Commercial forests in Sabah re-gazetted

PETALING JAYA (Aug 26, 2012): The Sabah Forestry Department has decided to re-gazette 183,000ha of Class 2 commercial forests into Class 1 protection forests. This involves mainly forest ecosystems in Ulu Segama and Gunung Rara Forest Reserves. The areas of Danum Valley on its eastern borders, Ulu Segama Forest Reserve, and Northern Gunung Rara will be safeguarded by totally protected forests. Class 2 commercial forests are forests allocated for logging and timber supplies, while Class 1 protection forests are forests conserved for protection...

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SNAP considers rejoining BN

KUCHING (Aug 26, 2012): Opposition Sarawak National Party (SNAP) is studying the possibility of applying to rejoin the Barisan Nasional (BN), its president Stanley Jugol said today. "This is one of the options which we have discussed in our central executive committee (CEC) meeting last month," he said when contacted. The other options are to maintain its status quo as an independent opposition party or apply to join Pakatan Rakyat (PR). "There is nothing definite yet. We are still studying the options," Jugol said, adding that mostly likely...

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Political analyst Ong Kian Ming joins DAP

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 27, 2012): Political analyst Ong Kian Ming has officially joined the DAP this morning. Ong, 37, is also the director of the Malaysian Electoral Roll Analysis Project (Merap) and lecturer at a local private higher education institution. "Things seem to be getting worse for the country ... As such, the time for sitting on the academic sidelines and commenting as an analyst is over," said Ong during a press conference at DAP's headquarters here, attended by party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng. "It is time, at least for me,...

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Felda folk to get interim dividend

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 28, 2012): More than 112,635 Felda settlers will each gain RM400 in interim dividends from the time Felda Global Ventures Holdings (FGVH) Bhd was listed on Bursa Malaysia in June this year. "Felda settlers will receive two forms of dividends. The first is through the 800 units of shares allocated to them, which will earn them RM44," Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak told a press conference at the Felda Group Hari Raya Open House at Menara Felda today. The second form of dividend is from the settlers' trust fund,...

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Putrajaya contract workers to wear uniforms: Aseh

PUTRAJAYA (Aug 28, 2012): Putrajaya Corporation (PPj) is making all contract workers involved in cleaning and maintenance works at the federal government administrative centre to wear uniforms, said PPj president Tan Sri Aseh Che Mat. He said this was among the improvement measures to be carried out quickly to facilitate enforcement teams and the public to identify such workers. "At the moment, there are 1,050 foreign workers involved in cleaning work. Putting on uniforms will enable us to easily identify the workers. It will also give them...

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Kelantan short-lists names for oil royalty panel

KOTA BARU: The Kelantan government is finalising a list of names to be submitted to the Sultan of Kelantan Sultan Muhammad V to decide who will represent the state in the special committee to review oil royalties set up by the Federal Government. Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat declined to say whether the individuals were politicians, academics or experts. “Yes ... we already have people in mind to represent Kelantan and would be submitting two or three names to the Kelantan palace,” he said. Nik Aziz declined...

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If Anwar retires

Pakatan Rakyat leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that he will step down if the alternative coalition fails to win the next general election. Is he trying to gain sympathy votes? It does not seem like a political strategy, but more to a political reality. First of all, Anwar has aged. He is currently 65 years old and he might not have enough mental and physical strength to fight for another five years. Take DAP Parliamentary Leader Lim Kit Siang, who is 71 years old this year, as an example, he used to hold ceramah around the country...

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Age 60 withdrawal option after EPF Act amended next year

PUTRAJAYA: Starting next year, private sector employees who work until the extended retirement age of 60 will have the option to withdraw their Employees Provident Fund (EPF) savings at the same age. An amendment to the EPF Act 1991 will be carried out to facilitate this regulation, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said. Under the amendment, the EPF will also compel those who work until the age of 60 to continue to contribute to their EPF savings throughout their term of employment. The amendment is in line with...

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Liow: New rules for cigarettes

PUTRAJAYA: Come Sept 1, all discounts in the sale of cigarettes will be banned and only 20-stick cigarette packs will be allowed for sale in Malaysia. This is part of a new directive issued by the Health Ministry to standardize cigarette pack sizes with RM7 as the minimum retail price. “All (cigarette) manufacturers will only be allowed to sell cigarettes in a 20-stick pack and every carton of cigarettes may only contain 10 packs each. “The minimum (retail) price for cigarettes was announced last year but we want to standardise ...

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Idris upbeat about the prospects of GTP 2.0

KOTA KINABALU: Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala is upbeat about the prospects of the second version of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) after the success of the GTP 1 which was introduced about three years ago. He said the GTP 1 had great success in the country, particularly in terms of improvement in the lives and livelihoods of the people. "We can see a lot of people in the rural areas have benefited from rural infrastucture. About 1,700 kilometres of rural roads have been built and the recipients...

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Illegals get help from local to enter the State

12th August, 2012 SANDAKAN: Illegal immigrants are seeking the help of local middleman as conduit to enter the State, Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director-general Datuk Mohd Amdan Kurish said. He said illegal immigrants are feeling the heat from the authorities when entering the State as the authorities have plugged most of the known landing points into Sabah. “They are resorting to engaging locals to bring them into the state by using far-flung villages bordering their countries to...

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Sonar unlikely cause of whale stranding

by Chok Sim Yee. Posted on August 8, 2012, Wednesday KOTA KINABALU: There is no scientific evidence to prove that sonar emitted by ships is the cause of whale stranding here, while longer time is needed to establish links between whale stranding and ocean acidification caused by climate change. Dr John Madin, lecturer at Borneo Marine Research Institute (BMRI), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), said Sabah recorded the highest number of whale stranding cases as well as whale sightings compared to other states since the 1970s. However, the...

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RM112 mln for Sabah schools – CM

KOTA KINABALU: A big chunk of the Federal Government’s allocation for education under the Special Stimulus Package will go to schools in Sabah, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman. He said Sabah will receive RM112 million He said RM95.9 million will be disbursed to 283 government schools and RM3.7 million will go to 74 missionary schools. The 70 Chinese schools in Sabah will receive RM10.8 million and two government assisted religious schools will be given RM1.5 million, he said. “This is meant to finance construction, upgrading and maintenance...

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Sabah Shell Contributes RM25,000 To Five Charity Bodies

KOTA KINABALU, Aug 7 (Bernama) -- Sabah Shell Petroleum Co Ltd has contributed a total of RM25,000 to five charity organisations in the state as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme. The organisations are Rumah Anak Yatim As-Sakinah Sabindo, Yayasan Kebajikan Suria, Bukit Harapan, Rumah Kanak-kanak Beringgis and Rumah Putera Harapan Ranau. Read More :  http://www.bernama....

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Musa's Financial Management, Forest Polices In Sabah Rated The Best In Malaysia, Says Luping

KOTA KINABALU, July 31 (Bernama) -- Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman's financial management of the Sabah government's coffers and his forest management policies is rated the best in the nation, said state veteran leader Tan Sri Herman Luping. He said Musa, who has helmed the state government since the past nine years, had not only ensured the state government prospered, but had also given more political stability, prosperity and infrastructural development in the state. "Sabah under him (Musa) is definitely in rapid progress modem,"...

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Chong Wei says will try for gold in 2016 Olympics

SEPANG, Aug 7 — Badminton ace Datuk Lee Chong Wei said today he will make another bid for the elusive Olympic gold at the next games in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. Lee, 30, who returned home early this morning from the London Olympic Games, said he will focus on the upcoming Southeast Asia (SEA) Games and the Commonwealth Games. “I am not thinking long term... wait for the SEA Games and Commonwealth; if there are no injuries, I will try for...

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Najib Understands Needs Of Sabah People Better, Says Pairin

Tambunan, Aug 6 (Bernama) -- Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan expressed his confidence in Prime Minister Datuk Najib Tun Razak's leadership through government transformation programmes, which emphasised the people's needs especially those living in remote areas, as it showed an understanding for the people of Sabah. "As a young and energetic leader, he (Najib) has brought about changes and progress in a short time to all areas regardless of its location. "We must support these efforts as transformation programmes will...

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MAS Implements Enhanced Regulatory Regime For Fund Management Firms

Singapore, August 7 (Bernama) -- The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has announced the implementation of an enhanced regulatory regime for fund management companies (FMCs) effective today. Amendments have been made to the Securities and Futures (Licencing and Conduct of Business) Regulations, Securities and Futures (Financial and Margin Requirements) Regulations and Financial Advisers Regulations, said the Central Bank in a statement. Under the enhanced regulatory regime, MAS said all FMCs would have to meet enhanced business conduct...

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Conserving Sabah's Coral Reefs Through Education

Kota Kinabalu, Aug 7 (Bernama) -- Non-profit organisation Reef Check Malaysia (RCM) is to launch a coral reef rehabilitation and education project on Mantanani Island off the Sabah west coast this month, primarily to reduce fish bombing. The project will be undertaken with financial support from Murphy Oil Corporation, RCM said in a statement Tuesday. Fish bombing involves the use of explosives to stun or kill schools of fish for easy collection, it said, adding that the illegal practice is extremely destructive to the coral reef ecosystem...

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"Halal" Certification Does Not Apply To TV Programmes, Says Minister

JAKARTA, Aug 7 (Bernama) -- Indonesian Communication and Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring said television programmes should not be evaluated on the basis of whether they are "halal" (permissible) or "haram" (forbidden) under Islam. "There's no such thing as a halal or haram TV programme. Television programmes should be assessed as to whether or not they have educational value, in line with the law," Tifatul was quoted as saying by the English daily, Jakarta Globe, Tuesday. The minister was commenting on a call by the West Java...

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Health Ministry seeks to reduce power bills at 28 general hospitals

KUALA LUMPUR: In line with environment-friendly measures, the Health Ministry intends to reduce the annual RM115 million electricity bills incurred by 28 hospitals nationwide. The minister, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, said the steps would also include changing the air-conditioning and lighting systems of the hospitals. “We hope to reduce the annual bill by at least three per cent this year, and a minimum 10 per cent next year. “We will use the green environment project methods which have been seen to be able to reduce our (hospitals’) electricity...

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Najib to announce Sabah RCI terms next Saturday

By Clara Chooi KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 ― Datuk Seri Najib Razak will reveal details of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into Sabah’s illegal immigrant problem next Saturday, finally putting an end to nearly six months of uncertainty on the issue. The prime minister confirmed today that the terms of reference for the royal panel’s probe will be disclosed following his meeting with Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders. “I will announce on the 11th (of August),” he told reporters today when asked for a date. “I have met with a few Sabah BN...

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William, Kate Shun Royal Box at Wimbledon

By Martin Rogers | Yahoo! Sports LONDON - The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, aka Prince William and his wife Kate, surprised fans at the Olympic Games tennis tournament at Wimbledon by sitting in the cheap seats on Thursday. The royal pair, whose wedding last summer prompted a mass outpouring of patriotic delight in London, decided to shun the VIP seating available to them in favor of a regular spot in the stands while watching Great Britain's Andy Murray play Nicolas Almagro of Spain. William and Kate would have been eligible to...

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India power cut hits millions, among world's worst outages

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Hundreds of millions of people across India were left without power on Tuesday in one of the world's worst blackouts, trapping miners, stranding train travellers and plunging hospitals into darkness when grids collapsed for the second time in two days. Stretching from Assam, near China, to the Himalayas and the north-western deserts of Rajasthan, the outage covered states where half of India's 1.2 billion people live and embarrassed the government, which has failed to build up enough power capacity to meet soaring demand. ...

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Eurozone jobless rate at record 11.2% in June

BRUSSELS: Unemployment across the recession-hit eurozone was a record 11.2% in June, with more jobs lost in the single currency area, official data show. European Union (EU) data agency Eurostat said the seasonally-adjusted rate was the same as an upwardly revised May toll but noted a further 123,000 people lost their jobs going into the European summer, bringing the total to nearly 18 million, more than two million up on a year earlier. Marking a 14th successive monthly rise, analysts noted a cumulative rise of 2.248 million people since...

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New Govt action plan for crude palm oil

PETALING JAYA: Plantation companies with crude palm oil (CPO) export licence will soon be issued with an additional two million tonnes of duty-free CPO export quota by the Government, said an industry source. The source said: “Surprisingly, the usual suspects top planters with palm oil refineries overseas such as IOI Corp, Sime Darby and Felda - are still not aware if they are getting the additional quota this time around. “However, there is a prepared list and the official letter would soon be forwarded to the export licence holders,” the...

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