FMT News |  |
- Scorpene purchase followed legal procedures
- Talam under MACC probe
- Survey a ploy to discredit Musa, claims Salleh
- Audit finds Philippines lost US$2.46b to anomalies
- Sign of desperation for Najib
- M’sia moving towards becoming vibrant democracy
- Polis, jangan masuk campur urusan politik
- Bajet BN, Pakatan pinggirkan graduan muda
- Najib wants a strong mandate
- Aviation regulator puts India’s Kingfisher on notice
- Pakatan’s floor wage may cause RM7.2b outflow
- Faekah comes under fire from PKR
- Mengapa Johor luluskan 22, 500 ekar?
- KL shares likely to continue uptrend next week
- Kurup feeling the heat in Pensiangan
- Myanmar denies rumours about instability of private banks
- Canada gives Petronas bid for Progress more scrutiny
- Common sex troubles
- James Bond fans mark 50 years
- Gaga hits 30 million followers
- Explore benefits of using renminbi, M’sian firms told
- Land grab, Malaysian-style
- Get involved in fighting crime
- ‘ 1Malaysia water tanks a rip-off’
- Selangor under siege?
- Juve coach Conte’s ban reduced to four months
- Di Matteo struggles to avoid Torres burn-out
- Fulham boss Jol accuses Zamora of ‘sour grapes’
- Agger signs new deal with Liverpool
- Djokovic, Sharapova reach Beijing semis
- Villa boss Lambert in legal battle with Norwich
- Nuzman re-elected head of Brazil Olympic Committee
- Senegal star Tavares joins Fulham
- Murray battles into Japan Open semis
- Ferguson relieved at Rio’s England omission
- Dinamo Zagreb to make one fan a kuna millionaire
- Cole risks sanction over FA criticism
- After jobs report, Obama says America must not turn back
- Suu Kyi’s perilous pivot from icon to party boss
- Greek PM can’t manage beyond November without next aid tranche
- Apple even stronger a year after Steve Jobs death
- Israeli forces kill American gunman in hotel shoot-out
- Britain to extradite radical Islamist cleric to US
- Israeli police use stun grenades to break up al-Aqsa protest
- Russia’s Putin in charge at 60, but facing threats
- Australia denies asylum for threatened Sri Lanka editor
- Obama faces another hurdle: Friday’s jobless report
- Japanese minister: Reactors can restart if watchdog gives OK
- Hisham: Stop talking about crime index
- Najib makes another plea for votes
| Scorpene purchase followed legal procedures Posted: 06 Oct 2012 07:24 AM PDT
In response to the opposition’s plan to bring in a French lawyer, William Bourdon, to brief the Malaysian lawmakers on court proceedings in France on the purchase of the submarines, Ahmad Zahid hoped no quarters would twist the existing facts on the matter. He was also of the opinion that the lawyer was invited to Malaysia by the opposition merely with political motive and not so much for legal business. Ahmad Zahid said this to reporters after opening the Sekolah Agama Rakyat Al-Ulum Al Tarbiah’s Sports Day in Kampung Tanah Lalang here today. The purchase of the submarines should be seen from the aspects of an offset programme, training, and performance assurance for certain period of time, he said, adding that it was really an old issue brought up to create public anger and confusion. On the request for the government to pay a monthly allowance of RM500 to army veteran who served during the emergency era, Ahmad Zahid said it was up to the prime minister to decide according to the government’s financial ability. “It is quite difficult for the government to meet the request, but we have to be grateful that during the tabling of Budget 2013 the government had announced the one-off payment of RM1,000 for the army veterans as a token of appreciation for their contribution during the emergency era,” he added. - Bernama |
| Posted: 06 Oct 2012 05:24 AM PDT
“We investigate without fear or favour all information that we receive. If there is a sufficient basis that offences have been committed under the MACC Act, we will proceed with further investigations,” he told Bernama here today. Shukri, however, refused to eloborate. He was commenting on a statement by MCA Young Professionals Bureau chief Chua Tee Yong that the Selangor government had bailed out financially distressed Talam and had acquired the company’s assets in a debt restructuring exercise at a much higher price than officially valued. Chua had challenged the state government to explain how its exercise to recover a RM382 million debt from Talam ended in questionsble deals worth over RM1 billion. - Bernama |
| Survey a ploy to discredit Musa, claims Salleh Posted: 06 Oct 2012 04:48 AM PDT
He said that the poll was commissioned by those with an agenda and was aimed at demoralising Musa and the Barisan Nasional machinery. Salleh was commenting on an online news report which claimed that voter satisfaction of Musa in the state has dropped significantly. The report quoted the survey carried out by the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research. According to the poll, voter satisfaction towards the chief minister had nose-dived from 60% in November 2009 to 45% in September 2012. The survey was carried out between Sept 6 and 17 to gauge voters' perceptions of current developments in Sabah. A total of 829 registered voters were interviewed for the poll done through fixed line and mobile telephones. The respondents, representing an electoral profile of Sabah, comprised Muslim Bumiputera (51%), non-Muslim Bumiputera (29%) and Chinese (20%) respondents. Salleh said he did not think that the chief minister’s popularity had dipped based on the results of the survey. "Musa is not taking part in a popularity contest. Some of the decisions he has to make, no matter how unpopular with a small group of people, are for the betterment of all," he said. "For example, the issuance of community titles for people in rural areas. The opposition has harped on this issue, saying it is unfair, but our chief minister has implemented it, taking fully into account the welfare of the people. "If individual titles were to be issued, chances are they would be sold off for a quick gain. So Musa wants these people to own the land forever and to pass it on to future generations. "Now, it may be an unpopular decision with some, but that was done with the future in mind." Businesses doing well Salleh also pointed out that all major issues were thoroughly discussed in the Cabinet before decisions were made. Contrary to what the survey had portrayed, he said investments by foreigners were on the rise and generally most businesses were doing well. Salleh believed that the survey was done in view of the coming general election. "The poll was commissioned by those with an agenda, and this could have been from among the opposition or those who wish to see Musa toppled," he added. "It is a mere ploy to try and discredit Musa." Salleh also said that opinion polls and surveys, if not properly carried out, can be flawed and disrespectful to certain parties. "Even the wording of the questions [in the survey] can influence a person to say things he never intended to say in the first place," he said. "The way a question is worded would affect the answers that you get. Some questions do not give the respondent the chance to offer mixed reactions as the questions insist on a definitive answer," he said. "Respondents, if interviewed in a group, would tend to give the same responses as they would prefer to follow the herd mentality. "It is different when a person is interviewed individually where his or her responses would be more accurate." |
| Audit finds Philippines lost US$2.46b to anomalies Posted: 06 Oct 2012 01:43 AM PDT
The Commission on Audit highlighted anomalies that mostly occurred in the 2007-2009 period in its investigation of more than 61,000 government agencies last year. “Most audit findings categorically indicate pecuniary loss on the part of the government, as a result of violations of law, rules and regulations,” said the report, first posted on its website today. More than 4,000 cases of unauthorised expenses, unaccounted for cash advances, uncollected duties, fictitious claims, missing assets, or abandoned projects, cost the government 101.82 billion pesos (US$2.46 billion), it said. The total is equivalent to 5.6% of the country’s budget this year. Its conditional cash transfer programme, where poor families get monthly stipends in exchange for keeping their children in school, could not account for 3.77 billion pesos. Two state banks lent large sums unsecured by hard collateral, while Manila airport left 21 abandoned aircraft parked in an area exposed to natural elements, leading to their deterioration, despite being given funding to house them. Among the biggest items were 1.862 billion pesos in cash advances to two government treasurers in the impoverished province of Maguindanao and 1.123 billion pesos in payments to “spurious” suppliers to a Muslim self-rule area. Chief state auditor Grace Tan said in a letter sent to Manila newspapers today that the audit covered items mostly relating to accounts prior to 2010, when Aquino was elected to office on an anti-corruption platform. “Pecuniary loss does not necessarily result from graft, and it is only the courts that can make judgment of graft,” Tan said. Aquino has asked a special anti-graft prosecutor to file criminal charges against people deemed responsible for 744 of the cases, the auditors said. The other cases are under investigation. Arroyo was arrested and detained at a military hospital in Manila on Thursday after allegedly using diverting 366 million pesos in state lottery funds meant for charity programmes into her election campaign kitty. After being president for nearly 10 years, Arroyo was initially charged in November last year with vote fraud for allegedly conspiring to rig the 2007 senatorial elections, but later posted bail. Her spokesmen did not reply to AFP’s requests for comment. Aquino spokeswoman Abigail Valte told reporters today: “We have not become complacent in our anti-corruption measures.” - AFP |
| Posted: 06 Oct 2012 12:46 AM PDT
"He now has the regrettable distinction of being Malaysia's second-longest-serving unelected prime minister, just behind his own father, the country's second prime minister [Tun Razak]," said the paper. Najib must call for an election by April the latest, but he has kept the country guessing on the actual date for the 13th general election. The paper noted that latest survey conducted by Merdeka Centre gave the prime minister an approval rating of 64%, "down from the high point of his popularity in the middle of 2010". But the popularity of the ruling coalition, the Barisan Nasional, "is much lower than the prime minister’s own", it said. The weekly added that the prime minister’s options are now diminishing fast. The paper also said that Najib is becoming more like former British prime minister George Brown who, instead of calling for an early election and securing his own mandate while he was still popular, preferred to play a waiting game. Brown had succeeded in pushing aside his predecessor Tony Blair, but "Mr Brown, unelected and indecisive, watched his authority drain away…", said The Economist. When Brown finally called for an election at the end of his term, he lost. Likewise, The Economist said, Najib took over the premiership after "an internal party coup in April 2009 against the then prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi". Ever since he took over the reins, Najib has been keeping the country on an "election footing". "All along, Malaysia has been on an election footing, with the cautious Najib ponderously cultivating the voters," said The Economist. Busy wooing voters The paper noted that in the meantime, Najib has been busy wooing voters. "He has crafted new policies for Malaysia's younger, unaligned citizens while giving away plenty of money to retain his party's traditional supporters, especially among the ethnic-Malay (and Muslim) majority," it said. And in Budget 2013 unveiled on Sept 28, what many observers see as an election budget, "more cash handouts went to poorer households and a one-month salary bonus to all government workers.." The Economist also noted that the prime minister has faced a "series of political setbacks" like mishandling some huge rallies organised by Bersih (a coalition of NGOs fighting for fair and clean elections), and losing the support of Chinese voters. While the country waits for the big day, "politics is becoming dirtier by the day", said the paper, "with Umno and its friends in the press and television… relentless in their assaults on any organisation…. that is deemed to be sympathetic to the opposition." "All the old canards about these sorts of groups being in the pay of Zionists, America or George Soros, a foreign financier, have been trotted out," the paper said. (One of the human rights groups, Suaram, had recently come under government attack for its alleged links to currency speculator George Soros.) The Economist added that all these slanders are "certainly a sign of desperation". |
| M’sia moving towards becoming vibrant democracy Posted: 06 Oct 2012 12:38 AM PDT
Najib, speaking in an interview with "CNBC Conversation" hosted by renowned anchor Martin Soong that was aired on Astro CNBC (Channel 518) today, said a series of protests against the government and the decline in the approval ratings of him and his Barisan Nasional coalition recently, showed Malaysia was no different from other countries. “You know, you have demonstrations in America, Europe, Japan, Korea, even Hong Kong. Is that something unusual? It’s not. “In fact, political transformation is part of my promise to the people, that we are moving towards a more mature and vibrant democracy in this country,” he said. Najib cited the replacement of the Internal Security Act 1960 with the Peaceful Assembly Act as one of the government’s moves to tell the people that it was their right to express their opinions. “It’s your right, your fundamental right to protest and we’ll not prevent that, but do it in a peaceful manner and I think that this is healthy,” he said. Najib said he did not consider reacting to the public’s opinions in a strident way but stressed that the government did listen to what the people were protesting about and tried to address the reasonable ones. Asked whether concerns raised by certain quarters of the public were reasonable, Najib said: “Some are reasonable.” He cited the Lynas issue as an example, saying much concern was raised by the people about safety but some of it was not based on facts. “So we went all the way, we went the extra mile to really make sure that the (Lynas) plant will be safe for the people. We’ve never done as much as we’ve done in the case of the Lynas issue, and we are satisfied,” he said. The plant based in Gebeng, Kuantan, is for processing rare earths. However, Najib said democracy always had a downside where the opposition tried to spin things in a very negative way. “But then, that’s democracy. You just have to manage it. And I don’t blame them (the opposition) for it because that’s the name of the game,” he said. -Bernama |
| Polis, jangan masuk campur urusan politik Posted: 06 Oct 2012 12:20 AM PDT
Menurut Setiausaha Agung PSM, S Arutchelvan, pegawai berkenaan Karunanithi dan seorang lagi pegawai polis telah menyampaikan satu taklimat kepada ibu bapa dan pelajar di Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan (Tamil) Semenyih. Tambah beliau, para pegawai berkenaan memfitnah PSM dengan dakwaan bahawa parti itu mempunyai hubungan dengan Parti Komunis Malaysia dan sedang berusaha menyebarkan fahaman komunisme. Aktiviti PSM didakwa berada dalam kawalan polis. Gambar enam aktivis PSM yang ditahan di bawah Ordinan Darurat pada tahun lepas didakwa turut digunakan semasa taklimat tersebut. Dalam laporan polis tersebut Arutchelvan menjelaskan bahawa tuduhan memerangi Yang Di Pertuan Agong terhadap enam aktivis PSM telah digugurkan. `Perhimpunan Bersih’ Malah keenam-enam aktivis tersebut telah menyaman Ketua Polis Negara dan 80 anggota polis lain kerana penahanan tidak sah. “Mereka juga menasihatkan para ibu bapa dan pelajar agar tidak menyertai perhimpunan Gabungan Piilihanraya Bersih dan Adil (Bersih) kerana aktiviti yang dijalankan tidak berguna dan menyusahkan rakyat,” kata Arutchelvan dalam laporan tersebut. Berikutan itu, PSM menggesa pihak polis agar menumpukan perhatian terhadap usaha pengurangan jenayah. “Polis tidak boleh melibatkan diri dalam politik. Mereka sepatutnya menumpukan perhatian terhadap usaha pengurangan jenayah “Sepatutnya mereka bertindak secara profesional dan tidak membenarkan diri mereka dipergunakan untuk propaganda negatif,” kata Arutchelvan setelah membuat laporan polis terhadap anggota polis yang menyebarkan dakyah terhadap partinya. |
| Bajet BN, Pakatan pinggirkan graduan muda Posted: 05 Oct 2012 11:57 PM PDT
“Graduan muda yang bekerja makan gaji tidak tetap dengan pendapatan dalam lingkungan antara RM1, 000 dan RM1, 500 sebulan seperti tidak dihiraukan. “Mereka menghubungi saya mengatakan kedua-dua Bajet baik oleh BN mahu pun Pakatan Rakyat, graduan muda tidak dipedulikan,” kata Ketua Suhaimi Said. Suhaimi menambah dengan kedudukan mereka yang tidak mempunyai pekerjaan tetap, terpaksa mencari pendapatan untuk menyara keluarga. Katanya, golongan ini tidak memiliki rumah sendiri, sekadar dapat menyewa rumah kos rendah. Siapa peduli Hidup mereka, kata Suhaimi cukup daif dan mereka telah berusaha merayu kepada pihak kerajaan untuk memberikan pertolongan yang wajar kepada mereka dengan menyediakan pekerjaan yang setimpal dengan kelulusan mereka. “Kerajaan mana yang peduli kepada penderitaan mereka. Kerajaan BN tidak memperdulikan mereka. Kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat juga tidak memperdulikan mereka,” tambah Ketua Cabang PKR Kuala Krau, Pahang itu. Katanya, bantuan RM250 kepada golongan muda seperti diumumkan Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak dalam Bajet 2013 tidak banyak membantu. Katanya, ini kerana kos sara hidup yang semakin meningkat menyebabkan mereka memerlukan wang banyak. |
| Posted: 05 Oct 2012 11:45 PM PDT
Najib, speaking in an interview with "CNBC Conversation" hosted by renowned anchor Martin Soong that was aired on Astro CNBC (Channel 518) today, said the next five years were very crucial for the government to fulfil commitments and promises made by previous leaders to the nation. “I’d like to have a strong mandate, Martin. Because to achieve our vision of a fully developed nation by 2020, the next five years would be very crucial. Crucial, because you’re talking about the last lap. “You’re talking about going down the stretch and this is the most critical part because we really have to deliver, ” he said. Najib was responding to a question as to how important the upcoming election was for him and also the importance of receiving a fresh mandate, especially in transforming Malaysia into a developed country by 2020. He said the transformation was a firm commitment made by the then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the early 1990s with his (Najib’s) predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi implementing part of it, and now it was his turn to deliver to the people. To a question, Najib, who is also Finance Minister, agreed that achieving sustainable and inclusive economic growth without upsetting the politicial landscape too much was one the challenges Malaysia faced in becoming a developed nation. However, he stressed that the key to make Malaysian society more equitable was to get growth to redistribute income back to the people. “Without growth, it will be a lose-lose situation. So if we get 5% to 6% within the time frame, then we will able to at the same time, ensure a more fair and equitable distribution of wealth in this country. In the 30-minute interview, Najib said the move (to get growth) was working and that the numbers were looking more positive in terms of Bumiputera participation. “…but it’s not just about the equity numbers. We must also make sure that there is a fair distribution of income between the different levels of income groups in this country,” he said. -Bernama |
| Aviation regulator puts India’s Kingfisher on notice Posted: 05 Oct 2012 11:06 PM PDT
A crippling strike by employees who have not received salaries for seven months has forced the airline, which is teetering on the brink of financial collapse, to cancel all its flights for at least another week. The debt-laden carrier has 15 days to respond to the notice, the regulator said, saying Kingfisher must be able to offer a “safe, efficient and reliable service” or face the possibility of losing its flying permit. The notice from the director-general of Civil Aviation (DGCA) late yesterday has fuelled new doubts about the future of the airline, owned by billionaire liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya. In the notice, DGCA chief Arun Mishra pulled up Kingfisher for not adhering to its flight schedule and “abruptly (cancelling) its flights time and again during the last 10 months”, causing inconvenience to passengers. Mirpuri added the airline, which does not have funds to give workers seven months of back wages, would submit “a comprehensive plan for restoration of services after negotiations with our employees”. The carrier has been desperately scouting for a foreign airline to pump in fresh capital to keep it flying but analysts are doubtful any carrier will want to take an equity stake in the troubled company. A new report by the Sydney-based Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, a leading aviation consultancy, says Kingfisher’s debts total US$2.49 billion including bank debts of US$1.1 billion, and it had accumulated losses of US$1.9 billion. The company was India’s second-largest airline until a year ago but now it has a market share of just 3.2%, the smallest of the country’s carriers. The airline has drastically reduced its operations in the past year, shutting down international flights completely. Yesterday, nearly 200 striking pilots, engineers and other workers staged a march in Mumbai in protest after the wife of a Kingfisher technician killed herself in the Indian capital. Police said the woman had left a note blaming her death on financial stress as her husband had not been paid for several months. Kingfisher’s shares fell by 4.68% to 13.25 rupees, marking the airline’s fifth day of trading declines. Mallya is in talks to sell part of his profitable liquor empire United Spirits to Diageo, the world’s largest distiller which has long eyed a bigger presence in India, the biggest whisky market globally. The talks have spurred hopes Mallya could raise capital for the airline, named after his popular beer brand – his flagship United Breweries (UB) is India’s biggest brewer – and help restore Kingfisher’s finances. Banks, which own around a quarter of the airline after converting debt into equity and would take a large hit if it collapses, have been demanding Mallya come up with more capital before giving the carrier any fresh funds. |
| Pakatan’s floor wage may cause RM7.2b outflow Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:42 PM PDT
Commenting on Pakatan's shadow budget 2013 in a statement today, Chua said the move to increase minimum wage from the current RM900 to RM1,100 would further add to the national debt burden. He pointed out that there are three million foreign workers in Malaysia, and a RM200 increase in salary would cost the market an extra RM600 million per month. "In one year, RM7.2 billion will be spent on these foreign workers. "The RM7.2 billion will be an outflow, as the money will be transferred out from the country to the respective countries of where the foreign workers reside," he said. Chua, who is also Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister, said the rakyat would eventually bear the consequences of this outflow. "The business owners will definitely pass all the incurred cost from the increase in the minimum wage to the rakyat and the rakyat will be the one to suffer from it. "The so-called facilitation fund from Pakatan [to help the employers], is only sufficient to last for less than two months. After that, the people will have to bear all the sufferings," he said. He noted that RM7.2 billion is equivalent to twice of the Barisan Nasional government's Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M) programmes, which only cost RM3 billion under the Budget 2013. Meanwhile, Chua also pointed out Pakatan's failure to include a mechanism to reduce oil price and highway tolls in its shadow budget. "How would they be able to reduce the petrol price? Where's the calculation?" he asked. Earlier this week, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin also criticised Pakatan's proposed minimum wage of RM1,100, saying it would bankrupt the small and medium industries (SMIs) and destroy the economy. However, Pakatan MPs insisted that this was not true as their floor wage comes hand-in-hand with financial assistance to the employers and a policy to stop dependence on foreign, unskilled labour. |
| Faekah comes under fire from PKR Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:29 PM PDT
“As far as Azmin is concerned, he has openly shown his full support in favour of Khalid,” Selangor PKR deputy president Zuraida Kamaruddin said in a statement today. She was reacting to a statement by Faekah earlier this week that Azmin should not be deciding on the political fate of Khalid after the next general election. Azmin, PKR deputy president, had previously announced that Khalid would be offered a federal minister’s post if Pakatan Rakyat were to form the next federal government after the 13th general election.
“Khalid’s role at the federal level was unwisely misinterpreted by Faekah. If only Faekah held her breath for a second and finished reading the news report in good faith, she would understand the message that Khalid is a valuable asset to Pakatan,” Zuraida added. She also advised Faekah to communicate with the state PKR leadership more frequently to avoid frictions within the party. “As an effective political secretary to the menteri besar, Faekah should concentrate on improving the political relationship between menteri besar and party leaders and not cause instability by unnecessarily jumping the gun,” said Zuraida. Also read: |
| Mengapa Johor luluskan 22, 500 ekar? Posted: 05 Oct 2012 09:18 PM PDT
“Syarikat Dialog Berhad hanya memerlukan 6, 424 ekar tetapi entah mengapa kerajaan negeri mengurniakan 22,500 ekar tanah untuk projek keseluruhannya. “Dialog telah menawarkan saham sebanyak 10 peratus kepada kerajaan negeri Johor. Dialog juga tidak akan berdepan dengan bantahan penduduk kampung yang tanahnya terlibat. “Sebaliknya, soal pampasan, memindahkan penduduk, majlis penerangan dan hal-hal yang berkaitan adalah tanggungjawab kerajaan negeri,” kata beliau. Mazlan yang juga pemimpin PAS Johor turut mendakwa kerja-kerja memindahkan penduduk terlibat mesti berjalan mengikut jadual kerana sebarang kelewatan merugikan syarikat- Dialog. Saham “Kerja-kerja memindahkan 927 keluarga dari tujuh kampung iaitu Sungai Kapal, Teluk Empang, Langkah Baik, Sebong, Batu Mas, Kampung Jawa dan Sungai Buntu ke lokasi cadangan tanah seluas 387 ekar di Kampung Datuk Abd Ghani Othman,” tambahnya. Manakala Timbalan Pesuruhjaya PAS negeri, Zulkifli Ahmad berkata, pihaknya mempersoalkan mengapa projek RAPID dibuat di atas tanah milik nelayan dan bukan tanah milik kerajaan yang menjadi tapak pemindahan mereka. “Sepatutnya ia dilaksanakan di kawasan pemindahan nelayan itu supaya nelayan terus boleh mencari rezeki,” katanya ketika dihubungi hari ini. Beliau juga menyarankan supaya pemilik tanah yang terbabit dengan pemindahan diberikan saham supaya mereka mendapat manfaat dalam jangka panjang. Katanya, kaedah ini telah digunakan di Belanda dan negara-megara Eropah lain. Zulkifli memberitahu, penduduk yang terbabit dengan projek ini juga telah diberi notis supaya berpindah. |
| KL shares likely to continue uptrend next week Posted: 05 Oct 2012 09:11 PM PDT
Affin Investment Bank Bhd vice-president and head of retail research, Nazri Khan, said FBMKLCI is likely to kick start Christmas rally on a traditionally bullish October-December period with 1,700 level as the ultimate year-end-target. “We believe the key index should trend higher on regional strength and local funds accumulation ahead of the general election and post-Budget 2013 with focus on potential corporate tax cut to boost the country's competitiveness,” he told Bernama. He added the positive external backdrops also should give support to the local bourse following better improvement in the US economy and expectation of more stimulus packages from Bank of England and People Bank of China. Back home, Nazri said they expect among the important catalysts to move the market would be the Mass Rapid Transit Corp Sdn Bhd’s new award of RM732 million three station packages. He said the government’s move to slash crude palm oil export tax to match Indonesia, with a significant cut from 23% to 10%, also will benefit counters related to this industry. During the week just ended, the local bourse showed better movement as the barometer index touched a new high on Thursday, closing at 1,661.47. The key index continued its uptrend yesterday morning, touching an intra-day high of 1,668.32 at 9.58 am, but failed to maintain the momentum and ended slightly easier at 1,660.23. On Friday-to-Friday basis, the FBM KLCI finished 23.57 points higher at 1,660.23 compared with 1,636.66 the previous Friday. The Finance Index surged 141.71 points to 14,680.76 from 14,539.05 and the Industrial Index increased 30.95 points to 2,834.57 from 2,803.62, while the Plantation Index slipped 106.11 points to 8,171.97 from 8,278.08. The FBM Emas Index gained 154.12 points to 11,260.68 from 11,106.56 last Friday and the FBM Mid 70 Index rose 172.56 points to 12,099.56 from 11,927. The FBM ACE Index decreased 15.0 points to 4,289.68 from 4,304.68 previously. The weekly volume in turnover eased to 4.430 billion shares worth RM7.047 from 4.431 billion shares worth RM7.457 billion the previous week. The Main Market volume increased to 3.379 billion shares worth RM6.894 billion from 3.315 billion shares worth RM7.299 billion previously. Volume on the ACE Market decreased to 718.767 million shares worth RM123.183 million from 802.925 million shares worth RM131.453 million. Warrants turnover increased to 308.394 million units worth RM20.833 million from 286.354 million units worth RM21.496 million prevously. - Bernama |
| Kurup feeling the heat in Pensiangan Posted: 05 Oct 2012 08:32 PM PDT
With dissatisfaction growing over the slow pace of development in a state listed as among the poorest in the nation, Sabah Barisan Nasional government leaders are watching their backs as the general election approaches. Kurup, who is also president of BN component Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), is no exception. Kurup, who is federal Natural Resources and Environment Deputy Minister, invited 19 media representatives from the Information Department, RTM, Al-Jazeera and local newspapers “to see Pensiangan’s development” under his watch since 1985. The two-day high-profile affair, coordinated by information officer Wolis Junik, was arranged by Kurup to counter claims that the BN government had ignored the constituency after coming to power. Pensiangan, located in the interior division of the state, is one of the most rural towns in Sabah. It is situated less than 20km from the Indonesian border. Kurup’s fightback comes days after Sabah Umno deputy chief Salleh Said Keruak defended the state and federal governments over the limited infrastructure in the state. "It would not be fair to say that there has been a lack of development when a huge chunk of the state budget, supplemented by federal funding, goes into all sorts of development,” he said after a Merdeka Centre survey noted that people in the state were generally dissatisfied with the lack of development and infrastructure as well as the illegal immigration problem in Sabah. To prove that he has not been sitting on his hands for the last 27 years, Kurup took the press to a water treatment plant in Kampung Mosopoh that is capable of supplying clean water to residents in Nabawan and the construction site of a school building. He told his guests that when completed, the school, which will have a separate library building, would be big enough to accommodate students from all over Nabawan. He also said that a hospital was being built and that “the BN government has brought much development to Pensiangan since I became MP and many more will come, particularly those aimed at eradicating poverty among the people". The slow pace of development, often poorly planned and of inferior quality both in terms of workmanship and materials, has become another chink in the armour of the state BN government under Chief Minister Musa Aman. The opposition has pointed to unpaved roads, insufficient power and water supply as well as inadequate medical facilities as a mark of poor governance by the BN, which has been in power for almost 50 years at federal level. Kurup appeared upset that opposition leaders like Joseph Lakai of the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) had targeted his constituency for criticism and as an example of everything that was wrong with the state. Lakai, a pilot by training, who has made a name for himself for voicing the frustrations of rural folk, said the lack of vital infrastructure and development is enough reason for voters in the state to seek a change in the 13th general election. Lakai said that the BN’s dismal failure to provide Sabah with all that was necessary for it to progress was preventing the resource-rich state from catching up with the rest of the country. He pointed out to Kurup’s chagrin that in the interior areas of the state like in Sook and Nabawan in the Pensiangan parliamentary constituency, there are still no hospital, police station and fire and rescue department. Kurup, who formed PBRS after resigning from Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) in 1994 as it was about to come crashing down through post-election wheeling and dealing, is set to defend the seat he won uncontested in the 2008 general election. Political pundits in the state say that he would have faced a strong fight if PKR candidate Danny Anthony Andipai, whose candidacy was rejected by the election returning officer on nomination day, had been allowed to stand. The coming general election could finally lay to rest the political chatter that Kurup has little support in his own constituency, a Kadazandusun-Murut majority area. In fact, after winning the seat uncontested in 2008, he almost lost it after an election petition was filed against the Election Commission and Kurup by Andipai and the third candidate, Saimeh Usau, who was also disqualified for late submission of nomination papers. Warding off Umno After a hearing at the Kota Kinabalu High Court, on Sep 8, 2008, Justice David Wong Dak Wah ordered a by-election to be held for Pensiangan after declaring Kurup’s election null and void. As a result of the judgment, the PBRS president “retired” from his deputy minister’s post but was reinstated when, on appeal, the Federal Court on Feb 12, 2009 quashed the nullification of his election to the seat. The all-expenses-paid invitation to the media to visit his constituency is being seen as a strategic move by the deputy minister to reconfirm his seat as well as ward off those in Sabah Umno who have openly declared their interest in wanting to contest the seat for the BN. Should Kurup defend his seat, his likely opponent will be former Pensiangan MP Bernard Maraat, his former party colleague who won the seat for BN-PBRS in the 2004 election but made way for Kurup in the 2008 election. Maraat, now a PBS member, has announced that since Umno wanted to contest, he would be offering to contest the seat as an Independent. State Reform Party and Pakatan Rakyat are also keen to contest Pensiangan, Sook and Nabawan. |
| Myanmar denies rumours about instability of private banks Posted: 05 Oct 2012 08:24 PM PDT
“They are mere rumours aired by those with ill-will to harm the interest of banks which are not true,” the Central Bank of Myanmar was quoted as saying in an announcement by the New Light of Myanmar. “Private banks are operating in line with banking procedures and rules and regulations under the systematic management of the Central Bank of Myanmar and thus, citizens can trust all the private banks,” the announcement added. There is a total of 19 private banks and four state-owned banks in Myanmar. Meanwhile, Myanmar has allowed the setting up of public companies in a bid to shape the capital market in the development of market economy. Eleven authorised private banks in Myanmar started from July to admit opening of foreign currency accounts with the public in US dollar, euro and Singapore dollar as well as FEC (foreign exchange certificate). Previously, the only two state banks were allowed to undertake such foreign currency dealing services. Aimed at stabilising the exchange rate of foreign currency and ensure emergence of foreign exchange market in the country, the Central Bank of Myanmar has allowed the 11 Myanmar private banks to trade the three foreign hard currencies. There are also 20 foreign bank representative offices in Myanmar including those from Singapore, Bangladesh, China, France, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Thailand, Cambodia, Brunei, Vietnam, South Korea, the United States and the United Kingdom. - Xinhua |
| Canada gives Petronas bid for Progress more scrutiny Posted: 05 Oct 2012 08:03 PM PDT
The unexpected delay comes as Ottawa also vets a US$15.1 billion offer for Nexen Inc by CNOOC Ltd, the Chinese state-controlled company, a deal that has been slammed both by Canada’s main opposition party and from some within Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s own government. Most analysts have said they expect Petronas’s takeover of Progress to face little trouble as the government assesses if the transaction passes its main test of being of net benefit to Canada. Progress is a natural gas producer, as opposed to a developer in the strategic Alberta oil sands, and plans set by Petronas/Progress to build a multibillion-dollar liquefied natural gas plant on the Pacific Coast fit with a push by Harper to export the fuel to Asia. Legal sources familiar with studies done by the government’s Investment Canada agency said the extension to Oct 19 could be routine, tied to a busy schedule within the review division. But one lawyer said it was clear that the Malaysian investment is not as politically tricky as a deal involving China. “Let’s face it, Malaysia is nothing in terms of geopolitics whereas China is an emerging superpower and is increasingly assertive,” the lawyer said. “Malaysia will do the Progress deal and perhaps no others, whereas China could buy all of the oil sands if we let them.” Both Progress shareholders and Canadian antitrust authorities have already approved the bid, which Petronas raised when a competing offer surfaced last summer. Industry Minister Christian Paradis appeared to suggest that investors should not read too much into his pushing the decision deadline out, but offered no reason for the delay. Difficult policy questions “Extensions to the review period are not unusual. I will take the time necessary to conduct a thorough and careful review of any proposed investment under the [Investment Canada] Act,” he said in a statement. Progress officials declined to comment. Paradis is in charge of the “net benefit” reviews under the act. Evaluations last for 45 days and can be extended by another 30. Further extensions beyond that must be negotiated. There is little guidance on precisely what the net benefit rule entails. The Conservative government, which shocked the market when it rejected a US$39 billion foreign bid for fertiliser giant Potash Corp in 2010, has promised to clarify things when it gives its decision on the Nexen deal. A major issue is whether a state-owned enterprise acts as an arm of its government rather than a corporate entity. Paradis has until Oct 12 to rule on CNOOC’s bid, although he is widely expected to extend the review period for the 30-day add-on, and perhaps further. Harper said on Thursday that CNOOC’s bid for Nexen raised some difficult policy questions. But the government gave no sign it would bow to a demand from the opposition New Democratic Harper is trying to balance concerns over the CNOOC bid with what the government says is a huge need for foreign investment in the energy sector. Ottawa says the sector needs C$630 billion over the next decade alone, and that much of it will have to come from overseas. If the Nexen deal goes through, Chinese companies will have snapped up more than C$25 billion of Canadian energy assets in 10 years. Progress shares rose 6 Canadian cents at C$21.85 on the Toronto Stock Exchange, just below the US$22 Petronas bid price. By contrast, Nexen’s shares closed at US$25.48 in New York yesterday, well below the US$27.50 bid, showing investor fears that Ottawa could block the deal. -Reuters |
| Posted: 05 Oct 2012 07:54 PM PDT Sex has been idealised so much in movies and magazines that we'd be forgiven for thinking that we're the only people in the world who encounter a few problems in the bedroom department. As the realistic world of painful sex, erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation attests, sex isn't always about lacy lingerie, sheet-grabbing pleasure and perfectly-timed orgasms… Too tired Feeling too tired to have sex is a common reason for the lagging lovemaking sessions of couples across the world. The truth is though, if you're feeling tired then a good sex session is probably what you need; the endorphins you release when you're doing the deed help to wake you up and make you feel revitalised. Certified sex therapist Dr Roger Libby explains that sex "liberates endorphins, which increases energy and libido." He goes on to explain that "if someone says they're too tired to have sex, it's either an excuse or they're over doing it." We're guessing that, as you're reading an article on sex problems, you're probably not experiencing the latter option so, if your sex life is dwindling because you feel too tired, break that no-sex cycle and you'll be feeling refreshed and ready for round two in no time! Erectile dysfunction Erectile dysfunction – or impotence – is caused by a number of factors such as stress, alcohol, diabetes and depression. Luckily, this problem is so common that there are a number of different ways to treat it including sex therapy, vacuum pumps and medication. If you're experiencing erectile dysfunction because you're feeling anxious – for whatever reason – about having sex, practice a few relaxation techniques to help you feel less pressurised into getting an erection. The more relaxed you are, the more successful you're likely to be. No time After working all day, cleaning the house, cooking the tea and/or doing similar activities, it comes as no surprise that we're left feeling more scruffy than sexy and like there's little time left to even consider sex. Indeed, researchers from the Kinsey Institute in the United States carried out a survey of 853 women between the ages of 20 and 65 and found that today's women have less sex than their 1950s counterparts. There's a good chance that this is down to the increase in technology. Dr Bancroft, who carried out the study, said that we now “live in an age where there is little unfilled leisure time. Sex used to fill that gap.” While you may think you have no time for sex, try cutting out the time you spend on the computer or watching television and replace that time with sex. Low libido
Premature ejaculation It can make you feel pretty inadequate if you find yourself having your 'big moment' before your partner, or sometimes before you've even started having sex. Maybe you're having sex with a new partner and you feel nervous? Perhaps you haven't had an orgasm in a while so you're feeling super sensitive? Whatever the reason, there are plenty of methods you could use to prevent it. From condoms that make the penis less sensitive, to certain prescribed antidepressant drugs, there will be something out there suitable for you so it's worth speaking to your doctor. Vaginal dryness Ouch! Vaginal dryness is one of the most common sexual problems experienced by women and it isn't pleasant. The root of the problem is usually down to your hormones; lower levels of oestrogen make your lady regions become dry and more fragile. If vaginal dryness is making sex uncomfortable for you, try using a water-based lubricant and make sure you have plenty of foreplay before sex. If the problem persists, your doctor should be able to provide you with an oestrogen cream to sort the problem. Boring sex We think it's fair to say that nobody has perfect movie star sex every day. Sometimes we find ourselves wondering when it's going to end and the big 'O' just doesn't seem to make an appearance. If you're finding yourself getting a little bored between the sheets, you've probably just become too comfortable with the sex you're having. The simple solution to this problem is to break out of your sexual rut and try something new. Spice things up a little with dirty talk, massage, or new positions. Va-va-voom! LINKS 10 sex positions for body-conscious days http://www.realbuzz.com/articles/10-sex-positions-for-body-conscious-days Follow realbuzz on Twitter https://twitter.com/realbuzzcom [This content is provided by FMT content partner realbuzz.com] |
| Posted: 05 Oct 2012 07:54 PM PDT LONDON: A series of events were held yesterday to mark the 50th anniversary of the James Bond films, the iconic spy saga that helped define half-a-century of cultural, political and technological upheaval. The suave British agent, code name 007, appeared on the silver screen for the first time in the 1962 classic “Dr. No”, introducing himself with the immortal line “Bond… James Bond” over a high-stakes game of baccarat. Bond has been played by six different actors over the 22-series adventure, but has always maintained his obsession with fast cars, beautiful women, high-tech gadgets and vodka Martinis – shaken, not stirred. “For all the attempts at change, the core of the Bondian world remains the same: obsessed with sex and violence, hypermasculine, simplistically nationalistic, and addicted to conspicuous consumption,” Christoph Lindner, editor of “The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader,” told AFP. Worldwide events to celebrate Global Bond Day include an online charity auction, a survey to discover the favourite Bond film by country, a film retrospective at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and a Music of Bond night in Los Angeles. London’s Barbican Centre marked the occasion with an exhibition showcasing the design and style of “the world’s most influential and iconic movie brand”, which has moved on to Toronto where it opens on October 26. Britain’s tourist agency has joined forces with the iconic spy for the first time, launching a campaign across 21 countries based around the slogan “Bond is GREAT Britain.” A new feature documentary “Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007″, will be also be unveiled, focusing on producers Albert “Cubby” Broccoli and Harry Saltzman and author Ian Fleming, the three men most responsible for building the brand. The 23rd and latest film, “Skyfall”, has its worldwide premiere in London on October 23 with Daniel Craig playing Bond for the third time. The “Skyfall” theme tune, sung by British diva Adele, will be released at 00:07 British time on Friday, although the track was leaked online on Tuesday.
Few would have believed that Bond would become a global institution when “Dr. No”, an adaptation of Fleming’s 1958 novel, was released on October 5, 1962. Critical reaction to the film saga’s first installment was mixed, with Time magazine calling Sean Connery’s Bond “a great big hairy marshmallow”. Critics have noted that Craig’s muscular and moody performances are in sharp contrast to Roger Moore’s light-hearted portrayals and Connery’s old-fashioned machismo, mirroring changing social conventions. “The 007 series now presents a male hero who is emotionally vulnerable, fallible, and in many ways psychologically broken,” explained Lindner. “Ironically, this is much closer to the ‘screw-up’ Bond of the original novels. “But attempts to modernise the so-called ‘Bond girls’ do not break with the formula, and the feminism — and, more recently, post-feminism — of the ‘Bond girls’ doesn’t change the gender dynamics of the films,” added the University of Amsterdam professor. Watt noted the development of Bond’s attitude towards older women, saying “the idea that the sexist ‘dinosaur’… could evolve into working for a female boss is very interesting.” As well as evolving Bond’s personality, the franchise has also adapted to shifting geopolitics. “We went from Cold War villains, to post-Communist villains, to post-9/11 terrorists, and so on,” said Lindner. Watt said this ability to reflect the changing political world was crucial to the brand’s survival. “We all know where the battle lines are drawn today,” he stressed. “To stay current, current threats to the West have to be part of the picture.” But Bond chiefs face a delicate task in staying loyal to Fleming’s original vision and meeting the demands of the modern movie-goer, argued Watt. The Indiana University professor called the stripped-down 2008 release “Quantum of Solace” “a mundane action film” and urged the franchise to remember its roots. “The entire Bond lifestyle of the 1950s and 60s — of walking into the casino in a tuxedo, the exquisite and peculiar taste in food and in alcohol — all of this is extraordinarily exotic,” he added.—AFP |
| Gaga hits 30 million followers Posted: 05 Oct 2012 07:53 PM PDT
The pop diva has set a social media record by becoming the first person with more than 30 million followers on Twitter. As of Thursday afternoon, she had 30,030,949 followers on the micro-blogging website, and is adding them at the rate of 30,000 a day, according to the Starcount.com website that monitors celebrity use of social media. The 26-year-old – real name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta – also passed the four million mark on Google+ earlier this week, and is in second place to only Britney Spears on the search giant’s social media platform. “Paving the way for other stars on social media, Lady Gaga often interacts with her fans and has even set up her own social network for the Little Monsters with thousands of regular users,” commented Starcount.com. “But it is Twitter that has given her the incredible social popularity that she currently has,” it added in a blog, noting that her Twitter takeover started two years ago when she passed Ashton Kutcher, Barack Obama and Spears. “Since then, her domination on the network has gone unmatched – she was the first person to reach 10 million and 20 million followers and is keeping up the trend now with 30 million.” Her nearest rival is teen pop sensation Justin Bieber, with 28.5 million Twitter followers, while Katy Perry has 27.2 million. Rihanna has overtaken Gaga on YouTube and Facebook, but has only 26 million followers on Twitter.—AFP |
| Explore benefits of using renminbi, M’sian firms told Posted: 05 Oct 2012 07:39 PM PDT
According to a survey by the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM), big firms still prefer the US dollar for trade, which was the choice for many decades. FMM vice-president Lee Ow Kim said greater awareness was needed to promote RMB usage for trade settlement amid a strong economic relationship between Malaysia and China. “Many Malaysian businesses had invested heavily in China and more are trading in a big way with Chinese companies or related companies. Therefore, it is a huge opportunity to convince these companies on the mechanism and advantages of using RMB as settlement currency,” he said when met by Bernama at a seminar, here today. The seminar entitled “RMB Trade Settlement and Investment in Malaysia: Future Prospects”, was officiated by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) assistant governor, Abu Hassan Alshari Yahaya. Lee said the currency swap arrangement (CSA) agreement between BNM and The People’s Bank of China was a good move to boost the RMB usage among local companies and encourage the government to increase RMB-denominated assets. The CSA agreement, signed in early 2009 and renewed this year with an expanded amount of RMB180 billion, was to ensure a ready supply of RMB in the domestic financial market to meet the demand by businesses. Lee said the RMB usage was a new development, which needed time to be promoted and make others aware of the mechanism and advantages, adding that one of the biggest benefits was cost savings. “It was better to have more choices and diversification is important so that you don’t put all eggs in one basket. China is a huge economy and it is advisable for people to use RMB to deal with their counterparts in China,” he added. Lee said the Malaysian government is encouraged to keep RMB-denominated assets given that the value of the US dollar is declining due to the third round of quantitative easing to stimulate its economy. Currency mismatch Meanwhile, Jin Zhongxia, head of the Research Institute of The People’s Bank of China, said the use of RMB in cross-border trade and investment has experienced a rapid growth. “The use of RMB has lagged behind the real economic development because China has increasing trade linkages with neighbouring economies in Asia and these economies have become the No 1 trade partners of China. “For the large trade partners if they use third-party currency, it will involve exchange rate risk and it was natural to choose the local currency to reduce the risks,” said Jin, who was one of the speakers at the seminar. According to him, Asia accounts for 78.6% of cross-border RMB settlement and 52% of China’s trade are done with neighbouring countries in Asia. Jin said the usage of RMB could enable countries with trade surplus to invest in China, and reduce their cost and exchange rate risk due to different currency conversion. He said RMB as an alternative currency would help to create a more balanced market, adding that there was increasing opportunities for the use of RMB to invest in RMB-denominated securities for portfolio investments. Jin said among the benefits of expanding RMB usage in cross-border transactions are reducing the risk of currency mismatch in the Chinese economy and making a more flexible RMB exchange rate less costly to China’s real economy. It was also to facilitate adjustment in external imbalance as well as contribute to a more resilient and stable international monetary system. The objective of the seminar, hosted by BNM, was to spread the benefits of using RMB in trade settlement and investment given the large and increasing trade base with China which stood at RM167 billion in 2011. - Bernama |
| Posted: 05 Oct 2012 07:23 PM PDT
This is not a new issue, in fact it is 21 years old. It all began when the Barisan Nasional government, with its overwhelming majority in Parliament, passed by 99 to 25 votes the 1991 Land Acquisition Amendment Bill, or Act A804. The rephrasing of sections of the Land Acquisition Act 1960 basically gave incontestable power to state governments to seize private land for development by private companies and individuals. Lands originally acquired for public purposes can also be used for private development. Before Act A804, land could only be acquired for public purposes or for public utilities like building of roads, schools, hospitals, pipelines, water or power plants, etc. With the addition of “…for any purpose which in the opinion of the State Authority is beneficial to the economic development of Malaysia”, no land is safe. The term “beneficial to the economic development of Malaysia” is as subjective as you can get. A piece of land can be acquired to build a posh five-star hotel, an amusement park or a golf resort because in the opinion of the government it would bring in the tourist dollar and create jobs for locals, not to mention enriching the private companies which would, of course, be paying taxes. To really make the Land Acquisition Act water-tight for the acquirer, Section 68A says that acquisitions cannot be invalidated by reason of any kind of subsequent disposal or use (etc) of the acquired land. This new provision aims at preventing the acquirer or the purported purpose from being challenged in court. You can only challenge the quantum of the compensation offered, the measurement of the land area, the person whom compensation is payable to, and the apportionment of the compensation. The leader of the opposition then, Lim Kit Siang, in opposing Act A804, gave this dire warning: "When it becomes law, it will destroy the constitutional right to property enjoyed by Malaysians for 34 years since Merdeka, and become the mother of all corruption, abuses of power, conflicts-of-interest and unethical malpractices in Malaysia…” Was Kit Siang just over-reacting or scare-mongering when he said that or is it a prophecy that was and is being fulfilled till today? A new ball game The impetus for the passing of Act A804 was for the acquisition of 33,000 acres of land in the Gelang Patah area for the construction of the second link with Singapore and the construction of a new township by UEM, wiping out 19 villages and displacing 10,000 people. The Johor state government offered the affected smallholders compensation averaging RM26,000 per acre or 64 sen per sqe ft, far below the then market value of RM100,000 per acre for agricultural land. In a subsequent civil suit by one of the affected landowners against the government of Johor in 1995, it was revealed that a subsidiary of Renong was offering the intended development for sale at RM17 per sq ft, a whopping 28 times more than what the original landowners got! For a glimpse into some of the backroom wheeling and dealing that went on with these deals, one should read the court papers of cases like "Honan Plantations vs Govt of Johor’; and "Stamford Holdings vs Govt of Johor". Names of notable personalities like Muhyiddin Yassin, Syed Mokhtar Albukhary and Yahya Talib in secret meetings were mentioned. For the Second Link and the highway that linked it to the North-South Expressway to be built, the Land Acquisition Act was necessary. To be fair, compensation had to not only take into account the then prevailing market value but also the loss of livelihood for the people who used to live off the land. With Act A804, the government seized a lot more land than was required for the custom and immigration complex and the highway. We can safely say it seized almost 24,000 acres more for a private corporation, UEM, albeit it is a GLC (government-linked corporation). Today, UEM Land, as the master developer of the 23,875-acre Nusajaya (as the acquired land is now called) boasts of its enormous landbank and potential billions in profit from its development. We want to ask this simple poignant question: whose lands were these originally, and what about the 10,000 over affected villagers? Shouldn’t these people be beneficiaries of development and not its victims? Perhaps some of the villagers are now working in Legoland, who knows? While some of the people behind the scenes went on to achieve high office and some made it to the top 10 billionaires list, thousands of other nameless Malaysians are without land and opportunities. Land grab is non-discriminatory: Malaysians from all racial, religious and social strata are affected. Gelang Patah was just the precursor to a new ball game called Land Grab and the same modus operandi was used for Seremban 2, Bandar Aman Jaya in Sungai Petani, Pantai Kundor/Pantai Tanah Merah and Paya Mengkuang in Melaka, Kerpan in Kedah, Sepang in Selangor, lands acquired for the MRT project, Jalan Sultan, native customary lands in the Peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak, and many, many more. Of course, not all compulsory acquisitions are unjust or not justifiable; but there should be a fair and unskewed avenue for aggrieved landowners through the justice system to question certain acquisitions. The courts now are somewhat constrained by Act A804, and in almost all cases such acquisitions are not reversed. The Pengerang grab Twenty years on, the same script is being acted out in Johor again (a BN stronghold), this time to the east in Pengerang. A total of 22,500 acres of land are being acquired for the development of the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex (PIPC). The anchor project in this proposal is Petronas’ RAPID project which requires a sizeable 6,424 acres. Smallholders and plantations are being offered between RM1.80 psf and RM8 psf for their land. Can Pengerang be called Gelang Patah 2.0 where again, on the pretext of development, a huge tract of land is being taken from their original landowners and placed in the hands of one or a few wealthy individuals and corporations? Is the PIPC the main play or is property speculation the main play? Would the same prime minister who mooted the Third Link to Singapore in 2009 make the announcement again after all the land has been acquired? Who are the direct beneficiaries of such development? All these are so "legal" that one government official after another is spewing out that it is done properly under the terms of the Land Acquisition Act 1960. It may be legal, but is it moral? Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak made a statement during the launch of the sixth International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities Conference in Kuala Lumpur on the Oct 4, 2012: “Is the unbridled and ruthless pursuit of extraordinary profits a form of corruption? I believe that if we see corruption as fundamentally a moral problem, therefore anything that promotes selfish interest at the expense of the well-being of others is morally wrong. It was vapid [tasteless] self-interest and greed that was truly at the heart of corruption. ” Mr Prime Minister, I could not agree with you more. How much is enough for the greedy? How many more poor and defenseless villagers must be forcibly displaced and robbed of the fruits of development to satisfy the insatiable appetites of the greedy who uses the Land Acquisition Act to enrich themselves? Who will speak up for the thousands who will be landless and many without a means of livelihood? It is evil when a law is crafted to take away land from the poor without their consent, fair compensation or share in its benefits so that a few might make it to Forbes’ list of billionaires. We should all be foaming at our mouth with anger at this injustice but instead we just thank God daily that it is not our land they have come to take, at least not yet. Thomas Fann blogs at www.newmalaysia.org |
| Get involved in fighting crime Posted: 05 Oct 2012 05:15 PM PDT
This is a proposed free service to Malaysians to offer a platform to monitor neighbourhoods, tip off the police and residents of suspicious characters in their neighbourhoods, provide assistance for emergencies, and help with police reports. It is an avenue not only to share information, crime mapping, hot spot detection, safety tips, knowledge, safety demos, and resources but also maintain a support group for victims. Women and young girls are often the targets of snatch thefts, abductions and violent sexual assaults. We aim to provide crucial support, post-crime trauma counselling, and independent advocacy for these victims in confidence – all in a safe and non-threatening environment. Our crime prevention portal aims to stop crime before it occurs and is not to be confused with a crime mapping site, which merely documents crime after it has happened. MARAH's 24-hour real-time crime prevention portal proposes to offer the following services:
The prevention of crime is a key requirement for a safe and secure society. It is a prerequisite for sound economic growth through continuing business investment as well as community well-being and cohesion. The police alone cannot prevent crime. Granted, a massive police recruitment exercise not seen in Malaysia for the past 43 years is set to take off next year, thanks to Budget 2013. Currently, there are 110,000 police personnel serving 28.3 million people. That translates to one police officer for every 257 people in Malaysia. Play your part Will the ordinary Malaysians feel any safer by just doubling police personnel to, say, 220,000, bringing the ratio of one police officer to 128 people? Isn't it the quality of the police force rather than the quantity that will make us sleep better? This is the reason government agencies, community groups, businesses and individuals need to combine their resources with MARAH to fight crimes before they happen. Thinking that it can only happen to someone else and doing nothing to prepare yourself or not taking the necessary precautionary measures makes you the perfect victim for criminals. A crime always happens when an unprepared victim offers an opportunity and the perpetrator seizes it. Making yourself less of a target is as simple as joining the MARAH Crime Prevention Portal initiative. For starters, you will get to know your neighbours. You’ll pay attention to the cars normally parked on your street, and which of your neighbours is having renovation work done on their house. You might even know which of your neighbours is away for any length of time during our many festive seasons. With that information, you're more likely to know when something unusual is happening on your street, or when something just doesn't look right. By keeping an eye on your neighbours, and them doing the same for you, we can collectively help the police stop crimes or, at the very least, reduce them. If you want to make sure your community is as safe as possible, one of the best things to do is to get involved and help. The starting point is to report crime if you see it, but there are lots of ways you can tackle crime and protect your loved ones and your neighbourhood. The police and other public services can't tackle crime alone. If people don’t report crime or come forward as witnesses, it can be hard for them to solve cases and bring criminals to justice. You can help play your part by reporting crime and anti-social behaviour to the MARAH site when you see it. If you or anyone you know is able to assist MARAH with our plans for the crime prevention portal, please do get in touch with us. Thank you, for doing your part in reclaiming a safer Malaysia for our loved ones. Remember, any crime committed is one crime too many. Visit MARAH Facebook here http://www.facebook.com/MARAH4safety Dave Avran is the founder of MARAH (Malaysians Against Rape, Assault & snatcH). |
| ‘ 1Malaysia water tanks a rip-off’ Posted: 05 Oct 2012 05:13 PM PDT
Kota Kinabalu MP Hiew King Cheu, an engineer by training, said Budget 2013 appeared to value the tanks at five times the market price at RM2,500 per unit when it was well known that individual units cost only RM500. He said the high cost for something as basic as a water tank to residents in semi-rural and rural areas in the state where piped water has yet to reach them is troubling. Hiew said that a random check conducted here revealed that a water tank similar to the 1Malaysia water tank cost only RM500. "This plus transport cost and reasonable profit, it [government-supplied tank] should not be that expensive. Now this is five times the cost and there should be an explanation," he said. Budget 2013 showed that a sum of RM100 million had been allocated to Sabah and Sarawak to supply 40,000 plastic water tanks for the rural districts to store rain water. This works out to RM2,500 per tank. Most of the rural districts and even some semi-urban areas in Sabah lack piped water supply. The supply of plastic water tanks is seen as a pre-election sweetener much like the distribution of zinc sheets to those living in dilapidated shacks in rural areas. It is also seen as a short-term solution to the problem facing thousands in the resource-rich state that was rated in the 2010 World Bank report as having the highest number of poverty-stricken people in the country. Hiew said the government’s new budget does not seem to address this fact. "There is a need for treated water for the rural districts. Rain water collected and stored in water tank is usually not clean,” he said, adding that the tanks could become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. He said government planners appeared to have ignored the fact that there were long periods of drought in parts of the state and supplying tanks to villagers to collect rain water was absurd. |
| Posted: 05 Oct 2012 05:10 PM PDT
This is despite the fact that PJ City councillor Derek Fernandez, who is also a lawyer by profession, remarked that the transfer decision by the PSD (Public Services Department) is illegal and ultra vires (as reported in a local English daily). This columnist’s relatives who stay in Selangor are of the view that Barisan Nasional’s shenanigans have started again in Selangor. Under heavy bombardment and continuous shelling, Selangor is bound to fall. This is called a "political siege". So far since the beginning of this year, the Pakatan Rakyat Selangor government had to contend with these four main issues: garbage collection, water, Talam and now the latest is the Petaling Jaya mayor issue. There has been no let-up from the enemy forces since the previous general election in March 2008. The first issue – garbage collection – had seen garbage trucks being blocked by hostile forces and broken furniture and tree branches being made into rubbish and dumped here and there in order to portray Selangor as a dirty state. When the garbage collection trucks are hindered, inevitably rubbish will start to pile up. All this just because the Selangor government wants to save RM20 million from garbage collection services by awarding the contract to new contractors! As for the water issue, a 40-second infomercial was last month filmed to show residents from a flat lining up to collect buckets of water while, at the same time, complaining about the so-called water shortage. It is a no-brainer as to who is behind this "entertaining movie". Diabolical forces The Talam issue is still being spun this way and that while the issue concerning the PJ mayor is orchestrated to jam up the works and smooth-running of the state government’s daily administrative process. What all these shenanigans mean is that the rakyat’s choice at the ballot box in March 2008 is not respected but treated as rubbish! The diabolical forces are hellbent on regaining Selangor by hook or by crook because in the view of these evil forces, might is definitely right. There is only one thing that can be done by Pakatan in this matter and that is to hold the Selangor state election in May as the State Legislative Assembly will be automatically dissolved by then. Let those Machiavellian plotters stew in frustration! The rakyat must not give in to their incessant bullying. Otherwise, we will be subservient to their power as they throw their weight around akin to demigods. From devils to demigods! Just imagine, what a transformation! And yet till today, the so-called transformed government has yet to issue a statement on the cleaning of the electoral roll. Coupled with the infuriating polls date guessing game, we the rakyat are being given the short end of the stick as crumbs are thrown to us to appease our anger and to dull our senses. Enough of this stupidity! Especially in regard to the dubious electoral roll in Selangor wherein there are more than half a million doubtful names. Next attack The names of instant citizens and phantom voters must be removed before the 13th general election is held. Otherwise, there is no honour in victory. Perhaps the word "honour" does not exist in the vocabulary of these nefarious Machiavellians! It is time for the rakyat to wake up and reclaim the nation. We must make up for lost time to pose a challenge to Singapore, a nation which has no national debt but instead trillions in reserves. Likewise, Selangor under the Pakatan administration also has no debt but instead RM1.9 billion in reserves. We must fight to keep something good that works and to reject something bad that is rotten. We want our nation to be a practising model democracy in action, not just in words bandied about at the international stage. In the meantime, according to the few businessmen whom this columnist had interviewed, the Budget 2013 is a non-event as the goodies were to be expected. There is nothing new or invigorating. With goodies galore and the ballooning national debt, this is certainly a budget to garner votes with the Smartphone rebate being a very obvious carrot to woo the youth. Although the polls can still be held this year, a PAS strategist is of the view that the polls can only be held after the goodies have been distributed and this is due to BN’s tagline: Janji Ditepati (Promises Fulfilled). “If the rakyat have to vote BN this year in order to obtain the goodies next year with the exception of the bonuses for the civil servants and pensioners, which will be given in December, then it is already Janji Dinanti-nanti (waiting for the promises to be fulfilled). "Therefore if this happens, it is very bad for BN as they would be seen to be holding back their promises. In politics, perception counts. Thus in order to show that promises are fulfilled, the BN federal government has no choice but to distribute the goodies first in January before calling for the polls and therefore the election can only be in March,” said the PAS strategist. Meanwhile, we do not know what and when is the next attack on Selangor. We can only wait in fear and trembling. Selena Tay is FMT columnist. |
| Juve coach Conte’s ban reduced to four months Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:53 AM PDT  MILAN: Juventus coach Antonio Conte has had his ‘Calcioscommesse’ match-fixing ban reduced from 10 months to four months, Italy’s National Court of Arbitration for Sport (TNAS) announced yesterday.Conte was suspended by the Italian authorities before the start of the season after being accused of failing to disclose knowledge of match-fixing during his time at Siena in the 2010-11 season. He will now be able to resume his position on the touchline with the Turin giants, level with Napoli at the top of Serie A, on December 8. Conte’s ban has been endorsed by football’s world ruling body FIFA, meaning he cannot coach the Serie A champions during international as well as domestic fixtures. His punishment was shortened following a meeting on Tuesday when his lawyers submitted fresh evidence to arbitrators. Conte has always denied the charge that he was aware that the match between his then team Sienna and Albinoleffe on May 29, 2011, was fixed. In a statement TNAS declared that it “rejects Antonio Conte’s main demand (of his innocence) but partially accepts it and now inflicts this punishment on him until December 8.” Conte can resume his place in the Juve dugout for the Serie A game against Palermo. But he will have to wait until the Champions League knockout stages should Juventus make it that far as the concluding group stage match is held on December 5, three days before his ban expires. Juventus president Andrea Agnelli welcomed the decision. “I maintain my view, which is shared by everyone at Juventus, that Antonio Conte is an innocent man and in no way guilty of the charges levelled at him,” said Agnelli. “The confirmation of his suspension is an injustice which should prompt the entire footballing system to ask itself questions. “After so much has been written and said about this issue, the appropriate sporting bodies must proceed with a far-reaching reform of the sporting justice system, so it can avoid perilous inconsistencies — in terms of the length and severity of sanctions — the likes of which have occurred over the last few years and which have often led to serious miscarriages of justice. “I hope they respond swiftly to this appeal so that such injustices may never occur again in the future.” - AFP |
| Di Matteo struggles to avoid Torres burn-out Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:53 AM PDT  LONDON: Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo admits Fernando Torres is in need of a rest, but the club’s lack of attacking options mean the Spaniard must keep playing.Torres has started every game this season and looks likely to spearhead the Blues’ forward line again when Norwich visit Stamford Bridge today. It will be Chelsea’s seventh match in just 21 days and Di Matteo has been keen to rotate his squad as much as possible, with the likes of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Juan Mata given spells on the bench to ensure they remain fresh. But with Daniel Sturridge — Chelsea’s only other senior striker — sidelined due to injury, Di Matteo has been forced to keep asking more from Torres, even when he looks short of form and fitness. “It’s our seventh game tomorrow (Saturday) in 21 days and he’s in good shape, he’s very fit. But, certainly, it’s something we have to look at,” Di Matteo said on Friday when asked if he was concerned that Torres might be suffering from burn-out. Spain midfielder Mata’s fine form since his return from a fortnight off has underlined the benefits of giving players extra time to recover, but Di Matteo can’t promise the same for every member of the squad as he doesn’t have strength in depth in all positions. “Every player’s different,” Di Matteo said. “With Mata, it was because of the busy schedule he’s had over the summer. “Some of the other players have had a rest because they were not involved the Euros or after the Euros. “That’s why I need to look at every individual as a player and decide. “But, at the moment, there are no breaks for anyone on the agenda.” Di Matteo was delighted with Mata’s response to his own break, which has seen him rack up four goals and four assists in his last four games. “It was just common sense to give him a break and the way he’s performing suggests that it was very welcome by his body and mind,” Di Matteo added. “Juan Mata is a very intelligent man and I talked to him about this idea, and he bought into it and he saw the benefits of it. “Juan has really raised the bar again after this break. But if you look at how he played last season, he had a fantastic first season in the English Premier League.” - AFP |
| Fulham boss Jol accuses Zamora of ‘sour grapes’ Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:53 AM PDT
Zamora quit Fulham to join west London rivals QPR in January after reports that the forward had clashed with Jol on several occasions. The 31-year-old this week said he was not the only Fulham star to have a problem with Jol and insisted that was the reason several senior players had left Craven Cottage since the end of last season. Mousa Dembele, Clint Dempsey, Danny Murphy, Andrew Johnson and Dickson Etuhu have all departed in recent months, but Jol insisted Zamora’s bitter blast meant nothing to him. “It is probably sour grapes,” Jol said on Friday. “I think nothing is what it seems. Everyone knows me. The players know me so one player will say this, another player will say that. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t care. For me, the most important thing is we get the results so you will have to ask the players. “If they do well and work hard, I try to get a good relationship with them. If not, I don’t. “Insiders here know that this probably started after two weeks of me being here. “There was a few leaks in the paper and I asked him and he said ‘no, it wasn’t me’. I knew it was him and his agent 100 percent. “He said ‘no, it wasn’t me, I hate the press’. He hated defence and later said he hated crosses as well and that was the moment I thought ‘maybe it is better to sell’ and that is what we did.” Former Tottenham boss Jol was also keen to play down Zamora’s suggestion that he wasn’t able to get players to warm to him. “If you take Clint Dempsey, it is different from Mousa Dembele,” Jol added. “Mousa was phoning me after his move (to Tottenham) and thanking me for everything. Every player is different. “Clint wanted to move so then the relationship would not be great. Danny Murphy I wanted to keep so ask him. There were no issues at all. “With Bobby it started after a couple of weeks. Everybody knew and now he has moved on. “I don’t think it is typically English to make comments after a year or eight months.” - AFP |
| Agger signs new deal with Liverpool Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:53 AM PDT  LONDON: Liverpool defender Daniel Agger ended speculation over his future by signing a new contract with the Premier League club yesterday.Agger had been linked with a move to Manchester City during the close-season, but Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was determined to keep hold of the Denmark centre-back and rejected several bids from the English champions. The 27-year-old, who has made 177 appearances since signing from Brondby in 2006, was reportedly keen to remain at Anfield anyway and he has now agreed to extend his stay with a deal the length of which was not revealed. “It means everything to me. This is where I want to be and I’m happy the club want me. I’ve never wanted to go anywhere else,” Agger told Liverpool’s website. “I feel I am a part of this club and I want to be a part of this club in the future. “I like the way it is going right now with the style we’re playing, and hopefully the results will come soon as well. “The support from the fans has been unbelievable. The game when they were singing all the songs about me, it was difficult to focus on the game. “It was such a good experience for me and I’d never experienced anything like it before. That is why I am so happy here. That for me is Liverpool Football Club. “I feel I belong here and as long as the manager and the owners want me, I’ll be here.” - AFP |
| Djokovic, Sharapova reach Beijing semis Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:53 AM PDT  BEIJING: World number two Novak Djokovic raced into the last four of the China Open in straight sets yesterday as home favourite Li Na set up a testing women’s semi-final with Russian tennis queen Maria Sharapova.The 25-year-old Serbian thumped Jurgen Melzer of Austria 6-1, 6-2 to maintain his unbeaten record at the Beijing tournament and continue his push to finish the year at number one in the rankings. Djokovic, behind only Roger Federer in the ATP standings, has won the China Open on the two occasions he has entered — in 2009 and 2010 — but missed last year because of injury. The number one seed made light work of Melzer, winning in just 53 minutes and hitting 12 aces — four of which came in a single game. “I think that’s the first time,” Djokovic said of his four-in-a-row. “It was one of the best serving matches I have had in my career.” “I have stepped up at least a level in each match that I have played here,” he added, stressing that he was trying to be more aggressive. Djokovic set up a semi-final clash with Germany’s Florian Mayer, who beat wildcard Zhang Ze to bring the Chinese wildcard’s fairytale run crashing to a halt. The 22-year-old, ranked 165th in the world, made history in the last 16 when he became the first Chinese man ever to beat a top 20 player, dumping out France’s Richard Gasquet. His defeat of the Frenchman, ranked 14th, also meant Zhang was the first player from China to reach the quarter-final of an ATP event since Pan Bing made the semi-finals in Seoul in 1995. But matching Pan’s 17-year-old mark proved a step too far for the right-hander from Nanjing, with Mayer winning 6-3, 6-4. Third seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France defeated Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals, where he will face Spain’s Feliciano Lopez, who beat American Sam Querrey 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. In the women’s draw Li, Asia’s only Grand Slam singles winner, beat defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-4, 6-2 to join Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka in the last four. Victory for world number eight Li also secured her the final place at the end-of-season WTA Championships in Istanbul later this month. “I have already qualified to play in the WTA finals so what I’m going to do is enjoy the match with Sharapova,” said Li. Showing ominous form, French Open champion Sharapova, yet to drop a set in China, won the first set 6-0, and was 3-0 up in the second when Germany’s Angelique Kerber quit the match citing an injury to her right foot. The Russian stayed on track for a re-match of this year’s Australian Open final, which she lost to Azarenka, who has also yet to drop a set this week. Azarenka also came out on top in their semi-final clash at the US Open. “I thought we played a high level of tennis in the first set and a half, and even though the scoreline was 6-0, 3-0 there were many games that went to deuce,” Sharapova said. “She had a few break points and long games on her serve,” the Russian added, saying Kerber was probably lacking fitness at the end of a long season. Azarenka, from Belarus, maintained her scintillating form, dismissing Romina Oprandi 6-2, 6-0. “It’s never easy to go in the tennis court and win the match even though the score was like this,” Azarenka, 23, said. Azarenka will next play France’s Marion Bartoli after the ninth seed beat Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-0, 2-6, 6-4. - AFP |
| Villa boss Lambert in legal battle with Norwich Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:53 AM PDT  LONDON: Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert admits he is being sued by his former club Norwich as the bad blood over his close-season move from Carrow Road continues to linger.Lambert angered Norwich with the manner of his departure to take charge at Villa Park in June and the aftermath has now brought legal action from both parties. Norwich chairman Alan Bowkett claimed at a supporters’ meeting on Thursday that Lambert was asking for £2 million (US$3.2 million) compensation for unfair dismissal and breach of contract under the terms of his deal with the Canaries. Bowkett was also reported to have said the manner of Lambert’s departure was “no surprise because he has walked out on every club he has ever managed”. But Lambert hit back on Friday as he revealed Norwich, who he led to two successive promotions, are also suing him over his departure. A Premier League managers’ tribunal is due to decide on the matter and Lambert said: “I’m disappointed what senior officials at Norwich have said in relation to myself. “What Norwich haven’t stated publicly is that they are actually suing me. “I’ll let him (Bowkett) say what he has got to say and we’ll see what happens. “It is before the Premier League managers’ tribunal at which the LMA (League Managers Association) are acting on my behalf. “That’s the way it is at the moment and it is inappropriate for me to comment anymore and be disrespectful to the tribunal. “I don’t know when it is going to happen. I’m too busy trying to win games to worry.” - AFP |
| Nuzman re-elected head of Brazil Olympic Committee Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:53 AM PDT  RIO DE JANEIRO: Carlos Nuzman yesterday re-elected head of the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) despite charges that he was to blame for a scandal involving the unauthorized downloads of files belonging to organizers of the 2012 London Olympics.COB president for the past 17 years, and current head of the organizing committee of the 2016 Rio Olympics, the 70-year-old Nuzman garnered 30 yes votes and one against in a secret vote in which he was running unopposed. Voting were the leaders of the 30 Brazilian Olympic confederations and some COB members. Two electors did not show up, including Jose Maria Marin, president of the Brazilian Football Confederation. Voting against was Eric Leme Maleson, president of the Brazilian Ice Sports Federation. Joao Havelange, the 96-year-old former head of world football governing body FIFA, came to COB headquarters to lend his support to Nuzman. Nuzman began his sporting career as a volleyball player at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. In 1975, he was named president of the Brazilian volleyball confederation. He became COB chief in 1995 and has been member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 2000. At the COB, he has been instrumental in securing sponsors’ backing for Olympic sports. Nuzman also helped Brazil win the right to stage thr Pan-American Games (Rio in 2007) and the 2016 summer Olympics. Wednesday, Brazilian football great Romario, now a socialist lawmaker, expressed concern that Nuzman might be re-elected as COB chief as he was the only candidate. Last week, the former FC Barcelona striker and 1994 World Cup winner blamed Nuzman for the Olympic scandal in which 10 Brazilians made unauthorized downloads of files belonging to organizers of the London Games. - AFP |
| Senegal star Tavares joins Fulham Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:53 AM PDT  LONDON: Senegal midfielder Mickael Tavares joined Premier League club Fulham on a short-term contract yesterday.Tavares was available on a free transfer after being released by German club Hamburg, where he worked under current Fulham manager Martin Jol. The France-born 29-year-old already has experience of English football after spending last season on loan with Championship club Middlesbrough. “I’m happy that I’m now officially a Fulham player and I’m looking forward to playing under Martin Jol once more,” Tavares told Fulham’s website. “The players and staff have made me feel welcome and I can’t wait to get started with my new teammates.” Tavares has 25 caps for Senegal and had spells at Czech club Slavia Prague and French outfits Tours FC and Nantes before linking up with Jol at Hamburg. “Mickael is a typical holding midfielder and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to strengthen this area,” Jol said. “He played for me when I was at Hamburg so I’m familiar with his qualities and he will prove to be a very good addition.” - AFP |
| Murray battles into Japan Open semis Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:53 AM PDT  TOKYO: Defending champion Andy Murray reached the semi-finals of the Japan Open yesterday despite dropping his first set of the week as home favourite Kei Nishikori stunned second seed Tomas Berdych.The top-seeded Briton looked set for a straightforward victory after taking the first set but faced a battle after Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka levelled the match before eventually winning 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. The world number three, playing his first event since winning the US Open, converted four of his 11 break points and won 80 percent of his first serve points to seal his 50th victory of the year and his 10th straight win. In Saturday’s semi-finals, Murray, who also won the Olympic title this year, will play sixth seed Milos Raonic of Canada, who beat third seed Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 7-6 (9/7). “I felt like I played very well. I didn’t in a few games in the middle of the second set but for the most part I played a very good match,” said Murray, 25. “He’s always a tough guy to play against. On all surfaces, he’s got a very big game.” The Scot got off to an ideal start, breaking in the opening game of the match and repeating the feat later in the set but a single break in the second set was enough for the Swiss seventh seed as he levelled the match. In the decider, two further breaks for Murray were enough for him to seal the match and a place in the last four. Eighth seed Nishikori become the first Japanese player to reach the semi-finals of the Japan Open, beating Berdych 7-5, 6-4. Nishikori, 22, created 13 break point opportunities against the big-serving Czech, breaking him four times and winning in just under two hours, improving to 3-1 against this year’s US Open semi-finalist. “I hit a lot of fast shots to his forehand. I also hit backhand shots down the line to his forehand. It worked very well,” said Nishikori. “Whenever I play him, I perform very well. I don’t know why. I played my best. That’s the key to the victory,” he added. Berdych said: “He hits so much from the power of his opponent, taking the ball so fast after a bounce. Probably my style of game is kind of the way he likes and that suits to his game.” Today, Nishikori will play Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, who beat Dmitry Tursunov of Russia 6-2, 6-4. - AFP |
| Ferguson relieved at Rio’s England omission Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:53 AM PDT  MANCHESTER: Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted he is relieved that his defender Rio Ferdinand has been left out of Roy Hodgson’s latest England squad, even allowing for the controversy around the decision.Hodgson apologised at a press conference on Thursday for having let slip to supporters on a London tube the fact that he intended to omit the veteran Manchester United defender from his squad for the upcoming games with San Marino and Poland. With John Terry having announced his international retirement, it had been thought that Ferdinand, 33, might be in line for a recall from Hodgson, despite the manager having left him out of the England squad for the 2012 European Championships. However, Hodgson ignored Ferdinand in his latest selection and, while Ferguson declined to give his opinion over the handling of his player, the United manager is clearly happy that he will not be playing additional games. “I’m not getting into that,” said Ferguson. “But I’m happy anyway because I think that at his age should be protecting himself as best he can. Hopefully, by doing that, he will be far more important to me than England.” Ferdinand’s absence from the national squad is all the more important, from a United perspective, given long-term injuries that have afflicted central defenders Phil Jones, Nemanja Vidic and Chris Smalling this season and which have left Ferdinand and Jonny Evans as his only recognised fit centre-halves. Ferguson, however, has received better news about Smalling and, indeed, Evans who suffered a painful dead leg in last weekend’s defeat to Tottenham and had to be helped from the field after the final whistle. “He’s okay,” said Ferguson of Evans. “It was a dead leg he got from the previous game on the Saturday against Tottenham and towards the end it just tightened up, he’s okay. “There’s only one player who can come back really (after the forthcoming international break) and that’s Smalling, who’s got a chance of coming back. “I certainly think Smalling will have done enough training on the football side, he’ll start the football side on Monday. That certainly is a blessing for us, getting him back, particularly as we know we have a problem with centre backs.” After the weekend visit to Newcastle, United’s next league fixture is not until October 20, when they host Stoke, and Ferguson also hopes winger Ashley Young could be fit to return for that game, also, after recovering from a knee injury. “Ashley Young, he’ll start training while the internationals are on, particularly the second week,” said Ferguson. “He could maybe stretch, make that game against Stoke City when we come back from internationals.” - AFP |
| Dinamo Zagreb to make one fan a kuna millionaire Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:53 AM PDT  ZAGREB: In a bid to fill empty stands players for Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb pooled to reward one fan who will attend the Champions League match against French side Paris Saint Germain with one million kunas (134,000 euros, US$174,000).The idea was launched by young midfielder Mateo Kovacic who posted a video ‘One Million for a Full Stadium’ where he explains the idea to his teammates, on his Facebook page. “Dear fans … we are sad that you did not come at the stadium but I think that you will come now,” the 18-year-old Kovacic says directly into the camera. He then takes the camera into the locker room to ask his teammates what they think about the plan. “Whatever you say, if only it will fill the stadium,” defender Josip Simunic says. “It’s really bad to play in front of empty stands. This (the reward) is fine. No problem,” echoes midfielder Sammir while holding a mobile phone. At a press conference on Friday, the players explained that the amount of the reward would actually depend on the number of fans who will attend the match against PSG on October 24. One million kunas will be handed out if more than 25,000 fans show up, they said. For 15,000 fans the reward would amount to some 20,000 euros while for 5,000 fans it drops drastically to some 650 euros. “First we have to see how many fans there will be, and later we will agree between ourselves on the amount that will be given by each of us,” captain Ivan Kelava told reporters. At half time five possible winners will be chosen by randomly selecting the barcode of a ticket used to attend the match, but its not yet clear how the overall winner will be determined, Dinamo said. Dinamo Zagreb’s first match against FC Porto at home, which they lost 2-0, was attended by only a few thousand people. Local media blamed the poor attendance on expensive tickets but also a fan boycott of the club’s leadership. The Maksimir stadium can accommodate some 40,000 people. After two matches Dinamo Zagreb are at the bottom of their Champions League Group A with 0 points. - AFP |
| Cole risks sanction over FA criticism Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:53 AM PDT  PARIS: Chelsea defender Ashley Cole yesterday risked a Football Association sanction and his England team place after strongly criticising the governing body’s ruling into the John Terry-Anton Ferdinand racism case.Cole hit out after the FA published a 63-page written judgment on its website thefa.com into the disciplinary case against his Stamford Bridge team-mate that saw him banned for four matches and fined 22,000 pounds (US$356,722, 276,000 euros). The ruling highlights what it said were “issues and inconsistencies” in Cole’s evidence about what he initially said he heard QPR defender Ferdinand say to Terry and his later statements. On his Twitter account, @TheRealAC3, he wrote: “Hahahahaa, well done #fa I lied did I, #BUNCHOFTWATS.” Cole later deleted his offensive tweet, but only after it was re-tweeted more than 19,000 times. Terry, who has 14 days to appeal the ruling, was cleared in a criminal case of a racially aggravated public order offence for allegedly using a racial slur against Ferdinand during Chelsea’s match away to QPR at Loftus Road on October 23 last year. The FA ban will not come into force until the appeals procedure is complete. The ruling states that Terry’s defence that he had not racially abused Ferdinand was “improbable, implausible and contrived” and there was “no credible basis” for him to say that he had only repeated words that he thought Ferdinand had claimed he said. Instead, the independent panel ruled that they were satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the former England captain intended the words to be an insult. Terry, 31, has previously said he was disappointed by the FA ruling and announced his retirement from international football, arguing that by pursuing a disciplinary case after he had been cleared by a court, his future selection was “untenable”. - AFP |
| After jobs report, Obama says America must not turn back Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:53 AM PDT  FAIRFAX, (Virginia): US President Barack Obama said yesterday that America had come too far to turn back to Republican economics after a surprise fall in the unemployment rate to 7.8 percent.Obama, seeking to flip a media narrative driven by his drowsy showing at Wednesday’s first presidential debate, also accused his Republican rival Mitt Romney of undergoing an “extreme makeover” to hide conservative positions. “Today, I believe that as a nation we are moving forward again,” Obama said at a rowdy rally at a university in swing state Virginia. “After losing about 800,000 jobs a month when I took office, our businesses have now added 5.2 million new jobs over the past two and a half years,” Obama said. “This morning, we found out that the unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level since I took office. Obama also took a swipe at Romney, who declared after the release of the monthly Labor Department jobless figures that the data did not represent a “real recovery.” “Today’s news certainly is not an excuse to try to talk down the economy to score a few political points. “It is a reminder that this country has come too far to turn back now.” Obama also intensified his assault on positions Romney took in the debate in Denver, accusing him of ditching conservative stances he took to win the Republican nomination in a bid to woo more moderate voters. “My opponent has been trying to do a two-step, reposition and got an extreme makeover,” Obama said in the rally before heading to another campaign event in swing-state Ohio. - AFP |
| Suu Kyi’s perilous pivot from icon to party boss Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:52 AM PDT
At a talk in London in June, a student from the Kachin ethnic minority asked why Suu Kyi (a majority Burman) seemed reluctant to condemn a bloody government military offensive against Kachin rebels. The conflict has displaced some 75,000 people. Suu Kyi’s answer was studiously neutral: “We want to know what’s happening more clearly before we condemn one party or the other.” The Kachin community was livid. The Kachinland News website called her reply an “insult.” Kachin protesters gathered outside her next London event. An “open letter” from 23 Kachin groups worldwide said Suu Kyi was “condoning state-sanctioned violence.” That a woman so widely revered should arouse such hostility might have seemed unthinkable back in April. A landslide by-election victory propelled Suu Kyi and 42 other members of her National League for Democracy into Myanmar’s parliament. Not anymore. Once idolized without question for her courageous two-decade stand against the old junta, Suu Kyi now faces a chorus of criticism even as she emerges as a powerful lawmaker here. She has quickly become an influential voice in the country’s newly empowered parliament. Still, ethnic groups accuse her of condoning human-rights abuses by failing to speak out on behalf of long-suffering peoples in Myanmar’s restive border states. Economists worry that her bleak public appraisals of Myanmar’s business climate will scare foreign investors. Political analysts say her party has few real policies beyond the statements of its world-famous chairperson. She must also contend with conflict within the fractious democracy movement she helped found. International critics have seized upon her ambiguous response to one of Myanmar’s most urgent humanitarian issues: the fate of 800,000 stateless Rohingya Muslims in remote western Myanmar. There, clashes with ethnic Rakhine Buddhists have killed at least 77 people and left 90,000 homeless since June. Spurned by both Myanmar and neighboring Bangladesh, which hosts 300,000 refugees, many Rohingya live in appalling conditions in Rakhine State. The United Nations has called the Muslim minority “virtually friendless” in Buddhist-dominated Myanmar. The violence erupted in June, days before Suu Kyi’s first trip to Europe in 24 years. “Are the Rohingya citizens of your country or are they not?” a journalist asked Suu Kyi in Norway, after she collected the Nobel Peace Prize she was awarded in 1991 while under house arrest. “I do not know,” said Suu Kyi. Her rambling answer nettled both the Rohingya, who want recognition as Myanmar citizens, and the locals in Rakhine, who regard them as invaders. The reply contrasted with the moral clarity of her Nobel speech, in which she had spoken about “the uprooted of the earth … forced to live out their lives among strangers who are not always welcoming.” Strategic ambiguity Suu Kyi’s moral clarity helped make the former junta a global pariah. Her new role as political party leader demands strategic ambiguity as well. She must retain her appeal to the majority Burmans and Buddhists, without alienating ethnic minorities or compatriots of other faiths. She must also engage with the widely despised military, which remains by far the most dominant power in Myanmar. Her political instincts have been apparent to Myanmar watchers since 1988, when she returned after spending much of her life abroad. Amid a brutal military crackdown, she emerged as leader of the democracy movement. She spent most of the next two decades in jail or house arrest and yet remained the movement’s inspiration. “I don’t like to be referred to as an icon, because from my point of view, icons just sit there,” she said in a lecture on September 27 at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “I have always seen myself as a politician. What do they think I have been doing for the past 24 years?” Suu Kyi declined multiple interview requests from Reuters for this article. Myanmar’s reforms have accelerated since she was freed from house arrest in November 2010, days before an election stage-managed by the military installed a quasi-civilian government. This year, it has freed dissidents, eased media censorship and started tackling a dysfunctional economy. Myanmar’s emergence from authoritarianism is often compared to the Arab Spring. Yet its historic reforms were ushered in not by destabilizing street protests, but by former generals such as President Thein Sein. Suu Kyi’s role was pivotal. A meeting she held with Thein Sein in the capital of Naypyitaw in August 2011 marked the start of her pragmatic engagement with a government run by ex-soldiers. She pronounced him “sincere” about reforming Myanmar, an endorsement that paved the way for U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to Naypyitaw last November and, earlier this year, the scrapping of most Western sanctions. A saint-like reputation for unwavering principle can be unhelpful in politics, a murky world of compromise and negotiation. So can adulation, which generates expectations that not even Myanmar’s “human rights superstar” – as Amnesty International calls her – can fulfill. Suu Kyi realizes this. “To be criticized and attacked is an occupational hazard for politicians. To be praised and idealized is also an occupational hazard and much the less desirable of the two.” She wrote that 14 years ago. Today, she regularly visits her parliamentary district of Kawhmu, a small and impoverished rice-growing area near the commercial capital Yangon. On a recent morning, as she was driven in an SUV along Kawhmu’s potholed roads, villagers spilled out of their huts to cheer for “Mother Suu.” Kawhmu’s problems – household debt, lack of electricity, joblessness – are Myanmar’s writ small. “Some villages around here have no young people,” says Aung Lwin Oo, 45, a carpenter and member of the National League for Democracy. “They have all left to work in Thailand and Malaysia.” Unglamorous work Suu Kyi’s first stop that day was the Buddhist monastery. There, she prayed with the monks and met representatives from two villages to settle a money dispute. Then she ate lunch with NLD members at a tin-roofed wooden bungalow – the party’s Kawhmu headquarters – and discussed drainage issues with local officials. Her new job is unglamorous, but aides say she relishes it. “She enjoys political life,” said Win Tin, an NLD elder and long-time confidant. “She enjoys it to the utmost.” She is also adapting to life in Naypyitaw, the isolated new capital built from scratch by the junta, where she lives in a house protected by a fence topped with razor wire. In the Lower House of parliament, the colorful garb worn by many ethnic delegates lends a festive atmosphere. Sitting near Suu Kyi is an MP from Chin State who wears a head-dress of boar’s teeth and hornbill feathers. Men in green uniforms, however, dominate one side of the chamber. Myanmar’s constitution, ratified after a fraudulent referendum in 2008, reserves a quarter of parliamentary seats for military personnel chosen by armed forces chief Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, a protégé of the retired dictator, Than Shwe. Suu Kyi’s mere presence in parliament breathes legitimacy into a political system built by the junta that jailed her. Her party has reversed many long-cherished positions to get here. The NLD boycotted both the constitution-drafting process and the 2010 election. That vote was rigged in favor of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, now the ruling party and the NLD’s main electoral rival. Suu Kyi’s camp also demanded that the military recognize the results of a 1990 election, which the NLD won easily but the junta nullified. Her party abandoned these stances to take part in April’s by-elections. It now holds less than a tenth of the lower house seats, but Suu Kyi ensures the NLD punches above its weight. She led opposition to a higher education bill that she deemed substandard; it was scrapped in July and will now be redrafted by legislators. She also helped kill a clause in a foreign-investment law that would have protected Myanmar’s crony businessmen. In August she was named chair of a 15-member parliamentary committee on “rule of law and tranquility,” which could further amplify her influence. Her star power has limits, however. Reforming the constitution to dial back the military’s influence remains an NLD priority. That requires three-quarters support in parliament, including from some military delegates – a daunting task even for Suu Kyi. “She is very persuasive,” said Ohn Kyaing, NLD party spokesman and member of parliament. But “without the military’s help, we can’t change our constitution. We have no chance.” Rejuvenating the NLD While the NLD’s by-election landslide suggests it will win the next general election in 2015, the party hardly seems like a government-in-waiting. The NLD was formed in September 1988 after a military crackdown that killed or injured thousands of pro-democracy protesters. The junta arrested Suu Kyi before the NLD was a year old, and hounded, jailed and tortured its members. In 2003, government thugs attacked Suu Kyi’s convoy, killing dozens of her supporters. She was lucky to escape alive. Most NLD offices were shut down. When Suu Kyi was freed from house arrest in 2010, her party was a moribund force with a geriatric leadership. She set about rejuvenating it, personally opening dozens of offices. Two of the party’s aging co-founders, Win Tin and Tin Oo, both in their eighties, have been nudged into “patron” roles. The party is booming – it now has a million members, spokesman Ohn Kyaing said. But success is bringing a new set of problems. The NLD plans to hold its first national party conference in late 2012 or early 2013, and protests have erupted in several constituencies, including Suu Kyi’s Kawhmu, over who gets to attend. The dispute highlights the friction between old NLD members, who survived two decades of persecution, and new members who joined in reform-era Myanmar. “The old ones don’t want to give up their posts because they struggled,” said Ohn Kyaing. It also reveals a struggle between the party headquarters and far-flung branches, with local officials accusing their leaders of being bossy or unresponsive. At least five members were suspended for disobeying or protesting against the party leadership. Suu Kyi heads a seven-member Central Executive Committee which, past and present NLD members say, effectively rubber-stamps her decisions. These included the NLD’s refusal in April to swear a parliamentary oath to “uphold and abide by” the constitution. Imposing her will might not be democratic, said Aung Kyi Nyunt, an NLD upper house legislator. “But it’s not authoritarian, because she never orders (us) to follow her decisions. We already agree.” After a two-week stand-off and criticism from supporters, the “Iron Aunty” backed down and her MPs took their seats. The NLD also has a troubled relationship with Myanmar’s reinvigorated media. One newspaper said in May that Suu Kyi’s bodyguards had assaulted one of its reporters, which the NLD denies. Some Burmese-language websites are dedicated to smearing Suu Kyi. Their unsubstantiated gossip – one falsely claimed that she has a teenage daughter by a Burmese lover – strikingly resembles junta-era propaganda. (The websites, whose owners protect their identities by registering through proxies, couldn’t be reached for comment.) Ethnic unrest The NLD’s parliamentary debut has also highlighted a lack of concrete policies and experts to formulate them, a critical weakness when Myanmar’s reformist government is drafting new legislation at a breakneck pace. Pressed by Reuters in Kawhmu to explain the NLD’s policy on the Rohingya, for example, Suu Kyi seemed to say the party didn’t have one. “It’s not a policy that has to be formulated by the NLD,” she said. “It’s something that the whole country must be involved in. It’s not just a party concern.” Suu Kyi’s popularity in Myanmar is not as universal as many Western admirers assume. She is adored in the lowlands, where fellow ethnic Burmans predominate and her image adorns homes, shops, cars and T-shirts. Burmans, or Bamar, make up two-thirds of Myanmar’s 60 million population. That reverence fades in rugged border regions, occupied by ethnic minorities who have fought decades-long wars against Myanmar’s Burman-dominated military. In rural Shan State, named after the largest minority, images of Suu Kyi are hard to find. Suu Kyi used her maiden speech in parliament in July to call for greater legal protection of minorities. But this has not inoculated her against criticism from ethnic leaders. Among them is Khun Htun Oo, a leading Shan politician who was jailed for almost seven years by the former junta. Suu Kyi has been “neutralized” by participating in parliament, he told reporters in Washington last month, a day before the two of them picked up awards from a human-rights group. “The trust in her has gone down.” In an interview with CNN during her US trip, Suu Kyi stoked the anger with a gaffe. She admitted that she had a “soft spot” for Myanmar’s military, which was founded by her father, the independence hero General Aung San. That expression of filial piety ignited a storm of negative comments on Facebook, Myanmar’s main forum for popular political discussion. For years, the NLD backed calls for a United Nations Commission of Inquiry into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Myanmar. This push has been quietly dropped since Suu Kyi’s release. “What we believe in is not retributive justice but restorative justice,” she said in March. Restorative justice, she added, did not mean putting junta members on trial. Western governments take their cue from Suu Kyi on human rights. And they use such equivocations “to justify doing nothing” about issues of justice and accountability, said Mark Farmaner of London-based advocacy group Burma Campaign UK. He noted it took more than two months for British Foreign Secretary William Hague to comment on the violence against the Rohingya minority. Suu Kyi will speak up on the Rohingya issue “when the time comes,” said NLD spokesman Ohn Kyaing. “Politics is timing.” – Reuters |
| Greek PM can’t manage beyond November without next aid tranche Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:52 AM PDT
“The key is liquidity. That is why the next credit tranche is so important for us,” Samaras told the business daily Handelsblatt. Asked how long Greece could manage without it, he said: “Until the end of November. Then the cash box is empty.” The European Central Bank could help by accepting lower interest rates on its existing Greek debt holdings “or it could approve a rollover when these bonds mature”, he said. “I could also imagine the recapitalization of Greek banks as is being considered for Spain, which would be not accounted for on its state debts but carried out directly via the ESM. That would be a significant relief,” said Samaras. -Reuters |
| Apple even stronger a year after Steve Jobs death Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:52 AM PDT  WASHINGTON: As Apple paid homage yesterday to Steve Jobs a year after his death, the US technology giant appeared to be extending its leadership in the sector even without the visionary leader.Visitors to the Apple website were greeted with a brief video showing snippets of Jobs and the various products he introduced, from the early Apple computers to the iPhone, and a message from chief executive Tim Cook. “Steve’s passing one year ago was a sad and difficult time for all of us,” Cook wrote. “I hope that today everyone will reflect on his extraordinary life and the many ways he made the world a better place.” Jobs died October 5, 2011 at the age of 56, after a long battle with cancer. “One of the greatest gifts Steve gave to the world was Apple,” Cook said. “No company has ever inspired such creativity or set such high standards for itself. Our values originated from Steve and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple. We share the great privilege and responsibility of carrying his legacy into the future.” Cook added: “I’m incredibly proud of the work we are doing, delivering products that our customers love and dreaming up new ones that will delight them down the road. It’s a wonderful tribute to Steve’s memory and everything he stood for.” Despite the loss of Jobs, Apple has maintained and even extended its leadership with a record-breaking introduction of the iPhone 5, helping lift its shares to record highs. Apple is also widely expected to introduce a smaller version of its market-leading iPad later this month, which may be another huge success. But analysts said this may not be an indication of Apple’s long-term future. “Apple can continue to fly along on the fumes of the Steve Jobs-era for quite a while,” said Roger Kay, an analyst and consultant with Endpoint Technologies Associates. Jobs and Apple had “a lot of things in the pipeline” before he died and these ideas can keep fueling Apple for some time, he added. “What Steve could do was envision a product market that didn’t exist at all,” Kay said. “There aren’t many people who can do that. Not at Apple, maybe not anywhere.” Over the long term, Kay said the outlook is less clear. Apple’s success was not just the work of one person, said Kay, but Jobs was at the center of it. “You can have an orchestra, and all the players are very fine, but the conductor is the guy who pulls it all together and makes it sounds like an orchestra,” he said. “That’s the way he ran Apple.” Trip Chowdhry at Global Equities Research said Apple may never be the same. “Our research is indicating that probably this is the peak for Apple,” Chowdhry said in a note to clients. “The success of a consumer product is dictated by getting the last two percent right,” Chowdhry explained. “We think that skill has now left Apple, and Apple may be the new Microsoft, coming with good enough products like Microsoft does. Perfection may not be the hallmark of Apple as Steve Jobs is no more.” Jobs was just 21 when he founded Apple Computer in 1976 in his family garage with his 26-year-old friend Steve Wozniak. From such humble beginnings, the company grew into the world’s most valuable firm, with a market value of above US$600 billion. Since Jobs’ death, Apple stock is up some 70 percent. Jobs led the drive for Apple to produce the iPod, iPhone and iPad. He also created iTunes, which became one of the world’s biggest e-commerce platforms and a leading vendor of music, apps and other content. Under Jobs, Apple introduced its first computers and then the Macintosh, which became wildly popular in the 1980s. But he left Apple in 1985 after an internal power struggle and started NeXT Computer company, aimed at businesses. He then co-founded Pixar animated studios in 1986 from a former computer graphics unit he bought from movie industry titan George Lucas. The studio has produced acclaimed films like “Toy Story.” Jobs reconciled with Apple in 1996 with the company buying NeXT for $429 million and Jobs ascending once again to the Apple throne. Jobs revamped the Macintosh line, as well as launching a “post-PC era” in which personal computers give way to smart mobile gadgets. - AFP |
| Israeli forces kill American gunman in hotel shoot-out Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:52 AM PDT
Police and military troops swiftly surrounded the hotel in the Red Sea resort city of Eilat after the man – a former employee of the hotel – “grabbed a weapon from a security guard and shot a hotel worker,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. The man barricaded himself in the hotel kitchen, shooting back at law enforcement officers. He was shot dead by members of a military counter-terrorism squad, a military source said. An Israeli hotel guest, Aviram Sela, said he tried to wrestle the gunman to the ground before he started shooting, as terrified tourists dived for cover behind a sofa in the hotel lobby. “We saw him beating the guard and grab his weapon and the magazine,” Sela told Israeli television, adding that the gunman then took aim at a member of his family. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Army Radio the incident “appears to be an internal dispute”. Eilat, on the border with Egypt and Jordan, has been a target of militant attacks in the past, and has come under rocket fire from Egypt’s Sinai in the past several months. The city is currently crowded with both foreign tourists and Israelis on a seven-day Jewish religious holiday. - Reuters |
| Britain to extradite radical Islamist cleric to US Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:52 AM PDT
Washington accuses the Egyptian-born 54-year-old of supporting al Qaeda, aiding a kidnapping in Yemen and plotting to open a US training camp for militants. Abu Hamza, who has a metal hook for a hand, also achieved notoriety for praising the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Judges at the High Court in London dismissed his request to delay the proceedings in order to allow him undergo more medical tests that his lawyers said would prove he was unfit to be extradited, clearing the way for an immediate handover. “Extradition may proceed immediately,” said Judge John Thomas. Four other suspects have also lost their appeals against extradition to the US Britain’s Home Office (interior ministry) said in a statement after the judgment: “We welcome the Court’s decision and are working to extradite these men as quickly as possible.” A crowd of about 100 people protested outside the court, shouting “Free Abu Hamza” and holding banners reading “Stop extraditions” and “democracy = hypocrisy.” Abu Hamza, who could be sent to an ultra-secure “Supermax” prison with a sentence of more than 100 years, has argued that he faces inhumane treatment in the United States. The cleric was once a preacher at a North London mosque but was later convicted in Britain of inciting murder and racial hatred. The decision caps a long legal battle, which saw him launch a fresh appeal at the High Court last week after the European Court of Human Rights rejected an earlier bid to avoid being sent to the United States. Abu Hamza was jailed for seven years in Britain and has been fighting extradition since 2004. - Reuters |
| Israeli police use stun grenades to break up al-Aqsa protest Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:52 AM PDT
Two people were slightly injured and one person was arrested for attempting to stab a policeman as he was being taken into custody, Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. The mosque is part of a site revered by Jews as well as Muslims, and is a frequent source of friction between these religious groups. Deadly riots erupted at the same site after a visit by then Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon, at the outset of a several year Palestinian uprising in 2000. Tensions flared this week after police arrested Israeli ultranationalists who tried to hold prayers at the compound, known by Jews as the Temple Mount, as the site of two biblical temples. That incident occurred during a seven-day Jewish holiday, a time of pilgrimage to the adjacent Western Wall remnant of the second temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, now a focal point of Jewish prayer. The compound where al-Aqsa stands, which Muslims call the Noble Sanctuary, also houses the golden Dome of the Rock which marks the spot from which the Prophet Mohammad made his night journey to heaven. Israel captured east Jerusalem in a 1967 war including the walled old city where the holy sites are located, and annexed it as part of its capital in a move never recognized internationally. Palestinians want that part of the city as capital of a state they seek in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. - Reuters |
| Russia’s Putin in charge at 60, but facing threats Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:52 AM PDT
Adoring supporters will celebrate in cities from Siberia to Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia, where the ruling party’s loyal Young Guard will unfurl a banner on a bridge which they say symbolizes Putin’s role by uniting Asia and Europe. Opponents will make their feelings known much closer to home, protesting near Moscow’s Red Square under the banner: “We’re sending the old man into retirement”. The organizers plan to send their own symbolic message by asking protesters to bring gifts suitable for a pensioner – anything, perhaps, from reading glasses to a pipe. The man himself will be relaxing with his close family and plans no special celebrations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Just a few months into a third term as president, he may be reaching retirement age, but has no plans to retire. After 12 years as Russia’s paramount leader, opinion polls show Putin enjoys higher ratings than most Western politicians, but they are down from their peak during the oil-fuelled economic boom of his first presidency from 2000 until 2008. In August the independent Levada polling group said 48 percent of Russians had a positive view of him compared to 60 percent in May when he began a new six-year term. But a poll published this week showed one in five Russian women would still be happy to marry him, even though he is about to reach an age at which he can collect his pension. “Age doesn’t matter in what Vladimir Putin does or does not do,” said Konstantin von Eggert, a political commentator, adding that Putin’s views had changed little since he came to power. “His vision is rather pragmatic and reduces a person to two functions – he can either be a friend or a foe.” Who will succeed him? The foes are now more obvious than before. Putin has faced the biggest protests of his rule in the past year, and foreign investors and the Russian opposition alike point to a lack of clarity in his economic and political policies. He has responded to the protests by pushing through laws which the opposition says are intended to stifle dissent – including tightening legislation on defamation and increasing fines for protesters. “When a person is in power he changes drastically, especially if he wants to rule forever,” said Boris Nemtsov, an opposition leader, looking back on the years since Putin succeeded President Boris Yeltsin. “Putin who cut taxes, Putin who tried to continue Yeltsin’s politics, and the current angry, greedy, thievish, corrupted, authoritarian leader – they seem to be two different people.” The Kremlin has dismissed such accusations and Putin still has many fans. There will be a concert on Sunday on his hometown, St Petersburg, and supporters have applied for a permit to hold a 60,000-strong march and rally. State-run television channels will celebrate his years in office with what are expected to be glowing profiles. Putin has cultivated an image as a strong leader never shy of criticizing the West, embraced the resurgent Russian Orthodox Church and used Russia’s oil revenues to dampen discontent. Populist policies include generous increases in public sector pay, extra social benefits and regional development programmes. But his macho image, built over the years with stunts such as shooting a tiger with a tranquilizer dart and flying a fighter jet, has increasingly become an object of satire. Among the many fawning words written about Putin in the Russian press this week, a few articles have also appeared asking questions about the lack of an obvious successor or a transparent succession process. “In Russia, Putin now stands alone at the summit of a mountain with steep slopes which no climber can get a grip on,” the popular Moskovsky Komsomolets daily wrote on Friday. “In theory we have a mechanism for a change of power. In practice we do not have one.” BATTLE BEHIND THE SCENES? Dmitry Medvedev, the protégé who stood in as president for four years because the constitution barred Putin from seeking a third successive term in 2008, appears out of favor. Medvedev is now prime minister but the two have taken a gentle dig at each other in recent weeks, and Putin has started undoing some of the more liberal policies Medvedev introduced. This has, in turn, reignited debate about rivalries between the powerful interest groups around Putin and Medvedev. But some analysts believe that while disagreement between Putin and Medvedev may exist, there is no real rupture in their relationship and their occasional political back and forth is meant to give the appearance of plurality under Putin. “You should never forget how loyal he is to the people he’s worked with,” said an experienced Western executive in Moscow. If all goes well for Putin, he can seek another six-year term when his mandate runs out in 2018. This would keep him in power longer than Leonid Brezhnev, whose 18-year rule in Soviet times is often criticized for economic and political stagnation. Economists and political analysts say the greatest immediate threat to Putin is not the opposition, which remains divided, but the Russian economy’s dependence on energy exports. The oil price at which Russia’s budget balances is above $100 per barrel, making the economy – and Putin – vulnerable to any fall to a price that is considerably lower. “The government is popular (with ordinary Russians) because it spends more and more and more,” said Sergei Guriev, Rector of the New Economic School in Moscow But he added: “If the oil price were US$55, and the government could spend only what it can afford at $55, I think Putin would be gone.” - Reuters |
| Australia denies asylum for threatened Sri Lanka editor Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:52 AM PDT  COLOMBO: The sacked editor of an anti-government newspaper in Sri Lanka said yesterday that her political asylum claim had been rejected by Australia despite threats to her life at home.Frederica Jansz, whose services were terminated by the new owners of the Sunday Leader two weeks ago, said Canberra rejected her application on the grounds that she was not out of Sri Lanka at the time of making the claim. She took over the Sunday Leader after its founding editor Lasantha Wickrematunga was gunned down by unidentified attackers in January 2009. He was a staunch critic of the government of President Mahinda Rajapakse. Asked if she would appeal the Australian government rejection conveyed to her last month, she said: “I was told that this decision is not reversible.” She said she applied to Australia because she feared for her life at home. “They say I did not qualify under their criteria for a persecuted person because I did not fulfil this requirement that I should have been abroad at the time of making the application,” she said. The Australian High Commission (embassy) in Colombo declined comment. In July, Jansz publicly accused the president’s brother Gotabhaya Rajapakse of using “most foul, lewd and disgusting language” towards her, when she tried to verify a report alleging irregularities in bringing a puppy from Switzerland to Colombo for his wife aboard a Sri Lankan aircraft. She wrote in a report that Gotabhaya Rajapakse, who is also the defence secretary, said “Ninety percent of the people in Sri Lanka wanted the editor of this newspaper (Jansz) dead,” an accusation which was promptly denied by the government. Jansz told AFP in Colombo that she lodged the asylum application before the latest exchange she had with the defence secretary. Last month, she said she was sacked after she resisted demands from the new owner of the Sunday Leader to water down criticism of the President and his family. The paper was launched by late Wickrematunga with his brother Lal Wickrematunga 18 years ago, building it into one of the most vocal anti-establishment newspapers in the country. Media rights groups accuse Sri Lanka’s government of trying to silence dissenting voices in a country where 17 journalists and media workers have been killed in the past decade. No one has been brought to justice for the killings. - Reuters |
| Obama faces another hurdle: Friday’s jobless report Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:52 AM PDT
After a subpar performance Wednesday night against a sharp Romney in their first presidential debate, Obama suddenly seems vulnerable to any bad news. That makes the Labor Department’s jobs report for September, which will be released Friday morning, a potential hurdle for Obama in the presidential race. Polls have indicated that the weak US economy and the high jobless rate – 8.1 percent in August – are voters’ top consideration in deciding who they will vote for on November 6. The monthly unemployment report has been watched closely throughout the campaign, but never more so than on Friday and on November 2, when the October report will be released. The September figures are to be released at 8:30 a.m. EDT yesterday. Economists polled by Reuters expect the unemployment rate to be 8.0 to 8.3 percent, with non-farm payrolls adding 113,000 new jobs, up from 96,000 in August. Republicans have been frustrated that a series of mediocre jobs reports appear to have had little effect on Obama’s campaign. In some months, Obama has used his presidential powers to make other news that distracted from the monthly report, such as when he announced he supported gay marriage in May. At other times, campaign missteps by Romney have grabbed the spotlight. This week, however, a bad jobs report could resonate against the president. During Wednesday’s debate, Romney hammered Obama for his handling of the economy, and reminded voters of his own record as a successful businessman. “The dynamics have changed after last night,” Potomac Strategies Group political analyst Greg Valliere wrote in a research note to clients on Thursday. “Obama is in trouble and may get another dose of bad news when the September jobs report is released tomorrow.” Cracking 8 percent Analysts said it would take an increase of 3 or more tenths of a point in the unemployment rate – to 8.4 percent or higher – to really shake voters’ faith in Obama. They noted that a drop of 2 tenths of a point – to even 7.9 percent, would be an important psychological boost. “Something under 8 would certainly be a headline number that the White House would like to see,” Valliere said. A middling jobs report, while not a boon for Obama, probably would not have a huge impact on the Democrat’s re-election prospects, Valliere said. With less than five weeks before Election Day, most voters have decided who they will support. With the jobless rate above 8 percent for 43 months, they have also made up their minds about the economy. “People are well aware already that the unemployment rate has hung high, that the recovery has been disappointing, but they’ve adjusted to all of that psychologically, and they are going to base their voting behavior to some extent on other things,” said Isabel Sawhill, an economist at the Brookings Institution. Unemployment has been at 8 percent or above since long before Obama took office in January 2009. Polls show that most Americans do not blame him for the weak economy and trust him more on other issues. “People still believe that (Republican) President George W. Bush is more responsible for the economic condition we’re in than President Obama,” said Michael Podhorzer, political director of the AFL-CIO, the largest US labor federation and a major Obama backer. The economy has been improving, if slowly. Gross Domestic Product is rising, consumers have reduced debt and confidence is rising. Stock prices are also high, good news for the roughly half of Americans who own shares directly or through investment funds. There is a twist that benefits Obama in the unemployment picture. The national unemployment rate is 8.1 percent, but it is far lower in many of the battleground states where Obama and Romney are both fighting hard for votes. Iowa’s jobless rate is 5.5 percent, New Hampshire’s is 5.7, Virginia clocks in at 5.9, Ohio at 7.2 and Wisconsin at 7.5. Even if they do not pay attention to monthly reports, relatively strong statewide numbers make it less likely that voters in those battlegrounds would be sour on the “Obama economy” and want a change. “I don’t think that voters pay nearly as much attention to (the national unemployment report) as either campaign professionals or economic professionals. Voters judge the state of the economy by when they are talking to their neighbors, did someone get a job offer or not,” said Matt McDonald, of the Republican-leaning Hamilton Place Strategies consultancy, an outside consultant to Romney’s campaign. If Obama weathers the post-debate storm, and Friday’s jobless report, there is one last chance for a bad – or good – unemployment report to affect the election after all. The last jobless report of the campaign – for October – comes out on Friday, November 2, just four days before Election Day. - Reuters |
| Japanese minister: Reactors can restart if watchdog gives OK Posted: 05 Oct 2012 10:52 AM PDT
Maehara, whose ministry had led debate in the cabinet on energy policy, said a new law empowered the regulator to endorse bringing reactors back on line. He said the idle reactors could be a key source of power generation for now, a notion certain to anger Japan’s growing ranks of opponents of nuclear power. “If safety is approved, such reactors would be considered as an important power source,” Maehara, who also oversees national strategy, told a news conference. “We should rely on nuclear as an energy option for the time being.” But procedures for going ahead with restarts remain unclear. The new nuclear watchdog, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), said this week it does not hold ultimate responsibility to authorize reactor restarts and is concerned solely with safety. All 50 working commercial reactors in Japan were taken off line for safety checks following the earthquake and tsunami that triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in the worst nuclear accident in a quarter of a century. Two units were brought back on line after receiving an endorsement from now defunct regulatory bodies, but the final decision on restarting them was taken by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and three other ministers. The restart of those reactors at the Ohi station in western Japan, to fend off possible summer power shortages, galvanized anti-nuclear protesters, leading to mass demonstrations in Tokyo and other cities. Any further restarts would not come until next year. The NRA has said it will compile a blueprint of new standards to govern restarts by next March and subject to public discussion. Noda’s cabinet last month took account of anti-nuclear sentiment in devising a new energy policy that sought to end reliance on nuclear power by the 2030s by fostering renewable energy sources and supporting energy conservation. But powerful industry lobbies have called for a rethink of policy and within days, ministers appeared to waver on the commitment, saying other factors had to be considered before moving towards abandoning nuclear power within that time frame. -Reuters |
| Hisham: Stop talking about crime index Posted: 05 Oct 2012 07:36 AM PDT
“I prefer not to talk about crime index again in this phase two [of the National Key Result Area on crime], because the more important thing is that the rakyat feels safe," he told reporters when asked about last quarter’s crime index. “It doesn’t matter if the crime rates drop drastically; if the people still feel unsafe, then our efforts [to tackle crime] will continue,” Hishammuddin said after he launched a women’s safety campaign at SMK Seafields, USJ 2, here. The police and the home ministry have come under heavy attack, especially from the opposition over the discrepancies between the crime statistics and the number of cases highlighted in the media. The government's efficiency unit, Pemandu, had in July released figures to show that the crime index in Malaysia has dropped by 10.1% from January to May this year compared to the same period last year. The home ministry was recently criticised for having allocated, under Budget 2013, a whopping RM272 million on managing public perception of crime. Hishammuddin has said the money would also be used for other measures to fight crime, and not merely for public relations campaigns. “In the future, we can seek more… [now] I could not ask for more in this Budget 2013,” he said. He said the crime-fighting efforts were now expanding outwards to include not only uniformed personnel but also other stakeholders and the community. “Now, people are realising that crime fighting is not a one-party effort. We must get people out of their comfort zones, change their mindsets… it is not easy." He said that crime fighting can unite all Malaysians, especially since the general election is around the corner. “Crime does not pick on colour, [does not recognise] whether you are rich or poor, what your political ideologies are. Fighting crime is one thing that can unite us… this is my hope as a responsible minister,” he said Asked about the latest allegation against Suaram for allegedly bribing government officers, Hishamuddin said: “If it touches national security, then it will come under us.” ‘Don’t politicise personal matters’ Meanwhile, he said that he would console Malacca Chief Minister Ali Rustam over allegations that the latter accepted favours from businesses for his son’s elaborate wedding. “In this election season, anything can be an issue… If a leader had thrown a banquet for his son's wedding during a different period, it would not have been an issue." He said that there should be limits to everything, and politicians should not politicise personal matters such as weddings. "I will meet him [the chief minister] tomorrow. I want to tell him, don't be disappointed as it is just the political season. We all understand," he said. MACC today announced that it is investigating Ali for alleged corruption involving the wedding, which PAS' Mahfuz Omar claimed was "sponsored" by state agencies. Hishammuddin also brushed aside continued calls for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to debate with Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim on the budget. “They can say what they like but the main thing is to deliver to the public. The budget that has been announced is people-friendly. It is our job in our respective ministries to deliver… that is more meaningful than mere rhetoric.” |
| Najib makes another plea for votes Posted: 05 Oct 2012 03:28 AM PDT
He said the nation's "journey to transformation" would be successful only if voters continued to support BN. “I need your mandate when the time comes,” he said in his opening speech at the 2012 Malaysiaku Expo here, an event billed as a showcase of Malaysia’s success story under BN’s rule. “We can bring real change and reforms to this country. For that to happen I need your support." With polls looming, Najib has lately been harping on the opposition’s inexperience, telling voters to avoid endangering the country’s progress by voting into power a loose pact with an unproven record. Analysts say the tone of his recent speeches underlines the concerns he has over the threat the opposition poses as the 13th general election nears. Today the BN chairman again said the coalition’s 52-year rule had made the country a “success story”. He claimed that it was because of the "wisdom" of the governing party that Malaysia had turned from an agriculture-based economy into one thriving on knowledge and heading towards the achievement of a high-income status. “If you ask me what made us a success story, I would say it is because of the political leadership we have," he said. "It has displayed wisdom in its decisions." Not everyone shares Najib's sentiments. Many analysts are saying that the economic future is not as rosy as he paints it and the Malaysian public is growing impatient. Wages are stagnant while the cost of living has soared over the years. The prime minister today admitted that Malaysia was facing the toughest phase of its journey towards becoming a rich economy. “We are now in the middle-income trap," he said. "This last phase of the journey will be the most challenging for us.” Opposition leaders have been saying that Najib’s policies are putting Malaysia in the wrong direction, with some pointing to what they say is the absence of much-needed fiscal reforms announcements from his Budget 2013 speech. The coming general election is expected to be toughest yet for BN, but pundits predict it will retain power, though not with a strong mandate. Observers say Najib may be seeking to overturn the prediction by rolling out a budget targeted towards key constituents. |
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