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 and maintenance for essential climate stability, and cannot be logged.

"Class 1 protection forests forbids any form of conversion under the Forest Enactment 1968 (Sabah). This ensures a safe habitat for the wildlife in the area such as the Bornean clouded leopards, orang utans, Sumatran rhinoceros and pygmy elephants," said executive director/CEO of WWF-Malaysia Datuk Dionysius Sharma in a statement.

The department's decision will increase total protected areas in Sabah to approximately 1.3 million ha, which is 10% above the standards imposed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

"WWF-Malaysia congratulates the Sabah Forestry Department on its latest success. We hope for continuous teamwork to ensure constant success stories like this," he said.

Several Sabah-based non-governmental organisations have expressed support for the move made by the department, Bernama reports.

"This re-gazette will serve to secure habitat for Malaysia's largest orang utan population, as well as for a wide range of biological diversity," said Hutan-Kinabatangan Orang Utan Conservation Programme scientific director Dr Marc Ancrenaz.

"Hutan has been assisting in surveys and monitoring of orang utans in this area for the past few years, so we are especially pleased to see this move by the state government," he added in a joint statement two days ago.

Founder of LEAP (Land Empowerment Animals People) Cynthia Ong said in the same statement Sabah was emerging as a leader in pushing the boundaries in management of natural ecosystem services, and for treating forests as stores of water, carbon and biodiversity rather than just as timber sources.

"We still have major problems and issues to address, but this is the sort of change that we want to see."

Borneo Rhino Alliance executive director Datuk Dr Junaidi Payne also said the main merit of this plan was to make it more difficult for any government to convert the lowland parts of these forest reserves to oil palm plantations in the future.

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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 SNAP would apply to rejoin the BN instead of being in the opposition or joining PR.

It is learnt that Jugol had at SNAP's CEC meeting raised the possibility of the party applying to rejoin the BN.

According to a CEC member, who declined to be named, Jugol reasoned that SNAP's membership with the BN had ceased to exist when it was deregistered by the Registrar of Societies (ROS) in 2002 after a prolonged leadership rift.

The tussle then was between a group led by the then president Datuk Amar James Wong and secretary-general Datuk Justine Jinggut, and another led by the then deputy president Datuk Seri Peter Tinggom and vice-president Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom.

"Jugol told the CEC meeting that the party was not kicked out and had not left the BN, but its membership was terminated after the deregistration," he said.

"Technically, SNAP is still a member of the BN," Jugol had reasoned.

However, the CEC member said some senior members have threatened to leave the party should SNAP be re-admitted into the BN.

"They argued that they were not likely to be allocated a seat to contest in the next general election if they joined BN.

"They also expressed doubts whether SNAP would be given an active role in BN," he added.

After SNAP was deregistered, its position and role in the BN was taken over by the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) led by Mawan, the minister of social development.

SPDP was registered soon after SNAP was declared illegal by the ROS.

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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, to take the plunge and to play a more active role to bring about a necessary regime change in the country," said Ong.

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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, which allocated them another 20% of shares.

Najib explained that when the 730 million shares are multiplied with the rate of 5.5 sen per share from the interim dividends, the settlers' families would gain from the RM40.1 million returns that would be divided among them.

"This means that each settler will receive RM356. If added to their first dividend earning of RM44, they will each receive a total of RM400," he said.

Najib also said Felda has allocated RM360.7 million to help settlers pay up their shares with a monthly repayment of RM50.

He said Felda will help settlers to ease their burdens by paying up the amount owing for the 800 unit shares and later settle their debts to Felda.

Earlier, calling the Opposition "pests", Najib urged the Felda community not to pay heed to "their baseless accusations" against Felda.

"I don't want to be telling all the Felda secrets but Felda's income alone for now is RM5.99 billion and this is not including Felda Global Ventures.

"When we include Felda Global Ventures, the total income would reach RM10.5 billion," he said in his speech at the open house.

Najib said the total cost of obtaining and constructing the 50-storey Menara Felda building was RM700 million, including the furnishings and the chandeliers in the ballroom.

"But I know that we made a good decision to purchase this building because to date we have made RM400 million from the building," he said, adding that once more tenants move in, the income would increase.

Najib said the RM5,000 announced for Felda settlers, their wives and children – when FGVH was listed in June – will be distributed in October after the budget is unveiled.

"We are giving a windfall to the settlers, their wives and children. The settlers would get RM5,000, their wives would get RM5,000 and their children another RM5,000," he said, adding that if there are more than one child, the amount would be divided among them.

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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 a new image apart from appreciating their work. The uniform colour has been identified," he told reporters here today.

Earlier, Aseh and 40 PPj security and enforcement officers called 'PPj Walking Team' had taken a walk from the PPj complex to his official residence in Precinct 10, about six kilometres away which took one and a half hours.

Aseh said the team would monitor work carried out by contractors appointed by PPj apart from building relations with them. The walking team, he said would monitor activities every Tuesday and Thursday to ensure Putrajaya was always clean, beautiful and become a role model city in the region. – Bernama

Should Sabah contract workers to follow suit? 

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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 to comment whether Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah was among the short-listed candidates.

He was speaking to reporters after presenting diploma scrolls to students of the Sultan Ismail Petra International Islamic College at Balai Islam, Lundang here on Tuesday.

When asked about PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu's statement that PAS would be pushing for hudud law should Pakatan win the general election, Nik Aziz, who is also the PAS spiritual adviser, replied that the most important thing to do was to win the 13th general election.

“It is very important to win the general election first ... make sure it is an Islamist movement that wins, may it be PAS or Ikhwan Muslimin or Jemaah Islamiah,” he said.

To another question, Nik Aziz said that he would prefer to leave the fate of former PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa to the Syura council.

p/s: When would be our turn?  

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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 in the past, but he has attended less activities nowadays.

Sabah and Sarawak are separated from the Peninsula by the South China Sea. As Sabah and Sarawak are vast states with relatively less convenient transportation and communication systems compared to the Peninsula, good health is the primary condition to be opposition party members.

Secondly, he is entangled by lawsuits. The Attorney-General's Chambers had filed a notice of appeal against Anwar's acquittal on the sodomy charge. Besides, he is also facing three Bersih 3.0 charges.

Even if he is found not guilty and acquitted of his charges in the end, he still has to first attend courts, causing him no time and stamina for political affairs.

Thirdly, his appeal and political effects have subsided. When he was arrested in 1998, he enjoyed high popularity among the anti-ruling camp and some took him as a "phenomenal leader". He was still influential even when he was in prison.

However, after being hit by the sodomy charges and sex video scandal, his image has been damaged in the Muslim community. If he fails to win the next election, it is afraid that his might lose his prestige forever.

Although the next general election might be the last battle for Anwar, the BN cannot be so naïve to think that it can sit back and relax as long as Anwar retires from politics. The anti-BN sentiment has been triggered and thus, the alternative coalition's force would not be abated, regardless of whether Anwar retires or not.

As the middle man between the DAP and PAS, he contributed to the establishment of the alternative coalition. Even if the Pakatan Rakyat falls apart after Anwar's leaving, the coalition could still be reunited by young leaders.

The civil society has been awaken since the first Bersih rally in 2007. The influence of the following Bersih 2.0 and 3.0 were then expanded to foreign countries. The people started to take initiative to launch peaceful assemblies to express their views over civic issues, including the Lynas rare earth refinery plant, Petronas Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (Rapid) project in Pengerang, the demolition of Jalan Sultan and Chinese Education. Their concern has expanded from community issues to national issues.

After being hit by one after another wave of shock and learning lessons again and again, members of the public are now pursuing a sound system granting them the right to decide.

The BN's political plate, particularly the Malay sovereignty, has been shaken by the impacts. As the appeal of the issues has surpassed races and politics, Umno has been moving closer to the middle in recent years. However, it is apparently not enough.

Internet has linked up the anti-ruling forces and young people have learned from anti-ruling movements in foreign countries. They have become more and more organised.

Even if without Anwar and the Pakatan Rakyat, I believe that some young professionals would still form new non-racial political parties that are close to the civil society. It is no longer important whether Anwar will retire or not. The BN has no way to deter the growth of the anti-ruling force as it is a global trend.

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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 the private sector Minimum Retirement Age Bill 2012, which was passed in Parliament in June.

The Bill stipulated that the minimum retirement age in the private sector be raised from 55 to 60 years old.

"The EPF, after deliberations with the ministry, has decided that a 30% EPF withdrawal can be made at age 50 and the remaining at 55 years old.

"But those who don't take out their savings at 55 can make the full withdrawal at 60 years of age," Dr Subramaniam said after chairing the National Labour Advisory Council meeting at the ministry here Tuesday.

The council is the highest national authority governing labour issues and convened for the third time this year Tuesday.

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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 the number of sticks per pack to strengthen our enforcement of the (Control of Tobacco Product) Regulations (2004),” Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said in a press conference at his ministry here on Tuesday.

Earlier, Liow unveiled former national shuttler Wong Mew Choo and singer Ikhwal Hafiz Ismail as the new faces of the ASAP Smoke-Free Lifestyle campaign.

As campaign ambassadors, Wong and Ikhwal are expected to promote the campaign through various channels including at press conferences, Facebook and Twitter.

“I hope I can encourage the young, especially women, to distance themselves from deadly habits (such as smoking),” said Wong.

Ikhwal added: “I have seen the terrible implications of smoking when my grandfather suffered and died of lung cancer. I hope this campaign can bring awareness to the public.”

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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 of the most of these rural roads are in Sabah and Sarawak," he said in his talk on the achievement of GTP 1 as well as an overview of the GTP 2.0 in conjunction with GTP 2.0 Open Day, here on Tuesday.
The Open Day was launched by Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.
Idris, who is also the chief executive officer of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU), said the government through the GTP 1 had focussed on the poor, mainly in Sabah and Sarawak through the 1Azam programme.
"A lot of the beneficiaries have benefited from this program meant for low income house holds," he said.
He was also happy to note that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Sabah Chief Minister had agreed to continue with the GTP second version.
"That means in the year 2012, 2013 and 205, there are a lot of activities on the identified areas in this state and in Sarawak," he said.
Idris said under the GTP 2.0, the government planned to increase road accessibility to 95 percent of the areas in Sabah and Sarawak by the year 2015.
"I believe, with the cooperation from all quarters, this target can be achieved," he said. - Bernama

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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 enter the country,” he said.
Mohd Amdan said that these local intermediaries would guide and shelter them in the village to avoid detection from authorities.
“We are getting more vessels to beef up our security around the waters,” he said when attending a breaking of fast with MMEA personnel and handing over of contributions to orphans here Friday.
He said MMEA has a fleet of nine high-powered vessels operating in the waters off Sabah and logistical support would be increased.
“We have nabbed 1,412 illegal immigrants attempting to enter the State in the first eight months this year.
“At the same time, we are also keeping a tight watch on smuggling of essential goods like cooking oil and sugar among others out of the country,” Mohd Amdan said.

Read More :  http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my

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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 reason Sabah ranked the highest in whale stranding cases in the country was not scientifically known.
Borneo Marine Research Institute director Professor Dr Saleem Mustafa said there were places with higher stranding cases than in Sabah.

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com

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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 works at the identified schools, with priority given to repairing schools categorized as badly damaged,” he said.

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com

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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.com

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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," Luping told Bernama, here.

Read More :  http://www.bernama.com

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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 (the Olympics in) 2016,” he told reporters after landing at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport here.
His homecoming was celebrated by about 1,000 supporters who had been waiting at the airport arrival hall since 5am.
The former world No. 1 said he was heartened by the warm welcome despite winning only the silver in the men’s badminton singles event in London.
“I am proud to receive such a welcome... even if I am disappointed for not getting the gold medal.
“But (the Olympics) have passed,” he told reporters.
Lee also said he had received many lucrative offers from various groups if he triumphed at the games, adding that at that time he was only focused on winning Malaysia’s first gold.
“I realise there were people offering gifts... but my focus was more on the Olympic gold,” he said.
Lee declined to comment about those who had criticised him for losing to China’s Lin Dan in the final.
“I have already done my best,” he said.
Fans of the Penang-born shuttler handed out the Malaysian flag to bystanders and sang the national anthem “Negaraku” when Lee landed.
They waved the Jalur Gemilang and also carried banners that read “We Love LCW (Lee Chong Wei)”, “You Are Our Hero” and “Datuk Lee Chong Wei National Hero”, among others.
Lee lost to his archrival Lin Dan with a score of 21-15, 10-21 and 19-21 last Sunday, breaking the hearts of Malaysians.
With the defeat, Lee collected his second Olympic silver after losing to the same player in the Beijing Olympics four years ago.
Also at the airport to greet Lee was Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Razali Ibrahim.

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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 bring benefits, development and improve the lives of people in the state," he said at a Leader With The People ceremony and presentation of contributions in Kampung Nambayan, near here.

Pairin, who is also State Infrastructure Development Minister, said a good relationship between the federal and state government was also positive for Sabah residents.

"So there is no reason for us not to support a leader who brings changes and focuses on the welfare of the people," he added.

-- BERNAMA

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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 and capital requirements.

These include rules requiring independent custody and valuation of investor assets, as well as requirements for FMCs to undergo independent annual audits by external auditors and having an adequate risk management framework commensurate with the type and size of investments managed by the FMCs.

A new category of Registered Fund Management Companies (RFMC) will replace the current Exempt Fund Manager (EFM) regime.

RFMCs may serve up to 30 qualified investors and manage up to S$250 million in assets under management. All other FMCs will have to apply for a licence.

-- BERNAMA

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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 as the explosion often destroys the surrounding habitat.

"It reduces the area around the blast (typically around 20 sq metres) to lifeless rubble and recovery rates are often very slow due to the unfavourable conditions rendered from the bomb blast," it said.

RCM said the project on Mantanani Island would be able to address this through two phases.

-- BERNAMA

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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 chapter of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) for the Indonesian Council of Ulama (MUI) to looking into the feasibility of devising "halal" certification for television programmes.

Meanwhile, KPI chairman Mochamad Riyanto was quoted as saying that it was necessary to discuss the proposal further because the matter was related to the authority of various institutions.

Riyanto said that during the month of Ramadan, TV stations had committed many numerous ethical violations by airing comedy shows with "insulting" content during the time when Indonesians break their fast or eat their morning meal.

KPI commissioner Nina Mutmainah said the commission has issued letters of reprimand to seven television stations during the month of Ramadan for violations which mostly consisted of contempt for the minorities and the marginalised.

-- BERNAMA

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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 bills,” he told reporters after launching the WATTS (Where Aid Turns To Sustainability) Project here yesterday.
He said, to date, efforts to make hospitals environment-friendly were launched at Klang Valley-based hospitals and were expected to be expanded nationwide.
The WATTS project is the theme of the Truly Loving Company (TLC) campaign ‘Promise Me’ which enters its third year to fulfil the aspirations of 12 welfare bodies, with a view to reduce electricity bills, which could represent up to 30 per cent of their operation expenditure.
Basically, this is their contribution towards sustainability and welfare bodies could save in the long term and at the same time, protect the environment.

Meanwhile, Liow said the ministry lauded a proposal to create mental community centres nationwide, with a view to look after discharged mental patients to return to society.
He noted that a community centre which was set up by a non-governmental organisation in Muar, had shown positive signs whereby, patients had fully recovered and led normal lives.
“Mental patients need the support of the commuity when they recover. Without their family and the community’s support, their illnesses will return,” he said.
Furthermore, the minister said, the government had also created community centres in government clinics to enable those whose mental illnesses were not serious, to obtain their medication.
In the meantime, Liow, who is also MCA deputy president, praised national number one badminton player Datuk Lee Chong Wei, who gave an energetic performance and took the fight to China’s champion Lin Dan in the finals of the men’s individual badminton event at the Olympics yesterday.
He said, although Chong Wei did not bring home the country’s first gold medal, he had become the nation’s ‘hero’.
“That was a great game. He (Chong Wei) played very well. We are proud of him. He had actually united Malaysians where everyone supported him last night,” he said. — Bernama

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/08/07/health-ministry-seeks-to-reduce-power-bills-at-28-general-hospitals/#ixzz22pVI1M1l

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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 leaders and I will meet with them on the 11th,” he said.
The prime minister’s visit to the east Malaysian state may coincide with Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s, who is scheduled to be in Sabah the following day.


Read More: http://my.news.yahoo.com

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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 sit in Center Court's Royal Box, which is reserved for special visitors to the All England Club. But as Murray was playing his quarterfinal on Court One, they instead opted for a normal pair of seats to the left of the players' box.

Read More :  http://shine.yahoo.com

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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.
"Even before we could figure out the reason for yesterday's failure, we had more grid failures today," said R. N. Nayak, chairman of the state-run Power Grid Corporation.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had vowed to fast-track stalled power and infrastructure projects as well as introduce free market reforms aimed at reviving India's flagging economy. But he has drawn fire for dragging his feet.
By nightfall, power was back up in the humid capital, New Delhi and much of the north, but a senior official said only a third was restored in the rural state of Uttar Pradesh, itself home to more people than Brazil.
The cuts in such a widespread area of the world's second most populous nation appeared to be one of the biggest in history, and hurt Indians' pride as the country seeks to emerge as a major force on the international stage.
"It's certainly shameful. Power is a very basic amenity and situations like these should not occur," said Unnayan Amitabh, 19, an intern with HSBC bank in New Delhi, before giving up on the underground train system and flagging down an auto-rickshaw to get home.
"They talk about big ticket reforms but can't get something as essential as power supply right."
Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde blamed the system collapse on some states drawing more than their share of electricity from the over-burdened grid, but Uttar Pradesh's top civil servant for energy said outdated transmission lines were at fault.
Asia's third-largest economy suffers a peak-hour power deficit of about 10 percent, dragging on economic growth.
Between a quarter and 40 percent of Indians are not connected to the national grid.
Two hundred miners were stranded in three deep coal shafts in the state of West Bengal when their electric elevators stopped working. Eastern Coalfields Limited official Niladri Roy said workers at the mines, one of which is 700 metres (3,000 feet) deep, were not in danger and were being taken out.
Train stations in Kolkata were swamped and traffic jammed the streets after government offices closed early in the dilapidated coastal city of 5 million people.
The power failed in some major city hospitals and office buildings had to fire up diesel generators.
By mid-evening, services had been restored on the New Delhi metro system.
"PUSHED INTO DARKNESS"
On Monday, India was forced to buy extra power from the tiny neighbouring kingdom of Bhutan to help it recover from a blackout that hit more than 300 million people.
Indians took to social networking sites to ridicule the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, in part for promoting Shinde despite the power cuts.
Narendra Modi, an opposition leader and chief minister in Gujarat, a state that enjoys a surplus of power, was scornful.
"With poor economic management UPA has emptied the pockets of common man; kept stomachs hungry with inflation & today pushed them into darkness," he said on his Twitter account.
The country's southern and western grids were supplying power to help restore services, officials said.
The problem has been made worse by a weak monsoon in agricultural states such as wheat-belt Punjab and Uttar Pradesh in the Ganges plain, which has a larger population than Brazil.
With less rain to irrigate crops, more farmers resort to electric pumps to draw water from wells.
India's electricity distribution and transmission is mostly state run, with private companies operating in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Less than a quarter of generation is private nationwide.
More than half the country's electricity is generated by coal, with hydro power and nuclear also contributing.
Power shortages and a creaky road and rail network have weighed heavily on India's efforts to industrialize. Grappling with the slowest economic growth in nine years, the government recently scaled back a target to pump $1 trillion (637.9 billion pounds) into infrastructure over the next five years.
Major industries have their own power plants or diesel generators and are shielded from outages. But the inconsistent supply hits investment and disrupts small businesses.
High consumption of heavily subsidized diesel by farmers and businesses has fuelled a gaping fiscal deficit that the government has vowed to tackle to restore confidence in the economy.
But the poor monsoon means a subsidy cut is politically difficult.
On Tuesday, the central bank cut its economic growth outlook for the fiscal year that ends in March to 6.5 percent, from the 7.3 percent assumption made in April, putting its outlook closer to that of many private economists.
"This is going to have a substantial adverse impact on the overall economic activity. Power failure for two consecutive days hits sentiment very badly," said N. Bhanumurthy, a senior economist at National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.

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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 that series began in April last year. London-based Howard Archer of IHS Global Insight warned that the unemployment rate “now looks odds-on” to cross 11.5% by the end of the year, with “a very real danger” of reaching 12% next year.

In Germany, the Federal Labour Agency said yesterday that raw or unadjusted unemployment also rose sharply in July, with the total number of people out of work up 66,800 on June at 2.88 million.
Eurostat estimates 25 million men and women are unemployed across the full 27-state EU.
The EU uses slightly different statistical calculations for comparisons, but said the rate in the United States in June was 8.2% and in Japan, 4.4%.

Meanwhile, eurozone inflation was unchanged in July for the third month running at an annualised 2.4%, still well above the core target of the European Central Bank (ECB), according to Eurostat.
The figures marked the 20th consecutive month that inflation came in above the ECB's medium-term inflation target of just below but close to 2%.
Analysts, though, said the trend going forward would be downwards. London-based Jennifer McKeown of Capital Economics maintained that “energy inflation is likely to fall again before long and core inflation will be pulled down by the deepening recession.”
She added, two days ahead of a key meeting at the ECB, that “the still-high rate of inflation need not prevent the ECB from taking further action to try to pull the region out of recession this week or after.” - AFP

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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 source told StarBiz.
According to the source, the Government typically would not issue additional quota in the middle of the year as the full year quota allocation would be decided in early January.
A quota of 3.6 million tonnes duty-free CPO was issued early this year. With the additional quota would translate into 5.6 million tonnes duty-free CPO export this year compared with 3.6 million tonnes last year.
The 5.6 million tonnes quota represents 27% of the country's total CPO production of 18.4 million tonnes, said the industry source.
The increase in the local duty-free CPO export quota was seen as the first pre-emptive measure by Malaysia to counter the impact from Indonesia's move to slash its export duty on refined palm oil products in September.
India responded to Indonesia's action last week by adjusting its import duty structure on refined palm oil products. It lifted the base price of refined palm oil imports to market prices from US$484 (RM1,535) per tonne.
The source said the rationale for the additional quota was an inventory management and price stabilisation mechanism given the current high CPO production, lower exports and the easing of CPO price to below RM3,000 per tonne.
“This move augurs well for pure CPO producers who can now look forward to higher short-term CPO prices but not so for standalone refiners who had been asking for the abolition of the duty-free CPO export quota,” he explained.
Palm oil refiners in Sabah are believed to be considering to charge a discount of RM100 per tonne CPO or more from CPO producers to enable their refineries to make some profit margin unlike their Indonesian peers who can sell refined products cheaper by RM300 to RM400 per tonne.
“So what will happen if the Sabahan oil palm growers refused to sell their CPO at a discount to the refiners? It will likely lead to higher CPO inventory in the country. This will nullify the Government's efforts to lower CPO inventory by giving higher duty-free CPO export quota,” he added.
It will be interesting to see Indonesia's next course of action in reaction to the latest moves by India and Malaysia.
Meanwhile, an industry observer said Malaysia would only agree to go beyond the stipulated 10% duty-free CPO export allowance if there are excess stocks which local refineries cannot take up.
However, the situation is peculiar because the standalone refineries in Malaysia were under-utilised, he pointed out.
Palm Oil Refiners Association (Poram) chief executive officer Mohammad Jaaffar Ahmad had said local refiners were affected by Indonesian export duty structure that provide advantage to exports of their processed oils.
Jaaffar said if the quota was to continueit would mean “slow death for some Malaysian refiners within one to two years.”
Malaysian Estate Owners Association (MEOA) president Boon Weng Siew also expressed disappointment over the Government's decision.
“I want to re-affirm MEOA's proposal to abolish the duty-free export quota for CPO and crude palm kernel oil (CPKO) and reduce the export duty for CPO and CPKO from the current 23% to 8%.
CIMB Research regional analyst Ivy Ng expected taxing times for refiners should Malaysia increased the tax-free CPO export quotas.
“It will be negative for local refiners as it would reduce the availability of domestic CPO and the already low refinery utilisation rate of 60.8% as at June.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/8/1/business/11766734&sec=business

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