FMT News |  |
- Father and son team sweep DAP polls
- Goal- line technology here to stay says Blatter
- More than 10,000 pay up AES summonses
- DAP polls: 5 withdraw at the eleventh hour
- Philippine police shoot dead Malaysian carrying bomb
- Calon PM PR belum diputuskan lagi: PAS
- DAP wants 3 more parliamentary and 10 state seats
- A book on workplace bullying
- Deepak: MACC more interested in a ‘cover-up’
- DAP to lodge police report over Deepak’s exposé
- Saya dikhianati, kata Ibrahim Ali
- Can a funeral home breathe life into Italian cinema?
- L.A. Reid quits ‘X Factor’
- 48 hours in wintry Helsinki
- Perkasa swears loyalty to BN
- Stop bullying NGOs, Sabah govt told
- Karpal: Don’t forget the veterans
- Pakatan comes out with alternative budget for Perak
- Mufti Perak Harussani dapat anugerah tertinggi Perkasa
- Sabah’s main hospital facing more delays?
- Plan for more dams generates dismay in S’wak
- Fear of May 2013?
- Mahathir, Rosmah and her biography
- Kemelut Gatco masih tiada kesudahan
- Manchester City halved losses after landing title
- Arsenal’s Wenger optimistic in face of criticism
- Corinthians calm before Chelsea storm
- Lochte sets world record in 200 individual medley
- Moscow’s Luzhniki confirmed for World Cup final
- US Open 2013 change puts men’s final on Monday
- Gunman murders 20 schoolchildren
- Why Chavez keeps his cancer under wraps
- NATO says Syrian Scuds hit ‘near’ Turkey
- Hamas subdued despite Gaza victory claim-Israeli military
- Russia retaliates against US rights legislation
- UN agency sees deal soon to check Iran nuclear work
- UFO hacker won’t be tried in Britain for US crimes
- Venezuela furious at Obama’s comments on ailing Chavez
- Italy’s left says Monti run ‘morally questionable’
| Father and son team sweep DAP polls Posted: 15 Dec 2012 05:45 AM PST
The elder Lim, who is also party adviser topped the list followed by the Penang chief minister and party secretary general Lim Guan Eng. DAP chairman Karpal Singh came in third. A total 1,823 delegates voted in the elections to pick 20 CEC members. These members would among themselves decide who would hold the party’s top positions tomorrow. The elder Lim obtained 1,607 votes, followed by (Lim) Guan Eng who garnered 1,576 votes while Karpal obtained 1,411 votes. Some others delegates who formed 20-member line up include Chong Chieng Jen, Loke Siew Fook, Tan Kok Wai, Tony Pua, Fong Kui Lun, Nga Kor Ming, Chong Eng, Chow Kon Yew, M. Kulasegaran, Teresa Kok, Ngeh Koo Ham, Teng Chang Kim and Boo Cheng Hau. It must also be noted that none of the Malay candidates who contested made it to the CEC.
Apart from Karpal and his son Gobind Singh Deo, Ipoh Barat member of parliament M Kulasegaran were the only Indian representatives in the 20-member CEC. The new CEC members will meet tomorrow to elect among themselves the office bearers, as well as to appoint 10 other members to sit in the committee. Those elected are: 1. Lim Kit Siang (1,607 votes) Five candidates dropped out of the DAP central executive committee contest earlier today. They are Choong Siew Onn, Er Teck Hwa, Jaya Balan Valliappan, Teo Kok Seong and Violet Yong Wui Wui. Except for Teo, the newly minted DAP Socialist Youth chief, who said he wanted to focus on developing the party for quitting, the reason for other withdrawals are not yet known. Meanwhile, Karpal said he was surprised that Seng Giaw and Ramasamy have been dropped, but he stressed it was the party delegates' decision. "The delegates have spoken, and there is no return in the next three years. We will see what happened," he said. Kulasegaran said he was "speechless" upon hearing that Ramasamy was not voted into the CEC. "I was so sure that he would do better than me because he got a track record in the Indian community. "But you have to understand that he is quite new to politics. But he didn’t go very far behind, surely he can be co-opted tomorrow," he said. Loke said the intense competition was the main reason why certain veteran or prominent leaders did not make it to the CEC. "But we stressed that although they did not make it, we deeply value their contributions. "So when the new CEC members [meet tomorrow], we would certainly consider appointing them [to fill the 10 seats]," he said.      |
| Goal- line technology here to stay says Blatter Posted: 15 Dec 2012 01:32 AM PST  TOKYO: After unsuccessful tests of goal-line technology in 2005 and 2007, FIFA promised on Saturday that future World Cups would be free of any more shocking Frank Lampard moments. Soccer’s world governing body are using two systems, Hawk-Eye and GoalRef, at the Club World Cup in Japan, with one of them to be used at next year’s Confederations Cup. “One of these two systems – we are not going to take both – but one of the two will be used at Confederations Cup and at the 2014 World Cup,” Blatter told reporters in Tokyo. “There were no critical decisions so far,” the Swiss added before Sunday’s final between Chelsea and Brazil’s Corinthians in Yokohama. “We will make an assessment after the final matches tomorrow. For the time being, we can only say it works.” The British-designed Hawk-Eye, used successfully for many years in cricket and tennis, relies on seven high-speed cameras set up at different angles covering each goal. GoalRef, a Danish-German project, uses an electronic coil inside the ball and low magnetic waves around the goal. “The referees are happy to have this help for them because they know now if there is a conflicting situation they will get the accuracy to say if was a goal or not,” said Blatter. “We were speaking of goal-line technology since the beginning of 2000. We had it in the 2007 Club World Cup with the (Cairos) chip in the ball system. “We saw it didn’t work so well so we put the goal-line technology on ice until we had a system that is accurate – and then look what happened. “In the 2010 World Cup, you remember Lampard scored a wonderful goal (against Germany) which landed at least 70 centimetres behind the line. “The officials couldn’t see it, wouldn’t see it – I don’t know. But anyway the game continued. “At that time as president of FIFA, I said if I was still president of FIFA in 2014 then we cannot afford to have the same situation when an accurate system exists.” Both systems being used at the Club World Cup, which relay information to the referee via a vibrating wristwatch in a split second, have passed all pre-game tests with no problems. The English FA and Premier League have backed Hawk-Eye, though UEFA president Michel Platini remains stubbornly opposed to the use of technology. “We have found two accurate systems in the past year and therefore the goal-line technology has been introduced,” said Blatter. “We will use it for the highlight of the World Cup. We are very confident, the referees are confident and the players are confident that they know if a goal is scored or not.” - Reuters    |
| More than 10,000 pay up AES summonses Posted: 15 Dec 2012 01:28 AM PST
Road Transport Department deputy director-general Ismail Ahmad said the payment rate was still low when compared to the number of summonses issued. “Motorists must understand that the AES is not implemented to burden them, but it is instead a method to reduce road accidents,” he told reporters after launching a Road Safety Awareness Campaign organised by the Consumers Protection and Welfare Board (LPKPM) at the Sungai Besi Toll Plaza here. Ismail said various challenges were faced by enforcement agencies in reducing road accidents, especially fatalities, such as the increase in the number of vehicles and drivers each year. He said the country experienced an increase of about 1.1 million vehicles a year and an additional of 400,000 drivers, which posed a challenge to the department and other enforcement agencies in reducing fatalities in Malaysia. “Actually, the increase in the number of vehicles and drivers is not a problem. What’s important is that motorists have self-awareness and take the initiative to reduce road fatalities,” he said. He said the government had also set a target to reduce the Key Performance Index (KPI) for fatalities from 3.8 people out of 10,000 motorists to 2.0 by 2020. Ismail lauded LPKPM’s initiative in reducing road fatalities through such safety campaigns. “These campaigns are initiatives that we encourage because the community and enforcement agencies need to work together to handle this matter, instead of leaving it all to the enforcement only,” he added. - Bernama    |
| DAP polls: 5 withdraw at the eleventh hour Posted: 15 Dec 2012 12:59 AM PST
Ad hoc returning officer Pooi Weng Keong said Pahang state secretary Choong Siew Onn, Bakri MP Er Teck Hwa, Perak state committee member V Jaya Balan, newly-minted DAP Youth chairman Teo Kok Seong and Sarawak state treasurer Violet Wong have withdrawn from contesting. Pooi said the candidates had written to him to inform of their withdrawals and reminded the 2,500 party delegates that there were only 63 candidates contesting. The results are expected later this evening. DAP premièred its latest election song "Ubah Rocket Style"- modelled after the South Korean hit “Oppa Gangnam style”. The four-minute video shows a human-sized Ubah going to different places including to a condominium where cows are staying and visits a woman who flaunts her diamond rings. These were in apparent reference to the RM240 million National Feedlot Corporations scandal and the wife of the prime minister, Rosmah Mansor. The song is scheduled to be released after New Year.    |
| Philippine police shoot dead Malaysian carrying bomb Posted: 15 Dec 2012 12:40 AM PST
A suspect identified by police as Mohammad Noor Fikrie of Malaysia was killed in the southern city of Davao after he threatened to blow up an explosive device in a rucksack, city police chief Ronald de la Rosa said. “‘If you arrest or shoot me I have a bomb. I will explode it,’” de la Rosa quoted the suspect as telling police at the lobby of a hotel during a three-and-a-half-hour stand-off. The authorities had raided the hotel after a tip-off that one of its guests was planning a “terror” attack in the city of 1.4 million people, de la Rosa said, without elaborating on the source of the information. He said the Malaysian was a suspected member of Jemaah Islamiyah, an Islamic militant group blamed for attacks in Southeast Asia including the Bali bombing in Indonesia in 2002 that claimed 202 lives. “Take-down orders were given to SWAT snipers but (it) could not be implemented since the area was overcrowded,” de la Rosa told reporters by telephone. While in the hotel lobby the suspect brandished a mobile phone, which, he said was the trigger for the explosives contained in the backpack that was being carried by his Filipina wife, de la Rosa said. The man later took the rucksack from the woman and ran out of the hotel and into a nearby park, where he was shot and killed by police snipers, the police official added. De la Rosa said police arrested the woman, Anabelle Nieva Lee, and disarmed an “improvised explosive device” that included a mortar shell retrieved from the backpack. The authorities are investigating the woman’s possible involvement with Jemaah Islamiyah, de la Rosa said, adding that police believe she had converted to Islam when she married the Malaysian. Philippine authorities said a small number of Jemaah Islamiyah militants have taken refuge with Filipino Muslim militants operating on the southern island of Mindanao.    |
| Calon PM PR belum diputuskan lagi: PAS Posted: 15 Dec 2012 12:38 AM PST
Beliau berkata calon perdana menteri itu mesti dipilih dalam kalangan calon yang bertanding dan menang dalam pilihan raya berkenaan. “Saya fikir masa paling baik untuk mengumumkannya ialah selepas penamaan calon kerana orang yang mahu menjadi perdana menteri perlu dipilih. Dia mesti jadi calon (pilihan raya) dan menang baru boleh (dipilih jadi perdana menteri),” katanya kepada pemberita pada Kongres Kebangsaan DAP ke-16 di sini, hari ini. Mustafa diminta mengulas pandangan Pengerusi DAP Karpal Singh yang mengulangi sokongannya kepada ketua pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim untuk menjadi perdana menteri jika pembangkang berjaya menawan Putrajaya dalam pilihan raya umum akan datang. Karpal Singh berkata demikian dalam ucapan aluannya pada kongres itu. Mustafa berkata PAS masih belum boleh memberi kata putus berhubung perkara berkenaan dan tidak pasti sama ada sokongan Karpal itu merupakan pendirian DAP. - Bernama    |
| DAP wants 3 more parliamentary and 10 state seats Posted: 14 Dec 2012 11:18 PM PST
Addressing some 2,500 delegates at the 16th DAP national congress today, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said DAP has proven to be a loyal partner to PAS and PKR in the opposition pact in the past four years, and hoped that the "loyalty" would be recognised by the coalition partners. "We aim for three extra parliamentary and 10 state seats in Peninsular Malaysia while Sabah and Sarawak are handling the seat negotiations on their own," he said. Lim said that in Johor, the party has received strong response that "it has never seen before" while in Perlis a state committee has been formed under the leadership of The Seng Chuan. He said the party has also made significant inroads in East Malaysia, as evident by a ceramah in Serian, Sarawak, in which 80% of the attendees were ethnic Bidayuh; and the formation of the Dayak Consultative Consul in the party. " I am confident that we can improve on the two parliamentary seats we currently hold in the state, including winning all of the urban areas in Sarawak and sending at least one Dayak DAP representative to Parliament after general election," he said to an applauding crowd. Meanwhile, Lim, the Penang Chief Minister, also urged the opposition pact to focus on winning the middle ground voters and to champion on the agreed common agenda of Pakatan Rakyat for a new Malaysia. Calling it the "Middle Malaysia" concept, he praised the opposition pact of being moderate while accusing Barisan Nasional of practising extremism. To prove his case, he cited the controversies surrounding the use of "Allah", MCA linking Islam to corruption and poverty, MCA's accusations that Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has condoned Muslim men to rape non-Muslim women. "When the Penang state government increased the allocation for Islamic affairs by 300% in the state, Penang BN chief Teng Chang Yeow openly accused the state government of going down the road of greater Islamisation. 'Why is Teng not anti-Islam when Teng allows MCA to question why the state government acquires Chinese land for a cemetery, when again this is based on needs? "This is similar to Umno questioning increased allocations given to Chinese, Tamil, missionary schools, putting up bilingual road signs and the setting up of the non-Muslims Religious Affairs Exco portfolio," he said. Lim, the Bagan MP, said DAP would not take the extreme position of BN and it is the middle ground that matters. "Make no mistake that Middle Malaysia will decide which coalition will govern next. To embrace Middle Malaysia, Pakatan Rakyat must be seen as moderate and inclusive, and distance and differentiate ourselves from our exclusive, racist and extremist opponents," he said. Lim concluded his 45-minute speech by leading the crowd to chant "Ubah".    |
| Posted: 14 Dec 2012 11:06 PM PST
This form of bullying is a global problem but particularly rife in Asian countries. It is a problem that has been left unchecked for much too long because of wrong attitudes towards it. It is also a problem that needs to be acknowledged and addresses for what it is, an act of violence towards another human being. Inciting Injury is about empowering the disempowered. Till now, colleagues and management have turned a blind eye to this problem, taking no action against bullies and offering no protection to victims even though it has led to absenteeism, low productivity, mental health problems to the victim and in some unfortunate cases, suicide. As is explained, such cases are no mere misunderstandings between colleagues but the bully knows exactly what he is doing and hones his 'skills' with opportunity and by remaining unchallenged. This book is for everyone whether a victim or not. Insight is offered on the mind of the bully and his tactics are clearly identified. With knowledge comes power. We all need to stand up against such bullies to protect ourselves and our colleagues from becoming the next victims. In this way, the bully is rendered impotent. Singapore and other Asian countries need to fall into line with other developed countries where bullying is already constituted a 'crime' punishable by law. About the author: The review was penned by Helena Paterson who once ran a school in Singapore and now lives and works in Scotland.    |
| Deepak: MACC more interested in a ‘cover-up’ Posted: 14 Dec 2012 10:50 PM PST
This was the claim by controversial businessman Deepak Jaikishan, who said that the anti-graft authority had recorded his statement over his role but had taken no further action to follow up. “I was called by MACC for investigation but the MACC was more interested to cover up the matter,” the well-connected carpet trader said in an interview with PAS mouthpiece Harakahdaily, which was posted in a video online recently. “I have explained the whole matter. But there was no action. I think they have allowed the case to be closed.” Deepak said that he now wanted the MACC to reopen the investigations, so that the public can “get to the truth, to find out what really happened. Find out why this matter is left in this way and on what basis this matter was closed.” “I am sure in MACC there are some people who are good. It’s impossible that everyone wants to listen to a husband and his wife,” said Deepak, in an obvious reference to the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor, whom he is said to be close to. “I ask MACC to investigate this truly. The IGP now, or the ex-IGP…anyone… just let the truth come out. So that we can respect our enforcement, not just [people who] follow the instructions of a husband and wife.” Recently, Deepak re-emerged after a period of silence, in a mission he claimed was to ‘seek forgiveness and justice for Altantuya’. In a series of interviews in the past few weeks, Deepak has claimed, among other things, that Rosmah was the person who instructed him to seek out private investigator P Balasubramaniam to change his statutory declaration(SD). In July 2008, Balasubramaniam had first revealed the sworn SD which linked the then deputy prime minister Najib to Altantuya. However, the next day, the private investigator retracted his first SD via a second SD. He subsequently disappeared and flew out of the country with his family. On Oct 27 2009, Balasubramaniam came out of hiding and reaffirmed that his first statutory declaration was true. He claimed was offered RM5million to retract it by Deepak together with Najib’s brother Nazim. More recently, in an Aug 2012 interview with Malaysiakini, Balasubramaniam said there were further attempts to bribe him to implicate PKR by the same people who made him sign the second SD, including Deepak. Deepak has now confirmed his role in the second SD, claiming that he had met Najib and Rosmah at their residence to discuss the second statutory declaration and that Nazim was sent to negotiate with Balasubramaniam. Previously, the MACC had interviewed Deepak as well as Nazim, but took Balasubramaniam’s statement in the form of an affidavit. Since then, Balasubramaniam has questioned why there has been no further action by MACC. Altantuya was shot and murdered in October 2006, with her remains destroyed by C-4 explosives. Her alleged lover and political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, a close friend of Najib, was charged with the murder with two other policemen . Abdul Razak was acquitted while the policemen were convicted, though a motive was never established.    |
| DAP to lodge police report over Deepak’s exposé Posted: 14 Dec 2012 10:18 PM PST
In his opening address at the 16th DAP national congress today, DAP chairman Karpal Singh said he would lodge a police report on the matter after the proceedings today. "What Deepak said has substance. There must be a fresh police investigation on the matter. So I am lodging a report to enable that," he said. He said albeit it was wrong for Deepak to conceal the truth for the past two years, it is more important for the murderer to be brought to justice. "If the PM is involved [in the murder], then he must answer," he said. Deepak has alleged receiving a call from Rosmah on the day private investigator P Balasubramaniam disclosed a statutory declaration (SD) linking Najib to the Altantuya's murder. He claimed that he managed to contact Balasubraminiam later and arranged for him to make the second SD reversing the first one.    |
| Saya dikhianati, kata Ibrahim Ali Posted: 14 Dec 2012 10:12 PM PST
Berikutan itu, Presiden Perkasa itu akan tetap mempertahankan kerusi parlimen Pasir Mas yang dimenanginya pada 2008. Beliau menang atas tiket PAS tetapi kemudian meninggalkan parti itu untuk menjadi wakil rakyat bebas. Ibrahim mengatakan Umno mengkhianatinya kerana memecat beliau dari jawatan ketua bahagian Dakwanya, Umno memecat beliau ekoran berlaku persempadanan semula kawasan parlimen. "Umno telah melukakan hati saya…dia pecat saya tanpa sebab. "MT (majlis tertinggi) dalam mesyuarat mengatakan tidak ada ketua bahagian yang dipecat tetapi saya seorang dipecat," kata Ibrahim selepas perhimnpunan Perkasa di Tasik Titiwangsa hari ini. Mengenai PAS, Ibrahim berkata, menjelang pilihanraya umum 2008 pemimpin parti itu datang berjumpanya kerana mahu bekerjasama. PAS, kata Ibrahim mahu bekerjasama dengannya kerana beliau ramai penyokong terutama di Kelantan. Katanya, jasa beliau kepada PAS lebih banyak dari yang diberikan parti itu. "PAS hanya memenangkan saya seorang tetapi penyokong saya memberi kemenangan yang banyak kepada PAS. "Orang PAS tidak senang hati dengan saya kerana saya bersikap terbuka dan berani menegur. "Saya jadi mangsa cemburu…apa yang saya buat hebat," kata beliau lagi.    |
| Can a funeral home breathe life into Italian cinema? Posted: 14 Dec 2012 09:43 PM PST
It is a sign of how Italian cinema, traditionally reliant on public funds that have halved since the 2007-2008 financial crisis, is seeking different sources of support. And its new sponsors often want something in return. In an advertising deal the Rome company proudly describes as unprecedented, Taffo Funerals paid to be a central plot device in “The Worst Christmas of my Life”, which hinges on a main character who is mistakenly believed to have died. The product placement becomes a punch line when the funeral home manager telephones the hero and soberly intones: “Taffo, funerals since 1940″. The film is the highest-grossing Italian film this season. The placement has prompted some hand-wringing in Italy, once famous for some of the world’s greatest works of film and the home of directors Federico Fellini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Vittorio de Sica and Sergio Leone. “It’s certainly not in great taste, but every film has these advertisements now,” said fur-coated Gabriela Rossi, 73, as she left a Rome cinema after watching the movie. “But I’m not sure it will work. I don’t think that, in a moment of grief, I will remember the name of a funeral home I saw in a film!” Calling the tune Embedded advertising has long been a fixture in international cinema. Dutch beer brand Heineken’s sponsorship of the latest James Bond blockbuster sparked concern among fans that the hero’s time-honored tipple of a martini “shaken, not stirred” had been replaced. But in Italy, product placements have become increasingly prominent since a 50 percent drop in public funding for films in the past five years, according to the head of Turin’s film funding board, Steve Della Casa. “Whoever gives money to a film wants to have their say,” Della Casa told Reuters. “But this is normal. We have had mafiosi making films, racists, fascists… you can’t make films without money.” In some cases, the product has become the film’s raison d’etre.
The name of the comedy about a group of musicians on a road trip stresses Basilicata’s selling point as the only Italian region with coasts on two different seas. It grossed $4.6 million at the box office, a respectable return for Italy, making it the 16th most successful Italian film that year. And “Benvenuti al Sud”, a remake of French film “Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis” about a post office worker transferred to Italy’s south, became the occasion for the privatized Italian postal service to introduce viewers to its new ATM card service, Postamat. “My friend opened a Postamat account. Now his pension is paid to the account and he can withdraw it conveniently,” declares one character in the 2010 film, whose success at Italian box offices was second only to James Cameron’s “Avatar”. Changing Italian cinema The demise of Cinecitta film studios, which once gave Rome the moniker “Hollywood on the Tiber,” is seen as symbolic of a change in Italian cinema. Demonstrators occupied the studios for several months this year to protest a plan to redevelop the site to include a theme park and luxury hotel. While funding remains tight, lighthearted comedies like The Worst Christmas of my Life that are commercially successful in the home market are those most favored by investors, the film’s director Alessandro Genovesi told Reuters. “In this moment I am obliged to make commercial films that have big economic returns,” Genovesi said. “There is a growing taste for pure escapism… this has to do with the historic moment we are living. A moment of suffering, of economic malaise.” Italian films that do well domestically are quite different to those that succeed abroad. Perhaps the most internationally successful Italian film of recent years, 2008′s “Gomorrah”, a mafia tale that won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, in Italy took less than half the box office receipts of “Christmas in Rio”, the 12th sequel of the raunchy slapstick “Christmas in” series. Alessandro Taffo of Taffo Funerals said it was a proud moment when he heard the name of the family businessannounced in his local cinema. “Funeral homes are often portrayed as incompetent in films. This was a chance for us to show our business in a good light,” Taffo told Reuters. “We are absolutely delighted.”    |
| Posted: 14 Dec 2012 09:09 PM PST
Reid, 56, chairman and chief executive of Epic Records, told “Access Hollywood,” the television program and website, he has decided to leave the Fox reality singing show to return to the record label full time. “I have decided that I will not return to ‘The X Factor’ next year,” Reid told “Access Hollywood” late Thursday. “I have to go back and I have a company to run that I’ve kind of neglected, and it saddens me a little bit, but only a little bit.” He added that the show was “a nice break, it was a nice departure from what I’ve done for the past 20 years, but now I gotta go back to work.” Fox declined to comment on Reid’s departure on Friday. Reid joined “The X Factor” when Cowell introduced the show in the United States in September 2011. Reid sat alongside Paula Abdul, former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger and Cowell. Cowell fired Abdul and Scherzinger after a disappointing first season and brought in pop stars Britney Spears and Demi Lovato. But “The X Factor” audiences have dropped this year to an average 9.7 million from about 12.5 million an episode in 2011. The show broadcasts a two-part finale next week with the winner earning a $5 million prize and record contract. Epic Records, a unit of Sony Music Entertainment, which commands a roster of artists including Avril Lavigne, will sign the winners of “The X Factor.”    |
| Posted: 14 Dec 2012 09:02 PM PST
Finns know how to make the best of wintry weather, keeping warm with saunas and strong drinks or enjoying music and art indoors when they are not out cross-country skiing. Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help you to get the most out of a two-day stay in Helsinki during the winter. Friday 6 p.m. – Drop off your luggage and head to fashionable Liberty or Death for an inventive cocktail and an introduction to Finns’ quirky sense of humour. The menu, which changes monthly, includes “This isn’t the drink you were looking for” — a drink based on Finlandia vodka mixed with tomato, coriander, beer and chili. The bar describes it as a “cocktail nobody will probably like, ever.” 8 p.m. – For more traditional Finnish fare, have dinner at restaurant Sea Horse in Ullanlinna. National favorites such as fried herring and Vorschmack are served in a dining room that looks little changed from the 1930s. Saturday
10 a.m.- Take tram 7B to the Hakaniemi market in the working-class but increasingly gentrified Kallio neighborhood. The two-storey indoor market offers everything from reindeer rugs to vintage Finnish glass by Kaj Franck and Tapio Wirkkala. 12 p.m. – The market’s soup restaurant is popular for its delicious bouillabaisse, but can get crowded. For an alternative, try Weeruska, a restaurant near the Linnanmaki amusement park serving goatcheese-beetroot patties and reindeer stew. 1 p.m. – No visit to Finland is complete without a visit to a sauna. Sweat it out at Kotiharju, one of the last remaining public saunas with a real, wood-burning stove. There are separate saunas for men and women. The uppermost benches are the hottest, so try the lower rungs if you prefer gentler steam. 3 p.m. – See Finland’s largest classical art collection at the neo-Renaissance Ateneum museum, situated on the railway station square Rautatientori. Don’t miss the works of national epic Kalevala’s illustrator Akseli Gallen-Kallela and Helene Schjerfbeck’s poignant self-portraits.
The opera house this season will show works by Giuseppe Verdi, including Rigoletto featuring world-class baritone Paolo Gavanelli. For a different kind of passion, go see an ice-hockey match. HIFK and Jokerit are Helsinki’s arch-rivals and tickets are available on www.lippupalvelu.fi. 9 p.m. Have dinner at Muru, one of the most popular restaurants in the city for its relaxed atmosphere and fusion of French and Finnish cooking. 10 p.m. Check out the Finnish rock scene at Tavastia, known as Helsinki’s equivalent of CBGB. Unlike the New York club, the Tavastia is still alive with “Suomirock” bands and visiting acts. Sunday
12 p.m. – Reward yourself with meatballs in brandy sauce at Tori, a restaurant in the Punavuori design district. The portions are generous. 1 p.m. – Had too much? Burn off the calories with a swim at the Yrjonkatu swimming hall, housed in a beautiful art deco building. Bathing suits are optional and were in fact prohibited until 2001. Women and men have separate hours, so check ahead. tinyurl.com/69pp4m
3 p.m. – Check out the best of Finnish design at the Design Museum, including the iconic works of Finland’s most famous designers including Alvar Aalto and Ilmari Tapiovaara. 5 p.m. – Shop for gifts at Stockmann, a landmark department store. Finns say that if you can’t find it at Stockmann, you don’t need it. Both book lovers and design aficionados should check out the adjacent Akateeminen book store designed by Aalto. - Reuters    |
| Posted: 14 Dec 2012 08:56 PM PST
They were led by Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali, who insisted in his fiery speech that members of the NGO must lend support to BN as only Umno, the party which spearheads the coalition, could be relied upon to champion the Malays. “We are free and we do not side with any party… But lately we have no choice. “There are quarters that make all sorts of promises, including the Orange Book… and we know this is Pakatan Rakyat,” he shouted to the large crowd gathered at the Perkasa annual gathering here. “They are not concerned with Malay rights, and just take a look at their leader, my old friend,” he added, before launching into a stinging tirade against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. “Thus, we must use our voting power to ensure that Barisan Nasional obtains two-thirds majority,” he said to loud cheers and applause from the audience. But when Ibrahim mentioned that this would mean voting even for MIC and MCA candidates, the Malay crowd’s reception was notably lukewarm. MCA has long been vocal in its objection against Islamic criminal hudud and the emergence of Malaysia as an Islamic state — both issues championed by Islamist opposition party PAS. But in its attempts to shoot down both PAS and the latter’s ally, DAP, MCA has estranged Malay voters across the political divide as Islam remains a sensitive issue among Malays. Today, in a bid to maintain support for Umno, which relies on MCA and MIC to maintain control of the government, Ibrahim attempted to pacify the crowd by insisting that MCA’s comments were directed at DAP. “Do not be offended [by MCA], because I am even more offended when MCA leaders take all sorts of action,” admitted Ibrahim. “[But] I know they are making those statements in response to the chauvinistic statements made by DAP. I know that we are also offended. “Enough! If MCA and MIC win, it will help create a strong government. Why? Because Umno will continue to lead and manage a Barisan Nasional government!” he reminded the crowd. But he maintained that he was non-partisan, even adding that he didn’t receive a single sen from the ruling party for lending his support. “I am doing this for our religion, race and nation,” he declared. “My anger, fury towards Umno cannot overcome the importance of our religion, race and nation.”    |
| Stop bullying NGOs, Sabah govt told Posted: 14 Dec 2012 08:42 PM PST
Patrick Sindu, said any “subtle pressure” from the government on these groups could be interpreted by the public and the international community, either rightly or wrongly, as interfering, manipulating, victimising or exploiting these NGOs in an effort to align them with the state government. “It is quite alarming to me to read reports in recent days such as the Suhakam’s rally being forced at the eleventh hour to relocate from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) to an undesignated place due to a certain letter from the Chief Minister’s Department ordering the change in venue,” he told FMT. Sindu was commenting on the Suhakam rally, which was jointly organised by a few NGOs, held in conjunction with the United Nations International Human Rights Day over the weekend. Sindu, who witnessed his Consumer Association of Sabah (Cash) being de-registered by the Registrar of Society (ROS) years back, said that good governance should be more listening to dissenting views rather than pressuring NGOs for submission to the establishment or executive branch of government. “In modern societies like Europe, NGOs are being trusted by the public for speaking up for the needs of different groups in their society, and the governments engage with them positively. “Here in Malaysia it seems the more outspoken the NGO, the more they seem to be under pressure from the ruling party. We have seen what happened to Suhakam, Suaram, Bersih and the anti-Lynas group…” said the activist who once served as United Nation’s rapporteur in Asia-Pacific. Asked to comment on the action by the Consumers Affairs and Protection Society of Sabah (Caps) president, James Bagah, who quit opposition party — Star , so that the NGO would not be perceived as a opposition mouthpiece, Sindu said non-political NGOs should not harbour political interests. He however refused to comment on Bagah’s attacks on opposition parties and praises towards the leadership of Prime Minister Najib Razak and Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman. He said NGO’s should not have any political agenda or interest. “A wise leader would know his space,” he said    |
| Karpal: Don’t forget the veterans Posted: 14 Dec 2012 08:10 PM PST
Opening the 16th DAP national congress this morning, he said he has been with the party for 42 years but always respected the senior leaders , such as the current life adviser Dr Chen Man Hin, adviser Lim Kit Siang and the late deputy chairman P Patto. "Don't forget the veterans. If not for the veterans, you will not be who you are. Don't underestimate the power of the veterans," he told some 2,500 white-clad delegates at the congress. In an earlier interview with FMT, Karpal shrugged off a report about an attempt to unseat him at the party election this weekend, saying it was probably untrue. "I don't think there is an attempt to remove me. In any event, leave it to the delegates to decide," he said. Karpal, 72, is known for his frankness in addressing political issues. Lately, he has been ruffling feathers in Pakatan Rakyat, with his reprimand of PAS for insisting on its Islamic state agenda and his call on the public to highlight the wrongdoings of Pakatan state governments. His one-man-one seat policy was also not well received. There were also media reports earlier this week that the Perak DAP faction led by Ngeh Koo Ham and Nga Kor Ming would vote against Karpal due to the support of Ngeh-Ngah's rival – DAP vice-chairman M Kulasegaran. Meanwhile, Karpal, the Bukit Gelugor MP, also declared that DAP will back PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim to be the prime minister should Pakatan capture Putrajaya in the coming general election. While for PAS, he praised the Islamic party for being a "solid, principled party" despite certain Islamic policies that he may not agree with. "PAS is an important ally in Pakatan. We may have differences with PAS but it is a solid, principled party," he said. Karpal also urged party members to seize "perhaps the only opportunity" to topple Barisan Nasional in the upcoming national polls. "We must not lose sight of the enemy, we must win the battle," he declared.    |
| Pakatan comes out with alternative budget for Perak Posted: 14 Dec 2012 08:08 PM PST
The alternative budget would be PR’s answer to the official 2013 state budget to be tabled at the Perak Legislative Assembly by Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir on Monday. The alternative budget, which promises goodies for Perakians if the opposition pact takes over the state in the coming general election, was unrevealed at a media conference here yesterday. The media meet was headed by former menteri besar and Pakatan state leader Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin. It was also attended by state DAP chief Ngeh Koo Ham and DAP state secretary Nga Kor Ming. Nizar said the balanced alternative budget was a far cry from the continuous deficit budgets presented by the BN during its rule of Perak for the last 55 years. He said the BN’s 2012 Budget generated only RM865.12 million in revenue and showed a deficit of RM50.14 million compared to Pakatan's proposed budget which would have collected a total revenue of RM1.26billion. The Pakatan state chief said the BN-led state government’s poor financial management, corruption and wastage of the state resources were reasons for the continuous deficit budgets. “Pakatan will not subscribe to BN's political play of backdoor dealings, corruption, wastage of public funds and cronyism that has contributed to the BN’s deficit budgets over the years,” Nizar claimed at the press conference. Instead, he said if PR were to rule the state, Perakians will see an open, transparent and accountable state government with open tenders for all public undertakings that will further enrich the state's coffers. The vocal PAS leader said the proposed budget was set to optimise revenue collection and fully utilise natural resources of the state that will vastly benefit all Perakians without imposing new taxes. Meanwhile, Ngeh said if PR were to capture the state at the next general election, it will revamp the Perak Agricultural Development Corp and the Perak Water Council (Lembaga Air Perak), which will generate an estimated revenue of RM60 million. "At present each of the LAP staff are getting a 4.5 month bonus… which should not be… such revenue generated should be given back to the people and not monopolised by only one group," he added. He said if Pakatan comes to power, it will revive the state’s mineral industries including tin that will generate additional revenue. Ngeh claimed that there were many instances where state land were sold below market price to selected people and this practice had dampened state coffers. Pakatan’s people friendly budget has four thrusts covering all aspects of the state administration. Below are the few assailant points of the proposed PR 2013 Budget for Perak; Concentrate on institutional and economic democratisation, which will encourage integrated farming approach based on food and cash crops supported by downstream and related cottage industries. The Perak Agro Industrial Board will be established to mainly promote downstream activities in developing alternative uses for biomass while a RM 3 million special annual fund will cultivate a new generation of young agriculturists, specialising in food crop farming. A proposed RM15 million interest free micro credit scheme will see a maximum loan of RM20,000 per applicant to stimulate activities in business, farming and other light industries amongst the people while targeting single mothers, the urban poor and people with disabilities. An allocation of RM15 million to fight crime with installation of more CCTVs in local councils and the provision of a local auxiliary police force. A RM10 million allocation will be given to NGOs for community service and social outreach. A fair and systematic funding allocation amounting to RM250,000 annually to all the 59 state assembly elected representatives irrespective of their political standing, for micro projects and the betterment of the people. A RM40million to eradicate poverty by ensuring all household income meet the minimum standard level of RM760 through the Perak Poverty Aid Programme for all qualified Perakian families stricken by poverty. RM10 million to establish a Tabung Upaya Perak for poverty eradication programs while another RM10 million for taking care of the disabled community, senior citizens and single parents. Families with household income of RM1,000 will enjoy a monthly 20 cubic meters of free water while each new born will be given RM200 under the Tabung Anak Perak programme, while RM1,000 funeral assistance given to the next-of-kin of deceased Perakians. All employees of the state government and GLCs will enjoy a minimum wage of RM1,100 each while RM15 million will be allocated to Non-Muslim Affairs and another RM10million to Orang Asal Affairs. Encourage and promote Agro-tourism and medical tourism industries while SMEs will be promoted with the RM7.5 million SME development fund. A RM5 million business aid scheme allocation for promising entrepreneurs. Empowerment by aiding optimisation of land use to improve contribution of SADC through independent institutions. RM15 million for vernacular, religious, government –aided and independent schools with an average of RM30,000 per school over a period of five years. Deserving qualified Perakian students pursuing higher education degree will get scholarship assistance of RM2,000 each from the proposed RM5 million allocation fund.    |
| Mufti Perak Harussani dapat anugerah tertinggi Perkasa Posted: 14 Dec 2012 08:05 PM PST
Presiden Perkasa Datuk Ibrahim Ali menyampaikan anugerah tersebut yang dinamakan bintang pribumi Perkasa negara sempena persidangan agung tahunan Perkasa di Tasik Titiwangsa hari ini. Harussani merupakan penerima anugerah keempat selepas bekas perdana menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tan Sri Rahim Nor (bekas ketua polis negara) dan tokoh pendidikan Tan Sri Arshad Ayub. Hadir sama di majlis tersebut ialah presiden Jalur Tiga Datuk Hasan Ali, Rahim, presiden MUIP Datuk S Nallakarupan serta 32 NGO Melayu. Perkasa turut mengisytiharkan 10 resolusi membabitkan mengenai perpaduan bangsa: kebebasan beragama; pluralime; LGBT, pelan tindakan pendidikan negara; ekonomi; isu Gaza dan jenayah perang; campur tangan kuasa asing; perkara 153 dan 87 perlembagaan negara serta kestabilan politik, keselamatan dan kesejahteraan rakyat. Sementara itu Harussani dalam ucapan perasmian persidangan itu mempertahankan jumlah orang lslam yang murtad memeluk Kristian pada tahun 2008 ialah seramai 230, 000 orang. Bagaimanapun, menurut mufti Perak itu kerajaan tidak percaya dengan angka yang diberikan itu. "Kerajaan mengingatkan saya supaya jangan bercakap tanpa bukti. Mereka kata ada lima orang sahaja. "Saya bawa bukti yang diberikan oleh persatuan peguam Islam iaitu seramai 231, 636 yang berjaya dikristiankan. "Angka ini disahkan oleh pemimpin Kristian yang bangga kerana berjaya mengkristiankan orang Islam," katanya.    |
| Sabah’s main hospital facing more delays? Posted: 14 Dec 2012 07:55 PM PST
With scores of public service infrastructure projects pending and facing extended delays while on-going works proceeding at a snail’s pace, the opposition has had a field day criticising the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition for taking its often boasted “fixed-deposit” state for granted. The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) pointed out this week that the Health Ministry has again had to acknowledge that it could not complete construction of the state’s main referral hospital – the Queen Elizabeth Hospital – on time despite extending its own multiple deadlines numerable times. The party’s information chief Chong Pit Fah said the failure to complete the hospital’s main Tower Block reconstruction project on schedule had now become a perfect example or a hallmark of the struggling coalition’s inability to function efficiently. Chong also called for a full investigation of the multiple delays. He said that the extended delay necessitates the direct intervention of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak himself as his ministers were proving to be incompetent. The RM364 million project to build a 10-storey tower block to replace a tower block that was found “structurally unsound” commenced on June 7, 2010. The new building was supposed to have been completed by January this year, but was later deferred to end of this year. However, checks this week showed the building is far from near completion. Chong said he had been informed by those in the know that the federal government was making plans to extend the completion date yet again. "How many extensions have there been since the project started in June 2010? I think a piece of capati (a type of bread) is worth more than the so-called ‘Janji Ditepati’," he said in a swipe at the "Promises fulfilled” slogan repeatedly trumpeted by the BN government. Chong, who is local area party chief, said that while a full explanation on the extended delay was imperative, the government authorities responsible were keeping silent, it was business as usual and no one was being held accountable. "On behalf of the people of Sabah, we in SAPP demand the Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai explain the new delay. We also demand to know when is the new date of completion and a personal assurance from the prime minister in the true spirit of ‘Janji Ditepati’," he said. Lack of supporting medical equipment Observers have also pointed out that when completed, the building might not be fully functional due to the non-implementation of initial plans as a result of squabbles by interested parties over lucrative jobs or contracts to supply medical equipment. "I was made to understand that there's a strong possibility that many departments might not have the medical equipment to conduct routine diagnostic checks," Chong said, adding that the hospital departments affected are the dental, opthalmic, orthopaedic, sterilisation, urology, haematology and others. "Besides this, more than half of the operation theatres, intensive care unit and isolation rooms might also not be able to function due to the lack of supporting medical equipment.” He said Liow had remained silent on the issue, raising concerns among the various parties involved that there was some level of chaos and interference in the whole project. Chong urged the government to be transparent and disclose in detail the provisions for the project and its exact cost as the people have a right to know how the money the government is collecting as taxes is being used.    |
| Plan for more dams generates dismay in S’wak Posted: 14 Dec 2012 07:36 PM PST
The dam on a tributary of the Rajang river is just the start of a staggeringly ambitious plan to block many of the state’s major waterways by 2020 to tap cheap energy and turn one of Malaysia’s poorest states into a Southeast Asian industrial and energy hub. Leveraging energy from the state’s numerous rivers and what it calls a strategic location between China and India, planners envisage up to 12 dams by 2020. But that could leave the state with more than 20 times more energy than it now needs and critics, including opposition politicians, say that Sarawak simply does not need so many hydro-power dams. The plan is also attracting growing opposition from environmentalists and groups representing indigenous tribes, who say it is an environmental disaster in the making that will enrich an elite few. Towering over the US$110 billion (RM336 billion) plan – known as the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy, or SCORE – is Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, a 76-year-old patriarch who wields sweeping policymaking powers after three decades in charge of the state. “He runs Sarawak like a private business for his own benefit,” said Clare Rewcastle-Brown, who runs the whistleblower website Sarawak Report and is the sister-in-law of former British prime minister Gordon Brown. “Taib seems determined to empty out whatever forests are left, turning the state into a drab industrial estate.” Taib says the project will generate high-skilled jobs and help transform Sarawak, on Malaysia’s side of Borneo island, into the country’s richest state. The state chief, who also serves as the state’s resource planning minister and finance minister, has been under a Malaysian anti-corruption agency investigation since 2011 but no charges have been brought. His huge influence in Sarawak makes him a key ally for the ruling coalition ahead of an election next year that is expected to be the closest in Malaysia’s history. Taib denies allegations of wrongdoing and his office did not respond to repeated Reuters’ interview requests. The chief minister, whose chauffeured Rolls Royce is a common sight in Sarawak’s capital, Kuching, has said his family’s wealth is a result of its business acumen. “You can see how much progress Sarawak has made during his time,” Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’s former long-serving prime minister, told Reuters in an interview. “He wants to develop more power there but he has been active in selling power… he’s bringing a lot of industries there.” Blow to shrinking forest The wave of dam-building in Sarawak has brought more scrutiny to links between environmental damage in Malaysia’s two Borneo island states and global financial institutions. Global Witness, a British-based investigative group, has criticised HSBC Bank’s role in funding companies it said were logging illegally in Sarawak, saying it was against the bank’s environmental guidelines. HSBC declined to respond to a request for comment. Swiss prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into UBS in August after the bank was accused of laundering money from illegal logging in Sabah, another Malaysian state that borders Sarawak. UBS has said it is cooperating with the prosecutors. At the heart of the plan for Sarawak is attracting foreign companies, through cut-price power and low taxes, to set up energy-intensive industries such as aluminium smelting and steel production. The state says it has secured investments of RM29 billion from companies from various countries including the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and Malaysia. A total of RM334 billion of investment is expected by 2030. Stressing its environmental credentials, the project’s website shows a picture of an indigenous tribesman against a verdant background of plants and a waterfall. That is in stark contrast to environmentalists’ fears that the dams could deliver a final blow to Sarawak’s forests, which they estimate have shrunk to 5% of land cover. The state says forest cover is 70%, but activists say it uses a broad definition that includes rapidly expanding palm-oil plantations. When Reuters visited the Murum site in October, dozens of bedraggled villagers from the Penan tribe had been camped out for three weeks, blocking access to the dam that will flood their ancestral land in Sarawak’s remote northeastern corner. “Never mind everything, the tiredness, the rain, the heat, we must do this,” said 36-year-old grandmother of nine, Layu Kara, between mouthfuls of the sticky sago palm paste and jungle fern that made up her first meal for the day. The villagers, among 1,500 people who will be displaced by the RM4 billion dam, were demanding compensation for their land. The next major dam in the works, Baram, will displace 20,000 people, say rights groups. Chinese companies, some of which have been involved in other controversial hydroelectric projects, are building Murum and are in a strong position to bid for others. Sinohydro Corp completed Bakun and another Chinese company, the Three Gorges Corp, builder of the giant dam of the same name in China, won the bid to construct the Murum dam. Too much energy? Critics of the plan question the strategy of producing an amount of energy that is far in excess of current demand, pointing at problems in finding buyers for power from the existing Bakun dam, completed in 2011, that flooded an area the size of Singapore. State energy company Sarawak Energy Bhd says it already has buyers for all of Murum’s 944 megawatts (MW) of energy and a “long queue” of potential customers for future projects. Sarawak Energy, which is awarding many of the project’s contracts, says it also plans to sell energy to peninsular Malaysia and Brunei, as well as to Sabah and Kalimantan, in the Indonesian part of Borneo. But it lacks those grid connections, and a planned undersea cable to the energy-hungry peninsula was abandoned in 2010. The Bakun dam is capable of producing 2,400 MW, well above the state’s current needs of about 1,000 MW. The project was labelled a “monument to corruption” by the Transparency International group. “Sarawak doesn’t need 12 dams. Bakun alone is enough. We’re not supplying power to the peninsula, to Brunei or to Kalimantan,” said Baru Bian, an opposition state assembly member. In a blow to Taib’s plans, Bakun lost what would have been its biggest customer in March when Australian mining giant Rio Tinto pulled put of a plan to build a US$2 billion aluminium smelter, blaming a disagreement over pricing. Sarawak Energy says the 1,500 villagers displaced by the Murum dam will be suitably resettled and given land they can cultivate. It hasn’t reached a deal on compensation. The Penan villagers in the Murum blockade were prepared to wait, within sight of the forests that have been crucial for their food and income. “We’ve never had money in the bank, now we’re losing the rivers, the trees and our livelihoods,” says 60-year old village elder Madai Solo. - Reuters    |
| Posted: 14 Dec 2012 07:18 PM PST
Most calculations show that the 13th general election will be held before the end of April and this means that there is a possibility for the new Pakatan Rakyat federal government to come into power by May 2013. The attack on the public attending Pakatan’s political ceramah in Gombak on Tuesday night, Dec 4 is an early indication that BN cannot accept defeat. “The incident in Gombak could be a forewarning of events to come during the 13th general election. The police should take stern action against the perpetrators as they have already been identified,” said Mat Sabu, the PAS deputy president to this columnist when asked to comment on the incident. Dr Chen Man Hin, the lifetime advisor in a speech during DAP Women’s and Youth Congress on Dec 9, said that “BN will use strange tactics to stay in power”. All indications show that the 13th general election will be a brutal and bruising battle as the wounded tiger is fighting for survival at all costs. Moreover, the BN supporters have been told to defend Putrajaya even to the extent of “broken bones and crushed bodies” or words to that effect. It will be the battle between the unstoppable force versus the immovable object. DAP’s Puchong MP, Gobind Singh Deo remarked that “there should be a peaceful transition of power next year as Malaysia has always been touted by the prime minister as a model democracy. If BN tries anything unusual, BN themselves will fall as the fence-sitters will be able to see clearly BN’s true colours.” PAS strategist and central working committee member, Idris Ahmad concurred by saying that BN’s fall is imminent if they try to do anything out of the ordinary as this is the era of New Politics and the old method of fear-mongering is no longer usable. “In the 1960s era in Rantau Panjang in Kelantan, there was an incident wherein the village folks were prevented from voting as the bridge was torn down to prevent them from going into the town’s polling centre. This is the ancient tactics our enemies are employing now as they are staring defeat in the face,” added Idris. It is also clear that BN leaders are hellbent on staying in power as their propaganda on the mainstream media is getting to be overwhelming while PM Najib goes about wooing the voters by promising this and that when what he promises is merely the duty of the government. Fast-tracked citizenship One thing most baffling is BN’s claim that they have the support of the masses and yet the date of the dissolution of Parliament is still very much a mystery. BN leaders should realise that hooliganism as shown in the Gombak incident will only make the public turn against them. Or perhaps they do realise it and that is the reason why the foreign workers have been given fast-tracked citizenship so that their assistance can be employed on polling day. Clearly those at the back of this citizenship scheme have lost their moral compass. In fact, the top leadership’s credibility is now being severely undermined by a ton of recent unsavoury revelations. Thus those among the right-thinking rakyat are very unlucky to be living under this type of leadership that is thick on hype but thin in good, solid substance whereby economic policies and the nation’s roadmap and wellbeing are concerned. The current leadership is now focused on holding on to power because the threat of losing power by May 2013 is real and looming. Financial investment plans or business expansion plans are being put on hold as everyone knows that the polls will be held not later than the end of June. Those who are bent on staying in power are greedy as they already have had their heyday. The old era has passed. Malaysians seem to be slow-learners in embracing political change although quick to adapt to the latest fads, gadgets and technology. We need to be courageous to face a brave new world. Only then we can move forward. Civilization must progress in a holistic manner. Currently in the Corruption Perception Index, although we have climbed up 6 places from 60 to 54, we are still behind Rwanda (50), Taiwan (37), Bhutan (33), Botswana (30) and Singapore (3). So our achievement is nothing to shout about. Clearly BN’s reluctance to accept and respect the rakyat’s choice is evidence enough that the present incumbent government is not willing to let go of power. Therefore all this talk about ‘moderation’ as espoused by PM Najib is all hype and hot air. Bear in mind that he is still silent on whether there will be a smooth transition of power in the event that BN loses and he has also once mentioned that BN will put up a roadblock to prevent Pakatan from taking over Putrajaya. Therefore the time has come for the rakyat to see PM Najib as the leader that he truly is. Selena Tay is a FMT columnist.    |
| Mahathir, Rosmah and her biography Posted: 14 Dec 2012 07:07 PM PST
For 22 years, the country was dictated to by prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. And nine years after his 'retirement', he is still dictating. Perhaps the fault lies with the media for their unrelented moves to put Mahathir under the spotlight, allowing him to speak gibberish, most of the time. One such recent incident was when Mahathir said that the soon-to-be-released biography of premier Najib Tun Razak's wife Rosmah Mansor was a good move for it gave Rosmah the platform to rebut accusations that constantly come her way. Not just that, Mahathir said Rosmah had the right to correct the negative perception about her made by irresponsible quarters. A wonder how Mahathir has out of the blue turned out to be an admirer of Rosmah, a woman whom the rakyat have little affection for owing to her cold and flamboyant personality. Just what 'accusations' have tarnished Rosmah's image? Was it the controversy that she continues to bedeck herself with the most expensive jewellery money can buy, never mind that it is RM73 million for a diamond ring or that she is a spendthrift, having squandered away RM24 million during the inaugural First Ladies Summit that was held in Kuala Lumpur two years ago or that she used up the nation's funds to sponsor Hollywood's Robert de Niro's stay in Malaysia in 2010? There is more, the latest being the 'clear my conscience' claim by a carpet trader Deepak Jaikishan who claimed he shared a sibling-like relationship with Rosmah and that he was responsible for getting private investigator P Balasubramaniam to retract his first statutory declaration (SD) concerning murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu. Balasubramaniam's first SD had linked Najib to the murder while the second one reversed it. The scandals involving Rosmah are far too many and to hide or deny this fact is not helping Mahathir live up to his 'statesman' image. Do not embarrass the nation These days whenever he shares his thoughts, Mahathir comes out embarrassing the country and her people. His out-of-touch with reality remarks makes one wonder why he even bothers to comment. Maybe being 'sought after' has become a way of life for him, hence the obsession to be quoted by the press. But his words of 'wisdom' on the Rosmah-biography should be his last effort at speaking his mind for it only makes the rakyat repel leaders who never seem to get their acts in order and continue to play politics even in their twilight years. When Rosmah refused to help the Penan girls and a wife who were being raped by timber loggers, did it anger Mahathir or was he uninterested with the Penan people's issues? When Rosmah defended the National Service programme all because it was conceived by husband Najib, never mind that the programme was doing more harm than good to the trainees, did it rankle Mahathir? When this self-proclaimed 'first lady' blamed the homosexuals for spreading the HIV virus that causes AIDS, did her ignorance trouble Mahathir as it did the Cambodian Center for Human Rights? The problem is that in Malaysia the so-called leaders are busy politicking and amassing unimaginable wealth, all at the expense of the rakyat. And wanting to stay in the good books of top leaders has become the politicians' agenda, instead of their mission of looking after the people of this country. And for obvious reason, Mahathir is no different. Did Rosmah 'commission' her biography? After the 2010 incident where the Malaysian government forked out thousands of US dollars to feature Rosmah in a two-page spread in the New York Times, the now wary rakyat cannot be blamed for asking if she once again had a hand in 'commissioning' her biography. Otherwise, there is little point in having a biography dedicated to Najib's wife, who as the rakyat knows 'wears the pants'. There are many unsung heroes out there whose stories can inspire the people. One such personality is Rasammah Bhupalan, a former school principal, freedom fighter and social activist. Bhupalan was one of the earliest women involved in the fight for Malaysian independence and joined the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, the women's wing of the Indian National Army to fight the British. Bhupalan was also the founder president of the Women Teacher's Union and fought for equal pay for women teachers and was the first Asian representative of the World Confederation of Organisations of the Teaching Profession. Are Bhupalan's struggles and achievements not deserving of mention in our school history books? Likewise, chronicles concerning the late Punch Gunalan, the badminton ace who made the country proud during his heydays and squash queen Nicole David too are worthy as subjects of discussion. At the end of the day, it is not about who the person is but what she or he has done that warrants a place in history. In Rosmah's case, there is hardly anything she has done for the nation that makes her a deserving candidate for a biography apart from the fact that she is prime minister Najib's wife. In spite of her scandals, if Rosmah's 164-page biography excites you, it will be launched and made available next month at RM150. Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist.    |
| Kemelut Gatco masih tiada kesudahan Posted: 14 Dec 2012 06:46 PM PST  Bahagian Pertama Isu hak milik tanah perladangan (getah) peneroka Kampung Serampang Indah (Gatco) di Jempol, Negeri Sembilan diberi liputan meluas oleh FMT sejak kali pertama lebih 150 peneroka Gatco mengadakan demonstrasi aman di hadapan pejabat Menteri Besar Negeri Sembilan, Mohamad Hassan pada bulan Mac tahun ini. Dalam beratus-ratus isu rakyat yang FMT pernah membuat liputan di Negeri Sembilan, isu Gatco merupakan isu yang paling rumit (complicated) untuk difahami bukan sahaja oleh FMT malah semua rakan media yang pernah membuat liputan berhubung isu Gatco. Ini ialah kerana sejak tanah perladangan dan perumahan Gatco mula dibuka pada tahun 1977 kuasa hak milik tanah Gatco bertukar tangan beberapa kali dan pelbagai masalah timbul berkaitan kewangan. Kerajaan Negeri Sembilan memberikan tanah ini kepada Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Negeri Sembilan (PKNNS) melalui pajakan 99 tahun. PKNNS pula memberikan tanah ini kepada GATCO melalui pajakan 66 tahun. Peneroka di sini membeli tapak kediaman seluas satu ekar dan tanah perladangan seluas 10 ekar daripada Syarikat GATCO pada 8 Ogos 1977. Peneroka Bumiputera membayar RM4,000 dan peneroka bukan Bumiputera membayar RM7,600. Pada tahun 1983, Syarikat GATCO memperbaharui perjanjian dan melakukan pengubahsuaian dan keluasan tanah perladangan dikurangkan kepada lapan ekar. GATCO membuat pinjaman dengan dua institusi kewangan iaitu United Asian Bank dan Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappijvoor Ontwikkelingslanden. Disebabkan masalah pengurusan, Syarikat GATCO diistiharkan muflis pada tahun 1996. Sepanjang tempoh ini peneroka gagal mendapat geran hak milik. Pada tahun 2004 tanah perladangan ini dilelong. Peneroka bersedia membeli tanah perladangan ini melalui Koperasi dan telah membayar deposit sebanyak RM320,000.00 (Earnest Deposit) kepada Tetuan Singam and Young (Pelelong). Apabila peneroka ingin membuat bayaran peringkat kedua, pihak pelelong tidak mahu menerima bayaran dari peneroka atas alasan peneroka tidak mampu untuk menyelesaikan keseluruhan lelong tersebut. Seterusnya tanah perladangan ini ditawarkan kepada Syarikat Thamarai Holdings Sdn Bhd dengan RM16 juta. Peluang tertutup rapat
Maka kalau diikutkan dari sudut undang-undang Syarikat Thamarai Holdings merupakan pemegang hak milik tanah perladangan Gatco yang sah ketika ini. Walaubagaimanapun peneroka Gatco mendakwa cara tanah perladangan itu dilelong adalah tidak betul kerana pilihan pertama lelongan sepatutnya diberikan kepada peneroka. Peneroka Gatco mendakwa mereka mempunyai dana yang secukupnya untuk membeli tanah perladangan tersebut. Justeru itu sebahagian besar peneroka Gatco tidak berputus asa dan berusaha dalam pelbagai cara untuk mendapatkan kembali tanah perladangan mereka. Peneroka Gatco meletakkan harapan kepada pemimpin parti politik tidak kira sama ada dari Barisan Nasional (BN) atau Pakatan Rakyat untuk mendapatkan kembali hak tanah perladangan mereka. Pada 28 Mac tahun ini, lebih 150 peneroka mengadakan demonstrasi aman di hadapan Pejabat Menteri Besar Negeri Sembilan, Mohamad Hassan dan menyerahkan memorandum kepada beliau meminta campur tangan Mohamad mendapatkan semula hak tanah perladangan peneroka. Pemimpin PAS, DAP dan Hindraf Negeri Sembilan turut hadir ketika menyerahkan memorandum tersebut. Mohamad dalam penjelasan ringkas kepada wakil peneroka di pintu masuk Wisma Negeri berkata bahawa Kerajaan Negeri tidak ada kuasa dalam isu tersebut kerana lelongan tanah perladangan Gatco melibatkan Danaharta dan hak milik tanah perladangan tersebut sudah pun dimiliki oleh Syarikat Thamarai Holdings. Walaubagaimanapun Mohamad berkata beliau akan menjadi orang tengah dan akan cuba berunding dengan Syarikat Thamarai Holdings dalam menyelesaikan tuntutan peneroka Gatco itu. Pada 13 Julai 2012, dalam satu program di Kampung Serampang Indah, Mohamad mengumumkan peneroka Gatco akan menerima empat ekar tanah perladangan setiap seorang. Kebanyakan peneroka bersetuju dengan tawaran Mohamad, tetapi sebahagian peneroka Gatco pula masih berkeras dan mahu keluasan asal ladang getah mereka iaitu lapan ekar setiap seorang. Peranan PAS dalam isu Gatco PAS memainkan peranan dalam usaha membantu peneroka Gatco mendapatkan hak mereka. Pada 12 April tahun ini, diketuai oleh Pesuruhjaya PAS Negeri Sembilan, Mohd Taufek Abdul Ghani dan Timbalan Ketua Cabang PKR Rasah, R Tangam; seramai 200 peneroka Gatco menaiki empat buah bas berhimpun di hadapan Pejabat Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak di Putrajaya. Mohd Taufek, Tangam dan Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Bertindak Peneroka Kampung Serampang Indah (Gatco) pada ketika itu, Abdul Rahman Ali Mohamad cuba menyerahkan memorandum kepada Najib meminta campur tangan Najib menyelesaikan kemelut peneroka. Walabagaimanapun mereka gagal berjumpa dengan Najib kerana beliau mempunyai tugasan rasmi lain dan memorandum itu diserahkan kepada Setiausaha Sulit Kanan Perdana Menteri, Mohammed Amir Haron.
Pada 17 April, Mohd Taufek, Tangam, Abdul Rahman dan Ahli Jawatankuasa PAS Pusat, Mazlan Aliman mengadakan satu sidang akhbar di Parlimen berhubung isu peneroka Gatco. Abdul Rahman menyerahkan sebuah memorandum kepada Pegawai Khas Perdana Menteri, Dato' Ghazali Ibrahim meminta campur tangan Najib menyelesaikan masalah pemilikan tanah peneroka yang berlanjutan sejak 35 tahun itu. Beliau juga menyerahkan memorandum kepada Presiden PAS dan juga Ahli Parlimen Marang, Dato' Seri Abdul Hadi Awang untuk isu itu dibawa ke Dewan Rakyat. Delegasi DAP turun padang Pemimpin DAP juga terlibat dalam usaha membantu peneroka Gatco. Selepas mengetahui peneroka Gatco diserang dan dipukul dengan rotan oleh 40 orang pemuda; pada 4 Disember lalu, Timbalan Ketua Menteri 2 Pulau Pinang, Prof P Ramasamy (DAP); Ahli Parlimen Teluk Intan, M Manogaran (DAP) dan Timbalan Pengerusi DAP Negeri Sembilan, P Gunasekaran turun padang ke Kampung Gatco bertemu peneroka Gatco untuk mengetahui dengan lebih lanjut berhubung insiden tersebut. Sesi dialog pemimpin DAP dengan peneroka Gatco tersebut berlangsung dalam suasana emosi yang amat tinggi apabila rata-rata peneroka yang kena pukul tidak dapat memendam perasaan marah mereka. Malah ada di antara peneroka berkata jika pemuda-pemuda yang memukul mereka datang lagi, peneroka tidak akan teragak-agak menggunakan kekerasan dan akan bertindak balas dengan kekasaran. Walaubagaimanapun Ramasamy meminta peneroka agar bertenang dan beliau berjanji akan berunding dengan pemilik Syarikat Thamarai Holdings untuk mencapai kata sepakat. Ramasamy berkata atas dasar perikemanusiaan mungkin ada ruang berunding dengan pihak Syarikat Thamarai Holdings. Manogaran yang juga merupakan seorang peguam berjanji akan membantu Ramasamy dalam rundingan dengan Syarikat Thamarai Holdings dari sudut undang-undang. Manogaran juga memberi sedikit harapan kepada peneroka bahawa pasti akan ada satu jalan penyelesaian di meja rundingan. Selepas laporan Ramasamy turun padang ke Kampung Gatco tersiar di dalam FMT, ramai pihak mengecam Ramasamy kononnya beliau datang jauh dari utara ke Negeri Sembilan untuk menjadi hero Kampung Gatco. Sebenarnya ramai yang tidak tahu bahawa Ramasamylah antara orang awal yang pernah cuba membantu peneroka Gatco dalam isu ini sekitar tahun 1982 atau 1983. Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Bertindak Peneroka Kampung Serampang Indah (Gatco) sekarang, K Krishnan pernah berjumpa Ramasamy ketika Ramasamy masih menjadi pensyarah di Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Khidmat nasihat
Gunasekaran pula berkata beliau pernah mengemukakan pelan tindakan untuk penyelesaian isu tersebut sekitar tahun 2003 dan 2004. Walaubagaimanapun usaha beliau bersama Krishan tidak mendapat sokongan penuh daripada peneroka Gatco pada ketika Gunasekaran berkata hampir semua peneroka Gatco pada ketika itu yakin hanya BN sahaja mampu menyelesaikan masalah mereka. Gunasekaran turut mendakwa bahawa nilai kayu getah yang menunggu masa untuk ditebang pada bila-bila masa sahaja dianggarkan bernilai RM25 juta untuk 4,000 ekar keseluruhannya. Gunasekaran berkata RM25 juta itu lebih dari cukup sebagai pampasan kepada Syarikat Thamarai Holdings untuk menyerahkan semula lapan ekar tanah perladangan setiap seorang peneroka. ESOK: Bahagian Akhir – Hidup peneroka Gatco atau hidup Hindraf?    |
| Manchester City halved losses after landing title Posted: 14 Dec 2012 05:55 PM PST
The club, bankrolled by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, had racked up a deficit of 197.5 million pounds the previous year, the highest recorded in British football. Despite remaining deep in the red, City said they were well placed to meet new financial fair play rules being introduced by UEFA to force clubs to clean up their balance sheets or risk exclusion from European competition. The club noted that some of their spending and investment last season would be covered by exemptions under the rules being brought in by European soccer’s governing body. Chief executive Ferran Soriano said the priority for City was success on the field which would drive commercial growth and provide more money to spend on the team. “This cycle will be key in achieving the long-held ambition for sustainability at Manchester City,” he said in a statement. Soriano is confident City’s plans to build an academy for young players adjacent to their Etihad Stadium will help the club prosper. “It is my belief this project and the long-term perspective of our owner will further differentiate the club from its competitors in the future,” he added. Higher revenue Record revenue of 231 million pounds, an increase of more than 50 percent, helped City to rein in their losses in a season when they pipped local rivals Manchester United to the Premier League title. The value of a new 10-year sponsorship agreement with Etihad Airways, the national airline of Abu Dhabi, was illustrated by a doubling of commercial revenue to 97 million pounds. However, City’s annual revenue fell short of the 320 million pounds generated by United last season. The club said they invested heavily to buy players and create a winning team after Sheikh Mansour took over in 2008 and that recruitment spending had now passed its peak. However City, whose players include Argentina’s Carlos Tevez and Yaya Toure of the Ivory Coast, spent more than 200 million pounds on wages and related staff costs last season. - Reuters The club have already been eliminated from the lucrative Champions League this season and are second in the Premier League, six points behind United after a 3-2 defeat in the Manchester derby last weekend.    |
| Arsenal’s Wenger optimistic in face of criticism Posted: 14 Dec 2012 05:53 PM PST
Arsenal were dumped out of the Capital One (League) Cup by fourth tier Bradford City on Tuesday, the first time the club had lost to a team from a lower division in England’s second knock-out competition in his time in charge. Much has been written in the press in the days following the defeat, including reports of a rift between Wenger and assistant manager Steve Bould. Wenger has angrily denied that suggestion and said Monday’s match was a chance to show the real character of the north London club. “I believe it’s a good opportunity to show that we are strong inside the club and let people talk,” he told a news conference yesterday. “We are criticised when results are not good, we have to take that on the chin, but (when) we have to face a lot of lies, (it) is less acceptable.” Wenger named a near full-strength side against Bradford but backed his players to get over the shock defeat. “We are top professional people, what is important is what happens tomorrow, not what happened yesterday,” he said. “We are sorry for that, but what is important is the next game.” French striker Olivier Giroud is expected to return after missing Tuesday’s match with a back injury, while Laurent Koscielny is back in training after suffering a groin injury at the end of November. The fitness of Theo Walcott continues to be assessed. - Reuters    |
| Corinthians calm before Chelsea storm Posted: 14 Dec 2012 05:52 PM PST
The Peruvian, who headed the winner in an unconvincing 1-0 victory over Egypt’s Al-Ahly in their semi-final in Japan, said European champions Chelsea were vulnerable. “Everyone knows Chelsea is one of the world’s great teams,” Guerrero told reporters in Yokohama yesterday. “It is a final everyone in Brazil, every Corinthians fan is waiting for. “We know it will be very difficult because they have different training, a different game,” added the former Hamburg forward. “Corinthians have a lot of quality too and we have to play our own game.” Corinthians won the first edition of the FIFA tournament in 2000 but Chelsea, who comfortably beat Mexico’s Monterrey 3-1 on Thursday, will start as favourites. They also became the South American Libertadores Cup’s first unbeaten winners since 1978 this year, conceding just four goals in 14 matches, so will be no pushovers for Chelsea. “We know it will be a tough game,” said Guerrero. “But we know that finding the net and playing our type of game will get us the world title. “We have a lot of ways of changing tactics so it will be difficult for Chelsea too.” A clash of styles in Sunday’s final should make for a more absorbing encounter than in recent years, European sides having rolled to victory in the last five finals. “It is two different styles,” agreed Guerrero, one of several danger men Chelsea will have to keep a close eye on to avoid an ambush. “Corinthians press well and play neat football. Chelsea play well and they have very fast players but possibly they’re weaker pressing opponents. With our speed we can take advantage.” After taking four games to register a victory under interim manager Rafael Benitez, Chelsea have tightened up in defence and have been looking to press higher up the pitch. Three wins in a row, scoring 12 goals in the process, have given Chelsea fans unhappy at Benitez’s appointment after last month’s sacking of Roberto Di Matteo reason for optimism. “To win the way we won was very important,” said Spanish playmaker Juan Mata, who scored Chelsea’s opening goal against Monterrey. “We came here to win the trophy and become the world champions. We have been focused on scoring more goals and this has given us real confidence for the final.” The Corinthians players, expected to be cheered on by at least 15,000 fans who made the trip from Brazil, looked relaxed at training on Friday despite the pressure on them. “This is a very important moment for my career to win a world title,” said Guerrero. “Every player dreams of a final like this against a great European team like Chelsea. “That’s why I have absolute concentration now and I’m calm about Sunday.” - Reuters    |
| Lochte sets world record in 200 individual medley Posted: 14 Dec 2012 05:50 PM PST
Lochte, who won the 200 freestyle and 4×100 freestyle world titles on Wednesday and gold in the 4×200 on Thursday, broke the record of 1:50.08 he set in December 2010 in Dubai. Japan’s Daiya Seto took silver in 1:52.80 with Hungary’s Laszlo Cseh grabbing the bronze medal in 1:52.89. Medals and one silver when Dubai hosted the short-course event in 2010. He also won five medals at this year’s London Olympics including two golds. The 28-year-old American’s victory gave him his fourth 200 individual medley title in a row at the short-course worlds having also snatched gold in Shanghai (2006), Manchester (2008) and Dubai (2010). Lochte’s world record on Friday was the first at this year’s event, on the third day of competition. - Reuters    |
| Moscow’s Luzhniki confirmed for World Cup final Posted: 14 Dec 2012 05:48 PM PST
The Luzhniki, which has a 90,000 capacity, will also stage the opening match and a semi-final following approval by FIFA’s executive committee. St Petersburg will stage the other semi-final. Moscow, St Petersburg, Kazan and Sochi were approved as venues for the 2017 Confederations Cup, also to be held in Russia, FIFA said. In a separate decision, Kosovo, which is not a FIFA member, was given permission to play friendly matches at “youth, amateur, women’s and club football” level. However, no mention was made of a decision on Kosovo playing friendly internationals at senior level against FIFA member nations. FIFA had agreed in principle to allow Kosovo to play friendlies last May but, following opposition from Serbia and UEFA president Michel Platini, has delayed implementation of the ruling. The delays have angered the Football Federation of Kosovo (FFK) which says it is only seeking the right to play friendly internationals, not become members of FIFA. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 but has not yet won recognition from the United Nations. FIFA and UEFA statutes state that only nations recognised by the UN can be accepted as members. Moscow’s Luzhniki uses an artificial pitch because of the frigid Russian winters although a natural pitch was laid for the 2008 Champions League final, staged at the stadium. Eleven Russian cities will host the 2018 World Cup with Moscow having two venues. The other cities are St Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara, Volgograd, Rostov, Sochi, Saransk and Yekaterinburg. - Reuters    |
| US Open 2013 change puts men’s final on Monday Posted: 14 Dec 2012 05:46 PM PST
The new program will feature a Sunday women’s final followed by the men’s title match on Monday, and provide a day’s rest between the semi-finals and finals for both the men and women, bringing the US Open in line with the other grand slams. The change, which affects just the 2013 event pending a decision on the years going forward, will abolish the Open’s controversial Super Saturday, that for nearly 30 years had the men’s semi-finals and women’s final scheduled on the same day. The USTA, which had been harshly criticized by players over the scheduling, also announced an addition of $4 million to the prize money pool for the year’s final grand slam, bringing the total to $29.5 million. “Both the prize money increase and the addition of a day of rest are great for the players,” Serena Williams, who won the 2012 women’s crown for her fourth Open title, said in a statement. “These moves make the tournament stronger than it’s ever been for all players.” Men’s champion Andy Murray, who claimed his maiden grand slam title at the National Tennis Center, also applauded the change. “I’m pleased that the USTA has modified the US Open schedule to include a day of rest between the semi-finals and final,” said the Scotsman, who became the fifth men’s champion in a row to claim his title with a Monday finish. “Together with the prize money increase, it’s good that they’ve taken on board the players’ concerns.” Rain delays wreaked havoc with the completion of the 2012 championships, triggering an annual debate and complaints from players and spectators over why the showcase courts are not covered. Wimbledon and the Australian Open both have retractable roofs over their centre courts and the French Open has announced plans to do the same at Roland Garros. The new program will spread the U.S. Open’s finish over four days. The men’s singles semi-finals will continue to be played in a single day session on Saturday, with the men’s singles final to take place on Monday. The women’s semi-finals will be played on Friday as usual, with their championship match on Sunday. - AFP    |
| Gunman murders 20 schoolchildren Posted: 14 Dec 2012 05:32 PM PST
The 20-year-old gunman, who law enforcement sources identified as Adam Lanza, opened fire on a classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, which serves children from ages 5 to 10. Authorities found 18 children and seven adults, including the gunman, dead at the school, and two children were pronounced dead later after being take to a hospital. Another adult was found dead at a related crime scene in Newtown, bringing the toll to 28, state police Lieutenant Paul Vance said. As reports of the shooting spread, panicked parents rushed to the school searching for their children as students covered in blood were being carried out of the building. President Barack Obama, wiping away tears and pausing to collect his emotions in an address to the nation, mourned the “beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old” who were killed. “Our hearts are broken today, for the parents, and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children and for the families of the adults who were lost,” Obama said, his voice cracking. “Our hearts are broken for the parents of the survivors as well, for as blessed as they are to have their children home tonight, they know that their children’s innocence has been torn away from them too early and there are no words that will ease their pain,” said Obama, who has two young daughters. “Evil visited this community today,” Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy told reporters. Adam Lanza’s brother, Ryan Lanza, was “either in custody or being questioned,” a law enforcement source said. The New York Times reported that the gunman walked into a classroom where his mother was a teacher, shot his mother and then 20 students, most in the same classroom, before shooting five other adults and killing himself. One other person was shot at the school and survived, the Times said. Other media reports said the gunman’s mother was found dead at a house nearby. The gunman – who according to a media report carried four weapons and wore a bulletproof vest – was dead inside the school, Vance said. The holiday season tragedy was the second shooting rampage in the United States this week and the latest in a series of mass killings this year, and was certain to revive a debate about U.S. gun laws. Police, parents swarm school Chaos struck as children gathered in their classrooms for morning meetings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, a city of 27,000 in Fairfield County, about 80 miles northeast of New York City. Police swarmed the scene and locked down the school, rushing children to safety. Distraught parents converged, frantically searching for their daughters and sons. Neighbours and friends wandered in shock, looking for information. “It’s hard to believe that anything like this could happen in this town,” said resident Peter Alpi, 70, as he fought back tears. “It’s a very quiet town. Maybe it’s too quiet.” Obama ordered flags flown at half-staff at US public buildings. “As a country, we have been through this too many times,” Obama said, ticking off a list of recent shootings. “We’re going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics,” Obama said in apparent reference to the influence of the National Rifle Association over members of Congress. Obama remains committed to trying to renew a ban on assault weapons, White House spokesman Jay Carney said. The Connecticut shootings appear certain to trigger renewed debate over US gun laws. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, founder of the advocacy group Mayors Against Illegal Guns, said it was “almost impossible to believe that a mass shooting in a kindergarten class could happen. “We need immediate action. We have heard all the rhetoric before. What we have not seen is leadership – not from the White House and not from Congress,” he said. “That must end today.” French President Francois Hollande, in an open letter to Obama, said he was “horrified” by the shootings. British Prime Minister David Cameron said, “It is heartbreaking to think of those who have had their children robbed from them at such a young age, when they had so much life ahead of them.” Bloodied children leave school Vance said the shootings took place in two rooms of Sandy Hook Elementary School, which teaches children from kindergarten through fourth grade, roughly aged 5 to 10. Witnesses reported hearing dozens of shots; some said as many as 100 rounds. “It was horrendous,” said parent Brenda Lebinski, who rushed to the school where her daughter is in the third grade. “Everyone was in hysterics – parents, students. There were kids coming out of the school bloodied. I don’t know if they were shot, but they were bloodied.” Lebinski said a mother who was at the school during the shooting told her a “masked man” entered the principal’s office and may have shot the principal. Lebinski’s daughter’s teacher “immediately locked the door to the classroom and put all the kids in the corner of the room.” Melissa Murphy, who lives near the school, monitored events on a police scanner. “I kept hearing them call for the mass casualty kit and scream, 'Send everybody! Send everybody!’” she said. “It doesn’t seem like it can be really happening. I feel like I’m in shock.” The toll exceed that of one of the most notorious US school shootings, the 1999 rampage at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, where two teenagers killed 13 students and staff before killing themselves. A girl described to NBC Connecticut hearing seven loud “booms” while she was in gym class. Other children began crying and teachers moved the students to an office, she said. “A police officer came in and told us to run outside and so we did,” the unidentified girl said on camera. The United States has experienced a number of shooting rampages this year, most recently in Oregon, where a gunman opened fire at a shopping mall on Tuesday, killing two people and then himself. The deadliest came in July at a midnight screening of a Batman film in Colorado that killed 12 people and wounded 58. In 2007, 32 people were killed at Virginia Tech university in the deadliest act of criminal gun violence in US history. - Reuters    |
| Why Chavez keeps his cancer under wraps Posted: 14 Dec 2012 05:27 PM PST
Presidents from Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Colombia reconciled their illnesses with public concern by disclosing details about their cancers. Brazil's Dilma Rousseff battled lymphoma while campaigning for president, while former Brazilian President Inacio Lula da Silva allowed journalists to photograph him shaving his hair and beard before chemotherapy for throat cancer. Paraguay's Fernando Lugo kept the public updated after the he was diagnosed with lymphoma while president, ultimately declaring the cancer to be in remission a year later. Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez announced the date of her surgery to remove her thyroid gland in early 2012, offering details of her treatment (which turned out to be for naught when a post-operative examination revealed she did not have cancer in the first place). Most recently, Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos announced he had prostate cancer halfway through his presidential term and ahead of politically-sensitive peace talks with the FARC. As with the other leaders, Santos openly discussed his recovery with reporters. These leaders kept voters abreast of developments in their treatment despite the possibility of casting doubt on their political careers. Rather than follow suit, Chavez seized upon the trend to turn attention to how such a surprising number of Latin American leaders had developed cancer. Argentine President Cristina Fernandez's diagnosis in 2011 prompted Chavez – no stranger to controversial claims – to speculate that the U.S. could be behind it all. "It would not be strange if they had developed the technology to induce cancer and nobody knew about it until now," Chavez told troops during a televised appearance in 2011. "I don't know. I'm just reflecting." Rousseff, Lula, Lugo, Fernandez, and Santos' transparency about their illnesses stands in stark contrast to Chavez's approach. To keep details confidential, he has traveled abroad to Cuba for four separate treatments. At the same time, he refuses to specify what kind of cancer he has or its exact location in his pelvic region. This drives the rumor mill, with guesses ranging from colon cancer to a cancer of the connective tissues, called sarcoma. According to Shannon K. O'Neil, senior fellow for Latin America Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, voters should be privy to health details that could impinge on a leader's job performance. When that information is kept secret, it may signal an effort to limit to democracy. "In nations where you see consolidated democracies, the health of the president is a public importance and is seen as such, so it is shared with the population and the press," O'Neil says. The result of such openness, of course, is less conjecturing. Chavez critics demand to know the state of their president's health. They say his earlier claims to have defeated cancer were used to bolster his image and boost his chances in the October 7, 2012, elections. By revealing details at politically opportune times, they argue, Chavez is able to distract the public from other important national issues. In turn, Chavez's camp accuses his critics of capitalizing on his illness to make him appear weak. Chavez follows a well-documented trend of leaders feigning good health to keep a grip on power. Sick leaders must maintain a veneer of vitality, as observers and markets are quick to react to any indication that a leader is in bad shape. Brief absences from public view or hints of physical pain or weakness are enough to send the media into a flurry. Russian President Vladimir Putin takes this to an extreme by regularly performing hypermacho stunts intended to highlight his vigor, such as shirtless horseback riding or hang gliding with endangered birds. Recent chatter that Putin suffers from a back problem prompted the Kremlin to deny the rumours. Though a bad back would be hardly the stuff of terminal cancer, any appearance of illness could tarnish his bad-boy image. In secretive North Korea, observers speculated for years that leader Kim Jong-il may have had pancreatic cancer or a stroke. Yet the death of Kim Jong-il in December 2011 took Western observers by surprise, as North Korean officials smudged even the details of the exact time, place, and circumstances surrounding his death. In Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah keeps investors guessing by hiding details about his back problems. Chavez, while in good company internationally, stands alone among high-profile leaders on the continent. With his health waning and many of his candidates seeking office in gubernatorial elections this weekend, timing is everything. Venezuelans and outside observers are watching and worrying, but Chavez will ensure there is little to see. - Reuters    |
| NATO says Syrian Scuds hit ‘near’ Turkey Posted: 14 Dec 2012 05:23 PM PST
The Syrian government, which finds itself under attack from rebels in the capital Damascus and by a diplomatic alliance of Arab and Western powers, denies firing such long-range, Soviet-built rockets and had no immediate comment on the latest charge. Admiral James Stavridis, the American who is NATO’s military commander, wrote in a blog on Friday: “Over the past few days, a handful of Scud missiles were launched inside Syria, directed by the regime against opposition targets. Several landed fairly close to the Turkish border, which is very worrisome.” It was not clear how close they came. NATO member Turkey, once friendly toward Assad but now among the main allies of the rebels, has complained of occasional bullets and artillery fire, some of which has been fatal, for many months. It sought the installation of missile defenses on its border some weeks ago. “Syria is clearly a chaotic and dangerous situation; but we have an absolute obligation to defend the borders of the alliance from any threat emanating from that troubled state,” Stavridis wrote. Batteries of US-made Patriot missiles, designed to shoot down the likes of the Scuds popularly associated with Iraq’s wars under Saddam Hussein in the 1990s, are about to be deployed by the US, German and Dutch armies, each of which is sending up to 400 troops to operate and protect the rocket systems. The Syrian government has accused Western powers of backing what it portrays as a Sunni Islamist “terrorist” attack on it and says Washington and Europe have publicly voiced concerns of late that Assad’s forces might resort to chemical weapons solely as a pretext for preparing a possible military intervention. In contrast to NATO’s air campaign in support of Libya’s successful revolt last year against Muammar Gaddafi, Western powers have fought shy of intervention in Syria. They have cited the greater size and ethnic and religious complexity of a major Arab state at the heart of the Middle East – but have also lacked UN approval due to Russia’s support for Assad. Moscow reacted angrily yesterday to the way US officials seized on comments by a top Kremlin envoy for the Middle East as evidence that Russia was giving up on Assad. Comments by Mikhail Bogdanov on Thursday in which he conceded Assad might be ousted did not reflect a change in policy, the Foreign Ministry said. Assad’s diplomatic isolation remains acute, however, as Arab and Western powers this week recognized a new, united coalition of opposition groups as Syria’s legitimate leadership. Large parts of the country are no longer under the government’s control and fighting has been raging around Damascus itself. European Union leaders who met in Brussels yesterdday said all options were on the table to support the Syrian opposition, raising the possibility that non-lethal military equipment or even arms could eventually be supplied. In their strongest statement of support for the Syrian opposition since the uprising began 20 months ago, EU leaders instructed their foreign ministers to assess all possibilities to increase the pressure on Assad. With rebels edging into the capital, a senior NATO official said that Assad is likely to fall and the Western military alliance should make plans to protect against the threat of his chemical arsenal falling into the wrong hands. Hunger spreads Desperation for food is growing in parts of Syria and residents of the northern city of Aleppo say fist fights and dashes across the civil war front lines have become part of the daily struggle to secure a loaf of bread. “I went out yesterday and could not get any bread. If only the problem was just lack of food – there is also a huge shortage of fuel, which the bakeries need to run,” said Ahmed, a resident of the battle-scarred Salaheddine district. He said people get into fist fights over flour and rebels regularly have to break up fights by firing into the air. The World Food Programme (WFP) says as many as a million people may go hungry this winter, as worsening security conditions make it harder to reach conflict zones. Forty thousand people have now been killed in the most enduring and destructive of the Arab revolts. The government severely limits press and humanitarian access to the country. UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said on Friday the United Nations is committed to maintaining aid operations in Syria. Nothing off table At the EU summit, Britain’s David Cameron pushed for an early review of the arms embargo against Syria to possibly open the way to supply equipment to rebels in the coming months. Germany and others were more reluctant and blocked any quick move. But there was widespread agreement that whatever action can be taken under current legislation should be pursued, and the arms embargo would still be reviewed at a later stage. “I want a very clear message to go to President Assad that nothing is off the table,” Cameron told reporters at the end of a two-day summit. “I want us to work with the opposition … so that we can see the speediest possible transition in Syria. “There is no single simple answer, but inaction and indifference are not options.” Among factors holding Western powers back from arming the rebels is the presence in their ranks of anti-Western Islamist radicals. Following a US decision this week to blacklist one such group, Jabhat al-Nusra, a “terrorist” group, thousands of Syrians demonstrated on Friday against ostracizing the movement. The latest, weekly Friday protests in rebel-held areas were held under the slogan: “The only terrorism in Syria is Assad’s”. Inspired by Arab uprisings across the region, Syrian protesters were met with gunfire by Assad’s security forces in March 2011. Armed revolt overtook the movement, which has become increasingly sectarian – waged by majority Sunni Muslims against forces loyal to Assad, who is from the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of the Shi’ite Islam practiced in Assad’s ally Iran. A video posted on the Internet showed dozens of Sunni rebels dressed in camouflage gear congratulating and kissing each other outside a burning Shi’ite shrine. A fighter holding a rifle said the group was destroying the “dens of the Shi’ites”. Reuters could not independently verify the video, which was posted on YouTube on Wednesday and purports to be filmed in the northern town of Jisr al-Shughur. - Reuters    |
| Hamas subdued despite Gaza victory claim-Israeli military Posted: 14 Dec 2012 05:20 PM PST
Vastly lopsided shelling exchanges over eight days killed 170 Palestinians and 6 Israelis before the November 21 truce brokered by Egypt. The Islamist militant group Hamas, which for the first time managed to fire rockets towards Tel Aviv and Jerusalem during the conflict, says it won in the absence of an Israeli ground invasion that might have toppled its Gaza administration. The officer said Hamas should be allowed to save face after failing to inflict more pain on the Jewish state. “Their jubilation was not from victory, it was from their relief at being able to emerge from shelters,” said the officer, who could not be identified by name under military regulations. “They took a major blow and they have to patch up their honour,” he said. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of the Gaza Strip last weekend to welcome the first visit by their previously exiled leader Khaled Meshaal. He declared victory at a rally and vowed to seize all of modern-day Israel one day. The ceasefire brought Palestinians access to border farmland and fishing waters that Israel had previously kept off-limits and truce talks might lead to a further rolling back of Israel’s blockade of the coastal strip. There have been scattered confrontations since, with Israeli troops killing two Palestinians who neared the border fence. The officer said such incidents were rare and lacked the backing of Hamas and other armed Palestinian factions, which he said were now “thoroughly daunted” by Israel and trying to shore up the calm or at least avoid breaching it. “A quiet like we had over the past month hasn’t happened in 20 years,” the officer said. Palestinians won limited self-rule in 1993. Gaza was a hotbed of a Palestinian revolt that erupted in 2000, leading Israel to pull out five years later. Hamas took over the enclave in a Palestinian war in 2007 and has often fought Israel since. Harsher next time The officer would not be drawn on how long the calm might hold but threatened heavier bombing in any future offensive. Though Israel killed the Hamas military chief, Ahmed al-Jaabari, in a Nov 14 air strike, the officer said several other commanders had been spared because non-combatants were nearby. During the fighting, Israeli officials accused militants of sheltering in Gaza’s Shifa hospital and other civilian sites. In the next round, the officer, said, “I won’t fire on Shifa. But I won’t be able to keep to sterile strikes like I did in this round. I intend to kill the brigade commanders and battalion commanders wherever they are.” Gaza hospitals said at least half of the Palestinian dead in the offensive were civilians. Israel put the number of slain combatants at 120, around two-thirds of the toll. Israel says it destroyed almost all of Gaza’s most powerful rockets, whose 75 km ranges put Tel Aviv in reach. The officer said these included Iranian-designed Fajr-5s and Hamas’s homemade Qassam M-75, which, he said, had similar range but carried warheads with only around a tenth of the explosives. The strikes also destroyed stores of dozens of Kornet anti-tank missiles and pilotless drones, the officer said. Replacing them would take a long time, the officer said, adding Israel had been reassured as part of the truce that Egypt would clamp down on arms trafficking to Gaza through the Sinai. Hamas denies it lost a significant amount of hardware and celebrated the fact that it managed to fire several rockets at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem – though these all fell wide or were intercepted by the Iron Dome interceptor system. - Reuters    |
| Russia retaliates against US rights legislation Posted: 14 Dec 2012 05:17 PM PST
The tit-for-tat response came in a near-unanimous vote in the State Duma – the first of three votes before the bill goes to the upper house – hours before Obama signed the US legislation into law. The US legislation is known as the Magnitsky Act after Sergei Magnitsky, an anti-corruption lawyer whose death in a Moscow jail in 2009 caused an international outcry. It will require the United States to refuse visas for Russians accused of human rights violations and freeze any assets they hold in the United States. Only two deputies in the 450-seat Duma voted against Russia’s retaliatory bill, which would deny visas to Americans who violate the rights of Russians abroad, as well as seizing their assets and preventing them from doing business in Russia. In debate peppered with belligerent speeches reminiscent of Cold War rhetoric, all four parties backed the bill – a rare display in a chamber where the Communists and Just Russia frequently vote against Kremlin-controlled United Russia. “We will answer in kind,” said Vladimir Vasiliyev, the senior lawmaker for United Russia, which holds a majority in the Duma. “The saddest thing is that … the hawks (in the United States), Cold War hawks, have again won out.” “The Magnitsky Act is just an excuse to meddle in our internal affairs,” said Just Russia deputy Alexander Tarnavsky. The spat may make it harder for the two nations to halt a downward drift in relations, which had improved after Obama launched a “reset” of ties in 2009. What goes around, comes around The former Cold War foes Have clashed over the Syria conflict and US criticism of the Kremlin’s treatment of political opponents, particularly after President Vladimir Putin’s return to the Kremlin in May. Putin signaled on Thursday that he wants to limit the damage from the dispute, saying that Russia’s response to the bill must not be “excessive”. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich echoed that message on Friday. He warned that “what goes around comes around” and said US lawmakers seemed to want “to sacrifice the capital that has been built up in Russian-American relations”, but also suggested the response would be measured. “We value our strategic interaction with the United States, and for this reason the reaction even to such an unfriendly step should be proportionate,” Lukashevich told journalists at a weekly briefing. The Russian bill says Americans affected will include those involved in “unfounded or unjust” sentences against Russians – a nod to Viktor Bout, a Russian arms trader serving a 25-year prison term in the United States in what Moscow says was a politically motivated prosecution and unfair trial. The Russian bill, expected to be signed by Putin before the end of the year, also targets Americans accused of abusing Russian-born adopted children and US judges or authorities deemed to have been too lenient in such cases. Pro-Kremlin lawmakers have proposed the bill be named after Dima Yakovlev, a Russian-born boy who died at the age of 18 months after his adoptive US family left him locked in a vehicle in Virginia in 2008. - Reuters    |
| UN agency sees deal soon to check Iran nuclear work Posted: 14 Dec 2012 05:14 PM PST
Even though the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) failed to gain requested access to the Parchin military complex during Thursday’s visit to the Iranian capital, IAEA delegation head Herman Nackaerts said progress had been made. “We had good meetings,” Nackaerts, deputy director general of the UN watchdog, told reporters at Vienna airport. World powers seeking to resolve a decade-old dispute over Iran’s atomic activity and avert the threat of a new Middle East war closely watched the IAEA-Iran talks for any indication of Iranian readiness to finally start addressing their concerns. In Washington, the US State Department sounded a cautious note, saying Iran had repeatedly raised obstacles to real progress. “While we do commend the IAEA for its efforts, we’re disappointed that Iran did not grant access to the Parchin site which Iran has been sanitizing in advance of re-engaging with the IAEA,” State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said. “We understand there’s going to be a meeting in January between the two sides and we hope that Iran starts the immediate, substantive cooperation that is long overdue.” US ally Israel – believed to have the Middle East’s only nuclear arsenal – has threatened military action if diplomacy and economic sanctions intended to halt Iran’s uranium enrichment work do not resolve the standoff. The IAEA and Iran, which denies Western allegations it is seeking to develop a capability to assemble nuclear weapons, will meet again on January 16, Nackaerts said. “We expect to finalize the structured approach and start implementing it then shortly after that,” he said, referring to a framework agreement on how to tackle the IAEA’s suspicions about possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear program. Nackaerts did not give details on what had been achieved. But one stumbling block in previous, fruitless meetings was Iran’s request for access to intelligence documents at the basis of the IAEA’s concerns that Iran has conducted past, and possibly still ongoing, experiments relevant for atomic arms. Another bone of contention has been Iran’s insistence that each specific area of the investigation should be declared closed once the IAEA’s questions had been settled, while the U.N. agency wants to be able to return to the issue if needed. The IAEA had said after talks in May it expected a deal soon, but that failed to materialize. “We have now had so many false starts that there are grounds to be skeptical,” said Shashank Joshi, a senior fellow and Middle East specialist at the Royal United Services Institute. Parchin visit still useful Western diplomats, who often accused Iran of stonewalling and playing for time, want Iran to engage in substance on the IAEA’s long-stalled inquiry and immediately give it access to sites, officials and documents it needs. “There will likely be many in Washington and Israel skeptical that this … is anything but a delaying tactic on Iran’s part,” said Miles Pomper, senior research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Iran says its nuclear program is a peaceful bid to generate electricity. But its refusal to curb activity which can have civilian and military purposes, and lack of openness with the IAEA, have drawn increasingly tough Western sanctions. The IAEA – which said before the trip it hoped to visit Parchin – was unable to go there this time but it would be part of the “structured approach” accord, Nackaerts said. The Vienna-based agency believes Iran has tested explosives with possible nuclear applications at Parchin, southeast of Tehran, and has repeatedly asked for access. Iran says Parchin is a conventional military site and has dismissed allegations that it has tried to clean it up before any visit. It says it must first agree a framework deal with the IAEA before allowing any visit. A senior Iranian diplomat said Tehran was open to an inspection of Parchin. But, Mostafa Dolatyar added in New Delhi, “if they want do it as a mouse-and-cat game of course it is not possible”. Western diplomats say Iran has carried out extensive work at Parchin in the past year, including demolition of buildings and removal of soil, to cleanse it of any traces of illicit activity. The IAEA says going there would still be useful. The IAEA-Iran talks are separate from but closely linked to broader efforts by six world powers to resolve the nuclear row. Analysts and diplomats say there is a window of opportunity to make a renewed diplomatic push after last month’s re-election of US President Barack Obama. The six powers – the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China - want Iran to scale back its uranium enrichment program and cooperate fully with the IAEA. Iran wants the West to lift punitive measures hurting its economy. - Reuters    |
| UFO hacker won’t be tried in Britain for US crimes Posted: 14 Dec 2012 05:11 PM PST
Gary McKinnon, 46, who suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, has admitted hacking into Pentagon and NASA computers under the pseudonym “Solo”, saying he was looking for evidence of flying saucers and other extraterrestrial activity. He has been fighting extradition since police arrested him in 2005 and Home Secretary Theresa May blocked his extradition in October because of the high risk he could kill himself. She referred the matter to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to rule if he should be tried at home. The CPS said yesterday the chances of a conviction were “not high”, and cited logistical difficulties in pursuing a case in England and Wales such as bringing over witnesses and evidence from the United States. “The prospects of a conviction against Mr McKinnon which reflects the full extent of his alleged criminality are not high,” the CPS said in a statement. He had faced up to 60 years in a U.S. jail if found guilty of gaining unauthorized access to 97 U.S. government computers over a decade ago, and allegedly causing $700,000 damage to U.S. military systems. McKinnon’s solicitor, Karen Todner, told the BBC she was disappointed “because it means that he still hasn’t got closure”. “Every other country that America has an extradition treaty with, that extradition warrant is still out there and still live. That basically means that Gary can’t travel outside the UK for the rest of his life,” Todner said. - Reuters    |
| Venezuela furious at Obama’s comments on ailing Chavez Posted: 14 Dec 2012 05:09 PM PST
In an interview with US network Univision, Obama declined to speculate on the 58-year-old socialist president’s health in Cuba, where he is in a delicate state after his fourth operation since mid-2011 for cancer in his pelvic region. But he did say US policy was aimed at ensuring “freedom” in Venezuela. “The most important thing is to remember that the future of Venezuela should be in the hands of the Venezuelan people. We’ve seen from Chavez in the past authoritarian policies, suppression of dissent,” Obama said. Those remarks went down badly with officials in Caracas where emotions are running high over the future of Chavez and his self-styled revolution in the South American OPEC nation. In power since 1999, Chavez is due to start a new six-year term on January 10 after winning re-election just weeks before Obama did. His health crisis has thrown that into doubt, and Chavez has named a successor in case he is incapacitated. “With these despicable comments at such a delicate moment for Venezuela, the US president is responsible for a major deterioration in bilateral relations, proving the continuity of his policy of aggression and disrespect towards our country,” the Venezuelan government said in a statement. ‘Slow recovery, but speaking During his tumultuous rule, Chavez has gleefully assumed former Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s mantle as Washington’s main irritant in the region – though oil has continued to flow freely north to the benefit of both nations’ economies. Adored by poor supporters for his charismatic style and channeling of oil revenue into a wide array of welfare projects, Chavez is regarded as a dictator by opponents who point to his often harsh treatment of political foes. Officials said doctors had to use “corrective measures” on Chavez to stop unexpected bleeding caused during Tuesday’s six-hour operation, but that his condition had since improved. “The patient is fulfilling his post-operation protocol satisfactorily, given the complexity of the surgery,” the latest Venezuelan government statement on his condition said. “Recovery has been slow but progressive,” it added, saying Chavez had communicated with relatives and sent greetings to Venezuelans. Amid rumors Chavez had been unconscious since his operation, presidential press officer Teresa Maniglia indicated he had spoken for the first time on Friday. “‘How are my people?’ was the first thing Chavez said today when he spoke with his family for the first time,” she said via Twitter. Chavez’s situation is being closely tracked around the region, especially among fellow leftist-run nations from Cuba to Bolivia which depend on his generous oil subsidies and other aid for their fragile economies. “The president is battling hard – this time for his life, before it was for the Latin American fatherland,” said President Evo Morales of Bolivia, a Chavez friend and ally who announced he was flying to Havana overnight for an “emergency” visit. “This is very painful for us.” Speculation Venezuela’s leader has not divulged details of the cancer that was first diagnosed in June 2011, sparking endless speculation among the country’s 29 million people and criticism from opposition leaders for lack of transparency. “They’re hiding something, I think,” said 57-year-old housewife Alicia Marquina. “I’m not convinced by the announcements they’re making. I’m not a ‘chavista’, but neither am I cruel. I hope he does not suffer much and finds peace.” If Chavez has to leave office, new elections must be held within 30 days. Chavez has named his vice president, Nicolas Maduro, a 50-year-old former bus driver and union leader, as his heir apparent. Opposition flagbearer Henrique Capriles, who lost the presidential race against Chavez in October, is the favorite to face Maduro should a new vote be held, though first the governor of Miranda state must retain his post in local elections on Sunday. “The regime change is already occurring,” Jefferies’ & Co. managing director Siobhan Morden said in one of numerous Wall Street analyses of events in Venezuela. “The question is whether the alternative is Chavista-light or the opposition.” Even if he dies, Chavez is likely to cast a long shadow over Venezuela’s political landscape for years – not unlike Argentine leader Juan Peron, whose 1950s populism is still the ideological foundation of the country’s dominant political party. There are parallels with the situation in Cuba too, where Chavez’s close friend and mentor, Fidel Castro, suffered a health downturn, underwent various operations in secret, then eventually handed over power to his brother Raul Castro. - Reuters    |
| Italy’s left says Monti run ‘morally questionable’ Posted: 14 Dec 2012 05:07 PM PST
The Democratic Party (PD) has supported Monti’s technocrat government in parliament. But, while it has pledged to continue his fiscal discipline and wants him to stay on in some role after the election, it says he should stay out of the campaign, which polls suggest he would lose anyway. “It would be illogical and in a certain sense morally questionable if the professor were to enter the race against the main political force which supported him in his reform efforts,” Massimo D’Alema, a former prime minister and an influential center-left elder statesman told Friday’s daily Corriere della Sera. “I have great esteem for him and I hope he doesn’t.” center-right candidate Silvio Berlusconi has offered to stand aside to allow a Monti candidacy. European politicians from German Chancellor Angela Merkel to French President Francois Hollande also heaped praise on Monti and at a meeting of European center-right parties on Thursday, he was urged to run in the election. Monti avoided public comments on his political future, telling a news conference in Brussels it would not be “either possible or appropriate” for him to speak on the matter. But in an interview with an online religious magazine, Monti said Italians had earned respect for their economic sacrifices. “Italy did not derail and it will succeed”, Monti told Francescan magazine sanfrancesco.org. Industry Minister Corrado Passera also declined to comment on whether Monti would be a candidate in the vote, expected by February, “at least for now”. “I’m confident that our work will continue under a new government and a new parliament,” Passera said at an Italy-American conference in New York. He added that he thought the worst was over for the euro zone’s third-biggest economy and that it would improve in the second half of 2013. Monti’s austerity measures have helped reduce borrowing costs since he took over in a financial crisis last year. Italy’s public debt nonetheless rose above 2 trillion euros (US$2.62 trillion) for the first time in October, the Bank of Italy reported on Friday. PD party leader Pier Luigi Bersani said on Thursday he would call on Monti to perform some kind of role immediately after the election. But he has said it would be better for the respected former economics professor to stay out of the campaign. Opinion polls suggest Monti would be defeated if he ran, and PD officials say that would make it harder for him to replace President Giorgio Napolitano, who must step down by April. “He would have been a political competitor not 10 years earlier, or something like that, but last week,” Stefano Fassina, the main PD spokesman on economic affairs told Reuters. Poll numbers Napolitano, who named Monti to replace the discredited Berlusconi a year ago, said last month that Monti’s special lifetime seat in the Senate would not allow him to make an election bid. Monti also would be cautious about associating with the scandal-plagued Berlusconi, whose position switches have caused frustration and alarm across Europe and in his own party. Berlusconi reiterated criticisms of Monti’s austerity programs on Friday and said he would be obliged to lead the center-right if Monti did not accept the role. “I have had to return because of this,” he told his own Italia Uno television station. “We’re convinced that moderates will never allow the left to win with its policies of more spending and more taxes especially on the middle class.” A potential Monti election vehicle, a centrist group recently set up by Ferrari chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, is polling under three percent in most surveys. An average of two weeks’ opinion polls by website termometropolitico.it gave the PD 32.7 percent, ahead of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement on 16.8 percent and Berlusconi’s People of Freedom party (PDL) on 15 percent. A potential centrist coalition that could back a Monti candidacy polled 9.2 percent. - Reuters    |
Peluang untuk mendapatkan kembali hak milik tanah perladangan ini semakin tipis apabila satu-satunya ruang undang-undang untuk peneroka tertutup rapat apabila pada tahun 2004 peneroka kalah dalam kes tuntutan mereka di Mahkamah Tinggi Seremban.
Niat menyerahkan memorandum bertukar menjadi satu tragedi apabila salah seorang peneroka Gatco, Allahyarham Mohd Nordin Bakri, 54, secara kebetulan meninggal dunia pada himpunan tersebut dipercayai akibat serangan jantung.
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