Ong: It’s my last general election

PENANG: This general election will be the last one MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting (pic, left) will contest. Ong, who is also Housing and Local Government Minister, made the announcement at the state MCA Chinese New Year Solidarity Dinner at the Esplanade last night.

“I am already 51 years old this year and have been the party’s president for more than four years. This will be my last time standing in general elections.
“Unlike the Opposition where a candidate can keep on contesting until he is old, the MCA has a policy where a leader can serve a maximum of nine years as president or three terms,” he said, adding that it was healthy to have new blood in the leadership.

Ong was appointed the party president in 2003 and retained his post in 2005. He has been the Housing and Local Government Minister since 1999.Ong said the Chinese must unite and support the MCA to ensure that they are well represented in the government.

Reminding the community that the party has championed the rights of the Chinese for more than 58 years, Ong said the Chinese community had played an active and effective role in mainstream politics. “Since the early days, we formed a party to protect our rights and represent us in the government.

“Unlike the DAP, which has nothing to show after 42 years of being set up, the MCA has a solid track record." “The DAP keeps telling the MCA what it should do for the Chinese, yet it does not have a vision for the community,” he said, adding that the Chinese must be optimistic and confident about their future in the country.

“We have always done well in education and many of our children are students who have gained places in local universities. “The community has also produced a large pool of professionals who are all doing well

DAP had done things that Ong yourself cant do, so please dont comment on what people do and dont, but just to yourself.....

Seven ministers likely to miss out on elections

Seven ministers likely to miss out on elections

KUALA LUMPUR: As many as seven of the 32 Cabinet members may not be fielded to contest in the general election.

Two of them – Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik and Datuk Seri Effendi Norwawi – have publicly confirmed that they are retiring from politics but sources said about five others may also step aside.

Among the ministers speculated to be retiring are Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, Rural Development Minister Datuk Aziz Shamsuddin, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Dr Abdullah Md Zain and Tourism Minister Tengku Adnan Mansor.

A total of 32 people were appointed ministers when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi reshuffled his Cabinet in 2006.

Earlier this year, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek resigned as health minister after a sex DVD was circulated by unknown people.

This means there could be at least eight vacancies to be filled.

Speculation about the positions of Dr Rais, Azmi and Aziz arose because of their ages.

Dr Rais and Azmi are both 66 while Aziz is 70. They are the incumbent MPs for Jelebu, Padang Besar and Shah Alam respectively.

Azmi is also being speculated as a possible mentri besar of Perlis.

Aziz was admitted to hospital for two weeks because of hernia in 2006 and his health has also been cited as another reason for him not to be fielded.

However, Aziz said his health was improving and stressed, “My age is not an obstacle to continue with my work. I’m ready to serve (the people) but I’m a party man.

“I abide by all party decisions and now it is up to the party leader whether he still wants me. If he needs me, I will continue to do my best. If not, I will support the party.”

Talk about Tengku Adnan not defending his Putrajaya seat arose because of the controversial Lingam video clip and the just-ended Royal Commission of Inquiry.

Asked about speculation of him being dropped, 57-year-old Tengku Adnan said, “I can’t comment on that. (But) I’m already working for the election campaign. We have started the ball rolling. So let’s wait and see.”

Dr Lim had said in an interview yesterday that he was not the only one leaving the Cabinet.

“Even though some of them (his Cabinet colleagues) know this could be their last Cabinet meeting, they still refused to say,” said Dr Lim.

Effendi, in an article in The Star yesterday, said it would be healthy for the Cabinet to be “infused with new blood, new talent”.

However, the vacancy created by Dr Lim is already spoken for.

Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon has confirmed that he is going to the federal level.

Time for the truth and payback....

McCain, Obama take rivalry to new heights

WAUKESHA, Wis. - Their tempest began well before their bids for a presidential nomination.

When Senator John McCain claimed victory for a round of primaries on Tuesday, it was little surprise that he skipped over criticism of Senator Barack Obama’s policies. There will be plenty of time for that.

Instead, Mr. McCain zeroed in on another long-held annoyance, a perception that Mr. Obama wears a political halo.

“I don’t seek the presidency on the presumption that I am blessed with such personal greatness,” Mr. McCain said. “That history has anointed me to save my country in its hour of need.”

A contentious relationship between Mr. McCain, Republican of Arizona, and Mr. Obama, Democrat of Illinois, has been percolating on Capitol Hill for more than two years.

My opinion is that in any way, Obama is a loser at the end of this race..... because.......

Edmund Tadros
February 14, 2008 - 3:09PM


What started out as a cautionary tale about storing lurid digital photos of past lovers on the computer has become one of Asia's biggest internet celebrity sex scandals and a focal point for censorship in Hong Kong.

Hundreds of photos featuring what appears to be at least five of Hong Kong's best-known entertainers have been uploaded to the internet after being copied from the laptop of Edison Chen, 27, a singer and actor.

Hong Kong police have now arrested nine people for uploading the images, which are being constantly posted and then deleted from message-boards across the region. The pictures have also been posted to file-sharing networks with new images being uploaded daily.

The photo scandal has been front-page news across Hong Kong tabloids for weeks and has led to users almost overwhelming various Hong Kong discussion forums.

In mainland China the images are being reposted to message boards as soon as they are removed by moderators, The Guardian reported.

A single discussion threat in the Tianya message-board about the pictures has attracted 25.8 million page views, with posters sharing tips on where to download the images.

This week the Catholic bishop of Hong Kong, John Tong, was moved enough to ask people to delete the photos.

"It is also biblical teaching that we should speak no evil, see no evil and hear no evil," he told the South China Morning Post.

"It is important that we should keep our mind decent and perhaps, needless to say, we should not post or circulate pictures."

Photos show sex scenes

The files were copied from the customised pink MacBook belonging to Chen when he took his computer in for repairs, Hong Kong police said.

The dozens of photos show Chen in separate scenes, some featuring sex, with at least six women, including Canto-pop singers Gillian Chung, 27, Cecilia Cheung, 27 and Bobo Chan, 28. The former two are also actors.

The pictures began surfacing on the internet late last month where they immediately caused a frenzy in celebrity-obsessed Hong Kong.

Representatives of the pop stars at first said the images were faked, message-boards lit up with hundreds of thousands of comments and Chen reportedly went into hiding.

Despite the initial denial about the authenticity of the photos, Chung, one of the country's most popular singers and part of a duo called The Twins, held a news conference on Monday at which she said she had been "naive and very silly" in her youth, The New York Times reported.

Chung, who features heavily in the advertising for Hong Kong Disneyland, refused to confirm or deny that she is featured in the material.

Cheung and Chan have not made any further public comment on the photos.

In a video statement, the Canadian-born Chen asked for the public to delete any copies of the photos.

"The lives of many innocent people have been affected by this malicious and criminal conduct, and in this regard I am filled with pain, hurt and frustration," Chen said.

"I hereby use this opportunity to apologise to anyone who has been affected by this strange, strange ordeal."

A Government mouthpiece, The Beijing Youth Daily, has taken a moralistic tone, calling Chen's behaviour "vulgar" in an editorial today.

"It is vulgar for him to develop the habit of taking nude photos or videos of others," the daily said.

"If the women stars were willing to have their photos taken, then they are also leading a dissolute life.

"If not, Chen is simply a scoundrel.

"In view of this, it is time for fans to reflect upon their infatuation with pop stars.

"Obviously these stars do not live up to their public image. So it is worthless for fans to believe blindly in their idols and regard them as spiritual beacons."

Hong Kong tabloids are now running reports that there are plans by gangsters to "teach a lesson" to Chen, the Times reported, noting organised crime was a key element in the Hong Kong entertainment industry.

It is important that people to learn new lesson on how to protect themself at the first place, not going after the aftermath...... but these shocking images in our asia culture does tell us that in the world of entertaiments, things can get pretty lusty..... sad way to start year of RATT

Thursday February 14, 2008

Angry youths surround and jeer Samy at school event

PETALING JAYA: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu was surrounded by some youths who jeered him during the ground-breaking ceremony for a new Tamil school here.

Samy Vellu was walking back to a canopy after performing the ceremony for the SRJK Tamil Seaport in Kampung Lindungan when the youths surrounded him.

The school is being relocated from Kelana Jaya.

MIC supporters quickly came in to help but Samy Vellu and the youths were already involved in a heated argument by then.

Police were called in and they escorted Samy Vellu from the area.

Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo was also at the ceremony.

Earlier, as Samy Vellu got down from his car, a group of about 30 people held placards stating that the land area for the school had been reduced.

After listening to their grievances, Samy Vellu assured them that the new school building would be bigger.

He said the new building could hold 450 pupils compared to the 150 now.

“We should be happy that an extra RM500,000 has been allocated to build this school at a cost of RM1.5mil,” he said.

PADAN MUKA la u samy, ask you to do more good deed don wan, see now sudah kena padah

Kenyan police break up rallies, kill 2 protesters

NAIROBI, Kenya - Police firing tear gas and live bullets halted protests in cities across Kenya, preventing the mass rallies that the opposition hoped would show the power behind their demands the president step down and admit his election victory was rigged. At least two people were shot to death by police and six were wounded.

"We will go the extra mile for democracy. We are ready for bloodshed," said Philomen Bett, 30, a teacher in the western city of Eldoret.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga had called for three days of protests nationwide, starting Wednesday, after a week of violence that killed more than 600 people and international mediation failed to move President Mwai Kibaki, who insists he won the Dec. 27 election. Observers say the vote tally was rigged.

National police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said he had no word on casualties Wednesday, but a mortuary attendant in Kisumu, Kenya's third largest city, said there were two bodies with bullet wounds and nurses there said they were treating three wounded. In Nairobi, at least three men were taken to a hospital after they were shot in Kibera, one of two slums in the city where police fired tear gas and bullets to disperse hundreds of protesters.

Odinga said two people were killed in Kisumu and one in another western town, Migori.

Rioting mars Kenya's image
Riots and ethnic killings in the wake of the disputed vote have marred Kenya's image as a stable democratic oasis in a war-ravaged region and damaged its tourist-dependent economy. It has also aggravated long-simmering ethnic tensions and conflicts over land.

Police had declared Wednesday's protests illegal. In Nairobi, helmeted riot police on horseback chased small clusters of protesters from skyscraper-lined streets downtown. Businesses shut as tear gas was fired, and thousands of panicked office workers in suits and high heels streamed out of downtown on foot.

Some people, annoyed at the disturbance, shouted "Raila go home!"

His supporters chanted "No Raila. No peace."

Odinga vowed he would lead the march on Nairobi's downtown Uhuru Park, which was ringed by riot police. Though Odinga drove through town, neither he nor any other opposition member made it to the park.

Protesters' fervor was dampened by rain across much of the country, and by the response of police.

Call for peaceful protest
Odinga had called for peaceful demonstrations, and there were few of the serious clashes that characterized protests immediately after election results were announced. Most protesters were unarmed, but mobs in one Nairobi slum and the western town of Kisumu hurled rocks at police, who responded with tear gas and live bullets.

Protests touched the coastal tourist city of Mombasa, where police hurled tear gas and used batons to beat back several groups of protesters hundreds strong.

In Kisumu and Eldoret, thousands of rowdy young men massed, first marching peacefully. As the crowds grew, police lobbed tear gas canisters, forcing them disperse. They regrouped, and police then fired live rounds, immediately clearing out downtown streets.

"The police are overreacting. People are just demanding their rights," said one of the wounded in Kisumu, 26-year-old Dominic Okoth, where burning tires blocked roads and sent columns of acrid smoke into the air.

When police opened fire in Eldoret, a crowd of about 4,000 fled. Workers at a nearby gas station crouched under cars, their heads in their hands. Women fled with one shoe on.

Earlier in Kisumu, protesters carried a coffin with Kibaki's name on it.

On one makeshift roadblock on the outskirts of Eldoret, a dead dog was draped over a pile of rocks with a sign saying "Kibaki Death."

In the northwest, opposition supporters piled logs and rocks to block the main route into southern Sudan, used by aid agencies. Police later cleared the road.

Official admits ordering police to fire
Meanwhile, the provincial police chief in Kisumu said she had ordered her officers to fire on a rioting crowd there on Dec. 29,saying she was forced to because her force was overwhelmed.

The comments by Grace Kaindi to The Associated Press were the first to acknowledge police fired on crowds. Previously, police had denied shooting anyone in the turmoil.

"It was an extreme situation and there was no other way to control them," Kaindi said. "I gave the order to open fire myself when I heard that my officers were being overwhelmed. If we had not killed them, things would have got very bad."

The toll, according to hospital records: 44 shot dead, 143 wounded. Kaindi said one police officer was hurt by a rock hurled from the crowd.

Human rights workers say Kisumu, 200 miles northwest of Nairobi, suffered the worst police brutality because it is an Odinga stronghold.

U.S., Britain threaten aid cut
Thirteen nations, including the United States and Britain, increased pressure on rival politicians to find a solution, threatening Wednesday to cut aid to the government "if the commitment of the government of Kenya to good governance, democracy, the rule of law and human rights weakens."

Foreign and local election observers have said the vote count in the election was deeply flawed. Although the electoral chief pronounced Kibaki the victor, he later said he had been pressured to do so and did not know who won.

U.S. Ambassador Michael Ranneberger, speaking by telephone hookup Wednesday from Kenya to a conference at the Center for Strategic International Studies, a Washington think tank, said a power-sharing arrangement was "the only thing to do," but that it would not be easy to persuade Kibaki and Odinga to agree to such a compromise.

But "both have looked us in the eye and said they are willing to have a dialogue," Ranneberger said, adding Kibaki's one condition is that he will not step down.

The ambassador ruled out holding a new election. "Neither side has the money for it," he said.

U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas said "the post-electoral crisis in Kenya" continued Wednesday.

"The U.N. country team reports that the western towns of Kisumu and Eldoret as well as the capital Nairobi and towns along the Kenyan coast, including Mombasa, are all now theaters of clashes between security forces and youth gangs," Montas said.

MARINE on run

(CNN) -- A woman who once worked with fugitive Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean and the pregnant Marine he allegedly killed said Wednesday that Laurean has "MacGyver" skills and training that could enable him to adapt to life on the run.

The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, woman requested that she remain anonymous.

Earlier Wednesday, an FBI spokesman said the agency suspects Laurean may have returned to his native Mexico.

The woman, who left the Marines in December, described Laurean as well-trained to adapt to his situation.

He can rig just about anything -- as could the lead character in the "MacGyver" television series of 1985 to 1992 -- is strong, a fast runner and can handle weapons, including an M-16, she said.

She said Laurean is quiet but social, and has many friends. He often spoke to her about his 18-month-old daughter.

MAN on run BEWARE !!!!

Clinton, Obama battle for upper hand in Nevada

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) -- The battle for the Democratic presidential nomination heads west Saturday with caucuses in Nevada, where unions and a large Hispanic population are heavily expected to influence the results.

For years, the region was excluded from playing a significant part in nominating presidential candidates, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid used his clout to move up his state's caucuses, increasing Nevada's profile on the primary calendar.

After the early, dramatic outcomes in Iowa and New Hampshire -- split between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, respectively -- the top Democratic campaigns are bringing in hundreds of extra staff and volunteers to Nevada.

The GOP also is holding caucuses Saturday in Nevada, but most Republican candidates will be focusing their attention that day on the South Carolina primary.

The Democratic race in Nevada appears tight, with the two front-runners in a statistical tie.

According to an American Research Group poll conducted January 9 through Monday, Clinton is leading Obama 35 percent to 32 percent among likely Democratic caucus-goers. Former Sen. John Edwards has the support of 25 percent. The survey's margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The winner of the Nevada contest could gain the upper hand going into South Carolina's January 26 primary and the Florida one on January 29.

I SUPPORT CLINTON !!!!

Man in video clip knew official secrets

By CHELSEA L.Y. NG, CECIL FUNG and LISA GOH

KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the V.K. Lingam video clip was left wondering as to how the man in the clip knew “official secrets” privy only to the Prime Minister, Chief Justice and Chief Secretary to the Government.

Commissioner Datuk Mahadev Shankar pointed out during the testimony of former Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Samsudin Osman that the “man in the video” knew the details of a letter sent by the then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed to the then Chief Justice Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah regarding the nominations of High Court judges.

Samsudin, the sixth witness in the inquiry, was testifying on the correspondence in late 2001 between himself, Dr

Mahathir and Dzaiddin on a list of proposed candidates for the appointments.

These correspondence, he said, were official secrets that even ministers and deputy ministers had no access to.

In his testimony, Samsudin said the names of two lawyers originally proposed by Dzaiddin were dropped along the way.

Mahadev, who clarified with the witness on the date of this omission, pointed out that the man having the telephone conversation in the controversial video clip already knew about the matter 15 days later.

According to the transcript, the man in the video clip said in a telephone conversation:

“Then, there is a letter. It ... according to Tengku, I'm going to see him tomorrow, there is a letter sent to ... ah ... CJ ... ah I mean to Tan Sri Dzaiddin that Datuk Heliliah, Datuk Ali ... and Datuk Ramly Datuk Ramly and Datuk Maarop be made judges, ... and aa ... he rejected ah ... that Dr Andrew Chew and apa itu Zainudin Ismail lah because Zainudin Ismail who condemned your appointment and Tan Sri Mohtar's appointment.”

Mahadev: By Dec 5 (2001), the rejection of the two names (Dr Andrew Chew Peng Hui and Zainudin Ismail) were already an established fact. The event had already taken place and the only people who knew were the parties to the correspondence?

Samsudin: Yes.

Mahadev: Allegedly on Dec 20, 2001, according to the video clip, Dr Andrew Chew and Zainudin Ismail had been rejected. How did he (the man in the video) come to know about it?

Samsudin: I honestly don’t know. But I assure you whatever in the Cabinet we guard very closely. Security there is very, very tight.

Mahadev: If it is so tight, how it is that somebody can mention in the video clip something so confidential?

Samsudin: I’m puzzled too.

Mahadev: If he knows this, he might know a lot of other things too.

Samsudin: I don’t know. That’s the simple answer.

Mahadev: You can’t speculate?

Samsudin: I don’t even know this gentleman.

Earlier, Samsudin testified that Dzaiddin wrote to Dr Mahathir in October 2001 regarding the proposal to appoint five individuals as High Court judges.

He said Dr Mahathir forwarded the list – comprising the names of then Solicitor-General Datuk Heliliah Mohd Yusof, judicial commissioners Datuk Ramly Ali and Datuk Ahmad Maarop, and lawyers Dr Chew and Zainudin – to him to ask for his opinion.

“I asked the Attorney-General for input on the first three names. I also noticed that several judicial commissioners had been appointed at the same time as the proposed two.

“So I forwarded the names of these judicial commissioners together with the original list back to the Prime Minister for him to decide,” he said.

Samsudin said Dr Mahathir then wrote to Dzaiddin on Dec 5, 2001 and consented to the candidacy of Heliliah, Ramly and Ahmad.

“He also proposed to the Chief Justice for two more candidates to be selected from the list of five serving as judicial commissioners,” he said.

When commissioner Tan Sri Steve Shim asked why Dr Chew and Zainudin’s names were dropped, Samsudin replied that he did not know the reason.

The witness then said that Dzaiddin subsequently wrote to Dr Mahathir on Jan 11, 2002 to thank him for consenting to the appointment of the first three names he had proposed.

He said the Chief Justice also asked the Prime Minister to reconsider the two lawyers.

“But in a letter dated January 2002, the Prime Minister chose to nominate Datuk Sulaiman Daud and (Datuk) V.T. Singam for the appointments and refused the other two lawyers’ names,” he said.

Samsudin, who said he did not know Lingam, added that he had only seen the segment of the video clip shown on television.

He said he knew business tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan as he often met people from the private sector in the course of his work.

As for Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Samsudin, who is now Putrajaya Corporation president, said he knew him because he had been a Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department before becoming a minister.

“I interact with him a lot nowadays because he is the Putrajaya MP and Tourism Minister,” he said.

Too many or too little secret.. I think it doesnt really matter by this hour !

Dr Mahathir said: “I watched it on TV.”

LINGAM VIDEO CLIP:
DR M: I only got to know Lingam recently
BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 17:

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad testified today that only recently he came to know lawyer Datuk V.K. Lingam who is implicated in a video clip showing him allegedly brokering appointment of judges.

The former prime minister dismissed claims that prominent businessman Tan Sri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun had on several occasions brought Lingam to his house when he was the prime minister.

“That is not true,” said Dr Mahathir to a question by the Malaysian Bar representative Christopher Leong who referred to some passages of the conversation in the video clip to the former premier, implying that Lingam had occasionally went to his (Dr Mahathir’s) house.

Leong: "Do you know V.K. Lingam?"

Dr Mahathir: "I’ve heard about him in the newspapers involving several cases. I only got to know him recently when I engaged his services in a civil suit filed against me by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim."
Dr Mahathir, however, told the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam video clip, that Lingam has been to his house after he was no longer the prime minister and after the conversation in the video tape took place.

“After I engaged Lingam (as counsel) to represent me in the civil suit, then only he (Lingam) has been to my house,” he testified on the fourth day of the inquiry.

To Leong’s question on whether Vincent Tan had introduced Lingam to him, Dr Mahathir replied that he would not be able to say precisely, but added that in order for him to contact Lingam, he probably spoke to Vincent.

On why he chose Lingam to represent him in the legal suit, Dr Mahathir said he thought Lingam would be a good candidate.

He admitted that Lingam was still his counsel.

Asked on whether he had seen the video clip, Dr Mahathir said: “I watched it on TV.”

Dr Mahathir was also questioned on his relationship with Vincent Tan.

He admitted that they were friends.

“Yes, I know him (Vincent Tan). I have relationship with him for many years. I know him very well,” he said.

The Royal Commission of Inquiry was set up to ascertain, among others, the authenticity of a video clip featuring a lawyer allegedly brokering judicial appointments with a senior judge.

The five-member panel comprises chairman Tan Sri Haidar Mohamed Noor, who was former Cbief Judge of Malaya, former chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Amar Steve Shim Lip Kiong, retired court of appeal judge Datuk Mahadev Shankar, former solicitor-general Puan Sri Zaitun Zawiyah Puteh and historian Prof Emeritus Dr Khoo Kay Khim

Cops begin massive search for Sharlinie

PETALING JAYA: Police have begun a massive search for five-year-old Sharlinie Mohd Nashar who disappeared from a playground about 200m from her house in Taman Medan on Wednesday.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said a task force headed by Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Arjunaidi Mohamed has been formed with Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor police

HELP US TO FIND HER

蔡細歷丑闻

衛生部長拿督斯里蔡細歷週二（1月1日）承認，他就是在柔佛流傳的光碟中的男士，並且向全國人民道歉。 他在新聞發佈會上發表一項聲明時透露，他也已經親自向正、副首相及馬華總會長拿督斯里黃家定解釋和道歉。 交首相決定命運 針對政治地位、未來動向包括是否考慮辭職的問題，蔡氏表示，他交由首相拿督斯里阿都拉決定其命運。 不過，他說，他的地位目前仍維持不變。

這項新聞發佈會原訂下午3時半舉行，但遲至4時零5分過後，蔡細歷才在警隊護送下抵達舉行新聞發佈會的現場即馬華拉美士區會黨所，至4時10分左右，發佈 會才正式舉行。 出席新聞發佈會者包括柔佛州馬華聯委會署理主席陳國煌、公共投訴局主席劉德賢、秘書鄭修強、利民達州議員李煌治、帆加蘭州議員高志財、士乃州議員陳潤福。 蔡細歷的夫人拿汀斯里黃薛卿聲明在另一則聲明中，表示她及家人已接受他誠心的懺悔，並已寬恕他。 獲妻兒家人諒解 拿督斯里蔡細歷醫生聲明： “我承認我是光碟中的男士。光碟中的女郎是我的朋友。 我在此鄭重聲明，那不是我自拍的光碟。我也不想繼續推測偷拍者的身份和目的。不過，肯定存有他的議程。 對我而言，如今獲得妻子、孩子和家人的諒解，這已經足夠了。 我也親自會見了首相拿督斯里阿都拉、副首相拿督斯里納吉，以及馬華總會長拿督斯里黃家定，並向他們解釋和道歉。 我特此要向所有馬華同志、同僚、我的支持者和全體馬來西亞人民致歉。 在這段時期，許多基層和支持者紛紛致電和發短訊慰問，我謹此感謝大家的關心、支持和鼓勵。 我同時要求各媒體給予我和我家人一個空間，讓我們可以從容面對接下來的挑戰。 謝謝。”

黃薛卿：我們寬恕他 拿汀斯里黃薛卿聲明： 我的丈夫拿督斯里蔡細歷醫生已向我和孩子們道歉。 我必須承認，這事件讓我們難過，但身為一家人，我們已經接受他誠心的懺悔，並已寬恕他。 我要強調的是，多年以來他一直是個稱職盡責的好丈夫、好父親和家庭成員。因此，我們願意給他無限的支持，共同與他走過這段艱難時刻。 馬華2日開緊急會議 馬華將在週三（2日）下午召開緊急會長理事會會議，以討論副總會長拿督斯里蔡細歷承認本身就是性愛光碟主角的事件。

馬華總會長拿督斯里黃家定說，他將會在會議後，發表馬華針對此事的正式聲明。 他於傍晚發表簡短文告說，他會把蔡細歷今天發表的聲明記錄在案。 這是黨領導層討論的重要事情，所以我們週三下午召開緊急會長理事會會議。 馬華將於下午3時在馬華總部召開緊急會長理事會會議。 這項緊急會議將決定蔡細歷的政治前景，包括是否採取紀律行動對付後者。 另一方面，據瞭解，大部份柔佛國州議員及區會主席將在週三到布城衛生部，支持蔡細歷。 （星洲日報•2008.01.02）

马来西亚的官僚门已经达到了一个官官相护的状态,而且官员们的脸皮已经厚达如我新家的石灰台一样,我只有两个字形容,可恶,此之在外真的没几个字了,还有黃薛卿应该自刮两下,说了这么侮辱女性的言论,丈夫在外嫖妓,老婆说没事,原谅? 亏你还是人家的母亲,何来榜样!

Hard-plastic bottles raise worries

Story Highlights

There is little dispute that BPA can disrupt the hormonal system

Patagonia pulled polycarbonate water bottles from its 40 stores worldwide in 2005

Mountain Equipment: It removed mostly polycarbonate water bottles, containers

BPA is found in dental sealants, CDs and DVDs

China gets tough on texting

BEIJING, China (AP) -- A Beijing city regulation clamping down on people who send text messages that "spread rumors" or "endanger public security" is a threat to freedom of expression, a watchdog group said Monday.
China Human Rights Defenders, an international network of activists and rights monitoring groups, said the recent regulation on text messages "raises serious concerns over the restriction of freedom of expression in China."
The group said in a statement that an average of 180 million text messages are sent every day and that text messaging has become one of the most important means of receiving information unavailable in the mainstream media.
The 2008 Olympics, which Beijing is hosting, offer a high-profile opportunity for protesters to air their grievances against China on issues like religious freedom, human rights and Tibetan independence.
Beijing police will work with government agencies and telecommunications companies to investigate and punish those using text messages to "spread rumors" or "endanger public security," the city government said in a notice posted on its Web site late last month.
Chinese authorities commonly use vague charges such as those to detain dissidents or others it views as a threat to the ruling Communist Party.
Although the notice did not detail specific punishments, a story in the city's Communist Party mouthpiece newspaper, the Beijing Daily, earlier this year said people who spread rumors or other false information are subject to detention for up to 10 days and a fine of up to $70.
China has more than 500 million cell phone users and text messaging has become an increasingly effective way to spread word of meetings or demonstrations.
This summer, plans to build a chemical plant in the southern coastal city of Xiamen were suspended after residents sent nearly 1 million text messages to friends and family, urging the government to abandon the project because of its alleged health and environmental risks.
Meanwhile, a Tibetan language online discussion forum was shut down this month for having content that was against Chinese law, according to a notice on its Web site.
The popular forum, which was hosted at www.Tibet123.com, was shut down for containing "illegal content," according to a notice on the Web site.
The notice says it "strongly condemns the 'rotten apple in the barrel' who published harmful information."
The notice then invites people to leave comments. It is not clear if the notice is from the site moderator or the government.
Media rights group Reporters Without Borders has called the site "the most dynamic forum in the Tibetan blogosphere" with over 6,200 registered members.
The Paris-based group said the site has been closed since December 6. It was still inaccessible Monday.

Its good to have control and warnings but putting in the people in Jail ? well, is communisst, what you think whom you are dealing with ? haha...

Express bus rams and kills mechanic fixing stalled car

SEREMBAN: A driver whose car had stalled and a mechanic summoned to check his vehicle were killed when an express bus ploughed into them at the 263rd kilometre of the North-South Expressway near here, yesterday. Mohd Hanif Mohd Noor, 29, from Kg Air Tawar in Merlimau, Malacca, was driving to Bandar Baru Bangi with his mother and two younger siblings to visit a sister when his car broke down

Mechanic Palaneysamy Ratnam, 26, from Taman Mambau Jaya, near here, had arrived to check the car parked on the emergency lane. However, as both stood on the driver’s side of the car to check the engine, the express bus which had just entered the highway hit them, killing both instantly. They were flung some 30m from the car.

“The bus just came out of nowhere and hit my brother and the mechanic,” Mohd Hanif’s sister, Siti Aishah, 15, said. The bus driver said the two appeared suddenly from the front of the car.
None of the bus’ 40 passengers was injured. They were taken to their destination in another bus.

The bus driver, who went to the district police station to lodge a report, has been detained to facilitate investigations. The accident caused a traffic snarl for several kilometres on both sides of the highway.

Its dangerous to stay on road and some more let the motorist to repair the car ? How can plus allowed that ? They should ban car repariing without proper arrangment

Cinemas allowed ‘with conditions’

KOTA BARU: After the last cinema was closed down in 1995, the state government is now willing to consider allowing them or cineplexes.

However, only movies with strong moral values could be screened.

State Finance Planning Committee chairman Datuk Husam Musa told a press conference yesterday that the state government would welcome investors keen to set up cinemas or cineplexes.

Actress Maya Karin, during a visit to Kota Baru on Tuesday, supported the revival of the cinema or cineplex industry in the state, saying that it could boost the local film scene.

State Education Committee chairman Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah said that the state had not banned cinemas or cineplexes but that they died a “natural death” due to the advent of VCDs, DVDs and the Internet.

Husam said the approach to invite local celebrities such as Mawi and Maya Karin was to bring about a positive effect to an Islamic form of entertainment.

“We must bring stars such as Mawi or Maya as they can woo the public on advocating an Islamic form of entertainment which dwells more on strong morals, spiritual and human qualities rather than the current crop of commercialised movies which border on excessive sex and violence.”

Husam said he was delighted to see Maya donning a headscarf and was polite during her brief visit here.

At another function, Husam said he welcomed the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to investigate corruption and abuse of power claims made against him.

Hisham: It’s another lie

SINGAPORE: Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the latest malicious SMS made against him is another lie by unscrupulous people who are trying to disrupt racial harmony in the country.

“I read this SMS today, which is untrue, a deception, and is laced with racism. It accused me and my deputy Khairy Jamaluddin of planning to go to Kampung Baru to incite hatred of the Malays against other races on Dec 19.

“The intentions (of the sender) is evil. It is an act to worsen the situation. Just like the earlier SMS, which claimed that I do not need the support of the Indians and Chinese, it is a lie,” he said.

Hishammuddin said neither he nor Khairy has any intention to go to Kampung Baru to incite the Malays against the non-Malays.

“That is not how we work in Barisan Nasional. That is not something we will ever do,” he said.

He called for Malaysians not to be easily influenced by lies and deception that can disrupt harmonious society, saying that those spreading them wanted to create chaos in the country.

While the earlier SMS quoted Bernama as the source, Hishammuddin said the new one did not quote anybody.

“When Bernama was framed, Bernama denied sending it and that shows that the SMS was a complete lie.

“This recent SMS did not quote Bernama, so they have learnt from their mistake,” he said.

He vowed to expose those behind the rumours and said that they will continue to monitor the SMS although he would not lodge a police report.

“We will expose them, their evil intentions, and their narrow-minded aim. If I am to lodge police reports over SMSes, then I will be at the police station every day,” he said.

Gunman opens fire at Omaha mall, kills 8, self

OMAHA, Neb. - A gunman opened fire at a busy Omaha mall Wednesday, killing at least eight people, wounding at least five others and then killing himself, police officials said.

The gunman left two suicide notes and a will that were found at his home, said a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak. Police told NBC affiliate WOWT-TV that the note said he was "going out in style."

The official identified the gunman as 20-year-old Robert A. Hawkins. Hawkins' vehicle was found in the mall parking lot. Police later detonated a device near the car.

Witnesses said Hawkins pointed a rifle over a third-floor balcony and opened fire in the Von Maur department store at Westroads Mall.

A Von Maur employee said he heard a burst of five to six shots followed by 15 to 20 shots. Witnesses said Hawkins appeared to be firing randomly. Authorities gave no motive for the attack and did not know whether he said anything during the rampage.

Police received the first 911 call at 1:42 p.m. from someone inside the mall, and shots could be heard in the background, Sgt. Teresa Negron said. By the time officers arrived six minutes later, the shooting was over, she said.

Hawkins was found dead on the third floor with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and his victims were discovered on the second and third floors, police said. The Omaha World-Herald reported that he had a military-style haircut and a black backpack and wore a camouflage vest.

Negron said every officer in the city was sent to the mall.

HINDRAF 2007 NOV (2)

HINDRAF 2007 NOV (1)

Hindus, police clash in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (CNN) -- Thousands of Hindu protesters met water cannons and tear gas in Malaysia's capital on Sunday while demanding equal rights and consideration from the government. CNN confirmed at least 5,000 protesters marched in Kuala Lumpur, but The Associated Press placed the figure as high as 10,000. Some protesters threw rocks at the water cannon trucks, but others were urging peaceful demonstrations.

The AP quoted witnesses who saw people being beaten and dragged into trucks by police. Public transportation into the city was stopped, hindering protesters from coming in. Police stopped protesters as they tried to take a petition to the British High Commission. Talks were under way for authorities to allow six protesters to deliver the petition, should the crowd disperse. The rally -- rooted in complaints that the ethnic Malay Muslim-dominated government discriminates against minorities -- was the largest protest in at least a decade involving ethnic Indians, the country's second-largest minority population after ethnic Chinese.

The ethnic Indians are generally the most underprivileged. Earlier this month, riot police used water hoses and tear gas against thousands of protesters demanding electoral reform, the largest demonstration in Kuala Lumpur in nearly a decade. Street demonstrations are considered rare among the multiple ethnic groups in Malaysia, which prides itself on its communal and political stability. Malaysia has maintained racial peace since 1969, when some 200 people were killed in riots sparked by Malay frustration over the economic clout of Chinese.

The violence spurred the creation of programs that give Malays privileges in government jobs, contracts and education.

All Malaysian please beware of the current situation...................

Seven killed in Dubai bridge collapse

DUBAI (Reuters) - At least seven people were killed and about 15 injured on Thursday when a Dubai bridge under construction collapsed near luxury hotels and high-rises in the Gulf tourism hub.

Police said the incident in the new part of the city, where thousands of housing units are being built, appeared to be the result of a construction problem.

"According to initial reports, seven are dead and about 15 are injured," deputy police chief Jamal al-Marri told Reuters by telephone.

A Reuters witness saw three bodies being pulled out and taken away in police vehicles. "They had orange overalls and were covered as they were carried on stretchers," she said.

Nine workers were rushed to a government hospital with bad injuries, a police officer at the site said.

Dubai, one of seven emirates in the United Arab Emirates, is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world, with a building boom involving the construction of scores of skyscrapers, including the world's tallest building. The world's largest theme park is also under construction in Dubai.

Policemen and rescue workers at the site said that about 40 construction workers were on top of the overpass when a crane hit a segment of the structure, bringing it down.

Matar Saeed al-Tayer, director general of the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority, was quoted as saying that the incident apparently happened after workers placed an excessive amount of steel on the bridge, causing it to collapse.

"The amount of steel placed was more than allowed. There are certain safety rules that any contractor should adhere to," the official WAM news agency quoted Tayer as saying.

Dubai police chief, Dahi Khalfan Tamim, said rescue crews were on the scenes within four minutes of the accident with helicopters and ambulances.

The police brought sniffer dogs to search for any victims buried in the rubble.

Most workers in Dubai hail from the Indian subcontinent.

Two workers were killed and about 60 injured in January when a fire broke out in a tower block under construction in Dubai, the trading and tourism hub of the United Arab Emirates.

(Additional reporting by Firouz Sedarat, Fouad Juez and Ola Galal; Editing by Sami Aboudi)

Mafia's '10 commandments' revealed

ROME, Italy (AP) -- Thou shalt be faithful to the Mafia. Italian police said Thursday they have found a list of 10 commandments for mobsters in a house near Palermo, where a top Mafia boss was arrested this week.

Salvatore Lo Piccolo, who had been on the run since 1993, was vying to become the next "boss of bosses" of the Sicilian Mafia, according to Italian investigators. He was apprehended Monday by police raiding a house in the countryside outside Palermo, the Sicilian capital.

The list was found among his coded notes about the administration of Cosa Nostra that were delivered by Lo Piccolo's aides.

Police in Palermo said that the list opened with a preamble that said: "I swear to be faithful to Cosa Nostra. Should I betray, my flesh will burn." Under the category "Rights and Duty" were the 10 entries, meant to be a sort of users' manual for the good mobster. The list was typewritten in uppercase letters, police said.

Italian newspaper La Repubblica published a photo of what it said was the list, under the headline: "The Godfather's Ten Commandments."

The list bars mobsters from hanging out in bars, from befriending police and being late for appointments. It also bars them from "taking possession of money that belong to others or other families."

How to treat women also features in the decalogue.

"You shall not look at wives of our friends," says one entry. "You shall respect your wife," says another. However, the Mafia comes first, as the fifth "commandment" orders a mobster to "be available for Cosa Nostra at any moment, even if your wife is about to give birth."

The last part of the list sets out application rules, saying that those who have a very bad behavior and no moral values cannot join.

Investigators believe that the 65-year-old Lo Piccolo could have eventually emerged from a power struggle as the Mafia's new top boss following the capture of Bernardo Provenzano, the reputed No. 1 of the Cosa Nostra crime syndicate. Provenzano was arrested on a farm near Corleone, Sicily, in April 2006, after more than 40 years on the run

Oil discovery rocks Brazil

Story Highlights

• Petrobras president: Oil found would give Brazil the world's eighth largest reserves
  
• Petrobras: Tupi field has equivalent to 40 percent of all oil ever discovered in Brazil
  
• Brazil became a net oil exporter only last year
  
• Presidential chief of staff: Oil find will put Brazil on level of Venezuela, Arab nations

Bhutto's home surrounded

# Story Highlights

• NEW: CNN and BBC taken off air for a second time
• Security forces surround Bhutto's house and cordon off nearby streets
• Crackdown comes hours before massive political rally
• Elections to be held by February 15, Pakistan's president says

Police have not served Bhutto an official house arrest notice, the sources said, but her movements have been limited, according to local media reports.

The action comes hours before her Pakistan People's Party (PPP) were to begin a massive rally in Rawalpindi against the state of emergency imposed by the government on Saturday.

President Pervez Musharraf's emergency order outlawed the rally, but Bhutto has been hoping fellow opposition parties will put their differences aside and participate as a challenge to Musharraf's government.

In addition Friday, the government also took CNN and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) off air for a second time as part of a media blackout, CNN's Mohsin Naqvi in Islamabad reported.

Asian drug warlord dies in Myanmar

Story Highlights
# One-time drug warlord Khun Sa has died in Myanmar aged 74, an official said
# He claimed to be fighting for autonomy for the Shan, an ethnic minority
# The United States had offered a $2 million reward for his arrest

PM disowns daughter for being gay

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) -- Cambodian's prime minister said Tuesday he was severing ties with his adopted daughter, who is a lesbian, but appealed to people not to discriminate against gay people.

"My adopted daughter now has a wife. I'm quite disappointed," Hun Sen said.

He made the rare revelation about his closely guarded family life during a public speech at a student graduation ceremony. Cambodian society, like that of neighboring Thailand, is generally tolerant of homosexuality. In 2004, then-King Norodom Sihanouk announced his support for gay rights, including the right to marry.

Hun Sen said he plans to file a civil court case to disown his adopted daughter so that she cannot claim any inheritance from his family. "We are concerned that she might one day cause us trouble ... and try to stake her claim for a share of our assets," he said.

The prime minister and his wife, Bun Rany, have three sons and two other daughters. He said they adopted their third daughter in the mid 1980s when she was 18 days old. She has carried his family name, "Hun," just like his biological children.

Despite his action toward his daughter, Hun Sen in his speech to the graduating class at the National Institute of Education appealed to parents and society not to discriminate against gay people

Final resting place for Goh Tong

GENTING HIGHLANDS: Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong will forever remain on this vast hill he so dearly adored.

His wish of being buried here was fulfilled yesterday as his widow, Puan Sri Lee Kim Hua, 79, and six children laid him to rest at the Gohtong Memorial Park, located some 600m from his residence, Gohtong Villa. The hill had meant so much to Goh Tong that he chose the villa to spend the last few years of his life here, although he owned many other residential properties.

The burial ground was also a personal choice. Friends mentioned how Goh Tong fell in love with this piece of land and made known his intention to be buried here after feng shui masters declared the site a prosperous “dragon’s head”, which was good for Goh Tong and the generations after him.

Simultaneously yesterday at Goh Tong’s birthplace in Anxi, China, a memorial ceremony was held at the community hall to honour a filial “son” who successfully made his fortune overseas but continued to pour money back to the village to build schools, construct roads and uplift the local economy.

Eight eulogies were delivered paying tribute to Goh Tong's “can do” spirit, his philanthropic deeds and his humility.

Widow’s grief: Lee by herself during the funeral ceremony at Gohtong Villa.
MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting described Lim as a great man who left a legacy that contributed to the country’s economy and nation-building.

The funeral yesterday ended five days of wake beginning on Wednesday after Goh Tong died at the Subang Jaya Medical Centre the day before.

More than 20,000 people, including royalty, Asia’s rich and famous, politicians, friends, business allies and members of the public paid tribute to Goh Tong in their own ways. They either attended the wake, sent wreaths or penned messages of sympathy.

The wreaths alone took up almost a kilometre, lining the road up to Gohtong Villa.

Asia’s richest man, Li Ka Shing, sent a personal condolence note to the bereaved family, offering words that perhaps best captured the essence of who Goh Tong was.

”I am feeling very sad but be comforted that he enjoyed a long life with his children and grandchildren. He led a full life without anything to be regretted about. I hope your mother and others in the family will take good care, and this is my prayer too,” he wrote.

The Lim family had opened up Gohtong Villa for friends and the public to pay their respects. However, the burial at 1.18pm was a private affair restricted to the family.

Honouring a friend: Hanif reading his eulogy at the beginning of the funeral ceremony at Gohtong Villa Monday.
Words of farewell
“From harvesting lettuce and maple syrup, we have now become the most profitable casino in the world. Before Lim, we only knew poverty. It was with his faith and trust that we are what we are now.”

- Michael Thomas, chairman of the Native American Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.

“He was a young man of 19 who left his country never to see his mother again, to come and work in Malaya as a carpenter.”

- Tun Hanif Omar, deputy chairman of Genting Group.

“He had undergone more difficulties and challenges than any other entrepreneur, before he became successful in his business. However, he remained a friendly, sporting and humble person who was actively involved in charitable activities.”

- Tan Sri Lim Gait Tong, president of the Federation of Chinese Associations of Malaysia.

“Even though he was a wealthy man, he still lived a simple life. He also understood that he needed to repay society after benefiting from it.”

- Dr Tan Tat Chin, a member of the Tung Shin Hospital Board of Directors.

“He is a source of inspiration and we salute his accomplishment. He will continue to live in the heart of those who have been touched by him.”

- Tan Sri Dr Ng Lay Swee, president and chief executive officer of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman.

"Life come with a time frame, without this frame, our life will be meaningless"
- Lee Teck Jun, good bye uncle lim...

EPF scheme to help members save more for retirement

KUALA LUMPUR: All Employees Provident Fund contributors will, from Feb 1, be able to withdraw part of their funds and channel them to approved investment programmes.

Under the new scheme, contributors, irrespective of age, will be able to withdraw from Account One what is in excess of a “required amount” of savings as determined by the EPF and invest the money in unit trusts.

Currently, contributors can only do so if they have in excess of RM50,000.

This is one among a range of changes that the EPF is implementing in stages to make it easier for contributors to exercise the option to augment their savings for their retirement.

Using the tagline “Beyond Savings”, the EPF also hopes the changes will ensure that contributors have enough money for retirement.

Other changes include:

# MORE flexible withdrawals for contributors at age 55;

# ALLOWING withdrawal of any amount irrespective of age for savings in excess of RM1mil;

# ALLOWING withdrawals from Account Two for critical illness insurance; and

# WITHDRAWALS for housing loan instalments.

These changes were revealed by EPF chief executive officer Datuk Azlan Zainol at the fund's headquarters here yesterday.

Azlan said the EPF has established a set of “required amounts” for contributors depending on their age.

The amounts are based on the assumption that a person would need at least RM120,000 – or RM500 a month – from retirement at 55 to age 75.

He said a contributor could withdraw 20% of the amount in excess of the required amount for investments in unit trusts.

“For example, if a 25-year-old has RM20,000 in Account One, he can take 20% of the excess to invest once every three months. This is because his required amount is only RM9,000,” he said.

For those who have reached 55, Azlan said that from Nov 1 they would have several options: withdraw everything they have, go for monthly withdrawals of at least RM250 for at least one year, or withdraw at least RM2,000 at any one time.

Currently, members aged 55 can only choose to withdraw the entire sum, withdraw only annual dividends, or take out monthly amounts but for at least five years.

Azlan said there would also be changes to the procedures for age 50 withdrawals.

From Jan 1, 2013, those who reach 50 would only be able to withdraw any amount from Account Two if their Account One has at least RM90,000, the required amount for that age.

On using EPF withdrawals to pay housing loan instalments, Azlan said that although the money would be banked straight into the contributors' accounts, it would be liasing with the banks to ensure that the loans are properly serviced.

“If they fail to pay their instalments for three months, the bank will inform us and we will stop payment to the contributors,” he said, adding that this scheme would start from Jan 1.

Azlan said that from Nov 1, those who had more than RM1mil in their savings could withdraw and invest the excess amount anytime. He said there were about 4,700 contributors who had more than RM1mil in their accounts.

DEATH OF A GIANT.....

PETALING JAYA: Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, founder and honorary life president of Genting Group, passed away at 11.20am Tuesday at the Subang Jaya Medical Centre.

The tycoon, who turned 90 in April this year, was renowned for his vision in transforming Genting Highlands from an unexplored hilltop to one of the world's most successful casino resorts.

The fifth child in a family of seven children, Lim migrated from China's Fujian province in 1937 at the age of 19 with only a small suitcase and US$175.

The idea of a hill resort was chanced upon by Lim amidst the crisp air of Cameron Highlands in 1964. Lim was then working on a hydro-electric power project at the popular hill resort, patronised mostly by British colonials seeking cool refuge from the tropical heat, when he foresaw a prosperous Malaysia of the future desiring a cool mountain holiday resort within the reach of all Malaysians.

To date, Genting Highlands Resort has five hotels and two apartment blocks at the hilltop and Awana Genting Highlands Golf and Country Resort.

The company, founded in 1965, has since expanded and diversified from its initial hotel and resort activities to plantations, properties, paper manufacturing, power generation, oil and gas, electronic commerce and information technology development under Genting Group.

According to Forbes Asia, the Genting Group founder was third richest in the country with a net worth of US$4.3bil (RM14.6bil).

Lim is survived by wife Puan Sri Lee Kim Hua, and their six children and 19 grandchildren.

One of the greatest man has gone....... we pray for his goneness

Witnesses: All gold miners freed from South Africa mine

CARLETONVILLE, South Africa -- The last of 3,200 gold miners trapped by a power failure reached the surface late Thursday after nearly two days underground, witnesses reported.

The workers were stuck 1.3 miles (2 kilometers ) underground in the cavernous Elandstrand New Mine after a large compressed air pipe fell down a shaft about 6 a.m. Wednesday (midnight Tuesday ET). The accident knocked out power and disabled elevators in the mine, which is built like an underground city, complete with trains, trucks and cars.

No one was hurt during the ordeal.

"I'm happy now because we are out and we are alive," said Granny Makau, one of the freed miners and one of scores of women working at Elandstrand.

"No one died so we are happy," she said.

"This was a situation where the people were not really in danger, they were underground," said Graham Briggs, the president of Harmony Gold Mining Company, which oversees operations at the mine.

"It's not really an accident in the sense of an underground accident -- in the sense of a falling rock," Briggs said.

More than a thousand miners had surfaced by midmorning Thursday.

Airbus boss denies insider trading

PARIS, France (AP) -- Airbus Chief Executive Thomas Enders denied insider trading allegations stemming from the sale of shares in parent company EADS amid problems with the A380 superjumbo.

In a letter sent late Thursday to Airbus employees, Enders said that when he exercised stock options in November 2005, "there was no reason to believe it would be improper." The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter Friday.

For more than a year, the French Financial Markets Authority, or AMF, has been investigating share sales between November 2005 and March 2006 by 21 top managers of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co.

A preliminary report by French regulators leaked to the press on Wednesday suggests "massive insider trading" took place at EADS.

Problems with the A380 and the mid-range A350 came to light publicly in June 2006, sending EADS shares tumbling 26 percent in one day.
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Enders sold 50,000 shares for a profit of €711,750 ($1 million), according to the AMF. Airbus Chief Noel Forgeard in March 2006 made a profit of €2.5 million ($3.2 million).

"To be clear to you all, I have never committed any insider trading, and I have not been accused of insider dealing by anyone, including the AMF," Enders wrote in the letter. "I categorically deny the allegations and insinuations in the press.

Spain arrests Basque leaders

MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- Spanish police have arrested 23 leaders of an outlawed Basque pro-independence party on suspicion of aiding the armed separatist group ETA, a judicial source told CNN.

Authorities raided a meeting on Thursday involving the 23 in the Basque town of Segura, where they were suspected of secretly trying to transfer the leadership of the outlawed Batasuna party from veteran activists present to a new set of leaders, who were also present, the source said.

The arrests were seen as part of broad crackdown on ETA and its supporters after ETA formally called off its cease-fire last June.

ETA is blamed for more than 800 deaths over four decades in its fight for Basque independence and is listed as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union.

Judge Baltasar Garzon, who has long sought to untangle ETA's web of armed fighters, financial support, logistical apparatus and clandestine support from the outlawed Batasuna, ordered the latest arrests, the source said

Southwest Airlines makes man change T-shirt

TAMPA, Florida (AP) -- Southwest Airlines said it will apologize to a passenger who was told he would be removed from a flight if he didn't change clothes, the second time in recent months the budget carrier has been forced to do so.

Joe Winiecki, of Largo, Florida, boarded a Southwest flight in Columbus, Ohio, wearing a fictional fishing shop T-shirt which featured the words, "Master Baiter."

Winiecki, who was traveling home, said he was in his seat when an employee told him he had to change his T-shirt, turn it inside out, or get off the plane.

Winiecki protested that the airline was infringing on his right to free speech, but changed his shirt fearing he would miss the flight and a day's work.

Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz said Friday the employee made a mistake because the Dallas-based airline does not have a dress code.

The airline apologized this summer after a college student wearing a denim miniskirt and a sweater over a tank top was told to change her outfit or get off a flight departing from San Diego.

Kyla Ebbert, who was 23, told the story on "The Dr. Phil Show." She was read a printed apology from Southwest Chief Executive Gary Kelly on the show.

Ebbert was allowed to fly after agreeing to alter her outfit. The airline offered Ebbert free tickets and tried to make light of the mix-up in humorous advertising.

Ebbert declined the tickets.

After the Ebbert encounter, Southwest President Colleen Barrett sent employees a generally worded e-mail reminding them that the airline has no dress code, Mainz said.

Southwest, like other airlines, has language in its contract of carriage that states it reserves the right to deny service to customers whose clothing is "lewd, obscene or patently offensive."

Tenn. man kills himself at city council meeting

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - A barber with strong ties to the military community pulled out a gun and shot himself in the head at a City Council meeting after his request for a rezoning measure was rejected.

Ronald "Bo" Ward sought the rezoning to increase the property value of his home, allowing him to secure a loan to offset debt he incurred when he expanded his barber shop.

After the 5-7 vote Thursday night, Ward stood and walked toward the council.

"Ya'll have put me under. ... I'm out of here," he said before shooting himself in the head with a small handgun.

Fire and police officials attending the meeting immediately ushered the audience of about 50 into the hallway, where several people were sobbing.

At least one police officer is always on duty during council meetings, officials said. However, visitors are not required to go through a metal detector or any other screening.

"When a gun gets whipped out like that, someone is going to get shot, but I didn't know who," Councilman Bill Summers said. "You could've been right next to him, and I don't think you could have stopped that."

Mayor Johnny Piper said Thursday's council meeting would be the last held in that room.

VK Lingam on phone with Ahmad Fairuz (subtitled)

Second heart transplant for Hui Yi

KUALA LUMPUR: Tee Hui Yi’s body was rejecting her new heart and doctors at the National Heart Institute (IJN) were getting desperate.

Miraculously, a second donor heart became available and the 14-year-old girl got a second chance – thanks to the parents of a 20-year-old mechanic in Johor who died in a road mishap.

Hui Yi had shown signs of organ rejection after a 10-hour heart transplant surgery at the IJN which began at 1.30am on Thursday.

The first heart had come from a 15-year-old boy who was declared brain dead on Wednesday in Ipoh and the organ was harvested by IJN surgeons and brought back on a mercy flight to the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang.

On Thursday, the young mechanic Chin Yoon Keong was declared brain dead in Johor, and his father offered to donate his son’s heart to Hui Yi after having read in the newspapers about her one-year-wait for the organ.

“Hui Yi would not have made it if she had not received the second heart,” said IJN heart and lung transplant unit clinical director Dr Mohamed Izani Md Taib.

He said the IJN received an average of one donor heart in six months, but in the past one year, there was none at all.

“However, in the last two days we received two. This must be divine intervention,” he said yesterday.

When Hui Yi’s own heart began to fail, doctors at IJN had put her on a mechanical heart device which could only last two years.
From the day she got the the artificial heart, she had been warded at the IJN, with her mother by her side.

At the end of the first year on Sept 29, a tearful Hui Yi told pressmen at a media conference that she had been suffering frequent bouts of fever, vomiting and body ache – besides anxious, sleepless nights worrying that time was running out.

On Wednesday night, IJN assembled a team of 35 medical personnel as Hui Yi was wheeled into the operating theatre about 10.45pm, upon hearing that a heart had been harvested from a boy in Ipoh who was killed in a road accident.

Hui Yi’s heart was removed and replaced with the donor heart but unfortunately, the implanted heart failed to function, said IJN’s chief cardiothoracic surgeon Datuk Dr Mohd Azhari Yakub.

“Blood pressure was unstable even though the heart was in good condition when we procured it in Ipoh,” he said.

The symptoms pointed to her immune system rejecting the heart, said Dr Mohamed Izani, who explained that in any organ transplant, despite the matching blood type, there was a 5% to 10% chance of rejection.

“When we heard that there was a second donor in Johor Baru and that the blood group and height of the donor match the girl’s, and because her condition was not stable, we decided to carry out the second transplant,” he said.

The same team of surgeons performed the second transplant which started at 1am yesterday and ended about seven hours later.

“Her condition is now stable and the heart’s blood pressure is satisfactory. However, her condition remains critical,” said Dr Mohd Azhari, who headed the transplant team together with Dr Mohamed Izani.

Anwar declines to reveal his source

PETALING JAYA: Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim declined to reveal the origins of the Lingam video clip during a two-hour interview by Anti-Corruption Agency officers yesterday.

Anwar told a press conference at his office that he was questioned by ACA officers on the particulars of the video footage and the sources who had disclosed it.

Only eight minutes of the 14-minute video clip have been made public so far. Keadilan has said the remainder has not been released to protect the sources.

“I am willing to come out in the open and co-operate with the ACA but I am very concerned about the personal security of the sources. The ACA said they were willing to protect the sources, but personal security is not within the ACA’s power, and we will not compromise on their personal safety,” Anwar said.

He said the sources, which he referred to as Mr X and Mr Y, were willing to come forward if they were assured of their personal security, and would reveal themselves “when the time is right".

Come one, what if the guy is dead when you reveal them?

Ministry looks for win-win situation in toll hike

JELI: The Works Ministry will try to strike a balance between the needs of the people and highway concessionaires in the coming toll hike.

Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said his ministry would submit a report to the cabinet on the review, as well as the study carried out by the seven concessionaires, after Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

“We are considering several proposals. Our aim is to avoid burdening the rakyat.

“The concessionaires have the right to request a review of the toll rate under their agreements with the government, but we will make sure it is a win-win situation,” he said after performing the groundbreaking of a RM70 million upgrading project on the Jeli-Jelawang-Gua Musang road on Thursday.

The project, due for completion in two years, is one of six road projects in Kelantan under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.
He said the stretch is an important part of the federal route 66, linking Gua Musang in south Kelantan and Jeli in the west.

“Jeli town has the potential to grow, especially with several major projects like the new Sekolah Menengah Sains and the Universiti Malaysia Kelantan branch campus here.”

A surprise in his loaf of bread

SEREMBAN: A construction supervisor and his wife nearly had a little “extra protein” in their sandwiches on Thursday.

Mohd Rafi Mohd Kamal found a dead cockroach in a loaf of bread he bought from a grocery shop near his Seremban 2 home.

“I didn’t notice anything wrong with the bread until I got to the last few slices. I found a dead cockroach sandwiched between them,” said the 31-year-old.

He says his wife Shukrina Abdullah fell ill after eating a few slices from the same end of the loaf where the cockroach was found.

“She was vomiting and had diarrhoea. The doctor said it might have been caused by the contaminated bread,” said Rafi, adding that he noticed a few spots of mould on the bread even though the expiry date on the label was Oct 6.
Shukrina lodged a police report on the same day but Rafi said when he contacted the manufacturer, the company tried to brush off his complaint.

“They asked me to send the bread to them so they could conduct tests and investigate the matter.

“I declined because I want the tests to be done by a neutral body,” he said.

He lodged a report and submitted the bread to the Negri Sembilan health department for testing yesterday.

“My next move depends on the test results,” he said.

The manufacturer’s Nilai facility was temporarily closed down last year because it was unhygienic, and the company was employing illegal workers as well as using cooking oil without a halal certification.