Mumbai Terrorist Attack Cleared

MUMBAI: The luxury Taj Mahal hotel was cleared of terror threat late Thursday night after an unspecified number of them holed up in the iconic landmark were killed in a commando raid while a final assault on the besieged Trident Oberoi was underway, a day after the audacious terror strike in India's financial capital Mumbai in which the death toll rose to 127.

All but one of the terrorists holed up in Taj hotel were killed in encounter with National Security Guards (NSG) and Army, Press trust of India (PTI) quoted military sources as saying.

One terrorist was neutralised by crack commandos and is in an injured condition, according to NSG Director General JK Dutt.

Late in the night, there was a major fire in the Trident (Oberoi) hotel where about 200 people have been trapped and terrorists exploded grenades that set the roof ablaze amid exchange of gunfire.

Two terrorists are holed up in the 8th floor of the Oberoi hotel while in the Trident section the combing operation has been completed.

There were reports that about 30 to 35 hotel guests were safely evacuated.

Dutt said it is a matter of time before the combing operation is over in the hotel.

The other scene of action was at Nariman House, a Jewish residential complex, where some Israelis have been held hostage by some three or four terrorists.

Combing operation in the building is in progress, Dutta said.

The hand of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba is suspected in the worst terror attacks in the country but the outfit denied any involvement.

Among the dead were six foreigners,14 police personnel, a home guard jawan and 104 members of the public including several staff of the two hotels. Of the 327 injured, police personnel accounted for 26 and foreigners seven. (Bernama)

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Subang Jaya hit by flood

RETIREE Lim Sen Kiem, 68, may not be an expert on floods but he certainly knows what it is like to have flood waters threatening to enter one’s home.

Lim, who lives in USJ14/1F Subang Jaya, said the downpour last Thursday evening had brought a high volume of water to the large torrential drain in his neighbourhood, causing it to overflow.

According to Lim, the rain started at about 4pm and went on for an hour.

“I have been staying here for nearly 20 years and this is the first time I have seen floods at the road stretch. Perhaps the drain is clogged,” Lim said.

Several USJ and Subang Jaya residents who, like Lim, had witnessed last Thursday’s floods, said it was perhaps the worst that they have seen in the township.

The downpour went on to inundate roads in various parts of USJ and Subang Jaya, causing massive traffic jams.

Housewife Louise Fon, who stays in USJ 18, said she was driving back from Puchong when she was caught in a traffic crawl as the highway leading into USJ was flooded.

“I saw water and mud gushing from the construction sites onto the road. As soon as I turned into USJ, opposite the KFC restaurant and the Petronas petrol station. I saw the left turning at the traffic light junction already flooded,” the 36-year-old Fon said.

A mess: The living room of a house where flood waters had entered.

“Several cars were stranded and had broken down,” she said.

According to Fon, it was not the first time that the road there had been flooded as it happens quite often there.

“But the Thursday flood was probably the worst I’ve seen in USJ so far,” she said.

“I was lucky to have passed through that stretch but many drivers did not know how to drive through the waters and were caught,” she said.

Fon said the rain was exceptionally heavy that day, and the mud was flowing out of the construction sites very fast, thus causing the drains to overflow.

According to lecturer Moaz Yusuf Ahmad of SS17, the rainstorm had started near the Summit USJ and by the time the bus he was riding on reached the police station in USJ 9/8. and the whole area was flooded.


Taking notes: A MPSJ officer talking to residents in Subang Jaya/USJ where flash floods occurred during the downpour.
“When the bus turned into Persiaran Perpaduan, I could see the pool of water of about 12cm deep. The drains were overflowing and water from the Taipan USJ area was flowing over the side of the parking area,” Moaz said.

“It was perhaps one of the worst floods I had seen,” he said.

He attributed the problem to the poorly maintained drains.

Office worker Siti Hajar Yusof, 25, who works in the industrial area in USJ 1, said when she left her work area at about 5.30pm, the downpour had already started.

“Our office was not flooded but as soon as I got out to the stretch in front of the SJK (C) Chee Wen, I was stuck even though I was riding a motorbike,” Hajar said.

“Traffic congestion was everywhere and water was probably a foot high. The rain went on for another hour and it is perhaps the worst I’ve experienced,” she said.

Hajar blamed the flooding on the drainage system, saying that the water was unable to flow through properly.

Retiree Patrick Tan said a friend staying in USJ 14 had his plants kept in polystyrene boxes swept away by the flood waters.

Tan said he had previously experienced flash floods in the township, at several locations like the Persiaran Kewajipan/Perpaduan junction/traffic light, and the junction of Persiaran Murni/Bakti.

“The floods are due to the inadequate flow rate in the drains during heavy rain,” he said.

According to Tan, another reason for the flash floods in Subang Jaya and USJ is the concrete culvert that the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) had built at the road dividers and road shoulders.

“These culverts act like a barrier to trap the rain water which cannot flow out through the small drains,” Tan said.

Other areas flooded were the Kewajipan roundabout and the stretch of road in front of Mydin and Giant in USJ 1.

The MPSJ, however, said it had only received reports of floods in four locations under its jurisdiction that day — USJ 9, USJ 19, Batu 14 Puchong and USJ 1 (which it said is due to surface run-off).

MPSJ president Datuk Adnan Md Ikshan said the Subang station of the Meteorological Department recorded 49mm of rainfall in the area last Thursday.

“It was a flash flood, with the water subsiding quickly. As soon as our hotline team reached the sites, there was no more flood,” he said.

Adnan said the drain running along USJ 9 to USJ 19 was the responsibility of the Public Works Department.

On claims that drains were clogged, Adnan said most of the drains in Subang Jaya and USJ were well-maintained and that his team had confirmed this after their inspections.

“Maybe garbage did contribute to the floods, but they are not necessary clogged in drains and were probably just swept along the way,” he said. (TheStar)

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Mumbai Under Attack

(If you are Malaysian in Mumbai, tell us about the situation in the City. Send your e-mails and pictures to feedback@thestar.com.my)
MUMBAI, India (AP) - Teams of heavily armed gunmen stormed luxury hotels, a popular restaurant, hospitals and a crowded train station in coordinated attacks across India's financial capital Wednesday night, killing at least 82 people and taking Westerners hostage, police said. A previously unknown group, apparently Muslim militants, took responsibility for the attacks.

Near dawn Thursday, parts of the city remained under siege, with police and gunmen exchanging occasional gunfire at two luxury hotels and an unknown number of people still held hostage, said A.N. Roy, a top police official.

A raging fire and explosions struck the landmark Taj Mahal hotel shortly after midnight. Screams could be heard and black smoke billowed from the century-old edifice on Mumbai's waterfront. Firefighters sprayed water at the blaze and plucked people from windows and balconies with extension ladders.

The attackers specifically targeted Britons and Americans, witnesses said. Officials said at least 120 people were wounded.

Early Thursday, state home secretary Bipin Shrimali said four suspects had been killed in two incidents when they tried to flee in cars, and Roy said two more gunmen were killed at the Taj Mahal. State Home Minister R.R. Patil said nine more were arrested. They declined to provide any further details.

The motive for the onslaught was not immediately clear, but Mumbai has frequently been targeted in terrorist attacks blamed on Islamic extremists, including a series of bombings in July 2006 that killed 187 people.

An Indian media report said a previously unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen had claimed responsibility for the attacks in e-mails to several media outlets. There was no way to verify that claim.

Police reported hostages being held at the Taj Mahal and Oberoi hotels, two of the best-known upscale destinations in this crowded but wealthy city.

Gunmen who burst into the Taj "were targeting foreigners. They kept shouting: 'Who has U.S. or U.K. passports?''' said Ashok Patel, a British citizen who fled from the hotel.

Authorities believed seven to 15 foreigners were hostages at the Taj Mahal hotel, but it was not immediately clear if hostages at the Oberoi were Indians or foreigners, said Anees Ahmed, a top state official. It was also unclear where the hostages were in the Taj Mahal, which is divided into an older wing, which was in flames, and a modern tower that was not on fire.

State Department spokesman Robert Wood said U.S. officials were not aware of any American casualties, but were still checking. He said he could not address reports that Westerners might be among the hostages.

"We condemn these attacks and the loss of innocent life,'' White House spokesman Tony Fratto said.

Johnny Joseph, chief secretary for Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, said 82 people had been killed and 120 had been wounded.

Officials at Bombay Hospital, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a Japanese man had died there and nine Europeans had been admitted, three of them in critical condition with gunshots. All had come from the Taj Mahal, the officials said.

At least three top Indian police officers _ including the chief of the anti-terror squad _ were among those killed, said Roy.

Blood smeared the floor of the Chhatrapati Shivaji rail station, where attackers sprayed bullets into the crowded terminal.

Other gunmen attacked Leopold's restaurant, a landmark popular with foreigners, and the police headquarters in southern Mumbai, the area where most of the attacks took place. The restaurant was riddled with bullet holes and there were blood on the floor and shoes left by fleeing customers. Gunmen also attacked Cama and Albless Hospital and G.T. Hospital, though it was not immediately clear if anyone was killed.

A British citizen who was dining at the Oberoi hotel told Sky News television that the gunmen who struck there singled out Britons and Americans.

Alex Chamberlain said a gunman, a young man of 22 or 23, ushered 30 or 40 people from the restaurant into a stairway and ordered everyone to put up their hands. He said the gunman spoke in Hindi or Urdu.

"They were talking about British and Americans specifically. There was an Italian guy, who, you know, they said: 'Where are you from?'' and he said he's from Italy and they said 'fine' and they left him alone.

And I thought: 'Fine, they're going to shoot me if they ask me anything _ and thank God they didn't,'' he said.

Chamberlain said he managed to slip away as the patrons were forced to walk up stairs, but he thought much of the group was being held hostage.

Early Thursday, several European lawmakers were among people who barricaded themselves inside the Taj, a century-old seaside hotel complex and one of the city's best-known destinations.

"I was in the main lobby and there was all of a sudden a lot of firing outside,'' said Sajjad Karim, part of a delegation of European lawmakers visiting Mumbai ahead of a European Union-India summit.

As he turned to get away, "all of a sudden another gunmen appeared in front of us, carrying machine gun-type weapons. And he just started firing at us ... I just turned and ran in the opposite direction,'' he told The Associated Press over his mobile phone. Hours later, Karim remained holed up in a hotel restaurant, unsure if it was safe to come out.

The British Foreign Office said it was advising all British citizens in Mumbai to stay indoors.

Britain's foreign secretary, David Miliband, strongly condemned the attacks. "Today's attacks in Mumbai which have claimed many innocent victims remind us, yet again, of the threat we face from violent extremists,'' Miliband said in a statement. India has been wracked by bomb attacks the past three years, which police blame on Muslim militants intent on destabilizing this largely Hindu country. Nearly 700 people have died.

Since May a militant group calling itself the Indian Mujahideen has taken credit for a string of blasts that killed more than 130 people. The most recent was in September, when a series of explosions struck a park and crowded shopping areas in the capital, New Delhi, killing 21 people and wounding about 100.

Mumbai has been hit repeatedly by terror attacks since March 1993, when Muslim underworld figures tied to Pakistani militants allegedly carried out a series of bombings on Mumbai's stock exchange, trains, hotels and gas stations. Authorities say those attacks, which killed 257 people and wounded more than 1,100, were carried out to avenge the deaths of hundreds of Muslims in religious riots that had swept India.

Ten years later, in 2003, 52 people were killed in Mumbai bombings blamed on Muslim militants and in July 2007 a series of seven blasts on railway trains and at commuter rail stations killed at least 187.

Relations between Hindus, who make up more than 80 percent of India's 1 billion population, and Muslims, who make up about 14 percent, have sporadically erupted into bouts of sectarian violence since British-ruled India was split into independent India and Pakistan in 1947. - AP

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Fatwa on Yoga : Rulers made final decision - Jakim

IPOH: It is the prerogative of the state religious authorities and their Rulers to accept or reject the National Fatwa Council’s decision to bar Muslims from practising yoga.

Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) director-general Datuk Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abd Aziz said the council’s fatwa (edict) prohibiting Muslims from practising yoga would be discussed in the state fatwa committees, whose members were appointed by their respective rulers.

“After it is agreed upon by the committees, the matter will then be presented to the various state religious councils before it is brought before the Sultan for consent.

“This is the process of how a fatwa is implemented in the state,” he said.

“It is the state’s prerogative to decide whether to implement a fatwa,” he said after chairing a meeting with the country’s state Islamic religious council heads here on Tuesday.

The various stands of certain state authorities on the matter did not reflect a difference in opinion between the state bodies and the council, he added.

Since the council came out with the fatwa on Saturday, the Sultan of Selangor has said that the fatwa could not be implemented as the state Fatwa Committee had yet to deliberate on the matter.

Perak Religious Department director Datuk Jamry Sury, who had earlier been quoted as saying that the state would abide by the fatwa, retracted his statement a day later.

Jamry clarified that the fatwa had not been discussed by the Perak Fatwa Committee and brought to the attention of the State Religious and Malays Customs Council before being presented to the Sultan of Perak for consent.

Perlis Mufti Dr Asri Zainal Abidin had also spoken out against the fatwa, saying yoga with the non-Muslim elements removed should be allowed, while other states were set to go ahead with the implementation.

Wan Mohamad explained that Jakim’s duty, as the secretariat of the National Fatwa Council, was to coordinate the process by conducting research on an issue before presenting it to the council.

On the statement by Dr Asri that yoga should not be banned entirely but an alternative should instead be offered, Wan Mohamad said:

“Did the Perlis Fatwa Committee meet before the mufti voiced his disagreement? The matter has to be discussed first before it is agreed or disagreed upon.”

Wan Mohamad pointed out that discussions generated by various quarters over the council’s decision showed that Malaysians were interested in understanding Islam better.

“There is good and bad. It is good that at least now we can take the opportunity to explain the beauty of Islam to non-Muslims.

“As we live in a multi-religious country, it is good for our religious authorities to share information and knowledge with one another,” he said.

However, he reminded the people that Islam was the official religion in the country, as enshrined in the Constitution, and hence should be respected by all.(TheStar)

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RPK's defamation case, court to decide on friday

KUALA LUMPUR, — The Sessions Court will decide on Friday whether or not it has the discretion to hear blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin's defamation case.

Judge Mohamad Sekeri Mamat deferred decision after hearing submissions from both parties today.

This week was fixed for the trial but Raja Petra's counsel, Manjeet Singh Dhillon, made a preliminary objection yesterday asking the court to send the case back to the magistrate's court for trial on the grounds that the magistrate's order was illegal, void and contrary to the law.

On Aug 15, magistrate Nazran Mohd Sham allowed the prosecution's application to transfer the case to the Sessions Court on the ground that it involved public interest.

Raja Petra, the Malaysia Today editor, is alleged to have defamed the deputy prime minister's wife, Datin Rosmah Mansor, acting Kol Abdul Aziz Buyong and his wife Kol Norhayati Hassan in his statutory declaration made at the Civil High Court in Jalan Duta here at 10.25am on June 18.

If convicted, he faces up to two years’ jail or a fine, or both, on each charge under Section 500 of the Penal Code.

Manjeet informed the court today that he had filed a notice of motion, supported with Raja Petra's affidavit, to the High Court seeking an order to transfer the case back to the magistrate's court or to refer it to the Federal Court on the constitutional issue.

However, deputy public prosecutor Anselm Charles Fernandis said the defence application had no effect as the High Court on Sept 11 stated in a letter that the magistrate's order to transfer the case to the Sessions Court was right according to law principles.

The decision, in the letter from Justice Suraya Othman, was in response to the defence application for a revision of the magistrate's order, he said.

He cited two cases decided by the Federal Court that under Article 145 of the Federal Constitution, the Attorney-General had vested power to choose any court to initiate proceedings against a person.

This, coupled with the High Court decision, showed that the Sessions Court had the discretion to hear Raja Petra's case, Fernandis added. — Bernama

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Ronaldo accused of "leg breaking tackle" by Silva

Brazil 6 (Fabiano 3X, Maicon, Elano,Adriano) - Portugal 2 (Danny, Simao)
Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused of trying to break a Brazilian player's leg after his Portugal side were beaten 6-2 by the South American side on Wednesday night.

Ronaldo quarrels with the Brazilian players.

Ronaldo had several run-ins with the Brazil players, particularly Thiago Silva who refused the Manchester United playmaker's hand after one nasty challenge in the closing stages.

The 24-year-old defender said: "I don't accept his apology. He has the cheek to say I jumped over his tackle. But if I did not jump he would have broken my leg.

"Being considered the best player in the world, he must have more respect. It is difficult to accept what he did.

"He is a little [naughty], yes. But that is football. And we need to know to deal with it. He was nervous because he couldn't create anything."

Real Madrid full-back Marcelo was also left fuming at the antics of Ronaldo, claiming the Portuguse winger caught him with a stray arm at one point.

"Ronaldo was out of order and a bigmouth," he said. "He elbowed me off the ball, then tried to have a shouting match about it."

Earlier this week, Ronaldo joked that he was so good he could fill the first three places in the Fifa Player of the Year awards, but his time in Brazil finished on a sour note as the game came to a close.

Brazil ran the show in the convincing win, which included a Luis Fabiano hat-trick and it was a relief for under-fire coach Dunga, whose team had failed to score in five of their last seven games.

Elano, who also found the net, was quick to rub further salt into Ronaldo's wounds ahead of the Manchester derby at Eastlands next week.

He said: "Cristiano Ronaldo scores big goals and does excellent exhibitions but for me I would choose Kaka as the world's number one.

"We certainly overcame Portugal in this duel and I will always help Kaka to overcome Ronaldo." (ESPN)

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Tunku Imran and Petra Group sued by Bruce Willis

PETALING JAYA: Hollywood actor Bruce Willis has sued the Petra Group and its chairman, Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja’afar, to recoup US$900,000 (RM3.1mil) of the US$2mil the actor invested in a “green rubber” venture.

In his complaint filed in the federal court in Los Angeles yesterday, Willis said Petra chief executive officer Datuk Vinod B. Sekhar and Tunku Imran induced him to invest in a company that was developing a non-toxic and recyclable rubber in 2007, according to a Bloomberg report.

Willis, the star of the 1988 hit action film, Die Hard, accused the Petra Group and its executives of breach of contract and unjust enrichment.

Willis was told that former US Vice-President Al Gore and actor Mel Gibson had also invested in the company, Elastomer Technologies Ltd, the report said.

Clockwise from bottom left: Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja'afar, Al Gore, Bruse Wills, Mel Gibson and Datuk Vinod B. Sekhar.

In response to the suit, Vinod, who owns Petra Group, told StarBiz yesterday: “It is a minor shareholder issue and we are surprised as we already agreed to take care of it. The current market softening is making people react.’’

Efforts to call Tunku Imran were not successful.

Elastomer owns the De-link patent and Green Rubber trademark, according to Vinod.

Vinod said the name of Elastomer would be changed to Green Rubber Global.

According to the Bloomberg report, Willis had a put option, whereby for a specified period of time, he could get a full refund of his investment. Willis exercised the option, the report said.

“Despite defendants’ obligation to immediately refund Willis’ investment in April 2008, defendants continued to provide different specious excuses for retaining Willis’ funds,” the actor said in his complaint.

Vinod, with a net worth of RM320mil, was named the 16th richest Malaysian for this year by Forbes.

Vinod’s family and Tunku Imran control Petra Trust, which in turn holds 84% of Elastomer.

“Gibson and Bruce Davey (a director of Green Rubber) jointly hold 7% in Elastomer and the Clinton Foundation, 2%. There are other smaller investors and Willis had less than 1% stake in the company,’’ Vinod said.

In a statement, the Petra Group said Willis contacted Vinod in 2007 asking for a chance to invest in Elastomer which was then seeking to list on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange.

The statement said Vinod and Gibson were good friends and since the two Hollywood stars knew each other, Vinod accepted Willis’ request.

While Willis wants his money back, Gibson was quoted in the Petra Group statement as saying: “When you make investments in companies that have the potential to have such a significant positive impact on the world, you do it for the long-term gains and not for quick return. I am in it for the long term.”

According to the group’s website, Green Rubber has a factory in Sungei Buloh, a contract manufacturing plant in Cheras, and a plant in the United States.

Vinod declined to give the profit and revenue figures for Green Rubber, which recycles waste rubber into a cost-effective rubber compound.(TheStar)

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US gas prices dip below US$2, lowest in 3-plus years

HOUSTON, Nov 22 — Only four months after peaking at an unheard of US$4.11 (RM14.80) a gallon, the national average price for gasoline tumbled below US$2 yesterday, its lowest point in more than three years. Yet the global economic contrast between then and now could not be more stark.

On March 9, 2005, the last time gasoline cost less than US$2, the Dow Jones industrial average closed at 10,805.63. After a huge rally yesterday, the Dow closed at 8,046.42.

There was muted joy for consumers wading through an economy that's almost certainly in recession, with thousands of jobs being lost and mortgage foreclosures continuing to rise to record levels.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, where oil futures seemed destined to breach US$200 just a few months ago, pessimism was an understatement.

"At this point, all we can say with any degree of confidence is that crude oil ... will not trade below zero," trader and analyst Stephen Schork said yesterday in a tongue-in-cheek analysis of the market's swoon.

Crude has been in free-fall, shedding two-thirds of its value since July, and gasoline prices have followed. Some say oil could be headed below US$40 a barrel, and gasoline below US$1.50.

Motorists in Independence, Montana, yesterday said they were paying US$1.37 for a gallon of gas.

The pump price for regular unleaded fell 3.1 cents overnight to an average of US$1.989 a gallon nationally, according to auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express.

The national average price fell nearly a dime in the past week and almost 90 cents in the past month. The average price for unleaded is now below US$2 in 30 states, according to AAA.

"It's impossible to know exactly how low the price of gasoline will eventually go," AAA spokesman Geoff Sundstrom said yesterday. "Households can, however, reasonably anticipate that lower fuel prices will be the norm throughout the rest of this year and probably into early 2009."

The Federal Highway Administration reported this week that Americans drove 10.7 billion fewer miles in September than a year ago, the 11th straight monthly decline.

But there's some evidence that motorists may be heading back to the pump in greater numbers as gasoline prices fall.

MasterCard SpendingPulse reported on Tuesday that even though gas consumption last week was down 2.8 per cent from a year ago, it was the smallest year-over-year decline in more than two months.

In Ohio, where gas prices fell to an average of US$1.79 yesterday, Laura Duemey, a 48-year-old receptionist from Columbus, fuelled up her Hyundai XG350 sedan.

"It's awesome," Duemey said. "With this gas guzzler, there was no way I could afford to keep paying the way (prices) were going."

While there have been few good weeks on the New York Mercantile Exchange since crude peaked on July 11, the past week was particularly bad.

Gasoline futures plunged to a new low on Monday as Japan joined a number of European nations in recession. It was more of the same Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, crude fell to levels not seen in three years.

Between Monday and yesterday, crude had lost 12 per cent of its value. Yesterday was the first time in six trading sessions that crude ended higher.

Light, sweet crude for January delivery rose 51 cents to settle at US$49.93 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier, in electronic trading, the price dipped to US$48.25, the lowest level since May 18, 2005.

In London, January Brent crude rose US$1.17 to settle at US$49.19 on the ICE Futures exchange.

Yesterday's activity reflected just how closely oil traders have gauged the mood in equities markets over the past several weeks.

Wall Street moved higher yesterday, with investors taking a breather from the heavy selling of recent days. Energy and utility stocks showed some advances.

It was a different story earlier in the week.

The Dow plunged on Thursday after the US Labour Department said new applications for jobless benefits exceeded analyst estimates and rose to the highest level of claims since July 1992 and investors grew even more leery about the health of the nation's biggest banks.

In a note to clients yesterday, Tudor Pickering Holt & Co Securities said economic concerns are clearly trumping any further production cuts by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which accounts for about 40 per cent of global supply.

Opec lowered production quotas by 1.5 million barrels a day last month, and some analysts predict even lower levels to come out of the cartel's next official meeting on Dec 17.

Such action "may not matter until folks have more visibility/comfort on (the) demand side," the Tudor Pickering note said.

Oil prices have been crushed as the global economic downturn has diminished demand.

How low prices can go is anyone's guess.

"Do not trust anyone in this market who tries to convince you that oil cannot go below US$40," Schork said in his report yesterday. "The same way no one had a clue how high prices could go last July, there is no telling how low we can go now." — AP

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Atlantis USD1.5 billion marine resort launched in Dubai - Malaysiakini

DUBAI— Dubai developers threw a US$20 million (RM72 million) party yesterday complete with Hollywood celebrities Robert DeNiro and Charlize Theron and fireworks that lit up the evening sky.

The party, which was headlined by Australian pop star Kylie Minogue in her Middle East debut, was to celebrate a new US$1.5 billion marine-themed resort built off the Gulf coast on an artificial island shaped like a palm tree.

Celebrities and stars such as Michael Jordan, Lindsay Lohan, Wesley Snipes, Mary Kate Olsen, Shirley Bassey and others were on hand for the festivities.

Does this all seem a bit much at a time when much of the world is reeling from the global financial crisis?

Not really, according to Sol Kerzner, the chairman of Kerzner International, which owns the Atlantis hotel.

"If I had it all over again and I understood that the timing was what it was, one might modify a couple of the things ... but not significantly," Kerzner told The Associated Press yesterday.

"When you consider US$20 million, it's a lot of money (until) you consider it up against establishing a US$1.5 billion resort."

Kerzner International split the party costs with state-owned developer Nakheel, which built Palm island where Atlantis is located.

The Dubai Atlantis resort opened for tourists in September. The hotel's top floor aims squarely at the ultra-wealthy. A three-bedroom, three-bathroom suite complete with a gold-leaf, 18-seat dining table is on offer for US$25,000 a night.

The rest of the 113-acre resort is dedicated to family entertainment with a giant, open-air tank with 65,000 fish, stingrays and other sea creatures, including a rare whale-shark captured by the hotel in the Gulf and considered a hostage by environmental activists.

There's also a dolphinarium with more than two dozen bottlenose dolphins flown in from the Solomon Islands last year amid protests from animal rights organisations.

Yesterday's lavish party is only one of Dubai's many attempts to remain in the spotlight — part of the city-state's meteoric rise from little more than a patch of sand to the business and entertainment capital of the Middle East in about a decade.

Britain's most famous cruise ship, the Queen Elizabeth 2, will sailing in next week and will be converted into a floating hotel off Palm island. — AP

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Cadbury ordered to recall choc bar from the market

Singapore’s food authority today ordered local importers and retailers to recall Australian-made chocolate snack bar Cadbury Boost Totally Nuts (60g) from the market immediately.

This is due to the possible presence of plastic pieces from the manufacturing process, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) of Singapore said.

AVA took the precautionary measure after it was informed by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand that Cadbury Schweppes Pty Ltd in Australia was voluntarily recalling its product.

Only Cadbury Boost Totally Nuts (60g) with the 15-06-09 Best Before date is affected, AVA said.

AVA also advised consumers who have bought the product to discard. (NST)

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Woman claimed to have sex in operation theatre

Singapore: A 24-YEAR-OLD woman claimed on a website that she had sex in an operation theatre at a hospital in Singapore, reported Sin Chew Daily.

The woman, who posted a photograph of herself wearing a nurse uniform and a mask, claimed that she had a “good time” with her fiancée while serving as a nurse in the hospital’s emergency ward.

She also claimed that her fiancée is a medical doctor who worked in the same hospital.

The woman said she hoped to try out “the stuff” at other places.

“I have tried out at my workplace. Now, I will attempt to do it in a school or even on a flight,” the newspaper quoted her as saying on the website.

When contacted, a hospital spokesman denied that the woman had worked there.

The daily also reported that newly appointed principal of New Era College, Prof Pua Eng Chong, was being constantly harassed by a group of people using intimidating words.

Such a move was attempted to shatter Prof Pua’s confidence and hamper the development of the college, according to a press statement issued by the New Era College parents committee.

The committee condemned such acts, saying that the transition of school heads from the old to the new were “too numerous to enumerate” worldwide.

It said outgoing principal Dr Kua Kia Soong had served eight years, which was longer than some of the school heads in China. (TheStar)

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Toll discount's not sincere - BN Backbenchers

KUALA LUMPUR: The Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club called for a 10% reduction of toll rates instead of a 10% discount for private car owners using the North-SouthExpressway and the North-South Central Link between midnight and 7am.

Its chairman Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said that the backbenchers club was disappointed with the Works Ministry for not considering the safety of motorists.

“There is no real sincerity in giving the discount,” he said Thursday in his office at the Parliament building.

Tiong said the backbenchers club wants the discount to be extended to throughout the day and throughout the year and to all vehicle types including lorries. (TheStar)

PLUS Highway announced the discount on Tuesday, with a further 10% discount for those travelling during selected days during the festive seasons.

Both discounts are to begin Jan 1 next year and go on until Dec 31, 2010.

Tiong said even if the concessionaires’ contracts say that toll rates could not be adjusted, the concessionaire and the Government should sit down and talk to discuss a win-win situation for the rakyat.

“The Ministry should monitor the traffic volume at toll plazas and if it had increased more than the pre-estimated volume as stated in the agreement, there would be extra income and the concessionaire could afford to reduce the toll rates,” he said.

”The Ministry cannot come up with the excuse that their hands are tied,” he said.

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UMNO money politics members to be unveiled soon - Dr M

PUTRAJAYA: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has promised to name Umno members implicated in money politics on his influential blog www.chedet.com.

He said he was willing to be sued for defamation and even risk arrest by the authorities because he was not afraid to expose the truth and the identities of such errant members.

“I can’t do anything about the complaints except to hand these over to the Umno disciplinary committee. I will put these names up in my blog.

“I am not afraid of being sued for libel or being arrested by the police. If they can release (blogger and Malaysia Today editor) Raja Petra Kamarudin, won’t they also be able to release me as well?” he said in his dialogue with a group of Umno members and leaders, ex-ministers and Malay student groups at the Perdana Leadership Foundation here yesterday.

Earlier, an Umno member from the Parit division had complained of money politics in his area and had asked for Dr Mahathir to look into the list of names of those implicated in the division.

Since its launch a year ago, Dr Mahathir’s blog has achieved nine million hits.

Earlier, in his speech, Dr Mahathir said voters would continue to reject Umno or Barisan Nasional if its new leader continues with the present policies and does not come down hard on corruption and money politics.

“Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has mentioned that he will continue with the teachings of Islam Hadhari. This is not a good sign as it shows that the transition is only in the person, and not in terms of policies.

“The voters did not like the policies that were put into place by the current Prime Minister, so they will still reject Umno. So, there is no point in having such a transition,” he said. (TheStar)

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Malaysian govt announced awkward populist measures dreaming to get people's support

KUALA LUMPUR- The Malaysian government announced a series of populist measures on Monday and yesterday that are likely to be welcomed by the public and further erode the chances of the opposition wooing enough defectors from the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition to form the next government.

On Monday, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shahrir Samad announced a 7 per cent reduction in the price of petrol to RM2 a litre. The price of lower-quality rice was also reduced, by 5-10 per cent. And a request by bus operators to raise fares 100 per cent was denied. Finally, toll rates will drop 10 per cent for drivers who use major highways between midnight and 7am.

In addition, the government has agreed to a long-standing request by the opposition and special interest groups that concession agreements with highway operators be declassified.

Works Minister Mohamad Zin Mohamad said yesterday that all operators except Maju Holdings have agreed to have their contracts revealed for public inspection. Maju operates a dedicated highway between Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, Malaysia's administrative capital.

The moves illustrate the government's growing awareness that public disquiet can no longer be dismissed as it once was. Public anger over rising fuel and food prices was a major reason for the National Front's sharp electoral reversal in the March 8 general election.

Meanwhile, the declassification of highway documents signals a government move towards greater transparency. Previously, it claimed the agreements were official secrets, amid claims that many of the contracts were lopsided in favour of the contractor and therefore against public interest.

Economists will not be dismayed by the reduction in petrol prices, as it will have no impact on the budget deficit. On the contrary, Shahrir said that at RM2 a litre, the government is no longer subsidising petrol and, in fact, is taxing the public to the tune of an estimated RM10 billion a year if global oil prices stay around US$55 a barrel. This explains how an extra RM7 billion of spending in the 2009 Budget will be financed.

Malaysian pump prices are still the cheapest in the region. Malaysians pay US$0.53 a litre, while Sri Lankans pay US$1.02 and the Chinese pay US$0.70.

On the declassification of highway agreements, Mohamad Zin said this will happen no later than Jan 1, 2009 and is proceeding because all highway operators except Maju have agreed to disclosure. He said he is unsure whether Maju refused to comply or has simply been tardy with its reply. - Business Times Singapore

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Bus fare would be increased next year - Noh Omar

KUALA LUMPUR: The express bus fare increase early next year may be unavoidable despite the fuel price drop.

Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Noh Omar said the increase or drop in oil price had no connection with public transport fares as the operating costs had been rising, which was the main reason for the bus fare increase.

“The demand made by express bus operators to increase the fare is just not because of the fuel price increase (since before June this year) but the rising operating costs like for batteries, tyres and insurance.

“We take all these factors into consideration and there’s a big possibility that the bus fare will go up next year despite the drop in fuel price,” he said in reply to Salahuddin Ayub (PAS-Kubang Kerian) in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday.

Salahuddin had asked whether the government planned to reduce the express bus fare nationwide in view of the drop in oil price.

Noh said the last time the bus fare structure was reviewed was in 2005 and the time had come now for the Government to consider express bus operators’ request for another review.

However, he said, the Government would ensure that it would not burden the people, especially the poor, the main users of public transport.

“Yet, we have to consider the problems faced by the bus companies, which after running at a loss, may have to sell off some of their buses and reduce trips or even be forced to fold up. In the end, the people will suffer.”

To the original question from Abdul Aziz Abdul Kadir (PKR-Ketereh), Noh said there were now nine express bus companies with 157 buses plying the Kota Baru-Kuala Lumpur route.

He said the number of trips was fixed according to the number of passengers using the service but normally, each bus made 30 trips per week.

“When there are not that many passengers, the bus operators will reduce the trips to save cost.” -- Bernama
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Malaysians force to donate to avoid govt policy from collapse - ref Malaysiakini

KUALA LUMPUR — Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Samad revealed today the government has stopped subsidising petrol since Nov 1 and has been effectively collecting taxes instead on petrol consumption.

Speaking to reporters in Parliament, he explained that even after the 15-sen drop today, which saw RON97 petrol dropping to RM2 per litre, and RON92 and diesel down to RM1.90, the government was no longer subsidising petrol at the pumps.

"Even if prices return to RM1.92, we will still have a bit of surplus," he said, adding that subsidies had disappeared once the global price of oil had dipped under US$65 per barrel.

Current prices are hovering at US$55 per barrel.

As oil companies take a 19-sen cut and fuel station operators take 12 sen, it can be inferred that the cost price of RON97 petrol is currently below RM1.61 if the government can still generate income at RM1.92.

Shahrir explained that the difference between petrol pump prices and the cost plus commission for the companies and operators was being returned to the government effectively as a form of tax.

This gels with the 2009 Budget winding-up speech by Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak where he claimed a projected RM7 billion savings in fuel subsidies will be utilised to stimulate the troubled economy.

The statement was puzzling as the government had earlier said it would maintain a 30-sen fuel subsidy to keep pump prices below market prices.

Shahrir also projected that with RM21 billion budgeted for fuel subsidies in 2009 and subsidies for 2007, when prices had averaged US$65 per barrel, amounting to RM8.8 billion, savings from fuel subsidies would be far more than RM7 billion.

"If crude oil stays under US$60 per barrel, I am expecting at least RM10 billion," he said.

He also added that subsidies for diesel and natural gas are still in place.

Shahrir, however, explained that this did not mean that the people were not being helped by the government.

"We are still giving the RM625 road tax rebate for cars and RM150 for motorbikes that goes straight into your pocket," he said, referring to the rebate announced when RON97 shot up to RM2.70.

"So the rebate is for when the people suffered for about three months," he said.

The Johor Baru MP had called a press conference to announce that a total cost of RM21.4 billion had been incurred by the government up to October this year due to tax exemptions and subsidies for fuel against RM16.2 billion last year.

This, however, is without tax exemption figures for October 2008.

He also said that government would consider a floor price for fuel.(TheMalaysianinsider)

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Petrol prices reduced to 15sen by today

PETALING JAYA: Petrol and diesel prices have been slashed by a further 15 sen per litre from today.

The new pump price for RON97 is now RM2 per litre while RON92 will be sold at RM1.90 per litre. Diesel will be at RM1.90 per litre.

The latest price cut, the fifth since August, was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday.

Najib said the reduction was made in line with falling global petroleum prices.

Yesterday’s price of a barrel of crude was about US$56.

Najib, who is also Finance Minister, urged traders to lower prices of goods and services to fully benefit the people following the fuel reduction.

“The people should also continue to use petrol and diesel sparingly despite the lower price in line with the Government’s efficient energy consumption plan,” he said.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the Government had kept its promise to reduce petrol prices.

Abdullah, who is on a working visit to Uzbekistan, said consumers should boycott outlets which refused to lower prices.

“I have been told that there is a non-governmental organisation spearheading this move. They have my support,” he told Malaysian reporters in the Uzbek capital Tashkent.

He said the people would be angry with the Government because prices of goods were still high.

“The Government had kept its promise but traders are not doing their part,” he said.

Abdullah said more NGOs should come forward and advise consumers where to shop.

“You can work together and get consumers to shun traders who pofiteer. We have to do this or else prices would not come down,” he added.

Meanwhile, petroleum dealers said they would feel the pinch with the latest fuel price reduction.

Malaysian Petroleum Dealers’ Association acting president Abdul Wahid Bidin said: “We hope this reduction will be the last. Otherwise, we won’t be able to plan ahead and doing business will be very difficult.” (TheStar)

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Najib direct Zin to reissue report on toll concession agreements

PUTRAJAYA, — Works Minister Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamad will issue a statement on the government's reported declassification of toll concession agreements, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today.

"I think I will ask the minister to make a statement to ensure (that it is) technically correct. I will leave it to the Works Minister to make a statement," he told reporters after attending the presentation of Felda youth awards for 2008 at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre here.

Najib, who is also Finance Minister, was asked to comment on a news report that the government has declassified toll concession agreements.

It also reported that this meant that the contents of the contracts, which have for long been speculated as one-sided agreements benefiting toll concessionaires, would no longer be classified as official secrets.

Quoting sources, the newspaper said that with the decision, made at a recent Cabinet meeting, having or having knowledge of the contents of these agreements no longer constituted an offence under the Official Secrets Act. — Bernama

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UN picked Jomo and Zeti for financial panel

PETALING JAYA: Bank Negara Governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz and Malaysian economist Jomo Kwame Sundaram have been appointed members of the United Nations’ high-level task force to examine possible reforms of the global financial system.

The task force was formed as a result of the current global economic turmoil.


Bank Negara Governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz
The Commission of Experts on Reforms of the International Mone-tary and Financial System would also look into the possible reform of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the United Nations said in a statement. The commission would also suggest measures to secure a more stable global economic order.

Former World Bank chief economist Joseph Stiglitz, who won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2001, will chair the commission.

Other members include Jean-Paul Fitoussi, professor of economics at the Institute d’Etudes Politiques de Paris in France; Avinash Persaud of Barbados, who is chairman of Intelligence Capital Ltd, and Yaga Venugopal Reddy, former governor of India’s Reserve Bank.

Also on the panel are Japan’s Eisuke Sakakibara, who is professor at Waseda University in Tokyo; Chukwuma Soludo, the Governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank; and China’s Yu Yongding, the director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics.

Jomo, a former Universiti Malaya lecturer, is the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ assistant secretary-general for economic development.

UN General Assembly president Miguel D’Escoto, who announced the formation of the panel last month, had noted that a coordinated effort at the global level was needed to resolve the current financial turmoil.(TheStar)

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Penang becomes the first state giving monthly allowance to Opposition leader

GEORGE TOWN: Penang Opposition Leader Datuk Azahar Ibrahim has criticised the RM1,000 monthly allowance for the position, claiming that it is “not sincere.”

Shrugging off the payment, he told reporters outside the State Legislative Assembly that the money did not make a difference to him.

“I am not a rich man but I don’t need the money either. I never asked for it.

“They want to give me an allowance but at the same time, I am criticised and am not given the opportunity to defend myself.

“Just because of the RM1,000, they won’t let me speak,” he said, referring to Jagdeep Singh Deo’s (DAP — Datuk Keramat) refusal to give way when the latter was debating the administrative enactment to create the official position of Opposition leader.

Penang became the first state in Malaysia to pay its Opposition leader an allowance when the enactment, which included a RM1,000 monthly allowance, was passed by the House yesterday.

Despite the heated debate, there were no strong objections from the 11 Opposition members.

Earlier during the enactment debate, Jagdeep called for Azahar to step down because he lacked the qualities of a good Opposition leader.

“I support the Opposition leader being paid an allowance but I disagree with Azahar being the recipient of it.

“Instead of offering constructive criticism, he has called for the cancellation of mega projects in the state and allegedly said that a reporter should be shot for doing her job.

“I am concerned because is this the quality we want in an Opposition leader?” he asked. At this juncture, Azahar playfully used his hand as a gun which riled Jagdeep Singh.

“Jangan main-main (don’t fool around). I am debating,” he said before denying Azahar a chance to explain.

Several Barisan Nasional assemblyman later called for a higher allowance, saying that the RM1,000 was insufficient.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, in his winding-up speech, said the state would consider the request if all BN states gave similar recognition to their Opposition leaders.

State Assembly Speaker Abdul Halim Hussain did not allow Azahar’s interjections as he had direct financial interest in the matter.

Lim, when tabling the enactment, said he hoped that the Opposition leader would accept and apply the CAT (Competency, Accountability and Transparency) principles.

“We urge the Opposition leader to be like a cat, to be competent and rationale towards all races because as what China’s great leader Deng Xiao Ping had said, ‘it doesn’t matter whether the cat is white or black as long as it is efficient in catching mice’,” he said. (TheStar)

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Shahrizat to challenge Rafidah for Wanita UMNO leadership - Malaysiakini

PETALING JAYA: Barely a day after Wanita Umno chief Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz announced that the wing’s power transition plan would remain as planned in June, her deputy Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has sprung a surprise.

She has decided to challenge Rafidah for the Wanita Umno leadership. Highly-placed sources said that Shahrizat had made up her mind to go for the wing’s top post which Rafidah has held for more than 20 years.

Shahrizat is expected to take Kuala Kangsar Wanita division chief and lawyer Datuk Kamiliah Ibrahim as her running mate.

Sources said Shahrizat wanted to exhaust all avenues before deciding on a challenge. But the straw that broke the camel’s back was the marathon Wanita exco meeting on Monday that saw Rafidah loyalists bringing out the knives.

Rafidah’s loyalists insisted that the transition plan go ahead at the five-and-a-half-hour meeting.

Shahrizat was chastised for issuing a press statement — a day before the exco meeting — in which she asked Rafidah to consider going in March instead of June.

One exco member said she was taken aback by the language that several of the critics used.

“They ran her down, insulted her and bullied her into agreeing,” said the exco member.

Her critics were also upset about the nominations she got and impli-ed she had conspired with Kamilia to get the endorsement.

She was even criticised for not inviting Rafidah to her Hari Raya open house. It is understood she received scores of SMSes after news broke out of the Wanita exco proceedings and it pushed her towards her decision.

Some scolded her for caving in to Rafidah, others expressed disappointment and said they felt betrayed, while others urged her to change her mind.

An aide said she spent half the night reading the SMSes, some of which were “hate mail” because some of the women were angry she had not resisted the transition plan.

Moreover, she has won 72 nominations against the 118 secured by Rafidah for the Wanita leadership.

Segambut Wanita chief and film producer Ruhani Abdul Rahman sa-id Shahrizat should go for it because “we are ready for a change.”

“A June transition would make Shahrizat an acting Wanita leader without a deputy for the next three years. What is the point of that?” said Ruhani.(TheStar)

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Police questioned the rationale behind singing the national anthem

SHAH ALAM: The state police chief has questioned the rationale behind Internal Security Act (ISA) protesters singing the national anthem at their illegal gathering near the Amcorp Mall on Sunday.

“Are they expecting policemen to stand at attention each time they sing the anthem? If so, what would happen if every criminal that we confront starts singing the national anthem?” asked Deputy Comm Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar.

He questioned whether the protesters sang NegaraKu to keep the police at bay or that they (the protesters) themselves did not respect the anthem.

Protesters against the ISA were said to have sung NegaraKu at least three times at three different locations on Sunday – at the mall, Petaling Jaya Civic Centre, as well as near the police station.

“I, more than anyone else present, and that too as a police officer, respect the national anthem, contrary to allegations that we showed no respect by dispersing the crowd when they were singing the anthem,’’ he said.

DCP Khalid said that when police moved in, he did not and could not hear them singing the national anthem as he was some distance away.

He said he was informed by his officers that the crowd sang the national anthem at three different locations before being dispersed.

“I am duty-bound to carry out my job without fear or favour, and my interest was the safety and concern of the general public as well as business outlets which had voiced concern over possible trouble there.

“Nobody can deny that someone could have taken advantage of the situation to stir up trouble there,’’ he said, adding that no permit was sought for the gatherings which had been taking place for the past four weeks.

Police arrested 23 people, including Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua and assemblymen Lau Weng San and Ronnie Liu, for taking part in the candlelight vigil.

They were arrested under Section 27 of the Police Act for allegedly taking part in an illegal assembly after several warnings to disperse were ignored.

The vigil, organised by the Coali tion for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih), started at 8pm at Dataran PJ, near Amcorp Mall.

However, the group, numbering in the hundreds, moved to the civic centre near MBPJ when police ordered them to disperse.(TheStar)

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Don't challenge Fatwa - Zahid said to Non Muslim NGOs

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today told non-Muslim non-governmental organisations (NGOs) not to challenge the National Fatwa Council’s credibility.

He said it was unfair to challenge or dispute a fatwa issued by the council purely on logic because it could create confusion among the people.

The issue of “pengkid” (tomboyism) for example had become a social problem when the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia received complaints and on that ground, the Fatwa Council felt it was necessary to issue a fatwa on it, he said.

“The problem of a girl running away with a boy can be solved using the law but what about a girl running away with a girl who looks like a boy?” he told reporters here.

Zahid said if the NGOs were confused or wanted further explanations on the background of a fatwa, he was willing to organise a forum.

The NGOs or non-Muslim writers would not resort to disputing or challenging a fatwa but instead respect it should discussions be held, he said commenting on the protest staged by non-Muslim NGOs — “Katagender” and “Foot-not-Bombs” — on Friday against the Fatwa Council ruling that “pengkid” is haram. (NST)


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Rafidah asked to step down by March by Sharizat

KUALA LUMPUR: Fast forward the Wanita Umno leadership transition from June to March. That was the call from its deputy head Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil to her boss Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz yesterday.

In a statement, Shahrizat said she would bring up the matter with Rafidah at the wing's executive council meeting at the party headquarters in the Putra World Trade Centre at 10.30am today.

Shahrizat said the statement was in response to the many members who had asked her to declare her stand on the transition plan.

"I respect the plan. However, taking into account the current developments, I want to discuss the matter with Rafidah.

"I request Rafidah's wisdom and cooperation in bringing forward the plan to March in line with the party's general assembly."

Rafidah responded by saying she had yet to read Shahrizat's statement.

"I will comment on it tomorrow," she said via a text message.

Rafidah's plan, outlined at a special briefing for Wanita Umno divisional leaders on Aug 4, had caught many by surprise. Sources said she did not consult other party leaders.

She had proposed that she and Shahrizat defend their seats in the party polls in March. She promised to hand over the movement's leadership to Shahrizat in June, and urged divisions not to nominate any challengers for the top two posts in Wanita Umno to avoid in-fighting.

In response, Shahrizat stated she would defend her deputy head post.

But since the divisional meetings started on Oct 9, many divisions have ignored the plan, as 73 of them nominated Shahrizat for the Wanita Umno head's post. Rafidah received 117 nominations, while another division -- Pokok Sena -- has yet to meet.

Shahrizat said she wanted to seek an amicable solution with Rafidah and Datuk Kamilia Ibrahim, who has been nominated to contest the deputy head's post.

"Our decision should not weaken Wanita Umno, instead put it on a more stable and united platform."

She said Rafidah's plan was to ensure there was no power struggle in the movement.

"The plan was to ensure a smooth transition between Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Datuk Seri Najib Razak without Wanita Umno providing any distraction.

"Any contest in Wanita Umno would rock the stability as we are the party's backbone."

Sources said yesterday that the Wanita Umno meeting today would be fiery.

"Rafidah does not take things lying down. She still has the fighting spirit and is upset that Shahrizat has broken her promise," an executive council member said.

"To prove a point, Rafidah would most likely defend her post as she has nothing to lose."

Another member said the 73 nominations that Shahrizat received was an indication that Wanita members wanted her to lead.

"This is despite her saying that she did not want to challenge Rafidah. She must not disappoint her supporters."

Rafidah, who won the Wanita Umno deputy head's post in 1980, became its head in 1984. She was returned unopposed in 1986, 1990 and 1993. She lost the post in 1996 but made a comeback in 2000 and was returned unopposed in 2004.

Shahrizat won the deputy head's post in 2000 and was returned unopposed in 2004 (NST)

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Maradona visit left The Red Devils and The Kop heroes starstruck

Well, it’s not every day you get to shake the Hand of God. No wonder Rio Ferdinand admitted he was starstruck and Liverpool players were inventing excuses to meet the most iconic Argentinian since Che Guevara.

Diego Maradona, new coach of Argentina, was in the north-west on Friday, charming a new generation of English footballers with only a fuzzy memory of his notorious 1986 World Cup ‘goal’.

New Argentina boss Diego Maradona visited Manchester United's Carrington training ground complex

Maradona inspired awe from the likes of Manchester United’s Ferdinand and Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard when he called in at both clubs’ training grounds.

Rafa Benitez found his Liverpool players popping into his office at an unprecedented rate as he chatted to Maradona, who is here for talks with key players such as Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez.

Ferdinand, who was eight when Maradona thumped his goal past Peter Shilton — unrepentant, he dubbed it the Hand of God — was pleased as punch to receive a signed shirt.

‘We were like school kids around a star coming to school,’admitted Ferdinand.

‘In my eyes, he is the best footballer ever. He is one of my heroes, if not the shining beacon when I was a kid.

'I had all his videos.

‘He was the player everyone wanted to be. He was my idol when I started to play football.


United striker Carlos Tevez is likely to be part of Maradona's Argentina plans

'I can’t hold him in higher esteem than that. To be able to shake his hand, get a cuddle off him and a picture — it made my birthday.’

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson certainly approved, reckoned Ferdinand.

He said: ‘I think the gaffer would probably like him to come every day, the way his presence raised standards.

'Everyone was trying to impress him. I hope he’ll go back to Argentina and say he’s seen a great player — Rio Ferdinand!’

Sir Alex said: ‘It was good. The players were all delighted to see him.

'It’s arguable who’s the best in the world but he’s in the best two or three.’

He’s forgiven on Merseyside, too.

Sir Alex Ferguson (right) and Maradona share a moment

Jamie Carragher’s father Phil, a staunch England fan, grabbed a taxi over to Melwood when his son tipped him off that Maradona had swept in.

Maradona’s car, with dark tinted glass, glided in unnoticed by the 30 or so fans waiting outside and the great man spent most of his time in Benitez’s first-floor office discussing Mascherano, who Benitez thinks should be Argentina captain.

‘I spoke with Steven Gerrard about the owners offering me contract talks, but all the players were far more concerned about meeting Diego,’ said Benitez.

‘He didn’t go out on the training pitch but they made a point of finding him.

‘We were in my office trying to talk about Mascherano, but every few minutes there would be a knock on the door and someone would come in with some excuse to say hello.’

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Judge rules against AG in Anwar sodomy trial

Kuala Lumpur : Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has won the first battle in his Sodomy II trial.Today, the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court judge S M Komathy ruled the certificate signed by the Attorney-General requesting the case be transferred to the High Court was ruled invalid.

This will give a fillip to Anwar's fight against the sodomy charge which he has denied and suggested is politically-motivated.

Komathy ruled today that there is a legitimated expectation in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi's promise that the AG would not be involved in Anwar's trial.

The PM had made the promise because Anwar has complained that the AG and the Inspector-General of Police had conspired to destroy evidence during Sodomy I ten years ago.

Anwar has claimed trial to the charge of sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

MORE TO COME
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Raja Petra released from ISA detention - ref Malaysiakini

Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamaruddin is to be freed Friday. He succeeded Friday in his bid to obtain a release order from detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA) via his habeas corpus application.

Meanwhile Malaysiakini reports that the Shah Alam Hight Court this morning ruled that the detention of well-known blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin under the ISA was illegal and ordered his immediate release.
It was understood that RPK must be released by today. He is expected to be brought to court later from Kamunting detention camp about 4pm today.

He was detained for a second time under the ISA on Sept 12.

On April 11, 2001, Raja Petra along with 10 other activists were detained under the ISA for allegedly plotting to overthrow former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Raja Petra was released 52 days later.

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New US president asked McCain to lead the country

CHICAGO – Barack Obama asked John McCain for his help in leading the country in a telephone call Tuesday night, moments after the Democratic senator was declared the country's first black president.

Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama thanked McCain for his graciousness and told him he had waged a tough race.

"Senator Obama told Senator McCain he was consistently someone who has showed class and honor during this campaign as he has during his entire life in public service," Gibbs said in a statement. "Senator Obama said he was eager to sit down and talk about how the two of them can work together."

Gibbs quoted Obama as saying to McCain: "I need your help, you're a leader on so many important issues"

President Bush called Obama shortly after the Illinois senator hung up with McCain, and then Obama watched McCain's concession speech from his suite in the Hyatt Regency hotel, where he watched returns with his extended family and senior staff.

Gibbs said the call came at 11 p.m. eastern time, right after The Associated Press and television networks declared the Obama winner of their presidential race.

A few blocks away, a massive crowd in Grant Park that included celebrities Oprah Winfrey and Brad Pitt erupted into cheers to see their chosen candidate break the White House color barrier. Audience members leapt into the air, waving American flags. Many shed tears. (Yahoo News)

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Najib's Budget 2009 revision irked Oppositions

KUALA LUMPUR- Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak revised the 2009 Budget today, presenting additional steps such as a RM7 billion injection into the economy as a "policy response" to deal with the global financial crisis.

Besides the RM7 billion injection, which is the savings from fuel subsidies, he also revised downwards the country's gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast.

"This is to ensure Malaysia's economy continues to grow and the rakyat do not come under too much pressure," he said in Parliament today when announcing the new measures.

The revision brings forecasted GDP growth down to 3.5 per cent from 5.4 per cent and the budget deficit upwards to 4.8 per cent from 3.6 per cent.

This is due to changes in estimated revenue from RM176.22 billion to RM168.73 while expenditure remained the same.

With this, the Deputy Prime Minister crushed the opposition's hope to have the budget retabled. Najib also insisted that the government was "not in denial."

"Even though Malaysia is not directly experiencing a financial crisis and has strong financial fundamentals, we are aware that Malaysia is not exempt or sheltered from the risks of challenging global developments," he said.

He backed this up by stating that the national reserve was still healthy at 37 per cent of GDP with only 2.5 per cent non-performing loans and a risk weighted capital-adequacy ratio of just 13.2 per cent, above the international standard of 8 per cent.

Najib also said the government will proceed with the proposal to inject RM5 billion into ValueCap via a loan from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to purchase undervalued stocks.

He insisted that the funds would be guaranteed by the government and the returns from the loan would be higher than the prevailing interest rate but with minimum risk.

The DPM said this was to stimulate activity in the capital market and it was not compulsory for ValueCap to invest only in GLCs. He added that this move had precedents in Hong Kong's Tracker Fund during the 1998 economic crisis and also recent measures taken by the Qatar Investment Authority.

Najib also called the revised budget an expansionary one, stressing that priority would be given to projects with a high multiplier effect, citing as an example the shelving of the RM1.6 billion purchase of Eurocopter helicopters by the Ministry of Defence.

"The government has the flexibility to execute additional high impact projects due to savings from fuel subsidies. From these savings, the government will execute various initiatives involving an injection of RM7 billion," he announced.

The Bill was passed unanimously and now moves on to the committee stage.(TheMalaysianinsider)

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Abby filed divorce petition against Norman

KUALA LUMPUR: The shooting of popular local cop drama Gerak Khas came to an abrupt halt when actor Norman Hakim received an uninvited guest.

His wife, Abby Abadi, turned up at the location yesterday to get him to sign papers pertaining to her divorce petition.

Abby, whose real name is Arbaeyah Abdul Manan, was accompanied by about 20 reporters to the location in front of Wangsa Maju Carrefour about noon.

They had followed her from the Gombak Timur Syariah Court, where she had tried to file a divorce application.

Norman started crying when his wife of six years handed him the documents and ushered her away to discuss the matter privately.

Irreconciliable: Abby talking with Norman near the film location in Wangsa Maju yesterday.
About 45 minutes later, they spoke to reporters.

Norman was detained early last Thursday by Selangor religious department officers at his office in Ukay Perdana, Ampang, for khalwat (close proximity) with a new artiste, Memey Suhaiza.

When asked whether he would cooperate with Abby, Norman said he was willing to do so provided Memey was also given a fair hearing.

This prompted an outburst from Abby, who accused him of not caring for her feelings.

Norman then tried to pacify her, saying that private matters should not be discussed in public, but this prompted another outburst from Abby.

She accused him of lying, effectively cutting short the press conference when Norman walked off muttering that he had nothing else to say about the issue.

He had earlier told reporters he needed time to think things over and hoped to salvage the marriage.

He added that he had not gone home since the incident to prevent quarrels between them as Abby would get riled up whenever he mentioned Memey’s name and accuse him of defending her.

Norman became evasive when asked about the nature of his relationship with Memey, saying: “I have to consider the feelings of others and Abby is still my wife.”

Rumours that their marriage was on the rocks started circulating a few months ago and local entertainment magazines had speculated that Memey was the cause.(TheStar)

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Gerakan VP, S. Vijaya found dead - ref Malaysiakini

SEREMBAN: Gerakan vice-president Datuk Dr S. Vijayaratnam, 58, was found dead outside his clinic here at 11.20am on Monday. Police are investigating.

His body has been taken to the Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital here for post-mortem.

The police are expected to hold a press conference soon to brief reporters on their initial findings.


Datuk Dr S. Vijayaratnam.
The doctor-turned-politician comes from a family of politicians. His father, the late Dr S. Seevaratnam was Member of Parliament for Seremban Barat between 1969 and 1974, and was also DAP national treasurer.

His uncle, the late S. Rajaratnam, was Foreign Minister of Singapore from 1966 to the mid 1980s.

Vijayaratnam entered politics in 1981, the same year he entered private practice, after having served the Government for eight years. He was appointed a senator in 2002.

“I come from a family of politicians, so I’ve always been interested in politics,” he told The Star’s BizWeek in an interview late last year.

“When you are a doctor, you meet all kinds of people – rich, poor, corporate, blue-collar and white-collar. People in sickness also tend to expose their problems because psychology is a part of medicine.

“When they open up, you get drawn into their problems. Then comes the desire to try and do something to help them,” Vijayaratnam said.

The former parliamentary secretary of the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry also told BizWeek that Gerakan was his party of choice from the start because of his strong belief in a non-racial approach to Malaysian politics. (TheStar)

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EPL title race starts now - Liverpool

Jamie Carragher has demanded an instant return to winning ways as Liverpool negotiate what he views as an increasingly unforgiving Premier League title race.The Reds slipped off the summit of the table with their 2-1 defeat at White Hart Lane on Saturday, Carragher's own goal letting Tottenham Hotspur back into the match.Chelsea responded to last weekend's home defeat to Liverpool by putting eight goals past Hull and Sunderland and Carragher wants a similar response from his team-mates.

"Look how Chelsea have reacted since we beat them and how Manchester United reacted when they lost to us," he said.

"They've been on a great run since. It's how you come back from your setbacks that counts. This will be a test for us now.

"If you want to show you're championship contenders it's how you bounce back that matters.

"Before Jose Mourinho came to Chelsea you could get away with losing five or six but now it seems to be three or four.

"The standards are so high. You can't afford to lose too many."

Fixtures against the likes of West Brom, Bolton and Fulham mean Liverpool face, at least on paper, a kind November but Carragher is taking nothing for granted.

"It's a different test in itself playing against the teams lower down," he said.

"Portsmouth was a very difficult game and we didn't score until late on.

"If we play as well as we can we should go on to win the next six games but in the past we've come unstuck in those matches and it's important we get maximum points now."

Fernando Torres should be back for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Carragher admits Torres has been missed but insists the squad should be able to cope in his absence.

"You'll always miss Torres. He's probably the best striker in the world of his type," he said.

"Even if we'd won here we would have still missed him because he's such a great player. That's what squads are for.

"That's why the manager talks every year about big squads and good benches.

"Everyone misses players. Chelsea are without Didier Drogba at the moment. You've just got to adapt to it."

Liverpool could have done with Torres' clinical touch as they let a series of chances go begging against Spurs before Carragher's own goal changed the match.

"That's the Premier League for you. Credit to Spurs but we were in total control," said Carragher.

"We should have got a second or third goal but if you don't do that Spurs have definitely got quality going forward.

"I'm disappointed to score the own goal. I don't know what happened. I don't know if I was unlucky - I'll have to see it again.

"Even then 1-1 isn't too bad at Spurs. It's not an easy place to go, even though they're in a bad situation.

"We're more than disappointed to concede a goal in the last minute. We missed a couple of chances we would normally score.

"Normally when you're in such control you go on to win the game but you have to give credit to Tottenham for showing character and sticking in there."Harry Redknapp is having quite an effect there." (ESPN)

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US predator strikes in Pakistan killed at least 32

AFP Photo

ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Suspected US missiles struck two deadly blows Friday killing 32 mainly Al-Qaeda operatives and injuring a key Taliban commander in a Pakistani tribal area near the Afghan border, officials said.

The two strikes within a few hours were the latest in series of attacks that have raised tensions between Washington and Islamabad. In the first attack two missiles hit a pick-up truck and a house west of Mir Ali, a town in the troubled North Waziristan region bordering Afghanistan, killing 20 mainly Arab militants, officials said. They told AFP the strike targeted an Al-Qaeda financial coordinator known as Abu Akasa Al-Iraqi and that there were unconfirmed local reports that he was among the dead. Two further missiles fired by a suspected US drone at a militant hideout near Wana, the main town in neighbouring South Waziristan, killed 12 suspected rebels soon after, a senior security official said. They included "foreigners", the official said -- using the term by which security services refer to Al-Qaeda operatives. Officials said top Taliban commander Mullah Nazir was wounded in the strike. "Nazir sustained injuries and was rushed to a hospital by Taliban. We are not sure about the seriousness of injuries to him" a top security official told AFP. "In the two strikes the majority of those killed were Al-Qaeda operatives and some Taliban local commanders."

Local administration official Mowaz Khan also confirmed Nazir, who leads the Pakistani Taliban faction accused by the United States of sending fighters across the border, was wounded in the attack. Officials said 30 militants, mostly Taliban fighters, were injured in the attack. The attacks came just two days after Pakistan, a key ally in the US-led "war on terror", summoned Washington's ambassador to Islamabad to deliver a strong protest over a number of similar strikes. "Some 20 militants were killed in the attack and most were Arabs. It was a successful strike," another security official told AFP on condition of anonymity, referring to the first attack. Local residents said the strike hit the house of a Pakistani tribesman named Amanullah Dawar. It was not immediately clear whether the house or the vehicle, a pick-up truck, was blown up first, officials said. Officials in North Waziristan said al-Iraqi was believed killed but added that they were still seeking confirmation. He was known locally as Abdullah and officials said that while he was not part of the top Al-Qaeda hierarchy he played an important role as a financial "lynchpin".

Friday's attacks were the 17th and 18th such strikes in the past 10 weeks, according to an AFP tally. All have been blamed on US-led coalition forces or CIA drones based in neighbouring Afghanistan. A strike on Sunday killed senior Taliban commander Haji Omar Khan, a lieutenant of veteran Afghan Taliban chieftain and former anti-Soviet fighter Jalaluddin Haqqani. The attacks have sharply raised tensions between Washington and nuclear-armed Pakistan. Pakistan's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that it called in US envoy Anne Patterson over the strikes. "It was underscored to the ambassador that the government of Pakistan strongly condemns the missile attacks which resulted in the loss of precious lives and property," the ministry said in a statement. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has promised zero tolerance against violations of his country's sovereignty. The attacks have also become an election issue in the US presidential campaign. A New York Times report last month said Pakistan's national security adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani made an unannounced visit to top White House officials after a strike in early September to voice his anger in person. The attack on September 3 led to civilian casualties.(AFP)

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