MALAYSIA COURT HEARS ANWAR SODOMY APPEAL
Malaysia's top court has begun hearing a final appeal filed by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim against a sodomy conviction widely regarded as politically motivated.
Anwar was sentenced to five years in prison in March on charges of sodomizing a male aide in 2008 after the appeals court overturned an earlier acquittal.
"I am confident of winning the case if we have judicial independence,'' the 67-year-old said before entering the Federal Court, where around 200 of his supporters had gathered.
"I'm mentally prepared, but I don't have much hope.''
Sodomy, even consensual, is a crime in Muslim-majority Malaysia and is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Anwar would also be banned from running for office for five years from the day he is released from jail.
Critics and independent human rights activists say the case against Anwar is the latest salvo in a long-running campaign by Malaysia's coalition government to silence its most potent threat.
The US government and other Western governments have expressed concerns over his treatment.
"This trial is so unjust," Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, said outside the courtroom.
"We hope and pray that justice will be served, not just for Anwar but for all Malaysians."
A verdict is expected on Wednesday.
OUTRAGE OVER OF S. AFRICA NATIONAL SOCCER CAPTAIN'S DEATH
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – South Africa national soccer captain
Senzo Meyiwa was gunned down at a house in Vosloorus, a township about 30
kilometres (20 miles) south of Johannesburg at around 8.00 pm (1800 GMT) Sunday.“It is alleged that two suspects entered the house and confronted the occupants, while a third suspect was outside,” said Phiyega.
After an altercation “a shot was fired, the goalkeeper was
hit in the upper body and was taken to hospital, where he was declared dead on
arrival”.One cell phone was taken and the three suspects fled on foot.
Police have launched a manhunt for the suspects, described as being in their late 20s and early 30s.
South Africa’s president yesterday led a shocked nation in
voicing outrage at the murder of national football captain Senzo Meyiwa after
the talismanic goalkeeper was shot dead during a home robbery.Police said the 27-year-old was killed late yesterday after burglars broke in to the house of pop-star girlfriend Kelly Khumalo, making off with a cell phone.
More than 17,000 people were killed in South Africa last
year, but the slaying of a popular sporting hero has stunned even this
crime-weary nation.Team-mates at his local club Orlando Pirates team-mates were sobbing and crying uncontrollably during today’s team meeting, according to club officials.
Tributes to Meyiwa flooded in from across the football world. FIFA president Sepp Blatter described Meyiwa’s killing as a “senseless, tragic loss”.
Source: AFP
MALAYSIAN HUSBAND FOUND OUT WIFE HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH A WOMAN?
SHAH ALAM, Malaysia - For the past two years, his wife has been having an affair
with her boss, who happens be a woman too.Ironically, the cuckolded husband known only as Karim, 42, is working in the same office which is located in Shah Alam because he wanted to monitor her movements, Metro Ahad reported.
Karim said he was still trying to save their 18-year marriage, which was blessed with two children aged 14 and 17.
- "Apart from seeking advice from religious experts, I have also brought my wife for counseling sessions in the hope that our marriage will survive," he said.
- "I will continue with my efforts to steer her to the right path."
Karim and his 42-year-old wife began working at the company
five years ago. Their female boss, who was still single, would often call
Karim's wife into her office for "discussions" that lasted for hours. "Initially, my wife would complain of exhaustion from all the frequent meetings but later on, she became excited with every meeting.
"I did not suspect anything until I read an
inappropriate text message from the boss on my wife's phone," said Karim,
who later confronted his wife who admitted to the affair.
Source: Agency
INDIAN DELHI CHOKES ON TOXIC SMOG AFTER FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
NEW DELHI, India - Thick smoke hung over New Delhi this week as
millions of Indians lit firecrackers to mark the Diwali festival, but calls for
a boycott highlighted growing concerns over air quality in one of the world’s
most polluted cities.
Pollution in the Indian capital reached “severe” levels on
Friday, the day after Diwali, according to a new air quality index launched
earlier this month as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Clean India”
mission.
That means the concentration of airborne particles known as
PM2.5, which are considered the most harmful, was more than 250 — 10 times the
upper limit recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Indian authorities regularly appeal to the public to
restrict their use of firecrackers, which every year cause injuries as well as
letting off the acrid smoke that chokes the capital.
Despite this week's spike, Gufran Beig, chief scientist at
India's state-run System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research
(Safar), said Delhi's air was generally better than Beijing's(photo).
- "A majority of the time, Delhi air is quite bad, however it is still better than Beijing," Beig told AFP, while conceding that the post-Diwali air likely rivaled the Chinese capital's infamous smog.
- "It's going to be that way for 24 hours before it gets better," he added.
Despite
this week's spike, Gufran Beig, chief scientist at India's state-run
System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar), said
Delhi's air was generally better than Beijing's.
"A majority of the time, Delhi air is quite bad, but it is still better than Beijing," Beig told AFP, while conceding that the post-Diwali air likely rivalled the Chinese capital's infamous smog.
"It's going to be that way for 24 hours before it gets better," he added.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/world/article/delhi-chokes-on-toxic-smog-after-festival-of-lights#sthash.HtnRrWgb.dpuf
"A majority of the time, Delhi air is quite bad, but it is still better than Beijing," Beig told AFP, while conceding that the post-Diwali air likely rivalled the Chinese capital's infamous smog.
"It's going to be that way for 24 hours before it gets better," he added.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/world/article/delhi-chokes-on-toxic-smog-after-festival-of-lights#sthash.HtnRrWgb.dpuf
Source: The Malaysia Insider...More...
IRAN HANGS WOMAN DESPITE INTERNATIONAL UPROAR
Iran has executed a 26-year-old woman convicted for killing a man who she said tried to sexually abuse her.
Reyhaneh Jabbari(photo) was arrested in 2007 for the murder of Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, a former employee of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence.
She was hanged at dawn on Saturday, the official IRNA news agency quoted the Tehran prosecutor's office as saying.
A message posted on the homepage of a Facebook campaign that was set up to try to save her, but which now states "Rest in Peace," appeared to confirm the report.
Efforts for clemency had intensified in recent weeks.
Jabbari's mother was allowed to visit her for one hour on Friday.
Source: Al Jazeera...More...
STUDENT ACTIVIST FLEE MALAYSIA, SEEK ASYLUM IN SWEDEN?
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - After facing the full wrath of the law for
criticising the Johor monarchy, student activist Ali Abdul Jalil has fled the
country to seek political asylum in Sweden.Ali was detained in Malaysia on September 8, released on September 23 and promptly rearrested and charged at the Shah Alam Sessions Court under the Sedition Act 1948.
He was charged for allegedly mocking the Johor Sultanate and calling for the state’s monarchy to be abolished.
Ali spent more than 20 days in police custody last month after being
arrested and taken to three states where reports were lodged against him
for allegedly posting seditious material on the social media.According to a report on Rakyat Times, Amnesty International Sweden took him under their wing and are advising Ali on the legal process to obtain political asylum.
- He will also be provided with legal representation.
- Earlier while speaking to the Malay Mail Online, Ali’s sister Asiah refused to reveal his whereabouts except to confirm her brother had fled Malaysia to escape sedition charges and that he had informed the family of his safety upon touching down Tuesday.
- "He is facing a lot of threats and pressures here. There were death threats. We have lodged a police report but we fear that no action will be taken on it," she added.
Asiah also said Ali was likely to be granted political
asylum after having been interviewed by a human rights group there.He already has a temporary visa and a work permit that allows him to start work immediately. Amnesty International Malaysia has made an urgent plea to the Malaysian government to drop all charges against Ali while GHAH (Gerakan Hapus Akta Hasutan) have also denounced the torture that allegedly took place while Ali was under detention.
The authorities however have remained unmoved from their
earlier decision to charge him and have refused to comment on the alleged
torture.
Source: FMT, More on Malay Mail Online...Latest
COSMETIC SURGERY IN THAILAND CAN KILL
A Briton died during a corrective procedure Thursday evening
at a cosmetic surgery clinic in the northern Lat Phrao district of the capital
where she previously underwent liposuction, police lieutenant Chaleang Inthip
told AFP.The 24-year-old patient stopped breathing after receiving an anaesthetic during the operation on Thursday night, according to Boonruang Triruangworawat, director-general of the health service support department.
“She visited the
clinic for liposuction on October 14 and came back yesterday after contracting
an infection… She died at the clinic at around 9:30 pm,” he said.The surgeon who operated on her has been detained in a Bangkok prison for causing death through negligence, a charge which carries a maximum of 10 years in jail, Chaleang said.
The British Embassy in Bangkok said Friday it was “aware of reports of the death of a British national in Bangkok on 23 October”.
Source: AFP.
MALAYSIAN SABAH FIRM LOOKS TO BUILD MALAYSIA’S FIRST OCEAN POWER PLANT
KOTA KINABALU, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo ― Malaysia may soon be able to harness the power
of the sea for electricity with new technology that is being jointly
developed by a Sabah private company with a US partner.
Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus
Johnity Ongkili(photo) said studies are being conducted to test the
possibilities of having the ocean-based plant either in the Straits of
Malacca or in the waters between Labuan and Kuala Penyu off the coast of
Sabah, where the tidal movement is most suitable.
“I also think that Kudat and Pulau Banggi has got good flow but this
needs to be confirmed by the experts. It would be great to have it in
Sabah where we really need the power,” Sabah-born Ongkili told reporters
after witnessing the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for
the project here recently.
The MoU, between Tawau-based Green Power Solutions and US underwater
power developer Current2Current International, kicks off a partnership
to develop an ocean-based renewable energy source.
“This new prototype technology has the potential to be used worldwide,
in any location that has an ocean current, is self contained and
therefore, is portable.
We are extremely proud that an internationally
company such as C2C has chosen Malaysia and Sabah in particular to
launch their first venture in Asean,” said Green Power Solutions
business development
director Reuben Lim.
- He said the 10-megawatt plant may be operational within a few years after thorough study is conducted.
- Putrajaya had previously announced a target of 5.5 per cent of its total electricity is to come from renewable energy (RE) sources by 2015.
With a new adopted definition of RE that includes all forms of
renewable energy including hydro and off-grid renewable energy,
Malaysia’s RE has jumped from under 2 per cent to 14 per cent.
“Malaysia has huge renewable energy potential and we should tap into
these resources to ensure greater energy security and autonomy in the
country. Sabah is exemplary with rich bioenergy resources from the palm
oil industry, and can make sure of its high solar irradiance, and
harness energy from rivers, wind and geothermal,” Ongkili said in his
speech earlier.
He said the talk on ocean renewable energy technologies is consistent
with the Government’s policy to explore all forms of sustainable energy.
Source: Malay Mail Online
MOTHER ACCUSED OF RUNNING AMOK IN MALAYSIA CAPITAL, ESCAPE
JOHOR BARU, Malaysia - Authorities are on the hunt for Muhdalena
Ahmad, who has abandoned her newborn, to escape from police custody since being
sentenced to a mental institution for running amok at the Prime Minister’s Department
two years ago.It is learnt that she escaped from the Sultanah Aminah Hospital two days after giving birth to a baby boy.
Muhdalena, who was pregnant with her third child, was sent
to the hospital on Sunday from Hospital Permai, where she has been seeking
treatment for her mental condition since June 19 this year.Sources said she left behind her newborn, who was being taken care of at another hospital block.
- It is learnt that Muhdalena took the opportunity to escape from police personnel guarding her at around 8.50am yesterday by giving the excuse that she had to go to toilet.
- During the incident, she was neither handcuffed nor accompanied by the personnel to the toilet.
- Sources said she was last seen wearing a pink hospital garb and that the police had launched a manhunt to track her down at bus stops and taxi stands near the hospital.
Source: The Star...More...
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