Today is something of an historic day for the country in our quest for a more accountable society.
Watch ‘live’ over ‘TV Selangor’ as the Selangor becomes the first state to table a Freedom of Information Bill for its first reading and debate.
Marginalised Penan surpass CM in search results
The Penan may be one of the most marginalised communities in the country but their plight has received considerable attention, if an internet search is anything to go by.
Like it or not, the Penan are “hot” news: a Google search today throws up 378,000 results.
French cops quiz Bala in marathon session
French judicial police and investigators interviewed Bala for more than six hours yesterday, according to Tian Chua.
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The interview began at 2.00pm French time (8.00pm Malaysian time) and extended past 5.00pm, well after normal working hours in France, said the parliamentarian, who has been keeping abreast with developments there. Bala was questioned at the National Financial Investigation Division (DNIF) of the Central Directorate of Judicial Police (DCPJ) along Rue des Trois Fontanots in Nanterre.
Now, forays into London property market
Certain property players have turned their attention to choice London properties.
And they seemed to have secured access to generous soft loans, in the process.
Shady deals, funding scandals rock France
All is not well in the state of France as some hard questions are being asked of the leadership about kickbacks and other funding scandals.
The BBC has a story: ‘How ‘rotten’ is France’s politics’?
One pending inquiry, involving the sale of submarines to Pakistan in 1994 when Mr Sarkozy was budget minister, may come back to haunt the president.
The irony is that the explosion of funding scandals in the past two decades has coincided with unprecedented attempts to clean up France’s political life.
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-07-11
- No Regrets! 80-year-old Janey Cutler wows them on Britain's Got Talent http://youtu.be/JAwOZvvGsRs #
- "Christians and citizenship" day, Sun, 18 July – Organised by Sungai Way-Subang Methodist Church (SSMC) http://ssmc.com.my/ #
Is steep postal tariff hike justified?
Pos Malaysia has pushed through a hefty tariff hike from 1 July, but is such a sharp rise justified?
The standard mail (up to 20g) tariff has shot up from 30 sen to 60 sen while the rate for letters weighing up to 50g soars from 40 sen to 70 sen.
More and more folks in urban areas now rely on email and social networking tools; so this move will hurt the rural folks and others without internet access the most. Snail mail accounts for 62 per cent of Pos Malaysia’s revenue.
As one outraged reader wrote to The Star:
The new tariff is absolutely ridiculous as the quantum of increase is simply preposterous. Calculations show that the increase in tariff ranges from a low of 20% to a high of 100%. Of all the categories, six of them have increased by between 50% and 70%, while seven others have gone up by over 70%. In fact, three of them are up by 100%.
The thing is, does Pos Malaysia really need to raise its tariffs now?
Kampung Buah Pala: A postscript
The project details for the property development at the site of the demolished Kampung Buah Pala have been put on public display.
I am not quite sure how the compensation of double-storey terrace houses for the displaced Kg Buah Pala residents fits into the compensation details shown on the board above. And 53 units?
The board shows that the building plan was approved on 7 December 2006. The double-storey terrace-house offers were made to the residents last year.
The developer Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd’s main contractor is Wabina Construction & Engineering Sdn Bhd.
S-E Asia’s oldest monument in Bujang Valley
The oldest building to be recorded in Southeast Asia has been discovered in the Bujang Valley. It is a clay brick ritualistic monument that has been dated back to 110 AD.
Hismanshu Bhatt has the story in theSun:
The Bujang Valley rises at last
THE next time you happen to be anywhere near the northern side of Penang or the southwestern stretch of Kedah, turn your gaze northward; you will see in the horizon the silhouette of a large mountain with a sharp peak.
George Town: Power to the pedestrians
I strolled around Market Street, Chulia Street and Jalan Kapitan Keling from 8.00pm and the place was bustling with activity.
Some quick impressions of the George Town World Heritage City Day celebrations:
Entire stretches of roads were closed to vehicles. But people didn’t seem to mind at all. They just soaked in the festive atmosphere along the streets. And they actually looked happier and more relaxed without the traffic around them.
Instead of businesses being affected, cafes, restaurants and shops in Little India and elsewhere were packing in the crowds, and their doors were kept open later later than usual.