FMT News |  |
- Astro’s Q3 pre-tax profit rises to RM158.4m
- KL shares end firmer
- Lagi demo anti Malaysia di Jakarta
- Volunteerism sorely lacking in Malaysia
- Asian shares rise on China hopes
- Iran tells US to ‘recount’ drones
- World Bank: Arab world to bear brunt of climate change
- Russian warships made call in Syrian port
- China Nobel winner expected to avoid politics
- Cannibalism fears as Russians lost in wilderness found alone
- New China leaders urge end to ‘pointless meetings’
- Israel PM heads to Berlin as settlement row grows
- Breath test points to colorectal cancer
- Most overpaid actor award goes to Murphy
- Deepak exposé: Perkasa screams slander
- Perak BN and MIC on collision course
- Isu pembantu rumah Indonesia selesai
- Share prices higher at mid-afternoon
- Injuries and weather hit Suzuki Cup holders Malaysia
- Man chains himself to US Embassy in Dominican Republic
- Najib’s election date and electoral strategy
- Tesco launches strategic review of US chain
- 238 dead, hundreds missing in Philippines typhoon
- Refer all cases of wrongful dismissals to IRD
- French men not producing as much sperm
- ‘We are still a corrupt lot’
- Lady Gaga buys Jackson’s costumes
- Dilontar batu tiga Pemuda Umno cedera
- SAPP buoyant about pact with Pakatan
- Don’t fear Umno’s May 13 threat
- Penang DCM offers to solve Gatco crisis
- Thai group buys US$9.4b Ping An stake from HSBC
- PKR leaders deny masterminding exposé
- KL shares trade higher in early session
- Pua to Chua: Let’s visit ‘Umno land’
- Polis tak pasti pihak mana buat provokasi program PKR
- Pemuda PAS Johor mahu polis siasat Hishammuddin, Musa
- ‘Video proves Anwar is behind Deepak’
- ‘Don’t treat Musa’s claims lightly’
- How Wal-Mart got a foot in India’s retail market
- Applying lipstick can harm your IQ
- Hydro Tasmania will quit Sarawak
- West Ham await Olympic Stadium decision
- STAR eyeing across political divide for candidates
- Thais pack Bangkok for king’s birthday celebration
- TV channel fined over Simpsons ‘blasphemy’
- M’sia among the worst global polluters
- London Games were “value for money”
- ‘Najib is hostile to LGBT community’
- 10 foods all women should eat
| Astro’s Q3 pre-tax profit rises to RM158.4m Posted: 05 Dec 2012 05:51 AM PST
The pay-television broadcaster posted a higher revenue of RM1.08 billion for period under review from RM999.31 million. For the nine-month period, it posted a pre-tax profit of RM460.22 million on the back of RM3.13 billion in revenue. The group has declared a maiden quarterly dividend of 1.5 sen per share, payable on Jan 11 next year. After announcing the results today, CEO Rohana Rozhan said the higher revenue was attributed to new customers who were migrated onto the Astro B.yond platform. “To date, we have migrated over 1.8 million customers onto the new platform and we are on track to complete the migration of our 3.2 million existing customers by Jan 31, 2014,” she told a press conference. Rohana said other revenue drivers include higher average revenue per user (ARPU), which grew from RM87 in the last financial year to RM92 in the period under review, due to higher demand for its value added services such as High Definition, Personal Video Recorder (PVR), On Demand and SuperPack. “We’re seeing a higher momentum of customers taking up our PVR services, a service which allows customers to record programmes, which increased by 200% to 227,000 this year and this, in turn, increases our ARPU by RM10. “The SuperPack service experienced higher take-up rate of 126% to 650,000, while the On Demand service has received over five million buys to date,” she said. She said advertising revenue also grew by 17% to RM360 million, compared with RM308 million in the previous financial year, which reflected Astro’s increasing relevance to advertisers. Moving forward, the group would continue evolving its services with customers in mind, whereby one of the key highlights next year include the Astro B.yond Internet Protocol television (IPTV) powered by Maxis. “The new service will give us access to 1.3 million homes, of which 1.1 million are already Astro customers. This will happen by the first quarter next year for the 1.3 million single dwelling units and I believe, by the fourth quarter this year for the Maxis multi dwelling units,” she added. - Bernama      |
| Posted: 05 Dec 2012 02:28 AM PST
The benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 6.18 points to close at 1,613.79. The barometer index moved between 1,609.35 and 1,614.51 after opening at 1,609.54. The Malaysian Institute of Economic Research expected Malaysia’s economy to grow 5.6% next year based on the favourable global economic environment. In the meantime, the RM28 billion deals sealed yesterday for development in the area of nanotechnology, as well as several iconic investments in Iskandar Malaysia, were seen as another prime catalysts for the country’s growth. Meanwhile, TA Securities senior technical analyst, Stephen Soo, said Bursa Malaysia’s movement was in line with other regional markets’ performances after the investor appetite was lifted following a pledge from China’s new leader to boost the country’s economic growth next year. “Investors switched their focus from the US fiscal cliff to hopes that growth in the second biggest economy in the world, China, will pick up sooner-than-expected,” he told Bernama. China’s Communist Party chief pledged to make policies more targeted and effective in 2013 to help the economy recover, resulting in regional stocks and commodity markets to move better today. Gainers outpaced losers by 361 to 293, while 345 counters were unchanged, 634 untraded and 18 others suspended. Volume rose to 829.126 million shares worth RM1.19 billion from 788.99 million shares worth RM1.24 billion yesterday. The Finance Index surged 46.18 points to 15,031.56, Industrial Index added 9.77 points to 2,671.70 and the Plantation Index rose 7.86 points to 7,898.48. The FBM Ace Index, however, inched down 6.29 points to 4,174.68. The FBM Emas Index rose 36.38 points to 10,992.97, FBMT100 increased 37.45 points to 10,845.69 and the FBM Mid 70 Index advanced 22.319 points to 12,056.14. Among actives, Astral Supreme-Warr added a sen to 10.5 sen, Takaso Resources slipped 1.5 sen to 25.5 sen, Tiger Synergy was flat at 34 sen while Astral Supreme eased half sen to 26 sen. For the heavyweights, Maybank rose one sen to RM9.07, CIMB jumped six sen to RM7.54, Sime Darby lost one sen to RM8.96, while Axiata was up three sen to RM5.96. Volume on the Main Market rose to 654.49 million units valued at RM1.17 billion from 586.86 million units valued at RM1.21 billion yesterday. Turnover on the ACE Market fell to 126.13 million shares worth RM20.23 million from 151.70 million shares worth RM20.99 million yesterday. Warrants declined to 44.99 million units valued at RM2.66 million from 48.53 million units worth RM2.49 million previously. Consumer products accounted for 95.718 million shares on the Main Market, industrial products 197.583 million, construction 18.409 million, trade and services 193.737 million, technology 44.119 million, infrastructure 14.533 million, finance 34.0 million, hotels 190,700, properties 38.435 million, plantations 11.932 million, mining 5,000, REITs 5.818 million and closed/fund 1,000. - Bernama    |
| Lagi demo anti Malaysia di Jakarta Posted: 05 Dec 2012 02:03 AM PST
Bagaimanapun, ratusan polis yang berjaga berjaya mengawal keadaan. Mereka mahu bertemu dengan pihak kedutaan besar Malaysia. "Niat kami berbicara baik, jangan sampai kami terus teriak menghina ka," kata anggota Laskar Merah Putih menggunakan pembesar suara . Tapi keinginan mereka ditolak. "Mereka nggak (tidak) mahu bertemu pendemo," ujar ketua polis sektor Setiabudi, AKBP Lalu Muhammad Iwan Mahardan. Namun pendemo tetap menginginkan perwakilannya masuk ke pejabat kedutaan besar. Pendemo mengancam akan mengerahkan puluhan ribu anggota Laskar Merah Putih untuk mengepung kedutaan. "Dalam dua bulan ke depan kalau kedutaan besar Malaysia tidak mahu menerima kita, 50 ribu orang akan kita turunkan, apapun risikonya. Panglima-panglima di wilayah rapatkan barisan, kita akan datang ke sini," teriak pendemo. Mereka menuntut proses undang-undang terhadap tiga polis Diraja Malaysia atas kes pemerkosaan TKW. "Kami menuntut mahkamah Malaysia juga memulangkan kembali wang jaminan 3 polis dan hukum setimpal-timpalnya," ujar pendemo.    |
| Volunteerism sorely lacking in Malaysia Posted: 05 Dec 2012 02:01 AM PST
Although there are about 135,000 full-fledged volunteers in Malaysia, the figure only represents less than 1% of youths aged above 15. Do Something Good, an online volunteer platform, recently released the results of its inaugural survey on the state of volunteerism in the country. "There is an interest in volunteerism but more can be done to make it part of our mainstream culture," said Do Something Good's project head, Zahirah Md Yusoff. Seventeen volunteer associations and several online platforms took part in the survey with the focus on those investing their time with non-religious and non-political organisations. The survey also found that volunteers have trouble finding avenues to help out. "Sometimes, people volunteer because their friends do, thus, organisations should make volunteering a social activity," said Do Something Good's technology developer, Kal Joffres. Their engagement level is an area of concern, because of the 30,215 registered volunteers who took part in the survey, less than 30% (8,856) were active in their organisations. The survey also noted that the levels of social media engagement with volunteers and potential volunteers was low and needed special attention. The ability to manage volunteers at diverse levels of engagement proved to be a huge obstacle for many cash-strapped NGOs, the survey revealed. Such organisations do not have the proper channels to train them due to the lack of funding and expertise in volunteer management. 1Malaysia for Youth (1M4U) CEO Jake Abdullah said the focus should be on the quality of volunteer activities whereby it should be sustainable and should not be a one-off thing. "People should also be educated on what volunteerism is all about," he said. Do Something Good plays an intermediary’s role by connecting NGOs to volunteers and is a used by a handful of Malaysia's top volunteering organisations.    |
| Asian shares rise on China hopes Posted: 05 Dec 2012 01:36 AM PST
European shares were expected to rise, with financial spreadbetters predicting London’s FTSE 100, Paris’s CAC-40 and Frankfurt’s DAX to open as much as 1% higher. A 0.3% gain in US stock futures hinted at a similarly firm Wall Street open. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan advanced 0.8%, gaining momentum as Shanghai shares soared nearly 3% to reclaim the 2,000-point level after slumping to near four-year lows last week. Chinese shares were boosted by remarks late yesterday from new Communist Party chief Xi Jinping, who said that the government aimed to stabilise exports and make policies more targeted and effective. “We are due for a short-term bounce anyway. Xi’s comments suggest he thinks the slowdown in the Chinese economy has bottomed and inflation is not going to be a big problem,” said Hong Hao, chief equity strategist at Bank of Communications International Securities. Hong Kong shares jumped 1.5%, Australian shares rose 0.4% and Japan’s Nikkei stock average erased earlier losses to end up 0.4%. The HSBC Purchasing Managers Index for China’s services sector today showed the barometer slipped to 52.1 in November from October’s 53.5, but recent indicators from factory output to retail sales and investment reflected positive effects from Beijing’s pro-growth policies. Growth prospects for China, the world’s second-largest economy, and a fiscal crisis facing the world’s top economy remain underlining market themes. However, daily flows are increasingly being dictated by year-end position reshuffling, with price swings magnified by thinning activity ahead of the holidays, traders said. Fiscal crisis The White House and Republicans remain at odds on how to avoid a US$600 billion “fiscal cliff” of US budget cuts and tax increases starting from Jan 1. Despite the uncertainty, markets hope US lawmakers will eventually reach a compromise. President Barack Obama dangled the possibility yesterday of lowering tax rates in 2013 with a broad US tax code revamp, but stood firm on insisting rates for the wealthiest must rise as part of a budget deal with Congress. His conciliatory tone helped drive the dollar lower and risky assets higher, Sebastien Galy, currency strategist at Societe Generale, said in a note to clients. “This rally in risk is tempered by a steady profit-taking as investors close their books for the year and some need to lock in their profits… Short-term redemptions are a factor in December after a difficult year,” Galy said. Spot gold inched up 0.3% to US$1,701.95 an ounce, after falling to its lowest in nearly a month yesterday. “If the US really falls off the ‘fiscal cliff’, we are likely to see some buying of gold for store of value and also on the outlook that the U.S. dollar may depreciate further,” said Lynette Tan, senior investment analyst at Phillip Futures in Singapore. Support for euro Risk sentiment was also supported by receding fears about the contagion risk of the euro zone’s debt crisis after a Greek plan to buy back debt pushed the euro to a fresh seven-week high of US$1.3125 today. The plan spawned optimism that Athens will secure much-needed emergency aid to avert a default. “The news helped those who were sceptical of Greece cover their short euro positions but at this time in the year, market activity will be influenced by position adjustments before the year-end holidays, with each currency pair moving on its own factor,” said Hiroshi Maeba, head of FX trading Japan for UBS in Tokyo. “Friday’s US nonfarm payrolls will be key to market sentiment and the US fiscal issue will be the primary focus for markets,” he said. But other analysts noted that due to the impact of superstorm Sandy on the US Northeast in November, it may be difficult to get a clear picture of the labour market from Friday’s data. The US Federal Reserve is set to announce a fresh round of Treasury bond purchases at its Dec 11-12 meeting, replacing a programme which expires at the end of the year called Operation Twist, under which it bought US$45 billion of longer-dated bonds a month while selling its shorter-date holdings. The European Central Bank is widely expected to keep rates on hold at its policy meeting on Thursday. The dollar climbed 0.4% against the yen to 82.23 yen . Australia’s resource-reliant economy grew a moderate 0.5% last quarter, but lower export revenues government cutbacks and a decelerating mining boom painted tougher times ahead. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cut interest rates to a record-matching low of 3% yesterday. The local dollar held around US$1.0470. US crude futures were up 0.4% to US$88.87 a barrel and Brent futures were up 0.2% to US$110.04. - Reuters    |
| Iran tells US to ‘recount’ drones Posted: 05 Dec 2012 01:29 AM PST  TEHRAN: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards are telling the United States to “recount” the drones in its fleet as they insist that – despite US denials – they captured a small US unmanned spy plane over Gulf waters, Iranian media said today.“Its capture is not an issue the Americans can easily refute,” Guards spokesman Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif was quoted as saying. “I advise the American commanders to recount their drones accurately,” he said. The Guards on Tuesday claimed to have recently captured a ScanEagle drone, a low-cost, short-range unmanned aircraft made by Boeing that measures 1.4 metres long and with a wingspan of three metres. They said the craft was seized in Iranian airspace but gave no details about how it was captured intact, nor where or when. State television showed images of what it said was the drone: a grey, unmarked vehicle suspended in a hangar. A spokesman for the US Fifth Fleet based in the Gulf said none of its drones was missing, and a White House spokesman said there is “no evidence” the Iranian claim was true. A year ago, Iran displayed a bigger and vastly more sophisticated US drone, a bat-winged stealth RQ-170 Sentinel, it said it had captured by hacking its guidance system. US officials, after initially denying that Sentinel drone had been inside Iran airspace, ended up admitting it had been lost during a CIA mission, but contended it had likely suffered a malfunction that brought it down. US President Barack Obama unsuccessfully asked Iran to return it. The ScanEagle that Iran says it now possesses is a much cheaper, simpler drone than the RQ-170 Sentinel. It is principally designed to feed back video images over a radio link to operators up to 100 kilometres away. US and allied forces used ScanEagles in Iraq and Afghanistan, and several other countries operate the drone, including Australia, Canada, Poland and the United Arab Emirates, according to Boeing background information. The drone is also used for civilian purposes such as tracking fish or oil platform observation. Sharif maintained the Guards’ assertion that the drone held by Iran came from a US Navy vessel in the Gulf, but no evidence was given to support that. Speaking to the Etemad daily, Sharif said the drone was on a reconnaissance mission hovering over Iranian military sites and oil terminals. “We have extracted data off the drone… it shows what the Americans were looking for,” Sharif said. “The drone was gathering intelligence on military (objectives) as well as the energy sector, particularly oil transitions at terminals,” he said without further elaboration. He said “more information would be released if necessary.” Sharif also insisted “the Americans will sooner or later confirm that their drone has been captured.” - AFP    |
| World Bank: Arab world to bear brunt of climate change Posted: 05 Dec 2012 01:21 AM PST  DOHA: Global warming will have dire consequences for the Middle East and North Africa, with even hotter and drier conditions devastating everything from agriculture to tourism, a World Bank report said today.On current trends, average temperatures in Arab countries are likely to rise by as much as three degrees Celsius by 2050 – and double that for night-time temperatures, said the report released at UN climate talks in Doha. Rainfall in the region with the world's lowest endowment of fresh water is projected to become even more unreliable, and flash floods more frequent. “The climate of Arab countries will experience unprecedented extremes,” warned the report. “Temperatures will continue to reach record highs, and in many places there will be less rainfall. Water availability will be reduced, and with a growing population the already water-scarce region may not have sufficient supplies to irrigate crops, support industry, and provide drinking water. “Climate change will not only challenge the status quo: it will threaten the basic pillars of development.” Negotiators from nearly 200 countries are gathered in the Qatari capital to thrash out a deal on reducing Earth-warming greenhouse gas emissions and provide funding to help developing nations, many in this region, deal with a changing climate. The United Nations is targeting a global warming limit of two degrees Celsius from industrial age levels, but several reports have recently warned that Earth is heading for double this on current emissions trends. The World Bank said climate change has, or soon will, affect most of the 340 million people in the Arab region — but the 100 million poorest, with fewer resources to adapt, will feel it most. It will affect livelihoods – causing a cumulative drop in household incomes of about seven percent in Syria and Tunisia and 24 percent in Yemen, said the report. All but six Arab countries already suffer from water scarcity, which is defined as less than 1,000 cubic metres of water per person per year. Climate change is expected to reduce water runoff by another 10 percent by 2050, while demand will grow by 60 percent. On top of water scarcity and even more scorching temperatures, farmers will also have to contend with saline intrusion from the sea, new pests and a drop in soil fertility, said the report. The current rate of increase in agricultural production is likely to slow over the next few decades, and may start to decline after about 2050. “This is alarming because almost half of the Arab region's population lives in rural areas, and 40 percent of employment is derived from agriculture.” Tourism will also suffer. Contributing about US$50 billion dollars (38 billion euros) to the Arab region’s purse today, about three percent of its gross domestic product and six percent of employment, the sector is likely to be hard hit once tourists start opting for milder climes. “Snowfall in Lebanon (for skiing), Red Sea coral reefs, and many ancient monuments across the region are threatened by climate change and severe weather,” said the World Bank. Higher temperatures also pose serious health risks as vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue are introduced to new areas, and malnutrition rises as food becomes scarcer. The report urged urgent political intervention to ensure climate adaptation plans were integrated into all national policies. Governments must collect climate data, promote more effective farmland management, fund research into drought resistant crops and invest in waste water treatment plants, it said. “As the climate becomes ever more extreme, so will its impacts on people's livelihoods and well-being,” said Inger Andersen, World Bank vice president for the Middle East and North Africa region. “The time to take actions at both the national and regional level in order to increase climate resilience is now.” - AFP    |
| Russian warships made call in Syrian port Posted: 05 Dec 2012 01:17 AM PST  MOSCOW: Two Russian warships have made a rare call at Russia’s controversial Mediterranean naval base in Syria to resupply and refuel, reports said today.The landing ships Novocherkassk and Saratov docked in the port of Tartus for several hours but their crews did not go ashore, the Interfax and ITAR-TASS news agencies reported. “They loaded up on fuel and water and had minor repairs. No shore leave was planned for the crew,” a source in the naval chief of staff told the Interfax news agency. ITAR-TASS said the call took place at the end of November and lasted several hours. The Tartus base is Russia’s only remaining foreign military base outside the former Soviet Union and is seen as a major strategic asset for Moscow. Russia has defiantly refused to cut military cooperation with the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad despite the conflict that according to rights groups has killed 41,000 people. However Russia prefers to term the facility a “point of material-technical supply” for the navy rather than a base and it is too shallow for large ships to dock on shore. Russia also retains only a small permanent personnel presence at the facility, with no ships permanently based there and port calls increasingly rare in the last years. - AFP    |
| China Nobel winner expected to avoid politics Posted: 05 Dec 2012 01:15 AM PST  BEIJING: China’s Nobel literature winner Mo Yan heads to Sweden today to collect his award, but he walks a delicate line with the authorities and is likely to avoid mentioning in his speech jailed fellow laureate Liu Xiaobo.Mo Yan has been hailed as a national hero since the prize announcement in October, and his works have rocketed up China’s best-seller lists. But he has also had to contend with criticism from activists who brand him a stooge for the ruling Communist Party. State media reported the writer was leaving today for Stockholm, where he will give his Nobel lecture on Friday ahead of the prize ceremony on Monday. Until the award Mo Yan had won critical praise but little mainstream fame for his works, which blend harshly realistic accounts of life in China’s countryside with fantastical and sometimes grotesque satire, including cannibalism and orgiastic feasting. But the announcement prompted Chinese readers to snap up his books, leaving retailers around the country with empty shelves. He earned royalties of 21.5 million yuan (US$3.5 million) this year, the second-highest of any Chinese writer, according to an annual survey. Gaomi, his home town, announced US$107 million in projects to honour him, including a “Mo Yan Culture Experience Zone” and the planting of swathes of red sorghum, in honour of his best-known work, a 1987 novella named after the plant. State-run media was effusive, hailing him as China’s first Nobel literature prize winner, even though Chinese-born Gao Xingjian — whose works were banned in China and who later took French nationality – won the 2000 literature award. Liu Xiaobo, who was jailed in 2009 for calling for democratic change, was awarded the Peace prize the following year, but officials excoriated the decision as interference in China’s internal affairs. The Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama was also awarded the 1989 peace prize. Mo Yan himself was criticised for holding a senior role in the state-backed Chinese Writers’ Association, and for joining a government-sanctioned walk-out of a German book fair in protest at the presence of dissident writers. Yu Jie, an exiled dissident writer, was quoted by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle as calling Mo’s award “the biggest scandal in the history of the Nobel prize for literature”. Romanian-born novelist Herta Mueller, who won the literature prize in 2009, called Mo’s win a “catastrophe,” saying: “He celebrates censorship. It’s extremely upsetting.” But Mo surprised his critics when he mentioned Liu Xiaobo at a press conference in October. “I hope he can gain freedom as early as possible,” he said. He strove to separate his work from politics, saying that his Nobel win was “a literature victory, not a political victory”. Mo Yan has long trodden a fine line between criticising China’s political establishment and cooperating with it, said Ma Xiangwu, a literature professor at the People’s University in Beijing. “For a long time Mo has occupied a position within the system, but not totally within it,” he said. “His works are often very critical of society and politics – he’s too complex to be put in a box.” In keeping with that, he said there was “absolutely no chance” Mo would refer to Liu in his Nobel lecture. “He won’t mention sensitive issues during his speech. I think he will be quite moderate. I don’t think he will directly criticise the government… but I also don’t expect he will heap extravagant praise on China,” he added. In an open letter published Tuesday, more than 130 past Nobel winners urged the Chinese Communist Party’s new chief Xi Jinping to release Liu. The sensitivity of the issue is such that Wei Yingjie, an author and book critic, declined to mention Liu Xiaobo by name. “It is possible that the Writers’ Association and government officials will remind Mo Yan not to mention sensitive topics during his speech,” he said. “I don’t think there is a big chance he will mention him of his own accord. He has already said more than Chinese web users are permitted to say online.” - AFP    |
| Cannibalism fears as Russians lost in wilderness found alone Posted: 05 Dec 2012 01:13 AM PST  MOSCOW: Russian investigators have opened a murder case after two fishermen were rescued following three months lost in a remote Far East forest amid fears the pair could have eaten a companion to stay alive, officials said today.The two men disappeared in August on a river fishing expedition to the vast Yakutia region in the Russian Far East, one of the most remote and inhospitable places in the world. Rescuers finally found two of the men this month by the Sutam River some 250 kilometres (155 miles) from the nearest town of Neryungri in the south of Yakutia but without two companions. The men, both inhabitants of the Russian Far East, claimed that their group had split up and said the others were likely still alive as they were used to living in the open. But a murder probe was opened after a team of top investigators from the regional capital Yakutsk found fragments of a human corpse close to the place where the pair was found. "Investigators carried out an examination of two areas. Fragments of a human corpse with signs of a violent death were discovered and removed," the Yakutia branch of Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement. "A criminal case into suspected murder has been opened." Russia has no article in the criminal code for cannibalism but the state RIA Novosti news agency said that the initial theory was that the two men had eaten one companion. It was not clear what happened to the fourth man. The pair, aged 37 and 35, have denied any wrongdoing and said they had managed to survive as the winter set in a wooden hut by foraging for wild foods. But the lifenews.ru website said they had fled the hospital where they were being treated for severe frostbite and were now on the run from investigators. The Yakutia investigators said that DNA and pathological testing has been ordered and they are working urgently to uncover what happened. - AFP    |
| New China leaders urge end to ‘pointless meetings’ Posted: 05 Dec 2012 01:12 AM PST  BEIJING: China’s new leaders have urged an end to “pointless” meetings, speeches and other time-wasting events, state-run media said today in the latest call for improved governance.Since being unveiled as the ruling Communist Party’s top brass last month, party chief Xi Jinping and others have trumpeted pledges such as better serving the people and tackling hot-button issues including official corruption. “The new leadership asked officials to slash red tape, including unnecessary visits, meetings and pointless discussions,” the China Daily said, reporting on a Tuesday meeting of the 25-member Politburo. Also singled out were the “pointless media reporting” and “traffic disruption” that routinely resulted from senior officials’ comings and goings. Politburo members agreed to slash bureaucracy, from the size of escorts that accompany leaders on trips to the publication of official documents, the state news agency Xinhua said. Xi has repeatedly stressed less talk, the China Daily said, citing his comments at a party school in 2010 that “there was room for a great deal of improvement in speeches by officials, as they contained too much jargon and empty words”. Xi’s first remarks as party chief last month had little of the Communist terminology — or references to socialist figures such as Karl Marx and Mao Zedong – that peppered the speeches of his predecessor Hu Jintao. - AFP    |
| Israel PM heads to Berlin as settlement row grows Posted: 05 Dec 2012 01:09 AM PST  JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due in Berlin today for talks likely to focus on the growing crisis over settlement plans that could torpedo the viability of a Palestinian state.Ahead of his departure on a trip that will take him briefly to Prague and then on to Berlin, Netanyahu brushed off the diplomatic pressure. He insisted that Israel’s settlement building was not the central issue in the decades-long conflict between the Jewish state and the Palestinians. “The root of the conflict is not the settlements; it is the very existence of the state of Israel and the desire to wipe it off the face of the earth,” he said late on Tuesday. “Our top public diplomacy mission is to explain that the root of this conflict is not territorial. It is over our very existence in any borders whatsoever.” Israel is facing mounting international pressure over its announcement that it will build 3,000 new settlement homes, including in an area east of Jerusalem, where observers say construction could crush hopes of a viable Palestinian state. It announced the plans in response to the General Assembly’s decision last week to upgrade Palestinian UN status. On Tuesday night, the Palestinian leadership said it would ask the UN Security Council to condemn the Israeli settlement programme. The leadership decided “as a first measure to turn to the UN Security Council… to request a constraining resolution for Israel to stop its decisions of destructive expansion and all forms of settlement.” The decision came after a chorus of disapproval from the international community, including the European Union, although Britain said on Tuesday that the grouping was unlikely to punish Israel by imposing trade sanctions. Germany said it was “deeply concerned” about the Israeli plans and urged the Jewish state to reverse its decision. “Both sides should act constructively and avoid obstructing what is urgently needed, namely the resumption of substantial direct peace talks,” German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Monday. France, Britain, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Australia and Egypt have all summoned the Israeli ambassadors to protest the plans, which also drew criticism from Russia and Japan. The site of the controversial new construction, known as E1, lies between the easternmost edge of annexed east Jerusalem and the nearby Maaleh Adumim settlement. Observers say Israeli settlement there would effectively prevent the future establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state, dooming the two-state solution. Washington has also warned construction in E1 “would be especially damaging to efforts to achieve a two-state solution” and President Barack Obama’s spokesman urged Israel “to reconsider”. EU’s ambassador to Israel, Andrew Standley, said on Tuesday that despite growing international calls, Israel had shown no sign it was planning to call off its construction plans. “We’ve not had any signal or message back, for the time being, to indicate that this message has been heard and has been acted upon,” he said. “There have been in fact, to the contrary, further messages or announcements saying Israel will act upon what it considers to be its strategic interests, which may suggest that if it sees more measures as necessary it will take more measures,” he said. “This is not what we are asking for.” A source in Netanyahu’s office stressed on Monday there would be “no change” to the decision. Since then the Israeli government, which is in election mode, has announced it will revive plans for another 1,600 settlement homes in annexed east Jerusalem. - AFP    |
| Breath test points to colorectal cancer Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:58 AM PST  PARIS: An experimental breath test can diagnose colorectal cancer with an accuracy of over 75 percent, Italian researchers reported today.The electronic “nose” detects key molecules emitted by tumours, a technique that is also being used in pioneering diagnostics for lung and breast cancer. A team led by Donato Altomare of the Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation at the University Aldo Mori in Bari collected exhaled breath from 37 patients with colorectal cancer and 41 healthy counterparts. The breath was then analysed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, which looked for a tiny chemical “fingerprint” for so-called volatile organic compounds linked to cancer. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in Europe, after lung cancer, and the third in the United States. The human and economic cost of the disease is pushing the search for swift, cheap and simple diagnostic tools, compared to tests on stool DNA or faecal blood or a colonoscopy to detect dangerous polyps. “The technique of breath sampling is very easy and non-invasive, although the method is still in the early phase of development,” said Altomare. “Our study’s findings provide further support for the value of breath testing as a screening tool.” The paper is published in the British Journal of Surgery.—AFP    |
| Most overpaid actor award goes to Murphy Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:34 AM PST
In its annual list, determined by the misalignment between star salaries and their films’ box office take, Murphy, once a one-man gold mine with 1980s hits such as “Trading Places” and “Beverly Hills Cop”, displaced Drew Barrymore for the top spot. “Murphy’s career has just collapsed,” Forbes said, citing such recent box office bombs as “Imagine That”, “A Thousand Words” and “Meet Dave”. Weighing box office receipts against paychecks, Forbes calculated that for every dollar Murphy was paid for his last three films, they returned an average of just US$2.30 at the box office. Murphy placed second on the list a year ago. Popular actresses such as Katherine Heigl, and Oscar winners Reese Witherspoon and Sandra Bullock, made the top five, with “returns” ranging from US$3.40 to $5. Forbes took issue with Witherspoon’s “questionable” choices such as the star-laden, James L Brooks romantic comedy “How Do You Know”, which was one of 2010′s worst-performing films. It cost US$120 million, much of which went toward star salaries, but grossed a paltry US$49 million. The cast included two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington, as well as actors generally considered solid at the box office such as Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller. “Washington’s films do fine at the box office but he can demand an outsized paycheck on those movies,” Forbes noted. His current hit “Flight” was not included for this year’s list. Washington’s return was the same US$6.30 calculated for Sandler, whose comedies Forbes said were consistent performers — except when they’re not, such as the disappointing “Jack and Jill”. It was the same with Stiller, whom Forbes said “earns so much money per film that one miss can make him seem overpaid. That’s what happened with “Tower Heist”, in which the actor co-starred with — Eddie Murphy. Will Ferrell, who topped the list for two of the last four years and came in third a year ago, didn’t place. The full list can be found at www.forbes.com/overpaidactors.—Reuters    |
| Deepak exposé: Perkasa screams slander Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:25 AM PST
"Since the beginning I didn’t trust this Deepak character," said Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali. "People who get involved with an immoral leader are immoral themselves." Yesterday, pro-Umno blogger Papagomo posted a poorly lighted video featuring a man who looks and sounds like Deepak speaking of the circumstances surrounding the businessman's recent press interviews, which resurrected allegations that Najib and Rosmah were involved in the bribery of private investigator P Balasubramaniam. Papagomo's posting alleged that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim was behind Deepak's exposés. The man in the video named several other PKR leaders, including vice president N Surendran and Subang MP R Sivarasa. Both Sivarasa and Surendran have dismissed claims that PKR was involved in the exposes, saying they were only representing Deepak for a court case involving a land deal that went sour. Syed Hassan alleged that PKR was losing support and had resorted to slander to regain it. "They have no choice but to resort to such attacks as their supporters are leaving in droves," he said.
"As far as I know, Najib is very good person and a great leader," he said. "I don’t care about what Deepak is saying." Sekijang MP Baharum Mohamad said Pakatan Rakyat had gone too far in its accusations against Najib and his family. "They have gone overboard on this," he said. "I believe that such slander against a person should not exist in a modern society like ours. "If there is a report lodged, the police should investigate it without fear or favour." MIC secretary-general S Murugesan agreed. "If the content of the video is proven to be true," he said, "it will show how bad Malaysian politics has become. Politicians are using proxies to attack their opponents. It’s definitely not healthy for our democracy." Also read: PKR leaders deny masterminding exposé 'Video proves Anwar is behind Deepak'    |
| Perak BN and MIC on collision course Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:24 AM PST
Sources revealed that while Palanivel is adamant on retaining several party veterans as candidates for the upcoming general election, the state BN leadership led by Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir wants MIC to put forth new and winnable candidates, especially young leaders. Zambry is unhappy that Palanivel, who is also Perak MIC chief, had insisted that several “expired” leaders be given state seats to contest at the 13th general election, due in the next four months, sources revealed. A party leader, who did not want to be named, told FMT that Palanivel’s “stubbornness” may ruin MIC’s chances of winning seats in the state. “I will not be surprised if Perak MIC repeat its dismal performance as in the 2008 election,” he said. At the last election MIC lost all four state seats – Hutan Melintang, Behrang, Pasir Panjang and Sungkai – contested under the BN banner. “This time around, speculation is that MIC would swap two seats with other BN component parties. MIC will give up the Behrang and Pasir Panjang seats and instead take up Buntong and Trong state constituencies,” said the source. The party insider claimed that Palanivel was willing to take up any seat offered by the state BN, but was adamant that the candidates must be chosen by him. The MIC chief’s stand to retain some veteran leaders as candidates has irked not only state BN leaders but also party grassroots members. “Palanivel insisted on fielding veterans like State Legislative Assembly speaker R Ganesan and party veteran KR Naidu. This has not gone down well with Zambry and the state BN leadership,” said the source. The source said while these two leaders were famous and popular, they did not command support of voters in the state. “The state BN feels MIC should inject some fresh blood to its line-up. The voters want new candidates who can really go down to the ground and meet the needs of the people,” he added. The source also said Palanivel should relinquish his position as party state chief as it was creating factions in Perak MIC. “The party is broken in Perak. Palanivel has to listen to too many warlords. Even party members want a local leader to take over the position. There is no reason for Palanivel to hold the state chief’s position… he is, after all, the party president.” “He is Selangor MIC chairman for the past 15 years but what is his contribution? Has Selangor fared any better in safeguarding the interests of the Indian community? In fact, MIC suffered due to his leadership in the state. Despite being the Selangor MIC chief, he still lost his parliamentary seat in Hulu Selangor,” he added. Although Palanivel lost the Hulu Selangor parliamentary constituency at the 2008 general election, the BN wrestled the seat back at a subsequent by-election. The party’s supreme council member P Kamalanathan won the seat in the by-election in 2010.    |
| Isu pembantu rumah Indonesia selesai Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:16 AM PST
Pemangku Presiden Persatuan Agensi Pembantu Rumah Asing (Papa), Jeffrey Foo, berkata persefahaman kini tercapai setelah beberapa rundingan dan perbincangan diadakan dengan Indonesia. Perbicangan tersebut membabitkan beberapa aspek utama iaitu dari segi pengurusan dan kebajikan pekerja, mekanisma pembayaran gaji dan jaminan keselamatan. “Kita berusaha berunding dan berbincang dengan Indonesia untuk mencapai tahap persefahaman mengenai pelbagai aspek termasuklah pembayaran gaji. “Kita sama-sama prihatin tentang keperluan dan kebajikan para pekerja. Kemungkinan akhir bulan ada tanda baik mengenai jalan keluar berhubung beberapa permasalahan yang berlaku sebelum ini,” katanya ketika dihubungi FMT. Merujuk kepada kenyataan terbaru dari pihak kedutaan Indonesia yang dilaporkan media hari ini, Jeffery berkata kes yang berlaku tidak boleh menjadi ukuran bahawa Malaysia gagal melindungi pembantu rumah. Jeffery menegaskan, Malaysia mempunyai peraturan tegas dan tidak akan melindungi mana-mana pihak yang melanggar undang-undang. Jangan emosi Indonesia disarankan agar tidak terlalu beremosi mengenai perkara itu. “Jika merujuk kepada kes 105 wanita asing yang dikurung dan tidak dibayar gaji, ini merupakan kumpulan pekerja dari sindiket yang tidak bertanggungjawab dan tidak mengikut peraturan yang betul. Bagaimana kita nak melindungi mereka dengan cara betul? “Kita (Malaysia) ada undang-undang dan peraturan mencukupi untuk atasi masalah dan yang penting kita jangan terlalu emosi. Apa yang kita sedang usaha oleh pihak kerajaan dan Indonesia untuk capai satu persefahaman untuk atasi masalah perlindungan selain kos yang kita hadapi. “Jadi harus pandang ke depan dan bukannya merujuk kepada kejadian ini, ia tidak baik. Jika kita nak hapuskan jenayah seperti sindiket ini kita tarik lesen perniagaan mereka,” jelasnya. Beliau turut mengakui kenyataan terbaru dikeluarkan oleh kedutaan itu sedikit sebanyak memberi kesan kepada kekurangan pembantu rumah dari Indonesia. Kedutaan Indonesia mengeluarkan kenyataan agar pembantu rumah dari negara itu mengelak daripada bekerja di Malaysia. Ia berikutan skandal terbaru membabitkan 105 wanita asing dikurung dan dipaksa bekerja tanpa dibayar gaji di Klang, Selangor baru-baru ini.    |
| Share prices higher at mid-afternoon Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:15 AM PST
At 3pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 5.07 points to 1,612.68 after opening at 1,609.54. Positive sentiment over Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) outlook for 2013, as pronounced by some rating agencies yesterday, provided a fresh catalyst for the local market, said a dealer. The Finance Index surged 41.13 points to 15,026.51, but the Plantation Index declined 11.80 points to 7,878.82, and the Industrial Index was up 7.9 points to 2,669.83. The FBM Emas Index rose 30.601 points to 10,987.19 and the FBM Mid 70 Index bagged 24.16 points to 12,057.98. But the FBM Ace Index lost 14.72 points to 4,166.25. Advancers led decliners by 275 to 269, while 310 counters were unchanged, 779 untraded and 18 others suspended. Turnover stood at 462.631 million shares worth RM479.55 million. Among actives, Astral Supreme-Warr rose 3.5 sen to 13 sen, Patimas Computers eased half-a-sen to 1.5 sen and Takaso Resources improved half-a-sen to 27.5 sen. Of the heavyweights, Maybank and Axiata increased one sen each to RM9.07 and RM5.94 respectively, CIMB advanced five sen to RM7.53, with Sime Darby earning two sen to RM8.99. - Bernama    |
| Injuries and weather hit Suzuki Cup holders Malaysia Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:13 AM PST
The Malaysians will host the favourites for the Southeast Asian championship at the Bukit Jalil stadium but could be without key winger Wan Zack Haikal, who has injured his thigh. Coach K. Rajagopal told local media Wan Zack, who scored once in the group stages as Malaysia edged Laos and Indonesia to qualify for the last four along with Singapore, had picked up the injury in training on Tuesday to add to the growing list. Prized striker Safee Sali (thigh), forward Khyrill Muhymeen Zambri (groin) and midfielders Shakir Shaari (ankle) and S. Kunalan (groin) are all concerns ahead of Sunday’s clash. “Zack’s injury looks the worst … he complained of sharp pain and felt a muscle tear in his thigh. This puts us in a difficult situation,” Rajagopal told reporters on Wednesday. “We still have few more days to prepare for the match. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best for Shakir and Zack.” Heavy downpours in the Malaysian capital have also been of concern to Rajagopal, who said he was contemplating switching the squad’s training sessions to later at night. Rajagopal added his team, who beat Indonesia 2-0 in their final group game on Saturday to qualify for the knockout stages, would play a friendly against Malaysian second division side Police on Wednesday to keep his remaining players in shape. “There’s a gap between our last match and the one against Thailand. I feel that I need to see the condition of my reserve players,” the 2010 Suzuki Cup winning-boss said. “The friendly against Police will give me a clearer picture of what to do against Thailand … I hope the players do not pick up any more injuries.” Philippines host Singapore in the first leg of the other semi-final on Saturday. -Reuters    |
| Man chains himself to US Embassy in Dominican Republic Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:11 AM PST
Miguel Familia, a naturalized US citizen from the Dominican Republic, alleged that a DNA test ordered by the embassy to prove the girl was his daughter came back negative and she was denied residency in 2005. After he received the test results, Familia divorced his wife and accused her of having an extramarital affair, according to his lawyer, Carlos de la Rosa. But for years his ex-wife continued to insist the girl was his daughter. That led Familia to seek two separate paternity tests on his own earlier this year and both tested positive, de la Rosa said. By protesting outside the embassy, Familia was attempting to draw attention to his legal case and the mistake that he blames for tearing his family apart. He filed a complaint in the Dominican Republic in July against the embassy and a U.S.-based laboratory, seeking $180 million in damages. “They destroyed my family and I lost seven years with her,” he said of his daughter, Ashley. A US Embassy spokesman declined to comment on the lawsuit. Officials at the DNA testing laboratory, Clinical Test & Research in Ridgewood, New Jersey, could not be immediately reached for comment. According the US State Department website, DNA tests can be required for parents who are US citizens seeking citizenship for their child where it is not clear a birth certificate is adequate proof showing a biological relationship. - Reuters    |
| Najib’s election date and electoral strategy Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:06 AM PST FMT LETTER: From Galvin Wong, via e-mail It has been almost three years since Najib Tun Razak took over the helm of the nation. He has initiated a slew of legislative reforms, set out major economic and education plans but has yet to take the step to call for Malaysia's 13th General Election. Following the timeframe set in the constitution, Najib has the prerogative to call elections before April 21st, after which the Elections Commission must call for elections within 60 days. With time running out and only several windows of opportunity, when will he take that step? And what are his plans and strategies in the months left in the run-up to the elections? Najib popularity was at its highest early this year when a Merdeka Centre survey in February showed that 69% and 49% of Malaysians respectively were satisfied with his and BN’s performance. It is very likely that he would have called for elections in April or May if it had not been for Bersih 3.0. The high turnout and the people's discontent over free and fair elections as well as allegations of police brutality resulted Najib delaying the elections and since then his popularity has not recovered with the latest survey results a far cry away from the figures early this year. The build-up that resulted in his good showing early this year had two distinctive features. The first was a strong economy and financial incentives in the budget and the second was a large number of legislative reforms. A vibrant economy and good standard of living are the biggest factors that determine how Malaysians vote, and Najib fared well in this criteria. 2011 was an excellent year as Malaysia came off the back of a strong economy and also a goodie filled budget laced with handouts and popular programmes. Furthermore, calls for the abolishment and amendments to restrictive laws by civil society were finally heeded as Najib did away with draconian laws such as the ISA and amended acts like the PPPA. This combination of strategic thrusts set Najib in an excellent position for elections. In the run-up to the 13th general election, we have and will continue to see similar actions by Najib albeit with additional attention being paid to two other major factors that have popped up in the past year – cleaner and fairer elections, and East Malaysia. Like the previous year, 2012 has also been an excellent year for the economy. When the government first announced the 2012 GDP growth target of 5%, it was met with skepticism from research houses and the opposition alike. However, the country has performed above expectations in the last two quarters, and we look on par to achieving the target. Legislative reforms Likewise, the 2013 budget is similarly laced with goodies. BR1M has been expanded to benefit almost 67% of Malaysians according to the World Bank. Popular programmes such as KR1M and Klinik 1Malaysia have been retained. Also, the government reduced the 2013 budget deficit to 4% and also announced that it would fall to 3% by 2015. We will also see the implementation of the minimum wage starting Jan 1, 2013 which will be a boost to voters especially those in Sabah and Sarawak, whose mean wages are well below the RM800 minimum. Inflation, quite the problem pre-2008 has fallen from 2.7% in Q1 to 1.4% in Q3, 2012. One popular plan that achieved resounding success in Malaysia's social and economic arena as well as created thousands of jobs is the ETP/GTP. With a strong showing in the recent November update, Najib will want to take the opportunity to further trump its achievements through the ETP/GTP Annual Report that will likely be announced before the elections. We will not see many legislative reforms this time around. Najib has pushed far enough to pass the reforms he did early this year and it is likely that conservative elements within Umno will not let him go any further. However, in July he announced the government's plan to replace the Sedition Act with the National Harmony Act. De facto law minister Nazri Aziz has stated that it will be done in 2013 and this is probably what we may see come next year. Free and fair elections rose to the forefront of Malaysian politics in the past few years. The increased turnouts since Bersih 1.0 in 2007 is proof of growing support for this issue. As such, the EC has finally given in to the demand for a clean electoral roll and allow overseas Malaysians to vote. We will likely see progress updates on these reforms over the next 2-3 months. It will certainly quell the simmering discontent with the EC. These moves are strategic as they will pacify the hugely influential Bersih organisation and reduce possibility of a Bersih 4.0. Finally, Najib's long awaited announcement of the RCI in August brought much relief to East Malaysians. This issue has been considered as the most important electoral issue to many Sabahans and Sarawakians and the move to solve it bodes well for Najib. In recent months, the stakes have been raised with the defection of two BN leaders and the frequent campaign stops by main opposition leaders, especially Anwar Ibrahim. If the results of the RCI are not announced before GE13, Najib’s calling of an RCI may seem insincere and construed as merely wanting to temporarily satisfy voters without seriously tackling the issue. As such, there is the real possibility we might see the results of the RCI early next year with Najib promising a solution if BN retains power after GE13. March-April elections Najib has two remaining windows of opportunity to call for elections. The first is from now (early December) till early February followed by a brief interlude because of CNY celebrations. The second will be from mid February to late April. Many have speculated that elections will be in December or January now that the Umno General Assembly is over and the grassroots are energised. I would disagree for three reasons. Firstly, the combination of scandals, some emerging (Deepak), and some ongoing (AES, Nazri Aziz and Musa Aman and the RM40 million political donation) are fresh in people's minds and will definitely have an impact if elections are held within these two months. Scandals like the Deepak revelations are also likely to gain traction very soon. Secondly, a fresh round of protests such as Himpunan Hijau's Green Walk and Dong Zong’s education gathering has raised in people's minds the issues that have not been dealt with by the government. Although not as large as Bersih 3.0, they are still a cause for worry. Najib will want the impact of protests and scandals to leave public consciousness as much as possible before calling elections. Finally, the expected reforms stated above will likely be done and progress updates given gradually throughout these two months. BR1M will be handed out beginning January, the ETP/GTP Annual Report was handed out early April this year but we might see it being released earlier next year. Allowing overseas Malaysians to vote and abolishing the Sedition Act requires legislative amendments and we might see one last short parliamentary session in January to push for these reforms. Thus, we are looking at the second window after CNY holidays for elections. Possible game changers As the general elections loom, what can throw Najib off track and result in him delaying or possibly bringing forward the elections? Firstly, another rally for clean and fair elections would definitely be major setback. Although the EC has announced proposed reforms, it is still unclear how far they would go. And even if they are sincere, how well they would perform especially in cleaning the electoral roll? For example, even in the in the use of indelible ink, the EC has failed to satisfy Bersih's stringent standards. There would likely be progress updates on EC's actions in the next two months. But would the electoral roll be able to withstand Bersih's scrutiny? If it does not, Bersih 4.0 would be ideal in creating intense public pressure on the EC and Najib as a huge turnout can be expected. Najib will have no choice but to act as he cannot wait it out as he did in the previous two Bersih rallies. Secondly, a scandal like the NFC might also result in a possible delay to wait out its impact or possibly elections brought forward in order to stymie the scandal from developing. Aided by the mainstream media, this tactic will continued to be employed. That said, would Najib risk waiting out his tenure and allow the EC to take over his prerogative to call the elections? Yes he would. After all, with numerous allegations against EC's independence, with one even showing that both the EC's number one and two were former Umno members, it is possible that the EC's prerogative will be Najib's prerogative.    |
| Tesco launches strategic review of US chain Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:01 AM PST
Announcing the review alongside a third quarter trading update that showed the continued pressure on Tesco’s home market, the group said it would report the findings of the review when it issues full-year results in April. It said all options were under consideration for the business and it has appointed Greenhill to assist in the review. Tesco said it has had a number of approaches from parties interested in acquiring either all or part of Fresh & Easy, or in partnering with the firm. It added that Tim Mason, Fresh & Easy’s CEO, is leaving Tesco after 30 years with the group. The 200-stores Fresh & Easy chain, having absorbed nearly £1 billion (US$1.6 billion) of capital since its 2007 launch, remains stubbornly loss-making in the cut-throat US grocery market and Tesco chief executive Phil Clarke has been under increasing pressure from investors and analysts to act. Its third-quarter underlying sales growth eased to 1.8% from the second quarter’s 6.9%. The problems in the US compounded a tough trading environment in Britain and central Europe, which was partially offset by the stronger performance in Asia. Tesco posted a return to falling quarterly underlying sales in its home market on Wednesday, raising questions over whether its 1 billion pounds recovery plan is struggling to gain traction. The firm, which takes about one in every £10 spent in British shops, said sales at UK stores open over a year, excluding fuel and VAT sales tax, were down 0.6% in the 13 weeks to Nov 24, its fiscal third quarter. That compares with analysts’ forecasts in a range of down 0.9% to up 0.2% and an increase of 0.1% in the second quarter, which had been Tesco’s first rise after 18 months of decline. Tesco said the UK slowdown particularly reflected weak general merchandise. Battling for momentum The group is battling to regain momentum against a weak economic backdrop, with consumers fretting over job security and a squeeze on disposable incomes. Tesco has also suffered in the economic downturn more than its main British supermarket rivals, in part because it sells more discretionary non-food goods where shoppers have been cutting back most. In April Clarke launched a new strategy to revive the company’s fortunes in its key domestic market, investing in more staff, revamped food ranges, smartened stores that allocate more space to food and refined marketing and advertising. Rivals Asda and J Sainsbury Plc have both recently reported sales increases and the only major domestic rival to have reported a decline was No 4 player Wm Morrison , albeit for different trading periods. Tesco’s problems are not confined to the UK and the US. In South Korea, Tesco’s biggest overseas market, underlying sales fell 5.1% as legislation allowing local governments to impose shorter trading hours continued to hurt trading, while in eastern Europe underlying sales were down 3.6%, reflecting fallout from continued euro zone instability. Tesco’s woes are reflected in its shares, which have fallen 20% over the last year, closing at 322 pence yesterday. - Reuters    |
| 238 dead, hundreds missing in Philippines typhoon Posted: 04 Dec 2012 11:56 PM PST  NEW BATAAN (Philippines): The death toll from a typhoon that ravaged the Philippines jumped to 238 today with hundreds missing, as rescuers battled to reach areas cut off by floods and mudslides, officials said.Typhoon Bopha slammed into the southern island of Mindanao yesterday, toppling trees and blowing away homes with 210-kilometre per hour gusts before easing overnight as it headed towards the South China Sea. A total of 142 people died and 241 others were missing in the mountainous Mindanao town of New Bataan, Lieutenant-Colonel Lyndon Paniza told AFP. Eighty-one other people were killed in the nearby province of Davao Oriental and 15 in other areas, Paniza and the civil defence office said. Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman and other officials described scenes of utter devastation with houses and other structures in some towns and villages ripped apart by the most powerful storm to hit the country this year. “There are very few structures left standing in the town of Cateel,” she told AFP, referring to one badly hit coastal town. “We need to rush to these areas body bags, medicines, dry clothes and most importantly tents, because survivors are living out in the open after the typhoon blew away homes and rooftops.” The situation was just as dire in New Bataan town, which the military said saw flash floods and mudslides. “The bodies are left lying on the ground in the open in New Bataan and we don’t want to risk the spread of disease,” Soliman said. The New Bataan dead included a soldier taking part in rescue operations, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said. Six other army men from the same unit were missing and three were injured. “It is quite sad and tragic. They were actually there to be ready to help our countrymen who may be in trouble,” Roxas said. The military was scrambling helicopters and heavy equipment Wednesday to the mountain town, where rainwater had gushed down from nearby slopes, creating a deadly swirl of water, logs and rocks that crushed everything in its path. Logs and boulders blocked the narrow mountain pass leading to the town, said Major General Ariel Bernardo, commander of an army division in the area. Parts of Mindanao remained without power and telephone services, with food and clean water in limited supply. Cateel and two other towns on Mindanao’s east coast remained cut off due to a collapsed bridge and fallen trees and debris blocking roads, said Corazon Malanyaon, governor of Davao Oriental province where Bopha made landfall. She said rescuers were using everything from heavy equipment to their bare hands and chainsaws to clear the roads. “It’s like we’re running an obstacle course,” Malanyaon said on local radio. “About 95 percent of the town centre’s structures including hospitals, private homes, private buildings had their roofs blown away,” she said. Bernardo said about 200 soldiers were dispatched to help them, while emphasising that the military was also “a victim of the storm” after an army patrol base and a rescue truck were washed away in New Bataan. “In one of our headquarters, no bunkers were left standing and all our communication equipment has been destroyed,” he said. Bopha struck Mindanao early Tuesday, bringing driving rain and strong winds that forced 87,000 people to seek refuge in emergency shelters, according to an updated civil defence office tally. It was the 16th storm this year to ravage the Philippines, which is hit with about 20 cyclones annually. In December last year Mindanao was pummelled by tropical storm Washi, which killed more than 1,200 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless. - AFP    |
| Refer all cases of wrongful dismissals to IRD Posted: 04 Dec 2012 11:53 PM PST FMT LETTER: From Charles Hector, via e-mail In Malaysia, after workers claiming wrongful dismissals are lodged within 60 days at the Industrial Relations Department (IRD), conciliation meetings are held between the employers and workers in an attempt to reach an amicable settlement. And if all these fail, the cases are referred to the minister who then decides if they are to be referred to the Industrial Court. There is no right to be heard before the minister, and his decision seems only in reliance of the report sent by his officers involved in the conciliation process. During conciliation process, workers are no longer allowed the right to be represented by lawyers by virtue of amendments to the Industrial Relations Act 1967 (IRA) in 1989. S Subramaniam, the Minister of Human Resources, revealed in Parliament, the reasons why 10,016 such cases were not referred to the Industrial Court. Amongst others, they were:- a) Because workers were dismissed for misconduct; b) Because the employers had shut down their businesses; c) Because worker were given the opportunity to return to work but refused to come back; d) Because workers had been terminated because their employment contract had come to an end; e) Because workers had voluntarily stopped work under some Voluntary Separation Scheme(VSS), and then changed their minds after receiving payment; Clearly, these are conclusions that should never be made by the minister without considering all evidence of witnesses and documents, and listening to legal submissions, which is best done by the Industrial Court. Hence, the minister's reasons are not acceptable, and he obviously seems to have just accepted explanations of employers over claims of aggrieved workers who have lost their jobs. These aggrieved workers, whose cases are not referred by the minister to the Industrial Court, still do have the option to apply for Judicial Review at the High Court but realistically, this would not happen because most workers just do not have the resources or the capacity. The government revealed recently in a study that 34% of 1.3 million workers earn less than RM700, which is below the poverty line income. An application to the High Court involves not only expenses but also the subsequent risk of being ordered to pay cost that could be about RM10,000 if unsuccessful, and as such most workers elect not to apply to High Court. As such, a decision of the minister not to refer cases to the Industrial Court ends these aggrieved workers’ quest for justice. We call for the amendment of the law, to ensure that all cases that could not be resolved amicably between parties should as of right be referred to the Industrial Court. The existing step of referring to the minister who then decides to refer or not a case to the Industrial Court should be removed from the law books. Wrongfully dismissing workers without just cause or reason is a grave injustice. When their employment is wrongfully terminated, it seriously affects the well being, livelihood and financial security of not just the workers but also their families. Obligations to pay monthly amenities bills, car/housing loan repayments, credit card payments and others payments necessary for well being of their families continue irrespective of a loss of monthly income. Wrongful dismissals is a serious wrongdoing by employers, which need to be penalised with a deterrent award, and the existence of an avenue for justice for workers wrongfully dismissed need to be available for all class of workers. The Malaysian government sadly places the interest of employers over the interest of workers. Rights of the wrongfully dismissed workers have been eroded over the years. In 2007, the Industrial Relations Act was amended which had the effect of reducing the entitlement of a worker found to have been wrongfully dismissed by the Industrial Court. The Industrial Court could either order the worker to be reinstated, or alternatively order the employer to pay compensation in lieu of reinstatement, being all salary and benefits from the date of wrongful dismissal until the date of judgment, the later being the norm. The 2007 amendment limited the compensation award to no more than 24 months' back wages from the date of dismissal, but also limited it to be calculated based on the last-drawn salary of the person who has been dismissed without just cause or excuse, hence eliminating the right to salary increments and bonuses which one would have received had they not been wrongfully dismissed. It also allowed for deductions with reference to post-dismissal earnings of the wrongfully dismissed worker, and 'contributory misconduct' on the part of the worker. Worst affected were workers on probation whereby their entitlements were halved, when in Malaysia there is still no law that limits the period a worker can be kept on probation, which in some cases it may extend to years. Amend Industrial Relations Act 1967 The refusal of the minister to refer 31.5% of wrongful dismissal cases that could not be settled amicably to court is yet another anti-worker indicator. Only five out of the 13 States and one out of the three Federal Territories in Malaysia have Industrial Courts. Distance will definitely be more prejudicial to the worker than the employer. There is not just the cost of transportation and accommodation, but also the difficulty of getting witnesses to attend court. There should be Industrial Courts in every State and Federal Territory, and all major towns. Now, there are moves by the Malaysian government to even completely exclude access to this avenue of justice to certain categories of workers being workers with less than one year of continuous service, probationers, apprentices, workers in management positions and also contract workers. The Malaysian government now permits employers to use short-term employment contracts, and most times these contracts do not exceed 12 months. If the proposed amendments become law, employers will be happy as wrongfully dismissing most workers will no longer be a problem, and workers lose their right and ability to seek justice. As it is, most migrant workers effectively do not have access, given the fact that after they are wrongfully dismissed, their immigration visas/passes are also terminated, hence disabling them the ability to stay or work legally in Malaysia. Even if they have filed a complaint in the IRD, it is immaterial for they cannot stay on in Malaysia, and if they do they risk arrest, detention, whipping and deportation. We call on Malaysia to promote and protect worker rights and welfare, including those of their families. We call for an amendment to the Industrial Relations Act 1967 (IRA) to enable all wrongful dismissal cases that could not be resolved amicable to be referred directly to the Industrial Court. The power of the minister to decide whether cases are referred to the Industrial Court must be extinguished. We call for the repeal of the 2007 amendments to the IRA, including Schedule 2, that effectively reduced entitlements of workers found to have been wrongfully dismissed by the Industrial Court, and further discriminates against workers on 'probation'. Minimally workers should be entitled to all back-wages without loss of benefits. Justly, workers should be entitled to maybe double the said amount or an additional sum, which would assist them in covering all the cost, expenses, time and energy loss claiming these rights, and doubling or tripling the award sum would also serve as a deterrent to employers wrongfully dismissing workers. We call for the making of directors and principal shareholders to be personally liable, when the company employer is not able to pay workers the award sum ordered by the Industrial Court. We call on the Minister of Human Resources to do the needful to ensure all the said 10,016 workers cases claiming wrongful dismissal be forthwith referred to the Industrial Court to ensure that the right to a full trial is given effect. We also call for speedy disposal of cases of wrongful dismissals especially in cases where the claimant are migrant workers, and that until the cases are heard and settled in court, provisions be made that migrant workers be accorded the right to stay and work legally in Malaysia. We reject any proposed amendments that will deprive certain class of workers their right to claim justice in cases of wrongful dismissals. No employer should wrongfully dismiss workers, and all workers, even workers on short-term employment contracts or have worked for a short period, should have access to avenues of justice, and the right to claim, amongst others, reinstatement and/or compensation in lieu of reinstatement. We also reiterate the call for the Malaysian government to abolish short-term contract employment and the 'contractor for labour system'/'outsourcing', and ensure that all workers have the right to regular permanent employment and security of tenure in a direct two-party employment relationship. Letter written for and behalf of 51 groups/organisations/trade union/civil society organisations    |
| French men not producing as much sperm Posted: 04 Dec 2012 11:43 PM PST
“That’s certainly within the normal range, but if you think about it, if there continues to be a decrease, we would expect that we’ll get into that infertile range,” said Grace Centola, president of the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology in Birmingham, Alabama. And the French aren’t the only ones who should be concerned about a lack of swimmers, say researchers. “A decline in male reproduction endpoints has been suspected for several decades and is still debated all around the world. Geographical differences have been observed between countries, and between areas inside countries,” said Dr. Joëlle Le Moal, the study’s lead author from the Institut de Veille Sanitaire in France. Le Moal and her colleagues write in the journal Human Reproduction that global analyses have found decreases in sperm counts, as did recent studies in Israel, India, New Zealand and Tunisia. Centola, who wasn’t involved with the new research, told Reuters Health that she’s found similar results in a group of young sperm donors from Boston, too. For the new study, Le Moal and her colleagues used a database of France’s 126 fertility clinics that recorded men’s semen samples from 1989 through 2005.
Over the 16-year period, the researchers found there was about a 2 percent annual decrease in the number of sperm in one milliliter of the average man’s semen. “One would look at that and say it’s not all that much. It isn’t, but if it’s occurring on a yearly basis it can add up,” said Centola. “Clearly if this type of decrease continues, we’re going to find that we’re going to have young men that have low sperm counts,” she said. The World Health Organization defines anything over 15 million per milliliter of semen as normal. However, the study’s authors suggest that it may take longer for men with counts in the lower range of normal to conceive. Environmental factors? The researchers also found that there was an increase in the number of abnormally shaped sperm over the study period, which can also influence fertility. Part of that finding, however, can be explained by scientists getting better at recognizing misshapen swimmers, but not all of it. “So both results are important,” said Le Moal. But why does it seem men are shooting more blanks than before? Two recent studies have actually suggested that modern technology such as laptops may be capable of cooking sperm, but the new researchers suggest it could be also be other environmental factors, such as increased exposure to harmful chemicals that may decrease sperm count. (see Reuters Health stories of Nov 8, 2010 and Nov 29, 2011: reut.rs/YM0j2d and reut.rs/YM0lHt) But Le Moal said it’s also important to consider that men’s lifestyles may have changed over time. For example, men may be more sedentary and/or heavier than they were in 1989. “I think it’s a combination of a lot of things,” said Centola, who added that it could be both environmental factors and diet.—Reuters    |
| Posted: 04 Dec 2012 11:38 PM PST
Although the country has improved from last year, where it received a score of 43 out of 100 (0 being most corrupt, 100 being corruption-free), and was ranked 60th out of 183 countries, TI Malaysia president Paul Low described this year's results as "just average". "There is improvement, and that is expected. All the efforts taken by the government, the MACC [Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission], Pemandu have borne fruit. "But as much as we improve, the issue is whether we can make that substantial jump beyond 50. We remain middling, with an average score," Low said at a press conference. According to TI-M, the results for Malaysia were taken from eight different surveys and country assessments by various independent institutions. They were carried out among expert observers such as business people and country analysts, including local experts. In a separate survey, they also found that 50% of the respondents had lost business in Malaysia due to bribery – the highest percentage among the 30 countries surveyed. Low said that it was wrong to dismiss the results as being unimportant, as people's decision to invest in Malaysia – and hence spur economic growth – was based on their perception of the corruption here. "No matter what you say about perception, whether they perceive it right or wrong, it doesn't matter. "Because ultimately, these people, what they perceive, rightly or wrongly, this is how they are going to decide whether they want to invest in our country or not," said Low. He said that multinational companies looking to invest in foreign countries were now growing increasingly concerned with government integrity and the issue of corruption. "Because these multinationals which are investing in any country are subject to [that country's] laws and some of the laws have extraterritorial jurisdiction. "So if a country is perceived as highly corrupt, what they are saying is ‘well, it’s quite dangerous for me to put investment in that country'," said Low. As proof, he noted that countries with a higher index, such as Denmark, Switzerland, Singapore and Australia all had higher standards of living. "So for Malaysia, if we want to move up the higher income scale – we can talk about productivity, technology, so many other things – [but] if we don't have trusted institutions, if we don't uphold law, if we don't eliminate corruption, [then it will be useless]." Malaysia moving in right direction
"Malaysia is probably the only country in the world – and this is very brave of them – to use the CPI as its NKRA. No other country in the world has used CPI. "And it’s good because the government itself cannot control the CPI," he added. Low said, in contrast, some countries were not even interested to talk about the results of the CPI as they were afraid further discussion would worsen their index. "In the case of Malaysia, in the last few years, especially the last three, four years, we have become much more open in discussing issues like this." He also lauded the Malaysian government's efforts in, among others, introducing the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010, establishing 14 corruption courts, publishing more than 1,000 names of corruption offenders on MACC's website, and publishing more than 5,200 government contracts online. However, he remained critical of the government's actions and said more could be done to truly eradicate corruption. Ways to stop graft TI-M suggested seven steps to eliminate processes that support corruption: 1. Reforms in the political arena to reduce monetisation of politics and eliminate opportunities for states to be corrupt. 2. Continue to strengthen law enforcement institutions especially the MACC, judiciary and police. Their complete independence must be established to secure the public’s trust. 3. Uphold the rule of law without fear or favour so that abusers especially "big fish" do not have impunity from prosecution. 4. Overhaul the Official Secrets Act (OSA) and introduce a federal Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. 5. Firm and consistent actions in upholding transparency and accountability in public procurement. 6. Tackle systemic corruption by focusing on specific sectors through the involvement of all stakeholders. For example, a coalition involving CIDB, contractors, professional bodies and other regulators in the construction industry could be established to drive the initiative to reduce corruption. 7. Further improve whistleblower legislation to provide wider protection to whistle blowers and encourage more whistle blowing. It is believed that these steps will help reduce corruption in Malaysia by a respectable margin and help improve its rank in the CPI. To add to this list, the ex-president for TI-M, Ramon Navaratnam suggested that "a declaration of assets and liabilities should be requested from all politicians before and after the elections to compare and prove there is no corruption involved". Commenting on this, Low said it was a fair suggestion but added: "Stop politicising corruption, make it more liberal". Corruption at a global level Malaysia still trails behind neighbouring country Singapore, which scored 87 out of 100 and is ranked fifth out of 176 countries. Overall, New Zealand proved to be the most steady in its stand for anti-corruption by staying at the number one spot but this time, sharing it with Denmark and Finland. Low also said: "Indonesia was the country which improved the most to reduce corruption." Myanmar left the bottom four and Sudan joined Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia at the end of the ranks this year.    |
| Lady Gaga buys Jackson’s costumes Posted: 04 Dec 2012 11:29 PM PST
The auction, held in Beverly Hills, showcased 465 lots of items spanning Jackson’s career through the years, including costumes and props used on tour and in music videos. Highlights from the sale included the late singer’s “BAD” tour jacket raising US$240,000, a white glove selling for US$192,000 and one of the singer’s Pepsi and Awards jacket garnering more than US$68,000, the auction house said in a statement. Following Sunday’s auction, Gaga told her 31 million Twitter followers that “the 55 pieces I collected today will be archived & expertly cared for in the spirit & love of Michael Jackson, his bravery, & fans worldwide.”
The collection of outfits, designed by Los Angeles-based collaborators Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush and gifted back to them by the late singer, were taken on a world tour earlier this year, traveling across South America, Europe and Asia. In September, British hat designer Philip Treacy designed his first London fashion week show in a decade around Jackson’s auction costumes, which were worn by the models down the runway and accessorized with hats inspired by the late singer’s life. Gaga not only attended Treacy’s show but was on hand to introduce the milliner’s collection. The auction exceeded pre-sale estimates of US$1 million to US$2 million, and a portion of the final amount raised will benefit the Guide Dogs of America and Nathan Adelson Hospice in Las Vegas.—Reuters    |
| Dilontar batu tiga Pemuda Umno cedera Posted: 04 Dec 2012 11:19 PM PST
“Jangan ingat orang dia (PKR) saja yang cedera. Betulkah dia kena tikam? “Orang Pemuda Umno itu berjahit di kepala kerana dilontar batu oleh pihak lawan,” kata Ismail. Ketua Pemuda Khairy menerusi Twitter pagi ini berkata, “insiden Gombak semalam: Siasat semua pihak. Politik keganasan mesti ditolak. Tapi siapa mula provokasi? Orang BN cedera.” Kejadian bermula kira-kira jam 10 malam semasa timbalan presiden PKR Azmin Ali sedang berucap di Dataran Sharuddin, Batu 8 1/2 di Gombak. Serangan itu dilaporkan berlaku di pekarangan Masjid Zakariah, Batu 8, Gombak Utara. Seorang penyokong Pakatan Rakyat cedera ditikam yang didakwa ahli Umno pada program jelajah merdeka rakyat di parlimen itu. Azmin mendakwa serangan diketuai Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin, Ketua Pemuda Umno Gombak. Megat merupakan anak guru silat, Tan Sri Omar Din Mauju. Usaha menghubungi Megat bagaimanapun masih gagal.    |
| SAPP buoyant about pact with Pakatan Posted: 04 Dec 2012 10:36 PM PST
Yong said talks to work out a deal with local opposition parties that are not under Pakatan’s umbrella grouping had picked up momentum over the past month as general election looms. He said he welcomed recent statements by PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and deputy president Azmin Ali, which “clearly indicated that they had agreed with SAPP including the principle of burden sharing” (of difficult seats) in the 13th general election”. The local opposition party has been asserting its legitimacy as a Sabah party vis-a-vis ‘peninsula-based’ opposition party branches in the state in demanding a greater share of seats. Yong and party leaders have been pushing SAPP's struggle for Sabah's autonomy to claim entitlement to a majority of the 60 state seats. Such a deal would make them kingmakers in the next government of Sabah if they win in the coming election. The SAPP leader, a former state chief minister under the Barisan Nasional’s unconventional but now revoked leadership rotation that granted the chief ministership to each of the three majority communities in the state, noted that SAPP would also be entering talks with the State Reform Party (STAR) Sabah "to fine-tune a couple of matters”. STAR Sabah, spearheaded by maverick politician Jeffrey Kitingan, and SAPP are expected to discuss any time now how they can cooperate without stepping on each other’s toes to put up local candidates acceptable by both parties for one-on-one fights against BN candidates. Yong said today was the last day for Parliament to be dissolved, if the government wanted to have the polls before Christmas. "If not, it could be most probably in March next year, or possibly end of January in order for polling to be held one week before Chinese New Year on Feb 10," he said.    |
| Don’t fear Umno’s May 13 threat Posted: 04 Dec 2012 10:34 PM PST
It is very irresponsible and unbecoming of Shahrizat Abdul Jalil to use May 13 to threaten all Malaysians, especially the non-Malays, at the Umno general assembly that ended on Nov 30. Who will become prime minister when Pakatan Rakyat is given the mandate to govern in the next general election? Who will be the new Johor Menteri Besar when Pakatan wins the right to rule the state? De facto Pakatan leader Anwar Ibrahim, a Malay, will be the prime minister. His deputy would also be a Malay, PAS president Hadi Awang. A Malay leader from the Pakatan will also be the new Johor Menteri Besar. So, how can there be the recurrence of the May 13 racial riots when the Umno-led Barisan Nasional is given the boot by the people in the next national polls? Pakatan’s Malay leaders are also backed by non-Malay leaders in PKR and DAP. There is no racial discontent or friction. BN politicians who continue to use the May 13 racial riots as the bogey to scare or intimidate Malaysians into supporting them are completely out of date and are doing a disservice to communal unity and nation-building. The next general election is not about race or religion. It is about good governance and justice. Who are the super rich and rich in Malaysia? They are the Umno Malays and their cronies, not the ordinary rural and urban Malays. Umno has, over the past 55 years, swallowed the bulk of the country's wealth for itself, as reflected by the RM1 trillion capital flight in the last decade. Malaysians must therefore not fear exercising their rights to show who the boss is in this country. You have nothing to worry about because Pakatan has been consistent in stressing the need to do away with race-based policies to stimulate and fast-track socio-economic growth via good governance. In the last general election, Pakatan only managed to win one parliamentary seat in Johor – Bakri. The MCA lost Bakri when it denied me the opportunity to defend the seat. This time around, our target is to strive for Pakatan to win at least 13 parliamentary seats in Johor. If Johoreans give their full support to Pakatan in the next general election, it is not impossible to achieve a historic strong two-party system in this country, something we have been waiting for the last 55 years. Chua Jui Meng is PKR vice-president and Johor state chief. He is also a former MCA vice-president and an ex-Cabinet member.    |
| Penang DCM offers to solve Gatco crisis Posted: 04 Dec 2012 10:30 PM PST
Ramasamy said yesterday he would represent the disgruntled settlers of Kampung Serampang Indah, Jempol, in negotiations with Thamarai Holdings, the other party in the dispute. He made the pledge after a meeting with the settlers, who are often referred to as "Gatco settlers". Gatco was the company that held the lease on the agricultural land when the settlers purchased it more than 35 years ago. This morning, about 100 of the settlers demonstrated outside Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Mohamad Hasan's office, but failed to hand over to him a memorandum asking him to use his powers under the Land Acquisition Act to help them.
An official at Mohamad's office, Zulkefli Awang, appeared at about 10.30am and offered to receive the memorandum on the Menteri Besar's behalf, but Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy demurred. According to Zulkefli, Mohamad was at a state exco meeting that would end only at 12.30pm. Waythamoorthy said he would wait, prompting a settler to shout: "We waited for 30 years; so we don't mind waiting for a few more hours." At about 1pm, Zulkefli appeared again and told Waythamoorthy that Mohamad was unable to receive the memorandum because the meeting had not ended. This sparked angry reactions from the settlers and Waythamoorthy used a hailer to declare that Mohamad was afraid. "The Menteri Besar is fearful of people's power," he said. "Never mind, we'll give him a chance. We give him one week to find the courage to face us. "We will be back next week." The crowd then dispersed. Violence Ramasamy hit out at the police for not taking action against the attackers. "The police did not arrest the gangsters, but detained a few settlers," he said. "Are they abetting the gangsters?" Ramasamy has been trying to help the settlers since the early 1980s, when he was associated with an NGO called Insan. "Sometime in 1982 or 1983, when I was still working as a lecturer in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, the Gatco settlers approached me for some help," he told FMT. "It's been 20 years now. The times have changed and so has the character of the problem. Click here to view the video on YouTube. "The first thing I'll do tomorrow when I return to Penang is to arrange a meeting with the boss of Thamarai Holdings. I will negotiate with him to find a proper solution to end this dispute that has been dragging on for too long." The settlers' problem started in 1977, when 400 of them paid deposits for the purchase of agricultural land from Gatco. However, Gatco became bankrupt in 1983 and the land was put up for auction in 2004. The settlers paid RM320,000 in earnest deposit to auctioneer Singam and Young Associates. Subsequently, however, Singam and Young sold off the land to Thamarai Holdings for RM16 million. Senawang state assemblyman P Gunasekaran, who was at yesterday's meeting, referred to a promise the Menteri Besar made last July that he would ensure the settlers would each receive four acres of land. "But until today, the offer has not been backed by any document," he said. Port Dickson state assemblyman M Ravi also criticised Mohamad, saying he was merely using the issue for political gain.
"And where are the so-called Indian champions, Rajagopalu and Mogan?" T Rajagopalu is the Negeri Sembilan MIC chief and VS Mogan is a state executive councilor. Gatco settlers fail to submit memorandum to NS MB.    |
| Thai group buys US$9.4b Ping An stake from HSBC Posted: 04 Dec 2012 10:19 PM PST
HSBC said today it had sold the 15.6% stake to an affiliate of Charoen Pokphand Group, a group controlled by Chearavanont which is better known for its agri-business empire than writing insurance policies. “This is phenomenal for HSBC shareholders because the bank is now sitting on at least US$8 billion in profit,” said Jim Antos, an analyst at Mizuho Securities in Hong Kong. “I’m not sure what CP Group would do with the stake though. I was joking earlier that every Ping An shareholder will now get a bucket of fried chicken for their insurance policy.” CP Group, whose products include feed for chickens and pigs, has a long history in China. Chearavanont – worth US$7.4 billion according to Forbes magazine – also appears to have strong political connections in Beijing. State-run China Development Bank is helping to finance CP Group’s Ping An stake acquisition, according to HSBC. CP Group was the first multinational to invest in China’s agri-business in 1979 and, under Beijing’s latest five-year plan, it was tasked with helping to modernise China’s farm sector. It also operates Lotus super markets in Shanghai, according to the company’s website. CP Group once held an interest in a Thai joint venture with German insurer Allianz which it sold for 300 million baht (US$9.78 million) in May this year. For its part, HSBC is on a global plan to divest various holdings as it seeks to improve its profitability, exiting the decade-old investment as it looks to sell non-core assets. Thailand’s outbound acquisition prowess has grown significantly this year, fuelled by a hot stock market and cashed-up Thai tycoons seeking to invest abroad. Announced Thai M&A deals have soared to a record US$18.7 billion so far this year, overtaking the total value of deals in 2010 and 2011 combined, according to Thomson Reuters data. The Thailand SET Index is up 29.7% year to date. HSBC sold its stake for HK$59 per Ping An share, for a total of HK$72.74 billion (US$9.39 billion). Ping An’s Hong Kong shares were up 4 percent after the news at HK$60. The bank said in a statement that the sale would complete in stages, with about a fifth of the stake to be transferred to the Thai buyer on Dec 7. The remainder is still subject to approval by the China Insurance Regulatory Commission. Sensitive sale for HSBC The Ping An stake, given its size, was an important and sensitive sale for HSBC – one that was rumoured to be up for grabs ever since the 2008 financial crisis. The deal was personally overseen by a three-man team headed by HSBC CEO Stuart Gulliver. Stephen Moss, group head of M&A for HSBC, and John Flint, former HSBC head of strategy, were the principal deal-makers, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. Analysts expect HSBC’s stake in Bank of Communications (BoCom), China’s fifth-largest lender, to be next on the list. That stake stands at 19.9% and is worth about HK$79 billion, according to Thomson Reuters data. The bank had spent US$1.7 billion to build the 15.6% stake in China’s second-largest insurer between 2002 and 2005. It confirmed it was in talks to sell the stake on Nov 19, after the Hong Kong Economic Journal reported the impending sale. Chearavanont is hoping to realize a similar profit on the holding that HSBC earned, though whether China’s stock market sees a similar run over the next decade remains to be seen. UBS advised the CP Group, the source said. UBS declined to comment. HSBC had two non-executive board seats as part of its stake in Ping An. Ping An trades at 2.2 times book value, 33% below its five-year median price to book value ratio, according to data from Thomson Reuters StarMine. The sale was expected as part of HSBC’s three-year recovery plan after the 2008 financial crisis and regulatory reforms. Founded in 1988 as China’s first joint-stock insurer, Ping An has grown into one of the world’s largest, with 74 million clients, more than 175,000 employees, and about 500,000 agents. The Ping An deal is Asia’s second-biggest acquisition so far this year, behind Chinese oil company CNOOC’s planned US$15.1 billion purchase of Canada’s Nexen. As part of its Ping An investment, CP Group has agreed to hold any shares it buys for at least six months, HSBC said. - Reuters    |
| PKR leaders deny masterminding exposé Posted: 04 Dec 2012 10:12 PM PST
In a text message to FMT, Subang MP R Sivarasa said that PKR vice-president N Surendran and himself were appointed by Deepak to represent the latter in his suit against Selangor Wanita Umno chief Raja Roopiah Abdullah ‘s company, Awan Megah, regarding a land deal. He also denied plotting any conspiracy against Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor. "In Deepak’s evidence in court under oath, he himself stated that Najib and Rosmah were involved in approving the sale of a 223 acre land in Bukit Rajah by her company (Awan Megah) to Deepak’s company, which originaly belonged to the Defence Ministry." said Sivarasa. Yesterday, Papagomo posted a video on his website, alleging that Deepak’s recent expose on Najib and Rosmah was enginereed by PKR’s de facto leader, Anwar Ibrahim. The two-minute clip also showed a man, purportedly Deepak, mentioning names of key PKR leaders such as PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, apart from Sivarasa and Surendran.
"The nature of the transaction in Deepak’s suit was clearly of public interest because the value of the land mentioned is now worth about RM400 million or more. "Najib and Rosmah need to answer this serious allegation instead of using scurrilous Umno bloggers to allege a conspiracy," he said. Sivarasa said that he had informed Anwar before taking up the case due its political implications. "But I made the decision to take up Deepak’s case, just as I act for all my other clients. There is no way I coached him on anything. "Deepak gave oral sworn evidence in an open court without the benefit of a written witness statement. He has also proceeded, on his own accord, to publicly disclose more serious matters unrelated to the specific issues in the court case I am handling. Those are his personal actions. "So allegations that I am angry with him are simply nonsensical. I am actually quite impressed that Deepak is prepared to risk an aggressive response from Najib and Rosmah," he added. ‘We didn’t coach him’
"This was Deepak’s own doing, for the simple reason of exposing the truth. I think he feels remorse on the SD issue. That’s my understanding of the whole thing," he said via email. The PKR vice-president also said that he was taking up Deepak’s case purely on a lawyer-client relationship. "Besides, the case is a matter of public interest as an Umno Wanita leader is implicated. It was Deepak who approached us. We didn’t coach him to do anything," he added. Training his guns against Papagomo, Surendran accused pro-Umno bloggers of being "stupid" for not answering allegations made by Deepak. "Umno bloggers should not be jumping up and down to find who was behind Deepak’s exposé. What is important is for Najib to answer the accusations made, not keep quiet." he said. In the video clip, Deepak claims that Anwar flew down from Jakarta to meet him and promised to provide him with a lawyer (Sivarasa) for his case against Raja Ropiaah. Also read: Deepak exposé: Perkasa screams slander    |
| KL shares trade higher in early session Posted: 04 Dec 2012 10:02 PM PST
After 40 minutes of trading, the barometer FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) was 4.31 points higher at 1,611.92 after opening 1.93 points better at 1,609.54. HwangDBS Vicker Research said on the chart, the key FBM KLCI may continue to range-bound with a marginal positive bias today. The immediate support and resistance lines for the benchmark index are currently seen at 1,600 and 1,617, respectively, it added. However, the research house said the mixed market breadth and slow trading activity will likely persist on the Malaysian bourse amid thin news flows ahead. Meanwhile on Wall Street, major equity barometers slipped between 0.1% and 0.2% last night as the US President Barack Obama was still trying to work out a budget deal with lawmakers to resolve the fiscal cliff issue. The Finance Index advanced 13.26 points to 14,998.64, the Industrial Index climbed 9.71 points to 2,671.64 and the Plantation Index rose 7.17 points to 7,897.79. The Ace Index increased 3.81 points to 4,184.78, the FBMT100 gained 25.21 points to 10,833.45, the FBM Emas jumped 23.76 points to 10,980.35 while the FBM Mid 70 index added 10.18 points to 12,044.0. There were 147 gainers and 92 losers while 171 counters were unchanged, 1,223 counters untraded and 18 others suspended. Volume stood at 100.765 million shares worth RM62.356 million. Among actives, Luster Industries and Naim Indah Corp rose half-a-sen higher each to 11.5 sen and 19 sen respectively, while Astral Supreme and Takaso Resources earned 1.5 sen each to 28 sen and 28.5 sen respectively. Of the heavyweights, Maybank and Sime Darby added a sen each to RM9.07 and RM8.98 respectively, CIMB earned six sen to RM7.54 while Axiata fell a sen to RM5.92. - Bernama    |
| Pua to Chua: Let’s visit ‘Umno land’ Posted: 04 Dec 2012 09:36 PM PST
The open invitation to Chua came from DAP’s Tony Pua who said a joint bi-partisan visit to the 24 sites will confirm if the land given to Umno, MCA, MIC and Gerakan were indeed utilised for the ‘community” or abused to profit the party and its cronies. “Given his insatiable quest for ‘land scandals’ in Selangor and the obvious need to lead the ineffective Selangor MCA leadership, I would like to offer the perfect opportunity to Chua to uncover the real land scandals in Selangor. “We need to confirm if these sites were indeed used for the community, or were they like the Umno land,, sold or developed commercially for profit. “Where profit was made – 23 out of the 24 pieces of land were commercial land – (we need) to determine how much profit Umno, MCA, MIC and Gerakan made from these land, as a result of getting them dirt cheap from the BN state government,” said Pua who is Petaling Jaya Utara MP. Pua said that if Chua does not agree to his offer, then Chua “will prove himself as another dye-in-the-wool hypocrite from MCA and Barisan Nasional who seeks only to protect his own interest and that of his party, at the expense of the ordinary man-on-the-street”. However, when contacted, Chua said that the state government should know what actions to take if they claim to have the necessary documents to prove wrong doings. “First, he should visit the Talam [Corporation] lands also. Secondly, look at the recent KHSB (Kumpulan Hartanah Selangor Berhad) announcement, since they say they know the know-how, what happened to all these money that is not collected or disappeared. “Why does it require further investigation. Thirdly, they are the state government, they have details, if this requires necessary action, take it,” Chua said. Where’s the community projects? Earlier, Pua said during his site visit – with DAP state assembly persons, Ng Suee Lim and Hannah Yeoh – to a 87,188 square feet piece of land in Ara Damansara which was given to Subang Umno division, they found no kindergarten or community hall for use by local residents. “Instead we found a 200-unit condominium – Suria Damansara Condominium worth more than RM500 million when it was first launched in 2006.” Yesterday, DAP also showed proof that one of 24 plots of public land sold to alleged cronies of the ruling coalition had been used for commercial instead of welfare purposes. Pua had claimed that the land, now worth RM200 per square feet, was sold at a cheaper price of RM1. The land now housed a medium cost condominium, when the Barisan Nasional leaders, in justifying the cheap price, claimed that community centres would be built there. Pua produced documents which showed that the two-acre land was worth RM17.5 million but allegedly sold at a meagre RM87,000 to Selangor Umno before Pakatan Rakyat took over the state in the 2008 elections. As for the Suria Damansara condomimium, each unit averaged at RM450,000 which totaled to an estimated gross development value of RM90 million. The controversy was first raised by DAP Sekinchan assemblyman Ng Suee Lim last month. He claimed that the lands were divided among BN's component parties. MCA holds five plots, MIC three and Gerakan one.    |
| Polis tak pasti pihak mana buat provokasi program PKR Posted: 04 Dec 2012 09:33 PM PST
Perkara ini dinyatakan timbalan ketua polis Gombak, Superitendan Rosli Husin yang dihubungi hari ini. “Kita tak pasti mereka dari parti mana. Yang kita pasti ialah mereka ialah orang tempatan di kawasan itu, bukannya orang luar,” kata beliau. Tambah beliau, ada dua orang tercedera dalam kejadian itu. “Seorang terkena botol di dahi dan seorang lagi terhiris di dahi. Lukanya kecil dan memerlukan empat jahitan sahaja.” Rosli menambah bahawa punca hirisan tersebut tidak dapat dikenalpasti oleh mangsa kerana kawasan tersebut mempunyai lambakan bahan binaan rumah kampung. Beliau turut menegur pihak penganjur kerana tidak mematuhi akta perhimpunan aman 2012. “Penganjur memberi notis pada kami pada Selasa lalu iaitu lapan hari sebelum ceramah sedangkan akta perhimpunan aman 2012 menetapkan bahawa penganjur perlu memberi notis 10 hari sebelum ceramah diadakan,” katanya lagi.    |
| Pemuda PAS Johor mahu polis siasat Hishammuddin, Musa Posted: 04 Dec 2012 09:30 PM PST
Pemuda PAS negeri Johor juga mendesak satu jawatankuasa penyiasat ditubuhkan bagi menyiasat tuduhan ini. Ketua Pemuda PAS negeri, Suhaizan Kaiat berkata, Ini merupakan satu tuduhan yang serius. “Jika benar tuduhan ini maka Hishammuddin wajib dihukum. Dan jika tuduhan ini palsu maka wajar Musa dikenakan hukuman,” tambahnya. Laporan polis dibuat oleh Setiausaha Dewan Pemuda PAS Negeri Johor Mahathir Mat Zili di balai polis Kluang hari ini. Musa dilaporkan berkata, Hishammuddin memberikan arahan kepada seorang pegawai polis junior di luar pengetahuannya sebagai ketua polis negara waktu itu. Dalam satu kes berasingan, Hishammuddin didakwa telah memberikan arahan terus kepada seorang ketua polis daerah. Tuduhan serius Kenyataan Musa ini disiarkan oleh Malaysiakini pada Rabu lalu. Musa merupakan bekas ketua polis negara sejak 2006 hingga 2010. “Ini bertentangan dengan Seksyen 4 (1) Akta Polis (1967), yang menyatakan bahawa arahan dan kawalan pihak polis adalah oleh ketua polis negara dan bukannya menteri dalam negeri,” kata Mahathir dalam laporan tersebut. Mahathir berkata, tuduhan ini amat serius dan memberi kesan besar terhadap kredibiliti pasukan Polis DiRaja Malaysia. Katanya, Hishammuddin perlu meletakkan jawatan bagi membolehkan satu siasatan yang telus dan bebas di buat untuk menentukan kesahihan tuduhan yang dibuat oleh Musa. “Seandainya tuduhan ini benar, satu tindakan yang tegas perlu di ambil terhadap Hishammuddin selaku menteri dalam negeri atas tindakan yang sangat tidak wajar yang mampu menjejaskan reputasi dan nama baik PDRM. “Saya amat mengharapkan agar siasatan secara adil dan bebas dapat dibuat untuk menyelamatkan Malaysia dari imej yang buruk di mata masyarakat dunia,” kata Mahathir dalam laporan itu lagi.    |
| ‘Video proves Anwar is behind Deepak’ Posted: 04 Dec 2012 09:19 PM PST
Posting links to a "secretly recorded" video footage, blogger Papa Gomo said it proved that Deepak’s recent explosive media interviews were the result of a plan engineered by several key PKR players. In the two-minute-long clip, a man who appears to be Deepak was speaking to a few people off camera. Aside from Anwar, he mentions several prominent PKR leader’s names, including Subang MP R Sivarasa as well as vice-presidents N Surendran and Nurul Izzah. “So he [Anwar] said I give you the place, whatever you want to do I help you, but you have to help me lah, of course it is understood lah,” said the man in the video. The video, according to Papa Gomo, was proof that Deepak had met with Anwar before he began his attacks against Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor on Nov 27. “In the video we hear Deepak saying that Nurul was the first person to contact him to see but for some reason he did not meet her,” wrote the blogger. He alleged that Anwar had asked to meet Deepak several times in 2010 but he had ignored the PKR de facto leader until he was pressured by a bank debt that totalled RM170 million. “Deepak’s real target is Senator Raja Ropiaah [Abdullah], the Selangor Wanita Umno chief who was together with Deepak previously in the real estate business,” said Papa Gomo. He said that Anwar then apparently promised to provide Deepak with a lawyer (Sivarasa) for his case against Raja Ropiaah. “Sivarasa actually instructed Deepak to mention the names of Najib and Rosmah in the Raja Ropiaah trial,” he added. However, "Deepak" in the video said he did not do that and “Sivarasa” was angry with him. Click here to view the video on YouTube. “Anwar has made Deepak the scapegoat in his plot to slander Najib and Rosmah… but Anwar’s promise of financial aid to settle Deepak’s bank loans will never happen because we all know that Anwar is a liar," said the blogger. On Monday, Anwar had denied any involvement in the sudden emergence of Deepak, and instead, called upon Najib and Rosmah to respond to the the allegations. "The allegation [that Pakatan is behind this exposé] is baseless. Look at the facts,” Anwar had said. He had explained that Deepak’s exposé was clearly linked to a court trial, and that he had no control over court dates. "What has that got to do with us? He wanted to adduce evidence, saying that money was transferred to the PM or his wife. What has that got to do with me?" he had said. In the past week, Deepak had resurfaced after a period of silence, giving several media interviews in which he claimed that he regretted 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 SD claimed otherwise. Balasubramaniam subsequently went missing. Also read: PKR leaders deny masterminding exposé Deepak exposé: Perkasa screams slander    |
| ‘Don’t treat Musa’s claims lightly’ Posted: 04 Dec 2012 09:16 PM PST
Musa’s claims of political interference in the conduct of the police investigations should be noted by the top leadership and a probe should be initiated, he said. His claims strengthened the belief that the judiciary is subjected to interference by individuals with a political agenda, he added. Sim said Barisan Nasional leaders should not look at the claims by Musa within the scope of politics, but under the glare of justice. Neither should anyone in Pakatan Rakyat look at this in the context of politics, he said. Everyone should view the claims seriously to ensure that such interference did not recur if Malaysia wants to come across as a law-abiding nation, he added. Penang PKR committee member Jason Ong Khan Lee said that the claims by Musa were nothing new. Such interference had been going on for decades, he claimed. Ong said that Musa’s claims were consistent with the allegations of senior police officers who had previously said their duties were hampered by interference of political forces. He added that Pakatan would put a stop to such interference if it wins federal power in the coming general election. He said there was a widespread consensus that the police were often used as a political tool to clamp down on dissidents, or any party said to be opposing the government. It was only fair that the rightful parties including individuals who are accused of interfering, should step in and clarify the matter. Ong said that almost every opposition politician in the country had at one time in their career had their statements recorded by the police. This shows that the police are actively engaged in politics, he added. Also read: Answer Musa's claims, cops tell top brass    |
| How Wal-Mart got a foot in India’s retail market Posted: 04 Dec 2012 09:14 PM PST
The company, called Cedar Support Services, might have been a more obvious selection four months earlier: it began its corporate life as Bharti Retail Holdings Ltd, according to documents filed with India’s Registrar of Companies. The Cedar investment is now the focus of an investigation by India’s financial crimes watchdog into whether Wal-Mart broke foreign direct investment rules by putting money into a retailer before the government threw open the sector to global players. Wal-Mart said it was in compliance with India’s FDI guidelines, and had followed all procedures. It said India’s central government had sought “information and clarification”, which Wal-Mart has provided. However, several lawyers said the transaction appeared to violate at least the spirit of India’s long-standing ban on foreign investment in supermarkets, which it only lifted in September 2012. When Wal-Mart made the investment in 2010, it was legal for foreigners to own consultants but not retailers, so the shift in Cedar’s business description raised eyebrows. “This is a complete camouflage,” said Hitesh Jain, a senior partner at ALMT Legal in Mumbai who advises retailers but is not involved with Wal-Mart. “It can be looked at as a violation of FDI rules because Cedar also operates supermarkets, which was a restricted sector back then.” Others stressed that the way Wal-Mart structured the transaction might make it legal. According to the documents filed with India’s registrar, the investment was in the form of debt that was convertible into equity. That clouds the issue of whether Wal-Mart took a stake in Cedar or provided financing. Bharti and Wal-Mart both declined to provide additional details on how the transaction was structured. Senior government officials told Reuters that India’s central bank had asked the Enforcement Directorate, which investigates financial crimes, to look into whether Wal-Mart violated the law by investing in a supermarket retailer before foreign investment rules were relaxed. If Wal-Mart did break the law, it could face a penalty of up to three times its initial US$100 million investment, they said. That would not only be a setback for Wal-Mart, it would also weaken consensus-building efforts by India’s minority government, led by the Congress party. The party is desperate for more support from across the political spectrum after its decision to let foreign players into India’s retail market came under fire from the opposition and even some of its own allies. Wal-Mart and other retailers lobbied for years to gain access to India’s market, lured by the promise of a middle class that will one day rival China’s. But local opposition has been fierce because of concern that Wal-Mart and its peers will knock millions of mom-and-pop stores out of business. Reuters pieced together details of Wal-Mart’s investment in Cedar by examining records from India’s Registrar of Companies and through interviews with government officials involved with the matter, as well as several lawyers who work with retailers. The documents reveal a web of companies set up under the Bharti umbrella, which runs India’s largest telecom operator, Bharti Airtel. The group, which also has retail interests, signed a joint venture with Wal-Mart to run wholesale stores in 2007, shortly after India allowed full foreign ownership of wholesale retail operations. That same year, the Bharti group formed Bharti Retail Holdings Ltd, which in turn owned a subsidiary called Bharti Retail Ltd which operated supermarkets and hypermarkets. In December 2009, Bharti Retail Holdings changed its business description to consulting services from retail, the documents filed with India’s Registrar show. A month later, the company changed its name to Cedar. The timing of the change in name and business is significant because when Wal-Mart invested in Cedar in March 2010, foreign companies could legally own 100% of an Indian consulting firm but not a supermarket retailer. Cedar issued “compulsorily convertible debentures” to Wal-Mart Mauritius Holdings Co Ltd, which would be exchanged for 49% equity 18 months after the issue date. The conversion date has since been pushed back twice, to September 2013, which would be after India’s relaxation of rules on retail investment. Cedar’s cash flow statement for 2010 shows that the funds raised from the debentures were used to finance activities and an attached schedule to the balance sheet shows a transfer of 1.75 billion rupees (US$32 million) to its retail unit, raising questions over whether Wal-Mart’s money went into the retail business. MP Achuthan, a communist member of India’s Parliament, has accused Wal-Mart of breaking the foreign direct investment law and said he wanted the company to be penalised. Achuthan also wants India to scrap its foreign retail investment policy. “I am surprised and shocked that the government didn’t see this. This kind of an investment could not have happened without the government’s knowledge,” Achuthan said. “It is impossible.” Wal-Mart’s Indian partner, Bharti Enterprises, said it had followed the rules but did not address specific questions e-mailed by Reuters. “We are in complete compliance of all regulations. All details have been shared with the relevant authorities,” a Bharti Enterprises spokesman said. Two senior government officials said there had been an initial round of communication between the Reserve Bank of India and the Enforcement Directorate. The RBI, India’s central bank, asked the law enforcement agency to conduct the investigation. “RBI believes there is a need to investigate,” said a senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. He said both Wal-Mart and Bharti were being investigated because “Wal-Mart allegedly made the investment and Bharti allegedly received it”. Separately, Wal-Mart said last month it was looking into bribery allegations in several countries including India, Brazel and China. It conducted an earlier probe in Mexico. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is under intense pressure to roll back the decision to permit foreign retailers. Parliament ground to a halt on Nov 22 over opposition to the reforms until the government agreed to a vote, set for today. A year ago, political pressure forced the government to make a U-turn after it first approved foreign investment into supermarkets, an abrupt shift that brought into question India’s ability to build consensus behind long-awaited reforms. When Wal-Mart made the investment in Cedar in 2010, Indian law permitted foreigners to own “cash-and-carry” wholesale stores, but they were barred from owning what India calls multi-brand retailers, or stores like Wal-Mart’s namesake supermarkets that sell a wide array of products and brands. Whether the investment in Cedar violated India’s law depends on two issues, according to the lawyers: if Cedar was in fact a retailer rather than a consultancy, and how the investment was structured. Cedar’s articles of association filed with the registrar show it called itself a consultancy, but a few pages later it describes a “competing business” as one involved in retail and operates supermarkets, hypermarkets and discount stores. Even if investigators determine Cedar was a retailer, lawyers said Wal-Mart’s investment may still be legal if the transaction is deemed to be debt. Wal-Mart could then argue that it did not acquire a stake but instead extended a loan. But according to RBI guidelines set in 2007, compulsorily convertible debentures are considered equity. That would mean Wal-Mart jumped the gun, said Alok Dhir, managing partner Dhir & Dhir Associates. Dhir said there may be one way around that problem. If Wal-Mart and Bharti included a “put” option on the debentures, it could be considered debt because Wal-Mart would no longer be required to convert the debt to equity. It is not clear whether this transaction included such a clause, and Wal-Mart and Bharti declined to comment. Under Indian law, Wal-Mart can be found in violation even if each step it took was within bounds. If the combination of those actions led to a result that circumvented the law, a court can consider the bigger picture, four lawyers said, citing a 1985 Supreme Court of India decision. However, there are numerous grey areas. For example, the RBI does not require Indian companies to declare what they do with money they receive from foreign investment. “Even if the investigation is able to prove that funds were invested into the retail business, the companies can say they are not legally bound to declare it and present an argument,” said Ravi Singhania, managing partner at law firm Singhania & Partners. The fact that Wal-Mart’s investment was capped at 49 percent and would not give it majority control of Cedar after the debt is converted could also help the companies build a case that the investment was legal. The rules allow Indian-owned and controlled companies to use foreign capital to fund businesses which their subsidiaries operate. However, lawyers said there is no clarity on whether it is a breach if the unit of the Indian entity operates in a restricted sector, which supermarkets were until September. - Reuters    |
| Applying lipstick can harm your IQ Posted: 04 Dec 2012 09:13 PM PST NEW YORK: A new study involving 22 brands of lipstick found that 55 per cent contained trace amounts of lead. Underwriters Laboratories revealed that 12 of the lip products sampled tested positive for the toxic substance with the highest levels at 3.22 parts per million, the Daily Mail reported. Commenting on the findings Dr Sean Palfrey, medical director for the Boston Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, warned that even low-level lead exposure poses a serious health risk and could affect mental health. He told Good Morning America , which commissioned the study: “What we know now is that even the lowest levels of lead can harm your IQ, your behavior, your ability to learn.”
Dr Halyna Breslawec, chief scientist for the Personal Care Products Council, added: “If you were serious about the public health aspects of lead poisoning you would not be looking at lipstick.” “You would be looking at locations where children live. Do they live near hazardous waste dumps – are they chewing lead-containing paint fragments?” she said. Currently there are no standards set by the Food and Drug Administration limiting levels in lipstick and it is up to manufacturers to decide on the safety tests performed. Lead is not intentionally put in lipstick but many color additives are mineral-based and contain trace levels of lead naturally found in soil, water and air.—Agencies    |
| Hydro Tasmania will quit Sarawak Posted: 04 Dec 2012 09:09 PM PST
Hydro Tasmania’s involvement in the RM3 billion Murum Dam project has been at the receiving end of incessant campaigning by local native NGOs and Australians, and it has succumbed to public pressure on Monday and announced it is phasing out. Hydro Tasmania CEO Roy Adair told Sarawak campaigners Peter Kallang and James Nyurang from Save Rivers, a coalition of Sarawak NGOs, and Peter John Jaban from Radio Free Sarawak that “Hydro Tasmania will leave Sarawak by the end of 2013″. “Our role is diminishing and there is no plan to replace our current secondees… our secondees are reducing to four at the end of this year and the others will be phased out over the next 12 months," he said. He said all four remaining Hydro Tasmania staff seconded to SEB, the main contractors, will be phased out over the next 12 months and not replaced. The remaining personnel, he said, will fulfil their “contractual obligations” and return. Announcing the good news, Swiss-based Bruno Manser Fund (BMF), which has been at the forefront of a global campaign to bring down Taib and save Sarawak’s rainforests and the indigenous natives from his land development policies, said Adair’s statement was “a significant U-turn” in Hydro Tasmania’s position over the Sarawak dams. Adair had until recently been staunchly supportive of Taib’s plans to build 12 dams, claiming that SEB was “a first-class professional outfit” and that Hydro Tasmania was “delighted to be working with what is one of the major opportunities in the world”. Adair said all this during an interview with an Australian TV show ‘Dateline Programme”. During the show he enthused about Tasmania’s involvement in the proposal to build multiple dams which would eventually force out tens and thousands of native from their lands and destroy the rainforests. Propaganda backfired But the propaganda programme, however, backfired on Adair and Hydro Tasmania and raised numerous questions over the hydro projects and the “business, safety and sustainability” standards adopted by SEB helmed by Taib’s cousin Hamid Sepawi. The programme also noted the disastrous treatment of natives living in Batang Ai and Bakun and that these problems were in existent in Murum and Baram. It also pointed to worrying levels of corruption in Sarawak. In September this year frustrated Penans from eight villagers mounted a blockade on the access road to the Murum dam site. The relentless blockade drew the attention of local and international media. No amount of ‘cajoling’ by the state government and its agents has convinced the Penans to abort their ongoing blockade. According to Save Rivers, the Penan had been protesting against the dam since 2009 but frustration at the state’s refusal to look into their needs and fulfil promises made had led to the blockade. Failing to move SEB and the Taib government, Save Rivers took their campaign to Australia aiming to mobilise Australians to pressure state-owned Hydro Tasmania to withdraw from participating in the project in Sarawak. The campaign received the wholehearted support of the Australian Greens party. The Greens are in a formal alliance with the Australian Labor Party in the Tasmanian Parliament. Greens Senators Christine Milne and Lee Rhiannon, together with Sarawak indigenous leaders, launched a national-level campaign on the issue last week, which resulted in Adair’s announcement of a withdrawal in 12 months. Said BMF in a statement yesterday: “During our campaign, which was jointly led by Save Rivers, the Huon Valley Environment Centre and the Bruno Manser Fund, more than 5,700 people have sent e-mails to Hydro Tasmania’s Roy Adair, asking the Hydro Tasmania CEO to get out of Sarawak. “Thank you for your strong support to this cause and to a campaign that is far from over. You can still sign on to the petition to Hydro Tasmania, asking them to withdraw their staff with immediate effect,” the BMF said. ‘Economic sabotage’ The campaign, BMF said, had given Taib a “big headache” leading to his outburst during the recent State Legislative Assembly sitting. Taib had slammed local NGOs and their global partners, accusing the of “economic sabotage”. Taib said it would be short-sighted to oppose the construction of dams in Sarawak and to listen to outsiders whose real intention towards the state's continued development was suspect at best. He urged Sarawakians not to believe the “web of lies and half-truths wrapped around ignorance and twisted logic." "Increasingly, we notice that negative actions are being organised in Sarawak to gain global attention and a handful of local organisers seem to lead this opposition to get funding from foreigners," he said, alluding to Save Rivers aggressive campaign in Australia. Hydro Tasmania’s announcement on Monday brings to a victorius end, a 12-days Australian tour by an indigenous delegation from Save Rivers.    |
| West Ham await Olympic Stadium decision Posted: 04 Dec 2012 09:01 PM PST
They are competing against League One side Leyton Orient, a football business college and a group keen to bring Formula 1 to the Olympic Park. A deal for West Ham to take up the lease collapsed last year after legal challenges from Orient and Tottenham. The BBC reports that being named as a preferred bidder will be a big step towards becoming tenants. Preferred-bidder status will not involve the signing of any contracts, but will put the club at the front of the queue to secure a new home under a 99-year lease. The Olympic Stadium, which hosted the majority of the track and field athletics events during the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies, will not reopen until August 2015. Orient owner Barry Hearn plans to change the club’s name to London Orient if their bid to ground-share with West Ham succeeds. The Premier League club has previously said it has not held any talks with Orient. The two football clubs face competition from Intelligent Transport Services in association with Formula 1, and UCFB College of Football Business. West Ham agreed to put in more money to reduce the funding gap from £40m to £20m, but the total cost of conversion will be at least £160m and one potential sticking point is who will underwrite any possible increases in construction costs. -Agencies    |
| STAR eyeing across political divide for candidates Posted: 04 Dec 2012 08:56 PM PST
STAR is a Borneo-based national party based in Kuching. It may have candidates in Peninsular Malaysia as well if Hindraf Makkal Sakthi, pledged towards a third force in Parliament, uses its symbol and flag as well. Already, Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy is planning to take on MIC president G Palanivel in Cameron Highlands or wherever he decides to stand. The ad hoc apolitical human rights movement wants to put an end to the mandore politics syndrome plaguing Indians on both of the divide. STAR chairman Jeffrey Kitingan, when asked about the reported STAR’s plan to eye both sides of the political divide for candidates, was non-committal: “Let’s see what happens.” However, he does not disagree with working across the political divide for candidates to be fielded under his party’s symbol. The gist of STAR’s 60/26 plan, as worked out by party strategists, revolves around wooing Barisan Nasional Sabah incumbents dropped by the coalition to campaign for the party (STAR). At the same time, the new faces that were not fielded by the BN, as expected, can be considered as possible candidates for STAR, as the thinking goes. Such candidates, whose credibility and vote-drawing power must be unchallenged, may make up anything up to half the STAR candidates in both state and parliamentary seats. Also, the thinking is that STAR must work hand-in-glove with Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) to lay the ghosts of 1994 to rest. In that year, PBS won the state election for an unprecedented fourth term by a razor-thin margin of two seats. Another three seats were lost when some rebel Chinese state assemblymen broke away after dissolution to form the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) within an unprecedented 24 hours. The party, continuing from the 1994 tie-up with Anwar Ibrahim, has now formed a polls pact with the opposition Pakatan Rakyat. The target of the combined wrath of PBS and STAR, if the deal materialises, would be all the other BN parties especially two other PBS-breakaways Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) and the United PasokMomogun KadazanDusunMurut Organisation (Upko), besides wiping out and burying SAPP and “the parti parti Malaya in Borneo”. Million-ringgit question UBF is eyeing the Orang Asal seats held by Umno since 1994 while Usno wants back all its seats taken by Umno in the same year. Critics say that STAR is biting off more than it can chew. For starters, the possibility of STAR and PBS working together would be a million-ringgit question if Jeffrey’s elder brother and PBS chief, Joseph Pairin Kitingan, decides to stand in the Keningau parliamentary seat, which the former is eyeing as well. Jeffrey thinks that Pairin should stick to the Tambunan state seat for his last hurrah. Earlier, it was rumoured that Pairin was toying with the idea of fielding his son Alex in Keningau after deciding against offering himself there or in any parliamentary seat. Pairin may have changed his mind on Keningau after the BN leadership made it plain that it was against virtually giving away the seat to Jeffrey. However, the BN is reportedly neutral on Jeffrey’s earlier plan to stand in the Pensiangan parliamentary seat where incumbent Joseph Kurup, the PBRS president, is a no hoper based on the 2008 results which were disputed in court. Kurup fled with a black eye after it was announced that his challenger had filed five minutes late and that he (Kurup) had been returned unopposed. Between Jeffrey and Pairin in Keningau, it’s a virtual toss-up since the younger voters are favoured to be with the former. However, the catch may be that many of the youth are working outside the Sabah interior, many even as far away as Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia. Not all them can be expected to return for polling day. The bottomline is that all bets on any form of STAR-PBS polls co-operation would be off if both Jeffrey and Pairin want Keningau. One would have to give way. Assuming that PBS and STAR would not be working together come the 13th general election, and given that there would not be straight fights anywhere, there are no prizes for guessing the eventual outcome on D-Day. The political pundits are in consensus that Sabah STAR, under the circumstances, can at best win five parliamentary seats, that is, UBF three seats excluding Keningau and Usno (two seats). Third force Six seats likely to be won by Sabah BN parties other than Umno are likely to support STAR in the event of a hung Parliament, that is, a scenario envisaging 107 parliamentary seats for BN including 42 from Sabah (18) and Sarawak (24); STAR (five); Hindraf (five); and Pakatan (105 seats) including three in Sabah through DAP and seven in Sarawak through DAP (6) and PKR (one) respectively. Sabah Umno can be expected to hold on to 12 parliamentary seats after conceding two to Usno. Sabah DAP is expected to take the three parliamentary seats of Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau. Sabah STAR’s best possible position post-13th general election is one where it can form the nucleus of a third force in Parliament together with Hindraf. Sabah STAR strategists claim that they can do better than five parliamentary seats given the fact that the next general election will “in fact be a one-to-one fight between the Borneo Agenda and the Agenda parti parti Malaya in Borneo”. The Agenda Borneo stands against everything that the Agenda parti parti Malaya in Borneo stands for and especially Putrajaya ruling Sabah and Sarawak through local proxies and stooges. However, it’s highly unlikely that BN and Pakatan can divide the entire 222 parliamentary seats between them in the 13th general election. It’s a certainty that the third force is here to stay and would make at least a modest entry in the next Parliament    |
| Thais pack Bangkok for king’s birthday celebration Posted: 04 Dec 2012 08:45 PM PST
Television images showed a sea of supporters of the revered king, many wearing yellow symbolising Monday, the day of his birth, and waving royal and Thai flags. At least 200,000 people were expected to attend the speech from a balcony at the Anantasamakom Throne Hall in front of the Royal Plaza in the capital’s historic district. Crowds lined the streets chanting “long live the king!” along the route of the royal motorcade as it made its way from the hospital where the king has lived for three years after suffering a respiratory illness in 2009. Bhumibol, who has served for 66 years, suffered a minor brain bleed in July, but has since made several official appearances including meeting Barack Obama during the US president’s visit to the country last month. Thailand’s Queen Sirikit was not among the members of the royal family accompanying the king on Wednesday. Doctors treating the 80-year-old queen, who was diagnosed with a slight loss of blood flow to the brain after being taken ill in July, said she was too weak to attend the ceremony, according to a statement from the palace on Tuesday. Any discussion of the royal family is extremely sensitive in politically-turbulent Thailand, where the palace has been silent over the organisation of the eventual succession. Royal Plaza was the heart of anti-government demonstrations in November that saw clashes between police and protesters in the city. The rally — attended by members of the influential monarchist “Yellow Shirts” — was the latest street unrest in Thailand’s long-running political crisis pitting Thai royalists against supporters of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra and the current government led by his sister Yingluck. -AFP    |
| TV channel fined over Simpsons ‘blasphemy’ Posted: 04 Dec 2012 08:37 PM PST ISTANBUL: Turkey’s broadcasting regulator is fining a television channel for insulting religious values after it aired an episode of “The Simpsons” which shows God taking orders from the devil. Radio and television watchdog RTUK said it was fining private broadcaster CNBC-e 52,951 lira (US$30,000) over the episode of the hit US animated TV series, whose scenes include the devil asking God to make him a coffee. “The board has decided to fine the channel over these matters,” an RTUK spokeswoman said but declined further comment, saying full details would probably be announced next week.
Turkey is a secular republic but most of its 75 million people are Muslim. Religious conservatives and secular opponents vie for public influence and critics of the government say it is trying to impose Islamic values by stealth. Elected a decade ago with the strongest majority seen in years, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted AK Party have overseen a period of unprecedented prosperity in Turkey. But concerns are growing about authoritarianism. Erdogan last week tore into a chart-topping soap opera about the Ottoman Empire’s longest-reigning Sultan and the broadcasting regulator has warned the show’s makers about insulting a historical figure. “The Simpsons” first aired in 1989 and is the longest-running US sitcom. It is broadcast in more than 100 countries and CNBC-e has been airing it in Turkey for almost a decade. “I wonder what the script writers will do when they hear that the jokes on their show are taken seriously and trigger fines in a country called Turkey,” wrote Mehmet Yilmaz, a columnist for the Hurriyet newspaper. “Maybe they will add an almond-moustached RTUK expert to the series,” he said, evoking a popular Turkish stereotype of a pious government supporter.—Reuters    |
| M’sia among the worst global polluters Posted: 04 Dec 2012 08:33 PM PST
The findings, revealed at the climate talks in Doha recently by Germanwatch and Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, highlighted performances of the 61 top polluters globally. No country made it to the top three spots in reaching the goal of keeping global warming below 2 degree Celsius. Malaysia ranked a disappointing 55th out of 61 countries who were part of the research, scoring 47.53 out of 100. The total score encapsulates five main categories – emissions levels, development of emissions, renewable energies, efficiency and climate policy respectively. Malaysia also ranked 14th out of 15 countries in the Index for newly Industrialised Countries and last out of nine countries in the Index for Asian Countries. The main factor behind Malaysia’s poor rating is due to its rapid industralisation and uncontrolled emmisions of toxic waste products and rampant deforestation. Deputy secretary general of the Ministry of National Resources and Environment, Abdul Rahim Nik, admitted Malaysia's emission levels have been steadily increasing since 2000. Malaysia’s climate policy ratings have stayed the same since the last CCPI in 2012, and it proves that not much emphasis has been given to enforcing its policy statement. Abdul Rahim said: "Our policy is to ensure climate-resilient developments to fulfil national aspirations for sustainability." What is being done wrong? Malaysia’s climate policy, being part of the 9th Malaysia Plan, has to be given more attention if it is serious in wanting to tackle this issue. According to the the national policy of climate change, impacts of climate change can undermine development, affect human well-being and threaten the security of natural resources. Therefore, strategic responses are vital to fortify the nation’s resilience to the impacts of climate change. Intergrated planning and implementation of strategic thrusts will definitely help improve the nation’s climate policy rankings in the near future. To curb rising emission levels, the government must act against those who blatantly violate provisions of the policy so as to safeguard the environment and aspire to the standards of the Kyoto Protocol. The government has to emulate the example of China, which although being one of the largest polluters in the world, is investing heavily in renewable energies to curb pollution.    |
| London Games were “value for money” Posted: 04 Dec 2012 08:31 PM PST  LONDON: Public funding of nine billion pounds for the London Olympics was money well spent after a successful Games, the National Audit Office (NAO) said in a report on Wednesday. The NAO found fault with an initial underestimate of how much public money was needed and the failure of private contractor G4S to supply enough security guards which meant British troops had to be drafted in just before the Olympics. However, its report was generally positive about a Games that the government hopes will help attract additional investment and tourists to Britain. “By any reasonable measure the Games were a success and the big picture is that they have delivered value for money,” said the NAO, an independent body which scrutinises public spending on behalf of parliament. “LOCOG (London Organisers) sold 11 million tickets and our athletes excelled,” it added. “Crucially, the Games passed off without major transport disruption or security incident. The scale of the construction programme and the fact that it was completed on time and within budget is impressive.” Deciding on a tenant for the Olympic Stadium, the centrepiece of the Olympic Park in east London, has been a slow process and has threatened to remove some of the goodwill generated by the Games. A solution could finally be found on Wednesday when the board of the London Legacy Development Corporation examines final bids from four parties, including Premier League football club West Ham United. West Ham are viewed as the most likely candidate but agreement has been elusive on how to divide up the costs of adapting the stadium for football use. -Reuters    |
| ‘Najib is hostile to LGBT community’ Posted: 04 Dec 2012 08:10 PM PST
In a letter to Najib dated yesterday, HRW deputy director for the Asia region Phil Robertson said: "Najib's claims to promote diversity in Malaysia rings hollow when he publicly calls for discrimination against the LGBT community. Najib's actions against LGBT people are a glaring contradiction to his self-proclaimed profile as a 'global moderate' leader." Contrary to the global moderate image that Najib has been portraying, the HRW stated that Najib made public statements that facilitate discriminatory actions by government and the authorities in July. Najib singled out the LGBT community as a threatening "deviant culture", saying that such deviance was to have no place in a Malaysia under his leadership. The first speech was in June at the launch of a book of Najib's collected speeches and messages, "The Agenda of Islam in National Transformation", and the other in July to 11,000 imams and mosque members. Aside from that, HRW also provided examples of how the Najib administration discriminated the LGBT community. Among others they are the government shutdown of the November 2011 Seksualiti Merdeka (Sexual Diversity) Festival; a government programme to train volunteers to "convert gays;" and the public recommendation by Deputy Education Minister, Puad Zarkashi, that educating parents to recognise symptoms of gay or lesbian orientation could be effective in fighting increase of this "unhealthy phenomenon among students". HRW’s LGBT rights advocacy director Boris Dittrich reminded Najib that the discriminatory practices contravene Universal Declaration of Human Rights of which Malaysia is a signatory.
He also pointed out that a November 2011 report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights that specifically addressed violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity made recommendations that have specific relevance to Malaysia. "World leaders like UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon have repeatedly called for an end to anti-LGBT discrimination, intimidation, and violence, and will repeat those calls on Dec 11, during international human rights day celebrations," Dittrich added. Robertson, meanwhile, urged Najib to repeal LGBT discriminatory laws and policies instead of marginalising them to gain votes. "The Malaysian government has sadly used anti-LGBT policies to pander to conservative groups within the ruling coalition and society at large. Encouraging discrimination against a marginalised group to win votes repudiates commitments to respect rights that Malaysia touted when it sought a seat on the UN Human Rights Council."    |
| Posted: 04 Dec 2012 08:10 PM PST
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