One Palestinian fighter was martyred and two were wounded on Saturday in an Israeli air strike in the northern Gaza Strip near the town of Beit Lahiya, Palestinian medics said.[more]
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Bashir animator makes film on Gaza
 A frame from Goodman's 'Closed Zone' |
One of the creators of the Oscar-nominated animation Waltz with Bashir has released a short film about the recent Israeli war on Gaza.
Yoni Goodman's 90-second Closed Zone shows a Palestinian boy trying to chase a blue bird, but large hands block his way. The film highlights Israel's tight blockade on Gaza, which has deprived dozens of Palestinians of medical and food supplies from the past 19 months.
"I'm very much against the Israeli blockade policy, and the last war was just a mistake," Goodman told The Jerusalem Post.[more]
Iran questions Morocco severance of ties
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Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has questioned the motive behind a Moroccan decision to cut diplomatic ties with Tehran.
The Moroccan Foreign Ministry on Friday accused Iran's Embassy in Rabat of trying to "alter the religious fundamentals of the kingdom" and threaten the religious unity of the Sunni Arab kingdom.
In a statement, Morocco said Iran causes "intolerable interference in the internal affairs of the kingdom", Associated Press reported Friday.[more]
US will not follow UK on Hezbollah
 Washington is not to contact Hezbollah despite President Barack Obama's promise of contacting 'US enemies'. |
Obama's administration 'is not ready' to join Britain in contacting the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, says the US State Department.
"We are not ready to take the same step," said the State Department's acting deputy spokesman, Gordon Duguid, on Friday after London decided to re-establish contacts with Hezbollah's political wing given its contributions to stability in Lebanon.
"We are not ready to take the same step," said the State Department's acting deputy spokesman, Gordon Duguid, on Friday after London decided to re-establish contacts with Hezbollah's political wing given its contributions to stability in Lebanon.
"Our position on Hezbollah has not changed," he added regarding Washington's age-old way of calling the group 'terrorist'; a position which was pursued strongly under former president George W. Bush.[more]
US Army's Feb. suicide toll 'disturbing'
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The US Army announces that there were 18 suspected suicides in February after an alarming increase in soldier suicides in January.
"It's a very high number, it's very disturbing," Col. Thomas Languirand, head of the Army suicide prevention program, said Thursday.
"We're taking every effort we can think of" to try to bring it down, he added.
The spike continues a four-year rise in an Army under stress from costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.[more]
"We're taking every effort we can think of" to try to bring it down, he added.
The spike continues a four-year rise in an Army under stress from costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.[more]
Hezbollah hails UK 'policy revision'
 Ibrahim al-Moussawi |
Hezbollah has welcomed a change in Britain's tone which signals London's willingness to hold talks with the Lebanese resistance movement.
Ibrahim al-Moussawi, a spokesman for the Islamic group, said on Friday that "this policy revision is a step in the right direction and we shall see how it translates in practical terms."
Ibrahim al-Moussawi, a spokesman for the Islamic group, said on Friday that "this policy revision is a step in the right direction and we shall see how it translates in practical terms."
Another official for Hezbollah said that the "movement was waiting on what steps Britain would take after," dpa reported.[more]
Hezbollah wants dialogue with Britain to be public .
Britain’s Foreign Office announced yesterday that it has re-established contact with the group’s political wing after it joined a unity government in Lebanon last year. That’s after Britain ceased contact with members of Hezbollah in 2005 and listed its military wing as a proscribed terrorist organisation last year.[more]
UK Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell
Despite Israel's protest, UK willing to open talks with Hezbollah (watch video)
Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:27:07
Fareena Alam, Press TV, London
Iran diplomats to come home soon
 Iranian government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham |
Iran says the case of the Iranian diplomats kidnapped by US forces in Iraq's Kurdish city of Erbil in 2007 is drawing to a close.
Iranian government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham said major efforts have been made to secure the release of the Iranian diplomats, adding, "the matter would soon be a closed cased".[more]
World big banks to meet in London
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Chief executives from leading banks in Europe, Japan and the US will discuss the financial crisis in an upcoming meeting in London.
The British government will host the talks on March 24, ahead of an April 2 summit of the Group of 20 (G20) developed and emerging economies, Japan's Nikkei economic daily reported on Saturday.[more]
Police fire tear gas at crowd marching to Istana Negara
KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — malaysianinsider— source : AP
Riot police have fired tear gas at hundreds of people who tried to march to Istana Negara to protest the use of English to teach maths and science.
Riot police have fired tear gas at hundreds of people who tried to march to Istana Negara to protest the use of English to teach maths and science.The demonstrators wanted to submit a petition to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong today to demand that Bahasa Malaysia be reinstated in schools for the two subjects.
Some school teachers and linguists from the ethnic Malay majority have complained that a six-year-old policy of using English undermines efforts to modernise their mother tongue and to develop a scientific lexicon in Malay.
The government began a review to evaluate the success of the policy last year.
Conflict in Sudan continues to grip UN's attention
| Sat, 07 Mar 2009 06:10:49 Mike Mazzocco, Press TV, United Nations |  |
Barak: Narrow government is trouble
 Defense Minister Ehud Barak |
Israel's Defense Minister warns against the emergence of a narrow government, which is the expected choice by the Premier designate.
"What Israel needs is a broad unity government. A narrow right-wing coalition is trouble," Ehud Barak said on Friday, Jerusalem Post reported.
Benjamin Netanyahu's appointment as prime minister, which translated to his Likud party's leadership of the government, followed strong responses from the Labor party, chaired by Barak and Kadima, led by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.[more]
Outdoing Abu Gharib
This situation is obviously very worrying. The fact that their actions are condoned by the system which also provides for a cover up necessitates the revamping of the police system as a whole. This should start by the resignation of the Inspector-General of Police. It is unacceptable that the IGP can carry on with his job knowing full well that he has completely failed in the carrying out of his duties by ensuring high standards of justice and fair treatment of those detained by his personnel. The “lackadaisical” attitude shown by the IGP when shown the findings of the second autopsy is a clear indication that this is something which is not new.
For the institution of the police to be cleaned up, it requires leaders who have the vision and the desire to see it cleaned. This is obviously not something which the current IGP and the current administration can do. We are, as always, left with the conclusion that the longer this administration stays, the worse will it be for the nation as a whole.[more]
Israel Unity Government Negotiations - reveals “Likud Cut Deal with Shas Last Year to Thwart Livni”
As negotiations to build Israeli Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu's government intensified on Thursday, The Jerusalem Post received information from a well-placed political source confirming long-standing speculation that Shas made a deal with Netanyahu to prevent Kadima leader Tzipi Livni from forming a coalition in October.In return for forcing the February 10 election, Netanyahu promised Shas chairman Eli Yishai the Interior Ministry and NIS 2 billion worth of allocations for his party's pet causes, according to the source. A Shas spokesman denied the report, saying his party would be overjoyed if it were given even NIS 1.5b.
In all, the financial demands being raised by the five parties expected to join a Likud-led coalition add up to almost NIS 10b., according to a source close to the negotiations. Netanyahu and Israel Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman met Thursday night at the Knesset and, contrary to expectations beforehand, did not discuss the portfolios Israel Beiteinu would receive.[more]
'Iran unlike Israel is not a threat'
 Eric Garris founded the 'antiwar' website in 1995 |
Eric Garris, founder of the US based antiwar website, says Iran unlike Israel, has never invaded a country nor has it threatened any.
In an interview with Voice of America on Friday, Garris expressed his opposition to US policies in supporting Israel saying that Israel has been a hostile country, causing tension in the region.
The founder of the antiwar website added that as a Jew, he felt ashamed of aggressions committed by Israelis, asking the US government to stop sending aid to Tel Aviv, Cairo and Fatah officials in Ramallah.[more]
Video: Air Selangor - Usaha Halang PR Laksana Dasar Berkebajikan
"Niat kerajaan negeri ialah untuk menjadi sebuah kerajaan yang meringankan beban hidup rakyat jelata dan kita memahami ianya hanya akan dapat kita lakukan dengan kita membeli syarikat syabas itu. Dengan itu melepaskan diri kita dengan syarat-syarat perjanjian yang begitu mencengkam dan menindas rakyat yang telah ditetapkan oleh pihak kerajaan (BN) yang sebelum daripadanya..."[video di dalam]
Emotions run high as Perak by-election nears
At first glance, they look like regular advertisements fluttering by the roadside. But take a closer look and their political intent becomes loud and clear.The biggest banner has a picture of Perak state assemblyman Osman Jailu — the man who defected a month ago, helping to topple the opposition-held government in Perak.
“Sekarang Aku Dah Kaya! (Now I am rich!)” it declares, hinting that he was paid by the Barisan Nasional to defect.
The banner hangs alongside one calling him a lanun (pirate), and a third one showing two keris stabbing the word “Democracy”. The keris is part of the Umno logo.
These banners are hung prominently along the road into Simpang, the main town in Perak's Bukit Gantang parliamentary constituency — the scene of a by-election to be held on April 7 to fill the vacancy left after opposition MP Roslan Shaharum died last month. [more]
'Israel set for huge attack on Gaza'
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Israel is preparing to launch a 'huge' attack on the Gaza Strip after killing hundreds of Palestinians in its recent onslaught, reports say.
"The Israeli army is preparing to carry out a huge and harsh attack at any moment," the Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported on Friday, quoting Israeli news sources.[more]
Life with the opposition
Four states came under opposition rule for the first time last March. For some, the change was a breath of fresh air. For others, it meant a new set of troubles.
PENANG & SELANGOR
The going isn't easy, but these two states are making progress.
For the last two decades, Lim Guan Eng and Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim have been staking out different paths.
Lim, a fast-rising opposition politician, made a career of attacking the government and in 1998 was sentenced to 18 months in jail for sedition.
Khalid was the government's corporate wunderkind who presided over a state-owned investment fund that held controlling stakes in Malaysia's largest public-listed companies.
Today, both men are working side by side in the leadership of the country's emboldened opposition and stand at the forefront of political change here.
Last year's historic general election catapulted both men into powerful chief minister positions — Lim in Penang and Khalid in Selangor — in two of Malaysia's most economically powerful states, which have fallen into opposition hands.
Whether a two-party political system will take shape in Malaysia after decades of dominance by Barisan Nasional will depend on their performance, say opposition leaders and analysts.[more]
Umno Palsukan Fakta dan Nafikan Ibrahim Yaakob
NAMPAKNYA kerajaan begitu giat berkempen bagi menjayakan sambutan '50 Tahun Kemerdekaan Negara' tahun lalu. Kini kempen itu kian suram. Tiada gerakkan yang menyanggah atau membetulkan fakta palsu yang disogokkan kononnya Tunku dan Umnolah yang menggerakkan usaha kemerdekaan. Bagaimanakah laungan 'Merdeka' oleh Ibrahim Yaakob? Dan apa kaitannya dengan gerakkan merdeka yang diperjuangkan oleh PKMM, KMM, API dan AWAS sebelum diharamkan penjajah? Ikuti pandangan Pengarah Jabatan Pilihan Raya PAS Wilayah Persekutuan, CIKGU ISHAK SURIN yang juga antara aktivis yang terlibat diperingkat awal gerakan kemerdekaan, ketika aktif bersama API bersama Pengarang Berita, TARMIZI MOHD JAM.Memanglah itu yang sedang berlaku. Usaha ini giat dijalankan untuk menafikan gerakkan awal kemerdekaan negara. Pada masa yang sama, kerajaan cuba menonjolkan Umnolah yang mempelopori kemerdekaan.
Bagi saya, usaha terancang begini amat dayus dilakukan oleh kerajaan semata-mata untuk mempengaruhi genarasi muda kini akur bahawa Umno dan pemimpin hari ini adalah kesinambungan pejuang kemerdekaan. Umno cuba menafikan fakta sejarah yang sebenar. Siapa Tunku pada waktu merdeka dulu? Siapa Umno? Macam mana Umno itu ditubuhkan? [more]
Iran reacts to US invite for Afghan talks
 The Afghanistan summit comes amid a major stalemate in US military efforts in the war-hit country. |
Iran weighs the Obama administration's plans to invite the country to attend an international conference on Afghanistan later this month.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, wrapping up a trip to the Middle East and Europe, said Thursday that the Obama administration has plans to invite Tehran to attend a confab on Afghanistan.
"If we move forward with such a meeting, it is expected that Iran would be invited as a neighbor of Afghanistan," Clinton told reporters in Brussels.[more]
Tsvangirai's wife killed in car crash
 Moragan Tsvangirai (center) and his wife Susan (l) in the Prime Minister's inauguration ceremony |
Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is rushed to a hospital after his car collided with a truck in an accident that killed his wife.
"Yes I can confirm that he was involved in a car accident along Harare-Masvingo road," Tsvangirai's spokesman, James Maridadi told CNN on Friday.
"Yes I can confirm that he was involved in a car accident along Harare-Masvingo road," Tsvangirai's spokesman, James Maridadi told CNN on Friday.
Tsvangirai along with his wife, an aide, and the driver, were all rushed to Harare hospital for treatment, Maridadi added.[more]
Perhimpunan Raksaksa Mansuh PPSMI Hari Ini (7 Mac 2009)
Perhimpunan 100,000 rakyat bagi membantah pelaksanaan dasar Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Ingeris (PPSMI) anjuran Gabungan Mansuhkan PPSMI (GMP) akan berlangsung seperti dijadualkan di Masjid Negara.
Menurut Pengerusi jawatankuasa induk GMP, Datuk Dr. Hassan Ahmad pihaknya telah mendapatkan permit daripada pihak polis semalam bagi mengadakan perhimpunan tersebut.
Menurut Pengerusi jawatankuasa induk GMP, Datuk Dr. Hassan Ahmad pihaknya telah mendapatkan permit daripada pihak polis semalam bagi mengadakan perhimpunan tersebut.
"Pihak polis hanya membenarkan tujuh orang daripada ahli jawantkuasa GMP untuk menghantar memorandum kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong (YDPA), Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin di Istana Negara.
"Saya sendiri akan mengetuai rombongan ini dengan menaiki kereta," katanya dalam satu sidang media selepas mempengerusikan mesyuarat akhir gabungan itu di pejabat Persatuan Penulis Nasional (Pena) di sini hari ini. [selanjutnya]
"Saya sendiri akan mengetuai rombongan ini dengan menaiki kereta," katanya dalam satu sidang media selepas mempengerusikan mesyuarat akhir gabungan itu di pejabat Persatuan Penulis Nasional (Pena) di sini hari ini. [selanjutnya]
Shia Muslims in London call for political reform in Saudi Arabia
| Fri, 06 Mar 2009 23:59:41 Roshan Muhammed Salih , Press TV, London |  |
USM archaeologists unearth ancient Kedah buildings
A group of archaeologists has unearthed two prehistoric buildings from the third century AD in the Bujang Valley recently.
The group, from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)’s Centre for Global Archaeological Research, found a building and a smelting factory, following an excavation project in Sungai Batu, Semeling.
Discovered in two areas near an oil palm plantation in Jalan Lencongan Merbok recently, the buildings proved that an ancient civilisation had existed in the Bujang Valley.
USM Vice-Chancellor Prof Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak disclosed today that the discoveries were important historical findings.[more]
Who Is The Ultimate Authority?
When both the Speaker and the judge intervene in the chaos and show their authorities, what should the people of Perak do?Our limited knowledge of law told us that the Constitution is supreme and whenever there is a dispute, the judge is the “ultimate authority” and the “ultimate interpreter” of the Constitution.
| "We (Supreme Court Justices) are not final because we are infallible; we know that we are infallible only because we are final." |
However, Article 72(1) of the Federal Constitution that underlines the “Privileges of Legislative Assembly” reads: "The validity of any proceedings in the legislative assembly of any state shall not be questioned in any court."[more]
Gaza donor conference: Who is pledging what
An international conference to help rebuild the Gaza Strip got underway Monday in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
The Palestinian Authority had hoped to raise $2.78 billion in aid, including $1.33 billion to rebuild the coastal strip after Israel's three-week military offensive in January. Here are some of the pledges announced ahead of the one-day event.[more]
The Palestinian Authority had hoped to raise $2.78 billion in aid, including $1.33 billion to rebuild the coastal strip after Israel's three-week military offensive in January. Here are some of the pledges announced ahead of the one-day event.[more]
Dari Blog Lain : Andainya Datuk Seri Najib Menjadi Perdana Menteri
Amalan biasa parti UMNO yang telah membentuk kerajaan persekutuan Malaysia sejak lebih 50 tahun dulu, presiden parti tersebut secara langsung akan diangkat menjadi Perdana Menteri. Ini hak mereka walaupun perlembagaan tidak mensyaratkan begitu.Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dilaporkan akan menyerahkan jawatan perdana menteri kepada Datuk Seri Najib selepas perhimpunan agong parti tersebut akhir Mac ini. Telah menjadi tradisi UMNO/BN menyerahkan kuasa perdana menteri yang akan mentadbir negara yang mempunyai lebih 27 juta RAKYAT seolah-olah jawatan tersebut warisan datuk nenek moyong mereka.
Saya tidak berminat membicarakan budaya mereka menyerahkan kuasa mentadbir negara dengan cara yang amat tidak demokratik itu. Apa yang ingin saya sentuh adalah apakah yang dapat RAKYAT Malaysia banggakan andainya Datuk Seri Najib menjadi perdana menteri?[more]
Pakatan reps and all involved in gathering under tree to be questioned
State police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah said that so far two assemblymen had been called to give their statements. He did not name the two.
He said police were also looking for six men to assist in the investigations under Section 27 (5) of the Police Act for illegal assembly.
“More photographs will be released as and when they are available,” he said after witnessing the handing over of duties of the state CID chief from Asst Comm Zulkifli Hassan to Senior Asst Comm (II) Mohd Dzuraidi Ibrahim.
The Pakatan assemblymen led by Speaker V. Sivakumar had gathered at the State Secretariat to convene the “sitting.”[more]
What Netanhayu faces in liberated Washington
Washington at the beginning of the Obama era has the feel of a city that has just been liberated from foreign occupation, or of a person who just snapped out of an inexplicable psychotic episode. The paranoia of the Bush days has passed. The world is no longer divided into children of light and children of darkness. The standard assessment says that after his return to power, Benjamin Netanyahu will have a tense time when he visits Washington - just as he did during his first term when he faced a president who demanded that he advance a peace process. That assessment isn't quite right - because this time, Netanyahu is likely to have an even more tension-fraught time than he did in the 90s. In his new term, he won't be able to count on Congress as a counterweight to the administration in his relations with America.
During his first visit to Washington as prime minister in 1996, Netanyahu spoke before Congress to repeated applause. The part of his speech praising deregulation and tax cuts helped him by warming the hearts of the Republican majority. Today that economic approach is correctly seen as the cause of a worldwide disaster, and the Republicans are a defeated minority. Economic spin won't help Netanyahu build a responsible image.[more]
JC’s term of office extended another year
The tenure of Judicial Commissioner Ridwan Ibrahim, who made an order on March 3 restraining Perak Speaker V. Sivakumar from convening any meeting of the state assembly, has been extended another year from March 1.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said in the Parliament lobby that Ridwan was appointed as judicial commissioner on March 1, 2007 for a two-year period. The appointment expired on Feb 28 and was extended.[more]
Why did Netanyahu kick Israel's U.S. envoy out of meeting with Clinton?
Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu sidelined Israel's ambassador to the United States Sallai Meridor Wednesday, asking him to leave the room during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Jerusalem.
Meridor was asked to leave even though U.S. Ambassador to Israel James Cunningham and the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, remained at the meeting. Two other Israeli aides stayed with Netanyahu - Prof. Uzi Arad and attorney Yitzhak Molcho.
"The Americans decided that only three participants from each side stay in the meeting," Netanyahu's office said yesterday. "Therefore, Molcho stayed because of the Palestinian issue and Arad because of the Iranian issue. Netanyahu greatly respects Meridor." [more]
Meridor was asked to leave even though U.S. Ambassador to Israel James Cunningham and the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, remained at the meeting. Two other Israeli aides stayed with Netanyahu - Prof. Uzi Arad and attorney Yitzhak Molcho.
"The Americans decided that only three participants from each side stay in the meeting," Netanyahu's office said yesterday. "Therefore, Molcho stayed because of the Palestinian issue and Arad because of the Iranian issue. Netanyahu greatly respects Meridor." [more]
SU politik menteri Umno ditahan SPRM
Setiausaha politik seorang menteri Umno telah ditahan oleh Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) Rabu lalu, kerana disyaki terbabit dalam rasuah melibatkan RM70,000.Dia dibebaskan awal pagi semalam.
Difahamkan, menteri berkenaan akan bertanding jawatan Majlis Tertinggi dalam pemlihan parti itu hujung bulan ini.
Bagaimanapun, tidak dapat dipastikan sama ada penahanan setiausaha politik tersebut ada kaitan dengan kempen pemilihan Umno.
Perhimpunan agung Umno yang bakal menyaksikan pertandingan bagi jawatan tertinggi parti itu, akan berlangsung dari 24 hingga 28 Mac ini.[more]
Isu Tanah di Perak : Ini Jawapan YAB DS Nizar
Untuk pengetahuan semua, saya ingin menyatakan sedikit maklumat yang mana puluhan ribu ekar tanah kerajaan serta tanah rizab Melayu yang di gadai dan dijual kepada kaum lain oleh kerajaan terdahulu sebagaimana UMNO menggadaikan Singapura, Pulau Pinang, Batu Putih, Sebahagian Pulau di Langkawi atau Pulau Pangkor Baru. Sebahagian tanah kerajaan dan rizab melayu yang melayang ketangan Cina akibat kecerdikan kerajaan terdahulu ialah:- 22,000 ekar ( Ya! Dua Puluh Dua RIBU ekar) tanah kerajaan di gadai kepada gergasi KLK di Lekir, Manjung.
- 5,000 ekar di Bruas 1500 ekar kepada MCA di Bandar Baru , Kampar (UTAR)
- 12,000 ekar kepada semua petani cina di Coldstream , Bikam, Bidor Dan banyak lagi jumlah kecilan diseluruh negeri.
- 200 ekar tapak kilang simin Perak Hanjoong (sekarang YTL kerana di gadai oleh pemimpin UMNO kepada YTL! ) Ini tanah rizab melayu di Padang Rengas, Kuala Kangsar dekat Hiway!
Kerajaan PR berjaya menghentikan penggadaian tanah kerajaan di beberapa lokasi komersial ditengah bandar Ipoh, Taiping, Bidor , Kinta, dan Perak Tengah pada pertengahan bulan Mac 2008, tarikh kerajaan PR ambil alih, oleh kerana tanah tersebut telah dijanjikan kepada towkay- towkay jika sekiranya BN kembali berkuasa pada 9 Mac 2008 (selepas PRU-12).Sebenarnya penganugerahan hak milik selamanya kepada 102,000 lot kampong tersusun (kebanyakan melayu), 47,000 lot kampong baru (kebanyakan cina) dan sebilangan kecil kampong adat (orang asli), adalah janji PAS dalam manifesto PRU-12.Bukan janji DAP!.
DAP tiada manifesto ketika itu di Perak. Seandainya semua keluarga kampong baru (47,000) menerima anugerah hak milik selamanya, ianya hanya melibatkan sejumlah tanah tak lebih dari 3000 ekar . Ya! tak lebih tiga ribu ekar. [more]
US to Russia: Stop Iran missile sale talks
 The S-300 missile system |
The US Secretary of State says she will urge Russia to stop military cooperation with Iran during a Geneva meeting with her Russian counterpart.
Hillary Clinton said on Thursday that she would ask Sergei Lavrov during their Friday meeting to halt talks with Iran about selling long-range missiles which she said is 'a threat to Russia as well as to Europe and neighbors in the region'.
During the Iranian defense minister's visit to Russia in February, Russian media reported that Tehran had sought the sophisticated surface-to-air S-300 missiles to counter a potential Israeli air strike on its nuclear facilities. [more]
Waiting game still on in Batang Ai
Even before the Election Commission (EC) announced that the Batang Ai state by-election will be held on April 7, the guessing game over who will be the candidate to defend this Iban-majority seat for the Barisan Nasional (BN) has intensified.
Polling in this rural constituency bordering the Indonesian province of Kalimantan, will be simultaneously held with the by-elections for the Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat in Perak and Bukit Selambau state seat in Kedah.[more]
Pakatan turns to palace .
Amidst the ever-rising mountain of legal suits filed and police reports lodged, Pakatan Rakyat has now returned to the palace in hopes of finding a way out of Perak’s constitutional crisis.
Ironically however, it was the palace which was the first stumbling block when their appeal to Sultan Azlan Shah for the dissolution of the state assembly on Feb 4 was met with brusque rejection.
To top it off, the ruler had even gone so far as to demand for the resignation of the Pakatan Rakyat government the very next day, to which Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin had “respectfully” rejected.[more]
Israel dismisses Tehran demand to arrest Israeli 'war criminals'
The foreign ministry on Monday dismissed Iran's request that Interpol arrest Israeli "war criminals" as a "political stunt."
ran on Sunday had asked Interpol to arrest what it says are 15 Israeli war crimals who were involved in the conflict in Gaza in December and January, the Tehran prosecutor said.
Iran, which does not recognize Israel's right to exist, said in December it had set up a court to try Israelis for attacking Gaza. It had said at the time it was ready to try those it accused in absentia.[more]
"This does not even deserve to be dignified with a comment, this is crude propaganda, it is ridiculous, why don't they investigate Hamas war crimes?" Palmor asked.
ran on Sunday had asked Interpol to arrest what it says are 15 Israeli war crimals who were involved in the conflict in Gaza in December and January, the Tehran prosecutor said.
Iran, which does not recognize Israel's right to exist, said in December it had set up a court to try Israelis for attacking Gaza. It had said at the time it was ready to try those it accused in absentia.[more]
Decide Ibrahim, Pas says
Kelantan Pas today asked Pasir Mas Member of Parliament, Datuk Ibrahim Ali to declare his stand to Pas supporters who voted for him during the last general election whether he wanted to remain as a Pas’ ally or join Umno. [more]
Senior Palestinian commander killed in Gaza
 Israeli jets fired a missile at a vehicle near a mosque in the town of Beit Lahiya. |
A senior Palestinian commander has been killed in an Israeli air strike carried out in cooperation with Shin Bet in northern Gaza.
Khaled Kharb Khalad Shaalan, a senior commander in the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, was killed and his second-in-command Hamzia al-Najah was in a critical condition, AFP reported on Wednesday.
An Israeli army spokesman confirmed the attack, saying it had "targeted and killed" Shaalan whom the army claimed was involved in recent rocket attacks on Israel. [more]
Perak Speaker sues state legal adviser
Perak Assembly Speaker V.Sivakumar today filed a suit against state legal adviser Datuk Ahmad Kamal Shahid, calling for the High Court to nullify the injunctions issued by the Ipoh High Court on March 3 prohibiting Sivakumar from convening more unlawful State Assembly sittings.In his suit filed at 3.40pm today, Sivakumar asked the court for a declaration that Ahmad Kamal had acted without authority when he purported to represent him (Sivakumar) during the hearing of the injunction application in chambers on March 3, and again on March 5. [more]
The Sedition Act for Dummies
I am currently on trial for the crime of sedition. It seems, according to Malaysia’s Sedition Act, I have committed a crime. The novel thing about the Sedition Act is that it does not matter whether I had lied or had told the truth. Even if I had not lied and had told the truth it would still tantamount to sedition. Therefore, I can go to jail for telling the truth if the government can prove that the truth I told is seditious. That is the fate that awaits me.This means the court can block the truth from surfacing. I can’t use the truth as my defence. Therefore, I would not be allowed to adduce any evidence to support what I wrote or said. Never mind if I have evidence that so-and-so were the people behind the Altantuya murder or so-and-so were also present during the murder. This is not crucial to my defence and the court is not interested in seeing this evidence. The question would be: did I write or say what they allege I have written or said? If I did, then I am guilty. Whether I lied or not is not crucial to the charge and the court is not in the least interested in looking at whatever evidence I may have.
Now can you see why they chose to charge me under the Sedition Act as well as for criminal defamation for the second trial? This is so that the truth or falsity of what I wrote and said need not be argued. They only need to focus on whether I did it. This would mean the truth can forever remain suppressed and need never surface during the trial.[more]
Sivakumar appeals High Court ruling on choice of counsel
Perak State Assembly Speaker V. Sivakumar has appealed the Ipoh High Court's judgment that private lawyers have no locus standi to represent him. The appeal was filed by lawyers from Mah-Kamariyah and Philip Koh at the Ipoh High Court and Putrajaya Court of Appeal simultaneously this morning at about 11.30 am.
In two separate judgments this week, Judicial Commissioner Ridwan Ibrahim had ruled in favour of the plaintiffs’ lawyers who objected to the use of private lawyers by Sivakumar on the grounds that he is a member of the government and must be represented by the state legal adviser.
If the appeal is successful, not only can Sivakumar be represented by lawyers of his choice but even the court order restraining him from convening unlawful meetings purporting to be meetings of the state assembly can be set aside.[more]
Nizar-Zambry battle for Perak MB post goes to Federal court
The High Court ruled today that the constitutional issue in the dispute between Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin and Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir over the latter's appointment as Perak Mentri Besar is to be referred to the Federal Court.Justice Lau Bee Lan made the decision after hearing submissions from Senior Federal Counsel Datuk Kamaludin Mat Said and Nizar's lead counsel Sulaiman Abdullah on Monday, saying that it was to bring about "speedy and economical determination" to the legal dispute.
She said there are constitutional issues involving the interpretation of Article 16 (6) of the Perak Constitution which required the apex court to resolve.[more]
Russia gives US cold shoulder over Iran
 Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, says linking talks over the US missile shield in Europe with Iran's nuclear issue is not productive. |
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has called unproductive any exchange talks with the United States over Tehran's nuclear program.
Medvedev said on Tuesday that it was 'not productive' to link talks on the US missile shield system in Europe with Iran's nuclear issue, AFP reported.
His comments came after AFP quoted unnamed White House officials as saying on Tuesday that the US President Barack Obama has sent a confidential letter to the Russian leader, calling on Moscow to join the US front to stop Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for Washington's backing off missile shield plan in Europe.[more]
Russia 'not involved in Iran sanctions plan'
 Churkin said Russia has not been included in a EU3 proposal on Iran. |
Russia's UN envoy says the country has not been included in talks on a new EU plan to toughen sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.
Reports indicate that the US allies in Europe -- France, Germany and the UK -- have prepared a proposal to impose sanctions on 34 Iranian institutions and 10 individuals who allegedly help develop Iran's nuclear program.[more]
Reports indicate that the US allies in Europe -- France, Germany and the UK -- have prepared a proposal to impose sanctions on 34 Iranian institutions and 10 individuals who allegedly help develop Iran's nuclear program.[more]
The truth that refuses to surface
The assassination of his daughter, Altantuya Shaaribuu, took place in October 2006. This was a murder unlike others in a region where business conflicts or petty politics are often settled with a gun. Everything in this case, which started in 2002 when the French Spanish company Armaris concluded the sale of three submarines to the Malaysian government for the amount of one billion Euros, is out of the ordinary.The impact of the “Altantuya case” in France, Malaysia and Mongolia has yet to reach its climax. The murder of the 28 year old Mongolian was the result of a “commission” at the price of 114 million Euros by Armaris to its Malaysian counterpart. This “commission,” which was acknowledged by the Malaysian government in front of the Parliament in Kuala Lumpur, has triggered a chain of events that has led to the assassination of Altantuya and the disappearance of several key witnesses in the case.
A report from the Malaysian police, written on 19th november 2006 and which has been kept secret until now (can be read below), reveals dry and precise descriptions as to how this young woman, a member of Asian high society, has been killed. In this document, one of the killers, a policeman of the Malaysian Special Branch named Sirul Omar, replied to the questions of an officer at a police station close to the murder scene. “When the Chinese woman saw that I was taking a gun, she begged me to spare her, saying she was pregnant. Azilah (the commanding officer of Sirul) grabbed her and [threw] her on the ground. I immediately shot the left side of her face. Then Azilah took off her clothes and put them in a black plastic bag. Azilah noticed that her hand was still moving. He ordered me to shoot again, which I did”, said Sirul. This is the first confirmation of Altantuya’s assassins’ identity. “Then we carried her body into the woods. Azilah wrapped the explosives around her legs, her abdomen and her head, and we exploded her.”[more]
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