tech : Nokia sues Apple again over patents

Nokia is suing Apple in the United States for allegedly infringing patents in its mobile phones, portable music players, tablets and computers, the Finnish company said Tuesday.

The complaint, filed with United States International Trade Commission, ITC, is the latest in a string of lawsuits by Nokia and comes as the world's largest handset maker struggles to keep up with smartphone rivals such as Apple Inc.

Apple and Nokia Corp. have been locked in a long-running legal battle over patent claims, with each side accusing the other of infringing on patents that cover features such as swiping gestures on touch screens and the built-in "app store" for downloading updated programs.

The major phone makers -- including Apple, Nokia, Microsoft, Motorola and Taiwan's HTC -- are increasingly turning to patent litigation as they jockey for any edge to expand their share of the rapidly growing smartphone market. Companies such as Nokia are also seeking to protect their business as the popular iPhone encroaches on the rest of the industry.

The lawsuits cover all aspects of basic phone use, from technology used to synchronize email, calendars and contacts, to methods to extend battery life.

Although these legal disputes generally don't stop products from reaching consumers, litigation can be used to extract licensing fees from competitors. It can also help distract rivals and even discourage them from entering a particular market.

Nokia said the seven patents in the new complaint relate to its "pioneering innovations" that Apple allegedly is using "to create key features in its products, including in multitasking operating systems, data synchronization, positioning, call quality and the use of Bluetooth accessories."

Last week, the United States International Trade Commission found no violation in an earlier complaint. Nokia said it "is waiting to see the full details of the ruling before deciding on the next steps in that case."

Last year, Nokia Corp. also sued Apple Inc. in Britain, Germany and the Netherlands for allegedly infringing its patents with technology used in the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

Those followed earlier lawsuits by Nokia claiming that a broad swath of Apple products violate its patents. Apple had earlier responded with its own infringement claims against Nokia.

"Our latest ITC filing means we now have 46 Nokia patents in suit against Apple, many filed more than 10 years before Apple made its first iPhone," said Paul Melin, vice president of intellectual property at Nokia.

"Nokia is a leading innovator in technologies needed to build great mobile products and Apple must stop building its products using Nokia's proprietary innovation."

The legal disputes come amid increasing competition in the fast-growing smartphone market. Tech companies are scrambling to win over the growing number of consumers buying handsets that come with email, Web surfing and scores of apps for checking the weather, updating Facebook and other tasks.

Nokia has been struggling against stiff competition, especially from the iPhone and Research in Motion's BlackBerry.

Nokia said that during the past two decades it has invested some euro43 billion in research and development to build "one of the wireless industry's strongest and broadest IPR portfolios," which includes more than 10,000 patent families.

In addition to the two ITC complaints, Nokia said it has filed cases on the same patents and others in Delaware, and has further cases proceeding in Mannheim, Dusseldorf and the Federal Patent Court in Germany, the UK High Court in London and the District Court of the Hague in the Netherlands. Some of them will come to trial in the next few months.

Nokia stock closed almost unchanged at euro6.17 ($8.68) on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.

tech : Facebook cuts 'uprising' page after Israel protest

Facebook on Tuesday removed a page calling on Palestinians to take up arms against Israel, following a high-profile Israeli appeal to the popular social-networking site.

The affair highlighted how Facebook is increasingly involved in charged political conflicts, balancing between protecting freedom of expression and defending against hate speech.

The page, titled "Third Palestinian Intifada," had more than 350,000 fans when it was taken down. It called on Palestinians to take to the streets after Friday prayers on May 15 and begin an uprising. "Judgment Day will be brought upon us only once the Muslims have killed all of the Jews," a quote from the page read.

Facebook said the page began as a call for peaceful protest, even though it used the term "intifada," which it said has been associated with violence in the past.

"However, after the publicity of the page, more comments deteriorated to direct calls for violence," said Andrew Noyes, Facebook's public policy communications manager. He said the creators of the page eventually made calls for violence as well.

"We monitor pages that are reported to us, and when they degrade to direct calls for violence or expressions of hate -- as occurred in this case -- we have and will continue to take them down."

Facebook added that it typically does not take down content that speaks out against countries, religions, political entities, or ideas.

With the "Facebook Revolutions" helping to bring down regimes in Egypt and Tunisia, the social networking site has become an agent of change and a powerful political tool that finds itself asked to make rulings on the content posted by its millions of users worldwide.

Jerome Barron, a law professor and First Amendment expert at George Washington University, said that as a private concern, Facebook does not fall under the guidelines of U.S. freedom of expression legislation and is free to decide on its own policies.

Barron noted arguments that companies like Google and Facebook were growing so powerful that they should be regulated by the freedom of expression guidelines.

In a letter last week to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Israeli Cabinet Minister Yuli Edelstein said the page included "wild incitement," with calls to kill Jews and of "liberating" Jerusalem through violence.

Edelstein applauded Facebook for removing the page, saying he hoped the action would be an example to others and deter similar postings in the future.

"I asked Mr. Zuckerberg that the red lines of freedom of expression and incitement and violence should not be crossed," he said. "I welcome that decision even though I am sure that more cat-and-mouse games await us and there will be attempts by our enemies and those who hate us to enter Facebook in other ways."

The original page featured a fist in the colors of the Palestinian flag and images of dead Palestinian children. Since its removal, several other pages with of the same name have been created -- each attracting only a few hundred "likes" apiece.

Facebook's content regulations prohibit posting material that contains or promotes "hateful or violent content directed at an individual or group" -- including those based on national origin or religious affiliation.

It has previously removed pages deemed to violate their policies -- ranging from Holocaust deniers, anti-gay bullying groups and even people using fake names.

Jewish advocacy groups launched a counter page, encouraging users to report "Third Palestinian Intifada" for its hateful content and demand that Facebook remove it.

Initially, Facebook seemed hesitant to do so, citing its support for freedom of expression.

The Anti-Defamation League, a U.S.-based Jewish advocacy group, lauded Facebook's eventual decision.

"By taking this action, Facebook has now recognized an important standard to be applied when evaluating issues of noncompliance with its terms of service involving distinctions between incitement to violence and legitimate calls for collective expressions of opinion and action," the ADL said in a statement.

tech : Nintendo 3DS game console makes gamers sick

The Nintendo 3DS game console that was released in Britain last week has led to complaints from hundreds of buyers who said they felt dizzy after playing on the system.

The new Nintendo 3DS console can be played without using special 3D glasses. Separate images are flashed into each eye, tricking the brain into creating a sense of depth.

But gamers posted complaints of dizziness, headaches and sickness on gadget websites and Twitter after playing the hand-held device for just a few minutes, The Sun reported.

Some even said they saw web pages in 3D after switching from the console to a computer.

One user said: "The 3D gave me a headache, so I hated it."

Another tweeted: "Bumped into a friend and we played with a 3DS but it made both of us feel ill."

Japanese giant Nintendo earlier issued a warning that the console was not safe for children under the age of seven.

"When viewing any kind of 3D images, some people might experience minor discomfort. The effects are short-term and have no lasting effect," a Nintendo spokesman said.

Nintendo said the 3D effect can be scaled back or turned off. It advised players to take a break every 30 minutes

tech : Japan disasters could send gadget prices higher

Disaster-hit Japan churns out many of the world's smartphones, video cameras and other gadgets and while sales are not expected to suffer around the globe, industry analysts expect prices to rise.

"From semiconductors to displays, to automotive and consumer electronics, the effects of the Japan earthquake continue to reverberate throughout the world," said Dale Ford, senior vice president at research firm IHS iSuppli.

"Beyond the damage to Japan's own industrial base, the earthquake has impacted the production of basic electronic raw materials," Ford said.

Japan produces between 15 percent and 20 percent of the world's electronics and "plays a particularly key role in some areas," said Jean-Philippe Dauvin of Paris-based consulting company Decision.

Dauvin said 30 percent of the videogames, 40 percent of the video cameras and still cameras and 15 percent of the television sets sold around the world are manufactured in Japan.

He said 40 to 50 of Japan's 140 semiconductor factories have been shut down as a result of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and noted that DRAM and NAND memory are key components of both tablet computers and smartphones.

Within the next few weeks, there will be disruptions to the global supply chain and higher prices for computer chips, "leading inevitably to higher prices for the consumer," Dauvin said.

"There's about 100 euros ($141) worth of semiconductors in a smartphone," Dauvin said. "There's sure to be memory and Japanese components in there."

Apple's iPad and iPhone, for example, is assembled mostly in China but is brimming with "Made in Japan" parts according to IHS iSuppli, including the battery, electronic compass, NAND and DRAM memory and the touchscreen display.

"The supply chain will begin to dry up within about three weeks," Dauvin said, leading to shortages, delivery delays and forcing the shutdown of some production lines.

Japan's factories usually work at full capacity from April and May to crank out products for later in the year, including the Christmas holidays.

It remains difficult to predict when the country will resume producing at full capacity because aftershocks are continuing to play havoc with factories and electricity remains rationed in some areas.

Gartner research vice president Richard Gordon said he was cautiously optimistic Japan's disasters would not have too much of a negative impact on the global supply chain for electronics.

"Early on, when the earthquake just happened, there was lot of concern that there would be an immediate impact and that it would be quite significant on the global level in terms of a disruption to the electronics supply chain," he said.

"But over the past two or three weeks we've become a bit more optimistic that disruptions will be contained, that there will be enough flexibility in the supply chain to smooth out some of these disruptions," he said.

"It is still possible in the next months, into April and May, that we may see some shortages that we're not forecasting at the moment," Gordon said.

"But at this stage it's a bit early to say so," he said. "We will wait and see how the supply chain copes."

tech : Cellphone radiation may alter your brain

In a culture where people cradle their cellphones next to their heads with the same constancy and affection that toddlers hold their security blankets, it was unsettling last month when a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association indicated that doing so could alter brain activity.

The report said it was unclear whether the changes in the brain -- an increase in glucose metabolism after using the phone for less than an hour -- had any negative health or behavioral effects. But it has many people wondering what they can do to protect themselves short of (gasp) using a landline.

"Cellphones are fantastic and have done much to increase productivity," said Dr. Nora Volkow, the lead investigator of the study and director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health. "I'd never tell people to stop using them entirely."

Yet, in light of her findings, she advises users to keep cellphones at a distance by putting them on speaker mode or using a wired headset whenever possible. The next best option is a wireless Bluetooth headset or earpiece, which emit radiation at far lower levels. If a headset isn't feasible, holding your phone just slightly away from your ear can make a big difference; the intensity of radiation diminishes sharply with distance. "Every millimeter counts," said Louis Slesin, editor of Microwave News, an online newsletter covering health and safety issues related to exposure to electromagnetic radiation.

So crushing your cellphone into your ear to hear better in a crowded bar is probably a bad idea. Go outside if you have to take or make a call. And you might not want to put your cellphone in your breast or pants pocket either, because that also puts it right up against your body. Carry it in a purse or briefcase or get a nonmetallic belt clip that orients it away from your body.

Some studies have suggested a link between cellphone use and cancer, lower bone density and infertility in men. But other studies show no effect at all. Given the mixed messages and continuing research, Robert Kenny, a Federal Communications Commission spokesman, said in an e-mail, "As always, we will continue to study this issue and coordinate with our federal partners."

The phone used in Dr. Volkow's study was a Samsung Knack, model SCH-U310, a flip phone that was in wide use when she began planning her experiments two and half years ago. But today's ubiquitous smartphones emit even more radiation as they transmit more, and more complex, data.

You can get an idea of the relative amounts of radiation various cellphone models emit by looking at their SAR, or Specific Absorption Rate. This number indicates how much radiation is absorbed by the body when using the handset at maximum power. A cellphone cannot be sold in the United States unless an F.C.C.-approved laboratory says its SAR is below 1.6 watts per kilogram. In Europe, the maximum is 2 watts per kilogram.

The SAR number is not displayed when you compare cellphones at your local wireless store, and trying to find it in the fine print of your user manual is an exercise in frustration. The F.C.C. maintains that SAR values "do not provide sufficient information" to reliably compare cellphone radiation emissions because certain phones might rarely operate at maximum power. Still, the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization, has a comprehensive list of the SAR values for most cellphones available from major carriers on its Web site. (For instance, the Apple iPhone 4 is listed at 1.17 watts per kilogram, the Motorola Droid at 1.5 and the LG Quantum at 0.35.)

But more important than looking for a low-SAR phone is how you use it. Many cellphones emit the most radiation when they initially establish contact with the cell tower, making their "digital handshake." To reduce exposure it's best to wait until after your call has been connected to put your cellphone next to your ear.

During the ensuing conversation, it's advisable to tilt the phone away from your ear when you are talking and only bring it in close to your ear when you are listening. That bit of teeter-totter works because the emission of radiation is "significantly less when a cellphone is receiving signals than when it is transmitting," said Lin Zhong, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rice University in Houston.

Moreover, your cellphone emits less when you are stationary because when you are moving rapidly -- say, in a car or train -- it must repeatedly issue little bursts of radiation to make digital handshakes with different towers as it moves in and out of range. (More cause to hang up when you buckle up.)

Want another reason to complain about your carrier's poor coverage? Any situation where your cellphone has a weak signal indicates it has to work harder and thus will emit more radiation. "Fewer bars means more radiation," said Om Gandhi, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Inside buildings and elevators, in rural areas, the Grand Canyon -- these are not good places to make a call if you're trying to reduce your exposure to radiation.

Of course, parents using their iPhones to pacify cranky kids might want to reconsider rattles. Children's developing brains and tissues are thought to be most vulnerable to cellphone radiation. Health authorities in Britain, France, Germany and Russia have all issued warnings against allowing small children to use cellphones for extended periods, if at all.

There are cellphone attachments that purport to shield users from radiation, and most are "hoaxes," said Mr. Gandhi. Beware of pendants that sellers claim snatch radiation from the air. Pong Research offers a cellphone case for iPhones and BlackBerrys that it says has been shown by an F.C.C.-approved testing lab to redirect radiation from the phone's antenna away from the head.

While the manufacturer says it reduces radiation more than 60 percent, some electrical engineering experts question whether the case may have the opposite effect at orientations where your head is in the way of the cell tower because your phone may have to increase its transmission strength somewhat to compensate for the redirected signal. The company disputes this. Nevertheless, the net effect of using the device throughout the course of the day may be a reduction in total exposure.

Texting, instead of talking, might be safer. "The whole trend toward texting instead of talking on cellphones is probably a good thing," said Mr. Slesin at Microwave News.

That is, if you don't rest your cellphone against your body while typing out your message.

local : Bakti raises RM2.5m for Japan relief efforts

KUALA LUMPUR (March 31, 2011): The Association of Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers (Bakti) has helped raise a total RM2.5 million for ongoing relief efforts in disaster-hit Japan.

Contributors included eCosway.com, 7-Eleven Malaysia and BerMaz Motor Sdn Bhd, with US$100,000 (RM303,000) in donations each. Bakti gave RM100,000 while the welfare organisation of the wives of Selangor assemblymen and former Barisan Nasional assemblymen (Kasih) donated RM10,000.

Bakti president Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor presented the donation to Japanese ambassador Masahiko Horie here today.

Also present were Bakti deputy president Puan Sri Norainee Abdul Rahman and Berjaya Corporation CEO Datuk Robin Tan, who presented the mock cheque from 7-Eleven to Horie.

“It is our hope that this (donation) would, in a small way, help alleviate the pain and suffering of those affected by the disaster,” said Rosmah. “Our prayers go out to the victims, especially the elderly, women and children.”

She commended the corporate sector for coming forward with generous donations.

Other donors are S P Setia Bhd, Yayasan Al-Bukhari, Pan Malaysian Pools Sdn Bhd, Selangor Turf Club, Penang Turf Club, Lembaga Totalisator Malaysia, Eu Yan Sang Sdn Bhd and Limkokwing University of Creative Technology. They donated some RM1 million collectively.

The money will be channelled to the victims through the Japanese Red Cross Society.

Horie said he was moved by the continuous generosity of Malaysia in helping his nation recover from the disaster.

“The Japanese government is doing all it can to contain and control the damage from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

“I believe my people will live to overcome this tragedy and difficulties faced in the past three weeks, and I believe that we will be able to do it with the support of our Malaysian friends,” he said.

http://www.thesundaily.com

Belgium's first Libyan bombing mission

Tourists evacuated from flooded Thai holiday islands

Mar 31 - Thai Navy evacuates tourists from some of Thailand's most popular holiday islands hit by fatal floods and mudslides. Simon Hanna reports.

Tepco Workers Threatened by Heat Bursts; Sea Radiation Rises

March 31 (Bloomberg) -- Japan’s damaged nuclear plant may be in danger of emitting sudden bursts of heat and radiation, undermining efforts to cool the reactors and contain fallout.

The potential for limited, uncontrolled chain reactions, voiced yesterday by the International Atomic Energy Agency, is among the phenomena that might occur, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters in Tokyo today. The IAEA “emphasized that the nuclear reactors won’t explode,” he said.

Three workers at a separate Japanese plant received high doses of radiation in 1999 from a similar nuclear reaction, known as ‘criticality.’ Two of them died within seven months.

Tokyo Electric Power Co., the Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant’s operator, and Japan’s nuclear watchdog, dismissed the threat of renewed nuclear reactions, three weeks after an earthquake and tsunami triggered an automatic shutdown. Tokyo Electric has been spraying water on the reactors since the March 11 disaster in an effort to cool nuclear fuel rods.

“The reactors are stopped, so it’s hard to imagine re- criticality,” occurring, Tsuyoshi Makigami, a spokesman for the utility, told a news conference today.

A partial meltdown of fuel in the No. 1 reactor building may be causing isolated reactions, Denis Flory, nuclear safety director for the IAEA, said at a press conference in Vienna. This might increase the danger to workers at the site.

‘Ethereal Blue Flash’

Nuclear experts call such reactions “localized criticality.” They consist of a burst of heat, radiation and sometimes an “ethereal blue flash,” according to the U.S. Energy Department’s Los Alamos National Laboratory website. Twenty-one workers worldwide have been killed by criticality accidents since 1945, the site said.

The IAEA acknowledged “they don’t have clear signs that show such a phenomenon is happening,” Edano said.

Radioactive chlorine found March 25 in the No. 1 turbine building suggests chain reactions continued after the reactor shut down, physicist Ferenc Dalnoki-Veress of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, California, wrote in a March 28 paper. Radioactive chlorine has a half-life of 37 minutes, according to the report.

Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said there’s no possibility of uncontrolled chain reactions. Boron, an element that absorbs neutrons and hinders nuclear fission, has been mixed with cooling water to prevent this, Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for the agency, told reporters today.

Ocean Contamination

Contamination of seawater found near the 40-year-old plant has increased. Radioactive iodine rose to 4,385 times the regulated safety limit yesterday from 2,572 times on Tuesday, Nishiyama said. No fishing is occurring nearby and the sea is dispersing the iodine so there is no health threat, he said.

There was 180 becquerel per cubic centimeter of radioactive iodine-131 found in the ocean 330 meters (1,082 feet) south of the plant. Drinking one liter of fresh water with that level would be equivalent to getting double the annual dose of radiation a person typically receives.

Workers have averted the threat of a total meltdown by injecting water into the damaged reactors. The complex’s six units have been reconnected with the power grid and two are using temporary motor-driven pumps. Work to repair the plant’s monitoring and cooling systems has been hampered by discoveries of hazardous radioactive water.

Dismantling the plant and decontaminating the site may take 30 years and cost Tokyo Electric more than 1 trillion yen ($12 billion), engineers and analysts said. The government hasn’t ruled out pouring concrete over the whole facility as one way to shut it down, Edano said. Tokyo is 135 miles (220 kilometers) south of the Dai-Ichi power plant.

Dumping Concrete

Dumping concrete on the plant would serve a second purpose: it would trap contaminated water, said Tony Roulstone, an atomic engineer who directs the University of Cambridge’s masters program in nuclear energy.

“They need to immobilize this water and they need something to soak it up,” he said. “You don’t want to create another hazard, but you need to get it away from the reactors.”

The process will take longer than the 12 years needed to decommission the Three Mile Island reactor in Pennsylvania following a partial meltdown in 1979, said Hironobu Unesaki, a nuclear engineering professor at Kyoto University.

Investors Wiped Out

Moody’s Japan K.K. cut its rating on Tokyo Electric and warned it may reduce it further, saying the problems at Fukushima “appear far from being resolved” and the company is likely to remain unprofitable for a long time. Senior secured and long-term issuer ratings were downgraded to Baa1 from A1, Moody’s said in a statement.

Tokyo Electric’s shareholders may be wiped out by clean-up costs and liabilities stemming from the nuclear accident, the worst since Chernobyl. The company, known as Tepco, faces claims of as much as 11 trillion yen if the crisis lasts two years and potential takeover by the government, according to a March 29 Bank of America Merrill Lynch report.

Radiation “far below” levels that pose a risk to humans was found in milk from California and Washington, the first signs Japan’s nuclear accident is affecting U.S. food, state and Obama administration officials said.

The U.S. is stepping up monitoring of radiation in milk, rain and drinking water, the Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration said yesterday in a statement.

Radiation levels in the U.K. are normal and extra testing isn’t needed to protect the food supply, the Food Standards Agency said.

The number of dead and missing from the earthquake and tsunami had reached 27,690 as of 10 a.m. today, Japan’s National Police Agency said.

--With assistance from Shigeru Sato, Yuji Okada, Tsuyoshi Inajima, Michio Nakayama, John Brinsley and Go Onomitsu in Tokyo, Tara Patel in Paris, Kari Lundgren and Alex Devine in London, Jim Snyder and Simon Lomax in Washington, Jim Polson in New York and Simeon Bennett in Singapore. Editors: Alex Devine, Will Kennedy

To contact the reporters on this story: Jonathan Tirone in Vienna at jtirone@bloomberg.net; Sachiko Sakamaki in Tokyo at ssakamaki1@bloomberg.net; Yuriy Humber in Tokyo at yhumber@bloomberg.net

Japan Ignores UN On Nuclear Exclusion Zone

The Japanese Government says there is no need to expand the evacuation zone around the Fukushima nuclear power station, despite mounting pressure to move more people away from the crippled plant.

The current evacuation zone is limited to a 20km radius around the stricken reactors, which have been in crisis since the March 11 earthquake.

Most foreign governments have told their citizens to go no closer than 80km, and Japanese opposition parties have attacked Prime Minister Naoto Kan for failing to widen the exclusion area.

Now both the UN nuclear watchdog and Japan's own nuclear safety agency say radiation 40km from the plant exceeds levels set for evacuation.

Greenpeace says radiation levels it measured independently in one village could cause long-term health effects if people were exposed to it over several days.

After a series of explosions and fires, the operators of the Fukushima facility have struggled to bring it under control.

Japanese authorities have accepted that all six reactors will have to be scrapped, but experts say that process may take decades of work.

It has also been revealed that seawater near the power station contains radioactive iodine 4,385 times the legal limit, suggesting radiation is leaking continuously from the plant into the ocean.

Radiation has already tainted Tokyo's tap water, as well as milk and produce in the region closest to the Fukushima reactors.

Recent tests have also found higher-than-normal radiation in Japanese cabbages exported to Singapore, and even in milk samples on the US west coast, though scientists say neither case is at levels harmful to human health.

The disaster has prompted Japan to draw up new rules for its nuclear power plant operators, which already supply around a third of the country's electricity. Several other countries have followed suit.

US President Barack Obama has also announced a safety review of America’s existing nuclear facilities, saying "lessons from Japan" will be used in the building of any new plants.

China, home to nearly half of the nuclear plants currently under construction, has halted approvals for any new facilities.

Nicolas Sarkozy, the first foreign leader to visit Japan since the earthquake, has also called for a meeting of G20 nations to define nuclear safety standards.

Hague: 'No Immunity' For Gaddafi Insider

The Libyan foreign minister who has resigned and defected to the UK will not be offered any immunity from international or British justice, William Hague has said.

3:14pm UK, Thursday March 31, 2011

The Libyan foreign minister who has resigned and defected to the UK will not be offered any immunity from international or British justice, William Hague has said.

Addressing concerns over Musa Kusa's defection, foreign secretary Mr Hague added he had been communicating with the controversial politician over recent weeks.

"He has been my channel of communication to the regime in recent weeks and I have spoken to him several times on the telephone.

"His resignation shows that Gaddafi's regime...is fragmented, under pressure and crumbling from within.

"Gaddafi must be asking himself: who will be the next to abandon him?"

libya defection: Who is Musa kusa?

Mr Kusa has been taken to a "safe location" according to David Cameron's official spokesman, but is not under arrest.

The spokesman added that issues such as the Lockerbie bombings and the shooting of WPC Yvonne Fletcher outside the Libyan embassy would be matters for the relevant police authorities.

The Chief Constable of Dumfries and Galloway police force said they would like to interview Mr Kusa, but that nothing had been confirmed yet.

The former spy master is a plum prize for Britain in PR terms, sending the message that support for Colonel Gaddafi is crumbling at home.

Sky's senior correspondent Michelle Clifford

Mr Kusa's flight from Libya came as a sharp blow to leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. The politician said he was "no longer willing" to represent the Libyan regime.

The Foreign Office confirmed Mr Kusa had travelled to Britain of his own free will, arriving on a plane from Tunisia with his son.

"We can confirm that Musa Kusa arrived at Farnborough airport on March 30 from Tunisia," a spokesman said.

belgium air force strikes against libyan aircraft

"Musa Kusa is one of the most senior figures in Gaddafi's government and his role was to represent the regime internationally - something that he is no longer willing to do."

Questions were earlier raised about Mr Kusa's whereabouts after Tunisian news agency TAP reported he had entered that country, but gave no reasons for his move.

A Libyan government spokesman later claimed he had not defected and was merely on a "diplomatic mission", but declined to say where he was going. Libya's deputy foreign minister Khalid Kaim dismissed the reports as "nonsense".

But within hours the Foreign Office confirmed he was seeking refuge and encouraged further regime defections.

Israeli Military Releases Map of Alleged Hezbollah Arms Depots

The Israeli military says it has collected information on nearly 1,000 bunkers, arms facilities and listening posts built by the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel released a map of the sites to the media on Thursday.

Israeli officials say some of the sites are in an area of southern Lebanon, close to Israel, where Hezbollah is banned from storing weapons under a 2006 U.N.-sponsored truce between Hezbollah and Israel.

In all, Israel claims Hezbollah has about 550 bunkers, 300 monitoring sites and 100 weapons storage facilities.

The Associated Press reported that a Hezbollah official

did not comment on the map but accused Israel of inflaming war talk.

Israel maintains that Hezbollah is rearming with aid and weapons from Iran and Syria. Hezbollah launched some 4,000 rockets into northern Israel during the 2006 war

The war killed at least 1,200 Lebanese and 160 Israelis, according to official counts.

Libya's Foreign Minister Resigns, Arrives in Britain

Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa has arrived in Britain and has declared he is leaving Moammar Gadhafi's government.

The British foreign office said Wednesday that Koussa traveled from Tunisia to London under his own free will, telling officials he is resigning his post. British officials urged Mr. Gadhafi's other supporters to desert him as well.

A Libyan government spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, denied the foreign minister has defected, saying he is in Britain on a "diplomatic mission." Libya's justice and interior ministers resigned early in the conflict and joined the rebels fighting in the east.

U.S. officials called Koussa's resignation "very significant," and an example of growing splits inside the Libyan government. The foreign minister has been a close confidant of Mr. Gadhafi and served as his intelligence chief for more than a decade.

In Washington, the White House repeated that no decision has been made to provide arms to rebel forces in Libya. Wednesday's statement was issued amid reports that President Barack Obama has approved a secret authorization for covert efforts to support anti-government rebels.

The New York Times reported that the CIA has put an unknown number of operatives into Libya to gather intelligence and make contact with anti-Gadhafi forces. The newspaper said the CIA declined comment on the report, which quoted what it called current and former British officials as saying British special forces and intelligence officers also are in the North African nation.

Earlier Wednesday, troops loyal to Mr. Gadhafi drove anti-government rebels from key coastal cities they had seized days before, reversing opposition gains made since international airstrikes began.

Libyan rebels retreated amid intense fighting around the strategic oil towns of Ras Lanuf and Brega. Many opposition fighters fell back to the city of Ajdabiya, from where residents were seen fleeing along the road toward the opposition stronghold of Benghazi.

Pro-Gadhafi forces were shelling Brega and a rebel military spokesman said he expected the loyalists to enter the city by Wednesday night.

The spokesman ((Colonel Ahmad Bani)) also said as many as 3,600 heavily armed members of the Chadian Republican Guard are now fighting alongside Gadhafi loyalists. He dismissed concerns that members of al-Qaida are fighting with the Libyan rebels.

On Tuesday, U.S. Admiral James Stavridis told a congressional hearing that groups such as al-Qaida and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia have a small presence among the Libyan opposition. He also said the opposition leadership appeared to be "responsible men and women" fighting the Libyan government.

A prominent U.S.-based rights group said Wednesday that Mr. Gadhafi's forces have laid land mines around Ajdabiya when the coastal city was under their control earlier this month. In a statement from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, Human Rights Watch said a civil defense team found more than 50 anti-vehicle and anti-personnel mines in a heavily traveled area.

A U.S. military spokesman said coalition airplanes resumed bombing pro-Gadhafi troops Wednesday, although the timing and location of those strikes was not specified.

Western nations began enforcing a United Nations-authorized no-fly zone over Libya on March 19 to protect civilians from harm.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

NATO Takes Over Libya Air Operations

VOA News

A French pilot gives a thumbs-up before taking off in a French Mirage 2000 fighter jet from the Greek air base at Souda on the island of Crete

NATO has assumed full command of all air operations over Libya, taking over from the U.S., which had played a leading role since international forces began enforcing a no-fly zone on March 19.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the transition was completed early Thursday. The NATO operation, called "Unified Protector", includes enforcing the U.N. Security Council resolution that mandates the no-fly zone along with an arms embargo and airstrikes to protect civilians.

Meanwhile, U.S. media reports say the CIA has sent teams of operatives into Libya to gather intelligence and make contact with anti-Gadhafi forces. The reports cite officials as saying intelligence agents are looking into the identities and abilities of rebel forces before foreign allies consider providing them with direct military aid.

British sources told The New York Times that British special forces and intelligence officers also are in the North African nation.

In Washington, the White House repeated that the U.S. has not made a decision on whether to provide arms to rebel forces in Libya. Wednesday's statement was issued amid reports that President Barack Obama has approved a secret authorization for covert efforts to support anti-government rebels.

Earlier Wednesday, troops loyal to Gadhafi drove anti-government rebels from key coastal cities they had seized days before, reversing opposition gains made since international airstrikes began.

Libyan rebels retreated amid intense fighting around the strategic oil towns of Ras Lanuf and Brega. Many opposition fighters fell back to the city of Ajdabiya, from where residents were seen fleeing along the road toward the opposition stronghold of Benghazi.

Pro-Gadhafi forces were shelling Brega and a rebel military spokesman said he expected the loyalists to enter the city by Wednesday night.

The spokesman Colonel Ahmad Bani also said as many as 3,600 heavily armed members of the Chadian Republican Guard are now fighting alongside Gadhafi loyalists. He dismissed concerns that members of al-Qaida are fighting with the Libyan rebels.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

Sarkozy Visits Japan; Calls For Global Nuclear Safety Standard

Photo: AP


French President Nicolas Sarkozy is welcomed by Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan prior to their talks at Kan's official residence in Tokyo, March 31, 2011

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called for the world's nations to establish common nuclear safety standards to make sure there is never a repetition of the nuclear crisis that is shaking Japan.

Appearing alongside Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan in Tokyo Thursday, Sarkozy said the world has turned to nuclear power in order to avert carbon emissions that threaten to cause devastating climate change. He said there is no viable alternative to nuclear power at this time, but that improved safety standards must be negotiated by the end of this year.

The leaders spoke as radiation levels continue to rise in the ocean near Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, raising fears of an undetected radiation leak into the sea.

Sarkozy expressed admiration for the Japanese people and brought promises of support from members of the G20 group of industrialized countries, whose leaders met earlier in the day in China. He said French nuclear experts will remain in Japan to advise on the crisis and offered additional technical support.

Kan said his priority at the moment is to stabilize the situation at the nuclear plant, which has been spewing various forms of radiation since its cooling systems were knocked out by a massive earthquake and tsunami almost three weeks ago. He said his government will then try to understand why the plant's systems failed so dramatically and take steps to see it never happens again.

Japanese authorities said earlier they will have to consider expanding the 20-kilometer evacuation zone around the Fukushima plant if elevated radiation levels detected in a village 40 kilometers from the plant persist. But Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters that the levels - twice the international standard for evacuation - still do not pose an immediate threat to human health.

Operators of the plant reported some progress in pumping highly contaminated water out of the basements and adjacent utility tunnels at three of the plant's six reactors. The water must be removed before workers can complete repairs to the pumps that run the plant's vital cooling systems.

Elsewhere, the confirmed death toll from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami rose above 11,400 with more than 16,500 still missing. Japan's Kyodo news agency reported that authorities have been unable to collect up to 1,000 radiation-contaminated bodies from inside the evacuation zone.

Officials at Japan's nuclear safety agency said radiation in the latest sampling from the ocean near the Fukushima plant's discharge pipes was at 4,385 times the legal limit. That compares to the previous high of 3,355 times the legal limit, registered a day earlier.

Officials said Wednesday they had not determined where the radiation is coming from. However officials say their highest priority is to prevent radiation inside the reactors' cores from leaking into the ground water system, which would allow it to become widely distributed through the ground and into the ocean.

At his news conference Thursday, Edano responded to the previous day's report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which said it had found radiation at levels twice the recommended standard for evacuation in a single sample at the village of IItate far outside the evacuation zone.

Edano said the radiation level still was not considered threatening unless it persists over a period of time. In that case, he said, the government will have no choice but to consider a wider evacuation. He said monitoring will be intensified in the meantime.

About 70,000 people have already been evacuated from the 20-mile radius around the plant. Expanding the zone to 30 kilometers would require moving another 136,000, adding to pressures on a government that already has almost 200,000 earthquake victims living in temporary shelters.

A nuclear agency spokesman said most of the residents of IItate have already left, but about 100 refuse to leave their homes.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

Radiation Fears Leave 1,000 Bodies Unclaimed Near Japan Plant

Authorities in Japan say they are unable to collect up to 1,000 dead bodies lying within 20-kilometers of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant because of fears the corpses are too contaminated with radiation.

AKyodo news report Thursday says the victims were killed in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami disasters, and that their bodies were exposed to high levels of radiation after death.

Police sources warn that if the families of the victims cremate the bodies, as is the tradition in Japan, it could release more radioactive materials into the environment.

The confirmed death toll from the twin disasters is above 11,400, with more than 16,500 still missing.

Meantime, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called for the world's nations to establish common nuclear safety standards to make sure there is never a repetition of the Japanese nuclear crisis.

Appearing alongside Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan in Tokyo Thursday, Sarkozy said there is no viable alternative to nuclear power at this time, but that improved safety standards must be negotiated by the end of this year.

Mr. Kan said his priority at the moment is to stabilize the situation at the nuclear plant, which has been spewing various forms of radiation since its cooling systems were knocked out.

The leaders spoke as radiation levels continue to rise in the ocean near Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, raising fears of an undetected radiation leak into the sea.

Officials at Japan's nuclear safety agency said radiation in the latest sampling from the ocean near the Fukushima plant's discharge pipes was at 4,385 times the legal limit.

Japanese authorities are considering expanding the 20-kilometer evacuation zone around the Fukushima plant, after the International Atomic Energy Agency detected levels of radiation at twice the standard for evacuation in a village 40 kilometers away.

Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters the radiation level still was not considered threatening unless it persists over a period of time. In that case, he said, the government will have no choice but to consider a wider evacuation.

About 70,000 people have already been evacuated from the 20-kilometer radius around the plant. Expanding the zone to 30 kilometers would require moving another 136,000, adding to pressures on a government that already has almost 200,000 earthquake victims living in temporary shelters.

A nuclear agency spokesman said most of the residents of IItate have already left, but about 100 refuse to leave their homes.

Radioactive materials have also contaminated vegetables and milk from farms around the Fukushima plant, prompting several foreign governments, including the United States, to ban imports from the region.

U.S. officials say very low levels of radiation also have been detected in milk samples on the U.S. west coast.

Operators of the plant reported some progress in pumping highly contaminated water out of the basements and adjacent utility tunnels at three of the plant's six reactors. The water must be removed before workers can complete repairs to the pumps that run the plant's vital cooling systems.

Seafood Sales Sink in S. Korea Due to Radiation Fears

Fear about radiation from the nuclear power plant disaster in Japan is causing sales of seafood to dive in South Korea.

At the Garak fish market, the sales pitches about fresh and cheap seafood that would usually entice customers are falling on deaf ears.

A fishmonger, who has changed her tune, continually repeats that all of her seafood is Korean.

But there are few takers, compared to previous weeks - even though only 10 percent of the seafood at the Seoul market comes from Japan.

Fishmongers say sales have dropped by half as a result of the incessant headlines about radiation in seawater near the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Kim Hyun-yi says she and her colleagues are now throwing away pollock, by the boxes. The whitefish used to sell for between $70 and $80 per box. She says the price was reduced, earlier in the week, to $5, but still no one would buy.

Another fishmonger, Lee Eun-young, says all people browsing are asking about the origin of the seafood displayed.

Lee says it is difficult to sell anything but frozen fish. She says restaurant owners buy in bulk, but they have become reluctant to purchase, and some are apparently temporarily closing their businesses while the radiation scare continues.

Shopper Chung Myung-sun says the troubles with the Japanese nuclear power plant are prompting a change in her household’s eating habits.

Chung says she is trying to avoid buying fish, altogether, and is switching to vegetables. The only fish she will consider has to be frozen and caught before the radiation outbreak.

Also shopping at the market is restaurant owner Kim Shun-hwa. She says fresh pollock is definitely off her restaurant’s menu.

Kim says, if word got out that she was serving it, business would definitely suffer. So the only pollock she will consider is the frozen variety. And, she is also worried about the safety of squid, because it comes from the waters between Japan and the Korean peninsula.

South Korea’s government has banned the import of food from areas surrounding the Fukushima nuclear complex. It says it is screening all fishery products from Japan for radiation contamination,

The Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant, on Japan’s northeastern Pacific coast, was crippled by a March 11 magnitude 9.0 earthquake and resulting tsunami, which topped 10 meters in height in some locations.

Since then, workers have struggled to bring the damaged reactors under control, but the plant continues to spew radiation into the atmosphere and sea water.

http://www.voanews.com

Radiation Levels Reach New High in Ocean Near Japanese Plant

Japanese officials on Thursday reported the highest levels of radiation yet recorded in the ocean near a crippled nuclear plant.

The announcement raises fears of a still-undetected radiation leak from the plant, which has been spewing various forms of radiation since its cooling systems were knocked out by a massive earthquake and tsunami almost three weeks ago.

Authorities said they will have to consider expanding the 20-kilometer evacuation zone around the Fukushima plant if elevated radiation levels detected in a village 40 kilometers from the plant persist. But Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters Thursday that the levels - twice the international standard for evacuation - still do not pose an immediate threat to human health.

Operators of the plant reported some progress in pumping highly contaminated water out of the basements and adjacent utility tunnels at three of the plant's six reactors. The water must be removed before workers can complete repairs to the pumps that run the plant's vital cooling systems.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Tokyo Thursday afternoon to show solidarity with the Japanese. France, the world's most nuclear-dependent nation, has already sent experts to assist in work at the plant.

Elsewhere, the confirmed death toll from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami rose above 11,400 with more than 16,500 still missing. Japan's Kyodo news agency reported that authorities have been unable to collect up to 1,000 radiation-contaminated bodies from inside the evacuation zone.

Officials at Japan's nuclear safety agency said radiation in the latest sampling from the ocean near the Fukushima plant's discharge pipes was at 4,385 times the legal limit. That compares to the previous high of 3,355 times the legal limit, registered a day earlier.

Officials said Wednesday they had not determined where the radiation is coming from. However officials say their highest priority is to prevent radiation inside the reactors' cores from leaking into the ground water system, which would allow it to become widely distributed through the ground and into the ocean.

At his news conference Thursday, Edano responded to the previous day's report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which said it had found radiation at levels twice the recommended standard for evacuation in a single sample at the village of IItate far outside the evacuation zone.

Edano said the radiation level still was not considered threatening unless it persists over a period of time. In that case, he said, the government will have no choice but to consider a wider evacuation. He said monitoring will be intensified in the meantime.

About 70,000 people have already been evacuated from the 20-mile radius around the plant. Expanding the zone to 30 kilometers would require moving another 136,000, adding to pressures on a government that already has almost 200,000 earthquake victims living in temporary shelters.

A nuclear agency spokesman said most of the residents of IItate have already left, but about 100 refuse to leave their homes.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

MOBILE : BMW 740Li M Sport available in Malaysia: RM848,800

he BMW 7-Series is now available with the M-Sport package in Malaysia though numbers are very, very limited. There are only two units in Malaysia for now – both are 740Li models with the 3.0 litre twin-turbocharged inline-6 mated to an automatic transmission.

The M-Sports package features a different bumper with more chrome at the front, glossy black window trim, and a bumper featuring a faux diffuser design at the rear.

he premium for the M-Sports package is about RM30,000, which is probably pocket change for the CEO who wants his chauffeured ride to look a little meaner. The BMW 740Li M-Sport retails for RM848,800, up from the regular 740Li’s RM818,800 price tag.

TECH : Google Voice Search now available in Bahasa Malaysia

4 MORE DETAIL VISIT : http://paultan.org

oogle today officially announced the availability of its Voice Search in Bahasa Malaysia, joining the 19 other languages already available for the utility. It offers users a fast, natural way to search the web from their mobile phones by speaking the queries instead of typing them.

Using Google’s mobile app, users can search on the go by simply clicking the microphone button beside the search bar and speaking into the phone in BM (or any of the other languages that Voice Search recognises).

t’s available for Android 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3, iPhone and Blackberry. If you’re running Symbian, you’re out of luck. On Android and iPhone mobiles, all you have to do is tap the VS icon and begin speaking, while on Blackberry, you press and hold the green call button to get things going.

It’s versatile – you can browse for photos, look for places of interest, search for an address via maps. The likes of “Gambar Sazzy Falak” and “nasi kandar Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman” gets you search results on your mobile browser, while on maps the name of the street gets you the desired location in a jiffy.

There’s no need to download specialised speech recognition software in order to use Voice Search – queries are processed in a cloud using cellular Internet connections, and not on an individual device. The neat part is that the more people use VS, the better the speech recognition models get, improving accuracy without the need for updates or the installation of new software.

The recognition factor is high, despite the diversity of spoken and written forms of BM and the different regional accents, as well as normal mix of English and Malay used in everyday phrases (pergi meeting, for example). In the car, it’s quite the helpful hand.

To build Voice Search, Google utilises computers to understand the sounds and words that make up a spoken language by working with native speakers to collect speech samples. In the case of the BM version, it was developed with the help of 500 local student volunteers, of which their speech samples were then integrated into the language models powering the service.

Interlok : NGO Cina India Pertikai Isu 'Pendatang'-TAK BETUL KE?MEMANG BETUL KAN....

SHAH ALAM 30 MAC : Sekumpulan NGO Cina dan India hari ini tampil mempertikai isu pendatang dan ketuanan Melayu dalam novel Interlok karya Sasterawan Negara, Datuk Abdullah Hussain.

NGO itu mendakwa novel setebal 426 halaman itu seolah- olah menggambarkan masyarakat Cina dan India sebagai pendatang.

"Interlok sepenuhnya menyeru kepada fahaman ketuanan Melayu. Pada pandangan kami, novel ini bukan sahaja tidak sihat (untuk bacaan pelajar) tetapi juga beracun," kata Naib Presiden Dewan Perhimpunan Cina Kuala Lumpur dan Selangor (KLSCAH) Cheng Su Chean.

Cheng mendakwa beliau dan beberapa wakil NGO yang hadir sama mewakili 45 lagi pertubuhan Cina dan India di seluruh negara.

Hadir sama Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif KLSCAH Tang Ah Chai, Presiden Yayasan Tamil K Uthayasoorian, Presiden Persatuan Progresif India Malaysia AP Raja Retinam dan Presiden Persatuan Pelajar India Malaysia Kishur Goonasaran yang juga anggota Pasukan Bertindak Interlok Nasional (NIAT).

Cheng juga mendakwa novel itu hampir sama dengan program Biro Tata Negara yang didakwa sebagai "pembasuhan minda" dam mempromosikan perkauman dan perpecahan.

"Interlok menyampaikan mesej utama bahawa Cina, India dan kumpulan minoriti sebagai rakyat kelas kedua sebagai tambahan kepada idea pengasingan antara masyarakat asal (Melayu) dan bangsa asing (Cina dan India)," kata Cheng.

Sehubungan itu, NGO tersebut mendesak kerajaan menggugurkan buku tersebut sebagai teks sastera untuk sekolah menengah, bukan dipinda atau ditapis mana-mana bahagian.

"Pendirian kami, kami hormat kebebasan bersuara untuk pengarangnya Abdullah Hussain dan kami tidak menentang buku ini dijual di kedai-kedai," kata Cheng yang juga timbalan ketua wanita bahagian wanita dewan itu.

"Tetapi penyelesaiannya, Interlok tidak patut dijadikan buku teks di sekolah," tegasnya.

LOCAL : Azmin Cabar Polis Saman Muhyiddin

AMPANG 30 MAC : Timbalan Presiden PKR, Mohamed Azmin Ali mempersoal tindakan berat sebelah polis yang membenarkan Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin untuk berceramah di Kampung Pandan, semalam .

Walhal katanya, ceramah anjuran Pakatan Rakyat sebelum ini yang diadakan di Taman Melawati, Gombak Jumaat lalu, mendapat tentangan hebat pihak polis, malah turut mendapat ancaman keras dari Pasukan Simpanan Persekutuan (FRU).

" Mengapa tidak ada sebarang laporan polis dibuat ke atas Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin dimana melakukan perhimpunan politik secara terbuka di Kampung Pandan malam tadi?

"Program yang saya anjurkan itu adalah satu program yang aman di Pusat Khidmat Rakyat Parlimen Gombak, iaitu di pejabat saya sendiri dan bukan di tempat yang terbuka seperti mana yang dianjurkan Muhyiddin,"

"Tetapi soalan ini tidak dapat dijawab oleh polis," katanya.

Azmin yang juga Ahli Parlimen Gombak itu hadir di IPD Ampang pagi tadi bagi memberi keterangan berhubung ceramah yang diadakan di Gombak, Jumaat lalu.

Hadir sama memberi kenyataan kepada polis ialah Adun Hulu Kelang, Saari Sungib dan Adun Batu Caves, Amiruddin Saari.

Jumaat lalu, polis bertindak ganas apabila menyerbu dan menghalang ceramah kempen ‘Tolak Fitnah’ anjuran Pakatan Rakyat di Pusat Khidmat Rakyat Ahli Parlimen Gombak, Taman Melawati, yang turut dihadiri Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Bagaimanapun, polis hanya membenarkan Anwar berucap 15 minit sahaja, sebelum mematikan pembesar suara dan memaksa Ketua Umum itu turun dari pentas, sehingga menimbulkan kemarahan hampir 5,000 yang hadir.

Selasa lalu, sepasukan polis ‘mengepung’ rumah Azmin di Ampang bagi menyerahkan notis mengikut Seksyen 111 Kanun Prosedur Jenayah supaya beliau memberi keterangan kepada polis berhubung ceramah tersebut.

http://www.tvsnews.net/

LOCAL : PR Selangor Tidak Gentar BN Intai 9 Kerusi ADUN

SHAH ALAM 30 MAC : Pakatan Rakyat tidak gentar dengan 'keangkuhan' Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yang mendakwa UMNO BN akan merampas kembali sembilan kerusi DUN dan menawan semula Selangor pada pilihanraya umum akan datang, kata Pengarah Komunikasi PKR Nik Nadzmi Nik Ahmad.

"Tidak ada masalah dengan komen TPM tersebut kerana ini negara demokrasi, tak kiralah dia nak kenalpasti 9 ke 10 ke 15 itu terpulang kepada dia tapi saya rasa dalam kenyataan TPM juga beliau akui bukan mudah BN untuk ambil alih Selangor dan itu satu pengiktirafan kepada kerajaan negeri."

Nik Nazmi berkata Pakatan Rakyat berjaya menawan Selangor pada PRU lalu kerana rakyat muak dengan pimpinan rasuah Umno-BN namun sehingga sekarang parti itu tidak menunjukkan tanda-tanda yang menzahirkan ia telah berubah.

"Walaubagaimanapun kita maklum bahawa Selangor ini lubuk emas BN dan mereka akan menggunakan segala daya upaya mereka, pelbagai cara untuk memastikan mereka dapat merampas kembali Selangor," kata Nik Nadzmi yang juga ADUN Seri Setia.

Sementara itu, ADUN Kampung Tunku, Lau Weng San berharap UMNO BN tidak akan cuba membeli wakil rakyat di sembilan kerusi yang dimaksudkan itu dalam cubaan terdesak untuk menubuhkan kerajaan negeri.

Amalan itu, menurut beliau, hanya akan merendahkan lagi kreadibilit Umno.

"Bilangan kerusi yang akan ditawan oleh UMNO-BN itu tidak penting, Apa yang penting ialah sanggupkah Muhyiddin dan Umno bersaing dengan Pakatan Rakyat atas asas yang adil iaitu mereka tidak akan menyalahgunakan jentera kerajaan dalam PRU akan datang." tanya Lau.

Sebelum ini, UMNO BN menawan semula Perak setelah didakwa 'membeli' 3 orang ADUN Pakatan Rakyat iaitu Adun Behrang, Jamaluddin Md Radzi, Adun Changkat Jering, Osman Jailu dan Adun Jelapang, Hee Yit Foong.

Dalam pada itu, ADUN Selat Klang, Dr Halimah Ali yakin pengurusan yang telus dan memihak kepada rakyat yang dibawa oleh kerajaan negeri sekarang semakin disedari rakyat.

Beliau menyerahkan kepada rakyat untuk menilai prestasi Pakatan Rakyat di bawah pimpinan Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim berbanding kerajaan negeri Umno-BN pimpinan Khir Toyo.

"Tapi apa yang kita lihat dari segi respon dan kajian yang kita buat kepada rakyat negeri Selangor, insyaAllah rakyat masih lagi bersama Pakatan Rakyat dan juga rata-ratanya mereka menerima dengan baik dan berbesar hati dengan segala program dan aktiviti serta perancangan yang telah pun dijalankan oleh Pakatan Rakyat,' kata beiau

Halimah berkata, pelbagai program yang dilaksanakan kerajaan negeri disenangi rakyat terutama program Merakyatkan Ekonomi Selangor (MES).

"Menerusi Program Merakyat Ekonomi Selangor (MES), segala peruntukkan kerajaan negeri berpaksi kepada keperluan dan kepentingan rakyat itu sendiri. Justeru kita tidak rasa gundah dengan apa yang telah disebutkan oleh Muhyiddin,' tambah beliau.

MES merangkumi Tabung Warisan Anak Selangor (TAWAS), Skim Mesra Usia Emas (SMUE), Pusat Khidmat Krisis Sehenti (OSCC), Bekalan Air Percuma 20 meterpadu, Hadiah Anak Masuk Universiti, Tabung Pendidikan Anak Pekerja Ladang dan Program Peningkatan Hasil Bahan Mineral dan Galian.

Semalam Muhyiddin dilaporkan sebagai berkata, BN telah mengenalpasti sembilan kerusi DUN di Selangor yang berpotensi untuk dirampas kembali pada pilihan raya Umum ke-13 bagi membolehkan BN kembali menerajui negeri itu.

Vietnam Raises Fuel Prices to Record Levels

Vietnam has raised its fuel prices by up to 15 percent, in a move attributed to rising global oil costs that add to the country’s soaring inflation.

The increases, announced late Tuesday in Hanoi, hike diesel and gasoline prices to record-highs of more than $1 a liter. Last month, the government raised fuel prices by as much as 24 percent.

Consumer prices were 13.9 percent higher in March than a year ago.

Oil prices have been surging globally in recent weeks, on concerns of supply shortfalls triggered by unrest in Libya and the Middle East.

In a push to control inflation, the Hanoi government last month devalued its currency, the dong, by 9.3 percent against the dollar. The devaluation was the fourth since 2009.

NATO Commander Says Libya May Need Foreign Stabilization Force

The top NATO military commander says Libya may need a foreign stabilization force if rebels supported by international airstrikes succeed in ousting the country's leader, Moammar Gadhafi. U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis made the comment in an appearance Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Admiral Stavridis says there has been no discussion at NATO of sending ground forces to stabilize Libya, but he believes it may be necessary.

"When you look at the history of NATO, having gone through this, as many on this committee have, with Bosnia and Kosovo, it's quite clear that the possibility of [the need for] a stabilization regime exists," he said. "And so, I have not heard any discussion about it yet, but I think that history is in everybody's mind as we look at the events in Libya."

Admiral Stavridis cited the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia in 1995, which NATO leaders failed to prevent, as one reason they decided to act to stop Gadhafi's forces from taking the rebel headquarters city of Benghazi. President Barack Obama has said he will not send U.S. ground troops into Libya, and Admiral Stavridis said he is not aware of any NATO forces being deployed there so far.

The admiral came under repeated questioning by committee members about what some see as an inconsistency in the allied approach to Libya, which calls for an end to Gadhafi's rule but a military mission that does not specifically include that as a goal.

Stavridis said he believes the two approaches will come together over time, but that any regime change will be initiated by the Libyan people, or by Gadhafi himself.

"By our participation in protecting the people of Libya, we create a safe and secure environment in which the people of Libya can make a determination, and that they then have the ability to undertake the kind of effort that would, in effect, create regime change, as we've seen in other nations in the Middle East," he said.

Admiral Stavridis said the military mission involves enforcement of the U.N.-mandated arms embargo and no-fly zone, the provision of humanitarian assistance and the protection of Libyan civilians from pro-Gadhafi forces. He predicted that the military operation, plus international diplomatic and financial pressure and attacks by the rebels, will likely result in Gadhafi's departure or overthrow.

And he said even without the specific mission to oust Gadhafi, NATO forces are operating under sufficiently broad rules that they can attack wherever necessary in Libya.

"I think that any Gadhafi forces that are demonstrating hostile intent against the Libyan population are legitimate targets," said Stavridis.

Admiral Stavridis acknowledged that the international community still does not know much about the Libyans who are leading the rebellion. He said although there have been what he called "flickers" in intelligence reports indicating some of the rebel leaders have ties to al-Qaida, Hezbollah and other extremist groups, he does not believe there is a significant connection and that the leaders "are responsible men and women."

The admiral's' NATO forces have taken command of the arms embargo and no-fly zone enforcement from U.S. Africa Command, and he says NATO will take command of the humanitarian and protection of civilians effort within the next day or two. He praised the rapid creation of the international coalition that is involved in the operations, but he said he would like to see more involvement from Arab countries, beyond the aircraft and crews provided by Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.