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Khairy wins appeal against Anwar
Ex-Bukit Aman CID chief heads panel probing indelible ink fiasco
Abdul Kadir accepts nomination as Speaker, but no hidden agenda
Suu Kyi slams proposed inter-faith marriage law
Stoning is not Shariah, says Qatar scholar
Don: Those who buy Datukships lack confidence
Anwar: 505 rally will go on
‘Is the police incompetent in handling crowd?’
Italians debate citizenship rights amid resurgent racism
Face to Face: Ambiga plans to step down after people's tribunal
Haze hits dangerous levels
Nasa: Malaysia sees 115% jump in deforestation in first 3 months of 2013
Trivial anger a 'result of modern life'

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 09:35 PM PDT

(The Malaysian Times) - The Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin can defend himself in the RM100-million defamation suit brought against him by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

This is because a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Datuk Mohamed Apandi Ali, has unanimously allowed the Umno Youth chief's appeal to set aside a High Court order which precluded him from defending himself in the civil suit.

Apandi, who presided on the panel with Datuk Linton Albert and Datuk Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, said in the light of the facts and circumstances of the case, the court could not sustain the precluded order of the High Court.

The panel ordered the trial to proceed before another judge. He said the essence of the case was that Khairy had failed to comply with the High Court's directives given during case management to file various documents, such as witness list and summary of the case, and to look into the issues of the case.

Apandi said based on the court proceeding, it did not show to the panel as to how the defence's failure of not adhering to the directives could have caused the trial to be delayed.

"We must remind everybody including ourselves that we don't condone non-compliances of any court order," said Apandi.

However, in this particular case, to issue an order which was unclear in terms, could have resulted in an absurd situation. He said the judge should have given an order to strike out Khairy's defence, instead she gave a different order.

On March 7, 2008, Anwar filed the suit against Khairy claiming that the latter, as then Umno Youth deputy chief, had uttered defamatory words and caused the posting on websites, including Malaysiakini.com, a video clip entitled, 'Anwar and kin no threat'.

Anwar claimed that the video clip on Malaysiakini.com contained defamatory words spoken by Khairy at a 'ceramah' (talk) in Lembah Pantai here, on or about Feb 20, 2008.

Khairy, in his statement of defence filed on Oct 8, 2010, said he relied on the defence of justification and qualified privilege.

On Aug 13, 2012, High Court judge Datuk Hue Siew Kheng issued an order precluding Khairy from defending himself as Khairy's counsel did not comply with the court's directions during case management for parties to file various documents which were supposed to be provided to the court before trial.

On Nov 26, last year, Justice Hue dismissed Khairy's application to set aside her order to preclude Khairy from defending himself in the suit. He appealed to the Court of Appeal. Khairy was represented by lawyer Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah while Datuk Sulaiman Abdullah acted for Anwar, reported Bernama.

Ex-Bukit Aman CID chief heads panel probing indelible ink fiasco

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 09:26 PM PDT

Azril Anuar, fz.com

Former Bukit Aman Criminal Investigations Department (CID) director Datuk Christopher Wan Soo Kee will be heading the three man team investigating the indelible ink fiasco that took place over the 13^th General Election.

Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof told fz.com that the team was formed not to "investigate acts of internal sabotage" as reported by a Malay daily but to find out the real reason behind the failure and weakness of the indelible ink.

"We did not establish the team because we believe there was an internal sabotage in the usage of the indelible ink. We have formed the team, chaired by Datuk Christopher Wan to study the weakness of the indelible ink.

"We have more or less found out quite a lot but we are still conducting a more detailed study into the ink's failure," said Abdul Aziz, who also named retired judge Abdul Aziz Khalidin and retired Customs Deputy Director General Datuk Md Yusop Mansor as the other two members of the team.

All the three individuals are part of the EC's five member panel.

Abdul Aziz also admitted the commission was shocked by the failure of the indelible ink, resulting in widespread criticism against them.

"We were wondering and were caught by surprise when we realised what had happened because this is the first time after Merdeka that we are using the indelible ink. We have organised elections for decades. At first we thought everything was okay.

"When we first tested it, it was okay. Even when we tested it on journalists, it was okay," said Abdul Aziz.

When asked if he believed the failure could stem from the contractor who supplied the ink, Abdul Aziz said that he would not pre-empt the results of the investigations.

"I don't want to comment until we have a final conclusion on the matter. The results of the investigation will be made public.

"However, we don't have the exact date yet as it is a legal matter and we must refer to our legal department first to ensure that we have conducted a thorough investigation and that everything is in order," said Abdul Aziz.

Today, a Malay daily reported EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar as saying that the three-man team has been given a month's time to conduct their investigations.

He reportedly said: "There are many kinds of EC staff, we don't know their real intentions, so this case needs a detailed and thorough investigation in our quest for the truth.

"We don't know if the ink did not last that long due to poor quality, mistakes made by EC officers or even because of sabotage. We ourselves were stunned because our contract with the supplier was that the ink must last for a long time."

The EC came under much criticism after the indelible ink, meant to prevent electoral fraud, was found to be easily washed off. Several groups have also demanded that the EC chairman and deputy resign over the matter.

Abdul Kadir accepts nomination as Speaker, but no hidden agenda

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 09:17 PM PDT

(Bernama) - Former Federal Court judge Datuk Abdul Kadir Sulaiman today said he accepted his nomination as Dewan Rakyat Speaker by the opposition pact so long as there is no hidden agenda.

Abdul Kadir, 74, said he accepted the nomination if the opposition pact was sincere in doing so based on his non-partisan stand, and not for its (opposition pact) interests.

"If the intention is right, I'll accept. It is a trust which I think should be accepted for the good of the religion, race and country.

"I accept the nomination not out of aloofness, egoism, etc that never crosses my mind. It is the people's trust in me. I will have to answer back if I do not do it right," he said when contacted by Bernama today.

Yesterday, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the opposition pact unanimously agreed to nominate Abdul Kadir as the Dewan Rakyat Speaker.

Anwar stated Abdul Kadir's credibility and track record would make Parliament more independent and that the nomination was sent to Parliament last June 10.

Asked what he could contribute if elected, Abdul Kadir said with his experience and knowledge, he would ensure Parliament functioned effectively as a venue to resolve the people's problems, instead of becoming a battlefield for the elected representatives.

The selection of the Dewan Rakyat Speaker is scheduled this Monday before the 222 parliamentary members are to take their oath.

Suu Kyi slams proposed inter-faith marriage law

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 03:55 PM PDT

(AFP) - Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has criticised a proposal by nationalist monks to restrict marriages between Buddhist women and men of other faiths, describing it as a violation of human rights, a report said Friday.

"This is one-sided. Why only women? You cannot treat the women unfairly," Radio Free Asia quoted the Nobel Peace Laureate as saying in an interview.

"I also understand that this is not in accordance with the laws of the country and especially that it is not part of Buddhism," the veteran activist said.

"It is a violation of women's rights and human rights."

Under the proposal -- spearheaded by the controversial Mandalay cleric Wirathu -- non-Buddhist men wishing to marry a Buddhist woman would have to convert and gain permission from her parents to wed or risk 10 years in jail.

The idea was raised at a recent meeting of more than 200 monks called to discuss a surge in Buddhist-Muslim violence in the former junta-ruled country.

Wirathu said the law was needed "because Buddhist girls have lost freedom of religion when they married Muslim men".

Senior clerics have distanced themselves from the proposal while women's rights groups have voiced opposition.

Sectarian bloodshed -- mostly targeting Muslims -- has laid bare deep divides that were largely suppressed under decades of military rule which ended two years ago in the Buddhist-majority country.

Radical monks -- once at the forefront of the country's pro-democracy movement -- have led a campaign to shun shops owned by Muslims and only to visit stores run by Buddhists. Some were also involved in the religious unrest.

Suu Kyi has been accused by some international human rights activists of failing to clearly condemn the anti-Muslim violence.

Dozens of people were killed in clashes in central Myanmar in March while about 200 people died last year in sectarian unrest in the western state of Rakhine.

Last month Suu Kyi criticised a controversial ban imposed on Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine having more than two children.

Stoning is not Shariah, says Qatar scholar

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 03:39 PM PDT

Argument in magazine sparks lively debate over pratice

Habib Toumi, Gulf News

Doha: An argument in a Qatari magazine that the stoning of adulterous married husbands or wives was not supported by Islamic Shariah (law) is set to ignite a heated debate in the country and well beyond.

In an interview published by posh magazine Al Dana on May 1 in the Qatari capital Doha, Shaikh Isam Talimah said that stoning was a Jewish tradition that was initially taken up by Muslims, but insisted that it was later replaced with lashing.

The scholar said that the Quran, the holy book of Muslims, never prescribed stoning as punishment for adultery and that the punishment prescribed by the Shariah is 100 lashes to the adulterer and the adulteress in public.

The stoning issue was a matter of interpretations by Muslims.

"Those who claim that there were verses that initially mentioned stoning, but were later changed are of course totally and completely wrong," he told the magazine. "The verse on zina (sex outside marriage) in the Quran is very clear and it stipulates lashing the man and the woman equally. The resort by some people to stoning was to reinforce the punishment, especially when there are high immoral risks, such as the proliferation of the cases of rape, pedophile or incest," he said.

The magazine, chaired by Mohammad Bin Abdullah Al Attiya, anticipating a storm of reactions to the interview, said that it welcomed the views of those who opposed Shaikh Isam's argument and that it would publish them.

Stoning as a form of capital punishment whereby a group of people throw stones at a person until death ensues was known in ancient times and is mentioned in historical reports.

Some Islamic scholars have had similar views to those of Shaikh Isam, arguing that under the rules of Shariah, the punishment for a married slave-girl is half of that given to free women.

"If the case for adultery is to be stoned to death, how can this punishment be halved? However, if it is flogging 100 times, then the punishment is 50 lashes."

Don: Those who buy Datukships lack confidence

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 03:20 PM PDT

(The Star) - Those who pay for "illegitimate titles" like Datukships have low self-esteem and lack confidence, says an academic.

Associate Professor Dr P. Sundramoorthy of Universiti Sains Malaysia's School of Social Sciences said it was sad that some people depended on titles to make themselves feel important.

He added that some might think that having the titles would help in their businesses or entitle them to receive "special treatment".

"This is unnecessary and merely a false perception of the public.

"We are heading in the wrong direction where people think the more titles the better," he said.

Dr Sundramoorthy said society had become very status-conscious, prompting some people to look for "shortcuts to be acknowledged as somebody".

"The truth will prevail and you will become the laughing stock," he added.

However, Dr Sundramoorthy said he respected those who were conferred Datukships and other titles as a result of their contributions to society and the well-being of the nation.

"I congratulate these people, they deserve the recognition," he said.

Dr Sundramoorthy advised those who intended to spend big bucks on unrecognised titles to use the money for good deeds.

He also appealed to people to help eradicate such practices by not acknowledging those who obtained the titles through illegitimate channels.

The Star reported yesterday that Undang Luak Naning, a customary chieftain in Malacca, has handed out scores of unrecognised Datukships and other titles to the people, who "contributed" to the Naning Territory.

Another self-claimed "Malacca-Perak Sultan" Ahmad Shah Raja Noor Jan Shah also awarded titles to over 90 people.

These awards, carrying the titles like "Dato Seri", "Dato", "Datuk Paduka and Datuk Seri Paduka, are not recognised anywhere in the country.

Anwar: 505 rally will go on

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 03:13 PM PDT

(The Star) - Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the Black 505 rally at Padang Merbok tomorrow will proceed as planned.

"Pakatan Rakyat will continue to push for the resignation of all Election Commission members.

"Elections should be held again at 30 parliamentary constituencies, while the re-delineation exercise should cease until new EC members are appointed. We urge the people to join in," he said after chairing the Pakatan leadership council meeting yesterday.

PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub, who was at the press conference, said it was compulsory for party leaders to attend the rally.

He said Pakatan had protested against the use of indelible ink which could be washed off.

PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli said the haze situation would not put a damper on the rally.

"We do not see any possibility of the rally being postponed. The plan will go ahead with no changes," he said.

Meanwhile, DAP chairman Karpal Singh denied that the rally was being organised by Pakatan.

Instead, it was solely planned and implemented by the PKR.

"It is not an event that is jointly organised by Pakatan," he said yesterday.

Karpal remained mum when asked if he would be taking part.

However, he said City Hall should allow the organisers to hold the event at Padang Merbok.

City Hall had suggested that the rally be held in Stadium Merdeka, but Rafizi had insisted on holding the event in Padang Merbok, claiming that it would set a bad precedence if they gave in now.

Dang Wangi police chief Asst Comm Zainuddin Ahmad had warned the organisers that action would be taken against them if they went ahead to hold the rally without a permit.

It is learnt that some Pakatan elected representatives are not keen to take part as they do not want to risk losing their positions if they are fined more than RM2,000 for breaking the law.

Meanwhile, the 2013 Olympic Day Run, which is scheduled to be held at Padang Merbok, has been postponed until further notice due to the worsening haze.

McDonald's Malaysia, which co-organised the event with the Olympic Council of Malaysia, said in a statement that more information would be released in due course.

‘Is the police incompetent in handling crowd?’

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 03:04 PM PDT

PKR's Tian Chua questions police competence over suggestions to rope in the army to control Black 505 participants.

K Pragalath, FMT

PKR's Tian Chua questions police competence over suggestions to rope in the army to control Black 505 participants. - See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/06/21/is-the-police-incompetent-in-handling-crowd/#sthash.gFazV8rz.dpuf

PKR vice-president Tian Chua questioned the competence of the police force in managing peaceful assemblies following a call by Internal Security and Public Order director Salleh Mat Rasid asking the armed forces to intervene.

"The call for the armed forces to intervene seems to question the incompetence of the police force. We are sure the police are more than capable to handle a peaceful crowd," said Tian Chua who is also Batu MP.

Salleh was reported to have said that the armed forces should be alerted and asked to assist to control the crowd attending the Black 505 rally in Padang Merbok tomorrow.

Tian Chua also blamed the BN-led federal government of hatching a plot to instill fear in an attempt to dissuade the public from attending the rally.

"It seems the ruling party has once again put together a plot to scare and instill fear in the rakyat who are determined to go out this Saturday and make their demands," he said.

He pointed out that Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had stated that he had no issues as long as the rally did not go against the provisions of the Peaceful Assembly Act.

In addition to that, the Olympic Day Run scheduled to take place on Sunday has been postponed indefinitely. The run is co-organised by Olympic Council of Malaysia and McDonalds.

A pro-Pakatan NGO, Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) also criticised Salleh's proposal to rope in the military.

"SAMM believes that the suggestion is an effort to scare the public because the police no longer have the trust of the people," said Noor Edy Reduan who is the NGO's propaganda director.

- See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/06/21/is-the-police-incompetent-in-handling-crowd/#sthash.gFazV8rz.dpuf

Salleh was reported to have said that the armed forces should be alerted and asked to assist to control the crowd attending the Black 505 rally in Padang Merbok tomorrow.

Tian Chua also blamed the BN-led federal government of hatching a plot to instill fear in an attempt to dissuade the public from attending the rally.

"It seems the ruling party has once again put together a plot to scare and instill fear in the rakyat who are determined to go out this Saturday and make their demands," he said.

He pointed out that Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had stated that he had no issues as long as the rally did not go against the provisions of the Peaceful Assembly Act.

In addition to that, the Olympic Day Run scheduled to take place on Sunday has been postponed indefinitely. The run is co-organised by Olympic Council of Malaysia and McDonalds.

A pro-Pakatan NGO, Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) also criticised Salleh's proposal to rope in the military.

"SAMM believes that the suggestion is an effort to scare the public because the police no longer have the trust of the people," said Noor Edy Reduan who is the NGO's propaganda director.

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 02:51 PM PDT

(FMT) - ROME: Savio Warnakulasuriya, born in Rome this month, will have to wait for 18 years before he can be sure of being able to remain in the country where he came into the world.

Until then his right to stay in Italy is tied to the permits of his Sri Lankan parents to work as domestic helpers. These papers have to be renewed every two years.

Savio is one of many children born in Italy who Integration Minister Cecile Kyenge says should have citizenship rights at birth, a proposal that has shocked many Italians and drawn a torrent of racist abuse against her.

Italy bears the brunt of clandestine seaborne migration to southern Europe, with thousands reaching its long Mediterranean shores every year in crammed rickety boats. Parties such as the opposition Northern League campaign against boosting immigrant rights, pointing to cultural differences and crime rates.

Kyenge, born in Congo and now Italy's first black minister, says it is time for a change in approach to citizenship starting with ensuring that immigrant children are not held back from fully integrating with their peers.

For Savio's father, Fernando, an easing in citizenship rules would be welcome. "The sooner they give our son citizenship, the better. I am a little worried, we want him to carry on living and working here without problems," he said in an interview.

Erika Arribasplata, a 34-year-old secretary who was born in Rome to Argentinian parents, remembers the difficulties she faced as a child to fully integrate at school because she lacked rights to Italian citizenship.

Insecurity

"I remember when we went on a school trip to England, I couldn't go through border controls with my group, I had to take a whole other route where I had to wait longer and go through more checks – it was really annoying," she said.

"But the most annoying thing was being tied to my parents' permit, and the insecurity that came with that, because I was born here and did not feel part of their culture but I was stuck in the middle," Arribasplata said.

She made a successful application for citizenship at 18, but others are not so lucky.

Italy's low fertility rate at 1.4 children per woman means that it will need fresh blood to maintain its ageing population.

But due to bureaucratic processes that Kyenge wants to reduce, some Italian-born children of immigrants can find their citizenship applications rejected at 18 because, for example, they spent some time away from Italy as children.

"We are talking about young people who could become the future leaders of this country, or could lose themselves in the street if suddenly at 18 they find themselves to be different due to some bureaucratic error," Kyenge told reporters this week.

On Saturday she unveiled a plan to make it easier for children of immigrants to apply for citizenship upon adulthood as part of a series of measures Prime Minister Enrico Letta's government is introducing to cut red tape and pull the economy out of recession.

Kyenge said she would also be heading to the European parliament soon to propose a common EU-wide approach to citizenship rules.

READ MORE HERE

ROME: Savio Warnakulasuriya, born in Rome this month, will have to wait for 18 years before he can be sure of being able to remain in the country where he came into the world.

Until then his right to stay in Italy is tied to the permits of his Sri Lankan parents to work as domestic helpers. These papers have to be renewed every two years.

Insecurity

She made a successful application for citizenship at 18, but others are not so lucky.

Italy's low fertility rate at 1.4 children per woman means that it will need fresh blood to maintain its ageing population.

Kyenge said she would also be heading to the European parliament soon to propose a common EU-wide approach to citizenship rules.

- See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2013/06/21/italians-debate-citizenship-rights-amid-resurgent-racism/#sthash.OwVFELol.dpuf

ROME: Savio Warnakulasuriya, born in Rome this month, will have to wait for 18 years before he can be sure of being able to remain in the country where he came into the world.

Until then his right to stay in Italy is tied to the permits of his Sri Lankan parents to work as domestic helpers. These papers have to be renewed every two years.

Insecurity

She made a successful application for citizenship at 18, but others are not so lucky.

Italy's low fertility rate at 1.4 children per woman means that it will need fresh blood to maintain its ageing population.

Kyenge said she would also be heading to the European parliament soon to propose a common EU-wide approach to citizenship rules.

- See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2013/06/21/italians-debate-citizenship-rights-amid-resurgent-racism/#sthash.OwVFELol.dpuf

ROME: Savio Warnakulasuriya, born in Rome this month, will have to wait for 18 years before he can be sure of being able to remain in the country where he came into the world.

Until then his right to stay in Italy is tied to the permits of his Sri Lankan parents to work as domestic helpers. These papers have to be renewed every two years.

Insecurity

She made a successful application for citizenship at 18, but others are not so lucky.

Italy's low fertility rate at 1.4 children per woman means that it will need fresh blood to maintain its ageing population.

Kyenge said she would also be heading to the European parliament soon to propose a common EU-wide approach to citizenship rules.

- See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2013/06/21/italians-debate-citizenship-rights-amid-resurgent-racism/#sthash.OwVFELol.dpuf

Face to Face: Ambiga plans to step down after people's tribunal

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 12:46 PM PDT

(fz.com) - Bersih co-chair Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan plans to step down from her position in the NGO coalition when Bersih has successfully conducted the People's Tribunal on the results of the 13th general election.

Speaking to fz.com during an exclusive interview on Face to Face, Ambiga, whose name is synonymous with Bersih, said that the whole team will step down after the tribunal is over.

"I think our whole team is going step down after the People's Tribunal, I've been saying this… We believe in rejuvenation, we believe we shouldn't hold on to leadership. We believe the younger generation and the new people should be given a chance to come in and take over," she added.

Ambiga sees many promising candidates that can helm Bersih. "And you will be surprised at how many will become synonymous with Bersih, because it's a people's movement."

Although she will remain with Bersih, Ambiga doesn't see herself as one of the leaders. "It has never been about me... You will only know that a person is capable of leadership when you give them a chance."

Haze hits dangerous levels

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 11:49 AM PDT

(The Star) - This Sunday's planned 2013 Olympic Day Run for 15,000 participants at Padang Merbok has been postponed, the co-organisers McDonald's Malaysia said.

THE haze in Malaysia has once again reached dangerous levels.

It has now left only 13% of the country with good air to breathe while many schools in Johor have closed as Malaysians there took in the worst of it, so far.

Yesterday, four areas in the state entered the "hazardous" and "very unhealthy" scales of the Air Pollutant Index (API).

Poor visibility at the Senai International Airport also forced two flights to be diverted.

In Kuala Lumpur, this Sunday's planned 2013 Olympic Day Run for 15,000 participants at Padang Merbok has been postponed, the co-organisers McDonald's Malaysia said.

The Department of Environment (DOE) said the country was on high alert due to the rapid deterioration in air quality over the past three days. It has alerted the National Security Council to activate the National Haze Action Plan nationwide, with a "3A Warning Level" (the highest level) issued for the worst-affected areas.

The DOE has also stepped up enforcement on the emission of smoke from vehicles and factories.

The haze in Muar recorded a 'hazardous' API of 383 at 11am

Only 13% of the areas in the country recorded "good" API levels yesterday, while the air quality in 78% of the country has dropped to "moderate".

The DOE website showed that 7% of the country had fallen into the "unhealthy" status.

The DOE has contacted its counterpart in Indonesia, urging the country to take urgent action to control the peat and forest fires in the Riau district of central Sumatra in Riau which had sparked the haze, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry said.

A map issued by the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre showed the movement of the thick haze from areas in Riau, with strong winds from the South-West carrying the haze to the West Coast and East Coast of Malaysia.

Within our borders, the map also showed 83 hot spots detected, with 70 found in Sarawak, six in Kelantan, two in Pahang and one spot each in Selangor, Malacca, Sabah and Terengganu,

Yesterday, Muar in Johor recorded a "hazardous" API of 383 at 11am, while at 5pm, Pasir Gudang had also fallen into the same category at 333.

The haze also hit Malacca with the state capital and Bukit Rambai recording "unhealthy" API readings of 137 and 119 respectively.

API readings between 51 to 100 are considered moderate, 101 to 200 unhealthy, 201 to 300 is very unhealthy and anything above 301 is considered hazardous. The worst API reading in memory was in 1997, where a state of emergency was declared in Kuching after its API reached 839.

Yesterday, only several locations in Perak, Kedah and Perlis retained a "Good" API reading.

In Singapore, where the API showed 371 at 1pm yesterday, The Straits Times reported a senior Indonesian Minister as hitting out in response to the island nation's criticism over the haze.

"Singapore shouldn't be like children, in such a tizzy," Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono, who is coordinating his country's relief and response effort, said.

"It's not what Indonesians want. It's nature," he added.

Indonesia has yet to ratify an Asean agreement in 2002 on Transboundary Haze Pollution although it says it is in full compliance with what is required and what is expected.

Nasa: Malaysia sees 115% jump in deforestation in first 3 months of 2013

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 11:47 AM PDT

(The Star) - Malaysia saw a 115% increase in deforestation during the first three months of 2013, according to a forest tracking tool developed by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) researchers.

Malaysia's figure was the highest among five countries where deforestation was detected, followed by Nepal (114%), Mexico (92%), Argentina (72%), and Madagascar (51%).

Nasa's Quarterly Indicator of Cover Change, a satellite-based tool that underpins environment watchdog Mongabay.com's Global Forest Disturbance Alert System, noted the jump earlier this month.

Christopher Potter, a senior research scientist at the Nasa Ames Research Center, told the environment watchdog that Malaysia has a deforestation hotspot on the western coastal area of Perak.

"Many areas in Sarawak have been detected with forest cover change over the past two years," Potter, told The Star Online.

Perak DAP head Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham revealed that there had been many complaints of logging in the Manjong district of Perak, including Segari and his own Parliamentary constituency of Beruas.

"The logging is carried out at odd hours in the middle of the night, which is very suspicious. However, we don't know if it's illegal. I cannot verify the legality of this timber logging, so I cannot lodge a police report," he told The Star Online.

Ngeh, who is also Sitiawan assemblyman, said that he had tried to raise the issue during the state assembly sitting, but he and other Opposition assemblymen had "hardly been given time" to ask their questions.

He said he would bring it up in Parliament.

"However, (Perak Mentri Besar) Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir has to answer this question. Is this logging legal or not?" he said.

Zambry and Perak state government exco member Dr Muhammad Amin Zakaria could not be reached for comment.

The World Bank had previously estimated that trees in Malaysia are being cut down at roughly four times the sustainable rate.

The Malaysian Nature Society expressed concern over the statistics, and promised to review the information.

"We will cross-reference with our sources on the ground... We are and remain opposed to the clearing of any natural forests in Malaysia," said MNS communications head Andrew Sebastian.

Trivial anger a 'result of modern life'

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 11:46 AM PDT

(The Telegraph) - Brits today will fly into a rage at the slightest inconvenience because the comforts of modern life have raised our expectations to the level of irrational toddlers, a psychologist has claimed.

Whereas people's energies were once focused on keeping a roof over their head and food on their plate, most 21st century Westerners have no concerns about their basic needs.

Our comfortable lifestyles may have spoiled us and boosted our expectations to the point where anything short of perfect causes us to act like petulant children, Dr Sandi Mann said.

Consciously challenging ourselves by questioning whether things that make our blood boil are actually threatening our survival could help "rein the anger in" and take a more relaxed attitude, she claimed.

In an opinion article in July's issue of Reader's Digest Dr Mann, a senior lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire's school of psychology, wrote that anger was once key to our survival but has now become targeted at trivial annoyances.

Humans evolved to become angry in certain situations because the emotion motivates us to want things. For example, hunger makes us angry by raising our serotonin levels, prompting us to look for food.

Anger also played an important role in helping early humans live together in social groups, by warning individuals when their behaviour was upsetting others.

"The red mist of rage helped our ancestors survive," Dr Mann claimed. "If they'd been too laid-back about others stealing their food or predators trying to kill them, they wouldn't have taken sufficient preventive action. But nowadays, Britons rarely experience real body-weakening poverty or genuine life-threatening injustice or mortal danger."

Because anger is still "hard-wired" into our brain without a real purpose it can "misfire," leading us to rage about inconsequential events.

This could lead to violent overreactions, such as road rage incidents, or make us furious about trivial details such as whether a restaurant meal is warm enough or how much company bosses are paid.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Jumaat, 21 Jun 2013

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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