LOS ANGELES - Lima pakar astronomi Amerika Syarikat (AS) menemui sebuah planet baru dikenali sebagai Gliese 581g yang kelihatan seperti Bumi, lapor beberapa buah akhbar semalam.

Planet itu terletak di satu kawasan yang dirujuk sebagai zon kehidupan kerana suhunya tidak terlalu panas atau sejuk bagi cecair membentuk lautan, sungai dan tasik serta berada pada jarak 20 tahun cahaya dari Bumi.

Planet itu mengelilingi satu bintang yang yang dianggap seperti matahari.

Bintang itu diberi nama Gliese 581.

Planet itu berpusing mengelilingi bintang itu setiap 37 hari untuk satu putaran penuh.

Ia didapati tiga kali besar daripada Bumi namun berada dekat dengan bintang itu pada jarak 22.5 juta kilometer.

Planet yang digelar sebagai 'Bumi Baru' itu mempunyai satu bahagian yang sentiasa siang manakala bahagian yang bertentangan selalu malam kerana ia tidak banyak berputar.

Kumpulan pakar itu tidak dapat mengesahkan sama ada wujud air di planet tersebut.

Namun, salah seorang pakar astronomi, Dr. Steven Vogt dari Universiti California di Santa Cruz yang mengetuai kajian itu percaya terdapat peluang kehidupan di planet tersebut.

Graviti di planet itu sama seperti Bumi sekali gus membolehkan seorang manusia berjalan tanpa menghadapi sebarang kesukaran.

Menurut Dr. Vogt, bintang yang menjadi matahari di planet itu berada pada kedudukan sama pada setiap masa.

Sebuah kapal angkasa yang mempunyai kelajuan hampir dengan cahaya memerlukan masa 20 tahun untuk tiba di planet itu.

Penemuan itu dibuat selepas 11 tahun pemerhatian dijalankan di Balai Cerap W. M. Kec di Hawaii. - Agensi

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PUTRAJAYA, Oct 1 — Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah is the best candidate to win back the Galas state seat within his Gua Musang federal constituency, Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today.

The Galas state seat fell vacant with the death of PAS lawmaker Che Hashim Sulaima on Monday, triggering the country’s 12th by-election since Election 2008.

“I have no doubt that Tengku Razaleigh is the best candidate ,” the deputy prime minister said of the Kelantan prince who is otherwise ignored by his party after his challenge for the Umno presidency lacked nominations last year.

“But we will discuss whether Tengku Razaleigh wishes to contest there or has candidates he wishes to propose to the leadership,” he added. The politician popularly known as Ku Li is expected to return home from abroad on October 9.

Muhyiddin said Umno would give priority to any candidate proposed by Tengku Razaleigh in his capacity as the party’s Gua Musang division chief.

He also expressed confidence that Tengku Razaleigh’s appointment as Galas election director was the “right step” to ensure a Barisan Nasional (BN) victory in the constituency.

“I believe our step was right... Tengku Razaleigh is an Umno leader with much experience and influence,” he said, pointing out that Tengku Razaleigh was highly regarded by the Malay, Chinese and Indian communities there.

The Pagoh MP was responding to PAS vice president Salahuddin Ayub’s comment yesterday that Muhyiddin was “running” from the Kelantan electorate after a bridge he promised to Manek Urai residents during the by-election there last year failed to materialise.

Muhyiddin had promised to build a new bridge costing RM7 million to replace the current bridge that accommodates only one car at a time, but said the bridge will only be built if BN won the by-election.

PAS was able to retain the Manek Urai state seat by a wafer-thin margin of 65 votes, or 0.61 per cent of votes cast, despite earlier predictions of a thumping win for the Islamist party.

Muhyiddin failed to fulfil a promise to Manek Urai residents during the by-election there last year. — File pic

Muhyiddin said PAS’s attack proved that the Islamist party was “extremely worried” about Tengku Razaleigh because he was “synonymous” with Gua Musang, where he has been the MP since the 1969 general election.

But he played down the relevance of Tengku Razaleigh’s views on the Kelantan oil royalty issue, which are opposed to that of the BN-led federal government.

“We respect Ku Li’s views... As a Kelantan leader, he might be thinking of Kelantanese matters, but he also knows the situation, stand and policies of the central government with regards to that issue,” he added.

PAS has said it is ready to face any opponents for the seat, telling Umno to step aside if it was serious about Malay unity.

Umno has refused, with party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak vowing to win back the seat from PAS which Che Hashim captured by a majority of 646 votes in Election 2008.

Che Hashim had been suffering from colon cancer for more than a year and was admitted to Kampung Baru Medical Centre here last week.

The one-term assemblyman had been diagnosed with cancer in 2009, when he underwent a medical check-up at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur. The PAS lawmaker had been receiving treatment at specialist hospitals in Kota Baru and Guangzhou, China since then.

Che Hashima won Galas with 4,399 votes, defeating incumbent Saufi Deraman. In the 2008 general election, PAS was able to capture 38 of the 45 state seats in Kelantan while BN won six and PKR managed only one.

The Malays make up 65.81 per cent of the more than 10,000 voters in the state constituency, the Chinese 22.03 per cent, Indians 1.81 per cent, while other races are at 10.32 per cent.

Two other state seats in the Gua Musang constituency — Nenggiri and Paloh — were won by BN with majority of 2,090 vote and 2,833 votes respectively.

courtesy of Malaysian Insider

(The Malay Mail) - The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) Malaysia said it was "totally unacceptable" the Attorney-General Chambers and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had not acted against controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin for publishing documents classified under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) on the Internet.

NUJ president Hata Wahari said the Attorney General should ask for the repeal of the OSA if it was unable to enforce the law to ensure justice.

He said this in a statement emailed to The Malay Mail when asked for comments on the flagrant violations of the OSA by publication of classified documents mostly of the MACC on the blogger's portal, Malaysia Today.

Both the AG and the MACC maintained silence on the veracity of the purported documents.

"NUJ Malaysia see the failure of the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) and MACC's to act against Raja Petra as unacceptable."

"Due to failure of the AGC and MACC, the NUJ Is demanding no action against any Malaysian media for publishing these documents".

Since Monday, Raja Petra better known as 'RPK' started publishing, among others, he claimed were official MACC documents and marked 'Rahsia' (classified).

The latest document is the alleged investigation papers into graft allegations against former Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo.

Raja Petra, who now lives in London, claims to have in his possession "hundreds of official MACC documents, including investigation papers marked classified".

He said he would publish them in his blog to "punish" MACC for its failure to investigate ex-Malaysia Airlines chairman Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli for his alleged role resulting in massive losses for the airlines.

The documents, he claimed, were handed to him by his informants.

MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohamed and its director of investigations Mustafar Ali were unavailable for comments at Press time.

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Tindakan timbalan perdana menteri yang juga timbalan presiden Umno, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yaasin menyerahkan jentera pilihan raya kecil dewan undangan negeri Galas dianggap sebagai "lari daripada tanggungjawab", kata naib presiden PAS, Salahudin Ayub.

Katanya, telah menjadi kelaziman bagi BN meletakkan tanggungjawab pengarah pilihanraya di atas bahu timbalan perdana menteri tetapi kali ini, Muhyiddin menyerahkan beban itu untuk digalas oleh Ketua Umno Gua Musang Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

"Kenapa Umno lari daripada norma biasa di mana Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yaasin, yang mana (beliau) akan menjadi pengarah pilihan raya setiap kali pilihan raya kecil berlaku bagi BN.

"Kali ini kenapa dia (Muhyiddin) lari. Mana janjinya untuk jambatan di Manek Urai. Mana janji dia untuk memberikan sumbangan untuk warga tua di Manek Urai. Ke mana dia lari?" katanya dalam satu sidang media di ibu negara hari ini.

Salahudin berkata demikian bagi menjawab soalan pemberita berhubung keputusan BN melantik Tengku Razaleigh mengetuai jentera BN dalam pilihan raya kecil DUN Galas berikutan kematian penyandangnya Chek Hashim Sulaiman Isnin lalu.

Pada pilihan raya umum 2008, Chek Hashim menewaskan calon BN Mohamad Saufi Deraman dengan majoriti 646 undi.

Calon PAS itu mendapat 4,399 undi menewaskan Mohd Saufi yang memperolehi 3,753 undi.

Majoriti pengundi di kawasan ini terdiri daripada seramai kira-kira 6,200 pengundi Melayu, diikuti 2,000 Orang Asal, 1,900 pengundi Cina dan juga India (170).

Pada sidang media itu juga, Salahudin berkata PAS tidak menghadapi masalah walaupun ketua Umno Gua Musang yang mesra dengan panggilan 'Ku Li' itu akan mengetuai jentera pilihan raya kecil BN.

Ini kerana, dakwanya, parti itu mempunyai hubungan "sangat akrab" dengan ahli parlimen Gua Musang berkenaan kerana puteran raja tersebut pernah dan sedang bersama-sama PAS memperjuangkan isu royalti minyak di Kelantan.

Bagaimanapun, Salahudin turut mengingatkan supaya ahlinya tidak meremeh dan merendah keupayaan jentera pilhan raya lawan untuk mempertahankan DUN tersebut.

Menurutnya, PAS akan menghadapi "cabaran yang cukup besar".

"Jentera pilihan raya parti perlu bersiap sedia. Jangan ada (ahli) yang terlalu yakin, (dan) rasa selesa untuk menghadapi pilihan raya. Tingkatkan keupayaan dan komitmen untuk mengadapi pilihan raya. Kita perlu menghadapinya dengan penuh kebjaksanaan," katanya.

Katanya, PAS pusat akan bermesyuarat bagi membincangkan persediaan parti itu termasuk melantik pengarah pilihan rayanya yang akan diumumkan dengan presiden Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

Menurutnya, mesyuarat berkenaan akan diadakan di Pusat Khidmat DUN Gombak Setia Ahad ini jam 3 petang

SHAH ALAM, 1 Okt: Exco kerajaan negeri Selangor, Ronnie Liu satu nama panas sejak kebelakangan ini. Beliau dikaitkan dengan pelbagai isu dan menjadi sasaran pelbagai pihak. 

Sejak dua bulan lalu, beliau menutup mulut dan tidak mahu diwawancara oleh mana-mana media. Namun beliau sedia di wawancara oleh akhbar politik, Siasah baru-baru ini.

Dalam wawancara itu, pelbagai perkara dicerita oleh beliau yang berkaitan dengan pelbagai isu yang menghantui beliau sendiri dan juga DAP di Selangor.

Antaranya isu beliau didakwa sebagai tauke di belakang banyaknya rumah urut dan spa lahir di Selangor sekarang ini.

Ronie juga dikaitkan dengan kegiatan samseng dan ada yang mendakwa kongsi gelap menjadikan pejabat beliau sebagai tapak aktiviti mereka.

Juga dihalakan kepada beliau adalah isu kawasan yang beliau wakili iaitu Dun Pandamaran di Selangor serta hubungan beliau dengan bekas pegawai khasnya di sana.

Dalam wawancara ini, Ronie menjawab semua tuduhan itu dengan tegas dan jelas.

"Saya rasa Barisan Nasional atau Umno sudah tahu, sekiranya mereka tidak kacau kita, dan kita dapat terus berkhidmat membangunkan negeri Selangor seperti hala tuju yang kita ada sekarang ini, mereka tidak boleh menang dalam pilihan raya yang akan datang. 

"Dahulu kita semuanya tidak ada kerajaan, tetapi apabila peluang (mandat) sudah diberi, kita sudah merakyatkan ekonomi Selangor, cara kita mentakbir bersih tanpa penyelewengan, tiada menyalahgunakan kuasa," tegas Ronie dipermulaan wawancara lebih satu jam di pejabatnya itu.

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