PERWI

While Lebanese were hoping the national unity government, agreed on in Doha, would finally see light to put an end to all disputes over ministerial seats and open the way for stability and prosperity in the country, an unexpected decision by MP Saad Hariri's Future Parliamentary bloc is likely to stall the whole process.

Almost half of the areas in southern Lebanon contaminated with cluster bombs dropped by Israel in 2006 have been cleared, a UN official said on Wednesday.

"Forty three percent of the areas affected by the cluster bombs dropped during the July 2006 war have been cleared", UN Mine Action Coordination Centre for South Lebanon spokeswoman Dalya Farran said. . . more

Brilliant Austrian school of economics scholar Murray Rothbard asked a seemingly complex question in the title of his essay: "What has Government Done to our Money?" The answer turns out to be pretty simple: Government consistently debases our money. How and why it debases our money has everything to do with politics, and nothing to do with the laws of economics. . . more

The hike in oil prices has not caused hardships to our government. On the contrary it has already earned record profits for Petronas. And now our government is going to squeeze even more profits by squeezing the rakyat. Put it bluntly, the Barisan Nasional government will get filthy rich form the blood money of the rakyat.

Now the 56 billion ringgit question. What will the Barisan Nasional government do with the RM56 billion windfall per year? We already suffered a price hike on our petrol almost a year back, and have we seen any accounting on what has been done with the extra money that the government collected? I remembered that there were some talks of using the money to improve our public transport system. But so far I have only heard about the ailing KTM, failing bus companies and government cutting subsidry to Rapid KL.

Fuel hike the first after last election.

Petrol increases 78 sen and diesel RM1.00 per liter., as announced by the Malaysian PM this evening. Thats taking into account of the government fixed subsidy of 30 sen a liter irrespective of the market value.

The PM also announces the rebate that will be given to motorists. . more

Excerpt & rendered into English from :
Muda Mohd Noor | Jun 4,08 5:04pm

Tens of thousands of Iraqis took to the streets last week as the provisions in the “accords” were leaked to the Arabic ­newspaper Al-Hayat.

Included in the treaty is the right for the US to launch wars on “third countries” from Iraqi soil.

Iraq SOFA demo

This is a direct threat against Iraq’s neighbours and another step towards a war on Iran.

But for many Iraqis, the biggest insult in the new treaty is that all US troops, citizens and mercenaries – the so-called contractors – will be immune from Iraqi law.

Under these terms, occupation forces can use deadly force under any conditions, giving them a green light to arrest, imprison or kill any Iraqi with no fear of prosecution or regard for the country’s institutions. . . more

While the Kurds are believed to be the only Iraqi group to support the agreement and the notion of long-term US military presence in the country, Shias and Sunnis have expressed their strong disapproval of the deal.

111 countries ban the use of cluster bombs, except Israel, Russia, China, India, Pakistan and the US.

. . . watch video

While major powers and Israel are keeping their Nuclear Arsenal, on what legal or moral grounds do they have to stop Iran from just starting a nuclear enrichment program?

Aijaz Ahmad: Why is corporate media marginalizing a former President? . . . watch video