Ugut Saiful Bukhari: Lelaki 40-an bebas
Seorang lelaki 40 tahun yang dikaitkan dengan tuduhan membuat ugutan terhadap pengadu kes liwat Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim - Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan - dibebaskan daripada tahanan reman hari ini.
Beberapa anggota keluarganya memberitahu Malaysiakini, Badrulhisham Abd Jalal dibebaskan kira-kira jam 5.30 petang ini selepas ditahan reman sejak Jumaat lalu di balai polis Bukit Jalil.
Bapa kepada tiga orang anak yang menetap di Klang itu difahamkam ditahan reman sejurus selepas tampil membuat laporan balas bagi mempertahankan dirinya di ibu pejabat polis daerah (IPD) Klang, berdekatan rumahnya.
Sehari selepas itu, difahamkan juga polis telah mendapat perintah reman daripada majistret untuk tempoh empat hari - berakhir hari ini - bagi membantu siasatan.
Difahamkam aduan Saiful itu dikendalikan oleh pihak IPD Sentul - tempat di mana Saiful tampil membuat laporan polisnya Khamis lalu.
Bagaimanapun, usaha Malaysiakini mendapatkan pengesahan daripada pihak balai berkenaan setakat ini belum berhasil. Sehubungan itu, pertuduhan sebenar terhadap Badrulhisham juga masih tidak dapat dipastikan.
Khamis lalu,Saiful mendakwa menerima pesanan berunsur ugutan di laman sosial Facebook daripada seorang individu yang hanya dikenali sebagai "Badrul Hisham".
Justeru, beliau tampil membuat aduan di balai polis Sentul di ibu negara petang semalam kerana "bimbangkan keselamatan diri dan dan keluarganya".
Ketika dihubungi Malaysiakini hari ini, anggota keluarga Badrulhisham memberitahu, beliau enggan ditemubual pemberita, walapun melalui telefon buat masa ini kerana belum bersedia.
Seorang anggota keluarganya memberitahu, satu sidang media berhubung perkara tersebut mungkin dibuat esok di Klang.
Jimadie Shah Othman/MALAYSIAKINI
ANTARA NASIHAT PERINGATAN DAN UGUTAN SERTA HASUTAN
PENDENGARAN SELCAT PADA 2-4 JUN ISU PASIR
17 Mei 2010
Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Mengenai Keupayaan, Kebertanggungjawaban dan Ketelusan (SELCAT) pada mesyuarat yang diadakan pada hari Isnin, 17 Mei 2010, telah memutuskan untuk mengadakan pendengaran awam ke atas tuduhan penyelewengan yang berlaku di dalam anak syarikat Kerajaan Negeri Selangor, Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB), yang mengendalikan perlombongan pasir di Selangor.
SELCAT akan menyiasat perkara tersebut dari segi pentadbiran untuk mengenalpasti samada terdapat kelemahan pentadbiran yang perlu diperbaiki dan diperkuatkan oleh Kerajaan Negeri Selangor demi memastikan pentadbiran KSSB mematuhi dasar dan arahan Kerajaan.
Pendengaran awam tersebut akan diadakan di Bilikan Gerakan, Tingkat 2, Bangunan Annex, Dewan Negeri Selangor pada 2, 3 dan 4 Jun 2010 dari jam 10 pagi hingga 1 petang. Semua pihak yang terlibat secara langsung akan disaman hadir untuk memberi keterangan kepada SELCAT.
SELCAT berharap semua pihak memberi kerjasama sepenuh dalam pendengaran awam tersebut dengan membentangkan dokumen-dokumen yang berkaitan untuk melicinkan lagi siasatan melalui pendengaran awam tersebut.
Mesyuarat SELCAT yang diadakan pada hari ini telah dihadiri oleh semua ahli jawatankuasa SELCAT yang dipengerusikan oleh Speaker merangkap Pengerusi SELCAT, YB Tuan Teng Chang Khim.
Ahli-ahi Jawatankuasa SELCAT yang lain ialah YB Pn Hanizah Talha (PR), YB Tn Azmin Ali (PR), YB Tn Saari Sungip (PR), YB Tn Edward Lee (PR), YB Tn Ismail Sani (BN) dan YB Tn Sulaiman Abdul Razak (BN).
Sekian, terima kasih.
DARREN ONG
Setiausaha Sulit kepada YB Tuan Teng Chang Khim Read More “PENDENGARAN SELCAT PADA 2-4 JUN ISU PASIR” »»
LESSONS FROM PIIGS's BUDGET DEFICIT
Unfortunately, one of those members used voodoo economics to meet the budget deficit rule. Basically, they cooked the books to make it look as if they only had a 3% budget deficit.
Everyone calls EU’s troubled states “the PIIGS” (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain). But again, the PIIGS only account for 14% of the total Eurozone GDP
Excerpts from Sovereign A-letter
This union defied the odds. It cleaned up its messes. Union leaders stopped members from leaving, and played referee as member states argued over how to run their economies.
Eventually, this union built the largest economy and political entity in the world. Investors not only respected this union — they suddenly wanted to hold this union’s currency.
…Well, until recently.
I’m sorry to say, this union is starting to crumble. Now each member state is in more disarray than the last. We are seeing budget deficits, protests in the street, and debt-infested governments that all need to cut spending but never do.
And now plenty of investors are snickering on the sidelines saying that this crisis will collapse the currency…
The ‘Crisis’ Story that No One Is Telling
Think I’m talking about the EU, right?
Well I’m not … I’m talking about the U.S.!
That’s right -- the U.S. is a monetary union just like the EU. We all share the same currency, same government and we can travel across state borders without taxation, a passport or changing currencies.
Lately, everyone in their brother is beating up the EU. But the fact is, the EU’s debt problems are peanuts compared to our debt issues in the United States.
The U.S. is the real danger economy (and currency), but it also provides the easiest way to protect yourself in the coming months and years.
Before we get down to business, let me give you my take on this so-called “euro crisis.”
Euro Collapse? Give Me a Break
Long ago, before there was a “euro” the European Union members agreed to the Maastricht Treaty. This treaty would govern the member countries, so eventually they could create a “one policy meets all” for the entire EU.
Among other things, the Maastricht Treaty mandated that each member state could only have a budget deficit of 3% of its GDP. To join the EU, each member must meet that limit.
Most members decided to meet the target by selling their gold, which they did in 1998 and 1999. But they made it. When the Union formed, 13 nations joined together under the Maastricht Treaty.
Today, 17 nations are EU members, and all those citizens use the euro as their currency.
Unfortunately, one of those members used voodoo economics to meet the budget deficit rule. Basically, they cooked the books to make it look as if they only had a 3% budget deficit.
Now the truth is finally coming out, years after joining the EU.
That country? I’m sure you can guess. It’s Greece.
Is this shocking? Wrong? Absolutely.
But it’s also the reason why pundits all over the world are talking about the “coming collapse of the euro.”
Now I can agree that this will definitely be a setback for the euro. But come on. The euro will NOT fall apart just because of one bad apple. It doesn’t make sense.
Greece’s total contribution to the total Eurozone GDP is just 2%. If you remove 2% of the total Eurozone’s GDP, do you really think the EU will collapse?
That’s like saying the U.S. GDP would collapse if Idaho left. Not going to happen!
To take this further, everyone calls EU’s troubled states “the PIIGS” (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain). But again, the PIIGS only account for 14% of the total Eurozone GDP
Chicken Littles Cry About Euro’s Impending Demise (Again!)
Yes, these EU member states were completely out of line when they continued deficit spending. It’s only fair that the euro suffered a bit.
However, to say that the euro is going to collapse is simply unreasonable.
Before the euro even became a real entity in 1999, there were those that did not believe it would last, and would soon collapse. However, the euro, which suffered at first, eventually came on strong.
In 2005, when Sweden and Denmark both said “no” to join the euro, pundits once again called for the euro to collapse. But the euro only came back stronger. In 2008, during the financial collapse, they said the euro would fall apart. And once again, the euro came back stronger after selling off.
So is this just another case of euro selling as various Chicken Littles run around calling for the euro’s collapse, only to see it rebound and come back stronger?
Or is this finally the hangman’s noose for the euro?
Personally, I believe it to be the former. Here’s why…
The euro is the second most liquid currency in the world, and the second most widely traded currency in the world.
It is the offset currency to the dollar — and the closest thing to the next world reserve currency.
So, if you believe that the euro will collapse, then you must believe that the U.S. dollar will continue to soar for years. You must think our deficit spending that’s gone on for over eight years now is no big deal.
There are plenty of traders who think this way. I call them the “deficits don’t matter crowd.”
This blatant disregard for a currency’s debt always reminds me of a man leaping off the Empire State building.
He passes the 56th floor and screams… “So far, so good!”
The point is long-term deficits always matter. Greece found that out. It’s only a matter of time before the U.S. does.
BORNEO AS TREASURE HOUSE OF FLORA AND FAUNA
The number of new plant species discovered in Borneo in the last three years outnumbers all the other categories combined. Sixty-seven new plants have been found, along with 29 invertebrates, 17 new species of fish, one bird, five amphibians and five reptiles reports WWF.
"You have some iconic small species which are very interesting to talk about but perhaps it's the plants that are tremendously important in terms of potential future cures," said David Norman, director of campaigns for the WWF.
Nature's 'treasure' unearthed in Borneo
By Hilary Whiteman, CNN
Color-changing frogs, the world's longest stick insect and a slug that shoots "love darts" are among the biological "treasure" discovered by scientists in the lush green heart of Borneo.
Scientists have found 123 new species of animals, insects and plants on the South East 
Asian island since the three governments that control the land signed a pact to safeguard its future in 2007.
The new species are on a list released Thursday by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to mark Earth Day and to raise awareness of the value of protecting areas rich in biodiversity.
"You have some iconic small species which are very interesting to talk about but perhaps it's the plants that are tremendously important in terms of potential future cures," said David Norman, director of campaigns for the WWF.
"About half of all synthetic drugs have a natural origin -- these are commercial drugs based on plants and sometimes animals. So we can't afford to lose species," he said.
The number of new plant species discovered in Borneo in the last three years outnumbers all the other categories combined. Sixty-seven new plants have been found, along with 29 invertebrates, 17 new species of fish, one bird, five amphibians and five reptiles. The WWF describes the region as a "global treasure teeming with unique and extraordinary life."
Some of the more unusual amphibians found there include color-changing frogs, which also fly.
Males of the species (Rhacophorus penanorum) are just 3.5 centimeters long and their skin changes from bright green during the night to brown during the day. They can be found living in trees in the Tapin Valley within the Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak. Their fully-webbed feet allow them to glide for up to 15 meters from tree branch to tree branch.
The tail of the long-tailed slug (Ibycus rachelae) is three-times the length of its head, allowing it to curl up to sleep. More unusually, when it mates the slug fires a so-called "love dart" made of calcium carbonate that injects a hormone into its prospective partner to increase the chances of reproduction.
The world's longest-stick insect (Phobaeticus chani) is more than half a meter long and lives high up in the rainforest canopy. "Only three specimens have ever been discovered. It's quite extraordinary that it's been there for so long -- you wouldn't miss it if it landed on you," Norman said.
The rate of the discovery of new species has increased since 2007 when the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei signed an agreement to conserve the area.
The agreement covers a 220,000 square kilometre tract of land that straddles all three countries which is known as the Heart of Borneo.
"This not just a nature reserve. There are lots of people who live there. Farming goes on there. There is eco-tourism. These are all things that must continue. The point is to ensure that the value of the forest standing is much greater than the value of it being cut down," Norman said.
The WWF says the Heart of Borneo Declaration has worked to conserve the environment by exerting pressure on governments, developers and industry to adapt their plans to minimize their impact on the land.
It credits the agreement with preventing the destruction of two million hectares of rainforest to create the world's largest palm oil plantation. Plans to build a road through the middle of the region in 2007 were also shelved for environmental reasons.
"About half of all the land in the heart of Borneo lies in private hands. It's so remote you can't possibly enforce this, so this is very much about negotiating agreements. Whenever there is a new proposal for a new road or a new farm or a new plantation or a new mine, it is worked through in the context of the agreement that was signed in 2007," Norman said.
Meanwhile, scientists are still busy surveying the tangled mass of plants, animals and insects that thrive in the hot, humid conditions of the Borneo rainforest. The WWF says it is impossible to predict how many more new species will be found.
"It is so difficult to know how many species there are on the planet. Scientists sometimes estimate maybe there are 10 million species in total out there and we've only described 1.7 million of them so far," Norman said.
