Compiled by C. ARUNO, FATIMAH ZAINAL and R. ARAVINTHAN

       CALLING it quits after 19 years of marriage, actors Ellie Suriaty Omar and Azri Iskandar say their three children may be young but are mature enough to understand, reported Harian Metro.

       Ellie, 52, and Azri Iskandar, 54, divorced at the East Gombak Lower Syariah Court on Tuesday.

       The Jangan Tegur actress said she and Azri taught their children, Azrell Omar, 18, and Nur Azreen, 13 – as well as Ellie’s stepdaughter – to always be open-minded, speak out and share their thoughts on any issue.

       “I don’t say bad things to my children about their father, nor does he about me,” she said.

       “Even though our marriage lasted 19 years, I’ve been with him for 22 years. We’ve been through a lot together. We can’t be enemies,” said Ellie.

       > The December floods last year severely affected a tailor after all his sewing machines were destroyed, reported Kosmo!

       Syd Mohd Radzee Syd Abd Rahim, 44, said that for the past five months, he has been trying to raise capital to buy or repair his sewing machines to support his family and cover the cost of treatment for his eldest son, Syd Najwan Amir, 16, who has cerebral palsy.

       The father of two from Kuantan, Pahang, said he currently depends on wages from cutting clothes for a sewing shop.

       He said he also has to look after his mother who had a stroke in December.

       “That’s why I really hope that there will be people willing to help me by donating a new sewing machine to make it easier for me to continue sewing,” he said.

       > A teacher from SK Kampung Bantal in Jerantut, Pahang, has instilled an interest in golf – a sport for the rich – in rural students.

       According to Utusan Malaysia, the teacher, Amiruddin Ahmad, said that at first he played golf alone on the school field for pleasure.

       “After that some students who lived near the school came and asked me how to play. They wanted to try after often seeing me on the field during the holidays and in the evenings.

       “I demonstrated some playing techniques and gave them a chance to swing the golf club and hit some balls.

       “I am excited because they have a talent for golf and could participate in competitions,” he said.

       Amiruddin, who is from Penang, said his students are mostly in Year 5 and Year 6, and that he has received the support of the headmaster of SK Kampung Bantal, Abd Manaf Mat.

       The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.