Apr 25, 2012

Arizona immigration law: Supreme Court seems receptive to parts of crackdown

Arizona immigration law: Supreme Court seems receptive to parts of crackdown:
The Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed receptive to the argument that Arizona’s tough plan to have state and local law enforcement play a much more active role in identifying illegal immigrants was a valid exercise of its power to protect its borders.
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Scandal tests Secret Service director for a second time

Scandal tests Secret Service director for a second time:
As the salacious details of the U.S. Secret Service sex scandal have cast an intensely private organization into the spotlight, the man at the helm of the 7,000-member federal agency has so far avoided issuing a public defense for the breakdown in personal conduct of a dozen of his men.
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Israeli military chief: Iran will not build nuclear bomb

Israeli military chief: Iran will not build nuclear bomb:
JERUSALEM — Israel’s military chief said in an interview published Wednesday that he believes Iran will choose not to build a nuclear bomb, an assessment that contrasted with the gloomier statements of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and pointed to differences over the Iran issue at the top levels of Israeli leadership.
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Bersih 3.0: Jalan terakhir menuju demokrasi

Bersih 3.0: Jalan terakhir menuju demokrasi:
Pindaan pada saat-saat akhir ke atas undang-undang pilihanraya pada hari terakhir sesi parlimen yang berlarutan hingga awal jam 3.21 pagi 20 April lalu secara praktisnya berjaya mengekang percubaan Pakatan Rakyat untuk mendedahkan kepincangan demi kepincangan yang terus berlaku.
Di antara pindaan terhadap Akta Kesalahan Piihanraya 1954 ialah membatalkan hak calon dan wakilnya untuk hadir bagi mengawal selia pendaftaran para pengundi di tempat mengundi pada hari mengundi (dengan menghapuskan Seksyen 26A(1) dan (2).
Secara logis, tanpa adanya peluang untuk melihat kad pengenalan para pengundi, bagaimana boleh seseorang calon mengecam pengundi hantu?
Dalam senarai pemilih yang penuh dijangkiti oleh kuman pengundi hantu, tidakkah langkah Barisan Nasional (BN) ini membuka pintu kepada perlakuan kepincangan dengan berleluasa.
Dan tidakkah langkah ini bermakna pengenalan dakwat kekal, satu-satunya reformasi yang dilaksanakan oleh Suruhanjaya Pilihanraya (SPR) dan enam bulan mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas (PSC) bagi menambaik sistem pilihanraya menjadi sia-sia?
Apa sebab pindaan ini dibuat? Kata BN, kehadiran wakil calon “akan menyusahkan” pegawai-pegawai pilihanraya. Apabila ditanya ada atau tidak laporan mengenai perkara ini, BN tidak dapat membuktikannya.
Rompak di siang hari
Tidakkah kita lihat bahawa liciknya tindakan BN ini umpama rompak di siang hari? Tidakkah ini membuktikan maruah BN sudah tercemar dan jatuh sebegitu rendah sehingga mereka terpaksa melakukan tindakan-tindakan yang memalukan ini?
Satu lagi pindaan yang selari dengan hasrat BN untuk “mencuri kemenangan” pada pilihanraya kali ini ialah dengan menghapuskan syarat mencetak nama pencetak dan penerbit di atas semua bahan-bahan bercetak dengan menghapuskan Seksyen 11(1)(c).
Dalam sebuah negara di mana kita melihat betapa permainan politik semakin kotor dan hina dengan wujudnya penulis-penulis blog upahan BN dan penyebaran bahan-bahan porno secara meluas, hanya bertujuan untuk memfitnah pemimpin-pemimpin pembangkang.
Dengan mengecualikan syarat tidak perlu mencetak nama pencetak dan penerbit bermakna memberi jalan kepada mereka untuk membuat apa yang mereka suka.
Ya, kelonggaran terhadap syarat ini meliputi kedua-dua belah pihak tetapi BN lebih mendapat manfaatnya kerana mereka kebal dari segi undang-undang sedangkan pembangkang tidak.
Dalam pada itu, inisiatif Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak untuk melakukan reformasi terhadap sistem pilihanraya dengan menubuhkan Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas (PSC) untuk menambahbaik sistem pilihanraya terbukti hanya gimik.
Ini terbukti pada sidang Parlimen ketika meminda undang-undang pilihanraya, tidak disentuh langsung cadangan kepada PSC supaya memberi akses kepada liputan media secara adil dan hak mengundi lebih awal berhubung sistem undi pos.
Inilah dua tuntutan utama Bersih 2.0 dari lapan tuntutan rakyat Malaysia agar sistem demokrasi dapat dipulihkan, bermula dengan pilihanraya yang bersih dan adil.
Daripada memenuhi tuntutan-tuntutan ini, sebaliknya BN undur ke belakang dengan membuat pindaan-pindaan bagi mengurangkan ketelusan dan menggalakkan berlakunya kempen yang kotor.



Hilang keyakinan terhadap SPR

BN harus sedar bahawa rakyat telah hilang keyakinan terhadap ketelusan dan integriti Suruhanjaya Pilihanraya (SPR) kerana semakin berani memihak kepada BN secara terbuka.
Kredibiliti SPR diburukkan lagi dengan kenyataan Pesuruhjayanya Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof bahawa beliau mempunyai senarai pemilih yang paling bersih di dunia.
Kenyataan beliau dianggap melucukan ketika banyak laporan dibuat berhubung penyelewengan dan penipuan dalam senarai pemilih timbul, terutama sejak beberapa bulan yang lalu.
Ini ditambah lagi dengan laporan dokumen penyelidikan yang mendedahkan bahawa beratus ribu dan kini terdapat lebih tiga juta pengundi ragu dalam senarai pemilih yang hanya berjumlah 12 juta.



Pengundi bukan pemastautin

Dalam satu sidang media pada 23 April lalu, Pengarah Projek Analisa Senarai Pemilih Pilihanraya Malaysia (Merap), Ong Kian Ming mendedahkan bahawa terdapat 3.1 juta pengundi bukan pemastautin.
Ini melanggar Artikel 119 (1) (b) Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang mencatatkan bahawa hanya pengundi bermastautin di negara ini sahaja yang layak mengundi.
Jumlah ini adalah selain dari beberapa ratus ribu pengundi ragu yang berdaftar dengan menggunakan berbagai bentuk kepincangan yang dilaporkan oleh Merap, kumpulan penyelidikan bebas itu sebelum ini.
Angka 3.1 juta ini ditemui di Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN) yang melancarkan Projek SPR pada tahun 2002 untuk mengenal pasti pengundi-pengundi di Semenanjung Malaysia di mana para pengundi mempunyai alamat pada kad pengenalan berbeza dengan alamat kawasan mengundi.
Tinjauan rambang Ong mengenai “pengundi-pengundi bukan pemastautin” menunjukkan ramai di kalangan mereka yang kekal status sebagai “bukan pemastautin” kerana SPR tidak berusaha untuk menyelesaikan masalah besar ini.
Melalui Projek SPR 2002, SPR memperkenalkan sistem baru di mana para pengundi tidak dibenarkan mengundi di kawasan mengundi yang mempunyai alamat yang berbeza dengan alamat yang tertera pada kad pengenalan mereka.
Keadaan menjadi semakin getir apabila Aziz membuat keputusan tidak mahu membetulkan senarai pemilih selepas membuat  kenyataan bahawa beliau mempunyai “senarai pemilih paling bersih di dunia.”
Tanpa siasatan secara menyeluruh berhubung senarai pemilih dan penafian hak calon dan wakil calon untuk mengawal selia proses pada hari mengundi serta tanpa melaksanakan sebarang tuntutan Bersih, maka apa peluang kita untuk menghalang berlakunya pilihanraya yang kotor?
Atas sebab inilah kenapa Himpunan Bersih 3.0 yang kini telah menjadi acara global dengan demonstrasi diadakan serentak oleh rakyat Malaysia di 40 buah bandar di seluruh dunia menjadi acara yang penting.
Acara ini sangat penting untuk kita berusaha mengembalikan warisan demokrasi di samping menentukan nasib masa depan negara untuk kesejahteraan hidup beberapa generasi yang datang.

Bersih rally in 70 cities worldwide

Bersih rally in 70 cities worldwide:
KUALA LUMPUR: The Bersih 3.0 rally will be held in 70 cities around the world, said the electoral watchdog’s steering committee member Dr Subramaniam Pillay.
“Bersih 3.0 is fighting for Malaysians’ fundamental rights and we are happy to know that Malaysians overseas also support our struggle,” he told a press conference here.
In Malaysia, he said, simultaneous rallies would be held at nine difference locations.
As for the support overseas, Subramaniam said during the previous Bersih rally last July, similar protests were carried out in only 20 cities.
“We hope the number will go up to 75 before this Saturday,” he said, adding that Bersih was not funding the rallies abroad.
“It is their own initiative, we are only giving them moral support,” he explained.
As for those here, Subramaniam said the public need not be afraid to participate in the rally since Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein declared that Bersih 3.0 was not a security threat.
Meanwhile, co-chairman of RAPAT (Rakan Pakatan Rakyat) A Rajaretnam promised to mobilise 10,000 Indians for the Bersih 3.0 rally.
“Brickfields will be our meeting point. So, the people can join us there from noon to 1.15pm before we march to Dataran Merdeka,” he told the same press conference.
Rajeretnam said that RAPAT had agreed to support all of Bersih’s demands and it also had four additional demands, which were:
  • Abolish the PTPTN higher education loan fund
  • Set up a ministry for minority groups
  • New economic plan for minority groups
  • Free and equal education for all

Is Bersih 3.0 Still Needed?

Is Bersih 3.0 Still Needed?: Statistics on electoral fraud in Malaysia.

Why BERSIH 3.0? (Infographics)

Why BERSIH 3.0? (Infographics): Duduk bantah? You be the judge!

Bersih: It will be 'Planet Bersih' on April 28

Bersih: It will be 'Planet Bersih' on April 28:
The Bersih steering committee are advising participants from out of town to use public transport to get to the city and designated meeting points. 

Meeting points:

National Mosque
Jalan Sultan
Mesjid India
Central Market
Brickfields roundabout

Amaran keras Datuk Bandar kepada BERSIH

Amaran keras Datuk Bandar kepada BERSIH:
Datuk Bandar Kuala Lumpur Tan Sri Ahmad Fuad Ismail memberi amaran kepada Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (BERSIH) dan penyokongnya bahawa tindakan keras akan diambil jika mereka meneruskan hasrat untuk berhimpun di Dataran Merdeka pada 28 April ini.

Video/Editor: Fendi Zulkfley

More Story: http://malaysiakini.com/news/195992

Dataran 4: No show by IO

Dataran 4: No show by IO:
The four who were arrested yesterday at Dataran Merdeka appeared at the Duta Court complex as early as 9 am to face charges. However the investigating officer did not show up to register the charge against them.

Bersih: We meet at Dataran!

Bersih: We meet at Dataran!:
Bersih will stick to its original plan to hold the rally at Dataran Merdeka, despite the city's Mayor rejecting their request.

Camera/Editor: Fendi Zulkfley

http://malaysiakini.com/news/195990

Gov't classifying stateless Indians as 'foreigners'

Gov't classifying stateless Indians as 'foreigners':
The government is systematically depriving Indian Malaysians of their citizenship by categorising them as foreigners, PKR vice-president N Surendran claims.

Some 300,000 descendants of Indian Malaysians are either without blue identity cards (MyKad), birth certificates or both, Surendran told a press conference in Petaling Jaya today.
Full Story: http://malaysiakini.com/news/195991
Camera/Editing: Tan Jiun Wuu

Why Malaysians 0verseas are joining Global Bersih 3.0

Why Malaysians 0verseas are joining Global Bersih 3.0: – Yolanda Augustin The Malaysian Insider Apr 24, 2012 APRIL 24 – My name is Yolanda Augustin and I left Malaysia 14 years ago to study in the UK, where I now live and work as a doctor. I’m writing to explain what inspired me to get involved in the Bersih movement and global solidarity [...]

Peaceful transition of power: Open letter to all political parties

Peaceful transition of power: Open letter to all political parties: by Dr Lim Teck Ghee CPI Tuesday, 24 April 2012 With the general election imminent, one key question remains yet unanswered: Will the Barisan Nasional respect the outcome of the polls and ensure a peaceful transition of power? This is the sixty four thousand dollar sensitive question – unasked in our repressed mass media, largely [...]

Bersih 3.0, the fear factor

Bersih 3.0, the fear factor: — Thomas Fann The Malaysian Insider Apr 24, 2012 APRIL 24 — As I write this, we are just four days away from April 28, 2012. It is the day which the Bersih 2.0 steering committee has chosen to have Bersih 3.0, a sit-down protest called by its BM name Duduk Bantah. It is late [...]

10 major problems in EC’s electoral roll

10 major problems in EC’s electoral roll: By Ong Kian Ming | Apr 7, 2012 Malaysiakini ANALYSIS The Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reform report, which was released earlier this week, highlights 22 recommendations on how to improve the electoral process. I will not go through each and every recommendation or discuss the overall quality of these recommendations since others including the [...]

‘Dubious’ voters may decide GE13

‘Dubious’ voters may decide GE13: By Ong Kian Ming | Apr 8, 2012 Malaysiakini ANALYSIS In the first part of this article, I highlighted five problems with the electoral roll which were not addressed in the report by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on Electoral Reform. In this second part, I will highlight five additional problems with the electoral roll, [...]

Electoral roll: What else is the EC hiding?

Electoral roll: What else is the EC hiding?: By Ong Kian Ming | Apr 24, 2012 Malaysiakini COMMENT In two previous articles, I highlighted 10 problems associated with the electoral roll as part of the preliminary findings of the Malaysian Electoral Roll Analysis Project (Merap), a research effort to identify and understand problems with the existing electoral roll. In this article, I want [...]

“428” Bersih 3.0 acid test of Najib’s “political transformation” to make Malaysia “best democracy in the world” – start with immediate revocation of government ban on Bersih

“428” Bersih 3.0 acid test of Najib’s “political transformation” to make Malaysia “best democracy in the world” – start with immediate revocation of government ban on Bersih: The April 28 Bersih 3.0 peaceful “Duduk Bantah” rally at Dataran Merdeka for clean, free and fair elections is an acid test of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s “political transformation” to make Malaysia, in his own words, “the best democracy in the world”. In the past seven months, the Najib government had been trying [...]

Chinese Schools a Hit in Cambodia

Chinese Schools a Hit in Cambodia: As trade and tourism links with China grow, more Cambodians are seeking Chinese-language education.

Apr 24, 2012

Iranian Oil Sites Go Offline Amid Cyberattack

Iranian Oil Sites Go Offline Amid Cyberattack: Officials said the virus that infiltrated the Oil Ministry and other agencies had not affected production or exports, but oil terminals and some installations were being taken offline as a precaution.

Bo Xilai’s Relatives’ Wealth Is Under Scrutiny

Bo Xilai’s Relatives’ Wealth Is Under Scrutiny: In the last decade, before Bo Xilai’s downfall, his family, including his and his wife’s siblings, quietly amassed a fortune estimated at more than $160 million.

Syrian Rebels Target Security Officials in Capital

Syrian Rebels Target Security Officials in Capital: Rebels seeking to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad killed three regime officers in separate attacks Tuesday around Damascus, activists and state media said, the latest violence targeting the security forces used by the government to quash dissent.

The New Islamists: In Egypt, Morsi Escalates Battle Over Islam’s Role

The New Islamists: In Egypt, Morsi Escalates Battle Over Islam’s Role: Two leading presidential candidates, Mohamed Morsi and Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, differ on religion’s place in Egypt.

State of the Art: Barnes & Noble’s E-Book Reader Glows in the Dark - State of the Art

State of the Art: Barnes & Noble’s E-Book Reader Glows in the Dark - State of the Art: Ever get frustrated trying to read an e-book in a darkened room? Behold, the self-illuminating Glow Light Nook from Barnes & Noble.

Ukraine’s Jailed Ex-Premier, Tymoshenko, Goes on Hunger Strike

Ukraine’s Jailed Ex-Premier, Tymoshenko, Goes on Hunger Strike: Yulia V. Tymoshenko declared a hunger strike after what she said was an assault by prison guards that left her black and blue.

In China, relatives of Party officials build lucrative businesses on family contacts

In China, relatives of Party officials build lucrative businesses on family contacts:
HONG KONG — When Chinese authorities launched an investigation in 2006 into potential foreign currency violations by Beijing Henderson Properties, the real estate developer called in some curious outside help. It turned to a Chinese investment company with no evident expertise in currency regulations and to a murky Hong Kong foundation with no dis­cern­ible offices and no listed telephone number.
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Samples of traditional Chinese medicine are found to contain harmful ingredients

Samples of traditional Chinese medicine are found to contain harmful ingredients:
Traditional Chinese medicine is enjoying increasing popularity all over the world. But two recently published studies show that the treatments can be harmful. The papers focus attention on the fact that not all of the ingredients in TCM treatments are listed, or even legal, and that some can cause cancer.
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Pick your vice presidential nominee!

Pick your vice presidential nominee!:
There’s no greater guessing game in political Washington than speculating about the identity of the Republican vice presidential nominee.
Candidates are regularly touted, torn down and touted again — all within a few newscycles. We’ve already written extensively about the potential frontrunner — It’s Portman! No, it’s Rubio! — but now we are giving you the chance to play the strategist and make the pick on who should join former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney on the ticket this fall.
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Israel legalizes three West Bank outposts

Israel legalizes three West Bank outposts:
JERUSALEM — Israel announced Tuesday that it has legalized three unauthorized Jewish outposts in the West Bank, a move that Palestinians and anti-settlement activists condemned as a step toward creating the first new settlements in more than a decade.
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Predict the 2012 election with our interactive tool!

Predict the 2012 election with our interactive tool!:
“To see what’s in front of one’s nose requires a constant struggle,” George Orwell wrote. But the problem for those of us paying attention to the 2012 election is rather the opposite: To ignore what keeps being thrust in front of one’s face requires its own sort of struggle.
Read full article >>



U.S. arrests BP engineer on criminal charges stemming from oil spill

U.S. arrests BP engineer on criminal charges stemming from oil spill:
A former BP drilling engineer was arrested Tuesday on charges of intentionally destroying text messages sought by federal authorities as evidence in the wake of the April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, the Justice Department said.
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Tuesday’s primaries: What to watch for

Tuesday’s primaries: What to watch for:
It’s primary day (again!).
And just because Rick Santorum dropped out of the GOP presidential race doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of interesting subplots.
Below, we take a look at what you should watch for as results roll in from presidential primaries in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, along with the regular state primary in the Keystone State.
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Obama Now at 50% Job Approval; Leads Romney, 49% to 42%

Obama Now at 50% Job Approval; Leads Romney, 49% to 42%: Barack Obama's approval rating has risen to 50% in Gallup Daily tracking, and he has opened up a 49% to 42% lead over Mitt Romney among registered voters in 2012 presidential election vote preferences.

U.S. Weekly Economic Confidence Steady Near Four-Year High

U.S. Weekly Economic Confidence Steady Near Four-Year High: U.S. economic confidence is unchanged from last week, at -19, but remains within two percentage points of the high of the past four years. Democrats' economic confidence is at +13, Republicans' is -45, and independents' is -26.

About the U.S. Peace Index « About the U.S. Peace Index »A ground-breaking milestone in the study of peace. For the first time, an Index has been created that ranks the nations of the world by their peacefulness and identifies some of the drivers of that pe...

About the U.S. Peace Index « About the U.S. Peace Index »
A ground-breaking milestone in the study of peace. For the first time, an Index has been created that ranks the nations of the world by their peacefulness and identifies some of the drivers of that pe...

Apr 23, 2012

Aceh, earthquakes and politics played rough

Aceh, earthquakes and politics played rough:
The massive but, happily, largely benign earthquake off the coast of Sumatra on Wednesday left millions of people in Aceh reliving the nightmare the engulfed them on Boxing Day 2004, when a similarly large but different type of earthquake sent a wall of water across the lowlands, killing around 180,000 people.

That the earthquake and fear of another massive tsunami came just two days after a local elections and a major political upheaval only added poignancy to the otherwise frightening occasion. In the wake of the 2004 tsunami, Aceh separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) reached a peace agreement with the government in Jakarta, ushering in a period not just of rebuilding but of relative peace and electoral politics.

Contrary to such opinion that exists on Aceh, the peace agreement was not a consequence of the tsunami as such. Rather, and agreement to start peace talks had been reached just days before the tsunami struck.
read more

John Boehner says ‘one-in-three’ chance GOP loses House

John Boehner says ‘one-in-three’ chance GOP loses House:
Speaker John Boehner is officially worried about losing the House majority this fall.
The Ohio Republican said in an interview with Fox News Channel that will run on Tuesday that there is a “one-in-three” chance that Democrats will win the House in November — a headline that will surely catch people’s attention.
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Fed likely to stay the course, even as economy appears mixed

Fed likely to stay the course, even as economy appears mixed:
At the start of the year, the Federal Reserve was a dour pessimist-- even though a range of economic indicators were starting to suggest that the nation’s recovery was finally gaining enough momentum to sustain itself.
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Behind a Chinese City's Growth, Heavy Debt

Behind a Chinese City's Growth, Heavy Debt: The Chinese city of Chongqing accumulated tens of billions of dollars in liabilities during Bo Xilai's term as local Communist Party chief, as it juiced growth that helped launch the former high-flyer's campaign for a top political post.

Singapore Inflation Jumps

Singapore Inflation Jumps: Singapore's consumer inflation was higher than expected in March, highlighting a stubborn problem the central bank moved to tackle earlier this month with a surprise tightening of monetary policy.

GM to Add 600 China Dealerships

GM to Add 600 China Dealerships: General Motors plans to add 600 dealerships in China this year, about a 20% increase, as the auto maker looks to bolster its presence in the country amid growing competition and an economic-growth slowdown.