same.”

    The “decisive” measure was due to the “gross violations committed by authorities in Qatar over the past years”, the Saudi statement said, as the UAE made an announcement to cut ties as well.

    The UAE accused its Gulf Arab neighbour Qatar of supporting extremism and undermining regional stability.

    The Emirates cut ties and gave diplomats 48 hours to leave the country, citing their “support, funding and embrace of terrorist, extremist and sectarian organisations”, WAM said.

    Egypt’s foreign ministry also accused Doha of supporting “terrorism” in a statement as it announced the severing of ties.

    The statement said all Egyptian ports and airports would be closed to Qatari vessels.

    Bahrain news agency said the kingdom was cutting ties with Doha over its insistence on “shaking the security and stability of Bahrain and meddling in its affairs”.

    The Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting Yemeni rebels also announced it was ending Qatar’s membership as most Gulf countries severed ties with Doha amid heightened tension between the neighbouring states.

    The coalition said the measure was due to Qatar’s “practices that strengthen terrorism, and its support to (terrorist) organisations in Yemen, including Al-Qaeda and Daesh, as well as dealing with the rebel militias,” according to a statement carried by SPA Saudi official news agency.

    Abu Dhabi’s state-owned Etihad Airways said it will suspend all flights to and from Doha from Tuesday morning until further notice.

    The last flight from Abu Dhabi to Doha will depart at 02:45 local time on Tuesday, the airline’s spokesman said in an email to Reuters.

     

    Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/