Parliamentarians lost their voices

It is shocking to read report that 29 parliamentarians lost their voices come Apr 28, 2008. Those Member of Parliament failed to submit their parliamentary questions to be asked in the first Parliament session (after the 12th Malaysia General Election) to be held on Apr 28, 2008.

Of the 29 MP who are shy to talk, 15 are from Barisan Nasional, 5 are from DAP and 9 are from PKR. Surprisingly, PAS MP are not in the list. Good job PAS.
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Return the money, Zahrah Kechik told

Sunday, April 27, 2008 at 6:26 AM Posted by EzRich Labels: attempted cheat, UMNO Ladies

However, BALKIS was formed as a welfare organization to serve the rakyat of Selangor not UMNO. The wifes of PKR MPs could always fill in the positions in BALKIS and continue their work, that is to serve the rakyat.

Just imagine if the opposition parties rule Malaysia, is UMNO going to dissolve Bank Negara and transfered the nation's money elsewhere ? That would not be right. . . . read more

By Boris Heger and Jack Chang - Posted on Friday, May 2, 2008

SANTA CRUZ DE LA SIERRA, Bolivia — This divided country faces a constitutional crisis Sunday when its richest and second most-populous province votes whether to declare itself autonomous from President Evo Morales's national government, a referendum the president has called illegal.

If the referendum passes, as polls show it overwhelmingly will, leaders of Santa Cruz province say they'll elect a state legislature, organize local police and otherwise set up a government equivalent to that of a U.S. state. . . . read more

By Ismail Salami, Press TV

The USS Abraham Lincoln

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:16:38

General David Petraeus.

Labour looks set to come third nationwide, BBC research suggests

Labour is suffering a grim night in local
elections in England and Wales, losing
more than 140 seats so far.

BBC research suggests the party has fallen into
third place nationally with 24% of the vote, beaten
by the Tories on 44% and Lib Dems on 25%.

This time will there be a repeat of Visas will not be issued in time, there will be no flights available, Moscow hotels are full, and prices are astronomic.

As it turns out, Moscow does actually have a plan. . . . .read more

US confirms Somali missile strike

Ayro was never seen at a public gathering and avoided interview The US military has confirmed that it carried out a pre-dawn missile strike which killed a senior leader of an Islamist militant group in Somalia. A spokesman said the target of the attack in the town of Dusamareb was an al-Qaeda leader, but would not name him or say whether it had been successful. But local elders have said up to 30 bodies have been recovered from the scene, according to unconfirmed reports. . . read more More news on Somalia - Ethiopia (US proxy) war. Somalia - East Africa's new Afghanistan? Meeting Somalia's Islamist insurgents

WASHINGTON -- President Bush is promoting his top Iraq commander, Army Gen. David Petraeus, and replacing him with the general's recent deputy, keeping the U.S. on its war course and handing the next president a pair of combat-tested commanders who have relentlessly defended Bush's strategies.

Bush will nominate Petraeus to replace Navy Adm. William J. Fallon as chief of U.S. Central Command, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Wednesday. The command's area of responsibility features some of the most vexing military and foreign policy problems facing this administration and its successor _ including Iran, Pakistan, Lebanon, parts of Africa and Afghanistan in addition to Iraq. . . . . read more

William M. Arkin on National and Homeland Security

The Overrated General Petraeus . . . . . read more

Siemens probe uncovers corruption

Siemens is being investigated for corruption in several countries

The law firm hired by Siemens to investigate claims of corruption there says it has discovered violations.

Debevoise & Plimpton examined transactions between 1999 and 2006.

Investigators are looking into whether Siemens employees paid bribes to secure telecoms deals. The company has admitted dubious payments were made. . . . read more

Iraqi deputies have denounced the government, using a quotation from the Koran to describe Prime Minister Nouri Maliki as "depraved".

The criticism came from the bloc of MPs who support the Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr - which once backed Mr Maliki.

Iraqi troops and US-led foreign forces have been engaged in bloody battles with Mehdi Army fighters loyal to Moqtada Sadr over recent weeks. . . . read more

Alive in Baghdad: Shi'a neighbors show solidarity with Sunni families

Monday April 28th, 2008

We show this segment courtesy of www.aliveinbaghdad.org. Alive in Baghdad employs Iraqi journalists to produce video packages each week about a variety of topics on daily life in Iraq.

Baghdad, Iraq - The Faili Kurds are one of the most oppressed groups of Kurds. Like other Kurds, they were abused during Saddam Hussein's regime. Statistics from the United Nations show that more than 450 thousand Faili Kurds were deported to Iran in the 1980s and nearly 10 thousand Faili Kurds between the ages of 13 and 30 years old are still missing until the current moment. A large number of this Kurdish minority fled out of Iraq to a number of other countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. They were fleeing the bad circumstances they endured under several governments that ruled Iraq. Now, despite the fall of Saddam Hussein and the work of many citizens toward establishing a democratic Iraq, the Faili Kurds still face several difficulties. Among others, until now, they did not receive the same rights as other Iraqis.

The Charitable Liberated Faili Kurds Organization works in Baghdad to attempt to redress these wrongs. They work in particular to support displaced Faili Kurds to enable them to return to their homes in Baghdad and elsewhere. They also advocate for the approval of full citizenship for Failis. Due to the inadequate social services available to Failis and other poor Iraqis, they also run a medical clinic on Palestine St. in Baghdad which is available to all needy Iraqis.

For more information about Faili Kurds, please see this site ostensibly run by Faili Kurds, or you can read a range of research on Wikipedia. Global Security also has a breakdown of differences between Kurdish groups, or you can read a discussion of Kurdish identity and the place of Faili Kurds. Lastly another Faili Kurd describes the meaning of being Faili. . . . click here to see video

Caffeine and Pregnancy: How Risky? . . . . read caption & more

1 in 4 U.S. Toddlers Improperly Vaccinated . . . . read caption & more