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Derbies aplenty last weekend as the blue moon shone over Manchester, where the Cityzens humiliated Manchester United 6-3, with two hat-tricks courtesy of Phil Foden & Erling Haaland (who else?). In north London, a Granit Xhaka-powered Arsenal solidified their great start to the campaign winning 3-1 vs local rivals Tottenham while Belgian winger Leandro Trossard denied Liverpool a comeback win in an entertaining 3-3 draw, with yet another hat-trick in this round of Premier League games. All that and more, including a roundup of matches from the continent, here on Just For Kicks.

Photo: AP

Started in 2008, SHORT + SWEET Malaysia by the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre has staged 1,000 new works and showcased over 5,000 talents over its 15-year run. The latest iteration will be a two-week festival that features theatre, film, musicals, stand-up comedy, dance, and song. We speak with executive producer Datuk Faridah Merican about the showcase’s evolution and what we can expect from it this year.

At least 125 people died over the weekend in Indonesia when a football match between two rival teams ended with a crowd rush that prompted police to fire tear gas, sending waves of panic and trapping fans in a deadly crush. First, we look at what unfolded during the match and subsequently in the stadium. Then we speak to Amnesty International Indonesia about the growing calls for investigations into the incident and how authorities managed it. Finally, a look at how crowd control in large spaces could be better planned.

Image source: LE GALL 29, Shutterstock

Do you ever choose to sit in your car for a bit, after you have arrived at your destination? We explore this curious phenomenon and why so many of us do it.

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Parliament is back, where we bring you updates from the Dewan Rakyat. In today's session, MPs discussed various topics including the state of our domestic and foreign economic challenges, Pasir Salak MP Dato Sri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman's suspension from Umno, our highway projects, the progress of the LCS Project, and the government’s guarantee that it’ll be done in a period of two years as well as Datuk Seri Najib Razak's attendance in parliament, and his status as Pekan MP.

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近期关于2008年金融风暴的议论引发市场恐慌，欧洲两大投行瑞士信贷、德银财务相继传出财务危机，信贷违约风险已经处于雷曼兄弟破产以来的最高水平，金融危机是否一触即发？

马股九月收官跌破1400点，美股也跌破了200周平均线。展望10月，投资者该如何自我装备应对接下来的动荡？

There are more than 7,000 types of rare diseases, yet the interest and investment into rare diseases are often limited to a handful of more well-known diseases. For people living with rare diseases and their families, the journey from diagnosis to accessing treatment can take a huge emotional and financial toll. Ahead of the tabling of Budget 2023, we speak to Nadiah Hanim Abdul Latif, President of the Malaysian Rare Diseases Society and Prof Dr Thong Meow Keong, consultant paediatrician and clinical geneticist from UMMC on how we can do better to support the rare disease community in Malaysia and whether we’ll finally see rare diseases being on the priority list. 

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一句经典喜剧中的台词，引发一位科技巨擘高层的职业悲剧。说的是苹果副总裁的恶劣玩笑，导致他惨遭革职的新闻。

在经典喜剧中，当然可以诙谐地开开豪车、打打网球、爱抚自己心爱的女人；现实生活中，引用如何绝世的钜作，玩笑过了火也还是会遭千夫所指的。

这位主管供应链业务的苹果副总裁，年薪数以百万计之余，还在苹果内部深耕多年、颇有声量。苹果正逢内忧外患之际，如此重大的人事调动究竟会造成何等影响？

By IUCN estimates, over 300 million tons of plastic are produced every year for use in a wide variety of applications. At least 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year, and plastic makes up 80% of all marine debris found from surface waters to deep-sea sediments. The International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) takes place every September, where volunteers around the world come together to clean beaches and waterways of trash - a global effort that has been running for more than 35 years. In Malaysia, the campaign is coordinated annually by Reef Check Malaysia, and this year, volunteers collectively removed over 1000 kg of trash in one day alone! What makes up this waste, and what were the main culprits in this year’s cleanup? What more can be done by all levels of society, to prevent waste - plastic or otherwise - from reaching our oceans and waterways? We discuss this and more in another episode of Plastic Soup on Earth Matters, with Theresa Ng, a Programme Development Manager at Reef Check Malaysia.

Image credit: Facebook / Reef Check Malaysia

Michael Cheang is the assistant editor of The Star’s Lifestyle section. He has been a writer and pop-culture commentator for about 20 years and also has a column called Tipsy Turvy where he writes about alcoholic drinks. He joins us on the show today to share his passion for writing and what it takes to sustain yourself as a writer in Malaysia.