Russia: We did not fire on presidential motorcade

(CNN) -- Russia and South Ossetia have strongly denied news reports that a motorcade carrying the presidents of Georgia and Poland came under fire, calling the claims "a provocation" meant to destabilize the region.

"This is a real provocation," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists on Monday. "It is not the first time that such things have happened: First they mastermind everything themselves and then accuse the Russian or the Ossetian side."

Eduard Kokoity, president of the breakaway region of South Ossetia, added: "Today's event was a deliberate provocative act of the Georgian and Polish presidents targeted at regional destabilization."

Kokoity made his comments to the Russian news agency, Interfax.

The motorcade, carrying Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and Polish President Lech Kaczynski, was passing a checkpoint near Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia region -- site of intense conflict between Russian and Georgian troops in August -- when shots were fired Sunday, according to the Georgian Interior Ministry.

The motorcade was not hit and there were no injuries, the Georgian Interior Ministry said. No other shooting was reported in the area.

The shots were fired from Russian-controlled territory as the motorcade passed, the ministry said

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin denied the gunfire came from its army positions.

"This is one more instance of wishful thinking on the part of Georgia," he told reporters.

After the incident, Saakashvili told reporters he would not have taken his Polish counterpart into danger intentionally and that the incident showed "you are dealing with unpredictable people" in the disputed area.

Kokoity, the South Ossetian president, countered that the Polish and Georgian presidents need to answer questions whether they informed European Union monitors of their trip.

Tensions have remained high in the area since fighting between Russian and Georgian troops broke out in August.

Georgia launched a campaign against South Ossetia, a Russian-backed separatist territory, on August 7. The following day, Russian tanks, troops and armored vehicles poured into South Ossetia and another breakaway Georgian territory, Abkhazia, advancing into Georgian cities outside the rebel regions.

The two sides blamed each other for starting the conflict and have accused each other of a variety of offenses leading up to and during the fighting, including ethnic cleansing

World markets mixed after Wall Street rallyWorld markets mixed after Wall Street rally

(CNN) -- World markets were mixed Tuesday following rallies the previous day on European and U.S. exchanges in the wake of the U.S. government bailout of banking giant Citigroup

In mid-morning trading, the major European indices in London and Paris were hovering above the break-even point, while Frankfurt was down by around 0.75 percent.

Most major Asia-Pacific markets rose Tuesday, with Japanese and Australian markets up more than 5 percent.

Tokyo's Nikkei index finished the trading day up 413 points, or 5.1 percent, while Australia's All Ordinaries index closed up 5.5 percent with a gain of nearly 187 points and Seoul's Kospi closed up nearly 1.4 percent.

Elsewhere, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index closed up 3 percent, while the Straits Times index in Singapore was up about 2 percent in late trading.

The increases followed Monday's broad rally on American markets, which was fueled by a massive U.S. rescue package for shaky financial giant Citigroup and President-elect Barack Obama's announcement of the economic team for his incoming administration.

The benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 397 points, or 4.9 percent, while the S&P 500 gained 6.4 percent and the Nasdaq composite gained more than 6 percent.

Stephen Leeb, president at Leeb Capital Management, said concerns about the global financial crisis and the weakness of institutions like Citigroup have kept "a massive amount of liquidity on the sidelines," and announcements like Obama's pick of New York Federal Reserve chief Timothy Geithner for treasury secretary helped ease those fears.

"Geithner assures a smooth transition between the Bush Administration and that of Obama, because he's already co-managing what's happening now," Leeb said.

Shots fired as contending Thai factions fight

BANGKOK, Thailand - Thai anti-government demonstrators fired shots at government supporters as the rival sides battled on a major highway in the Thai capital of Bangkok on Tuesday.

The fighting began when the government supporters began throwing rocks at a truck carrying members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) as it was returning from Bangkok's old airport, where the group had been holding a rally.

The airport has served as temporary government headquarters since the alliance occupied the prime minister's office in late August.

The anti-government group responded by firing slingshots and at least two pistols from their truck, and then gave chase to the attackers, who appeared to number several dozen, according to footage shown on Thai PBS television.

Police Col. Piyapong Ponvanich said 11 people were wounded in the clash, most of them government supporters, some with gunshot wounds.

'Fully functional' government
The Thai government insisted it was "fully functional" but refused to disclose where officials were working to avoid provoking more protests with anti-government activists who have vowed to bring the administration to a standstill.

Spokesman Nattawut Saikau indicated the Thai government had effectively gone into hiding to avoid thousands of protesters who surrounded the prime minister's temporary headquarters at Bangkok's domestic airport and embarked on a cat-and-mouse chase to block their meetings.

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat was in Peru for a summit of Pacific Rim leaders and not expected back until Wednesday. But when he returns he will confront the latest twist in Thailand's political crisis — and the need to find a new office space.

Protesters seeking Somchai's resignation have occupied his Bangkok headquarters, known as Government House, since Aug. 26, forcing him to relocate to a makeshift office in the VIP area of the former international airport.

Protest leaders said their goal is to block the government from meeting — whenever and wherever that may be.

"We'll protest until there is no Cabinet meeting," said a protest leader, Somsak Kosaisuk. "We'll interrupt their every attempt to ruin the country further."

The weekly Cabinet meeting is usually held Tuesdays but was changed to Wednesday because of Somchai's absence.

A few thousands protesters marched later Tuesday from the airport to the nearby Thai army headquarters, where they believed a government meeting was taking place.

Nattawut said he would not confirm where the government was meeting.

"The government is fully functional and continues to work as usual but we cannot disclose where the government is working right now because it will provoke PAD and might cause a lot of trouble," he said, speaking by telephone.

He added that the government "intends to negotiate with PAD to get the temporary government house back in a few days."

Corruption?
The protesters, seeking the resignation of what they allege is a corrupt government, camped overnight at Don Muang airport.

Nattawut said more than 1,000 government employees evacuated the offices at Don Muang airport Monday afternoon.

The airport's VIP section was about half a mile from the main passenger terminal and protesters showed no immediate sign of trying to disrupt travel.

However, travelers were advised to arrive early for flights, and traffic was expected to be heavier than usual because of the protest, the airport's deputy director, Viroj Ewcharoen, said in a statement.

Tuesday's activities marked the second day of what PAD calls its "final showdown" with the government.

Thousands of protesters blockaded Parliament on Monday and forced it to postpone a special joint session of both houses. Smaller rallies were held at the Finance Ministry and other government offices.

Military coup
Thailand's political crisis began in 2006, when a similar campaign against then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra led to a him being deposed by a military coup for alleged corruption and abuse of power. But further efforts to cripple Thaksin's political machine failed, and his political allies won a December 2007 election.

The alliance then resumed its street protests and finally stormed Government House on Aug. 26, vowing not to leave until they have forced Thaksin's allies from power. They accuse Somchai of acting as a proxy for Thaksin, who is his brother-in-law.

Police, under strict orders to avoid the use of force, exercised restraint Monday as demonstrators pushed past them, sometimes showering them with expletives in an apparent effort to provoke a violent response that might discredit the authorities. There were only minor scuffles Monday with protesters at Parliament.

Thailand's economy, already struggling amid the global downturn, has been hit hard by the political turmoil. The state planning agency said Monday it grew at its slowest pace in more than three years this past quarter.

Latest Dewan Rakyat: Two-day suspension for Gobind

A decision not to refer a Minister to the Rights and Privileges committee culminated in an opposition member being suspended from the House for two days.

Gobind Singh Deo (DAP-Puchong) was thrown out from the House after he told deputy speaker, Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar that he was being biased.

"He (Nazri) makes the mistake and you are punishing me," he told Wan Junaidi after the deputy speaker and Gobind got into an arguement over the merits of his decision not to refer Nazri to the rights and privileges committee.

The drama which resulted in Gobind being thrown out began after Question Time ended when Wan Junaidi started ruling on Karpal's claim that Nazri had misled the House two week ago when replying to points raised on the Judicial sackings of 1988.

Nazri had told the House at that time that three judges were never sacked but were told to take early retirement. Subsequently, he clarified, that the three judges were sacked but were given a pension after the then Yang diPertuan Agung appealed to the chief secretary of the government for them to be paid a pension.

Yesterday, in ruling on the case, Wan Junaidi told the House that Nazri had not deliberately "mislead" the House as claimed by Karpal.

"At that time, he base his statment on the facts of the case. He did not deliberately make the statement. He subsequently clarified. I therefore rule that he does not have to be referred to the rights and privileges committee," he said.

This then saw an exchange of words between Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) and Wan Junaidi which saw several opposition members taking part.

The exchange lasted a good 30 minutes and it reached a culmination when Gobind demanded to know how Wan Junaidi had reached his decision without asking Nazri Aziz to explain himself.

He declared that Wan Junaidi was making a mockery of parliament.

At his point, Wan Junaidi lost his temper and called for Gobind to be removed for two days.

Yoga fatwa on hold

PETALING JAYA: The implementation of the fatwa (edict) banning the practice of yoga by Muslims has been put on hold in two states.

> The Sultan of Selangor said the fatwa could not be implemented in the state yet as it had not been presented to the state Fatwa Committee,

> Perak Islamic Religious Department director Datuk Jamry Sury withdrew his earlier statement that Perak would adopt the fatwa, saying that several procedures including seeking the consent of the Sultan, had to be carried out first,

> Perlis Mufti Dr Asri Zainal Abidin spoke out against the edict, saying yoga with the non-Muslim elements removed should be allowed,

> Most other states said they would take the necessary steps to enable the edict to be implemented,

> However, Sisters in Islam said the fact that the states had differing views on the matter seemed to suggest that there was no consensus on the ban.

Angkasawan did the right thing

RECENTLY, our first astronaut made the news again, “Angkasawan admits accepting contributions, denies demanding payment,” (The Star, Nov 17).

Firstly, if it is true that Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha did accept payment, I think he is justified in receiving it and in keeping every cent of it.

Secondly, I may be in the minority but my reservations in 2006 about the Government’s decision to send a Malaysian into space still holds. Malaysia may be a rich country compared to some of its neighbours, but it can ill-afford spending several million ringgit for this purpose.

It was stated in 2006, by the Science, Technology and Innovations Ministry that sending a man into space would further motivate our school childrens’ interest in science and technology.

We do not need to send someone into space to motivate and interest our children in the sciences.

What we could and should have done was to spend the millions on our education system and policies.

When a child enters primary school, he should be introduced to the sciences in an engaging and lively manner.

He then sees how science plays an enormous part in our daily lives, on earth as well as in outer space.

Simultaneously, extra-curricular subjects could include astronomy activities led by teachers or volunteers from knowledgeable parents or the general public.

Then, with access to high powered binoculars or telescopes, they can organise supervised viewing of the night sky to look at the various constellations.

At secondary school and university level, students should be encouraged to read sciences or science/engineering-based courses rather than doing the so-called soft subjects.

Thus the Education Ministry must set aside an enhanced and dedicated budget, supplemented by money that could have been sidelined from the space programme.

In 2006 it was touted that the space training programme would not cost the Treasury a single sen. Furthermore, the programme was provided free of charge as part of an offset programme for the purchase pf Sukhoi fighter aircraft from Russia.

It is naive for the Government to think that there is such a thing as a free lunch.

Everything has its strings and conditions and it is obvious that the purchase of the fighter jets is revealing as it is contentious.

It might have been a cheaper option to send a Malaysian as a space tourist than be tied down by agreements which form part of a defence contract.

Dr Sheikh Muszaphar has fulfilled his obligations in going to space.

He has undergone countless psychometric tests, rigorous physical training and been subjected to G-forces that most of us wouldn’t even dare think of and fewer still would want to endure.

He has put Malaysia on the map and continues to spread the interest in space to our schoolchildren.

And why should he not reap the benefits of his expertise and experience?

He has spotted a niche in the market. He satisfies the need of those who hunger for his exploits in space.

He is enlightening the minds of our children and youth to the limitless horizon of the universe and the competitive and exciting world of space exploration.

If other Nasa astronauts have travelled the earth to give similar lectures, who are we to deny him the same? I wish him good luck and may he inspire more of us in the study of the cosmos.

MARIAM MOKHTAR,

Ipoh.

Former Miss Hong Kong Reis marries boyfriend

NEWS of former Miss Hong Kong Michelle Reis marrying her businessman boyfriend Julian Hui, grabbed the headlines in all major Chinese dailies.

China Press reported yesterday that 50 members of the groom’s family, plus Reis’ mother and sister, attended the couple’s wedding at Hui’s family home in Hong Kong on Saturday.

In a recent interview with a Hong Kong tabloid, the 38-year-old Reis said Hui proposed to her last June during a holiday in Rome.

It had been reported that Hui, 46, was once engaged to actress Carina Lau. He married Pansy Ho, daughter of casino king Stanley Ho, in 1991. They separated after nine years.

Reis, who is Miss Hong Kong 1988, was formerly romantically linked to tycoon Joseph Lau before her new love with Hui became frontpage news.

>Nanyang Siang Pau quoted Immigration enforcement director Datuk Ishak Mohamad as saying that employers who failed to send their foreign workers home within a week after they had been retrenched would be jailed.

Congratulation Mr. President !

Congratulation Mr. President !

Court orders Raja Petra's release from ISA detention

2008.08.11

SHAH ALAM: Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin, editor of popular news portal Malaysia Today, was freed after the High Court here allowed his application for a writ of habeas corpus seeking his release.

• High Court judge Justice Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad found his two-year detention order under the Internal Security Act unlawful.
• The Bar Council welcomed the decision, saying “it gives us hope that the judiciary will act with courage, integrity and independence when the liberty of an individual is threatened by the arbitrary use of power under the ISA”.
• Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abd Aziz said the Government may appeal against the court decision.