A Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement was signed yesterday between India and Malaysia.
The agreement, “which was reached after seven rounds of negotiation, will see Indian mangoes, cotton, motorcycles, trucks and basmati rice attract less duty in Malaysia, among other things,” reports PTI. “As a quid pro quo, the South-East nation will face less barriers on the sale of its fruit, engineering goods and chemicals in India.”
Disturbing scenes as security forces fire live bullets on pro-democracy supporters in Bahrain. Dozens have been massacred over the last three days. Even medical staff were not spared the outrageous brutality.
A Japanese multinational company is demanding RM10 million by today and a public apology from lawyer-activist-blogger Charles Hector after he highlighted problems faced by Myanmar migrants working at the firm’s plant in Malaysia.
Asahi Kosei (M) Sdn Bhd claims the workers are not employed by the firm and are instead supplied by an unnamed third party and that Hector had thus defamed Asahi Kosei through his blog postings by suggesting that the firm was responsible for the alleged poor treatment of the workers. Before he was slapped with the RM10 million demand, Hector had sent two e-mails on 8 and 9 February 2011 to the company expressing concern about the workers’ problems – but did not receive any reply, clarification or denial.
Hector had also released a joint statement, endorsed by 82 civil society groups and published on his blog, to express concern about the workers’ plight.
The Special Area Plan, a plan prepared for the George Town World Heritage Site (GTWHS) to guide and control development in the area, has been submitted to Unesco.
Among other things, the plan provides for water taxis and the enhancement of back-lanes.
Basically, the Plan is to formalise the management of the world heritage site under the George Town World Heritage Incorporated and provide zoning control. It will:
– ensure suitability of use within the cultural landscapes
– systematic monitoring of change of use of land and buildings within the WHS
– provide for an activity zoning map that will take effect
– outline a landscape and pedestrian network masterplan including a waterfront promenade, new park areas, streetscape and backlane enhancements and a water taxi route
Pro-democracy fervour is sweeping the North African and West Asian region. First Tunisia. Then Egypt. Now the people of Bahrain are rising.
This is the most popular song to emerge from the Egyptian pro-democracy uprising and vividly captures the mood of freedom and hope that is ripening in the region. (Click ‘cc’ on bottom right of the video box for English subtitles.)
Karpal Singh pointed out today during the Sodomy II trial that a standard form filled by a Hospital Kuala Lumpur doctor only mentions ‘attempted sodomy’ and ‘attempted oral sex’.
I had to burst our laughing when I read this reader’s comment about a Malaysiakini report ‘Sodomy II: Dent in prosecution case’ on this latest development by someone going by the name of Keturunan Malaysia:
How is SP Setia going to finance the building of the proposed new convention centre in Penang known as sPICE? It will be allowed to build an extra 1,500 homes in its existing projects in Penang, effectively increasing the density of those projects.
A haunting tribute to the fallen in Egypt’s struggle for democracy and economic justice.
But the struggle for real economic justice in the face of predatory global economic forces in collaboration with local elites is by no means over just because Mubarak has stepped down.