FMT News |  |
- Indians want due recognition, Najib
- Kit Siang: ‘Need to win 70% of new voters’
- Buku kartun dedah kepincangan Selangor diedar percuma
- AES: Make up your mind, Kong tells S’gor govt
- Zahrain sertai semula Umno
- Ku Li warns of ‘prostitution’ among professionals
- Lapan staf Kuin buat laporan polis
- Jalan ke Putrajaya terbuka luas
- Polygamy and the Muslim woman
- Carpets, mattresses and dirty linen
- Rumah PR1MA, monorel untuk rakyat P Pinang
- Ada pihak ambil kesempatan isu Gatco
- ‘Kami mahu Jenain datang bersemuka dengan ibu’
- Colonial grandeur for Hospis Malaysia fundraiser
- The Hobbit: An unexpected journey contest
- BN needs to do some serious soul-searching
- Let there be light
- What happened to Petronas money?
- Another May 13 is unthinkable, unforgivable
- Ex-top cop questions Musa’s credibility
- Political blockbuster: Dragon vs Dinosaur
- SEB: Hydro Tasmania’s exit was pre-planned
- Terry out of Japan trip, Lampard back in squad
- Euro 2020 plan lauded in cash-strapped continent
- Owen blames Liverpool mismanagement for injury problems
- Fans to benefit from new Euro 2020 format, says Platini
- Unhappy and unwanted Landreau leaves Lille
- Cook switches to Isle of Man after Olympic controversy
- Unbeaten City cannot afford to lose derby says Mancini
- US extends waivers on Iran sanctions to China and India
- Riots mar Hillary Clinton’s Belfast return
- Iran’s long-range missiles said to lag US intelligence fears
- Venezuela’s Chavez returns from Cuba after treatment
- US trade-human rights link tests Obama-Russia ties
- Rebels circle Damascus airport; Russia, U.S. downbeat
- Berlusconi party says it will not push Italy into chaos
- Nurse in Kate royal hoax call found dead
- Italian tax police raid Facebook offices
- Egypt protesters question use of peaceful tactics
- Dutch to send Patriot missiles to Turkey-Syria border
| Indians want due recognition, Najib Posted: 08 Dec 2012 12:50 AM PST
The four-day assembly was “muted”, despite Umno Wanita chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil upping the ante by warning that the May 13 tragedy might be repeated should Umno become weak and not able to overcome its challenges. However, in a quick reaction deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin doused the potential flashpoint reassuring Malaysians that the May, 13, 1969 racial riots would not be repeated. In aiming their anger against the opposition, delegates focused on PAS more than DAP. Pundits claim that the “mild” assembly showed Umno was at a crossroad. It wants the Malay votes but at the sametime it is not ready to forsake Chinese and Indian voters. But one question begs an answer. Can a less racist Umno win back the hearts and minds of Chinese and Indian voters? The answer is definitely a big no. Observers believe that since the Chinese community has swung towards the opposition, Prime Minister and Umno president Najib Tun Razak needs Indian votes for Barisan Nasional to emerge victorious at the next election, to be called within the next four months. None of the 222 parliamentary seats in the country has Indian majority in terms of voters. Despite this the community could swing results either way, if there is a split in Malay and Chinese votes in a particular constituency With MIC’s 66th Annual General Meeting (AGM) tomorrow, Najib has the golden opportunity to impress the Indian community through his opening speech. Since taking helm of the country and the ruling BN coalition some three years ago, Najib has been going the extra mile to shore up Indian support for the ruling government. History of Indians At the 2008 electoral outing, BN, then under the leadership of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, lost its long held two-thirds majority in Parliament. It also lost four state governments Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor. Kelantan has traditionally been in the hands of PAS, a member of the opposition pact, Pakatan Rakyat - made up of PAS, DAP and PKR. The MIC assembly comes at a crucial moment, taking into account the looming general election. Pundits have pointed out that Najib’s speech may include an apology to the community for sidelining Malaysian Indians from the wave of development. They also expect, the prime minister to splash large amounts of money for the community. It has to be noted that Najib todate had allocated nearly RM900 million for Indians in the last two years. Yet, he faces difficulty in getting back the Indian votes, which was solidly behind BN until 2008. What does the community really want? Why is it so difficult to get the Indians back to the BN? The answer to these two questions needs some history lessons. One look at Umno’s version of Indian history in Malaysia reveals a lot. According to Umno, Indians are a group of uncivilised people brought to Malaya from India by the British government. They are traditionally divided into castes where most Malaysian Indians are from lower caste. Words like ‘pariah’ and ‘keling’ were often used to describe them. This is how Umno had painted out the Indians, turning them into a disgruntled underclass. The community complained of being neglected and marginalised by the Umno-led government. However, Malaysian Indian roots run deep dating back to the first century, when an ancient Indian kingdom ruled the northern part of Malaysia. Evidence of such a kingdom was found in Lembah Bujang in Kedah. Since the site was rediscovered by explorers in the 1930s, more than 50 temple ruins have been excavated in the valley, making it Malaysia’s richest archaeological treasure trove. Systematically sidelined However, till today the government, for whatever reason, has yet to recognise or acknowleged that the ruins were part of the ancient Indian kingdom. A sign board at Bujang Valley museum describes the ruins as an “old Malay kingdom”. It is things like this which has simmered for sometime among the Malaysian Indian community. During the post colonial era, Indian were professionals in terms of employment. While, many had worked in estates in the early days, quite a number of them understood the importance of education and pushed the second generation towards this. The community produced numerous doctors and lawyers in the 1960s.However, this has changed. While the community still places emphasis on education, not many are given seats at government run higher education centres to pursue professional courses. Seats are now awarded based on the race based quota system. Umno had also systematically sidelined the once hardworking and economically vibrant Indian community into a "forgotten community" through its ethnic and religious policies. People like Bastianpillai Paul Nicholas (first Asian banker in British Malaya), Janaki Davar (one of the women involved in the fight for the Malayan independence), Sybil Karthigesu (only Malayan woman to be ever awarded with the George Medal for bravery), SA Ganapathi (first president of the 300,000-strong Pan Malayan Federation of Trade Unions (PMFTU) which fought for the country’s independence) and Dr TJ Danaraj (University Malaya’s medical faculty founder and former Dean), have been omitted from the history books. Today, Indians lag behind other ethnic groups in almost all areas. While they form just 7% of the total population, they account for 63% arrested under the Emergency Ordinance for violent crimes. They also constitute 41% of beggars and 20% of child abusers. Indians rank lowest in national elementary-school examinations, about one in every 12 Indian children do not even attend primary school. Umno's racist policies had pushed the Indian community to the wayside of nation-building since independence. Thus, the MIC annual general assembly to be held at the Putra World Trade Centre tomorrow would be the right venue for Najib to rewrite history. Najib says his government is helping the Indians. Giving out loans to small-business and financial aid for students would not impress the community. The community wants to be recognised. This does not cost a single sen. The government should acknowlege the contribution of Indians to this country. And the recognition must come in seven key areas – politics, government affairs, education, jobs, culture, history and socio-economy. If Najib can touch and talk on this tomorrow, he would not have to fork out so much money in an attempt to win the hearts and mind of Malaysian Indian voters.      |
| Kit Siang: ‘Need to win 70% of new voters’ Posted: 08 Dec 2012 12:30 AM PST
In a statement yesterday, Lim pointed out that there are three million new voters who registered after the last GE, 60% of whom are under the age of 30. He said the new voters would make up 25% of the 13 million electorates in the next general election. Lim said it would not be sufficient for Pakatan to solely rely on the new voters' support, as the opposition pact could only win 109 out of 222 parliamentary seats even if 70% of three million voters chose them. "To get to Putrajaya, Pakatan must also convince a larger percentage of the 2008 voters to switch their vote to us. "Only if Pakatan manages to win 70% of nett new voters and an additional 3% of GE 2008 voters can Pakatan reach Putrajaya with a comfortable majority of seven parliament seats, which is 119 seats," he said. Hudud issue "PAS passing the hudud legislation in the Terengganu state legislature in 2001 did not stop BN from regaining this state by winning 28 out of 32 state seats and 7 out of 8 parliament seats in Terengganu in the 2004 general election. "The hudud issue led to the dismantling of the Barisan Alternative and it took the historic 2008 general election to bring together the three parties again," he said. The Ipoh Timur mem ber of parliament said the focus should be on the ongoing corruption and abuse of power within the BN rather than to push the Islamic state agenda. "(The Islamic agenda) does nothing to win over the middle ground and swing voters," he pointed out. Lim said new voters and swing voters are inclined to compare BN and Pakatan on their capability to reduce corruption, to strengthen national unity, uphold social justice, reduc e poverty in Sabah and Sarawak and user in a governance of democracy. "Pakatan Rakyat should not let itself be distracted by narrow issues but focus on the larger picture to win these swing voters and to capture the middle ground to win the battle for Putrajaya in the 13GE," he added.    |
| Buku kartun dedah kepincangan Selangor diedar percuma Posted: 08 Dec 2012 12:16 AM PST
Bagaimanapun buku kartun bertajuk “Selangor Ku Sayang” ini tidak mengandungi nama penulis, penerbit dan tahun penerbitan. Semua dakwaan di dalam buku kartun berwarna ini ditulis dengan huruf besar. Antara dakwaan yang dibuat di dalam buku ini ialah kerajaan negeri telah menampung kos rawatan Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri Damansara Utama Dr Cheah Wing Yin sebanyak RM330,367.96 di Pusat Perubatan Sunway. "Kenapakah perlu beliau menerima rawatan di pusat perubatan swasta yang sudah diketahui perbelanjaannya yang tinggi berbanding dengan pusat perubatan kerajaan," komen buku itu. Terdapat juga dakwaan bahawa kerajaan Selangor gagal menguruskan kewangan negeri dengan cekap sehingga membuat permohonan peruntukan sebanyak tiga kali dalam tahun 2010 iaitu RM69 juta dalam bulan Mac, RM117 juta (Julai) dan RM8 juta (November). Kejadian intipan menggunakan kamera litar pada awal tahun ini turut dilakarkan dengan gambar Khalid dimuatkan dalam buku ini. Selain itu isu hutang Talam Corporation Berhad, Universiti Selangor, kecurian pasir, Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor dan harapan Khalid untuk mengekalkan sokongan masyarakat Cina turut tertera dalam buku kartun ini.    |
| AES: Make up your mind, Kong tells S’gor govt Posted: 08 Dec 2012 12:12 AM PST
Referring to the last minute cancellation by the state to put covers on the two AES cameras yesterday, Kong said Selangor exco for local government Ronnie Liu has been dithering on what to do with the two cameras. "First they said they want to take down the cameras. Then they said they don't want to, and would just put a cover over it. They have to make up their mind, and we have not received anything from them until now," he told reporters here today. Despite announcements to the media earlier this week, Liu called off the plan to cover up the two cameras with red plastic bags at the 11th hour on the advice of the state's lawyers. The cameras are located at Kilometer 6.6 point of the South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE) and Kilometer 301.7 of the North-South Highway. Yesterday Mohd Sayuthi Bakar, president of the Sepang municipal council (MPS), instead issued notices to the Road Transport Department (RTD) and Batu Tegap Sdn Bhd, one of the AES concessionaires, to cover the cameras themselves. Sabotage Meanwhile, commenting on a report in the The Star today that motorists were installing devices on their number plate to evade getting caught by the AES, he said RTD would have to define the legality of such a device. "Under the existing laws, a motorist must have a number plate, the dimension of the plate must be in accordance to the guidelines and it must be displayed clearly at all times," he said. Meanwhile, Kong also brushed offenders who told the court that after having passed a green light but were stuck in a jam, thus being captured by the camera after the light turned red. "When you are applying to get your license, the instructor will always tell you that you can't stop within the yellow box. It is an offence," he said. On Thursday, 58 motorists who failed to pay their AES compounds turned up in court to answer their summons. 1,400 AES cases have been registered in court so far. A total 44 motorists pleaded guilty while 13 are challenging the summons. About 20 were let off with a warning while the rest were each fined RM300.    |
| Posted: 07 Dec 2012 11:31 PM PST
Surat permohonan Zahrain bersama 347 bekas anggota Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) dari Bayan Baru, Bukit Gelugor dan Jelutong itu diserahkan kepada Najib pada majlis makan tengah hari Perdana Menteri bersama Masyarakat Bayan Baru, di perkarangan Pejabat Umno Bahagian Bayan Baru di sini. Bekas pengerusi PKR Pulau Pinang itu berkata beliau memilih untuk kembali kepada Umno kerana percaya hanya parti itu mampu memperjuang wadah orang Melayu terutama penduduk di Pulau Pinang. “Sudah sampai masanya saya memilih Umno kerana selama ini saya tertipu dengan perjuangan pakatan pembangkang, mereka sebenarnya mempunyai agenda tertentu sahaja. “PKR dan PAS yang mendakwa kononnya memperjuang nasib orang Melayu sebaliknya hanya memperguna kepentingan orang Melayu, tiada parti lain yang mampu memberi keistimewaan kepada orang Melayu dan bukan Melayu,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas majlis berkenaan, di sini. Terdahulu pada majlis itu, kira-kira 1,000 anggota masyarakat kawasan Bayan Baru menyertai majlis makan tengah hari bersama Perdana Menteri dan isteri Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor serta para pemimpin komponen Barisan Nasional (BN) Pulau Pinang. Zahrain berkata lebih ramai lagi anggota parti dari pembangkang akan menyertai Umno pada masa depan dan beliau percaya situasi itu mampu memberi kelebihan kepada BN Pulau Pinang pada pilihan raya umum ke-13 (PRU-13) nanti. Beliau berkata rakyat Pulau Pinang harus memberi sokongan kepada Perdana Menteri dan BN kerana hanya parti itu mampu memperjuang nasib mereka berbanding pembangkang yang pandai membuat janji sahaja. “Ini hanya permulaan (menyerahkan surat permohonan menyertai semula Umno) dan lebih ramai lagi terutama mereka yang bukan Melayu akan menyertai dan beri sokongan pada BN, ia bukan sahaja di kawasan Bayan Baru malah beberapa parlimen lain di sini (bahagian pulau),” katanya. Ditanya sama ada beliau akan menyokong Umno jika tidak dipilih sebagai calon PRU-13 nanti, Zahrain berkata beliau akan menyokong sesiapa sahaja yang dipilih Perdana Menteri menjadi calon BN di Bayan Baru untuk memastikan kemenangan BN. Sementara itu, bekas Ketua Wanita PKR Pulau Pinang Aminah Abdullah berkata beliau yang keluar daripada parti itu pada tahun 2007 juga turut menghantar surat permohonan untuk menyertai Umno hari ini. “Saya kembali menyokong BN kerana yakin hanya BN dapat membantu semua kaum di negara ini,” katanya. - Bernama    |
| Ku Li warns of ‘prostitution’ among professionals Posted: 07 Dec 2012 11:11 PM PST
"There can be prostitutes in each and every professional practise… people who are motivated by power, lust and greed for which they are willing to sacrifice the sacred trust that society has placed in them," said Razaleigh. In a strongly-worded speech at a dinner last night, Razaleigh, popularly refered to as Ku Li, said that unprofessional conduct was "most blatantly evident" in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). "Although established in the midst of much fanfare as part of the government's reform programme, sad to say, the hopes of the people were dashed soon after it was formed," declared the Gua Musang MP. "The people were disappointed when the agency appeared to show interest in petty matters while failing to address more urgent and important cases of corruption." The death of two witnesses in the anti-graft agency's headquarters, he said, had further stirred speculation about the professionalism and integrity of the officials there. "We are not unjustified in wondering if the agency is really serious about fighting graft, or merely finishing off political 'enemies'," said Razaleigh. He also levelled criticism at civil servants in general for "constantly pandering to political masters". He cited their "deafening silence" in cases such as the alleged destruction of the Selangor state government's records five years ago, after BN lost the state to the opposition coalition. "Not a whimper was heard from the custodians of public records in this country, despite the fact that they are believed to have their own code of professional ethics," said Razaleigh. He said the trend continues to this day, referring to a case in which a former Directive of the Archives in Sabah made a political statement over the 20-Point point document signed prior to the formation of Malaysia. "The constant pandering to political masters on their own free will calls into question the extent of their professionalism," said Razaleigh. He also slammed the judiciary, maintaining that it had declined in professionalism in"epidemic proportions" since the removal of Tun Salleh Abbas as Lord President in 1988. Salleh's dismissal had been sparked by a fallout between Razaleigh and Mahathir Mohamed following a narrow Umno presidential election which the two contested in. Mahathir grew unhappy with the judiciary when Razaleigh's supporters filed a suit in the High Court to obtain a court order for new elections, after Mahathir defeated Razaleigh with 761 votes to Razaleigh's 718. This eventually lead to a tribunal against Salleh, which found him guilty of, among others, "undermining public confidence in the government's administration". "Since then, the impartiality, independence and basic honesty of the judiciary has been called into question time and time again," said Razaleigh. "Since then, the Attorney-General's Chambers has become the object of public odium, being perceived as a willing tool of the executive." Brain drain and racial polarisation Even the education system was not spared; Razaleigh claimed that it was in "tatters" and placed the blame squarely on the BN-led government's shoulders for creating the "rot". "The drastic drop in educational standards is such that many parents shudder to think of putting their children through the Malaysian school system… "We may not like to hear it, but the sad truth is that the rot in our education system started with the executive interferences linked to the New Economy Policy," he said. The New Economic Policy was launched in 1971 by former prime minister Tun Abdul Razak, and the portion dedicated to education in particular has received criticism for allegedly contributing to brain drain and racial polarisation. Meanwhile, Razaleigh lashed out at the police force for their "total lack of professionalism", dating back to the time a former Inspector General of Police (IGP) used violence on Anwar Ibrahim when he was in police custody. "Sad to say, the image of the police force is at the lowest ebb today. There are many unexplained cases of deaths under police custody, creating unrest and agitation among the people of a certain community," said Razaleigh. "The total lack of professionalism within the ranks of the police force was again clearly evident during the Bersih rally when violence and brutality was inflicted on innocent journalists and protestors in what could have been a peaceful protest." He described the "post-rally propaganda" against Bersih, and especially its chairperson S Ambiga as "most shameful and unprofessional". In his speech, he also listed out the absence of professionalism in the military, the construction industry, and among accountants and doctors. "My concern is this: we do not want a profession to be prostituted – for if that happens the profession is condemned to suffer aids from which it might never recover," said Razaleigh. Razaleigh urged professionals to resist such political interference, saying: "Sometimes the professionals are only too eager to please their political masters. "Everyone knows that wisdom among Malaysian politicians is rare, but perhaps few realise that the courage to tell the truth to people in power is just as rare, if not rarer among the professionals." He said that for professionalism to take root in society, the public must avoid manipulation by "the powers that be". "We can never aspire to be professional so long as we continue to be imprisoned by the feudal mentality that conditions our mind to blindly follow our leaders or those in positions of power and authority." Razaleigh said Malaysians must remove the "kampong" mentality and work towards creating a new culture which reflects universally acceptable standards of professional conduct.    |
| Lapan staf Kuin buat laporan polis Posted: 07 Dec 2012 10:35 PM PST
Laporan itu dibuat di Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Kota Setar di sini pukul 9 pagi ini. Laporan itu dibuat atas kekesalan dan perasaan tidak puas hati kakitangan Kuin kerana berlakunya pecah amanah dalam mengurus kewangan Kuin dan kakitangannya. Mereka mendakwa Kuin tidak membuat pembayaran wang pekerja kepada agensi pihak ketiga seperti bank, insurans dan institusi kewangan yang lain sedangkan wang pekerja telah diambil dan potongan dilakukan dalam slip gaji mereka. Dalam satu kenyataan yang diedarkan kepada media di perkarangan IPD Kota Setar, mereka berkata sikap Kuin yang tidak membuat pembayaran itu menyebabkan tunggakan tiga hingga enam bulan mengakibatkan sebahagian besar kakitangan Kuin terpaksa menanggung beban seperti dikenakan caj kelewatan oleh bank, menerima surat amaran peguam, surat amaran kereta ditarik dan polisi insurans ditamatkan. Mereka yang menggelarkan diri mereka “Skuad Urusetia Gelombang Putih Membersihkan Kuin” berkata akibat kegagalan Kuin membayar pembiayaan pekerja ke institusi kewangan berkaitan, nama pekerja terlibat disenarai hitam di Credit Reference Information System (CCRIS). “Motivasi para pekerja menurun. Selain itu, pembayaran lewat kepada pihak ketiga menyebabkan nama baik pengurusan Kuin tercalar. Beberapa pihak yang menawarkan pembiayaan boleh menyenaraikan Kuin sebagai pelanggan,” kata kumpulan pekerja itu. Mereka berkata kakitangan kolej universiti merasakan Kuin seolah-olah langsung tidak mengambil berat soal kebajikan dan amanah pengurusan gaji yang disuarakan kakitangan. “Pihak pekerja pernah membuat laporan polis pada 27 Julai 2012 kerana masalah sama. Selepas laporan polis dibuat, pihak Kuin menerusi Jabatan Bendahari berjanji akan membayar semua tunggakan yang berlaku namun hanya sekadar ‘melepaskan batuk di tangga’. “Mereka masih masih gagal membuat pembayaran wang pekerja kepada agensi pihak ketiga sedangkan wang pekerja diambil dan potongan dilakukan dalam slip gaji mereka,” menurut kenyataan itu. Sehubungan itu, mereka mendesak Rektor Kuin Prof Datuk Dr Jamil Osman meletak jawatan jika masih gagal mengurus Kuin dan kebajikan kakitangan Kuin. - Bernama    |
| Jalan ke Putrajaya terbuka luas Posted: 07 Dec 2012 10:16 PM PST
Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim; Ketua Penasihat DAP, Lim Kit Siang dan Menteri Besar Kedah, Datuk Seri Azizan Razak adalah pemimpin utama yang berucap di samping Timbalan Presiden PAS Mohamad Sabu yang menjadi pengarah himpunan ini. Selain memberikan ucapan, mereka juga mendengar ikrar dari wakil PAS, PKR dan DAP yang berjanji untuk memberikan kesetiaan kepada Pakatan Rakyat dan berjanji untuk bekerja bersungguh-sungguh bagi mempastikan laluan mudah ke Putrajaya. “Saya berjanji akan berbuat apa saja untuk menaikkan martabat Islam dan orang Melayu di negara ini apabila berada di Putrajaya nanti. Saya berkata ini di depan semua pihak termasuk Cina dan India,” kata Anwar dalam ucapannya yang dipetik dari portal berita kedahlanie. Anwar menyatakan dengan penuh keyakinan bahawa tidak mungkin untuk PAS dan PKR untuk meminggirkan Melayu sebagaimana dituduh Umno. Lim Kit Siang pula berkata, Umno di depan orang Melayu akan berkata, DAP akan memimpin negara ini dan menjadikan Malaysia negara Kristian. MCA pula di depan orang Cina berkata PAS akan menjadikan Malaysia negara Islam. Semua ini adalah cara nak pecah belah. Beliau juga mempersoal apakah sebenarnya yang diminta maaf oleh Presiden Umno, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak ketika Perhimpunan Agung Umno di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur baru-baru ini. “Adakah kerana menjadikan Malaysia negara yang paling korup di kalangan perdana menteri Malaysia yang ada,” kata beliau mengulas indeks korupsi negara yang sedikit menurun tetapi masih tertinggi berbanding indeks korupsi Malaysia di bawah perdana menteri yang lain. Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat peringkat negeri Kedah ini adalah yang ke empat selepas Seremban, Kota Baharu dan Batu Pahat, Johor. Hari ini himpunan akan diadakan di Melaka, Ahad ini di Kerdau, Pahang serta 14 dan 15 Disember ini di Paka, Terengganu.    |
| Posted: 07 Dec 2012 09:22 PM PST
Sisters in Islam (SIS) executive director Ratna Osman, said that Malaysia’s Islamic Family Law Act 1984 was one the most progressive in the Muslim world. However, later amendments diluted the rights of Muslim women, said Ratna at a forum entitled, ‘Equality in the Muslim Marriage: Challenges and Possibilities’ recently’. "The trend has been discriminatory against Muslim women where it has made it easier for a husband in a polygamous marriage to simply divorce his wife," she said. The 1984 Islamic family law stated that a polygamous marriage must be 'just and necessary', however it has been amended to 'just or necessary'. “This lessened the need for a husband to justify polygamous marriages. They can now inform the Syariah court that the marriage is necessary with the excuse that is, 'to prevent zina'. “He does not have to convince the court that he will be just. We hope for the conditions of a polygamous marriage to be switched back to 'just and necessary' or solely 'just'," she said. Ratna said according to a SIS research, if 'giving turns' is the benchmark for 'being just' then according to experience of wives, most are not satisfied with the 'turns' that they are getting. ‘Judges lack gender sensitivity’ "If dissatisfaction is the daily experience of wives, then how can it be said that a husband is being 'just'?" "And furthermore, with more wives, financial contribution from a husband decreases. So the question is, how do these men get permission to take a second wife (or a third, and a fourth), when they cannot provide financial support?" asked Ratna. She said the country also has problems with judges who lack gender sensitivity. “There have been cases where a woman complains about the physical abuse, only to have the judge dismiss it as 'just a harmless slap from the husband'.” National University of Singapore associate professor Maznah Mohamad cited the case of Kinabatangan MP Bung Mokhtar who was fined just RM 1,000 for marrying without the consent of a Syariah registrar. "This shows how bad the Syariah system in the country is. It definitely does not show itself as a credible institution. "Furthermore, cases such as divorce through smses and simply uttering the talak should be taken seriously because such instances lead to the high divorce rate," she said. University of London professorial research associate Ziba Mir Hosseini pointed out to the fact that conditions change with moving times. "Actually there is no such thing as Islamic family law but there is Muslim family law and as such, it changes, and there's nothing really sacred about it," she said.    |
| Carpets, mattresses and dirty linen Posted: 07 Dec 2012 09:05 PM PST
Should we believe him as it is his word against theirs? Najib and Hishammuddin have not issued a denial. They may be seething on the inside, but have chosen to remain silent. Their "good name" has been kicked into the gutter, and they do nothing to defend themselves. Perhaps they are too stunned to react. It is ironic that senior Umno politicians claim to be able to unite the Malays, when it is clear that the party is itself divided. It is ironic that Musa has blamed the spread of gangster politics in political campaigning when during his tenure as IGP, he allegedly protected gangsters and criminal syndicates. It is ironic that Musa assumes the moral high ground when most people revile him for allegedly fabricating evidence for his political masters. Carpet trader Deepak Jaikishan and Musa Hassan have stirred up more political controversies. The question on everyone's lips is "Why are they singing now?" Is it for selfish reasons, to save their own skins because they believe that Umno will lose in GE-13? Are they turning state's witness, to be the first ones to provide evidence implicating the others, in the hope of escaping punishment should Umno lose in GE-13? Or are they puppets who have been tasked with derailing the opposition, by appearing to act against the interests of Umno? Is Umno just sacrificing a pawn to take a bishop? Are key people, like the former heads of the MACC, the Election Commission, MAS, Proton, TNB, waiting in the wings, ready to provide damning evidence against Umno? The shocking revelations by both men occurred within days of each other and took the public by surprise. The men stole the thunder from the 66th Umno general assembly. Deepak is a business man with close ties to the prime minister's spouse. The other is a former member of the establishment and privy to the workings of government. The timing of their disclosures cannot be a coincidence. Why did they wait years before finally revealing the information? They are mistaken if they think they will be perceived as men of integrity. Instead, they are seen as opportunists or desperate men who are taking out insurance to protect themselves against possible prosecution. Deepak made public the embarrassing details about land deals closely linked to Najib, and Musa described the interference by Najib's cousin, Hishammuddin in the running of the police force. The silence of Najib, his spouse Rosmah Mansor and Hishammuddin does not exonerate them. It was left to their colleagues, to defend them but the damage was done. The public is now aware of the deep divisions within Umno. Musa's outburst may have given the opposition movement a boost, but that momentum for change was unstoppable, with or without Musa's revelations. The opposition coalition is on a winning streak and the rakyat is passionate for change and reform. The opposition should use any ammunition available, to bring down Umno. The people working in the civil service, the GLCs and the government are gripped by a culture of fear. Musa is not the first to say that he could not speak out when he was in office, but isn't it convenient for Musa to hide his poor leadership and his failings by claiming that he had tried to help his men? He claims that he can speak freely, now because he is no longer a government servant. The rakyat is fed-up with the usual refrain "We couldn't talk then". Musa may choose to adopt the moral high ground but our minds are etched with the image of Musa, the policeman who paraded the semen stained mattress in the trial of Opposition Leader, Anwar Ibrahim in Sodomy I, and the memory of Musa who let his men down with his lies and cover-ups, by acting for Umno politicians and their cronies. Musa failed to uphold the professionalism, tenets and traditions of the police force. The rakyat is weary of the games played by corrupt politicians. They are tired of frogs and turncoats. They despise men who are self-serving and think nothing of sacrificing their professional integrity. When will men from the judiciary come forward and reveal all? Will the men from the MACC do the same? And the immigration department? Or the Election Commission? And key government departments and GLCs? Many of the revelations of Musa and Deepak are not new. We have long suspected our leaders of corrupt practices and of meddling in the affairs of departments and of companies. Politics is a dirty business and politicians make use of one another, both from within and outside their party, to secure deals or create dissent. Is there no honour in Malaysian politics? Isn't it true that loyalty depends on the highest bidder? If Deepak and Musa want to turn state's witness and help bring some order to the country, then they should be encouraged. These men are not singing for moral reasons. They are trying to save their own skins. They have calculated that to tell all now is more advantageous than waiting till after GE-13. If Musa is as highly principled as he claims, why didn't he arrange a press conference, when he was the IGP and invite the foreign media and representatives of the diplomatic corps to hear his revelations, including the details of the meddling by politicians? Malaysian leaders thrive on their international image. Malaysia's top-cop fighting for the independence and integrity of his police-force, would have created shock waves. It would have been more effective than naming and shaming his peers, years later and might have precipitated an earlier decline of Umno. By acting selfishly, Musa betrayed his men and the rakyat. Will other key people sing too? Mariam Mokhtar is a FMT columnist.    |
| Rumah PR1MA, monorel untuk rakyat P Pinang Posted: 07 Dec 2012 09:01 PM PST
Katanya, 10,000 unit rumah mampu milik itu akan dibina dalam masa terdekat di bawah program Perumahan Rakyat 1Malaysia (PR1MA) manakala baki 10,000 unit akan dibina oleh agensi-agensi kerajaan termasuk JKP Sdn Bhd, Lembaga Kemajuan Wilayah Pulau Pinang (Perda) dan Syarikat Perumahan Nasional Berhad (SPNB). “Rumah-rumah itu akan dijual di bawah harga pasaran untuk rakyat Pulau Pinang, contohnya jika rumah itu harga pasarannya RM500,000 kita jual dengan harga RM300,000 sahaja,” katanya ketika berucap melancarkan Program Jelajah Janji Ditepati di Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) di sini. Lebih 20,000 orang termasuk Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon dan Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop dan Menteri Pelancongan Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen menghadiri majlis itu. Najib berkata pakatan pembangkang yang mengambil alih pemerintahan di Pulau Pinang gagal menyelesaikan masalah rakyat malah tidak membina rumah mampu milik dan rumah kos rendah di negeri ini. “Sebagai contohnya isu Kampung Buah Pala, semua pemimpin pembangkang meletak tangan di atas kepala seorang penduduk dan berjanji kononnya dalam masa dua minggu mereka akan menyelesaikan masalah. Tetapi mereka gagal dan akhirnya kerajaan BN juga menyelesaikan masalah baki 26 penduduk di kampung itu,” katanya. Beliau berkata permohonan untuk PR1MA boleh dibuat melalui online yang dibuka hari ini dan cabutan (undian mendapatkan rumah) akan dibuat secara telus. Kesesakan lalu lintas Najib berkata satu lagi janji yang akan ditunaikan ialah pembinaan perkhidmatan monorel sebagai langkah mengatasi kesesakan lalu lintas yang semakin serius. “Kita tahu rakyat Pulau Pinang dihantui dengan kesesakan lalu lintas. Jadi, jika BN menang kita tengok macam mana nak selesai masalah ini dan akan membina sistem monorel sama seperti perkhidmatan LRT (transit aliran ringan) yang ada di Kuala Lumpur,” katanya. Beliau berkata rakyat Pulau Pinang layak untuk menikmati sistem pengangkutan awam yang lebih baik lagi dan perkara ini akan menjadi kenyataan jika mereka memberi kepercayaan kepada BN. Perdana Menteri itu juga berkata BN tidak akan membiarkan orang Melayu di negeri ini terpinggir dan dalam masa yang sama akan terus membela kaum Cina dan India. Beliau berkata setiap satu undi untuk BN adalah undi untuk kestabilan dan kemajuan manakala satu undi untuk PAS adalah untuk perpecahan, satu undi untuk Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adalah untuk mencapai perjuangan peribadi seseorang dan satu undi untuk DAP adalah undi untuk masa depan yang tidak menentu. Najib juga berkata label BN ‘Janji Ditepati’ adalah bagi menggambarkan dan meyakinkan rakyat bahawa parti itu sebuah parti yang boleh diberi kepercayaan dan amanah serta apa sahaja yang dijanjikan kepada rakyat akan ditunaikan. “Kalau kita sudah buat satu janji kita anggap janji itu satu ikatan. Dengan satu ikatan itu rakyat akan tetapkan kepercayaan dan amanah kepada kita. Kerajaan Barisan Nasional walau apa-apa pun kita janji, kita akan tunaikan dan tepati,” katanya. - Bernama    |
| Ada pihak ambil kesempatan isu Gatco Posted: 07 Dec 2012 08:43 PM PST
"Kumpulan Hindraf dan pembangkang mula campur tangan dan seolah-olah seperti cuba mengambil kesempatan dalam isu ini. "Saya harap isu tanah perladangan Gatco ini tidak dipengaruhi oleh pihak lain. "Saya juga ingin menasihatkan kepada peneroka Gatco yang tidak bersetuju dengan jumlah pemberian tanah perladangan agar tidak menimbulkan sebarang isu. "Daripada keseluruhan peneroka yang terlibat, hanya 15 peratus sahaja yang tidak setuju dengan tawaran empat ekar tanah perladangan setiap seorang. Sebaliknya 85 peratus peneroka bersetuju dengan tawaran tersebut," kata Mohamad. Mohamad berkata pihak kerajaan sememangnya berhasrat melaksanakan projek tanam semula di tanah perladangan tersebut. Walaugaimanapun Mohamad berkata jika peneroka berterusan mengadakan bantahan, beliau bimbang ia akan melambatkan usaha tersebut. Kerajaan tidak tipu rakyat Mohamad juga menafikan dakwaan peneroka Gatco yang kerajaan menipu rakyat. "Tidak timbul bahawa kerajaan menipu rakyat. Menipu macam mana? Kerajaan sudah berusaha sebaik mungkin untuk membantu, tetapi sekarang masih ada peneroka yang tidak bersetuju. "Kita sudah berbincang dengan Risda dan Felcra untuk melaksanakan projek tanam semula di kawasan tanah yang diberi kepada peneroka. "Tapi kalau macam inilah..saya khuatir pelaksanaan proses tanam semula akan terganggu", ujar Mohamad lagi. Pada hari Rabu, seramai 100 peneroka dari jumlah keseluruhan 400 peneroka Gatco mengadakan bantahan di hadapan pejabat Mohamad. Mereka meminta campurtangan Mohamad agar hak milik tanah perladangan (getah) lapan ekar seorang diberikan semula kepada peneroka, yang kini telah dimiliki oleh Syarikat Thamarai Holdings. Pada tahun 1977 seramai 400 peneroka membeli tapak kediaman seluas satu ekar dan tanah perladangan seluas 10 ekar daripada Syarikat Gatco. Peneroka Bumiputera membayar RM4,000 manakala peneroka bukan Bumiputera membayar RM7,600. Pada tahun 1983, Syarikat Gatco memperbaharui perjanjian dan melakukan pengubahsuaian dan keluasan tanah perladangan dikurangkan kepada lapan ekar. Gatco membuat pinjaman dengan dua institusi kewangan iaitu United Asian Bank dan Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappijvoor Ontwikkelingslanden. Disebabkan masalah pengurusan, Syarikat Gatco diisytiharkan muflis pada tahun 1996. Sepanjang tempoh ini peneroka gagal mendapat geran hak milik. Pada tahun 2004 tanah perladangan ini dilelong. Peneroka melalui Koperasi bersedia membeli tanah perladangan ini dan telah membayar deposit sebanyak RM320,000.00 (Earnest Deposit) kepada Tetuan Singam and Young (Pelelong). Apabila peneroka ingin membuat bayaran peringkat kedua, pihak pelelong tidak mahu menerima bayaran dari peneroka atas alasan peneroka tidak mampu untuk menyelesaikan keseluruhan lelong tersebut. Seterusnya tanah perladangan ini ditawarkan kepada Syarikat Thamarai Holdings Sdn Bhd dengan RM16 juta.    |
| ‘Kami mahu Jenain datang bersemuka dengan ibu’ Posted: 07 Dec 2012 08:24 PM PST
Aisyah yang turut hadir bersama ibu, Norsiah Mohammad dan kakak sulungnya Norazura Amzah sayu mengenangkan kejadian malang itu lebih-lebih lagi apabila mahkamah Tinggi Shah Alam pada Selasa lalu membebaskan Koperal Jenain Subi daripada hukuman penjara lima tahun berhubung kes menembak mati Aminulrasyid. Menurut Aisyah mereka sekeluarga sudah memaafkan Jenain dan redha dengan kejadian yang menimpa adiknya. Namun Aisyah menggesa agar Jenain bersemuka dan menemui ibunya untuk memohon maaf ke atas kejadian tersebut. Bagaimanapun, Norsiah yang ternyata sebak menceritakan kejadian dua tahun lalu itu berkata, sehingga kini Jenain tidak pernah menemuinya untuk membuat sebarang permohonan maaf. Malah beliau nyata terkilan kerana kematian anaknya tidak mendapat pembelaan yang sewajarnya. “Saya minta siasatan dibuka semula kerana keputusan yang dikeluarkan mengejutkan kami sekeluarga. Seolah-olah anak saya bersalah 100 peratus. Kesalahan hanya tiada lesen memandu tapi meninggal kerana tembakan. “Jenain juga tidak pernah datang kepada makcik untuk memohon maaf sehingga kini. Yang makcik tahu permohonan maaf itu dibuat melalui media sahaja. “Jika penghakiman kata dapat pengurangan kita boleh terima. Tapi tertuduh dilepaskan,” katanya dengan nada terkilan sewaktu sidang media bersama Ahli Parlimen Shah Alam, Khalid Samad semalam. Jenain yang bertugas di Unit Kereta Peronda, Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah Shah Alam, didakwa menyebabkan kematian Aminulrasyid antara 1.10 pagi dan 2 pagi, 26 April 2010 di Jalan Tarian 11/2, Seksyen 11 di sini. Pertuduhan mengikut Seksyen 304 (a) Kanun Keseksaan itu membawa hukuman penjara sehingga 30 tahun dan boleh dikenakan denda. Pertengahan September lalu, Mahkamah Sesyen menjatuhkan hukuman penjara lima tahun selepas mendapati Jenain bersalah menyebabkan kematian Aminulrasyid. Aminulrasyid disahkan meninggal dunia akibat luka tembakan di kepala.    |
| Colonial grandeur for Hospis Malaysia fundraiser Posted: 07 Dec 2012 08:07 PM PST
The old colonial hotel was built in the 1930s but saw a temporary demise in 1984 and for a period after that was used by the National Art Gallery and the Kuala Tourism association. But under the YTL Hotels, the refurbished luxury hotel is now set to rekindle the glory of its former ‘majestic’ days. According to reports the piece de resistance of the hotel remains the Majestic Wing where neo classic details of the original structure have been meticulously restored. The Majestic Christmas Ball on Dec 15, in aid of Hospis Malaysia which provides palliative care to patients who are suffering from life-limiting illnesses, promises to be a rare experience for guests. Located in Cheras, Hospis Malaysia depends largely on public support and fundraising events are held every quarter of the year to help ensure a steady stream of funds. "Hospis Malaysia's role is to provide treatment to relief the patient from the pain and distressing symptoms associated with the life-limiting illness. It is also concerned with the emotional well-being of the patient and his caregiver and family members. said Hospis Malaysia's general manager, Tham Su Ming. Since it is an organisation whose mission is to extend free professional palliative care to patients, the cost of sustaining their activities is high. Said Tham: "Palliative care is care for those with life-limiting illnesses such as cancer, AIDS, organ failure and some neurological disorders. Medical professionals visit the patient's home to treat the patient based on their needs." Care not cure "It is not about hastening nor postponing death, rather, it affirms life and regards dying as a natural process. "Hospis Malaysia's role in palliative care is not on the focus of finding cure for the particular illness but is more involved in enhancing the quality of life for the patient," said Tham. The Dec 15 fundraiser will be a much appreciated support for Hospis Malaysia and a perfect chance for enthusiasts of music to reminisce with the Original Rat Pack performing team of Stephen Trifitt, George Daniel Long and Mark Adam. Tables for the event are priced at RM5,000, RM7,500 and RM10,000 respectively. Individual tickets are also on sale, going for RM600 nett. All proceeds from the function will be channelled directly to Hospis Malaysia to assist the organisation to bear operating costs and patient care. For more information or reservations, kindly call +603-27198666 or email the organisers at the ratpack@ytlhotels.com.my    |
| The Hobbit: An unexpected journey contest Posted: 07 Dec 2012 07:44 PM PST
All you have to do is answer 3 movie questions, and you could win the following movie premiums Grand Prize X1 2nd Prize X1 3rd Prize X3 4th Prize X1 Consolation Prize X4 The movie questions : 2.Who invites Bilbo Baggins "to share in an adventure"? 3.Who does Bilbo encounter when he is lost in the Goblin tunnels? Please provide the correct answer for all 3 questions and email us at contest@freemalaysiatoday.com. Please include your full name, contact number and address. Contest deadline is 5pm, Dec 12, 2012. Winners will be notified via email. Movie synopsis: From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first of a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. The three films tell a continuous story set in Middle-earth 60 years before ‘The Lord of the Rings’, which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’. The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever…Gollum. Website : www.thehobbit-asia.com    |
| BN needs to do some serious soul-searching Posted: 07 Dec 2012 07:36 PM PST
Claims after claims were made by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak who is also chairman of BN and Umno president respectively about the feats BN can achieve for the rakyat if only it is given the mandate to rule the country yet again. Honestly, giving BN a two thirds majority win will be suicidal for the rakyat, keeping in mind the 'unfinished business' BN and its chief partner Umno have embarked on. It is imperative that before it cries out for the rakyat's empathy to oust the opposition Pakatan Rakyat pact, BN has to make a clean breast of its many wrongdoings post-2008. The 12th general election defeat has not humbled BN and from the look of things, it is definite that the party has no desire nor interest in repenting and turning over a new leaf. In spite of its unexpected loss in the 2008 general election, the BN coalition continued with its power abuse and disrespect for the rakyat. Had BN learned the bitter lessons the 12th GE brought with it, the party's leadership would have abandoned its addiction to all things nefarious. From premier Najib right down to the BN ADUNs, their failure to live up to the rakyat's expectations has never been more clearer. Wayward If Najib is serious about wanting the best for the people of this country, he has to first take BN for a 'soul-searching' trip. As the Malay saying goes, 'buang yang keruh dan ambil yang jernih', BN has no choice but to reform itself for the sake of the rakyat whose support it so badly needs. All the promises and pledges made by Najib and his men at the recently concluded Umno general assembly would mean nothing if both BN and Umno continue to behave in a wayward manner. The issues that need to be dealt with are aplenty and unless and until BN 'comes around', the rakyat cannot depend on it to solve their woes. From the tribal natives of Penan in Sarawak to the homeless estate workers of Bukit Jalil, they have all given up on Najib and his declarations that BN is synonymous with the welfare of the people. Had it been so, the Penans would not have to risk life and limbs to safeguard their ancestral lands which continue to be ravaged by loggers, no thanks to nod coming from Sarawak chief minister Taib Mahmud. The Penans were also against the building of the Murum and many other dams there which would leave tens and thousands of natives 'landless' besides destroying Sarawak's rainforests. Was Najib attuned to their worries? If he had been, the angry and frustrated Penans would not have mounted a blockade three months ago on the access road to the Murum Dam site, an effort which attracted the attention of local and international media. According to Save Rivers, a coalition of Sarawak NGOs, the Penans had been protesting against the dam since 2009 but the state dismissive approach and refusal to fulfil its promises prompted the blockade. Where was Najib then when the Penans were left to their own devices to protect their native customary rights land? Protect, not abuse In hindsight, all the affirmations made at the Umno general assembly were nothing but mere rhetorics to brainwash the rakyat, a folly Najib has to stop making. Had BN been as caring and protective as the premier touts it is, then justice would have been the order of the day and the deaths of youths Teoh Beng Hock and S Kugan would have been dealt with sincerely. Instead, there were cover-ups and fabrications to conceal the actual cause of death of both these men. Clearly, the exaggerated claims made during last week's Umno general assembly are just that – inflated declarations made to enthuse the rakyat. Najib's role as the 'guardian' of the rakyat is to protect them, not 'stand at the sidelines' as he is fond of doing and watch them get abused at the hands of corrupt authorities. The 55 years that BN has lorded over the nation has seen too much injustice pervading the lives of the everday 'cari makan' (wage earning) rakyat. The time has come for the people to take a stand and make the much needed difference. Had BN been committed towards the betterment of the rakyat, the people's nambikei or faith would never have seen a compromise. Now, that was tragic for BN, was it not? Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist.    |
| Posted: 07 Dec 2012 07:30 PM PST
To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy is the real spirit of Christmas, together on this magnificent night, Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur staff and guests will donate 96 golden stars to the children patient at the General Hospital Kuala Lumpur Cancer Pediatric Ward "A Star for A Child Campaign." The event was held at Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur's majestic lobby on Dec 4 where the guests were indulging in Chef Steven's canapés such as Devon Scallop Carpaccio with Wasabi Mayo and Grape Fruit, Walnut Turkey and Brie with Rocket Pesto whilst sipping on a glass of warm mull to reminisce of the Christmas warmth. Peter D. Gibbons, General Manager of Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur welcomed the guests and press to commemorate this joyous night by lighting the 20 feet high Christmas tree with Matti Pullinen, Ambassador of Finland to Malaysia. As the Father Christmas for the night, the ambassador received Santa Claus's letter from Finnish Lapland and it goes a little like this, "I always love to check what my hard-working helpers have written in the huge notebook about what children have been up to… Don't forget that the elves of Ear Mountain always hear whether or not children have been good. All the things they have written about you have been very good…friendly and kind towards all your friends. Just keep up the good work." Once Matti finished Santa's letter, the enchanting, sweet and melodious voices of the children from Gardens International School singing beautiful carols echoed the lobby. A total of 30 young adorable children of all races were brought together to celebrate this charitable event. As the children were singing, every guest was given a golden star — with the cancer patient's name, gender and age printed on it, to be hung on the Christmas tree. Everyone was encouraged to pick a golden star, buy a gift, stick the star on the gift and place it at the foot of the tree. Come Dec 20, Grand Millennium staff will collect all the gifts and present them to the children at the General Hospital Kuala Lumpur Cancer Pediatric Ward. Once the Christmas Tree was decorated the with all the Golden Stars, guests were adjourned to the Mill Café to savour more Chef Steven's delectable cuisines and Christmas main dishes such as Australian Roasted Butterball Turkey, Rosemary Studded Roasted Leg Lamb, Cream Of Pumpkin, Chocolate Yule Log, Mince Pie were just some of the tantalizing dishes served.    |
| What happened to Petronas money? Posted: 07 Dec 2012 07:26 PM PST
Tengku Adnan is not standing as candidate this time around. Meanwhile, in keeping with ‘good business' and the inexhaustible Umno pragmatism, he says BN will win 140 seats and win a 2/3 majority in parliament. That is good for the morale of the supreme leader in Umno and the ground troops. Then suddenly Ali Hamsa the head of a department more known for passing on the list of government projects to powers-that-be, bypasses everyone to become the Ketua Setiausaha Negara (KSN). And he immediately gets embroiled in a controversy by making outrageous and politically explicit statements. Ali allegedly got his position by being the trusted errand boy for Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamad Yaakob. Meanwhile, the former KSN Mohamd Sidek Hasan got the plump job as Petronas chairman prompting the current president Shamsul Azhar Abbas to announce he is ready to quit. The sudden entry of Sidek as Petronas chairman has unsettled the apple cart. Didn't he say he did not know what the PM was thinking? Consequences Well, Sidek can be excused because no one else knows what the PM is thinking. Having brought someone in from Esso Malaysia to replace him as president, Shamsul has been preparing to get into the chairman's job. Suddenly the rug is pulled under his feet, prompting him to blow off his top. He has boldly announced that he is ready to quit at any time and that he is not irreplaceable. He has in fact said what other mortals dare not and will certainly rue the consequences. There must be something fundamentally wrong here. After 55 years we should be celebrating our success in alleviating poverty, in our success in forging people on a united platform of shared ideals and ideas. We should be celebrating the art of governing the people where what matters most is the economic management of the country. Instead, what we have is 40% of the population with incomes of less than RM1,500 per month. Or a nation which is more divided along racial and religious lines. We have a government riddled with questionable financial conduct and corruption cases. How do slogans hide the fact that we have NOT reinvested in building the tools to exploit our oil and gas industry- most of the oil rigs are in need of replacement or extensive refurbishing. That should be a top priority because almost 50% of our revenue comes from the various taxes and dividends from Petronas. Petronas money has been redirected to bailing out a host of failed businesses and realising the fantasies of vainglorious leaders. Where has the Petronas money gone to? The writer is a former Umno state assemblyman but has now joined DAP. He is a FMT columnist.    |
| Another May 13 is unthinkable, unforgivable Posted: 07 Dec 2012 07:12 PM PST
The fact that these calls are directed towards the bumiputera component of our population, are expressed in the national language, and are widely carried in the Malay mass media and Internet world makes me suspicious of the intentions of these politicians who claim that they are simply doing Malaysians a favour by warning of the backlash should the election outcome not bring about a continuation of the present power structure. To my mind, these politicians are not only applying crude pressure on the Malay electorate to vote for them but they are also blatantly revealing their trump card – that violence, chaos and political instability will automatically erupt in the event that the opposition parties win the elections. This blackmailing of our electorate as well as incitement of disruptive and hooligan elements in our society is totally unacceptable. Various academicians and politicians from the opposition have spoken up against such fear mongering in the recent past. However, not enough has been done by members of the business community and other professional organizations to speak out against these warnings and threats although they will be the main losers should another May 13 episode take place. Much more needs to be done by key stakeholders to condemn the individuals and organizations making the threats as the risk of these threats becoming self-fulfilling prophesies increases by the day. Shahrizat's not-so-veiled threat That this warning was not made obliquely but was served up as part of her opening speech text testifies to the way in which this kind of desperado thinking has become the mainstream in certain political circles. What is more worrying is that both Najib Tun Razak and Muhyiddin Yassin as Umno president and deputy president, and more importantly as the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, failed to repudiate or rebuke Shahrizat for fear mongering. Instead the Deputy Prime Minister attempted to defend the speech by explaining that chaos will be inevitable under Pakatan Rakyat rule. Other Umno leaders, notably its vice-president Hishamuddin Hussein have even gone so far as to dismiss the attention brought by Shahrizat's May 13 statement as a case of "spinning" and to put the blame on a pro-opposition media and other opposition elements. "Shahrizat has already told me that this will be another matter that will be used for spinning by certain quarters, just because it coincides with the general assembly", the country's minister in charge of internal security is reported to have said in his dismissal of public concern when questioned about it. Even if it is a case of over-reaction by the media and a fearful public, it is hoped that Shahrizat and her colleagues will not play with fire or pander to the psyche of insecurity found in Umno party members by constantly harping on the possible recurrence of 13 May and even worst, by condoning or justifying violent and catastrophic racial riots as they appear to be doing in the run-up to the elections. Aftershocks of electoral violence Malays must bear in mind that while in 1969 they may have had less to lose, today the situation is completely different. There is Malay control of a major part of the commanding heights of our economy such as the banks, manufacturing, hi-tech industry, etc. and the largest listed companies. These gains which have given birth to the creation of a sizeable Malay middle and upper class will be put at great risk should there be another May 13. They may even disappear as the economic aftershocks and loss of economic confidence spiral out of control. Another May 13 is unthinkable and unforgivable except to those who are so blinded by ambition and their lust for power that they need to keep reminding themselves and their supporters of that horrific possibility. However, should it happen, unlike in the first May 13 incident, it will be clear as to who are the instigators. Conclusion The Malays must remember that even if Pakatan Rakyat wins control of the government, there will be more Malay members of parliament than from any other races. The Malays will be the biggest losers if there is another May 13 riot. This article first appeared in the CPI website.    |
| Ex-top cop questions Musa’s credibility Posted: 07 Dec 2012 07:11 PM PST
In the last few weeks, Musa has attracted attention for accusing Cabinet ministers and politicians of interfering with police investigations and arrests, naming home minister Hishammuddin Hussein in particular. But his motives for 'coming out' have come into question due to the timing of it all; while he served as IGP for four years, no word was mentioned to the public of the allegedly meddling ministers. Instead, the startling announcement was made on the eve of the Umno General Assembly's opening, leading the home minister to maintain that it was just an attempt to sidetrack the public from issues discussed during the gathering. To add further fuel to the fire, retired Commercial Crimes Investigation Department (CCID) Ramli, who is perhaps most known for his investigative role in the ‘Copgate’ affair, has cast aspersions on Musa's character by dredging up old issues implicating the ex IGP. "Musa served under me for almost six years. I was partly responsible for his promotion in 1995 from the post of junior superintendent to become my assistant, and in the end, he fixed me up," said Ramli. "So do you think his character is credible? I liken him to ‘melepaskan anjing tersepit’," he said, referring to a Malay idiom which means helping someone who is ungrateful. Ramli was alluding to the five charges he faced in 2007 and 2009 in which he was eventually acquitted for – charges which he claimed were masterminded by Musa along with Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail and former Anti-Corruption Agency director of prosecution Nordin Hassan in an attempt to discredit him. The charges include allegedly failing to declare his assets, for violating laws prohibiting civil servants from being involved in private business, and for abusing power after allegedly using a Royal Malaysian Police Cessna Caravan aircraft to fly him to see plots of land in Ulu Tungku and Lahad Datu. Ramli claimed he was framed due to his role in the Copgate affair, in which he and his team took action against an underworld figure who allegedly had Musa's backing – only for that figure to be released four months later. Musa was subsequently investigated and cleared by Abdul Gani and the ACA, and his contract renewed until his retirement in 2010, according to Malaysiakini. Ramli told FMT today that he had originally pushed for Musa's promotion from junior superintendent to his assistant circa 1995 because the latter was supposed to be laterally transferred to Perlis. "Musa came crying to me, telling me about his predicament…children schooling, very unhappy. So I recommended him [for the promotion] because he served under me in 1987 as one of my officers in the police college in Kuala Kubu Baru. "So at that time, he was a good guy, and I trusted him," said Ramli, adding that he had a tough time convincing the former director of the CID to promote Musa on account of his lack of academic credentials. Even judge said Musa is unreliable Zeroing in on the abuse of power trial which ended in 2009, Ramli said the session court judge's comments on Musa – who was a witness for the prosecution - further reflected the then IGP's dubious character. "During my trial in Sabah, a sessions court judge in her judgement commented that Musa is an 'incredible' witness because he contradicted the evidence of his own officers," said Ramli. "And the judge believed the evidence of Musa's junior offences rather than him. And he was then still serving as IGP. Malu (shameful)," added Ramli. The abuse of power trial involving the alleged use of a police aircraft for his own personal interest, in which his lawyer Rosli Dahlan defended him. According to Rosli, Judge Supang Lian told the court at the closing of the 59-day hearing that Musa's evidence was unreliable and to be disregarded. Rosli told FMT she repeated the word "discredit" twice in her assessment of Musa'sevidence, who, as the 75th witness, was allegedly called last in order to refute testimonies of those who came before him. Among the witnesses were Ramli's pilots, whom Rosli said had flatly denied having flown Ramli to Ulu Tungku and Lahad Datu, in which his real estate company Kinsajaya Sdn Bhd had an interest. Supang Lian ruled that the prosecution failed to prove a prima facie case and Ramli deserved to be acquitted and discharged. A year later, the High Court dismissed an appeal by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) against the Session Court's decision to acquit Ramli. Another reason why Musa's words should be taken with a pinch of salt was because he had lied about his education qualification during a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) in 1999, Ramli alleged. "He's not credible because when he testified during a royal commission of inquiry, when they asked him about his qualifications, he said advanced diploma in law. "In fact, he only has a certificate in law from a one year course he took in law. Certificate only. An advanced diploma is equal to a degree, you know." Ramli said that lawyer and PKR member R Sivarasa lodged a police report pertaining to the "false qualification" a year or two ago, but no investigation had been conducted. The RCI in question was set up to probe the black-eye opposition leader Anwar received during lock-up, said Ramli. The then IGP Rahim Noor had initially said the wound was self-inflicted, but after the RCI was convened, he admitted to having beaten Anwar.    |
| Political blockbuster: Dragon vs Dinosaur Posted: 07 Dec 2012 07:01 PM PST
This statement is racist. Is it therefore meant to provoke Malay anger against DAP? Asked for his comments on Najib’s statement, PAS Kuala Selangor MP, Dzulkefly Ahmad remarked that “PM Najib’s statement is the epitome of a siege-mentality because he is stuck in a racial construct and it is obvious that he is very fearful of losing power to Pakatan Rakyat (PR). "His statement on DAP does not even contain an iota of truth. Najib is oblivious to the positive political development of New Politics that has debunk racial politics, hence his insistence in sticking to racial politics. Therefore he is hellbent on inciting the Malays to fear DAP.” Dzulkefly also noted that despite the enormous window-dressing given to Najib’s transformation programmes and his 1Malaysia slogan, the latter has turned into a ‘dinosaur’. “Najib’s style of politics is antiquated and dull. He has no place in the political construct of a New Malaysia,” commented Dzulkefly. It is clear then that PM Najib is still stuck in the pre-historic times. His ideas are Jurassic and will not bring the nation nor its people forward. As for Khalid Samad, the PAS Shah Alam MP, his view is that “Najib is plainly talking rubbish because the ones who are oppressing the Malays are in fact Umno as in the case of the Umno-BN government’s failure to pay the oil royalties to the people of Kelantan, the majority of whom are Malays.” Khalid also opined that Umno wants the Malays to be dependent on Umno as crutches because if the Malays are no longer in need of Umno, then Umno will lose power. According to Khalid, Umno wants the Malays to be weak and ignorant so that Umno can pretend to champion the Malays. “It is certainly not DAP who is denying the oil royalty payment to the PAS Kelantan state government,” added Khalid. At the end of the day, it can be seen that our prime minister is instigating the Malays to hate DAP whom the compliant mainstream media has labelled as a Chinese-chauvinist party. This whipping-up of racial sentiment and racial hatred has truly shown that PM Najib’s 1Malaysia slogan is nothing but rubbish coined to hoodwink the rakyat. Najib’s flaws PM Najib’s cling on to power is also obvious from his reluctance to call for the polls. He seems to be going into full-term using the tenure of former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Therefore PM Najib is clearly using another man’s strength, so goes a Cantonese proverb. It must be noted that when Abdullah took over from the fourth prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Oct 31, 2003, Badawi obtained his own tenure less than half a year later when he called for the polls on March 21, 2004. Therefore the current prime minister is weak in leadership skills but not only that. His skills in economics is also questionable. Let us compare his record of achieving economic growth for the nation with that of Anwar Ibrahim’s record: Anwar Ibrahim: 1993 : 9.9% 1994 : 9.2% 1995 : 9.8% 1996 : 10% 1997 : 7.3% PM Najib: 2009 : 1.5% 2010 : 7.2% 2011 : 5.1% As can be seen from the data above, Najib’s best performance at 7.2% even failed to beat Anwar’s worst performance at 7.3% at the height of the Asian Financial Crisis which struck in July 1997. Another major flaw of PM Najib is his indecisiveness and flip-flopping ways. The MAS-Air Asia share swap deal, the New Civil Servants Remuneration Scheme and the omission of the Equal Opportunities Commission from the New Economic Model are just three instances that come to mind. His bashing of Pakatan Rakyat at the recent Umno general assembly shows his sub-conscious fear that he may lose the 13th general election. This has caused Anwar to remark that Pakatan is like a great dragon causing fear to BN. Coincidentally, Anwar in his sub-conscious too has got it right because in Chinese Metaphysics, Pakatan Rakyat is the Fire Dragon. Thus, Anwar has hit the nail on the head! The epic battle between the dragon and the dinosaur looks set to be held in the year of the Water Snake in 2013. We are certainly going to have a very exciting year ahead. Selena Tay is a FMT columnist    |
| SEB: Hydro Tasmania’s exit was pre-planned Posted: 07 Dec 2012 06:46 PM PST
"This phased reduction has been planned from the beginning. It has not been influenced in any way by the regrettable misinformation campaign by foreign detractors," SEB said alluding to a national level campaign launched in Australia two weeks ago to compel Australian government-owned Hydro Tasmania to withdraw its participation in the controversial development of dams in Sarawak. The campaign, jointly organised by a coalition of Sarawak NGOs, Save Rivers, Swiss-based Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) and the Australian Greens, a political party in a formal alliance with the Australian Labor Party in the Tasmanian Parliament, mobilised Australians to pressure their government to force Hydro Tasmania to quit Sarawak after it was found that SEB, as the main contractor, had violated international standards on native rights and building requirements and sustainable environmental practices. Hydro Tasmania was allegedly in the know of these irregularities. The campaign appeared to have succeeded when earlier this week Hydro Tasmania CEO Roy Adair met with the NGOs and said that the company will withdraw from Sarawak by the end of 2013. Adair also downplayed Hydro Tasmania’s involvement in the controversial RM3 billion Murum Dam project saying that it was not an "essential" partner in SEB as stated by later. “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 had said adding that the remaining personnel will fulfil their “contractual obligations” and return. In a statement issued yesterday, a defensive SEB said: "The decline in the number of secondees from Hydro Tasmania is consistent with the gradual reduction in the total number of expatriates at SEB, from a peak of 19 in late 2011 to only 10 by mid December 2012. "It was never intended by either party that the expats from Tasmania would remain in Sarawak indefinitely. In fact, the repatriation of Hydro Tasmania's staff confirms the growing capacity of our local team." ‘Factual inaccuracies’ "The primary purpose of the secondments has always been to accelerate the development of the capabilities of the local team through the transfer of the knowledge and skills that Sarawak Energy (SEB) requires to implement its ambitious growth agenda. "To put the secondments in their proper context, it should be noted that Sarawak Energy (SEB) has also hired more than 1,300 Sarawakians since 2010," SEB said adding that as its "first phase of knowledge transfer comes to a close it was possible for seven of its original 12 secondees to return to Hydro Tasmani.” “By mid-December 2012, the number of secondees will reduce to four.” SEB also claimed that Hydro Tasmania were “frustrated over the factual inaccuracies” being issued by its critics which had “created confusion amongst stakeholders”. Debunking SEB’s statement, online investigate portal Sarawak Report reported on Wednesday that “as late as last week Hydro Tasmania was indicating that these secondees ranged to as many as 12.” “Provision has been made for up to 30 such personnel (this is in addition to the substantial team of Norwegians brought into SEB by CEO Torstein Sjotveit, who is paid over USD$4million a year).” It also noted that key Tasmanian staff currently at SEB included Miles Smith (Vice President, Head of Planning and Strategy); Graeme Maher (Senior Manager, Hydropower Development); James Hannon (Senior Manager, Contracts) and Nick Wright (Vice President, Strategic Communications and CSR – responsible for Resettlement). A the height of the lobbying in Australia last week, a leading engineer from Hydro Tasmania, Andrew Pattle, left his post. A rattled Chief Minister Taib Mahmud went on to slam local NGOs and their foreign masters for sabotaging the state economy with their “web of lies and half truths”. Taib is hellbent on going ahead with his plans to build 12 mega dams in Sarawak to support his pet peeve which is the Sarawak Corridor for Renewable Energy (SCORE). Sarawak currently has Bakun and Batang Air dams which has displaced over thousands of indigenous natives. The state is yet to resolve pending issues with the communities. Hydro Tasmania was linked to the Murum Dam development.    |
| Terry out of Japan trip, Lampard back in squad Posted: 07 Dec 2012 05:25 PM PST
Terry hurt his knee in his comeback game against Liverpool last month, having served a four-match domestic ban for racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand. The European champions play a Club World Cup semi-final against Mexicans Monterrey or Ulsan Hyundai of South Korea on Thursday. “Terry will not go to Japan because the doctor has warned of inflammation and said that flying is not the best idea so he will stay here and obviously miss the Sunderland game as well,” interim manager Rafael Benitez told reporters yesterday. “The first conversation I had with him, he was quite excited because it’s a new competition and a great opportunity, but after we spoke with the doctor it was decided that he would stay here.” Chelsea’s third-highest all-time scorer Lampard has struggled with a calf injury all season and the midfielder has not played since October 23. “Lampard has been training today, he’s in the squad for Sunderland and if everything is fine he will go to Japan,” added Benitez. “At least we have one important player back because we need character and experience. He is a quality player, he scores goals, understands the game and is a good passer of the ball.” Third-placed Chelsea have had a rough recent patch of form and are 10 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester United who meet Manchester City, in second position, on Sunday. “We have to beat Sunderland and if we can we’ll be closer to at least one of the leaders,” said Benitez. “We have a (title) chance as long as we start winning games.” - Reuters    |
| Euro 2020 plan lauded in cash-strapped continent Posted: 07 Dec 2012 05:23 PM PST
European soccer’s governing body announced the move on Thursday, saying it would allow smaller countries a slice of the action as they would not be able to stage an unwieldy, 24-team tournament on their own. The event is being increased from 16 to 24 teams for the 2016 edition in France and UEFA said the format would help to ease the burden on host nations, although it is a one-off move to celebrate the tournament’s 60th anniversary. European Club Association boss and Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was upbeat about the move given the dire effects of the euro zone financial crisis across the continent. “At this time of a united Europe, I consider this to be a good decision. At a time of euro crisis one or two countries should not be forced to invest in infrastructure projects but instead existing structures should be used,” he said. Fernando Gomes, head of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), praised the idea and said he hoped UEFA would take Portugal into consideration for hosting matches given that they already had infrastructure in place after Euro 2004. “We congratulate them on the idea. In a period of great financial difficulties there is no doubt that this idea is welcome,” said Gomes. “This decision gives Portugal the opportunity to welcome Euro 2020 matches in one city or another or in one stadium or another that we built for Euro 2004. We are sure UEFA recognises the FPF’s capacity to organise big events and I am sure they will take us into consideration.” German Football Association (DFB) president Wolfgang Niersbach joined in with the positive feedback and said his country would bid with one city. “We expected such a…decision and we think it is an absolutely positive one. It is now the job of the federations commission, of which I am also part, to further develop the 2020 concept,” said Niersbach. “One thing I can say today is that we will be bidding with one German city.” Final interest England, Scotland and Italy have expressed interest in hosting matches, with the FA proposing Wembley Stadium in London as a potential venue for the final though they will face competition from Scotland. “We would be interested in the final but we first have to find out UEFA’s minimum criteria for capacity,” said Scottish FA chief executive Stewart Regan. Scotland boasts the 60,000-plus-seater Celtic Park and the 50,000-plus Ibrox and Hampden Park stadiums in Glasgow though they are small in comparison to Wembley’s capacity of more than 80,000. Italian Football Federation (FIGC) Giancarlo Abete said Rome and Milan could stage matches. “Rome hosted a Champions League final not so long ago, and Milan should have one assigned to it by the Executive next March,” Abete was quoted as saying by ANSA news agency. “Italy is ready to host the 2020 European Championship, Rome and Milan are great cities capable of hosting such an important event.” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger described UEFA’s bold plan as “creative” and said he was not against it, yet the Frenchman had some doubts. “The advantage is that the whole of Europe would be concerned by the championship,” Wenger told reporters on Friday. “The disadvantage is sometimes when the country organises the European Championship, it’s a good opportunity for them to build structures that are very useful: new stadiums, new training pitches and new communication facilities. “It’s always a good opportunity to make up-to-date structures for football. In the long-term that’s important.” In Russia, local media noted that Moscow had been included in a list of possible host cities though most Russian officials have been sceptical of the idea. “This idea is going to be very difficult to implement,” Nikita Simonyan, vice-president of the Russian Football Union, was quoted as saying. Azerbaijan was interested in staging matches in the capital Baku, the country’s FA said on its website (www.affa.az). UEFA’s plan appealed to former England international midfielder Owen Hargreaves, who told BBC Radio Five Live: “I think it’s a great idea, I’m surprised why they haven’t come up with it earlier. “Europe is an easily accessible place, with flights of one or two hours, compared to the World Cup in a place like the USA, where it is six hours from one side to the other. “There’s a lot of cheap flights these days, they could get the airlines involved,” Hargreaves said - Reuters    |
| Owen blames Liverpool mismanagement for injury problems Posted: 07 Dec 2012 05:21 PM PST
Writing on his website (www.michaelowen.com) yesterday, the Stoke City player also said he would not have had so many fitness worries if he had joined Liverpool’s rivals Manchester United at a younger age. Owen, who signed for Stoke in September but has made only four substitute appearances for the Premier League club, is sidelined with a hamstring injury, a problem that has followed him throughout his career. “It is my genuine opinion I have become injury prone due to overplaying at a young age,” he explained. “In my case I certainly feel like I played too much too soon. “The problem as a young player is you want to play every week and therefore it has to be the responsibility of the manager to take the decision to rest young players thereby giving them the best chance of a long and injury-free career.” Owen burst on the scene in 1997, scoring on his debut for Liverpool as a 17-year-old, and was soon an established England international after netting one of the goals of the tournament against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup. Blessed with a remarkable turn of pace and a striker’s eye for goal, Owen regularly topped the Premier League scoring charts. He said, however, that his speed also contributed to his injury woes. Owen picked up his first serious hamstring injury in 1999 and spent the rest of his career battling to stay off the treatment table. “When the time came to make my debut for Liverpool I was mentally ready,” he added. “I hit the ground running and won the Premier League Golden Boot (as top scorer) in my first two seasons of first team football. “Then, on a cold night in March 1999 at Elland Road (Leeds United’s ground), my body made me pay for pushing it to the limit too often. Rehab compromised “My hamstring snapped in two and it was at that point that my ability to perform unimpeded was finished. It didn’t have to be that way,” said Owen. “My rehabilitation was compromised due to our physio leaving the club that summer and not being replaced until the following season and with no regular medical care during such a critical time, a routine injury was destined to restrict me for the rest of my career.” Owen, who signed for Manchester United in 2009 after spells with Real Madrid and Newcastle United, said had he joined up with Old Trafford manager Alex Ferguson earlier in his career some of the injury problems could have been avoided. “Only a couple of weeks ago I read with great interest an article that was written about me,” he said. “Alex had made some comments suggesting I would have been a better player had I been managed more effectively in the early part of my career. I have to agree with most of what he said except the usage of the word ‘better’. “In my opinion had I been managed differently I would have been at my best for longer as opposed to being a better player,” said Owen. “There is no doubt I would have won more honours had I signed for Manchester United as a youngster. I am pretty confident I would have been at the height of my powers over a longer period of time too.” Owen, who won an FA Cup, two League Cups and a UEFA Cup at Liverpool, made 216 league appearances for the club and scored 118 goals. He is the Premier League’s sixth highest scorer with 149 goals. Owen is also England’s fourth highest scorer, having netted 40 times in 89 appearances. - Reuters    |
| Fans to benefit from new Euro 2020 format, says Platini Posted: 07 Dec 2012 05:18 PM PST Supporters will be the main beneficiaries from the radical decision to stage Euro 2020 in cities across the continent rather than in one or two host countries, UEFA president Michel Platini said on Friday.
“Before, the fans had to go to the Euro, now the Euro is coming towards the fans,” Platini told a round table of reporters from international news agencies. UEFA’s executive committee voted on Thursday to stage the tournament in an unspecified number of cities around Europe, with bidding from potential hosts due to start in March. Further details will be decided in the next few months. “There is a blank piece of paper,” said the Frenchman, who admitted there was a hint of eccentricity in the decision. “I love zany ideas… It’s an extraordinary challenge,” he said. Any concerns that supporters might have to travel from Lisbon to Astana to follow their team were unfounded, Platini said. “The fans won’t have to travel but we are taking the matches to fans and supporters in quite a number of countries,” he said. “We have met with the Football Supporters Europe (FSE)recently and we reassured them we will do whatever is possible to make sure that fans get the necessary support when they travel. “We won’t have a team playing in Sweden, Portugal and Kazakhstan with fans chasing all over the continent. “This is what we explained to the supporters’ association, we told them we were going to help them and they had a much more positive attitude.” Fans have had a tough time at major tournaments recently, facing huge costs and travelling difficulties at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and Euro 2012. The 2014 World Cup in Brazil is likely to prove even more expensive and challenging for supporters, with most teams playing their group-stage matches in three different venues around the mammoth country. “It won’t be like Poland and Ukraine, with 50 French supporters here and 70 Spanish supporters there,” Platini said if the 2020 plans. “It was difficult to go to Poland and Ukraine and I would like to congratulate the British supporters who went there but perhaps they now have the possibility to go to another country that’s closer.” - Reuters    |
| Unhappy and unwanted Landreau leaves Lille Posted: 07 Dec 2012 05:15 PM PST
“The most important thing is to blossom on the pitch. I could not anymore. And a year and a half is a long way to go when you have hard days,” Landreau, who was contracted until 2014, told a news conference after Lille had earlier announced that club and player were going their separate ways. “I have freed myself both sportingly and psychologically,” he said. “I was told months ago that I was not involved enough…I was not considered by the club’s manager as an example, or as someone good for the rest of the squad. I took note of that, I spoke to the coach (Rudi Garcia) but he did not take sides,” Landreau said. The experienced keeper, who has made 568 league appearances for Nantes, Paris St Germain and Lille, was a key player when the Northerners clinched their first league title in more than 50 years in 2011. Capped 11 times by France, Landreau spent three and a half years at Lille, with whom he also won the French Cup in 2011. “When he told us that he wanted to leave, we agreed because we have thought it was the right decision,” Paquet told a separate news conference. Garcia added: “We have to move forwards with the players committed to the team project. We had two very good goalkeepers, we have one left,” he said, referring to second choice Steeve Elana, who was signed from Stade Brest in the close season. Lille, 10th in Ligue 1, play away at Sochaux on Saturday (1900). - Reuters    |
| Cook switches to Isle of Man after Olympic controversy Posted: 07 Dec 2012 05:13 PM PST
However the Briton told Sky Sports news that he still aimed to compete for Britain at the 2016 Rio Olympics, when new procedures should ensure that those top-ranked in the world will qualify. Cook said he could not see a way forward with GB Taekwondo after they overlooked him for his home Games and selected instead Lutalo Muhammad, who went on to win a bronze medal. “I felt there was nothing more I could have done to get selected for the Olympics, I was reigning European champion and world number one,” said the fighter, who trains outside the national body’s set-up. “I’m never going to work with those people again, they’ve made their minds up with what they’ve done to me. And I’ve made my mind up.” - Reuters    |
| Unbeaten City cannot afford to lose derby says Mancini Posted: 07 Dec 2012 05:10 PM PST
“They can lose. They have three points more. We have three points less and we can’t lose,” the Italian told reporters on Friday. Champions City, unbeaten in 15 Premier League matches this season, won both encounters with their neighbours last season en route to a first league title in 44 years, including a 6-1 defeat of United in the first clash. However, Mancini said United were always favourites because of their pedigree over the past two decades. “We can’t change the history. We are here (for) only two years, playing together, and they are used to playing this game for the title race for 20 years. “This is normal when you play against a team that won everything in the last 15 years. You can’t change this in two or three years and you need more time. For this reason, they have a small advantage. “In this moment United are favourites but the season is long.” Mancini highlighted United’s purchase of Arsenal striker Robin van Persie as a big momentum shift before the current season got underway. “They were a strong team and then they bought Van Persie and (Shinji) Kagawa. They put another player that scores 25 goals into the squad,” he said. - Reuters    |
| US extends waivers on Iran sanctions to China and India Posted: 07 Dec 2012 05:01 PM PST
President Barack Obama’s administration has now renewed waivers for all 20 of Iran’s major oil buyers, after granting them to Japan and 10 European Union countries in September. Yesterday’s action was the second renewal for all 20 after Obama signed the sanctions into law a year ago. The sanctions aim to choke funding to Iran’s nuclear program, which the West suspects is enriching uranium to levels that could be used in weapons. Tehran says the program is for civilian purposes. “The United States and the international community remain committed to maintaining pressure on the Iranian regime until it fully addresses concerns about its nuclear program,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement. Clinton also granted waivers, known as “exceptions,” yesterday to South Korea, South Africa, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. Under the sanctions law, banks in countries that buy oil from Iran can be cut off from the US financial system unless their purchases decline. Iran’s oil exports have fallen 50 percent this year in the face of US sanctions and a EU embargo that began on July 1. That has cost Iran up to US$5 billion a month and led to a plunge in Iran’s currency, the rial, David Cohen, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the US Treasury Department said this week. But some lawmakers in the US Congress want tougher enforcement. “The administration continues to let transgressions slide and enable the profits of (Iran’s) energy sector to fuel their nuclear ambitions,” said Florida Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chairwoman of the House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee, who was critical of the waivers. Iran’s currency reserves How long Iran can function without exporting as much oil is unclear, as Tehran has tens of billions of dollars in currency reserves accumulated over decades as one of the world’s largest oil suppliers. In September and October, the latest months for which data were available, Iran’s crude production fell by 1 million barrels per day, compared with the same time last year, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Clinton said Iran should take “concrete actions” to satisfy the international community through negotiations with the UN Security Council members plus Germany”or face increasing isolation and pressure.” China, which is Iran’s top oil customer and a permanent member of the Security Council, has opposed unilateral sanctions such as those imposed by Washington. But its oil imports from Iran are down 22 percent on the year to 426,000 bpd from January to October. Early in the year, the imports were cut as China and Iran butted heads over a contract dispute. More recently, Iranian tankers have struggled to ship even reduced volumes requested by importers. Top sanctions backers in Congress, Senators Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, and Mark Kirk, an Illinois Republican, have urged Obama to require oil importers to reduce purchases by 18 percent or more to qualify for the further waivers. US officials from the State Department and other agencies have fanned out this year, visiting Iran’s major buyers. They have not asked countries to cut by specific percentages to get the waivers. Rather, they say, they had conversations with the buyers about alternative oil suppliers like Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The talks have also taken into account seasonal factors like some countries needing more oil in winter for heating. The US Senate last week resoundingly approved a third round of sanctions that if passed into law, would target loopholes including the flow of gold from Turkey to Iran in payment for natural gas exports. Critics of the US sanctions say they will not rein in Iran’s nuclear program unless they are accompanied by adequate diplomacy. - Reuters    |
| Riots mar Hillary Clinton’s Belfast return Posted: 07 Dec 2012 04:56 PM PST
Clinton arrived in Northern Ireland, following Dublin talks on Syria with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in a week that has seen three riots and the arrest of four suspected militant nationalists after the discovery of a bomb in a car. “There can be no place in Northern Ireland for any violence, any of the remnants of the past need to be quickly, unequivocally condemned,” Clinton told a news conference she held with pro-British First Minister Peter Robinson and his deputy, former Irish Republican Army leader Martin McGuinness. She said violence was from “a small minority of people who try to stir up passions or emotions. It is unacceptable and must be repudiated by everyone”. Clinton travelled to Northern Ireland several times in the mid-1990s while her husband helped broker the 1998 Good Friday peace accord, his hands-on approach widely recognized as crucial at moments when the agreement looked like crumbling. At least 3,600 people were killed during the previous three decades as Catholic nationalists seeking union with Ireland fought British security forces and mainly Protestant Loyalists determined to remain part of the United Kingdom. The 1998 peace has mostly held, although militant nationalists have stepped up attacks in recent years and community relations remain fragile with riots erupting every few months at flash points in the city. Night of violence The latest riot erupted on Thursday night when a policeman was injured after protesters hurled bricks and bottles to vent their anger against nationalist councilors who voted to remove the British flag atop Belfast City Hall after 100 years. Smaller protests took place across the province yesterday. Police on Friday said four men were arrested after a home-made armor-piercing rocket, of a type often used in Iraq and Afghanistan, was recovered from a car in a Republican area of Londonderry overnight. A member of the British parliament for the non-sectarian centrist Alliance party, Naomi Long, fled her house in Belfast overnight after receiving a death threat over her party’s support of the removal of the flag from City Hall. “Peace does need sacrifice, compromise and vigilance day after day. We have seen this week that the work is not yet complete,” said Clinton, on one of her last trips as secretary of state. Last month, militant nationalists shot dead a prison officer in just the fifth fatal attack on a member of the security establishment since 1998. Signs at the airport where Clinton landed yesterday said “Threat Level ‘Severe’”. As first lady, Clinton supported pro-peace women’s groups in Northern Ireland and visited people wounded in the 1998 Omagh bombing, the deadliest attack in three decades of violence commonly known as the “Troubles”. On Friday she met some women she has remained friends from those groups as well as Sinn Fein Leader Gerry Adams and former Democratic Unionist Leader Ian Paisley, two bitter rivals who symbolized the Troubles for many. Presidential boon The visit was a reminder of the huge popularity of the Clintons among Catholics in Ireland, an appeal one columnist has described as “Kennedy-esque”. Her husband’s work in the province helped win over the Irish-American vote during his 1996 re-election campaign and the family name could prove a potential asset in attracting the Irish-American vote if Hillary decided to run for the US presidency in 2016. “There are no truer friends to this island, to this peace process or even our prosperity,” McGuinness said of the Clintons. Clinton on Thursday told journalists in Dublin she was “too focused on what I’m doing” to think about a run for the presidency in 2016 and declined to comment on US newspaper reports her husband may be appointed as Washington’s next ambassador to the Republic of Ireland. During her visit, she emphasized the need to revitalize the economy in Northern Ireland, where house prices have fallen by over 50 percent since 2007. The troubles led to decades of under-investment and the province remains heavily dependent on a grant from London. US investment in the province is a tiny fraction of that in the Republic of Ireland. “Both her and her husband, they have been there for us down the years,” said David Adair, 59, who was walking near the province’s parliament when Clinton met local leaders. “But given the state our economy is in right now it would be nice if she could go home and rustle up a few thousand more jobs.” - Reuters    |
| Iran’s long-range missiles said to lag US intelligence fears Posted: 07 Dec 2012 04:53 PM PST
The study casts doubt on a view long held by US intelligence agencies that Iran could be able to test-fly by 2015 an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, if it receives “sufficient foreign assistance.” “It is increasingly uncertain whether Iran will be able to achieve an ICBM capability by 2015,” said the report by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service, which works exclusively for lawmakers. Iran does not appear to be receiving as much help as would likely be necessary, notably from China or Russia, to reach that goal, according to the 66-page report dated Thursday. It is also increasingly tough for Tehran to obtain certain critical components and materials because of international sanctions related to its disputed nuclear program. In addition, Iran has not demonstrated the kind of flight test program generally deemed necessary to produce an ICBM, said the study by Steven Hildreth, a specialist in missile defense who consulted seven external expert reviewers. The study appears to be the most detailed unclassified look yet at Iran’s controversial ballistic missile and space programs. It does not address Tehran’s nuclear program, which has prompted international fears that it could lead to atomic weapons at short notice. An effective nuclear-weapons capability requires three things to work together – enough fissile material, a reliable weapons device and an effective delivery system, such as a ballistic missile that can grow out of a space launch program. Iran’s efforts to develop, test and field ballistic missiles and build a space launch capability have helped drive billions of dollars of US ballistic missile defense spending, further destabilized the Middle East and contributed to Israel’s push for pre-emptive action. Iranian missile threats have also prompted a U.S. drive for an increasingly capable shield for Europe, largely built by contractors such as Lockheed Martin Corp, Boeing Co, Raytheon Co and Northrop Grumman Corp. Assessing the ICBM threat The US intelligence community since 1999 has stuck to the conditional 2015 date, provided Iran gets enough outside help, for a potential Iranian ICBM capable of reaching the United States, which is at least 10,000 kilometers away. An ICBM is generally defined as having a range greater than 5,500 km. Such missiles from Iran could threaten targets throughout Europe and the Middle East. “With sufficient foreign assistance, Iran may be technically capable of flight-testing an intercontinental ballistic missile by 2015,” the Defense Department told Congress in its 2012 annual report on Iranian military power. Michael Birmingham, a spokesman for the office of the Director of National Intelligence, which leads the 17 organizations which comprise the U.S. intelligence community, said views among spy agencies vary on the Iranian ICBM outlook. He added that the 2015 date cited by the Defense Department was “heavily caveated.” Iran appears to have a significant space launch effort, not merely a disguised cover for ICBM development, the Congressional Research Service report said. Iran became the ninth country to demonstrate an indigenous space launch capability on February 2, 2009, when it launched an Omid satellite from a Safir 2 rocket. Iran has stated it plans to use future launchers to put intelligence-gathering satellites in orbit, a capability that is a decade or so in the future. Tom Collina, research director of the private Arms Control Association, a Washington-based advocacy group, said the report suggests the United States could respond in a more “measured” way to a potential Iranian long-range missile threat. “We do not have to deploy missile defenses on the East Coast by 2015, as some in Congress want, nor do we have to rush missile defenses into Europe, which makes Russia nervous,” he said. - Reuters    |
| Venezuela’s Chavez returns from Cuba after treatment Posted: 07 Dec 2012 04:49 PM PST
“So, where’s the party?” an ebullient and robust-looking Chavez said after flying in before dawn to the surprise and delight of supporters. “I’m happy and enthused to be back again,” he told beaming ministers after walking unaided down the steps from his plane at the international airport outside Caracas. The 58-year-old socialist leader has had three cancer operations in Cuba since mid-2011 and returned to Havana ten days ago to receive “hyperbaric oxygenation” – a treatment normally used to alleviate bone decay from radiation therapy. Speculation had been rife that he may have suffered a recurrence of the disease, and one local journalist had said he was confined to a wheelchair. Earlier this year, Chavez declared himself “completely cured” and went on to win re-election comfortably in October. Amid a barrage of rumors fed by the opposition, officials had maintained that his latest visit to Cuba was just a scheduled follow-up to the radiation therapy he underwent in the first half of 2012. Supporters celebrated the return of a man who has dominated the South American OPEC nation since he first won election in 1998. He wore a blue and white tracksuit and flew with relatives and aides including Vice President Nicolas Maduro. “YEEESSSS!!!!,” tweeted Eva Golinger, an American-Venezuelan lawyer close to the Chavez government. “Chavez is back and has shown up all the rumor-mongers, necrophiliacs, gossips and ill-thinkers … Welcome comandante.” Chavez looked relatively well, moving with ease and chatting for 15 minutes on the runway, although he remains puffy-faced as he has been since the radiation treatment. Questions linger, bonds fall Chavez’s return gives him a week to campaign for Venezuela’s December 16 state elections, where his ruling Socialist Party is hoping to use the momentum of the presidential victory to win back some opposition-held governorships. The opposition, however, is hoping that discontent with grassroots issues like crime, power-cuts and cronyism will enable it to at least hold the seven states it controls out of Venezuela’s 23. Speculation over Chavez’s health is unlikely to end, given the scant details given by the government. Doctors say hyperbaric oxygenation is a treatment normally given in different sessions over several months, meaning he could return to Cuba again soon. They also say nobody can declare themselves cured of cancer until a couple of years have passed without recurrence. The president had dearly wanted to attend a Mercosur summit in Brazil yesterday, to celebrate Venezuela joining the regional trade bloc this year, so his absence from that maintained a question mark over just how well he is. News of Chavez’s trip to Cuba had prompted a Venezuelan bond rally given Wall Street and Western investors’ preference for a more business-friendly government in Caracas. But in early trading on Friday, following news of his return, Venezuela’s global bonds fell 1.81 pct in price, according to returns tallied by the J.P. Morgan Emerging Markets Bond Index Plus (EMBI+). Bonds had risen 6.2 percent so far this month to Thursday. Opponents criticize Chavez for secrecy over his health and preferring Cuban doctors to Venezuelans. “His whole absence has been a black hole of misinformation,” opposition legislator Tomas Guanipa told local media. “Any president should give account to his people, it is an obligation to give health details. When you are transparent and responsible, and recognize you are there to serve the people not boss them, the logical thing is to say what is going on.” Chavez has chosen to be treated in Havana due to his friendship with Cuba’s past and present leaders Fidel and Raul Castro, plus the discretion he is guaranteed thanks to the Communist government’s strict controls on information. Cuba’s Communist Party newspaper published photos showing Raul Castro bidding farewell to Chavez at Havana airport. Chavez said he had met Fidel Castro during his stay. - AFP    |
| US trade-human rights link tests Obama-Russia ties Posted: 07 Dec 2012 04:47 PM PST
Obama, who launched a “reset” in relations with Russia less than four years ago, is likely to sign the law even though Moscow sees it as “aggressively unfriendly”. Damage to US-Russian relations is all but inevitable. But there are signs that Putin, who won the presidency despite the biggest protests of his 13-year rule, may want to put the bad blood of a campaign in which he whipped up anti-American sentiment behind him. “I do not think that this will lead to a serious crisis in Russian-American relations,” said Dmitry Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Centre think tank. “(Putin) does not intend to make relations worse, and for this reason the effects of this legislation will be limited,” Trenin said. The Senate approved the “Magnitsky Act” as part of a broader bill to lift a Cold War-era restriction and grant Russia “permanent normal trade relations” (PNTR), a move that in other circumstances would have been celebrated in both capitals. A month after Obama’s re-election, it could have been the cap on a period during which he signed a landmark nuclear arms deal with Moscow and helped usher Russia into the World Trade Organization (WTO) after an 18-year membership bid. Instead, Moscow is furious over the human rights portion of the bill, an unmistakable message to Putin of displeasure with the treatment of Russians who dare challenge the authorities. The main targets are those allegedly involved in the abuse and death of Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer who died in jail in 2009 – the victim, colleagues say, of retribution from the same investigators he claimed stole $230 million from the state. In a Foreign Ministry statement full of righteous anger, Russia called the Senate vote a “performance in the theatre of the absurd” and said the bill would badly cloud the prospects for cooperation between Moscow and Washington. How big the impact is largely up to Putin. The law injects a dose of poison into a relationship strained by the crisis in Syria and US concerns about the direction Putin has taken since he revealed last year that he would return to the Kremlin after a stint as prime minister. “It will have a negative impact on the atmosphere, that’s for sure,” said Samuel Charap, senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Washington. The bill directs Obama to publish the names of Russians allegedly involved in the abuse and death of Magnitsky, who was jailed in 2008 on tax evasion and fraud charges colleagues say were fabricated by investigators against whom he had given evidence. Magnitsky, 37, said he was deliberately deprived of the treatment he needed as his health deteriorated painfully in jail, and the Kremlin’s own human rights council has said he was probably beaten to death. The bill would also require the United States to deny visas and freeze the assets of any of those individuals, as well as other human rights violators in Russia not linked to Magnitsky, on a continuing basis. It is, at least in Russian eyes, almost a textbook example of what Putin dislikes most about the United States: its perceived use of human rights concerns as a geopolitical instrument and the resort to sanctions for punishment. In a decree signed hours after his inauguration to a six-year third term in May, Putin said he wants “truly strategic” ties with the United States but they must be based on equality, non-interference and respect for one another’s interests. Mutual doubts Trenin said the law would reinforce Putin’s wariness about US intentions. But he said Putin may want to focus on his long-stated goal of improving economic ties with the United States, which have not lived up to potential and which Putin and Obama pledged to focus on when they met at a G20 summit in Mexico in June. Russia has sought to reassure Americans that Moscow’s response to the bill would not affect business dealings. The Magnitsky Act is the flipside of the bill to grant Russia PNTR status, which both sides hope, along with Russia’s WTO membership, will bolster bilateral trade, which amounted to a paltry US$43 billion last year. “There’s a lot that can be done on that, and that is stuff he understands and cares about,” Charap said of Putin. Russia has threatened to retaliate if Obama signs the bill into law. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday that Russia would bar entry for Americans “guilty of crude human rights abuses”. The plan to respond in kind, telegraphed in repeated criticism of the bill, has spawned satire on the Internet. One mock news report showed a pretend US lawmaker lamenting an end to summer vacations in Russia’s industrial heartland. Russia has also warned it would respond with “asymmetrical” measures, seeming to hint the bill could have a spillover effect into broader areas in which the United States wants Russian cooperation most, such as nuclear arms control and Iran. But analysts said that is unlikely. They said the law would probably not derail Russian assistance on Afghanistan, affect diplomacy aimed to curb Iran’s nuclear program or deepen disputes over U.S. missile defense and the conflict in Syria. “It will have a mostly symbolic effect,” said Yevgeny Volk, a Russian political analyst. - AFP    |
| Rebels circle Damascus airport; Russia, U.S. downbeat Posted: 07 Dec 2012 04:43 PM PST
Fighting around the capital city has intensified over the past week, and Western officials have begun speaking about faster change on the ground in a 20-month-old conflict that has killed 40,000 people. But Russia and the United States, the superpowers that have backed the opposing sides in the conflict, both played down the chance of a diplomatic breakthrough after talks aimed at resolving their differences. “I don’t think anyone believes that there was some great breakthrough,” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said of a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and international mediator Lakhdar Brahimi. “No one should have any illusions about how hard this remains. But all of us, with any influence, need to be engaged with Brahimi for a concerted, sincere push.” Lavrov said the sides had agreed to send officials to another meeting with Brahimi, but also sounded a skeptical note. “I would not make optimistic predictions … It remains to be seen what will come out of this,” he added, noting that Brahimi knows the chance of success is “far from 100 percent”. Rebels, meeting in Turkey in the presence of Western security officials, elected a 30-member unified military command, giving prominent posts to Islamists and excluding some senior officers who defected from Assad’s army. Washington and its NATO allies want to see Assad removed from power. Moscow has blocked action against him at the UN Security Council, and while outsiders repeatedly point to signs of Russia losing patience with him, its stance has not changed. The past week has brought a war previously fought mainly in the provinces and other cities to the threshold of the capital. Cutting access to the airport 20 km from the city center would be a symbolic blow. The rebels acknowledge the airport itself is still in army hands, but say they are blockading it from most sides. “The rebel brigades who have been putting the airport under siege decided yesterday that the airport is a military zone,” said Nabil al-Amir, a spokesman for the rebels’ Damascus Military Council. “Civilians who approach it now do so at their own risk,” he said. Fighters had “waited two weeks for the airport to be emptied of most civilians and airlines” before declaring it a target, he added. He did not say what they would do if aircraft tried to land. Foreign airlines have suspended all flights to Damascus since fighting has approached the airport in the past week, although some Syrian Air flights have used the airport in recent days. Syria says the army is driving rebels back from positions in the suburbs and outskirts of Damascus where they have tried to concentrate their offensive. Accounts from rebels and the government are impossible to verify on the ground. Some fight left in them Although Western opponents of Assad believe events are tipping against him, they also acknowledge that the war is still far from over. “It’s very clear to me that the regime’s forces are being ground down,” US ambassador to Syria Robert Ford, withdrawn last year, was quoted as saying by CNN. “That said, the regime’s protection units continue to maintain some cohesion, and they still have some fight left in them, even though they are losing. I expect there will be substantial fighting in the days ahead.” Rami Abdelrahman, of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has tracked the fighting since it began in March 2011, said: “I think it’s unrealistic to expect that the battle is in its last stages right now.” The meeting of rebels in Antalya, Turkey, was aimed at forming a structure to run the conflict in conjunction with a new opposition National Coalition, which some European and Arab states have recognized as Syria’s legitimate representatives. One delegate at the meeting, who asked not to be identified, said two-thirds of the 30 members of the newly named command had ties with the Muslim Brotherhood or were its political allies. “We are witnessing the result of the Qatari and Turkish creations,” said the delegate, referring to leading anti-Assad countries that are seen as backing the Brotherhood. Colonel Riad Asaad, founder of the Syrian Free Army rebel force, and General Hussein Haj Ali, the highest-ranking officer to defect from Assad’s military, were among those excluded. NATO decided this week to send US, German and Dutch batteries of air-defense missiles to the Turkish border, putting hundreds of American and European NATO troops close to the frontier with Syria for the first time in the crisis. Russia’s ambassador to NATO said the move risked dragging the alliance into the conflict. “This is not a threat to us, but this is an indication that NATO is moving toward engagement, and that’s it,” Alexander Grushko said. “We see a threat of further involvement of NATO in the Syrian situation as a result of some provocation or some incidents on the border, if they take place. The Dutch on Friday said they would send two Patriot batteries with up to 360 personnel. Germany approved its mission on Thursday. The United States and its NATO allies have issued coordinated warnings in recent days to Assad not to use chemical weapons, prompting Syria to accuse Western countries of conjuring the threat to justify a military intervention. Syria has not signed an international chemical weapons treaty banning poison gas, but has repeatedly said that it would never use such weapons on its own people. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said: “We have no confirmed reports on this matter. However, if it is the case, then it will be an outrageous crime in the name of humanity.” - Reuters    |
| Berlusconi party says it will not push Italy into chaos Posted: 07 Dec 2012 04:39 PM PST
People of Freedom, or PDL, Secretary Angelino Alfano told parliament that the party’s withdrawal of support from Prime Minister Mario Monti in two confidence votes on Thursday had shown its disapproval without bringing down the government. “Yesterday we did not give a vote of no confidence because we consider the experience of the Monti government has come to an end, but we don’t want to send the institutions and the country into chaos,” Alfano said. The PDL is expected to allow budget measures in the so-called Stability Law to pass when it comes before parliament for final approval some time before Christmas, ensuring that deficit reduction goals are maintained and the budget is approved. Italian President Giorgio Napolitano is due to meet Monti on Saturday afternoon to discuss the implications of the PDL’s decision after he spoke to the party’s leaders yesterday. Napolitano, who is responsible for calling an election that must take place no later than April, said in a statement he believed a “constructive and correct path” could be found in the interests of the country and its international image. Pier Luigi Bersani, head of the center-left Democratic Party, which is leading in opinion polls, repeated that his party would continue to support Monti. Following several weeks of relative calm, which saw market confidence improve and Rome’s borrowing costs come down steadily, investors have again been ruffled by Italy’s political troubles, although reaction has not been extreme. The spread or difference between yields on Italian 10-year bonds and German counterparts that are considered less risky widened from just over 300 basis points to 323 basis points yesterday although it is still well off a peak of 553 points at the height of the crisis last year. But the standoff has refocused market attention on Italy’s post-Monti government and how it will deal with reforming the recession-hit economy, a fact underlined by ratings agency Standard & Poor’s late on Friday. The agency highlighted concerns over the election and said there was “uncertainty around whether the next government coalition would remain committed to the structural reform agenda” pursued by Monti. After changing his mind repeatedly in recent weeks, Berlusconi indicated on Wednesday that he was likely to seek a fifth term as prime minister and lead his divided party in the election now expected to be held by early March. No change on electoral law Berlusconi is expected to focus on attacking Monti’s austerity policies after he accused the former European commissioner of dragging Italy “to the brink of a precipice.” The decision to break with Monti’s technocrat government, which the PDL has backed in parliament since it was appointed last year, was widely interpreted as an attempt by Berlusconi to hold the party together in the face of falling approval ratings. It also effectively ends hopes of a change to the current much-criticized electoral law and means next year’s vote is likely to be held under a system that analysts say could allow the PDL to retain significant strength in the upper house. For that to happen, it would still have to patch up an alliance with its former coalition partners in the regionalist Northern League party, which has been struggling to overcome a damaging corruption scandal under new leader Roberto Maroni. Two opinion polls published yesterday showed that the Democratic Party had increased its lead over political rivals, while Monti’s approval ratings had dropped. - Reuters    |
| Nurse in Kate royal hoax call found dead Posted: 07 Dec 2012 04:32 PM PST  LONDON: A nurse at the hospital which treated Prince William’s pregnant wife Catherine was found dead yesterday, days after being duped by a hoax call from an Australian radio station, the hospital said.The private King Edward VII hospital in central London named the nurse as Jacintha Saldanha, who had worked there for four years, and said it had learned of her “tragic death” with “very deep sadness”. The hospital did not comment on media reports that she had committed suicide, while police said they were treating the death, which happened at a property nearby, as unexplained. The royal couple said they were “deeply saddened” to learn of Saldanha’s death, saying staff had looked after them “wonderfully well” during the three nights that Kate spent in hospital being treated for severe morning sickness. A hospital spokesman said Saldanha had accepted the hoax call from two Australian radio presenters pretending to be Queen Elizabeth II and William’s father Prince Charles, before passing it onto a colleague who divulged details of Kate’s condition. The hoax caused a global media storm, and the hospital’s chief executive John Lofthouse said it had been “supporting her (Saldanha) through this difficult time”. He said the hospital, which has been a favourite with royals for years, had lost an “excellent” nurse. “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies at this time are with her family and friends. Everyone is shocked by the loss of a much loved and valued colleague,” he added. In what it billed as the “biggest royal prank ever”, a presenter from Sydney’s 2Day FM station called the hospital on Monday pretending to be the queen and asked to speak to the former Kate Middleton. Saldanha said “Oh yes, just hold on, Ma’am”, before putting her through to another nurse who revealed that Kate “hasn’t had any retching with me since I’ve been on duty and she has been sleeping on and off”. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Police were called at 9:25 am (0925 GMT) this morning to reports of a woman unconscious at an address in Weymouth Street, W1. “London Ambulance Service attended and a woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Inquiries continue to establish the circumstances of the incident. The death is being treated as unexplained.” A source in the emergency services told AFP that while the death was being treated as unexplained it was not thought to be suspicious. “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Jacintha Saldanha,” said a spokesman for William and Kate’s office, St James’ Palace. “Their Royal Highnesses were looked after so wonderfully well at all times by everybody at King Edward VII Hospital, and their thoughts and prayers are with Jacintha Saldanha’s family, friends and colleagues at this very sad time.” Dr Peter Carter, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, described Saldanha’s death as “tragic news”. “It is deeply saddening that a simple human error due to a cruel hoax could lead to the death of a dedicated and caring member of the nursing profession,” he said. Radio presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian apologised earlier this week for the call, even as the station was milking the publicity for it. “We were very surprised that our call was put through. We thought we’d be hung up on as soon as they heard our terrible accents,” they said in a statement. “We’re very sorry if we’ve caused any issues and we’re glad to hear that Kate is doing well.” The presenters insisted it was lighthearted and even Prince Charles joked about the incident on Thursday, saying to reporters who were asking him about Kate’s condition: “How do you know I’m not a radio station?” Kate was admitted to hospital on Monday with acute morning sickness and left on Thursday, saying she was feeling much better. Her admission to hospital was the first the world knew of her pregnancy. It will be the couple’s first child and will be third in line to the British throne after Charles and William. - AFP    |
| Italian tax police raid Facebook offices Posted: 07 Dec 2012 04:32 PM PST  ROME: Italian police yesterday raided the Milan offices of US social media giant Facebook over possible violations of tax laws, Italian media reported.Facebook Italia is based in Milan and is associated with Facebook Inc. in the United States and Facebook Ireland. “Facebook pays taxes in Italy as part of its activity in the country and takes its obligations in terms of Italian tax law very seriously,” the company said in a statement. Facebook Italia said it had “cooperated fully”. The Italian-registered company, according to its official document, has social capital of 10,000 euros (US$13,000) and 11 employees and therefore pays very low taxes, Italian media reported. Facebook Italia had gross revenues of 2.0 million euros in 2011, which counted as “services” for promotion on the Italian market. A probe by Italian tax police against Google Italy last month found that the company failed to declare income of 240 million euros (US$310 million) and pay value added tax of 96 million euros. - AFP    |
| Egypt protesters question use of peaceful tactics Posted: 07 Dec 2012 04:32 PM PST  CAIRO: Protesters rallying in Cairo against Islamist President Mohamed Morsi say they are still using peaceful tactics for now – but that their opposition movement could soon tip into violence.“We will use any means necessary to bring down the regime,” warned Ahmed Dewedar, 25, a protester camping out in the capital’s Tahrir square. “There will be no stability until our demands are met.” Seven deaths and hundreds of injuries on Wednesday, when pro- and anti-Morsi demonstrators clashed outside the presidential palace, presaged what could come. Although that scale of bloodiness has not yet returned, a hardening of positions on both sides underscores the potential for sustained street brutality. “We could have stormed the presidential palace on Wednesday but we didn’t, we stayed peaceful,” said fellow activist Mahmud Ghazawi, 35. “But we won’t be peaceful for ever.” Thousands of protesters converged on the palace again yesterday in a new show of opposition, one clearly infused with steely determination. A speech by Morsi on Thursday night, when he refused to bend to the demands of opposition, had ratcheted up the tension and strengthened their resolve, transforming their demand that he repeal new powers he has given himself into a wholesale cry for him to step down altogether. In Tahrir Square, another protest gathering spot and the place most associated with the downfall of Egypt’s former hardman president Hosni Mubarak, invective demonised the country’s current leader. A banner carried around the square read “Down with Adolf Morsi, down with the new Hitler.” Another, more ominously, warned: “As Nasser said, the Muslim Brotherhood is not to be trusted,” a reference to Egypt’s late president Gamal Abdel Nasser, who cracked down fiercely on the Islamist group that now holds power. The current crisis polarising Egypt has created instability that makes the country’s trajectory unclear. “It could turn into a Lebanon scenario,” where sectarian tension sparked civil war in the mid-1970s, said Mohammed al-Sheikh, a 27-year-old member of prominent opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei’s Dustur party. “What is happening in Egypt is already a civil war,” said one activist who asked not to be named. “Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood have split the people trying to impose their void, corrupt constitution.” Many Tahrir Square demonstrators stressed that while non-peaceful means of protest were being mulled, they should only be a last resort. A cleric from Cairo’s prestigious Islamic institution Al-Azhar railed against Morsi through a megaphone, saying: “We will die here in the square, from illness or starvation, for the sake of our martyrs.” Those less willing to abandon peaceful protest hoped the army would intervene should the crisis escalate. “The army is powerful,” said Sheikh. “If things get out of hand, they’ll come in.” “There will be violence, for certain. All sides are willing to escalate. But when the army comes, it will be the end of the president and the end of the Brotherhood, and we will start a new life,” Magdi Hossein, 50, asserted. “The army has always been on the side of the people,” he added. As protesters swelled in the square and outside the presidential palace on Friday, it was clear that opponents of Morsi and his Islamist government would not back down. “We want a constitution, but one that everyone has agreed on,” said Ghazawi of a charter that was drafted by Morsi’s Islamist allies amid a boycott by liberals and Christians and that is due to be put to a referendum on Dec15. “Yes, Morsi was elected by 30 million people. But they didn’t vote for him to be president for ever. Now he only represents 5 million people – the Brotherhood and their supporters – out of a population of 85 million. “They’re talking about religion and trying to impose an Islamic state. They’re trying to make themselves into prophets.” - AFP    |
| Dutch to send Patriot missiles to Turkey-Syria border Posted: 07 Dec 2012 04:32 PM PST  THE HAGUE: The Dutch cabinet yesterday gave the go-ahead to sending NATO Patriot missiles to Turkey to defend its border against Syria, national news agency ANP quoted Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans as saying.The Dutch will “shortly” send two Patriot units with a maximum of 360 troops to operate them following a request from fellow NATO member Turkey, ANP said. The exact location for the missiles’ deployment will be decided in talks with Turkey, the United States and Germany. NATO on Tuesday approved Turkey’s request for Patriot missiles to defend its border against Syria following a series of blunt warnings to Damascus not to use chemical weapons. The German government announced Thursday it had approved its participation, saying it would also send up to 400 troops. The move still needs to be approved by the German parliament. NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the alliance’s decision reflected a “steadfast commitment” to preserving the security of its 28 member states. The alliance said that the Netherlands along with Germany and the United States have agreed to provide the Patriot missile batteries, which would come under the command of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). Turkey is a vocal opponent of the regime in Syria, where monitoring groups say over 41,000 people have been killed in almost 21 months of conflict. - AFP    |
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