China :: Asia

Bukit Jalil residents say police and City Hall workers vandalised their property despite a court injunction not to do so. PETALING JAYA: Yet more police reports. This time against several policemen and City Hall officers. The Bukit Jalil estate action committee and individuals have now filed seven reports over a breach of a court injunction. The 41 families residing at the estate obtained an ex-parte interim injunction from the Court of Appeal on May 13 to stop Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) from demolishing their homes. In its report at the Dang Wangi police headquarters yesterday, the committee claimed the DBKL officers and the police personnel had been in contempt of court as DBKL had been slapped with the injunction from entering the site. On May 25, some 30 policemen and DBKL officers, led by an inspector known as Chandraratna had entered the estate, tore down their banners and broke several chairs in a guard post. When the residents queried them, the officers allegedly intimidate...

A local MIC leader claims only a handful of the 807 are former DAP members. The rest, he adds, are new recruits. GEORGE TOWN: The claim that 807 DAP members had quit the opposition party to join MIC was a lie, alleged a local MIC leader. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the MIC leader claimed that only a handful of those who submitted their membership forms to party president G Palanivel were DAP members. According to him, most of them were new recruits. We can count with our fingers the number of DAP members who joined MIC that day. Everyone knows it was a farce to show that MIC has regained confidence among the local Indians, said the division leader. The revelation, if true, would be a slap in the face for MIC leaders, who organised a major dinner to welcome the new members. In his speech at the event, state MIC chief, Senator PK Subbaiyah, had claimed that they were all from DAP. Palanivel, on the other hand, claimed that the departure of DAP Indian members to join MIC showed t...

I am always fascinated in economic numbers. When many people are giving up on economy measured with numbers, or even mocking atthem, i let myself sink deep into it. Why?Causethose numbers mean everything to thewhole nation, to the people, to families, tochildrenat their homes, to salesmen, to factories, to plants, to investors, to many stakeholders. Indonesia has been enjoying steady growth in the past decade, where the economy grow at up-moderate pace, making it one of the fastest growing economy in the world. It is now the serious candidate for the next BRIC countries, many people even now put it in par with Brazil. Is this enough? Hell no. Indonesia is setting a faster economic growth in the next 3-5 years. Minister of Finance even said that in 2012, economic growth will outpace all countries in Southeast Asia, by developing massive fiscal policies. According to him, the government would make every effort to reach the economic growth of around 6.5 percent to 6.9 percent in 2012, alt...

UDA was accused of sidelining Bumiputera concerns in the redevelopment of Pudu Jail. file pic KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 Putrajaya cannot keep throwing money at agencies tasked with furthering the Bumiputera economic agenda without consideration for profit unlike in the past, says Umno leader Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed. The UDA Holdings Bhd chairman warned there will come a day when the government, whose finances were being stretched over time, would no longer be able to dole out grants to statutory bodies like Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) as it does currently. He said this was particularly true now as the Najib administration grapples with ballooning subsidy costs and a widening budget deficit following a sharp rise in global crude oil prices. The money is to be used in a more efficient manner because the government cannot afford to give funds like it did before, the accountant by training told The Malaysian Insider last night. It has to have a return as well because you need to reinvest wha...

Washington: Scientists have come a step closer to finding out what the causes of Alzheimer''s disease are. Recently the number of genes known to be associated with Alzheimer''s disease has increased from four to eight, including the MS4A gene cluster on chromosome 11. New research has expanded on this using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to find a novel location within the MS4A gene cluster, which is associated with Alzheimer''s disease. Alzheimer''s disease is the most common cause of dementia in the developed world. It irrevocably destroys cells in the brain that are responsible for intellectual ability and memory. Despite continued investigation, the causes of Alzheimer''s disease are not yet fully understood but they are thought to be a mixture of genetic and environmental factors. Several studies have used GWAS to search the entire huma...

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 (Bernama) -- PAS has denied that it had set rules requiring non-Muslim female journalists to wear headscarves when covering the party's Muktamar (general assembly) this weekend. PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustapha Ali said some media organisation may have misunderstood the advice given by the organising secretariat as the requirement to wear headscarves only applied to Muslim female journalists. "I believe it is a misunderstanding. Perhaps it was not stated clearly in the advisory," he said when contacted. He was commenting on the statement by Wanita MCA secretary-general Chew Lee Giok who criticised PAS for enforcing a dress code on non-Muslim journalists covering its Muktamar from June 3-5. Chew claimed the requirement for female journalists to don headscarves and barring skirts and dresses was discriminatory. "The choice of personal clothing is a fundamental and individual right. This is a clear example of PAS depriving people of their p...

South African regulators have approved Walmarts $2.4 billion bid for a controlling stake in local retailer Massmart. As part of the approval, South Africas Competition Tribunal said the merged companies cannot cut jobs at Massmart for two years. They also must honor Massmarts existing labor agreements for at least three years. Walmart is based in the United States and is the worlds largest retailer, operating more than 8,000 stores. Walmart and Massmart have promised to invest $15 million over three years to develop South African supply companies. Some government and union leaders expressed concern that Walmart could bring an influx of cheap products, hurt local jobs and squeeze out local suppliers. Walmarts bid for Massmart is seen as a bid to tap into Africas emerging markets.

NARATHIWAT, May 31 - Two suspected insurgents killed themselves in a botched attempt to plant a bomb to ambush security forces in the restive southern province of Narathiwat on Tuesday. The incident occurred in the early morning in Ruso district, according to local police who found scattered fragments of explosive devices in dense roadside grass. Two bodies, mangled from the explosion, were found near the scene. The bodies were identified as Sorahudin Dolo, 30, and Abas Abu, of unknown age. Ninety M16 assault rifle cartridges and a mobile phone were found near the body of one of the dead men. According to the initial investigation, local villagers saw three suspects on a motorcycle going to the scene, a roadside near a foot of a bridge, around midnight. Two of them were taking the 5 kilogram bomb built into a metal box to bury beside a roadside tree amid heavy rain. The bomb however exploded due to an apparent short circuit. Mr Sorahudin was killed, while the uninjured third man tried ...

A DAP state assemblyman says the BN component party has done nothing for the community, except to 'steal' from the poor. By Athi Shankar, GEORGE TOWN: MIC is an Umno puppet without any political conviction, said DAP state assemblyman A Tanasekharan. The Bagan Dalam rep said that because of this, MIC would never implement any policies to upgrade the living standards of the Indian community. He claimed that MIC had always taken Indians hard-earned cash to carry out its projects that failed to benefit the community. Tanasekharan noted that the Maika Holdings and MIED scandals were perfect examples of MIC swindling poor Indians. He also remarked that MIC built AIMST University in Kedah from contributions of Indians from all walks of life. But how many poor Indians can afford to study at AIMST University? How many Indians have benefitted from Maika Holdings and MIED? he asked. Comparatively, he said Pakatan Rakyat state governments managed to address various Indian issues in a shor...

Students skipping classes, playing hookey, using their tuition money to buy cds of their favorite bandssounds familiar? This age-old problem happens all around the globe, while teachers and parents alike have been scratching their head bald, trying to find a solution. Thanks to technology, their woes will soon be over. Bad news for the students, Indonesia has developed a system called SAT which stands for Sistem Absensi Terpadu or Integrated Attendance System. Although there are other similar systems in the market, SAT has shown capabilities that they could compete on the world stage. According to this article published in Republika.co.id, our neighbouring country, Malaysia, is showing interest on SAT. Not surprising, as SAT is a superb technological tool that allows parents to know the teaching and learning activities through the internet, the attendance of their children, even the school bill payment process. The system is integrated with the school server system and a central server...

By Greg Waldron Indonesia has placed a $400 million order for 16 Korea Aerospace Industries T-50 Golden Eagle advanced jet trainers, the types first export sale. The Indonesian Defense Ministry signed the deal on Wednesday, said Enes Park, executive vice president of KAI. The contract stipulates that the aircraft must be delivered 18 months after the signing of a loan agreement between the South Korean and Indonesian governments. The announcement follows a 12 April letter the Indonesian government sent to KAI designating the South Korean firm as the preferred bidder to replace Indonesias BAE Systems Hawk 53s. The letter all but sealed the fate of the T-50s rivals in the competition, the Aero Vodochody L-159 and Yakovlev Yak-130. The 16 General Electric F404-powered aircraft will be produced at the KAI facilities in Sacheon, South Korea. They will shipped to Indonesia partially disassembled, where Indonesia state aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia/Indonesian Aerospace (IAe) w...

A prominent Egyptian blogger and democracy activist has been summoned for questioning by the country's military rulers after he publicly accused an army official of instigating abuses against civilians. Hossam el-Hamalawy said he was ordered to appear before military prosecutors Tuesday after he charged in a televised interview that the head of the country's military police was responsible for torturing activists. Hamalawy added that he has testimonies, videos and other evidence to back up his claims. His interview aired Thursday on a popular television program on the private ON-TV. The presenter, Reem Maged, was also summoned for questioning, as was a second journalist, Nabil Sharaf el-Din. Maged is a potential presidential candidate in the country's upcoming elections. Human rights groups say that following the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in February, Egyptian authorit...

London, A Scottish Government advisor has called for ditching the WeightWatchers programme and eating less food for permanent weight control. Despite its claim that its fast weight loss methods have attracted celebrity endorsements from Jennifer Hudson to Sarah Ferguson, Dr Kirsty Kiezebrink, of the state-funded Health Services Research Unit, has opined that the the programme could be painful and pointless. She has conceded that people who stick to the firm''s dietary plans lose weight but claimed the majority then pile it back on again. You are not realistically going to live on those products forever. It doesn''t educate you how to change your lifestyle, Scotsman.com quoted the Aberdeen University-based research fellow as saying. Unless you want to carry on giving WeightWatchers money you have got to come back to a normal, non-supported diet and you are likely to regain ...

Melbourne,Though technology has made our lives convenient and fast, psychologists warn people against developing an over-reliance on mobile and tablet applications. Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists chairman Daniel Varghese suggests smartphone users need to be wary of relying too heavily on their applications. "It''s a general phenomenon that we''re relying more and more on technology, and when that technology''s not available, we don''t use the skills we would have otherwise developed," The Courier Mail quoted him as saying. "That can certainly cause anxiety in people." At a time when Google''s Android Market is racing to catch up with Apple''s ever-expanding App Store, consumers are increasingly incorporating applications into every part of their lives. The uses range from helping tie their ties ...

PYONGYANG, May 30 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Monday it would "never deal with" South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and his government, accusing Seoul of trumping up false accusations against the DPRK and undermining its reconciliation efforts. According to a statement issued by the DPRK's National Defence Commission, two more steps would be taken in this regard. "The DPRK will launch a nationwide offensive to put an end to the moves of the Lee group to escalate the confrontation with the DPRK," the statement said. The Korean People's Army would "cut off the north-south military communication in the area along the east coast" and "close the communication liaison office in Mt. Kumgang area," the statement announced. "As already warned by the DPRK, it will take a physical action without any notice any time against any target to cope with the anti-DPRK psychological warfare," it added. The...

SEOUL, May 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's total population amounted to 48.58 million in 2010, up 2.8 percent, or 1.3 million, from five years earlier, a national census showed Monday. The census carried out every five years showed the country's population grew an average of 0.5 percent annually from 2005 through 2010, Statistical Korea said. In 2005, the population came to 47.28 million. The annual gain was unchanged from 0.5 percent average growth reported from 1990 onwards, the agency said. It also said South Korea is aging at a fast pace with people over 65 accounting for 11.3 percent of all its citizens, or 5.42 million, last year. This represents a surge of 24.3 percent, or 1.06 million, vis-a-vis 2005, when 9.3 percent of the population was classified as seniors. The country became an aging society in 2000 when more than 7 percent of the population was over 65, and is expected to become an aged society and super-aged society in 2018 and 2026, respectively. An aged society r...

BANGKOK, May 30 -- Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Monday affirmed that Thailand is ready to present its case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) following Cambodias request that the court interpret its 1962 ruling on Preah Vihear Temple, including its request for indication of provisional measures. Mr Abhisit said the Thai legal team said they were ready, the team has made due preparation for the case, in terms of written documents, photographs, videos, and statements to clarify the issue. He said Thailand's main argument would focus on Cambodia had earlier accepted that demarcation of its boundary with Thailand had not been settled. Cambodia had signed a memorandum of understanding in 2000 to establish a joint boundary committee to resolve the boundary dispute. "Thailand regards the MoU in 2000 as evidence that Cambodia accepted that the border demarcation was not yet completed," he said. He said the government assures the public that it will do its best to ...

When I boarded an AirAsia plane recently, an article in their airline magazine about a movement to use art and waste to reduce poverty in Indonesia grabbed my attention. Intrigued, as soon as my feet hits the ground, I googled them out. And the things I found out about them are just too cool to not be shared! Have you ever wondered what happens to the waste you throw out? All those used soap containers, detergent bottles, oil packets, clothes softener sachets, toothpaste tubes? Well guess what. Those things, along with used car seats, old billboard adverts, are being used by XSProject, to make uber-cool bags, pouches, laptop bags, wallets, and so many other stuffs! I was just stunned at how gorgeous those things turned out! According to their website, www. xstransformed.org , XSProject ???transforms consumer and corporate waste into products with innovative designs. They use art and design to create new uses for waste, reducing the amount of garbage burned or buried in landfills. In th...

He said Pakatan was already a solid united pact with potential young successors including Azmin who he said may be brash in his "stunts" but more than capable to lead. SUBANG JAYA: Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is confident in Pakatan Rakyats second tier of leadership and discounted the notion that the pact will collapse in his absence. Speaking at a closed door dialogue session with young professionals here, the PKR de facto leader said the pact was armed with young and more than capable leaders that can take Pakatan forward should he be convicted and jailed for sodomy. Once youre prosecuted youre already damned, he said laughingly to some 150 people who attended the forum. Anwar is currently facing trial for allegedly sodomising his former aide, a charge he claimed was engineered by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and wife Rosmah Mansor. Anwars persona, attributed to his charisma and moderate liberal politics, is seen as the binding force in the Pakatan coalition rife with...

By Johnson Doss, This is the banner of hatred towards Indians which doesn't reflect the sincerity of 1Malaysia slogan. We are considered "OUT CASTE" in our own motherland . This banner is a prove of what we are all commenting about .. True enough what Mr. Utayakumar has been saying from the beginning about "ETHNIC CLEANSING" of the Indian community in Malaysia. The Freedom of Religion does exist anymore in Malaysia as article 11 of the Federal Constitution have been ignored by the "Ketuanan Melayu". Artidle 11 of the Federal Constitution provides for religious freedom, which includes the right to establish and maintain places of worships and own and acquire property. minority religious groups reported that state authorities sometimes blocked construction using restrictive zoning and construction codes. For this reason, I ask all Indians to be UNITED and stand firm against this form of "Barbarian Act "of the Malays Racist . We will not bow dow...

The World Health Organization (WHO) has named Governor Fauzi Bowo as one of the recipients of the World No Tobacco Day 2011 Awards. Upon receiving the award at City Hall on Sunday, Fauzi said the award belonged to all of the initiators and supporters of the antitobacco movement. To free Jakarta from tobaccos smoke all stakeholders should support the issue, he said. Last year, the governor signed gubernatorial decree No. 88/2010, which outlaws smoking inside buildings and workplaces in the city. The decree faced strong opposition from smoking proponents. Last week the city administration announced it had issued 700 warnings to building managers to comply with the decree. Every year the organization grants the awards to individuals or organizations in each of the six WHO regions for their accomplishments in the area of tobacco control, the WHOs official website stated. Taken from The Jakarta Post

TEHRAN, May 29 (FNA)- The popular uprisings and revolutions sweeping the Middle-East and North of Africa at present will soon spread to Saudi Arabia, a Bahraini student underlined on Sunday. "The reason for the Saudi Army's invasion of Bahrain is that if people's revolutions in Yemen and Bahrain yield results, the Saudi people will certainly follow suit and stage a popular uprising as well," Seyed Hassan al-Moussavi al-Bahraini told FNA. Moussavi pointed out that the Saudi regime has deep worries about the outbreak of popular uprisings since most of the country's oil wells are located in the Shiite-populated areas. He reminded that an uprising in those areas would endanger the Saudi regime's oil revenues and leave grave impacts on the global oil market. The activist also appreciated the Saudi people for holding demonstrations in different parts of Saudi Arabia in support of Bahrain's revolution. In similar remarks, a prominent Bahraini politician said last...

SEOUL, May 29 (Yonhap) -- North Korea and its political system appear to be underprepared to embrace reform and openness, South Korea's foreign minister said Sunday, amid speculation as to whether Pyongyang will follow in China's footsteps after leader Kim Jong-il's trip to the neighboring nation. "If North Korea is going to reform and open up, its (political) system should also be ready for reform and openness, but I think it appears that they are not prepared yet," Seoul's Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan said on KBS Television. "Even if the leader wants reform and openness, it will be difficult unless the underlying system is ready to accept them." The North's leader visited China from May 20-26, his third trip to the neighboring ally and main provider of aid in about a year. China's Premier Wen Jiabao said Beijing invited Kim so that he could share China's economic development experience with him. Seoul's Foreign Minister Kim said t...

The government will again hold an Indonesian product promotion fair at Harrods Department Store, London, England, from July 31 to August 27, 2011. The promotion`s theme is Indonesia Creative Escapes and is a part of Indonesia`s plan to have a much larger product sale during the Olympic Games in England in 2012, Hesti Indah Kresnarini, the trade ministry`s director general for the national export development, said here Friday. This year we don`t have our products in a window display only like last year, but in fact we sell our products in a 360-m2 area on the third floor of Harrods, Hesti said. The products on sale are culture-based handicraft products such as batik, woven clothes, accessories, furniture and recycled goods. Other products being offered are sports equipment, music instruments, Spa products, coffee, tea, organic food, and spices. We also promote Indonesian culinary. Apart from the the display, we also advertise the products on the plasma television available at Harrods, s...

Year in and year out, it is the same old story. The UMNO and the Prime Minister Najib Razak makes the kosong media propaganda that all students scoring 8 A+ and above for SPM will be granted full JPA scholarship locally and overseas. But when top most Indian science students scoring even 12 A+ e.g Kugnethran a/l Parmusuan, he is offered a mere animal rearing Diploma course at UPM. The racist UMNO P.M will say Oh, the policy was good, it was the implementation that was bad. This is what we have been hearing from UMNO for the last 54 years since Independence. Thus, far in our list that we have compiled we have the following top and high achieving students denied PSD scholarships and in the course of their first choice by not less than the racist and religious supremacist UMNO Prime Minister Najib Razak as follows : 1) Kugnethran a/l Parmusuan (12A+) 2) Asunta top Student ( 8A+ 2A- 1A 1B) 3) Inthran s/o Manickam (10A 3A+ 2A 5A) 4) Shamala d/o Sundar (8A and 2 B+) 5) Rubanesh s/o Ramachand...

BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar President U Thein Sein concluded his three-day China visit, departing Beijing for the Myanmar capital of Naypyidaw on Saturday afternoon. During his stay in Beijing, Thein Sein held talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao, and they witnessed the signing of a series of economic agreements. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and the country's top political advisor Jia Qinglin also met with Thein Sein, respectively, to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries. It was Thein Sein's first state visit since assuming presidency in March. (Xinhua)

The Star By SHAILA KOSHY KUALA LUMPUR: Three young men detained under the Emergency Ordinance (EO) for suspected vehicle theft will be asking the court to compel the Cabinet to advise the King to revoke the 1969 law, in a test case to challenge the long-standing EO. Muhamad Arif Abu Samah, 19, Mohamed Ramadan Mohamed Ali, 22, and Mohamed Rafe Mohamed Ali, 20, who spent almost two months in detention are now restricted to three different states. On May 13, their solicitor, K. Shanmuga, wrote to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet requesting that they advise the King to revoke the 1969 Proclamation and EO. When there was no reply, a second letter was sent yesterday restating the request but also gave notice of intention to seek judicial review of the restriction order on the detainees and for a mandamus order to compel Cabinet to advise the King to end the Emergency. In the May 13 letter, Shanmuga argued that the Cabinet wanted to continue a state of emergency for convenience. He quoted...

Tando Muhammad Khan : Bodies of four minor girls, all real sisters, were found from the Channel Wah canal at Hosri near here on Friday. The deceased were identied as Soni, Neha, Kainat and Bano. The bodies were shifted to the Civil Hospital Hyderabad. Sources said that due to some family issues these girls used to live with their uncle at Lafitabad Hyderabad and their father Javed had taken their custody a few days back. It was feared that their father might had thrown the girl into the canal. Police arrested accused Javed and started further probe.

The MIED suit has been settled, and the critics rained accusations on him. But the former MIC Youth chief says he did what was best for the education arm. KUALA LUMPUR: Former MIC Youth chief SA Vigneswaran who initiated the RM100 million suit against MIED chairman S Samy Vellu and seven other trustees has defended his decision to opt for a win-win formula. Vigneswaran said he decided to look into the matter seriously immediately after the Federal Court on April 5 granted leave to Samy Vellu and the trustees to appeal against the June 14 decision of the Kuala Lumpur High Court to grant leave to him (Vigneswaran) to name the MIC education arm as the plaintiff. If I lose at the Federal Court, the entire case at the High Court will be thrown out and nothing will come out from the effort that went in for more than a year, he told FMT. He said when his legal team was offered the win-win formula to settle the dispute out of court, Vigneswaran said he decided to accept it even if it meant giv...

Islamabad: More than 200 alumni of U.S. government-funded academic and professional development exchange programs gathered at the Islamabad Club to celebrate the first anniversary of the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network of Islamabad Chapter. I am heartened that your good experiences in our country whether decades ago or only last year bring you together as a community, as a group motivated to do good in Pakistan. We admire you and your work, said the Ambassador Richard Hoagland, Deputy Chief of the United States Mission to Pakistan. The Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network, established in 2010, has chapters in every province in Pakistan, including AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan. Inspired by their experience in the U.S. they help make their communities a better place and bring the people of the United States and Pakistan closer together. Alumni have organized leadership workshops for youth, developed child...

BANGKOK, May 27 - Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva as Democrat Party leader is scheduled to visit all regions and will launch its political campaign in the Northeast, a major stronghold of the Pheu Thai Party and the anti-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), the Red Shirt movement, according to a Democrat Party spokesman. Buranat Samutharak said the party will carry its campaign countrywide to demonstrate to eligible voters that its party leader represents all Thais regardless of their opposition or support of the party. Mr Abhisit will visit Ubon Ratchathani, Yasothon and Amnat Charoen Saturday to announce the party's platform to woo voters, in particular the guaranteed income scheme for farmers, wage hikes and reduced cost of living, the party spokesman said, adding that a date and venue for the major campaign in the Northeast is being considered. Sunday the Democrat leader goes to Chon Buri and Chachoengsao to seek voter support for his drug suppress...

Dictinctive among the flags of the world, the horizontal bicolor Philippine flag features two bands, royal blue and scarlet red in color, of equal proportions. It evolved from a series of revolutionary flags and Katipunan war banners. President Emilio F. Aguinaldo, the first President of the Philippines, came up with the design of the flag as we know it in 1897. His design was first executed by Marcela Marino de Agoncillo, who was assisted by her daughter Lorenza and Delfina Herbosa de Nativided, a niece of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal. It was first displayed in battle in May 28, 1898, in Alapan, and its formal unveiling was during the June 12, 1898, Declaration of Independence in Kawit, Cavite. President Aguinaldo said that the red symbolized Filipino valor, which is second to none; it stands for courage, bravery, and the rich tradition of patriotism among Filipinos. The blue band represents the loftiness of the Filipino struggle for freedom, and also the honorable ideas of truth, pea...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Friday said that reintroduction of across the board Wealth Tax on affluent class of society can help government generate enormous funds. This will help shrink black economy, contain artificial hikes in property market, safeguard small investors, and help government it meet budgetary targets, said Dr. Murtaza Mughal, President, PEW. Alternatively, government can consider levying Wealth Tax on exempted income like agriculture, capital gains, asset gains, and remittances, it said. Expenditure side is growing while income is sliding due to war on terror, performance of FBP and lack of financial discipline, he said while talking to tax and banking consultant Mohsin Rafique. In this scenario, he said, wealthy should contribute their share of taxes to the national exchequer for the greater cause of national development. Dr. Murtaza Mughal said that ove...

KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 (Bernama) -- China is looking to incorporate a joint venture company with Malaysian developers to undertake the construction of the Qinzhou Industrial Park (QIP), said Deputy Director Qinzhou Municipal Commerce Bureau Xiao Xiao. She said the joint venture company would cooperate in land acquisition, infrastructure construction and investment promotion. "We chose Malaysia as our JV partner as it our biggest trading partner in the China-Asean Free Trade Agreement with bilateral trade having grown eight times since 2000. "Qinzhou offers easy access via multiple options, including direct sea route, Pan-Asia railway and the highway network," she told Bernama in an interview Friday. She said the QIP was planned to focus on equipment manufacturing, electronic information, new energy and materials, agriculture products, food processing and modern services industries. "In terms of industrial layout, we welcome any constructive suggestion and advice from ...

London (ANTARA News) The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has appointed Dedik Eko Sumargo, an Indonesian expert in nuclear emergency response and radiation protection, to join a fact-finding mission to Japan`s tsunami-crippled Fukushima power plant. Dedik is one of the 20 international nuclear experts to join the mission, Luna Amanda Sidqi, third secretary of the Indonesian embassy/permanent representative in Vienna, Austria, said in an emailed statement to an Antara correspondent in London on Tuesday. The IAEA director general saw off the group of 20 who would be conducting the mission from May 24 to June 2, Luna said. During the mission, they would conduct initial assessment of nuclear safety at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant severely damaged by the 11 March earthquake and tsunami, she said. The results of the assessment would be reported to the IAEA board of governors on June 6 ahead of an IAEA ministerial meeting on nuclear safety scheduled for June 20-24 in V...

(CNN) -- Another night of NATO airstrikes on the Libyan capital began late Thursday, with a tribal site near central Tripoli the target of the latest attacks, a Libyan official said. Five explosions, most large enough to shake buildings some distance away, struck Tripoli shortly before 11:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. ET). The Libyan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the target was the tribal compound at Bab Al-Azizya, about 2 kilometers (1.3 miles) from the center of Tripoli. CNN could not independently confirm the report. The site is a former military base now used to welcome tribal visitors to Tripoli, offering them guest houses during their stay, the official said. It has been used as a center for people volunteering to support Libyan authorities since the revolt against longtime strongman Moammar Gadhafi erupted in February. NATO began bombing Libya on March 31, under a U.N. mandate to protect civilians during the fighting between government forces and rebels who have s...

London,: Japanese scientists have claimed that going to a pub five nights a week can actually improve ones health, but they also caution that it will only work if we limit ourselves to just two pints of beer or similar units of wine each time. The secret, they claim, is to drink regularly but in moderation rather than drinking only occasionally or not drinking at all. Alcohol remains a major cause of liver disease, said the report by the International Scientific Forum On Alcohol Research, but it is excessive alcohol that does the damage. Frequent but moderate alcohol consumption can reduce the chances of developing a fatty liver the cause of many diseases by up to 60 percent. It was found that moderate drinkers had the lowest prevalence of fatty liver disease but further tests revealed this was related more to how often they drank rather than how much. Those who consumed around three or...

(CNN) -- Ratko Mladic, the onetime Bosnian Serb commander accused of presiding over Europe's worst massacre since World War II, was in custody Thursday after more than 15 years in hiding, Serbia's president announced. Mladic was the highest-ranking war crimes suspect to remain at large from the wars that accompanied the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. He was arrested in the Serbian town of Lazarevo after a three-year investigation, President Boris Tadic said in a dramatic and hastily announced news conference in Belgrade. "All war criminals must face justice," Tadic said. He refused to give more details about the operation but said Serbian authorities continue to probe "who aided and abetted Mladic ... and those people will face justice." Mladic, now 69, led Bosnian Serb forces during the 1992-95 war that followed Bosnia-Herzegovina's secession from Yugoslavia. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has charged him with leading...

A 20-year-old student claims that he was assaulted and verbally berated after knocking into a policeman's motorcycle. PETALING JAYA: The policemen kept beating me and called me keling. They also shouted at me, saying I should just die so that they can close the case. A 20-year-old student was allegedly beaten up and verbally berated when he knocked into a policemans motorcycle at a roadblock in Rembau, Negri Sembilan, during the wee hours of the morning. After the Monday incident, S Ganesan was also warned against lodging a complaint before he was put into an ambulance and sent to the Tuanku Jaafar Hospital. However, Ganesan summed up the courage to lodge a report with the Chembong police station on the same day. In the report, he stated: I want the authorities to take action against the errant policemen. I dont understand why they treated me like an animal although I repeatedly apologised for the accident. Ganesan said that he fell to the ground when his motorcyle collided with th...

Libya's prime minister says the government is ready for a cease-fire with rebels fighting to oust Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi announced the truce offer Thursday but ruled out the departure of Mr. Gadhafi a key demand of the rebels and NATO, which is conducting airstrikes against government forces. White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes says Washington believes Mr. Gadhafi's repeated cease-fire offers in recent months are not credible unless accompanied by actions. He was speaking Thursday on the sidelines of a Group of Eight nations summit in France. Spain says it received the proposal from Mr. al-Mahmoudi and favors a cease-fire, but only under strict conditions. The British newspaper, The Independent, says Libya sent the offer to several foreign governments. In the latest fighting, pro-Gadhafi forces exchanged fire with...

Karachi: The Electric Inspector, government of Sindh Karachi Region-1 has announced that closing date for the submission of quotation for the procurement of Electrical Testing instrument/Equipment has been extended up to June 4, according to a handout.

US President Barack Obama has announced plans to visit Bali in November, Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika said Wednesday. I just met US Ambassador to Indonesia Scot Marciel. He told me Obama would visit Bali, most likely in November, Pastika said. He added that US State Secretary Hillary Clinton would also go to Bali in July, to attend an international meeting and to check on preparations in Bali to welcome Obama. Pastika said Bali would be ready to receive the US president. Security will be coordinated by the central government, the National Police and related institutions, he said. Obama had earlier planned to visit Bali in 2010, but cancelled the visit because of home affairs problems. taken from The Jakarta Post