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2009-12-10T07:55:00.000+08:00

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Environment and Energy : Denmark

2009-11-24T02:10:00.006+08:00

Danes are eco-friendly people and Denmark is a leader in environmental and energy technology across a wide range of fields.

The Mofaz plan—state now, ask questions later

2009-11-23T22:33:00.002+08:00

Israeli politicians are reportedly setting out their ideas for the creation of a Palestinian state in a move that comes after the PA suggested asking the UN to recognise the Occupied Territories as an independent Palestinian state. Is this just an attempt to buy time and draw attention away from the stalled peace process?

Baby Trade.

2009-11-22T15:01:00.002+08:00

Twenty years ago the United Nations adopted the Convention of the Rights of the Child. The CRC or UNCRC, is an international treaty setting out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of children.

Nations that ratify the UNCRC are bound to it by international law.As of December 2008, 193 signatories have ratified it, including every member of the United Nations except the US and Somalia.The UNCRC has been used as a blueprint for child protection legislation around the world.

The treaty restricts the involvement of children in military conflicts and prohibits the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.However, the treaty's promise to protect children has not always been kept.In many cases, poverty is to blame for making worse, the plight of the most vulnerable.

The illegal sale of children makes up more than half of all the cases of human trafficking around the world, according to recent estimates.

Traditionally it has involved the exploitation of children in poorer nations, but an Al Jazeera investigation has found that it is also happening in developed countries, such as South Korea.

For four months, Al Jazeera surfed community boards on popular Korean Internet sites, and found an underground trade where pregnant women can sell their unborn children.

Muslim 500 – A Listing of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World

2009-11-21T08:08:00.002+08:00

November 17, 2009 | Muslim Media Network

A fascinating new book has just been issued by The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center (in Jordan) in concert with Georgetown’s Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.

The book lists the 500 most influential people in the Muslim world, breaking the people into several distinct categories, scholarly, political, administrative, lineage, preachers, women, youth, philanthropy, development, science and technology, arts and culture, media, and radicals.

Before this breakdown begins however, the absolute most influential 50 people are listed, starting with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The top 50 fit into 6 broad categories as follows: 12 are political leaders (kings, generals, presidents), 4 are spiritual leaders (Sufi shaykhs), 14 are national or international religious authorities, 3 are “preachers,” 6 are high-level scholars, 11 are leaders of movements or organizations.

The 500 appear to have been chosen largely in terms of their overt influence, however the top 50 have been chosen and perhaps listed in a “politically correct” order designed not to cause offense. For example, the first person listed is the Sunni political leader of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah. The second person listed is the head of the largest Shi’a power, Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei. As these are not the two Muslim countries with the largest populations, and do not even represent the two countries with the most spiritual or religious relevance (Saudi Arabia yes, Iran no) therefore clearly the decision of spots one or two appears to have been motivated by a sense of political correctness.

In total 72 Americans are among the 500 most influential Muslims, a disproportionately strong showing, but only one among the top 50. Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Hanson of Zaytuna Institute is listed surprisingly at number 38. The world leader of the Naqshbandi Haqqani Sufi order, however, Sheikh Nazim al Haqqani, with millions of followers worldwide, spiritual adviser to kings, presidents, doctors, lawyers, professors and others across the spectrum of profession, race, and ethnicity on seven continents, is listed at number 49. While Sheikh Hamza Yusuf has successfully built the Zaytuna Institute, his influence is confined mostly to American academia, scholars and students. Surprisingly, Khaled Mashaal, leader of Hamas, (at number 34) is listed before any American Muslim.

It seems strange that Yusuf is the only American listed in the top 50. Especially when Rep. Keith Ellison (D-5-MN), Tariq Ramadan and Ingrid Mattson are listed among the “honorable mentions” in the book (“honorable mentions” were almost among the top 50 but not quite—they are still listed among the 500). Ingrid Mattson alone is likely more influential than Hamza Yusuf Hanson, for instance. Not to mention Rep. Keith Ellison. Even the Nobel prize winner Mohammad Yunus is listed only among the honorable mentions.

Sheikh Hisham Kabbani in the USA is listed among the most influential scholars in the Muslim world, and his relative Mohammad Rashid Qabbani, the Grand Mufti of Lebanon and its leading Sunni scholar, is also among the most influential scholars. The Shi’a marja Ayatullah Sayeed Mohammad Fadlallah is the other listed scholar for Lebanon.

The 18 prominent American Muslims in the Scholars section of the book also include Yusuf Estes, Sulayman Nyang, Muzammil Siddiqui, Sherman Jackson, Zaid Shakir, and Nuh Keller. Two Americans are listed as Political figures in North America. Nine Americans are listed as Administrative leaders, including Siraj Wahhaj—surprising to list him as an administrative leader rather than a preacher. One Canadian is listed under the Lineage section, namely Jamal Badawi, but no Americans. Under the Women heading appear six very recognizable names, perhaps most recognizable among them Ingrid Mattson, the controversial Amina Wadud, and the extremely influential Dalia Mogahed (who wrote the perhaps watershed work Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think.) Two Americans are listed in the Youth category. Under the Philanthropy category is listed one person, Dr. Tariq Cheema, co-founder of the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists. 13 Americans are listed under Development, including strangely the boxer Mohammad Ali. Four Americans are listed under Science and Technology, perhaps most recognizably Dr. Mehmed Oz, who frequently appears on morning television to help explain medical situations to people, and who shows an interest in the overlap between traditional medicine and spirituality. Seven Americans are listed under Arts and Culture, including the notable actors Mos Def and Dave Chappelle, also the calligrapher Mohammad Zakaria. Nine Americans are listed in the Media section, including Fareed Zakaria and the filmmaker Michael Wolfe.

The book’s appendices comprehensively list populations of Muslims in nations worldwide, and its introduction gives a snapshot view of different ideological movements within the Muslim world, breaking down clearly distinctions between traditional Islam and recent radical innovations.

People who are themselves prominent scholars contributed to or edited the book, including of course Georgetown University’s Professor John Esposito and Professor Ibrahim Kalin. Ed Marques and Usra Ghazi also edited and prepared the book. The book lists as consultants Dr. Hamza Abed al Karim Hammad, and Siti Sarah Muwahidah, with thanks to other contributors.

The entire book is available online (here: http://www.rissc.jo/muslim500v-1L.pdf) and we hope that it will be available for sale soon inside the United States. Currently it is not available.

To encourage the printing and release of the book in the United States you can contact Georgetown’s Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at edu, or by phone at 202-687-8375.

America, Islam and South East Asia.

2009-11-20T09:50:00.000+08:00

We look at the state of the Islamic movements in Southeast Asia.

Mahkamah : SPRM Diharamkan Soal Siasat Saksi Selepas Waktu Pejabat

2009-11-20T04:23:00.003+08:00

TVSelangor.com

Dalam satu keputusan bersejarah, Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur memutuskan Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia tidak lagi dibenarkan menyoal siasat saksi pada waktu malam.

Hakim Mohd Ariff Md Yusof memutuskan SPRM hanya berhak menyoal siasat saksi dari pukul 8.30 pagi hingga 5 petang.

Keputusan itu dibuat berikutan pendedahan mendiang Teoh Beng Hock (gambar demonstrasi diatas) disoal siasat sepanjang malam sehingga awal pagi sebelum di jumpai mati di perkarangan ibu pejabat SPRM Selangor di Shah Alam 16 Julai lalu.

Seorang lagi saksi yang turut disoal siasat ketika itu, Tan Boon Wah, telah memohon Mahkamah Tinggi untuk menyemak sama ada SPRM berhak menyoal siasat saksi pada bila-bila waktu.

Boon Wah turut mendakwa beliau di kasari oleh pegawai penyiasat SPRM ketika beliau di soal siasat.

Beng Hock mati dalam keadaan mencurigakan, malah seorang pakar bedah dari Thailand tidak menolak kemungkinan mendiang mangsa jenayah.

Berikutan keterangan pakar itu pada inkues Beng Hock bulan lalu, arahan diberi untuk menggali semula mayat mendiang Sabtu ini bagi membolehkan bedah siasat yang lebih terperinchi dijalankan.

Dalam keputusannya hari ini, Hakim Mohd Ariff menolak tafsiran SPRM bahawa

Seksyen 30(3)(a) Akta SPRM kononnya memberi kuasa kepada badan itu untuk menyoal siasat saksi sepanjang masa.

Ungkapan dari hari ke hari (untuk jalankan siasatan) dalam seksyen itu tidak bermaksud 24 jam tetapi waktu kerja pejabat yang biasa,” kata beliau.

“Justeru, saya bersetuju bahawa pemohon (Boon Wah) dalam kes ini telah ditahan secara tidak sah untuk disoal siasat.

Number of Students Studying Abroad on Rise Globally

2009-11-19T06:38:00.000+08:00

A Washington-based educational institute says the number of university students who study abroad is on the rise. The Institute of International Education reports a 60 percent increase in the number of students studying outside their native country since the year 2000.

ElBaradei Ends Term With Goals 'In Tatters'

2009-11-10T08:57:00.000+08:00

By Joe Lauria - WSJ

NEW YORK -- The departing director of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency declared Wednesday that efforts to curb nuclear proliferation were in "tatters," but he held out hope that current talks over Iran's nuclear program could open "a new era" between the West and Tehran.

Mohamed ElBaradei, who leaves Dec. 1 after 12 years as director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the Council on Foreign Relations that 50 years of mistrust threatens the proposed deal for Iran to ship most of its low-enriched uranium to Russia and France for processing into medical isotopes.

Iran has balked over issues of timing and amounts to be shipped, but talks could still succeed, he asserted. "If I can do that by the end of the month, I'd leave as a very happy man," he said.

The Egyptian diplomat said the IAEA still has no concrete proof that Iran has an ongoing nuclear-weapons program. He praised the Obama administration for opening a dialogue with Iran without preconditions.

Mr. ElBaradei said military action against Iran would solve nothing, since Tehran would engage in a crash program and "you cannot bomb knowledge.'' If Iran was attacked, "Every Iranian, even in Los Angeles" would support the nuclear program, he asserted, as would its allies.

Arab nations were "not comfortable reading that Israel has 200 warheads and it wants to bomb a country just for having the technology," he said.

Mr. ElBaradei said the world had fared poorly in its nonproliferation efforts. "We have not done well over the past 25 years," he said. "If you look at our international security system, it is in tatters." He said there was more danger now that nuclear weapons would be used than during the Cold War, especially if they get into terrorists' hands.

UNICEF: "Paris Commitments" protect child soldiers

2009-11-08T06:32:00.000+08:00

NEW YORK, USA, 30 September 2009 The challenging and critical job of protecting children from recruitment by armed forces or groups took a step forward this week, as a number of United Nations Member States added their names to the Paris Commitments.

Adopted in February 2007, the Paris Commitments are an expression of strengthened international resolve to prevent the recruitment of children and highlight the actions governments can take to protect children affected by conflict. A related document, the Paris Principles, sets out operational guidelines for the sustainable reintegration of former child soldiers.

A total of 84 states now have endorsed the commitments. The latest signatories are Albania, the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Guinea, Jamaica, Liechtenstein, Panama and Senegal.

Russia wants more countries to join START

2009-10-17T18:07:00.004+08:00

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 | Presstv reports

Other nuclear powers should join the US-Russia Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (photo) says.

"The involvement of more nuclear powers to this process is a necessity that will become pressing in the near future," Lavrov said in an interview with the news agency RIA Novosti.

If Moscow and Washington are able to "reach an agreement on the level of reductions that we are proposing, the nuclear arsenals of Russia and the United States will be comparable to those of other official nuclear powers," Lavrov added.

Signed in 1991, START placed strict limits on the number of missiles and warheads in the Russian and US nuclear arsenals. But the agreement expires on December 5. Following a meeting on Tuesday with his US counterpart Hillary Clinton in Moscow, Lavrov said the two countries had made "substantial progress" in their negotiations for a new agreement.

"Human need, not corporate greed"

2009-09-26T11:03:00.001+08:00

Thousands protest against G20 summit in US Sat, 26 Sep 2009 02:31:09 GMT

Thousands have streamed through the streets of Pittsburgh in a peaceful protest against the leaders of the world's top economies.

Waving banners and chanting slogans, the crowd stretched out of sight as people made their way down the city streets lined by black-clad riot police, still tense after the previous night's violent anti-G20 protests.

The G20 represents the leaders of the world's most powerful economies and the group's summits attract a diverse crowd of anti-globalization activists and anarchists opposed to what they see as its inhumane free market policies.

According to the security forces there were up to 4,500 marchers, but Peter Shell, president of the Thomas Merton Center which helped organize the march, estimated the number to be twice that.

Tensions ratcheted up a notch when three protesters bearing signs that said "Human need, not corporate greed" sat down in the middle of a city street, but the situation was resolved without a fight.

A night without stars for seven years.

2009-09-22T20:39:00.002+08:00

The Big Mac Index:

2009-09-12T14:14:00.002+08:00

The Currency Line Up Today.

From Economist.com

For all its weaknesses, the Big Mac Index has caught on even among economists as a shorthanded way of looking at PPP across the world's economies. The table below -- reproduced from the Economist -- shows by how much, in Big Mac PPP terms, selected currencies were over- or undervalued at the end of January.

An alternative Big Mac index

Aug 20th 2009

How many minutes to earn the price of a Big Mac?

THE size of your pay packet may be important, but so is its purchasing power. Helpfully, a UBS report published this week offers a handy guide to how long it takes a worker on the average net wage to earn the price of a Big Mac in 73 cities. Fast-food junkies are best off in Chicago, Toronto and Tokyo, where it takes a mere 12 minutes at work to afford a Big Mac. By contrast, employees must toil for over two hours to earn enough for a burger fix in Mexico City, Jakarta and Nairobi.

KES KUIL DI SHAH ALAM.

2009-09-06T04:47:00.002+08:00

PR Serah Memo Bantah Khidmat KPN Bermasalah Dilanjutkan.

2009-09-05T02:31:00.001+08:00

Nik Aziz Nafi Keluar Kenyataan Ahli Umno Tidak Masuk Syurga.

2009-09-04T05:12:00.001+08:00

Merdeka, Merdeka

2009-09-03T07:53:00.002+08:00

PEMASYURAN KEMERDEKAAN

Dengan nama Allah yang Maha Pemurah lagi Mengasihani, segala puji bagi Allah yang Maha Berkuasa dan selawat dan salam ke atas sekalian RasulNya.

Bahawasanya kerana telah tibalah masanya bagi umat Persekutuan Tanah Melayu ini mencapai suatu bangsa yang merdeka lagi berdaulat sama setimpal kedudukannya dengan segala bangsa seluruh dunia.

Dan bahawasanya kerana dengan perjanjian yang disebut namanya Perjanjian Tanah Melayu tahun 1957 yang diperbuat antara Duli Yang Maha Mulia Baginda Queen dengan Duli-duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja-raja Melayu, maka, telah dipersetujui bahawa Negeri-negeri Melayu, iaitu Johor, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu dan Perak serta negeri yang dahulunya dinamakan Negeri Selat, iaitu Melaka dan Pulau Pinang mulai 31 hari bulan Ogos tahun 1957, hendaklah menjadi sebuah Persekutuan baharu bagi negeri-negeri yang bernama Persekutuan Tanah Melayu.

Dan bahawasanya kerana telah bersetuju pula antara kedua-dua pihak dalam perjanjian tersebut, iaitu Melaka dan Pulau Pinang hendaklah daripada tarikh tersebut itu tamat daripada menjadi sebahagian daripada jajahan takluk Baginda Queen, dan Duli Yang Maha Mulia Baginda Queen tidak lagi berhak menjalankan apa-apa kedaulatan baginda ke atas kedua-dua buah negeri yang tersebut itu.

Dan bahawasanya kerana telah bersetuju pula antara kedua-dua pihak yang tersebut, iaitu Perjanjian Persekutuan Tanah Melayu tahun 1948, dan segala perjanjian yang lain ada sekarang antara Duii Yang Maha Mulia Baginda Queen dengan Duli-duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja-raja ataupun salah seorang daripada baginda itu sebelum tarikh yang tersebut hendaklah dibatalkan mulai daripada tarikh itu, dan semua kuat kuasa dan hak Duli Yang Maha Mulia Baginda Queen ataupun Parlimen Negeri United Kingdom dalam Negeri-negeri Selat ataupun Persekutuan Tanah Melayu seluruhannya adalah tamat dengan sendirinya.

Dan bahawasanya kerana Duli Yang Maha Mulia Baginda Queen, Duli-duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja-raja Melayu, Parlimen Negeri United Kingdom dan Majlis-majlis Undangan Persekutuan dan Negeri-negeri Melayu telah meluluskannya, Perjanjian Persekutuan Tanah Melayu tahun 1957 itu berjalan kuat kuasanya.

Dan bahawasanya kerana suatu perlembagaan bagi kerajaan Persekutuan Tanah Melayu telah ditentukan menjadi suatu kanun yang muktamad baginya.

Dan bahawasanya kerana Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang tersebut itu, maka, ada disediakan syarat untuk menjaga keselamatan hak-hak dan keutamaan Duli-duli Yang Maha Mulia-Raja-raja serta hak-hak asasi dan kebebasan sekalian rakyat untuk memajukan Persekutuan Tanah Melayu dengan aman dan damai serta teratur sebagai sebuah kerajaan yang mempunyai Raja yang Berperlembagaan yang berdasarkan demokrasi cara Parlimen.

Dan bahawasanya kerana Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang diadakan oleh Majlis Undangan Persekutuan yang tersebut itu telah diluluskan oleh suatu undang-undang yang diadakan oleh Majlis Undangan Persekutuan serta dengan undang-undang yang diadakan oleh negeri-negeri Melayu dan dengan ketetapan-ketetapan dalam Majlis Undangan Negeri Melaka dan Pulau Pinang, dengan demikian Perlembagaan itu telah berjalan kuat kuasanya pada 31 hari bulan Ogos tahun 1957.

Maka, dengan nama Allah yang Maha Pemurah lagi Maha Mengasihani, saya Tunku Abdu Rahman Putra ibni Aamarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, Perdana Menteri bagi Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, dengan persetujuan dan perkenan Duli-duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja-raja Negeri Melayu dengan ini memasyurkan dan mengisytiharkan bagi pihak umat Persekutuan Tanah melayu bahawa mulai Tiga Puluh Satu hari bulan Ogos Tahun Seribu Sembilan Ratus Lima Puluh Tujuh, maka Persekutuan Tanah Melayu yang mengandungi Negeri Johor, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu, Perak, Melaka dan Pulau Pinang dengan limpah rahmat Allah subnahu wa ta’ala akan kekal menjadi sebuah Negara yang merdeka dan berdaulat serta berdasarkan kebebasan dan keadilan dan sentiasa menjaga dan mengutamakan kesejahteraan da kesentosaan rakyatnya dan mengekalkan keamanan antara segala bangsa.

PAS Gesa Musa Tidak Disambung Kontraknya Sebagai KPN.

2009-09-02T04:19:00.002+08:00

A Frank Talk from Chua Jui Meng.

2009-09-01T07:22:00.003+08:00

July 29, 2009 - Former health minister Chua Jui Meng, the most senior BN politician to have defected to Pakatan Rakyat, has described Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak as a leader who conceals his iron fist in a velvet glove.

Opposition wins Japan polls - 31 Aug 09

2009-08-31T15:08:00.001+08:00

JOHOR, SASARAN PAKATAN RAKYAT SETERUSNYA

2009-08-29T22:25:00.000+08:00

JOHOR, SASARAN PAKATAN RAKYAT SETERUSNY.

Kezaliman ISA

2009-08-29T21:06:00.001+08:00

Dr Hatta saman Polis Rompin

2009-08-28T08:49:00.002+08:00

Najib's 100 Days, What Went Wrong? : Elizabeth Wong

2009-08-04T05:40:00.001+08:00

Ku Li : on Petronas governance,

2009-06-30T03:05:00.003+08:00

Petronas governance, oil and talent .

JUNE 29,2009 — There are reports of a supposed tussle of wills between the prime minister and the board of Petronas over his choice of a non-executive, independent director for the board. I find the way this discussion is being framed in the press and on the blogs a little puzzling.

To begin with, the question of a tussle of wills, so to speak, between the board of Petronas and the prime minister does not arise. The Articles of Association governing Petronas give the prime minister the absolute power to appoint and remove every single member of the board and management. The prime minister has the right to appoint or remove anyone, from the president and chief executive officer down to the company drivers. In particular, every member of the board is an appointee of the prime minister, and represents him on the board.

Therefore it is puzzling that appeals are being made for the prime minister not to interfere in the composition of the board of Petronas, when it is in fact his duty and sole prerogative to appoint members of the board who will help him in his function of overseeing the running of this wholly state-owned enterprise and seeing to the disposal of the wealth that it generates. Let us not suddenly forget the extent to which previous prime ministers directed the decisions of Petronas in service of their conceptions of the national interest.

Many discussions which raise the issue of corporate governance refer to Petronas as a GLC, and refer to governance practices proper to GLCs. But these GLCs have multiple shareholders and indeed publicly traded stock. Petronas is unlike any other GLC. It has only one shareholder: the state. Almost unique among national oil companies the world over, the entire oil and gas wealth of Malaysia is vested in Petronas. It has supervisory power over the major oil companies operating in our territory. It was not formed to privatise our oil and gas reserves but to safeguard our national sovereignty over them and to manage them more effectively as the common inheritance of all Malaysians. It is charged with ensuring our energy security.

Petronas’ sole owner is ultimately the Malaysian people. The person charged with stewardship of the people’s ownership is the prime minister, and he is accountable to the people through a democratic political process. Every member of the board is appointed by him to help him discharge this stewardship. In that situation if, as reported, any member of the board disagrees on principle with the prime minister’s decision to appoint someone, he should resign. This is the proper way for board members all appointed by a sole shareholder to express strong objection to an appointment.

Those calls being made in the name of good governance for the prime minister “not to interfere” unwittingly advocate bad governance because they are framed on a misunderstanding about the nature of Petronas and therefore about who it is accountable to, and how it should be governed.

Because Petronas is charged with the stewardship of public assets we need to understand the governance of Petronas in terms of a public process; that is to say, the political process. The Petroleum Development Act that I had the privilege to help design did not envisage Petronas becoming a mega-corporation accountable only to privileged insiders. The real framework for understanding governance in Petronas is its accountability to the people of Malaysia through the prime minister of their elected government. This could hardly be otherwise for an organisation vested with such awesome resources and responsibilities.

On scholarships and talent

When we started Petronas we could not find enough local talent. The late Tun Abdul Razak said to me: “Let’s use foreign talent only as consultants. Let’s staff Petronas with Malaysians.” I started the Petronas scholarship programme in my first year as chairman. We set aside 3,000 scholarships a year. In that first year we only managed to give out 1,000. Our intention was to flood Malaysia with returning talent, for whatever industry or sector. The scholars were not bonded, except where they had skills essential to Petronas such as geophysics or petroleum engineering. Understanding our role as custodians of the greatest single source of the people’s wealth, we deliberately pursued a broad rather than narrow scholarship programme to serve the national interest by building its human capital. So we gave out scholarships in fields of study as far from Petronas’ direct interests as architecture and medicine. We did not bond these scholars. I wonder if people understand the spirit of the Petronas scholarships when they are so quick to stigmatise a young person of ability with the title “scholarship defaulter.”

We should try to raise our level of public debate above the gutter of name-calling, racial slurs and the assumption of guilt by association. We should stop looking under our beds for ghosts and shadowy conspiracies. I’m disappointed to find such mean-spirited resentment of talent and of youth precisely when we desperately need those two ingredients in and around government. In our focus on the excesses of certain young people, we may have forgotten the excesses of the old and the decrepit.

I started by talking about the reported tussle between the PM and the board of Petronas. But this is a more real and consequential tussle involving a resource more valuable even than our oil and gas reserves: our people. There is now a generational struggle, in every political party, throughout the civil service, and wherever politics rather than merit governs promotions and appointments, between the young of this demographically very young country and self-interested incumbents blocking their rise with the Catch-22 argument that they are too inexperienced. How else will they gain that experience than by taking up those responsibilities?

We face a generational loss that will destroy our future if we continue to discourage talented and highly educated Malaysians in their thirties and forties from taking up key roles in our society.

Watch video on razaleigh.com

U.S. set to pay off UN debt

2009-06-27T05:15:00.001+08:00

We have terrific news to share! The President signed legislation this week that will enact Congress’ FY 2009 emergency supplemental appropriations bill, which includes enough funds to pay off all debt the U.S. owes the UN going back to 1999.

As you may know, when Ted Turner announced his intention to give a billion dollars to support the UN almost 12 years ago, he did so because the United States was about a billion dollars behind in its payments to the UN.

The UN Foundation and our sister organization, the Better World Campaign, worked to build support for the original Congressional agreement, which in exchange for certain UN reforms, led to the U.S. paying over $800 million in debt to the UN. It was a great accomplishment.

Now, a decade after the first Congressional agreement, it is time to celebrate once again. Our government has recognized that we must keep the U.S. in good financial standing and honor our obligations at the UN. And with passage of the FY09 supplemental spending bill, debt to the UN accumulated since 1999 has been paid.

Indeed, great nations pay their bills, and by fully funding the UN and other international organizations whose work supports U.S. national security, we create greater legitimacy for our foreign policy and economic goals and empower U.S. diplomacy. In this way, we can continue America’s resumption of leadership through multilateral diplomacy.

Thank you for your continued support and interest in a strong U.S.-UN relationship.

Sincerely,

Timothy Wirth signature

Timothy E. Wirth
President, United Nations Foundation

Health care a human right?

2009-06-23T07:14:00.001+08:00

22 June 2009 - A single payer rep finally testifies to Congress; insurance industry steps up attack on any public plan

Listening Post - The media role in Iran's election.

2009-06-19T10:50:00.000+08:00

19 June 2009 - On Listening Post this week, how the media has been used in Iranian election and the ongoing debate as to whether or not we should pay for online content.

The role the media, both new and old, played in the Iranian Election.

EU Participatory Democratic Deposit : Turnout

2009-06-09T12:00:00.004+08:00

08 June 2009

	1979	1981	1984	1987	1989	1994	1995	1996	1999	2004	2007	2009
BE	91.36		92.09		90.73	90.66			91.05	90.81		90.39
DK	47.82		52.38		46.17	52.92			50.46	47.89		59.52
DE	65.73		56.76		62.28	60.02			45.19	43		43.3
IE	63.61		47.56		68.28	43.98			50.21	58.58		57.6
FR	60.71		56.72		48.8	52.71			46.76	42.76		40.48
IT	85.65		82.47		81.07	73.6			69.76	71.72		66.46
LU	88.91		88.79		87.39	88.55			87.27	91.35		91
NL	58.12		50.88		47.48	35.69			30.02	39.26		36.5
UK	32.35		32.57		36.37	36.43			24	38.52		34.27
EL		81.48	80.59		80.03	73.18			70.25	63.22		52.63
ES				68.52	54.71	59.14			63.05	45.14		44.3
PT				72.42	51.1	35.54			39.93	38.6		37.03
SE							41.63		38.84	37.85		43.8
AT								67.73	49.4	42.43		42.4
FI								57.6	30.14	39.43		40.3
CZ										28.3		28.22
EE										26.83		43.2
CY										72.5		59.4
LT										48.38		20.91
LV										41.34		52.56
HU										38.5		36.29
MT										82.39		78.81
PL										20.87		24.53
SI										28.35		28.25
SK										16.97		19.64
BG											29.22	37.49
RO											29.47	27.4
EU total	61.99		58.98		58.41	56.67			49.51	45.47		42.94

Source: TNS opinion in collaboration with the EP.

EU Election results: towards the new Parliament

2009-06-09T11:46:00.002+08:00

Provisional 08 June 2009 at 17:19 CEST

Legend:

EPP-ED : Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats
PES : Socialist Group in the European Parliament
ALDE : Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
UEN : Union for Europe of the Nations Group
GREENS/ EFA : Group of the Greens / European Free Alliance
GUE/ NGL : Confederal Group of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left
IND/ DEM : Independence/Democracy Group
Others : Others

Without prejudice to the composition of the EP at the inaugural session on 14 July 2009

Source: TNS opinion in collaboration with the EP.

European elections, democratic deficit analysis, right-wing parties:

2009-06-09T11:03:00.001+08:00

Video presentation of Audiovisual Unit services and facilities.

2009-06-09T10:02:00.000+08:00

Men 'out-performed at university'

2009-06-08T05:47:00.001+08:00

Kuala Lumpur Swine Flu : 17 still in isolation wards

2009-05-27T08:47:00.002+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, May 26,2009 – Bernama

Seventeen notified cases are still in the isolation wards at six referral hospitals for Influenza A(H1N1) for observation as at 8am today.

Director-general of Health, Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican, said out of this number, six were warded at Sungai Buloh Hospital, four at Kuala Lumpur Hospital, three at Tuanku Jaafar Hospital in Seremban, two at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Sabah, and one each at Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh and Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru.

“Out of the 17 notified cases, 10 were confirmed free from the H1N1 virus from tests conducted by the Institute of Medical Research, while six are still waiting for the laboratory test results,” he said in a statement today.

Dr Mohd Ismail said there were 26 newly notified cases of suspected Influenza A(H1N1) yesterday, bringing the number of cases reported to the Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre to 269 as at 8am today, but all the 26 cases were confirmed negative.

He said Malaysia still had two infection cases as reported on May 15 and 16, but so far there had been no transmission taking place in the country.

Up to 8am today, the World Health Organisation (WHO) informed that two more countries – Kuwait and Iceland – reported one Influenza A(H1N1) case each yesterday, bringing the number of affected countries to 46 involving 12,566 confirmed cases worldwide.

WHO also reported that nine countries recorded an increase in the number of cases in 24 hours with Peru having eight cases, Japan (six), the United Kingdom

(four), Spain (three), China (three), Hong Kong (two), and Australia, the Philippines, Colombia and Russia, one case each.

WHO said there were no new deaths among the 91 already reported.

Dr Ismail said in the 24 hours up to 8am today, 9,972 people arriving in the country by air, sea or land had been screened at the checkpoints, with three of them referred to the hospitals for further examination.

More information on Influenza A(H1N1) is available from www.moh.gov.my

Danes named world's happiest nation

2009-05-11T01:54:00.002+08:00

A new report finds Danes to be the happiest nation in the world due to their level of subjective well-being and life satisfaction.

Northern European countries top the list of happy nations, with Sweden, Ireland, Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand, Norway and Belgium ranking 4th to 10th.

Released by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) the survey was based on whether people believed their lives to be dominated by positive experiences and feelings or negative ones.

The OECD used the data gathered from a 2008 Gallup World Poll conducted in 140 countries, which surveyed a representative sample of no more than 1,000 people, above the age 15, in each country.

The OECD data shows that overall economic health, work-life balance and low unemployment are among the most important factors which can bring happiness into people's lives.

The OECD is an international organization that provides economic and social statistics and data, helping governments tackle economic, social and governance challenges.

Courtesy PressTV : Sun, 10 May 2009

Aid agencies struggle with Darfur crisis

2009-05-10T23:02:00.000+08:00

May 10, 2009 - As Sudan's Darfur crisis drags on, its refugee camps are having to be extended to cope with the increasing number of displaced people.

Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall reports from Zam Zam camp in Northern Darfur, where humanitarian officials are struggling to cope with the growing number of people seeking their help.

Hindraf trio & 13 Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees released

2009-05-09T20:28:00.000+08:00

TAIPING, May 9 2009 — malaysianinsider

All three Hindraf leaders, M. Manoharan, K. Vasanthakumar and P. Uthayakumar, were among 13 Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees who were released from the Kamunting Detention Centre in phases today.

Manoharan, 48, the Kota Alam Shah state assemblyman, and Vasanthakumar, 36, who came out at 2.30pm, left in separate cars while Uthayakumar, 47, emerged at 2.55pm. They are now making their way to Kuala Lumpur.

Uthayakumar, a lawyer, who left in a family member's car, later stopped by the roadside to speak to the press and some 30 Hindraf supporters.

The Hindraf legal adviser, who thanked his friends and supporters but not the government (because the ISA is still in force), said he would not adhere to conditions set for his release but did not say what the conditions were.

Earlier, about 12.40pm, a group of detainees, who were released, left in an Immigration Department van while another group, which came out at 1.20pm in an unidentified van, was escorted by a number of police cars.

Yesterday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein announced the release of 13 ISA detainees, including Uthayakumar, Manoharan and Vasanthakumar.

The others released were Zulkepli Marzuki, Jeknal Adil and Admi Pindatun; two Indonesian nationals Zainun Rasyid and Aboud Ghafar Shahril, and five Filipinos Sufian Salih, Hasim Talib, Abdul Jamal Azahari, Yusof Mohd Salam and Husin Alih.

Vasanthakumar's mother R. Manomani, 62, and his sister K. Parameswari were among those waiting outside the gates of the camp since early morning.

Meanwhile, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hasan confirmed that all three Hindraf leaders were released with conditions and said that they would be back in detention should they breach the conditions.

Two Hindraf leaders, V. Ganabatirau and R. Kengadharan, were among another 13 detainees released in the first batch announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, when delivering his maiden speech as Prime Minister on the night of April 3.

Germany moves to outlaw paintball

2009-05-09T20:12:00.001+08:00

Berlin says games like paintball encourage violence

Saturday, 9 May 2009 BBC UK

The German government says it plans to ban combat games such as paintball, in response to a recent school shooting.

The new measures being proposed to parliament also include tighter gun control rules and give officials the right to conduct checks on gun owners.

Anyone defying the proposed new rule could face a 5,000-euro (£4,474) fine.

Sixteen people, including the gunman, were killed in the school shooting in March. Relatives of the victims say the new measures do not go far enough.

'Biometric controls'

Under the proposed rules, the authorities would be given more right to ensure weapons are safely locked up.

The massacre at Albertville School shocked Germany

It is also thought that "biometric controls" for gun storage might be introduced, the BBC's Steve Rosenberg in Berlin reports.

That would mean that anyone owning and storing guns at home would need to use their own fingerprint to open the safe or cupboard, our correspondent says.

Berlin also plans to ban games like paintball and laser-tag that simulate killing on the grounds that they trivialise and encourage violence.

But relatives of those killed in the March attack in the town of Winnenden, near Stuttgart, are calling for an outright ban on pistols and high-calibre weapons.

"There cannot be a second Winnenden," Hardy Schober, whose daughter was killed in the attack, told a news conference in Berlin.

Pemuda PAS alukan kemasukan Renggo

2009-05-05T14:16:00.001+08:00

May 05, 2009 - PAS terbuka menerima golongan artis yang ingin bersama menunaikan tugas dakwah melalui medium mereka

Stop the war unpublished- opinions & opinion polls

2009-04-26T14:20:00.001+08:00

April 26, 2009 | Chris Nineham - Stop the War Coalition Conference 2009

Stopwar.org

New judicial appointments get thumbs up from Bar

2009-04-15T21:29:00.000+08:00

Datuk Gopal Sri Ram taking his oath of office before Chief Justice Tan Sri Zaki Azmi at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya this morning.

– Picture by Choo Choy May

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani and Edward Cheah

PUTRAJAYA, April 15, 2009 (malaysianinsider) – Three new judges were elevated to the Federal Court today with another five appointed to the Court of Appeal.

The appointments are seen as a significant injection of new blood which earned praise even from the Bar Council as signalling reform of the judiciary.

Datuk Gopal Sri Ram, Datuk Wira Ghazali Mohd Yusof and Datuk James Foong took their oath of office before Chief Justice Tan Sri Zaki Azmi in a ceremony at the Palace of Justice this morning.

The three seats became vacant after the retirement of Chief Justices Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim and Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad, and judge Datuk Az-mel Ma'amor.

All three Federal Court and five Court of Appeal judges received their letters of appointment from Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin at Istana Negara here earlier.

“The expectations of the citizens and our clients are very high. They want speedy and efficient disposals of the cases. I know we have been working hard, shorthanded at all levels. It means that with the shortage of judges, even working at full speed, we are unable to overtake the number of appeals filed,” said Zaki.

With the appointments of the three judges, the Federal Court now has the maximum 12-member bench.

The five new High Court judges who took their oath of office before Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Alauddin Mohd Sheriff were Datuk Mohd Hishamuddin Mohd Yunus, 59, Datuk Kang Hwee Gee, 64, Datuk Jeffrey Tan, 59, Datuk Azhar Maah, 63, and Datuk Ramly Ali, 56.

The Court of Appeal will now have 22 high court judges.

“You should be proud that you have been chosen to fill in the vacancies because the choices are made on merits. This is necessarily so if the intention is to improve the respect given to the courts. You will, I am sure, continue to meet the highest standard expected to be speedy but fair,” Zaki Azmi told the new judges.

Bar Council President Ragunath Kesavan told reporters that the new appointments signal a strong intent to reform the judiciary.

“I am quite happy with the appointments and promotions, I think the issue of merits have been taken into consideration. We are very pleased that we have been consulted as well by the chief justice and we have given our input.

“With the good start to the reform of the judiciary, there is recognition of merit in the promotion of the court of appeal and federal court judges,” Ragunath said.

He also commended Zaki for inviting senior members of the Bar to serve in the judiciary and warm the relationship that the two bodies are enjoying.

“I must say this that in this last one year ... the bench and bar, we have had more meetings than the last 10 years so in terms of consultation, we have been having many consultations.

“We are very happy with the response, of course there are some areas in which we want more improvements but the reform of the judiciary is a work in progress,” Ragunath said.

Bank Negara sees economy improving in 2nd half

2009-04-15T08:29:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 – Bernama

The effect of the fiscal stimulus and supportive monetary environment will put the country’s economy in a better position in the second half of the year, Bank Negara Governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz said today.

She also noted that although the external economies were experiencing contraction, the domestic economy is still growing.

“There is a need to sustain the domestic economy,” said Dr Zeti.

The first quarter of this year, however, is very much affected by contraction in external economies, which has affected the country’s export, she said.

“The effect of the (negative) global developments showed up in the first and second quarters of the year. Our export numbers are bad,” she told reporters after the launching the Interbank Murabahah Master Agreement here, today.

Asked whether there was a need to revise the gross domestic product (GDP), she said: “Right now we have made assumptions that the second half will stabilise and that the fiscal stimulus will be implemented.

“In the current environment our projection is more or less a flat growth because of the contractions of the external environment and it is being offset by domestic demand,” she said.

To a question on whether the economy will bottom out, Dr Zeti said: “It is not clear yet and what is the direction of the global economy.

“We are seeing some stabilisation taking place. This is very encouraging but we still have to wait and see because of the financial sector resolution in many of the advanced countries which still need to take place before we see stabilisation occurring,” she added.

Bank Negara sees economy improving in 2nd half

2009-04-15T08:29:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 – Bernama

She also noted that although the external economies were experiencing contraction, the domestic economy is still growing.

“There is a need to sustain the domestic economy,” said Dr Zeti.

The first quarter of this year, however, is very much affected by contraction in external economies, which has affected the country’s export, she said.

“In the current environment our projection is more or less a flat growth because of the contractions of the external environment and it is being offset by domestic demand,” she said.

To a question on whether the economy will bottom out, Dr Zeti said: “It is not clear yet and what is the direction of the global economy.

Pepe Escobar: Welcome to another New World Order

2009-04-14T16:00:00.001+08:00

April 14, 2009 - Pepe Escobar Pt1: A tsunami of hype around another New World Order

German FM Wants US Nuclear Arms out of Country

2009-04-10T13:37:00.001+08:00

10/04/2009 | alamanar

German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier wants the remaining US nuclear weapons in his country to be removed as they are obsolete, a magazine reported Friday.

According to the issue of Der Speigel due to go on sale Monday the weapons are "militarily obsolete" and "should be withdrawn from Germany" in the view of Steinmeier, a Social Democrat minister in the ruling coalition. "The withdrawal of this kind of weapon should be a theme at the forthcoming disarmament conference proposed by the United States," the magazine quotes Steinmeier as saying.

His remarks follow a speech in Prague by US President Barack Obama in which he suggested that efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation should be relaunched with the aim of achieving a world "without nuclear weapons".

Steinmeier's remarks also coincide with the traditional Easter demonstrations in which for more than 30 years anti-nuclear protestors have shown their opposition to nuclear weapons. The United States pulled most of their nuclear weapons out of Europe in the 1990s when the Cold War ended.

But Der Spiegel says that about 100 are still positioned in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey. Germany has never been a nuclear power. German conservatives, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, believe that the presence of US nuclear weapons on German soil lets Berlin keep influence in a "very sensitive sector", in particular NATO, according to a leading conservative quoted by the magazine.

Chomsky: NATO should immediately disband

2009-04-04T01:09:00.002+08:00

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:08:46 GMT | PressTV

Noam Chomsky

NATO would be better off if it sought an "immediate disbandment", renowned American author and political analyst Professor Noam Chomsky says.

"If the question was 'How ought NATO to develop?' the answer is 'immediate disbandment'," Chomsky told Russia Today when asked about the alliance's development in the future.

Chomsky said despite the costly maintenance of the US military, which spends half of the world's military expenditure, and the financial crisis, President Barack Obama has shown no desire to limit the military spending.

"In reality there is little sign of change. You may have noticed that despite the financial crisis there is no serious attempt to limit US military spending since (Barack) Obama became president," he said.

"They may cancel some expensive high tech projects like purchase of the F22 fighter. You don't need those sorts of planes for the sort of wars we have now."

Chomsky also slammed the previous US administration for concocting excuses which contributed to NATO's survival.

The administration of George W. Bush "issued a defense strategy document that effectively said that the real threat was actually the advanced technological level of third world countries and the need to preserve the superiority of the US technological military industrial base…. So suddenly the original threat turns out to be a lie and it is business as usual for NATO."

The comments came ahead of the 60th NATO anniversary which marks its formation with the aim of providing collective defense for members.

The body's defensive capability rose to utmost standards upon accepting the then-united West Germany in mid-1990s. Moscow dropped its objection to the accession in exchange for the alliance's promise not to expand beyond Germany's border and close to those of Russia's.

In contravention of the pledge, however, the Bush administration threw its weight behind the membership bid of former Soviet Union states such as Georgia and Ukraine.

"The United States wants to recruit Eastern European nations to join NATO because they think they will be prepared to send soldiers to fight in those sorts of wars," Chomsky concluded.

ISA Freed detainees identified

2009-04-03T21:05:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 — reported by malaysianinsider — source : Bernama

Of the 13 ISA detainees released, two are members of the outlawed Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), one a member of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI), seven members of the Darul Islam group and three foreigners involved in the falsifying of documents.

The JI member, Wan Amin Wan Hamat, was detained on March 20, 2003 and his detention was extended to March 19, 2011.

The others are Hindraf leaders V. Ganabatirau and R. Kengadharan; Darul Islam group members Binsali Omar, A. Artas A. Burhanudin, Idris Lanama, Francis Indanan, Mohd Nazri Dolah, Pakana Selama and Mohd Arasad Patangari; and foreigners V. Sundaraj (of India), San Khaing (Myanmar) and Amir Hussain
(Myanmar).

G20 live bloggers share their views

2009-04-03T09:00:00.000+08:00

April 02, 2009 - G20 Voice, a group of 50 bloggers, have been given unprecedented access to the summit of world leaders taking place in London.

The bloggers come from 22 countries, representing a global audience of 14 million readers.

Three of them - Ahmed al Omran from Saudi Arabia, who blogs at saudijeans.org, Cheryl Contee from the United States, who blogs at jackandjillpolitics.com, and Swati Sahi from India, who blogs at oneworld.net - spoke to Al Jazeera.

NGOs urge action, fairness for G20 summit

2009-04-03T04:26:00.001+08:00

hu, 02 Apr 2009 20:25:38 GMT | PressTV

Leaders of the Group of Twenty

Commenting on the G20 summit, NGOs say that there is much more to be done to rescue poor countries from the worst of the global financial crisis.

During Thursday's G20 meeting in London, world leaders agreed to a raft of measures to combat the global financial downturn, pledging to spend five trillion dollars by the end of 2010, with USD 1.1 trillion going to the IMF.

The measures would see the sale of gold reserves to help poor countries, a new push to pass free trade rules, major reforms to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, secretive tax havens named and shamed, and new rules on corporate pay.

"We welcome the 1.1 trillion dollars for global economic recovery. But we must ensure that poor countries get their fair Share -- that Uganda benefits as well as Ukraine," said Oxfam spokesman, Duncan Green.

This is while Greenpeace said the G20 had missed a chance to secure long-term environmental improvements, saying there were just 'vague aspirations'.

"Long-term economic recovery is dependent on tackling climate change," said Greenpeace UK's executive director, John Sauven.

"A full-blown climate crisis raises the prospect of mass migration, mass starvation and mass extinctions. It will make poverty permanent in the developing world and strangle growth in the developed."

UK Prime Minster, Gordon Brown, noted that the G20 nations are committed to ward off economic catastrophes; however, he pledged 'no quick fixes', for the global financial crises.

G20 protesters converge outside Bank of England

2009-04-01T16:02:00.001+08:00

Thousands of anti-capitalist and anti-war protesters are converging on the Bank of England today to demonstrate ahead of the G20 summit that starts in London tomorrow.

They followed four "horsemen of the apocalypse" that set out from four different central London tube stations to meet outside the Bank. The horses symbolise the evils of war, financial chaos, climate change and homelessness.

Later this afternoon, at 2pm, supporters of the Stop the War Coalition will gather to demonstrate outside the US embassy in Grosvenor Square. They will march to a rally in Trafalgar Square.

socialistworker

'The rich want me to pay for their crisis'

2009-04-01T15:45:00.002+08:00

I'm a care worker on less than £7 an hour with no pension – but Brown and the G20 are doing nothing to help millions like me

Claudia Campbell is one of millions of people working in Britain forced to live on very low pay.

As a care worker in Birmingham she spends long hours helping people with learning disabilities.

Despite her work being both demanding and important Claudia earns just £6.56 an hour – that's just £838 a month.

"It's a struggle to survive on what I earn," she told Socialist Worker. "Rents, bills and food prices are all spiralling – but my pay is standing still. When I'm in the supermarket I have to think very carefully about the price of every item I buy."

There are no such worries for the G20 world leaders who are meeting in London this week. They are wining and dining on the best that Britain's restaurants have to offer, while the heads of industry talk of the need to cut costs.

But calls for "belt tightening" by Britain's bosses can only mean more pay cuts and more job losses for the rest of us.

Already two thirds of British manufacturers say they have frozen pay or are considering doing so in the future. Meanwhile millions of public sector workers have suffered from below inflation rises for years in a row.

The rich are determined to use the economic crisis to their advantage. They don't just want to slash pay – they want an assault on pensions and public spending too.

In every town in Britain there are thousands of people who spend sleepless nights worrying about their jobs, their homes and how to carry on putting food on their family's tables. And it's the lowest paid and the unemployed that are being hit the hardest.

"Gordon Brown won't do anything for people like me," says Claudia. "If he was serious about helping those at the sharp end of the recession he could increase the minimum wage from just £5.73 an hour. Or he could step in to stop the jobs losses round here."

The past four months has seen a jobs massacre in Claudia's home city of Birmingham. Some 450 people were made redundant at Jaguar Land Rover, 600 at nearby Aston Martin and 850 at van makers LDV.

And it's not just the manufacturers – many local suppliers have gone out of business too. Trade unions have at last woken up to the issue and are planning a massive demonstration over jobs in Birmingham on Saturday 16 May.

"There's got to be a fight over jobs," says Claudia. "But there should also be one about pay. Why should people like me be earning only the bare minimum when there are people like MPs who claim more in expenses than I will earn in a lifetime?" mean more pay cuts and more job losses for the rest of us.

Already two thirds of British manufacturers say they have frozen pay or are considering doing so in the future. Meanwhile millions of public sector workers have suffered below-inflation rises for years in a row.

The rich are determined to use the crisis to their advantage. They don't just want to slash pay – they want an assault on pensions and public spending too. And it's the lowest paid and the unemployed that are being hit the hardest.

"Gordon Brown won't do anything for people like me," says Claudia. "If he was serious about helping those at the sharp end of the recession he could increase the minimum wage from £5.73 an hour. Or he could step in to stop the jobs losses round here."

The past four months has seen a jobs massacre in Claudia's home city of Birmingham, with redundancies at Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin and LDV.

Many suppliers have also gone out of business. Trade unions have at last woken up to the issue and are planning a mass demonstration over jobs in Birmingham on Saturday 16 May.

"There's got to be a fight over jobs," says Claudia. "But there should also be one about pay. Why should people like me be earning only the bare minimum when there are MPs who claim more in expenses than I will earn in a lifetime?"

socialistworker

The Malaysian Mystery of ValueCap

2009-03-29T23:11:00.001+08:00

Tuesday, 24 March 2009 | Written by Eric Ellis | Asia Sentinel

The lack of detailed public information about ValueCap has incensed both Malaysia's political opposition and its feisty and well-read blogosphere, fast becoming the credible news and information alternative to the traditionally government-controlled mainstream media. Malaysia's business and political blogs are scathing about the mysterious fund.

"These buggers are running away with our hard-earned money," said one blogger. "What is the best and most effective ways we can stop them?" Says another "who knows who gains from this outlay of 5 billion ringgit into the share market. Our government has got to be sincerely good for the people at large; and there has to be transparency."

At the very least, analysts say the government has a serious perception problem to deal with at ValueCap, at a time it can ill afford further controversy.[more]

Noam Chomsky - The Political system in the USA.

2009-03-29T11:20:00.000+08:00

September 02, 2006 - A quick explanation of American politics aand political system by Noam Chomsky.

Suspicious device closes London airport

2009-03-22T13:48:00.000+08:00

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 12:47:45 GMT

The photo shows an aircraft preparing to land at Gatwick Airport in southeast England.

The Gatwick Airport in London has been brought to a standstill after a passenger plane aroused the suspicion of pertinent officials.

Early in the morning on Sunday, all passengers and crew onboard a flight from Dubai were evacuated from Gatwick Airport and explosives experts took the matter into their own hands.

Airport spokeswoman Julie Ayres told CNN, "There was something on board that they were not happy about."

According to the police, the plane is now in a holding area.

Explosive experts are expected to announce later on whether or not the device is a threat and why it was on the UAE flight.

Gatwick was temporarily closed down as a safety precaution but reopened a short while ago, police have said.

There are a few flights slightly delayed but no major setbacks have been reported.

Experts: Islamic banking savior of Malaysian economy

2009-03-20T11:30:00.000+08:00

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 10:29:57
Mahi Ramakrishnan, Press TV, Kuala Lumpur

Lebanese parliament nods at lowering voting age to 18

2009-03-20T01:51:00.000+08:00

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:50:44
Mariam Saleh, Press TV, Beirut

The Altantuya Foundation has been set up in Bangkok

2009-03-13T09:41:00.001+08:00

An association of independent journalists based in Bangkok and coordinated by French Liberation correspondent, Arnaud Dubus, has set up a foundation to offer material support to the family of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu, killed in Malaysia in October 2006.

The Altantuya Foundation aims to bring concrete help to Mr Shaariibuu, the father of the deceased, and her two children, Altanshagai (five years old) and Mungunshagai (12 years old).

“When I met Shaariibuu in Ulan Bator in January, he told me he has not bought clothes for two years as he could not afford it. This sixty-year old man has to work on two different jobs, to be able to take care of his two orphaned grandchildren”, says Arnaud Dubus.

“I am a journalist, but I also have a heart. I could not help feel compassion for the Shaariibuu family”, he adds.

For transparency, the Foundation will be supervised by the Mongolian Embassy in Bangkok. All donations will be given to the Embassy, which will convey them directly to Mr Shaariibuu.

The first donor was Danthong Breen, well-known Thai human rights activist and Chairman of the Union for Civil Liberties. All donors will receive an official receipt. Small contributions (as well as bigger ones, but not too big please) are very much welcome, as any small amount can make a huge difference for the life of the Shaariibuu Family.

Foundation founders consider that it would be a wonderful gesture of human solidarity for people from different Nations, Asian and Western, to show their support for the family of this young interpreter savagely killed at the age of 28 years old.

For details, contact altantuyashaaribuu@yahoo.com

Arnaud Dubus, Foundation coordinator

Arnaud Dubus
Bangkok based journalist
Tel : 66 2 3816599
e mail : arnauddubus@yahoo.com
Blog : http://arnodubus.blogspot.com
Website : http://www.arnauddubus.com
adresse skype : arnauddubus

Fresh US sanctions slap Zimbabwe

2009-03-08T09:04:00.000+08:00

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 08:36:04 GMT | PressTV

Mugabe has been criticized for hanging on to power for more than 28 years

US President Barack Obama extends Zimbabwe sanctions citing constant challenges to democracy and the failure to resolve political crisis.

In a message to Congress, Obama questioned the actions and policies of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, which he said had undermined Zimbabwe's democratic process.

"The crisis constituted by the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwe's democratic processes or institutions has not been resolved," Obama's message to Congress suggested.

"I am continuing for one year the national emergency with respect to the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe," Obama said in a statement.

The US sanctions against Mugabe are expanded at a time that his long-term rival Morgan Tsvangirai has joined him in country's political scene as Zimbabwe's prime minister after months of political unrest.

"These actions and policies pose a continuing unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States. For these reasons, I have determined that it is necessary to continue this national emergency and to maintain in force the sanctions to respond to this threat," Obama noted.

The African Union and South Africa had called on the international community to lift sanctions against Zimbabwe after Tsvangirai swore in office in February.

In 2008, Russia and China opposed US, French and British sanctions against Zimbabwe through vetoing UN Security Council resolutions that asked for embargos against Mugabe's government, in power for 28-years.

The 85-year-old Mugabe faced a deepening crisis after a controversial election last year, which supposedly eliminated Tsvangirai, the leader of the opposition party.

Mugabe has been criticized for hanging on to power for more than 28 years and clamping down on opposition groups. He has also failed to efficiently run the country's economy as Zimbabwe now faces a 231 million percent inflation. Independent finance institutions put it over a quintillion.

Meanwhile the country's health system is also collapsing due to a cholera epidemic, which has killed more than 3,800 people and infected 85,149. Doctors, nurses and other health workers are quitting because they are not being paid, Doctors Without Borders said last month.

Police start probe on MACC chief

2009-03-05T10:54:00.001+08:00

PENANG, March 2,2009 – Malaysianinsider– Bernama

The Penang police have opened investigation papers on Anti-Corruption Commission Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan, state police chief Datuk Ayub Yaakob said today.

He said the probe was being conducted under Section 500 of the Penal Code for defamation following a report lodged against Said.

“We have not called him yet, may be soon,” he told Bernama when asked whether the police would summon Said to have his statement recorded.

On Feb 23, Parti Keadilan Rakyat youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin lodged a report at the Dang Wangi police station claiming Said had made a malicious remark in Penang against Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

D8 Summit on food security kicks off in Kuala Lumpur

2009-02-25T21:27:00.000+08:00

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:52:02
Mahi Ramakrishnan, Press TV, Kuala Lumpur

New CIA director pledges to fix spy agency's tarnished image

2009-02-25T12:29:00.000+08:00

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 02:33:34
Mike Kellerman, Press TV, Washington

April 7 By-Elections 1: Change Now or Abdul Aziz Should Resign!

2009-02-24T01:12:00.000+08:00

merdekablog.com | 23 February,2009

According to mission of the Election Commission (EC) of Malaysia, the EC strives to ensure that the citizens of Malaysia are given the opportunity to participate in the election of their representatives in the formation of the Government and to safeguard this right through free and fair elections.

However, what we have seen so far is a totally different scenario as to how the team chaired by Tan Sri Abdul Aziz bin Mohd Yusof has failed to effectively execute its mission.

Let me elaborate why.

Firstly, Abdul Aziz said the Commission decided to hold the by-elections for the Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat and Bukit Selambau state seat simultaneously to keep the campaign period shorter. He said the dates were chosen taking into account the comfort and convenience of all involved, as a shorter campaign period would be less hectic for party leaders and help towards maintaining public order and security.

If the EC was indeed looking for a less hectic campaign period for the party leaders, shouldn’t the by-elections be held as soon as probably 30 days after the state and parliament seats become vacant? Isn’t that the longer the by-elections are on hold, the longer the states’ political stability is jeopardized, hence the more discomfort and inconvenience such political instability brings to the daily functions of the citizens, and even to the economics of the states?

Also, Abdul Aziz is yet to explain to the public how the EC drew the conclusion of placing the polling day on Tuesday as a comfort and convenient solution for the voters involved, especially for those who work out-of-states.

How in the world would taking a trip, say 3-4 hours from KL to Perak or Kedah, considering the voters could successfully obtain a leave in this economy crisis, be of any comfort and convenience to them, whom Abdul Aziz addressed in the EC website as the number one clients of the EC? Consequently it’s not unreasonable for the wide speculation that the decision of the EC was merely for the comfort and convenience of BN. Or was there a hidden message that such decision was made for the comfort and convenience of the EC also, due to the rising pressure from the “invisible control board” behind the Commission?

During the interview, Abdul Aziz said the Commission pushed the nomination date to almost the end of March as it thought this would allow the current political situation in Perak to cool off.

Why do we need to wait for the Perak politics to cool off prior to the by-elections? The purpose of the by-elections is to elect the representatives supported by majority of the citizens. To ensure the right candidates to be elected, shouldn’t the voters be allowed to cast their votes as early as the arisen of the dissatisfaction?

I am sure Abdul Aziz was well aware that setting April 7 as the polling date would definitely be controversial especially due to the dissatisfaction of the opposition parties and the voters who live far away from the polling stations. However the insistency of doing so by Abdul Aziz has made him the culprit of the deterioration of EC’s image. It should not be surprised of hearing someone calling the EC as a cow following the orders of BN or actually UMNO.

First off, the date of January’s KT by-election being one week apart from Chinese New Year had triggered the criticism from the public on the EC’s inconsideration of the voters who most likely won’t return KT on the polling day due to the coming public holidays. Sadly, once again we experienced the failure of the EC to consider the hardship of the voters for the incoming by-elections. It is absolutely an unfair treatment to the opposition parties whom deemed to have major supporters from the city areas. How would Abdul Aziz align the two date choices with the EC’s mission statement of giving the voters the opportunities to participate in a free and fair election?

In appointing the members of the EC, it’s specified that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong “shall have regard to the importance of securing an Election Commission which enjoys public confidence”. It cannot be more apparent that the EC has lost its public confidence as an independent authority to safeguard a parliamentary democracy.

Another function of the EC is to undertake the registration of electors and the revision of the electoral roll throughout the year. However, Abdul Aziz said the Commission had decided that the master electoral roll for 2007, combined with the list of new voters registered until the first quarter of 2008, would be used for both constituencies.

How could he assume the electoral roll as of the first quarter of 2008 being the latest electoral roll that can fairly represent the electors of the electorates? Could there not be anyone who is qualified to vote from that quarter onwards? How about those who passed away after their registration in Feb 2008? The action of keeping that no-so-updated electoral roll is deemed as a seizure of the qualified voters’ civic right of electing their representatives of choice. Also, that list eventually is again another way for phantom voters to turn out on the polling day to vote for the death ones.

To restore the reputation of the EC and to ensure fair, free, and clean by-elections in April, I urge the opposition leaders to appeal to Yang di-Pertuan Agong, or at least to debate in the upcoming parliament meetings, on the following agenda:

To allow postal votes for all voters who find difficulty of returning to their hometowns to vote on April 7;
To challenge the refusal of the EC to vacant the state seats of Changkat Jering, Behrang, and Jelapang for the by-elections;
To update the electoral roll to provide the opportunities to the qualified ones to participate in the by-elections;
To expand the postal votes to the qualified Malaysian voters who work overseas however not fall into the categories of armed forces, Police Field Force, election officials on duty, government officers serving overseas, students studying overseas, and spouses.
To order Abdul Aziz to step down from his position should he fail to explain how the decision regarding both nomination and polling days was taken with consideration of the interest of ALL parties involved.

Will there be improvement and reforms?

2009-02-22T23:26:00.002+08:00

By Leslie Lau | Consultant Editor | malaysianinsider

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 – Datuk Johan Jaafar, the ex-editor-in-chief of Utusan Malaysia who was once identified as being close to former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, has been designated as the new media czar for the in-coming administration of Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The Malaysian Insider understands that Johan will be appointed a director of The New Straits Times Press Berhad (NSTP) and chairman of Media Prima Berhad.

Johan is expected to be appointed an executive director in NSTP, the publisher of the New Straits Times, Berita Harian and Harian Metro.

He will take over from Datuk Abdul Mutalib Mohamed Razak as chairman of Media Prima, which operates all of Malaysia’s private terresterial television stations – TV3, 8TV, TV9 and NTV7 – as well as two radion stations – Hot FM and Fly FM. The group also owns outdoor advertising giants Big Tree and UPD.

Johan is expected to set the tone for the Najib administration at NSTP and Media Prima.

Umno has traditionally exerted a strong influence in the direction of both companies, which are closely linked with the party’s corporate interests.

Johan’s appointments mark the first time a former head of Utusan Malaysia, which is owned by Umno, has been tapped to helm NSTP and Media Prima.

Johan is also a well-known figure in the local Malay literary and cultural scene.

He started his career in Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) before he was appointed editor-in-chief of Utusan Malaysia is 1992. He was also subsequently appointed a director.

Johan was seen as an outsider in Utusan while he was there, and the newspaper was criticised then by right-wing conservatives in Umno as being too high-brow and elitist.

In 1998, he resigned from the Malay media group a few months before Anwar was subsequently sacked as deputy prime minister by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Before his tenure in Utusan, Johan had been a rising star in DBP and helmed the agency’s magazine division.

He was also one of the few truly bi-lingual figures in DBP, being equally adept in Malay and English.

In the last few years, he has been writing a regular column in the New Straits Times where he has been known to expound moderate views on language, race and religion.

China to decide on raising women's retirement age to 60

2009-02-14T01:15:00.000+08:00

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:44:54
Jenny Hammond, Press TV, Shanghai

Is this Zimbabwe's Unity Government all about?

2009-02-14T01:00:00.003+08:00

Mugabe set to party while Zimbabwe starves
Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:29:12 GMT | PressTV

Zimbabwean President
Robert Mugabe

While millions starve in Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe's party is preparing an opulent birthday party for him.

The Times of London reported on Tuesday that the supporters of the ruling ZANU-PF party have been out soliciting "donations" from corporate Zimbabwe and have drawn up a wish list.

Meanwhile, seven million citizens survive on international food aid, 94% are jobless, and cholera is spreading throughout a population debilitated by hunger.

The wish list includes 2,000 bottles of champagne; 8,000 lobsters; 100kg of prawns; 4,000 portions of caviar; 8,000 boxes of Ferrero Rocher chocolates; 3,000 ducks; and much else besides.

Those who prefer to give in cash, not kind, are invited to send "donations" of between $45,000 and $55,000 to a US dollar bank account in the name of the 21st February Movement, a youth organization named after the date of the president's birthday.

Zimbabwean children

Western diplomats and aid workers were shocked when shown the list. "It's just appalling. It's like they are either completely oblivious to what's happening in their country, or completely impervious and just don't care," said one.

Others said it showed that Mugabe had no intention of curtailing his excesses, even after agreeing to enter a unity government with the Movement for Democratic Change later this week.

A reliable source, who was contacted by the newspaper, revealed the list but had no interest in its publication, was hesitant about releasing it, and had himself received it from three or four separate businesses that had been approached for donations.

The organizer of the the 85th birthday celebration is Patrick Zhuwawo, Mugabe's nephew. "It's an important day for Zimbabweans to celebrate the life of our great leader and Africa's hero," he said.

"Zanu (PF) continues to receive massive donations from the corporate world, ordinary Zimbabweans, and from people from all walks of life, and we are confident that this year's celebrations will be the best."

IAEA chief calls for total disarmament

2009-02-04T12:03:00.001+08:00

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 03:10:46 GMT | PressTV

The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency has called on the United States and Russia to cut their nuclear arsenals and eventually eliminate all nuclear weapons.

"I am greatly encouraged that President Obama has made a firm commitment to making the elimination of all nuclear weapons a central tenet of his policies," Mohamed ElBaradei said.

ElBaradei, in a commentary to appear in Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily on Wednesday, said that there is a need for the international community to be built "on the new momentum" and for major political, diplomatic, and technical changes to be made.

He also called for reviving the Russia-US disarmament negotiations to reduce the number of nuclear warheads worldwide from the current 27,000 to between 500 and 1,000.

"Nuclear fuel production and supply should be run multilaterally," Reuters quoted ElBaradei as saying.

He also called for structural reform in the UN Security Council "so the world can rely on it as the primary body for maintaining international peace and security."

Italians Protest US Base: Report

2009-02-03T20:53:00.010+08:00

31/01/2009 | Al Manar

Around 200 people occupied an airport in northern Italy Saturday to protest the planned enlargement of a US military base in the region, according to a television report.

Protestors cut through a fence and took over a field at Vicenza airport that is set to be used as an extension to the American base, where 2,750 soldiers are currently stationed, Italian Sky TG 24 reported.

They carried pickets with "Vicenza, city of peace" and "You destroy, we build peace" as they demonstrated against the 500-million-dollar (640-million-euro) project to double the base and house another 1,800 soldiers.

Local authorities are in favor of the extension of the base, which currently employs 1,200 Italians, but left-wing and Green parties are opposed and regularly stage demonstrations against it.

An administrative court in Veneto in November overturned a previous decision to halt the project.

Thirty Years

2009-02-03T14:00:00.001+08:00

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 23:05:59 GMT T
By Kian Mokhtari

On this day in 1979 a massive tectonic shift in Iran’s social and political affairs began to occur. The giant of the region, asleep for more than 150 years, awoke to find that during its long absence complacency and negligence had blighted and warped the contours of the ancient land's identity.

Those old enough to remember the former monarchy in Iran and the society formed around its tastes and decadence, also recall that all was essentially far from well.

There was a first world mirage superimposed on the true visage of a developing country. It was almost as if a fresh coat of paint had been applied to all facets of life within a society whose fabric had long withered away.

The seemingly mighty Imperial armed force of Iran, having been almost entirely equipped by the West was unable to function without western expertise and military advisors.

There were industries of sorts, whose output consisted of the assembly under license of second grade western goods for the domestic market.

The imperial court of Iran functioned hinged on foreign interference, flattery, corruption, intrigue, jealousy and rumors. And the absolute monarch lacked the strength of character to be able to exercise any kind of control over his court, let alone the affairs of the state.

The disjointed and awkward circus was held together by a brutal secret police whose appointed leaders’ allegiance was to the US and the West.

Declassified American documents on Iran show that by 1979 the former shah’s main backer had acknowledged the status quo could not be maintained. But gripped by the fear of a Soviet invasion of Iran following a popular uprising against the monarchy, Washington kept supplying arms and providing assistance to the tottering monarch.

Yet a macabre semblance of normality was maintained in which people went about everyday life like sleepwalkers near the edge of a cliff. The artificiality of day-to-day existence in Iran amazed all those who visited the country from abroad and countless foreign journalists noted the contrast between Iran’s international media image and actual reality.

Even the Iranian manufactured boxes of tissue paper arranged carefully on fashionable Tehran restaurants’ tables did not function as they should have –although they looked every bit the part. If you tried to pull one tissue out to dry your hands one of two eventualities took place: either the tissue got jammed and ripped apart in your hand, or five pieces of tissue came out at a tug!!

In a sense pre-Islamic Revolution Iran can be likened to its domestically produced boxes of tissues. On the surface all was good and well until you had to delve into it in some way; and then the can of worms would come alive.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is not about bravado and image. Its leaders do not have their suits tailored in London’s fashionable Savile Row. Iran is not about pomp and ceremony of a fake imperial court with no imperial power.

Iran is about what you see today, it is a nation throbbing with capable and educated youth trying to make their way in the world. What you see on Iranian cities’ streets is what you get. And to some that in itself is the greatest achievement of the revolution.

The Islamic Revolution has managed to put Iran’s soul back into its body. And Iran is doing just fine living in its own skin.

Benn: Pro-Israeli BBC policy, disgraceful

2009-01-29T22:31:00.000+08:00

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:25:53 GMT | PressTV

Tony Benn

The following is an exclusive Press TV interview with the prominent British socialist politician, activist, and former labor minister, Tony Benn, over publicly-funded BBC's controversial decision not to broadcast a charity appeal aimed at collecting aid to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Press TV:Are you surprised the BBC has not overturned its decision?

Benn: Yes I am. I though they would, because the case is so overwhelming. See, the BBC have tired to pretend that if they broadcast this humanitarian appeal it will look as if they are siding with the Palestinians against Israel. Of course, it has nothing to do with it. It is a humanitarian issue: 1,330 people have been killed, 460 of them children and man of them women.

The devastation shocked the Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon when he was there. To me it is a disgraceful decision, and I had hoped that they would reverse it, because two government ministers have called on them to broadcast it.

Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York, the two most senior English Archbishops [have called for it]. [BBC Director-General] Mark Thompson himself, I believe, went to see [former Israeli defense minister Ariel Sharon, a few years ago. It is quite unlike what everyone would expect of the BBC.

Press TV: Well, they of course are saying that it is because it would risk their objectivity to air this appeal, and now Sky has jumped on that bandwagon so to speak as well. Is there not something to their defense?

Benn: The opposition to the BBC is so strong, almost all the newspapers today, that I don't remember an occasion that it has been so strong.

One political thing that you have to mention is that the BBC said that it did it to avoid controversy, but the BBC has launched a huge controversy about their own behavior, and I mean, coming back to your earlier item on the news, the opposition to Israeli policy in Britain is higher that I have ever known it. Support and sympathy for the Palestinian is higher that I have ever known it.

So this war is not going to have helped Israel in any way, and they will find more and more people that are now understanding the argument that the Palestinians have made that they are an occupied country and they have not even been recognized by the United Nations.

Press TV: When you speak of that large public disgust over the war on Gaza, and we have seen a massive demonstrations, unprecedented almost, what could be behind this public outrage. It obviously is not because of the broadcasting of news from a well-known establishment like the BBC?

Benn: Yes, there is no doubt that the news coverage of the war in Gaza, although the Israelis would not allow any correspondents to go to Gaza, they banned any movement of television units and so on, but the coverage that we have had has indicated the destruction and brutality of what Israel has done.

From that point of view, which stirred even more opposition to the war, then [what] occurred at the beginning of the Iraq war, because Iraq was a long way away, and people did not know much about it.

But everybody knows about Israel and Palestine, so it had produced a really dramatic shift of opinion in support of Hamas and the Palestinians.

Press TV: What is about the Israel and Palestine issue that gets organizations like the BBC so touchy? We have had these appeals for many places, for Africa, in the Congo after the tsunami. Never a mix of political and humanitarian issues there.

Benn: Well that is a very good question to ask. I share the views that have been expressed that the coverage by the BBC has been ant-Palestinian pro-Israeli.

For example, whenever a Palestinian is killed the BBC always says a "Palestinian militant." They never talk about Israeli militants, its always Palestinian militants.

Very little recognition by the BBC that Hamas won the election in Palestine three years ago, and is therefore in that sense, the established government of Palestine. Jimmy Carter, the former American president went to Gaza last year, and he made it absolutely clear that Israel was an apartheid state.

I think what is happening is that the BBC is left behind, and now that Bush is gone, the British government is seeming to have a little more courage, although [US President Barack] Obama has not been clear yet about the policy he will adopt towards the Palestinian case.

Time to undo the damage and mend fences: Hillary Clinton

2009-01-29T11:00:00.013+08:00

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:30:11 GMT | PressTV

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the new administration needs to undo all the damage Bush has done to restore the US image worldwide.

Clinton told reporters on Tuesday at the State Department that US President Barack Obama is committed to engaging in diplomacy with the international community rather than pursuing unilateral initiatives passed off as preemptive measures, AFP reported.

Commenting on the change of government in Washington, Clinton said, "There is a great exhalation of breath going on around the world as people express their appreciation for the new direction that is being set and the team that is being put together by the president."

Clinton also stated that under Obama the United States will take a new course on foreign policy and refrain from militarism and the Bush administration's scorn for international bodies when it comes to negotiations.

"We have a lot of damage to repair," Clinton said, adding, "That's not rhetoric. That is our commitment. That's how we are proceeding." [watch video]

Sky News joins BBC against Gaza appeal

2009-01-27T11:46:00.001+08:00

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:25:45 GMT | PressTV

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has repeatedly denied
a humanitarian crisis
underway in the
Gaza Strip.

Britain's Sky News is refusing to broadcast a humanitarian fundraising appeal for Gaza, following in the footsteps of the BBC.

The 24-hour television news channel said Monday that airing the appeal would put the network's objectivity at risks.

"We have to, as an international channel, focus on our primary role and that is to report the story and not become the story", Adrian Wells, Sky News's head of foreign news, said.

Sky News domestic rival the BBC had earlier announced it would not broadcast a charity appeal on behalf of the war-hit people of Gaza, saying it would conflict with its policy of "impartiality" as well as reservations about the possibility of efficient aid delivery.

The BBC decision sparked widespread criticism.

British lawmakers, celebrities and religious leaders have also condemned BBC's move calling it a "wrong decision".

A group of anti-war activists occupied the Glasgow offices of the BBC for two hours on Monday to protest the broadcaster's anti-Gaza decision.

The appeal by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), a group comprised of respected aid charities like the British Red Cross and Oxfam, has emphasized that it has no political agendas and only aims to ease the humanitarian crisis in the impoverished strip.

Relief workers say the humanitarian situation in Gaza is at its worst with over 1.1 million people -- about 80 percent of the residents of Gaza -- dependent on food aid.

At least 1,330 Palestinians were killed and 5,450 others injured during the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

British protesters briefly occupy BBC

2009-01-27T11:12:00.027+08:00

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 07:06:23 GMT | PressTV

BBC under fire for refusal to show Gaza charity appeal - London protests on Saturday

An anti-war group has occupied the Glasgow offices of the BBC in protest at the broadcaster's decision not to air a Gaza fundraising appeal.

The British Stop the War Coalition said it had about 100 people in the foyer of the BBC's Glasgow offices on Sunday, occupying the place for nearly two hours.

The occupation follows criticism from lawmakers, celebrities and religious leaders.

They believe the BBC's decision not to air an advertisement from the Disasters Emergency Committee, a group of charities that includes the Red Cross, Oxfam, and Save the Children, was wrong.

British actress Samantha Morton, who joined several celebrities at a central London fundraiser for the British Aid Agency Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), said she was embarrassed to earn money from a corporation that would take such a "disgusting" decision.

"I'm so appalled. It's a public service. People have the right to raise money in this way, on the television for people that are in need. It's not a political thing," the 31-year-old Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee said on Sunday.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and another senior church leader have also called on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to air the charity appeal.

Meanwhile a parliamentary petition signed by more than 50 lawmakers -- which is to be introduced in the House of Commons on Monday -- seemed likely to add more pressure on the broadcaster to run the ad.

The BBC claims it rejected the advertisement because of concerns that showing it might harm its reputation for "impartiality".

The corporation also added that it is unsure the money raised would reach those in need in the impoverished Palestinian enclave.

However, rival channels ITV, Channel 4 and Five have said they will show the DEC charity appeal. Sky said it had yet to decide.

The BBC, which is funded by an obligatory license fee paid by every British household with a television set, has previously given airtime to the Disasters Emergency Committee.

Appeals have raised millions of US dollars for people affected by war and natural disasters in Congo, Myanmar and elsewhere.

MPs up pressure on BBC over Gaza boycott

2009-01-27T11:00:00.011+08:00

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:54:49 GMT | PressTV

Seven people were reportedly arrested by the police during

the rally outside the BBC's Broadcasting House in

central London.

British Members of Parliament have filed a motion condemning the BBC's refusal to broadcast an appeal on behalf of the people of Gaza.

The motion - to be tabled on Monday - has so far received the support of 51 lawmakers from across the House of Commons.

The move comes after the BBC rejected pleas from government officials to air an appeal, which aims to raise millions of dollars for the thousands without food, medicine and shelter in Gaza.

The BBC, which is funded by an obligatory license fee paid by every British household with a television set, is required by its charter to be impartial.

While the BBC does not screen commercial advertising, it does broadcast charity appeals.

Nearly 5,000 people demonstrated in front of the BBC's Broadcasting House in central London on Saturday over the British broadcaster's stance. Seven people were reportedly arrested.

Veteran Labour parliamentarian Tony Benn, who spoke to 200 protesters outside Broadcasting House, criticized the British Broadcasting Corporation saying it sought to appease Israel by refusing to broadcast the humanitarian appeal.

"To deny the help that the aid agencies and the UN need at this moment in time is incomprehensible and it follows the bias in BBC reporting of this crisis, which has been widely criticized," said Benn, who is president of the Stop the War Coalition.

The channel has so far resisted pressure and is standing firm on its decision not to show the advert for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).

Rival channels ITV, Channel 4 and Five are to show the DEC charity appeal. Sky, however, says it is still considering the request.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), which brings together many major charity groups including the British Red Cross, Save the Children and Oxfam, is scheduled to launch its two-minute appeal on Monday.

The BBC argued on Saturday that the situation in Gaza may not allow for aid delivery; adding that running the advert might dent the corporation's reputation for impartiality.

Britain's Culture Secretary Andy Burnham defended the BBC's choice on Sunday, saying that the publicly-funded channel is "right to make its own judgment" over whether to air the charity appeal.

Deciphering Obama's message to the Middle East

2009-01-27T10:18:00.000+08:00

Bio

Leila Fadel is the chief of the Baghdad bureau of McClatchy Newspapers. She has covered the war in Iraq for Knight Ridder and now McClatchy on and off since June 2005, as well as the 34-day war in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel in the summer of 2006. She has lived in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia and speaks conversational Arabic. Her Iraq reporting won her Print Journalist of the Year honors from the Houston Press Club.

Gareth Porter is an historian and investigative journalist on US foreign and military policy analyst. He writes regularly for Inter Press Service on US policy towards Iraq and Iran. Author of four books, the latest of which is Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam

Deciphering Obama's message to the Middle East

From Baghdad, Leila Fadel joins Gareth Porter to discuss Obama's inaugural message for Middle East ears

What will Obama do in Iraq? Pt 2/2

From Baghdad, Leila Fadel joins Gareth Porter in DC to discuss Obama's message for Middle East.

Obama Signs Death Warrant for Guantanamo.

2009-01-24T08:57:00.002+08:00

22/01/2009 | Al Manar

US President Barack Obama Thursday ordered the closure of Guantanamo Bay prison within a year and banned the use of torture in terror interrogations in a dramatic repudiation of his predecessor George W. Bush.

The signing ceremony in the Oval Office was the latest graphic sign of Obama's vow to trigger fundamental political reform and will ultimately mean big changes in how the United States handles Al Qaeda and Taliban suspects.

Obama signed executive orders on the controversial camp, requiring US investigators to stop short of abusive methods -- which critics equate to torture -- and requiring a review of the case of the only "enemy combatant" on US soil, Qatari national Ali al-Marri.

"The message that we are sending around the world is that the United States intends to prosecute the ongoing struggle against violence and terrorism," Obama said. "We are going to do so vigilantly; we are going to do so effectively; and we are going to do so in a manner that is consistent with our values and our ideals," the new president said in a signing ceremony inside the Oval Office. "I think the American people understand that we are not, as I said in the inauguration, going to continue with a false choice between our safety and our ideals."

Obama did not however resolve the question of what to do with terror suspects who have been in Guantanamo for years, some without being charged or facing trial or if and how many would ultimately be prosecuted or released.

Guantanamo Bay, which still contains more than 240 terror suspects is seen by critics of the Bush administration as a potent symbol of abuses and constitutional infringements they say were committed under the war on terror. More than 800 men and teenagers have passed through Guantanamo since it was opened on January 11, 2002, and around 245 remain there.

WANTED for war crimes & crimes against Humanity - Arrest Warrant

2009-01-22T23:11:00.002+08:00

Arrest warrant:

Tzipi Livni

For violations of the Rome Statute & 4th Geneva Convention

On the 12th of July 2006, the suspect along with her accomplices ordered the aerial bombardment and artillery assault on residential areas in Lebanon. For 34 days she authorized troops to make 12,000 aerial sorties, to fire 100,000 artillery shells, damaging 350 schools and completely destroying 15,000 residential houses in Lebanon. 130,000 homes were partially damaged. The attacks destroyed water sources, hospitals, power stations and other infrastructure essential to human life. 900,000 people were forced to leave their homes and remain without shelter for many days. Some 1,200 people were killed, and 4,400 were wounded: approximately 30% of the dead, about 360, were children under the age of 13.

On 27th December 2008, the suspect and her accomplices ordered an aerial, ground and naval attack on densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip. The attacks again damaged houses, hospitals, schools and important infrastructure, and killed more than 1,200 people, including hundreds of children. 200,000 people became refugees as a result of the suspects’ orders.

Attacking innocent people, shooting indiscriminately into residential areas, causing injuries, destroying essential infrastructure such as water, electrical plants and hospitals are all prohibited under International law and are therefore defined war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Description of the suspect: a white woman, 50 years old, above average height, blonde hair.

Anyone who has information about the suspect when she is outside of the Israeli borders, report immediately to:

* All calls will be treated in confidence

Publish on Israeli website : wanted.org.il

FULL SPEECH of Barack Obama on Inauguration Day 2009

2009-01-21T13:53:00.004+08:00

Barack Obama's Speech after swearing in.

Barack Obama is the forty-fourth and current President of the United States of America. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama was the junior United States Senator from Illinois from January 3, 2005, until his resignation on November 16, 2008, following his election to the presidency. He was sworn in as the forty-fourth President of the United States on January 20, 2009, in an inaugural ceremony at the U.S. Capitol.

Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. He worked as a community organizer, and practiced as a civil rights attorney in Chicago before serving three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. He also taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. Following an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, Obama was elected to the Senate in November 2004. Obama delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004.

As a member of the Democratic minority in the 109th Congress, Obama helped create legislation to control conventional weapons and to promote greater public accountability in the use of federal funds. He also made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. During the 110th Congress, he helped create legislation regarding lobbying and electoral fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism, and care for U.S. military personnel returning from combat assignments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

source : youtube

Meanwhile, George W. Bush, who became the "former" US President whose term was among the worst, left the White House for the last time as US president Tuesday, accompanying his successor Barack Obama to Capitol Hill for Obama's inauguration. Obama and Bush arrived at Congress 10 minutes later, on the final countdown to the Democrat's historic inauguration as the first black US president.

Following the ceremony, Bush left the Capitol by helicopter for Andrews Air Force base just outside Washington and from there head back to his native Texas aboard a US Air Force jet.
source : al Manar

Paul: No such thing as an independent Israel

2009-01-20T22:10:00.003+08:00

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 14:03:57 GMT | Courtesy : PressTV
By Jihan Hafiz, Press TV, Washington

Former US presidential candidate Ron Paul

The following is an exclusive Press TV interview with US congressman Ron Paul, a unique conservative politician who wants an end to US military presence on foreign soil, advocates US withdrawal from the UN, NATO and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and opposes the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Ron Paul, House representative of the 14th district of Texas, believes that US foreign policy must be reformed to avoid conflicts around the world.

The interview was conducted outside the Foreign Relations Committee.

Press TV: What is your opinion on the idea of the US blocking Iran's oil exports and preventing its gasoline imports from reaching the country (based on H. Con. Res. 362 previously sought by US congressmen)?

Paul: I think it is an outrage I think it is a blockade. It is the use of force to stop the inflow of petroleum products and people and goods, banking, trains, cars, trucks, cargos. It's all prohibited. How can we stop that without the use of the navy and without the use of force? This idea is not a blockade it is just pure silliness on their part [US senators and congressmen].

If we bomb them, that's the start of hostilities. They (US policy makers) are never willing to take anything off the table, which includes a nuclear-first strike. So, if they do that do you think the Iranians are going to sit still? They are going to react!

The opposition said that, well, we don't want them to block the Strait of Hormuz [the Persian Gulf waterway which allows the passages of a third of the world's daily oil supply]. They ought to change their policy because they are more likely to get the Strait of Hormuz blocked if we persist on this. If we do any bombing or we put on a blockade, it's going to lead to big trouble.

Press TV: There has been a lot of speculation that Israel may act on its own and conduct an independent air strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. Do you think that's possible?

Paul: I don't think there is such a thing as an independent Israel doing anything, because I think no matter what they do its our money, its our weapons, and their not going to do it without us approving it and if they get into trouble we're going to bail them out, so there is no separation between the two.

Press TV: During your line of questioning at the Foreign Relations Committee you mentioned the Seymour Hersh article, which was among the articles that revealed that the Congress had awarded the Bush administration hundreds of millions of dollars for a covert operation to overthrow the Iranian government. Why did you mention those stories?

Paul: Well it's something that I have known about and heard about and it does go on. It goes on all around the world. To me it was a surprise that it was news, because we have been doing that and people do talk about it. I think it's an outrage. How would we react if somebody did it to us? We would be infuriated, willing to go to war. The fact that somebody came and tried to undermine our government.

SIR Gerald Kaufman, the veteran Labour MP,UK - On Israel & Gaza Massacre

2009-01-20T05:00:00.001+08:00

Text : I was brought up as an orthodox Jew and a Zionist. On a shelf in our kitchen, there was a tin box for the Jewish National Fund, into which we put coins to help the pioneers building a Jewish presence in Palestine.

I first went to Israel in 1961 and I have been there since more times than I can count. I had family in Israel and have friends in Israel.

One of them fought in the wars of 1956, 1967 and 1973 and was wounded in two of them. The tie clip that I am wearing is made from a campaign decoration awarded to him, which he presented to me.

I have known most of the Prime Ministers of Israel, starting with the founding Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. Golda Meir was my friend, as was Yigal Allon, Deputy Prime Minister, who, as a general, won the Negev for Israel in the 1948 war of independence.

My parents came to Britain as refugees from Poland. Most of their families were subsequently murdered by the Nazis in the holocaust. My grandmother was ill in bed when the Nazis came to her home town of Staszow. A German soldier shot her dead in her bed.

My grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza. The current Israeli government ruthlessly and cynically exploits the continuing guilt among Gentiles over the slaughter of Jews in the holocaust as justification for their murder of Palestinians. The implication is that Jewish lives are precious, but the lives of Palestinians do not count.

On Sky News a few days ago, the spokeswoman for the Israeli army, Major Leibovich, was asked about the Israeli killing of, at that time, 800 Palestinians-the total is now 1,000. She replied instantly that "500 of them were militants."

That was the reply of a Nazi. I suppose that the Jews fighting for their lives in the Warsaw ghetto could have been dismissed as militants.

The Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni asserts that her government will have no dealings with Hamas, because they are terrorists. Tzipi Livni's father was Eitan Livni, chief operations officer of the terrorist Irgun Zvai Leumi, who organized the blowing-up of the King David hotel in Jerusalem, in which 91 victims were killed, including four Jews.

Israel was born out of Jewish terrorism. Jewish terrorists hanged two British sergeants and booby-trapped their corpses. Irgun, together with the terrorist Stern gang, massacred 254 Palestinians in 1948 in the village of Deir Yassin. Today, the present Israeli government indicates that they would be willing, in circumstances acceptable to them, to negotiate with the Palestinian President Abbas of Fatah. It is too late for that. They could have negotiated with Fatah's previous leader, Yasser Arafat, who was a friend of mine. Instead, they besieged him in a bunker in Ramallah, where I visited him. Because of the failings of Fatah since Arafat's death, Hamas won the Palestinian election in 2006. Hamas is a deeply nasty organization, but it was democratically elected, and it is the only game in town. The boycotting of Hamas, including by our government, has been a culpable error, from which dreadful consequences have followed.

The great Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban, with whom I campaigned for peace on many platforms, said: "You make peace by talking to your enemies."

However many Palestinians the Israelis murder in Gaza, they cannot solve this existential problem by military means. Whenever and however the fighting ends, there will still be 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza and 2.5 million more Palestinians on the West Bank. They are treated like dirt by the Israelis, with hundreds of road blocks and with the ghastly denizens of the illegal Jewish settlements harassing them as well. The time will come, not so long from now, when they will outnumber the Jewish population in Israel.

It is time for our government to make clear to the Israeli government that their conduct and policies are unacceptable, and to impose a total arms ban on Israel.

It is time for peace, but real peace, not the solution by conquest which is the Israelis' real goal but which it is impossible for them to achieve.

They are not simply war criminals; they are fools.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim berbahas didalam Sidang Khas Parlimen

2009-01-19T03:27:00.001+08:00

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim berbahas didalam Sidang Khas Parlimen mengenai Palestin parlimen. 12 Januari 2009

Bush warns Obama of another 9/11 attack

2009-01-14T02:55:00.000+08:00

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 | pressTV.ir

President George W. Bush

Outgoing US President Bush has warned his successor Barack Obama of another terrorist attack on the United States ahead of his inauguration.

Within eight days in office, Bush said in his last news conference that the most urgent security challenge Obama will face is preventing another attack like those of Sept. 11, 2001.

"There's still an enemy out there that would like to inflict damage on America -- Americans. And that'll be the major threat," Bush said on Monday.

"But I wish him all the best ... The stakes are high," he added.

Only eight months into his presidency, Bush faced the 9/11 attacks on the US.

The outgoing president also defended his record when asked if the harsh treatment of terrorism suspects along with going to war in Iraq without a UN approval had hurt the US image abroad.

"I strongly disagree with the assessment that our moral standing has been damaged," Reuters quoted Bush as saying.

However, he admitted having regrets that weapons of mass destruction - the main justification for the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq - had not been found in the country.

Bush has planned to make a farewell address to the nation next Thursday, according to White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.

With low public approval ratings, two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a financial crisis, President Bush will end his eight-year presidency on Jan. 20.

250,000 Spaniards denounce Israel's bloodshed

2009-01-12T16:48:00.000+08:00

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 04:58:13 GMT | PressTV.ir

People take part in a demonstration in downtown Madrid.

In the largest pro-Palestinian demonstration in Europe so far, over 250,000 Spaniards denounce Israel's bloodshed in Gaza and call for ceasefire.

Protesters in Spain's capital Madrid and in other cities, including Seville, Malaga,Oviedo, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Ourense, carried banners saying 'Peace', 'SOS Gaza' and placards with the word 'Gaza' above a red-stained hand and mock blood-spattered bodies of children.

Police declined to give a figure but the organizers, which included the Socialist Party and trade unions, estimated the Sunday turnout at 250,000.

"It is my duty to call on Israel to implement an immediate cease-fire," Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who had attended the rally, told protesters in Ourense.

Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem's mother Pilar, also an actress, was among the speakers who addressed the crowd.

"The Spanish government has to do something. The Gaza Strip is now practically a concentration camp," AP quoted her as saying.

Sunday's protests are a follow-up of Barcelona's mass demonstration the previous day, where police estimated the crowd around 30,000 but according to organizers accounts, 100,000 people took to the streets. The demonstration was organized by an alliance of groups, which in the past had organized mass protests against the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Spain has a Muslim community of around 800,000 out of a 46.1 million population.

Meanwhile, 30,000 people protested in Brussels on Sunday denouncing the Israeli carnage in Gaza. Children carrying effigies of dead and bloodied babies were at the head of the procession.

Also in the Italian cities of Rome, Naples and Verona, thousands of people marched in pro-Palestinian rallies.

Protesters take part in a rally in central Athens.

In Athens, Greece, dozens of children and their parents, carrying effigies and photos of bloodied children, marched to protest Israel's incursion and bloodshed in Gaza.

Latest figures show 900 Palestinians and 33 Israelis have been killed since Israel's onslaught on Gaza that began on December 27. More than 276 of the Palestinians killed are children. Over 4,000 Palestinians and 80 Israeli have also been wounded.

Mike’s distorted rationale.

2009-01-01T12:14:00.001+08:00

Mike, an MP from Kapar created quite a hoo-haa when he goes public lamenting of a possibility of him, leaving his high post in PKR. His major rhetoric has been Selangor’s State government lack of “friendliness” to the Indian (Oops! Malaysian of Indian origin) “policy” and practice.

He is vocal, against a post of Penghulu given to a Malaysian not of Indian origin, a kampong where the Malaysians of Indian origin form a great majority, according to Mike. According to Mike the post of Penghulu, should be given to a Malaysian of Indian origin and it is a serious enough reason, worthy for him to resign from his post in PKR but not a member of PKR.

I have to check the racial composition of the constituency where Mike was voted to be their representative in the Malaysian Parliament. If what Mike claims above is his principle. If Malaysians of Indians origin do not form the majority in Mike’s Kapar Parliamentary seat, Mike should have not accepted his nomination to represent the constituency concerned. In a highly charged racial sentiments and divide in Malaysia, Mike should not have make race a major public issue.

In Malaysia many quarters have commented that there are too many MPs of Indian origin, after the 2008 March general election. The numbers of Malaysians of Indian Origin in Malaysian Parliament do not represent or reflect the correct racial composition of Malaysia today. Does Mike not realize this?

In Perak, after the March GE, there was a call by DAP, Lim Kit Siang not to have a PAS Malay as the Perak MB. There was a call by PKR too, Syed Hussin to have the composition of Perak EXCO in accordance with, the principle of proportional representation, according to the racial composition of the state of Perak. None of the two calls, materialized.

Mike should sit down, think, reflect and rationalized all these facts, before embarking on an “Indian chauvinist media charade”. The voting populace of Malaysia is observing you. Demanding too much will be seen of Mike, from Mike for Mike! The voting Malaysians may see Mike actions as a classic case – as described by Bahasa Kebangsaan proverbs that say, “bagi betis nak paha” and “ macam Belanda di beri tanah”.

That may have suited Mike or well accepted among the ”Malaysians of Indian” community in Mike’s constituency. But Mike mind you, what about the other Malaysians that had voted for you where are you going to place them? Are you no longer willing to represent them! What about PKR, Malays, Chinese and others that have supported and voted for Pakatan.

Mike should be called to abandoned his threatening behavior towards PKR and Pakatan that have given him the opportunity to be a member of Malaysian Parliament. Mike should refrained from using or abusing his supporters (as Mike claimed to be more than 300) and should give up his black mailing attitude towards PKR and Pakatan. Mike should feel more accountable towards the Party, the Group of Parties and the voters that put him in the Malaysian Parliament.

False Flags - Western Governments Operation.

2008-12-30T00:16:00.003+08:00

Alex Jones' latest film covers in detail the proven history of Western governments sponsored terrorism, and focuses on the 7/7 London bombings and 9/11.

Hindus, Christians Defend Jamaat-ud-Dawa

2008-12-25T11:21:00.006+08:00

Hundreds of Hindus and Christians demonstrated in Hyderabad in solidarity with Jamaat-ud-Dawa. (IOL photo)

By Aamir Latif, IOL Correspondent | Courtesy Islamonline

ISLAMABAD — Pakistani Hindu and Christian minorities are angered by the government's crackdown on the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JD), crediting the charity with helping the country's poor and needy irrespective of religion or cast.

"I would say, this is not a ban on Jamaat-ud-Dawa, but it is against the poor people of Pakistan, who were being assisted by the charity," Kamran Michael, a Christian sanitary worker from the northeastern city of Lahore, told IslamOnline.net.

Hundreds of members of Pakistan's Hindu and Christian minorities demonstrated in the southern city of Hyderabad on Tuesday, December 16, in solidarity with the JD.

The Muslim charity was banned by both Islamabad and the UN Security Council last week over alleged links with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LT), the outlawed group India blames for the bloody Mumbai attacks.

Along with the ban, Pakistan closed down hundreds of JD-run schools, hospitals and clinics across the country, where services are provided to the poor free of charge.

"The government has failed to provide us health and education facilities. Now, they have banned those who had been providing us these facilities," Michael said.

"Let’s see what will the government do? But I have little hopes."

For Naresh Kumar, a Hindu farmer in the historic town of Hala, the ban and the crackdown are unjustifiable.

"My family was being provided with monthly ration (food) and free medical treatment for my children and parents by the JD for months," said Kumar.

"I am a poor laborer. I could not afford that, if the JD would not be able to help me."

Headquartered some 30 kilometers north of Lahore, JD has established itself as one of biggest charity organizations in the South Asian Muslim country, where 34 percent of the total population is living below poverty line.

Heroes

Hindus and Christians said the Muslim charity helped them on the basis of humanity not religion. (IOL photo)

Minority groups hailed the Muslim charity as a champion for humanity rather than a terrorist organization.

"They helped us on the basis of humanity," says Michael, one of hundreds of Christians who had been benefiting from the JD charity works in Lahore, the capital of the populous Punjab province.

"A ban on such organizations means a ban on humanity."

The charity is popular in many parts of Pakistan, especially those hit by natural disasters, where it played a major role in providing help to victims.

The Christian worker affirmed that the charity offered his community help irrespective of their religious affiliation or social standing.

"They never asked me or any other Hindu or Christian about our religion or cast."

Christians are the largest minority in this South Asian Muslim country, making around 3 percent of a total population of 170 million.

Most Christians belong to the low-income bracket and work in low-key jobs.

Naresh, the Hindu farmer, can't see how a group doing so much help to religious minorities can be branded a terrorist organization.

"There are a number of big Hindu businessmen here, but they never cared about us because we belong to schedule cast. The JD people never asked us about such kind of things."

Hindus are the second largest religious minority in Muslim Pakistan, constituting 2 percent of the populace.

Most of them are based in southern Sindh, the second most populous province, where they work as farm workers.

"They helped us just because they treat us like human beings," maintains Naresh.

"I think those who respect humanity cannot be terrorists."

Exclusive interview with Tan Sri Dr Yahya Awang

2008-12-22T23:23:00.005+08:00

NO TO PRIVATIZATION

Economics (Capitalism) - 101: The Myth of Scarcity

2008-12-21T11:53:00.003+08:00

Perhaps the single most devastating myth on earth. . .
Is that of scarcity . . .

Not enough food.
Not enough land.
Not enough water.
Not enough oil.
Not enough love . . .
Not enough of ANYTHING that's needed for everyone on earth to thrive and survive.

And of course I would be remiss not to include the MOTHER OF ALL MYTHS - that there is NOT ENOUGH MONEY to go around.

NOTHING can be further from the truth.

But, most people lack the knowledge or imagination to see through the LIES.

The problem is that this mega myth of scarcity is a self-fulfilling prophecy that destroys our lives.

Those who embrace it invariably panic and, in a mad rush, chase after every resource they can lay their hands on, before it's all taken.

The strong, the crafty, and those who get there first, hoard large swathes of resources - PILE IT HIGH AND SIT ON IT - while the weak, the honest, and the young are left struggling just to survive.

And so we end up with EXTREME imbalances reflected both in society and in our environment and in the process we destroy what matters most - our human relations.

This is madness.

A madness that is driven by GREED - rapacious, relentless, insatiable GREED - coupled with unremitting selfishness and a thorough lack of imagination on the part of those who are neither selfish nor greedy.

The irony of this tragedy is that while people eagerly embrace the myth of scarcity with respect to everything which in reality is or could be abundant if we use our imagination, they ignore the one thing that is actually running out for humanity - TIME.

Wakeup people and wake your friends, your family and your neighbors, because time is running out.

Sooner than you realize, greed and selfishness will consume us all and leave nothing but a scorched planet as a testament to how badly we f**ked up.

courtesy : wakeupfromyourslumber

Anwar wants more power for the MACC

2008-12-16T10:06:00.000+08:00

Anwar : AG has unfettered powers that has to be
curbed.

By Debra Chong

UPDATED

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 - While Pakatan Rakyat today welcomed the Prime Minister's new Bill to fight corruption in Malaysia, it is resisting the federal government's effort to make it a law until certain changes are made to give more power to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

The Opposition Leader wants the MACC to be given full discretion to charge in court those who have been investigated and found to have strong proof of corruption against them directly, instead of giving that power to the Attorney General's Chambers, as is done now.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told Parliament that the issue at stake is the integrity, authority, and qualification of the Attorney General (AG) and the judiciary.

He claimed that the AG held too much power, to the point that he could decide if a case would be taken to court or simply closed.

Quoting a famous veteran lawyer Raja Aziz Addruse, Anwar noted that it was not a must for the AG to report to the Prime Minister, Cabinet or Parliament, not even "for the failure of a number of high-profile prosecutions, which commenced with much fanfare but ended up being a waste of funds."

"There is a need to limit the powers of the Attorney General because he acts as the chief legal advisor to the government and also as the chief prosecutor," Anwar stressed.
The 63-year-old, who spent six years in jail on corruption charges, has repeatedly accused the current AG Tan Sri Gani Patail of abusing his authority in sending him to prison.

"Reform cannot be carried out without first solving the problem of the large amount of power held by the AG," the Permatang Pauh MP said.

The solution, he suggests, is for MACC to have two separate arms: one to investigate and the other to charge in court those who have been investigated.

Among a laundry list of other changes, Anwar said the appointment of the MACC chief must be made more transparent.

He suggests that it be done based on the recommendation of a Special Parliamentary Committee on the MACC instead of by the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong on the advice of the Prime Minister.

Anwar also wants the terms for informants under Sections 27 and 28 to be reviewed, claiming that heavy punishments would stop people from blowing the whistle on corrupt persons in future

themalaysianinsider.

Further -- JAC & MACC

2008-12-14T10:43:00.005+08:00

The Sabah Justice of Peace Council said that appointment procedure of judges in the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) Bill is contrary to the Federal Constitution.

Council honorary secretary Datuk Lawrence Thien Shin Hing said the new procedure would be a departure from the present model and in direct conflict with Article 122B of the Constitution. . . [read more ]

Thien said the government under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Bill had seen fit to make the Anti-Corruption Agency an independent body with its own commission and funding but made no similar provision in the JAC Bill. He hoped the government and members of parliament would give due respect to the issues raised when the bills were debated.

> > > >

DAP supports the Bills on the Malaysian Commission on Anti-Corruption (MCAC) and Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) in principle, but will withhold full endorsement until these are amended, said party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.