Another senior court official held for alleged graft

KUALA LUMPUR: A second senior official of the Perak syariah court has been arrested for alleged graft in just three weeks.

The Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) detained the 38-year-old man at 11.45am yesterday after he was summoned to the Perak state ACA office. It is learnt that the official had allegedly demanded and accepted bribes totalling about RM4,000 to settle a khalwat (close proximity) case.

ACA director-general Datuk Ahmad Said Hamdan confirmed the arrest but declined to elaborate as investigations are still under way. On Sept 6, another senior Perak syariah court official was arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes to expedite the settlement of a case involving a VIP.

He was arrested at his office by ACA officers following complaints from the public.

Sources said the complainant in the second case contacted the ACA after the official said he could drop the case for a fee. He allegedly asked the victim to deposit the money in his bank account, which the victim did after lodging a report with the ACA.

Argentine Court OKs Sex Change for Teen

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - A 17-year-old Argentine has won a court battle to undergo surgery to become a female, the first decision of its kind involving a minor in Argentina, news reports said Thursday.

Ending a three-year legal battle, a court in the central province of Cordoba authorized the surgery earlier this week.

In Argentina, the surgery requires court approval because of laws against mutilation.A judge in 2004 initially ruled the teenager must wait until age 21, but the parents appealed and persuaded a court panel, the reports said.

Courts have withheld the name because the teenager is still a minor and the local media have not published the teen's identity. In the U.S., no court permission is necessary but most doctors are hesitant to operate on minors, said Denise Leclair, executive director of the International Foundation for Gender Education in Waltham, Mass.

An August court decision in Brazil required the public health system to pay for sex reassignment surgeries. At least eight other countries, including Canada, have similar policies.

But in most of Latin America, the surgery still requires a judge's permission, according to Alejandra Victoria Portadino, legal counsel with the Homosexual Community of Argentina.

Five arrested in connection with Nurin's murder

SHAH ALAM: Five people including a woman have been arrested in connection with the murder of eight-year-old Nurul Jazlin Jazimin here on Thursday.

A team of police officers from the Petaling Jaya and Selangor police at about 11.30pm picked up the five aged between 27 and 33 from several locations in Section 7 here.

It is learnt one of the five, a man in his 30s, has a string of criminal records including sexual assault cases here and in several other states. CID director Commissioner Datuk Christopher Wan Soo Kee said the arrests were made possible following information from the public.

"Two cars and five cellular phones were seized from the suspects,'' he said, adding that they were detained to assist police in their investigation into the murder of Nurin Jazlin.

The arrest of the five is the first major breakthrough police have made since Nurin Jazlin was first reported missing from her Wangsa Maju flat on Aug 20.

Police have been working tirelessly to nab the killer/s and have reopened several old cases with similar modus operandi to narrow down their suspects. Nurin Jazlin went missing on Aug 20 after she went to a night market by herself near her house in Section 1, Wangsa Maju, in Setapak.

Her body was found stuffed in a sports bag at a three-storey shop lot in Petaling Utama on Sept 17. A post-mortem showed that she had been sexually assaulted.

Chinese lover to die for deadly smooch

Suspecting man's infidelity, she passed him a poison-laced pill during kiss

SHANGHAI, China - A Chinese woman who killed her lover with a rat poison-laced kiss when she suspected him of being unfaithful was sentenced to death, a Chinese newspaper reported on Thursday.

Xia Xinfeng, from the central province of Henan, passed a capsule with rat poison from her mouth to her long-time lover, Mao Ansheng, during a kiss, the Shanghai Daily said.

Mao swallowed the capsule and died soon afterwards.“The couple had said that if either one of them cheated on the other, he or she would have to die,” the paper said in explaining the mouth-to-mouth assault.

Xia found Mao had been “talking” with another woman and deemed that he had broken their promise.

FBI to help in Nurin murder probe

KUALA LUMPUR: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the investigative arm of the US Department of Justice, has agreed to assist police here to enhance the clarity of the blurred web-camera image of the person carrying the sports bag in which Nurin Jazlin Jazimin’s body was found.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said the FBI had the technology to get a clearer image.

“One of our officers left last night for the United States with the web-camera recording and we hope they can help produce a clearer image so that we can pick up the person for questioning.

“We are doing everything we can to arrest whoever murdered Nurin. There will be no let-up in our investigations,” he told reporters after presenting Hari Raya goodies to his men in Bukit Aman yesterday.

Musa said police had some good leads and his officers were working tirelessly to identify Nurin Jazlin’s killer. He appealed to the public to continue to provide information and vowed to follow up on every tip-off given to them. Nurin Jazlin went missing on Aug 20 after she went to a night market by herself near her house in Section 1, Wangsa Maju, in Setapak. Her body was found stuffed in a sports bag at a three-storey shop lot in Petaling Utama on Sept 17.

A post-mortem showed that she had been sexually assaulted.

Boy returns home to find mum dead

KLANG: A 16-year-old boy returned home from school to find his mother dead with her throat cut and her back slashed.

The victim, 53-year-old Tan Li Chu, was found sprawled on the floor near the kitchen. The home had been ransacked.

It is learnt that the boy found the gate opened and the sliding door leading to the hall unlocked when he returned home in Taman Chi Liung at about 6.50pm yesterday. The boy ran to the house of a relative nearby and they contacted the police. Tan, a mother of three, was alone at home while her husband, a factory worker, was at work.

A police spokesman said a 21-year-old suspect had been picked up and police were still investigating the motive.

China bans push-up bra advertisements

Officials have stopped 'saucy' ads ahead of a major Party meeting

BEIJING, China - Days after banning "sexually provocative sounds" on television, China has now stopped networks showing "saucy" adverts for push-up bras and figure-hugging underwear ahead of a major Communist Party meeting next month.

Other targets of the crackdown are "low-brow and base" commercials for sex toys and those featuring famous people or experts attesting to the efficacy of medicines, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television said on its Web site on Friday.

"Every television advertisement management bureau and television station must strengthen their political consciousness and responsibility towards society," Tian Jin, deputy head of the regulator, was quoted as saying.

The order is the latest in a raft of measures which have included axing reality shows featuring sex changes and plastic surgery and banning talent contests during prime-time.

The media watchdog's edicts have reached fever pitch in recent weeks, ahead of a meeting of the 17th Party congress, a sensitive five-yearly meeting at which key national leaders are appointed and policy set for the next few years.

Musharraf wins ruling on army role

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday dismissed legal challenges to President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's bid for a new five-year term.

The 6-3 decision in favor of the military leader allows him to contest the October 6 election while army chief and removes the main obstacle to his staying in office.

"These petitions are held to be non-maintainable," presiding Judge Rana Bhagwandas told the court, drawing howls of protests from lawyers in the gallery.

"Shame, shame!" and "Go, Mushharraf, go!" they said as they pumped their fists in the air in the packed, cavernous courtroom.

Bhagwandas gave no reason for the ruling, which was decided by a 6-3 vote among the justices.

The government has insisted all along that Musharraf, who took power in a 1999 coup, is a qualified candidate. Critics have countered that he cannot run because he has retained his position as powerful army chief. With his popularity and clout eroding, the general has said he would take off his uniform if he wins a new presidential term in the vote by federal and provincial legislators.

Musharraf has faced growing political opposition since his failed attempt to oust Pakistan's top judge in March. He is struggling to contain growing Islamic militancy. Friday's ruling will bitterly disappoint activists from the opposition and the legal fraternity who saw the ruling as an acid test of whether the military could be divorced from politics.
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Farid Piracha, a lawmaker from Pakistan biggest religious party Jamaat-e-Islami, which had filed one of the several petition challenging Musharraf's eligibility to run -- said he refused to accept the ruling.

"The judges have not fulfilled their constitutional obligation," Piracha said. "Now our fight against dictatorship will be on the streets ... This decision does not reflect the sentiments of the people, and it will not be accepted."

Student with gun at high school surrenders

OROVILLE, Calif. - A student was in custody Friday after surrendering to police at a northern California high school where shots reportedly had been fired, authorities said.

A Butte County Sheriff's dispatcher said a 911 call came in from Las Plumas High School just after 9 a.m. He said deputies were talking to the student.

About an hour later, the sheriff's office told NBC News the gunman was in custody. A message posted on the Oroville Union High School District Web site said all six schools in the district were locked down during the brief standoff.

"The Butte County Sheriff's Office has the campus under control," the district said in a statement on its Web site. "If your student is at the Las Plumas campus you will not be able to pick them up at this time.

Mistake costs dishwasher $59,000

MIAMI, Florida -- For 11 years, Pedro Zapeta, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, lived his version of the American dream in Stuart, Florida: washing dishes and living frugally to bring money back to his home country.

Two years ago, Zapeta was ready to return to Guatemala, so he carried a duffel bag filled with $59,000 -- all the cash he had scrimped and saved over the years -- to the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

But when Zapeta tried to go through airport security, an officer spotted the money in the bag and called U.S. customs officials.

"They asked me how much money I had," Zapeta recalled, speaking to CNN in Spanish.

He told the customs officials $59,000. At that point, U.S. customs seized his money, setting off a two-year struggle for Zapeta to get it back. Video Zapeta describes how he lost his money »

Zapeta, who speaks no English, said he didn't know he was running afoul of U.S. law by failing to declare he was carrying more than $10,000 with him. Anyone entering or leaving the country with more than $10,000 has to fill out a one-page form declaring the money to U.S. customs.

Officials initially accused Zapeta of being a courier for the drug trade, but they dropped the allegation once he produced pay stubs from restaurants where he had worked. Zapeta earned $5.50 an hour at most of the places where he washed dishes. When he learned to do more, he got a 25-cent raise.

After customs officials seized the money, they turned Zapeta over to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The INS released him but began deportation proceedings. For two years, Zapeta has had two attorneys working pro bono: one on his immigration case, the other trying to get his money back.

"They are treating me like a criminal when all I am is a working man," he said.

Zapeta's story became public last year on CNN and in The Palm Beach Post newspaper, prompting well-wishers to give him nearly $10,000 -- money that now sits in a trust. Robert Gershman, one of Zapeta's attorneys, said federal prosecutors later offered his client a deal: He could take $10,000 of the original cash seized, plus $9,000 in donations as long as he didn't talk publicly and left the country immediately.

Zapeta said, "No." He wanted all his money. He'd earned it, he said.

Now, according to Gershman, the Internal Revenue Service wants access to the donated cash to cover taxes on the donations and on the money Zapeta made as a dishwasher. Zapeta admits he never paid taxes. CNN contacted the U.S. Attorneys office in Miami, U.S. Customs and the IRS about Zapeta's case. They all declined to comment.

Police find older of two girls on sex tape

Video apparently depicts suspect sexually abusing young child

LAS VEGAS - A girl was found "safe and well" after authorities released images of her from a videotape that also showed a man performing explicit sex acts on a younger girl.

The girl who was found, who detectives earlier said they believed was 10 to 12 years old, was not sexually abused and "never suffered as a victim at the hands of the perpetrator as the first girl has," Nye County Sheriff's Detective David Boruchowitz said.

The part of the video showing the older girl was shot in Nye County, a rural county near Las Vegas, Boruchowitz said. Details were not disclosed, and no additional information about the identity of the girl or the circumstances of how she came to be on the video was made public.

But Boruchowitz said investigators feared the younger girl was in danger. Sheriff's detectives were also seeking a man whose image was seen on the video.

Boruchowitz earlier characterized a segment of the tape showing the older girl as "some kind of peep show" filmed from a different room. Investigators were examining whether parts of the tape showing the younger girl were filmed with the same video camera, he said.

A 26-year-old Pahrump man, Darren Tuck, surrendered the tape to Nye County sheriff's investigators Sept. 8 after another man reported seeing it, Boruchowitz said. Tuck was later arrested on charges of promoting child pornography and possession of child pornography, both felonies, and released without bail pending an appearance Nov. 26 in Pahrump Justice Court. The top charge carries a possible sentence of up to life in prison.

Tuck told detectives he found the videotape in the desert outside Pahrump more than five months ago. Boruchowitz said investigators don't think Tuck made the tape.

Pahrump is a small town 60 miles west of Las Vegas.

The Associated Press generally does not identify or release photos of suspected victims of sexual abuse but is doing so in this case in the interest of the girl's safe recovery.

Internet cut in Myanmar, blogger presses on

# Internet connection in Myanmar has been cut off
# London-blogger vows to keep up the fight
# Woman on phone: "Who can help us?"
# Student sent video to CNN because people "should know what is happening"

(CNN) -- The Internet connection in Myanmar was cut Friday, limiting the free flow of information the nation's citizens were sharing with the world depicting the violent crackdown on monks and other peaceful demonstrators

ko htike collection on myammar riots

ko htike collection on myammar riots

Death claims amid Myanmar crackdown

YANGON, Myanmar (CNN) -- At least five protesters have been killed by Myanmar security forces Wednesday, according to opposition reports, as the anticipated crackdown began.

Speaking to CNN, Aye Chan Naing of Oslo-based opposition group Democratic Voice of Burma, said it had heard that at least five monks had been killed.

And speaking from neighboring Thailand, the spokesman for the resistance organization the National Council of the Union of Burma (Myanmar), Soe Aung, told CNN that at least one monk died after clashes with security forces in Yangon. It is not known if this fatality was in addition to those alleged by Democratic Voice of Burma.

Meanwhile, an opposition Web site gathering information from sources inside Myanmar reported security forces have shot at least two protesters near Sule Pagoda, a Buddhist monument and landmark located in Yangon's city center.

"One protester reportedly died, according to people who took part in the demonstration," the Web site said. "The soldiers continued firing at the demonstrators, who numbered several thousand."

Sarkozy plans pension 'reform'

France's president has announced an overhaul of the pensions system for about 500,000 mainly public-sector workers. Nicolas Sarkozy said on Tuesday that the "special regimes" pensions of some workers should be brought into line with the civil service scheme.

The move is being seen as a test of his ability to change France's generous welfare system. Sarkozy said the details of the changes would be worked out in the next "few months".

The "special regimes" allow state rail and power employees, as well as some other workers, to retire early on higher pensions than the private sector. Sarkozy said he would consult labour unions to prevent the mass protests that have derailed previous attempts to alter the system.

Overhauls of pension system in 1993 and 2003 left the system untouched for fear that strikes by transport and utility workers would bring the country to a halt.

In 1995, three weeks of protests forced Alain Juppe, the prime minister at the time, to abandon changes to the "special regimes".

Iran: US is world's real threat

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has accused the US of being the world's "real threat" and defended his country's nuclear programme. In a 40-minute speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Ahmadinejad accused Washington and its allies of carrying out human rights abuses.

He said: "Human rights are being extensively violated by certain powers, especially by those who pretend to be their exclusive advocates.

"Setting up secret prisons, abducting persons, trials and secret punishments without any regard to due process ... have become commonplace."

Government sets up three-man panel headed by retired judge

MALAYSIA
PUTRAJAYA: A three-man special independent panel headed by a retired top judge has been formed to investigate and determine the authenticity of a video clip showing a senior lawyer purportedly brokering the appointment of judges.

The panel’s terms of reference include holding a full inquiry, analysing the evidence and making the necessary conclusion.

The panel comprises former Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Haidar Mohd Noor as chairman, National Service Council chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye and former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mahadev Shankar.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who announced the formation of the panel yesterday, said the findings would be submitted to the Government and made public.

“The Government decided to set up the panel in view of speculation and allegations related to the video clip that could affect the credibility and integrity of the judiciary,” he said at a press conference.

“The panel will also work closely with the Anti-Corruption Agency and police (the two law enforcement agencies also investigating the case) to determine the authenticity of the video clip,” he added.

Najib said the panel members were of impeccable character and there was no reason for the public to protest over their appointment.

“I personally called the members and they agreed to be in the panel,” he said, adding that Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hasan would assist the panel in carrying out its duties.

“They will do whatever is necessary and get the full support of the various government agencies,” he said when asked if those implicated in the video would be interviewed by the panel.

“The key thing is their findings and we (the Government) will take it from there.

“I don’t have to go into too much detail, let the panel decide on how it wants to proceed,” he said.

On the Bar Council’s planned march at Putrajaya today, Najib said “that’s up to the Bar Council and the authorities to decide.”

“I am confident that the police are up to the task. I am sure the police would be able to handle the situation,” he said.

He said the setting up of the panel was not due to the Bar Council’s request for an inquiry, but out of the concerns of the public about the integrity of the country’s judiciary system.

“At this moment, there is no intention of setting up a Royal Commission of Inquiry but the independent panel will suffice,” he added.

Myanmar police beat protesters

Hundreds of Buddhist monks and protesters are reported to have been arrested and scores beaten by police in the first major outbreak of violence after weeks of protests against the country's military rulers.

Riot police used tear gas, batons and reportedly fired warning shots as a group of monks attempted to stage further protests on Wednesday.

An eyewitness speaking to Al Jazeera from near the Shwedagon pagoda said police armed with heavy weapons had blocked all roads leading to the area.

"It looks like there are hundreds of police with tear gas and guns," she said. "We can still hear the monks and the people chanting."

The witness said she had seen some monks beaten on the head as authorities tried to stop protesters gathering.

Monks are highly revered by Myanmar's majority Buddhist population.

Shwedagon is one of Myanmar's most important spiritual sites has been a focus on what, until Wednesday, had been peaceful protests. Other witnesses reported seeing riot police beat their shields with batons as they chased some of the monks and supporters from the scene. Defying government warnings thousands of monks and other protesters were taking to the streets undeterred on Wednesday, witnesses said.

The violence marks the first major action taken by Myanmar authorities after weeks of escalating tensions, raising fears of a repeat of a 1988 crackdown when the military crushed a pro-democracy uprising killing thousands.

May peace with them.....

李顯龍：新加坡不是澳門

（新加坡訊）新加坡總理李顯龍表示，新加坡決定興建包括賭場在內的綜合度假設施是為了與時並進並借此擺脫守舊的形象，新加坡的賭場將不會像澳門那樣成為國家經濟的重心。

他是在出席於澳洲悉尼舉行的亞太經濟合作組織首腦峰會期間接受彭博社訪問時如此指出。

對新加坡政府為何在拒絕開設賭場長達40年之後改變主意，李顯龍說︰“新加坡並不是個博物館，我們是個活生生的城市，需要不斷地改變。這不是在50年代的新加坡，這是處在21世紀的新加坡，政府的政策必須作出相應的調整。”

要隨亞洲發展起飛

他也指出，新加坡不會單靠賭場來發展經濟，“這裡並不會變得像澳門那樣，由賭場主導整個經濟的發展。”

他說，在允許開設賭場的同時，政府也在研究那些設有賭場的國家是採取怎樣的措施以避免濫賭、洗黑錢及其它違法活動的發生。

除了興建賭場以吸引游客之外，新加坡也希望隨著亞洲整體發展而乘勢起飛。新加坡未來5年至10年的經濟增長估計介於4%至6%的水平。

他指出，世界兩大發展最快的主要經濟體中國和印度，正在推動本區域的增長，如果新加坡保持競爭力，將能隨著亞洲取得良好的經濟表現。

美仍是最大出口市場

而美國依然是新加坡最大的出口市場，去年10月至今年7月，新加坡對美國的電子出口量下降了9次。

盡管如此，在建築業和金融業的推動下，經濟依然取得迅速的增長。

談到新加坡同海外各主要經濟體的依賴程度，他說，本區的發展中國家非常依賴出口，他們有約六成的出口產品是運往美國、歐洲和日本。同區域這些發展中國家相比，新加坡對美國的經濟依賴較小。

他也說，目前，美國經濟對新加坡的影響還是很顯著的，“如果美國經濟走下坡，新加坡仍會到影響，只不過受影響的程度已經減緩了。”

Clinton to return disgraced fundraiser’s money

WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign said Monday it will return $850,000 in donations raised by Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu, who is under federal investigation for allegedly violating election laws.

Clinton, D-N.Y., previously had planned only to give to charity $23,000 she received from Hsu for her presidential and senatorial campaigns and to her political action committee, HillPac.

The FBI is investigating whether Hsu paid so-called straw donors to send campaign contributions to Clinton and other candidates, a law enforcement official said Monday.

“In light of recent events and allegations that Mr. Norman Hsu engaged in an illegal investment scheme, we have decided out of an abundance of caution to return the money he raised for our campaign,” Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said in a statement Monday night. “An estimated 260 donors this week will receive refunds totaling approximately $850,000 from the campaign.”

Wolfson said the Clinton campaign also will vigorously review its fundraisers, including thorough criminal background checks, in the future. “In any instances where a source of a bundler’s income is in question, the campaign will take affirmative steps to verify its origin,” he said.

The amount that the campaign identified as raised by Hsu would make him one of her top fundraisers. During the first six months of this year, her presidential campaign raised $52 million from individual contributors, second to Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., who raised $58.5 million.