Are they, then, not aware that they are being tested year-in, year-out? And yet, they do not repent and nor do they learn a lesson (from it). - (Quran 9:126)
TOKYO: Japan's population shrank by a record margin in 2010 as the nation rapidly ages, according to an annual estimate released by the welfare ministry Saturday.
The number of Japanese people fell by 123,000, the biggest drop since records began in 1947, the ministry said, an illustration of the demographic crisis the country faces as a smaller working population has to support a mass of pensioners.
It is the fourth consecutive year that Japan's population has declined.
The fall was far larger than the 72,000 registered in 2009, the previous record.
The ministry estimated 1,071,000 babies were born in 2010 on Japanese soil, almost flat from 2009, while deaths soared by 52,000 to a record 1,194,000.
Japanese seniors enjoy increased life expectancy while many young people continue to defer starting a family because of the burden on their finances, lifestyles and careers.
UKParliament | December 23, 2010 - Parliament has the power to propose new laws and change old ones, but how does the lawmaking process work? What role do the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the monarch play? And what steps do they go through to try and make sure each new law is as beneficial as possible.
thestaronline | December 22, 2010 - Datuk Seri Najib Razak says the Government will strike a balance between meritocracy and social justice when rewarding students for outstanding academic achievements.
Whistleblower website Sarawak Report, which often publishes documents that it claims are evidence of Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud's immense wealth, is apparently hacked.
Did she marry for his money or his morals? All we know of the bride is she is around 29 and from Lebanon
We have an exclusive picture of Sarawak Chief Minister, Taib Mahmud’s, new young bride. Kuching has been aflame with interest and amusement at the leaked information that the 74 year old has found himself a second wife who is apparently still in her 20s.
However, the government has refused to issue official confirmation of the wedding ceremony, which was celebrated at the weekend in the Chief Minister’s vast mansion (the financing of which remains a mystery, like the rest of his properties). Even senior Government Ministers have been scouring the web for details of the new “Thief Lady”, who has yet even to be announced by name. In desperation calls were even going out to Sarawak Report. We feel honoured to oblige.
The Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) is an organization now. MCLM had a public forum in London on the 12th December 2010.
MCLM officer bearers are as follows:
Chairman: Raja Petra Kamarudin
President: Haris Ibrahim
Secretary: Yolanda Augustine
Treasurer: Natalie Sylvia Chow
Legal Adviser: Gilbert Jacobs
3 Committee Members: Farouk A. Peru, Jeff Tan and Sam Chong
3 Board of Trustees: Amarjit Singh Sidhu, Lee Wai Siang and Paramjeet Singh Karam Singh
2 cheque signatories: Legal adviser and Treasurer
Bank account: HSBC
Visit MCLM website to view MCLM vision and mission statement. Readers may join MCLM via that website too.
Asyura or the 10th Muharam in the Hijri(Islamic) calender have many things religious for the Ibrahmic faith followers,more so for muslims. One tragic event also occurred on the day of Asyura too, that is the unjust killing of Sayyidina Hussein (as) by the forces of the then regime under the Caliphate of Yazid of Banu Umayyah. Politics probably, have it that this sad event is forgotten in many Islamic environment. Nonetheless by the scheme of things in the Wisdom and Grace of the alMighty, the fact that it occurred on the 10th of Muharam make it not easily erased episode from the minds of many ordinary Muslims.
We hear many people says that Sayyidina Hussein(as) sacrifices is remembered by millions of Muslims. They also said that Sayyidina Hussein(as), stood up against a tyrant, that appears to me like a suicide mission - largely due to the Yazid regime's utilization of disproportionate used of force, which was his trademark and norm. Sayyidina Hussein(as) almost sacrificed almost all his family, in the name of Islam, his Grandfather's (saw) religion is to save his & his grandfather's(saw)religion. Which part of their religion is Sayyidina Hussein(as) saving by being dead through this apparent suicide mission of his?
Ada kah isu siapa sebenarnya Sultan Kelantan yang sah dari segi undang-undang tubuh Negeri Kelantan akan menjadi hangat kembali dengan penglibatan Ku Li?
Warkah Sultan Ismail kepada dunia
KERATAN Kosmo! semalam.
KUALA LUMPUR - Ahli Parlimen Gua Musang, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah meminta Majlis Raja-Raja, Kerajaan Persekutuan dan kerajaan negeri memberi perhatian serius terhadap krisis istana di Kelantan yang berlanjutan bagi mengelakkan kegelisahan dan kekeliruan rakyat dengan situasi semasa di negeri itu.
Beliau juga mengedarkan kenyataan yang dikeluarkan Sultan Ismail Petra yang tertulis bahawa baginda adalah Sultan Kelantan yang sah mengikut Perlembagaan.
Kenyataan bertarikh 27 November lepas diedarkan oleh Tengku Razaleigh di pejabatnya di sini supaya dapat memberikan gambaran sebenar kedudukan Sultan Ismail Petra.
December 8, 2010
PENGHAKIMAN YANG MENGIKTIRAF KEABSAHAN SULTAN KELANTAN
IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF MALAYSIA AT PUTRAJAYA
(ORIGINAL JURISDICTION) SUIT NO. 1 OF 2010
28. For the reasons abovestated we allow the jurisdictional objection of the first respondent. Consequentially, having allowed this jurisdictional objection we therefore dismiss both the petitions with no order as to costs.
Laporan Staronline : 8 Disember 2010
The gloves come off in royal discord
It looks like Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has severed ties with his grandnephew, the new Sultan of Kelantan, following his no-holds barred remarks on the royal succession. Read Full Report :
Rulers Council cannot interfere in the affairs of Kelantan palace
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said ascension to the throne was outside the purview of the federal government or the courts. Read Full Report
malaysiakini | December 12, 2010 - Former Perak Menteri Besar Nizar Jamaluddin today launched the book published by popular website Loyarburok.com detailing the events of the notorious BN ouster that saw him and Pakatan Rakyat removed from office.
The book, 'Perak: A State of Crisis' is a compilation of articles written by lawyers and activists on the blog, mainly in support of the crusade mounted by Nizar to restore the Pakatan-led state government after the coup.
The Listening Post - AlJazeeraEnglish | December 11, 2010 - On the show this week: it is a multi-faceted media story that has generated myriad news strands and angles but also legal complications. At the centre of it all is WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. He has become the human face of an information war that has left free speech activists on one side and cagey politicians on the other. The fight has drawn in some unlikely participants, from credit card companies to Swedish lawyers. Its uncharted waters for the media - some had to report the story while defending their coverage. It is an uncertain future for politicians who are desperately trying to shut down the website while putting out diplomatic fires across the globe. It is a moral dilemma for those who question the right to information over the danger of too much information. It is a lot of things, but mostly - it is a fascinating story!
December 09, 2010 - And that Nobel Peace Prize award for Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has prompted one group in Beijing to offer its own prize—the newly created "Confucius Peace Prize."A local group that claimed an affiliation to China's Ministry of Culture awarded the prize today (Thursday) to Lien Chan, the former Vice President of Taiwan.
The new prize is somewhat of a mystery. After the Ministry of Culture said it knew nothing about it, the Confucius Peace Prize group then said they had no affiliation with the government.
And the office director for Lien Chan in Taiwan also said he'd heard nothing about the prize. Lien himself did not attend today's ceremony to accept the award.
Confucius was once China's most revered philosopher. Under Mao Zedong, the Chinese Communist Party denounced Confucius. But in recent years, the Party has promoted aspects of his teachings in a bid to promote so-called "social harmony."
AlJazeeraEnglish | December 11, 2010 - China's inflation rate has risen 5.1 per cent in November compared with a year ago, which is the country's fastest pace in the last 28 months.
The hike in consumer prices is yet another indication of the world's second largest economy's unrelenting growth.
Florence Looi reports on how Huaxi, China's wealthiest village, is a prime example of China's rising success.
The exclusive Malaysian school where the author taught finally allows his ode to be performed.
When Anthony Burgess (pic) returned to Malaysia in 1980 after a gap of 22 years to film an episode of the BBC series Writers and Places, he was not impressed. "The country and I," he announced, "have nothing to say to each other." The author of A Clockwork Orange and Earthly Powers died 17 years ago, but he is still being talked about in the land that launched his career as one of the most celebrated British novelists of the late 20th century. And last night, the capital, Kuala Lumpur, saw a historic royal unveiling of one of Burgess's first works, which was never published. Further, not only had it been forgotten, it had been deliberately suppressed.
"Ode: Celebration for a Malay College" was written while Burgess was a teacher at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar, set up in 1905 to educate the Malay elite in the manner of a British public school and dubbed "the Eton of the East". Then going by his real name of J B Wilson, Burgess composed the verse and its accompanying melody for the college's golden jubilee in 1955, two years before the Federation of Malaya gained independence from Britain.
November 30, 2010 - They've tried a lot of things to mess with our ability to use the Internet as we do now. Most recently, the US government has taken to shutting down torrent sites. They shut down 76 sites in the week after passing a bill to give them that power. Of course, it won't end there.
RussiaToday | December 09, 2010 - A group of activist hackers have begun attacking MasterCard.com, Amazon.com, PostFinace, Paypal.com and others in retaliation for cutting of the WikiLeaks organization. The targeted companies, after receiving pressure from the US government, opted to sever their relationships with WikiLeaks, preventing the organization from hosting its site, halting the flow of donations and freezing the organization's Swiss bank accounts. The group of hackers is leaderless and operates anonymously. The groups has attacked organizations in the past, notable Scientologist websites. In twitter posts and other online statements, the hackers said they agree with WikiLeaks mission of opening up governments, exposing lies and support the freedom of the press and the Internet. However, their online activism may have unintended consequences. Vague new regulations are being drafted by the Obama administration which would make it easier for the government to spy on Internet communications, including email, social media, general Web sites and mobile phones. Obama hopes to require all devices with online communications to be made with a build in ability to comply with a wiretap order.
KOTA BARU: Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has been stripped of two Kelantan state awards by Sultan Muhammad V Tuanku Faris Petra Sultan Ismail Petra effective Dec 2 for making statements that were detrimental to the Ruler.
Kelantan State Secretary Datuk Aiseri Alias said Tengku Razaleigh was stripped of the Darjah Kerabat Yang Amat Di Hormati (DK) and the Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Kelantan Yang Amat Mulia (SPMK).
He added that Tengku Razaleigh had been formally informed about the revocation of the awards.
Proof in print: Mohd Aiseri (right) with Kelantan palace comptroller Datuk Halim Abdul Rahman showing the newspaper cutting after the press conference Sunday.
Tengku Razaleigh’s alleged statement, he said, had appeared in Sin Chew Jit Poh on Sept 14.
VOAvideo | December 01, 2010 - Wikileaks may be grabbing all the headlines, but they're not the only group online committed to spreading some sunshine into the darker corners of the web. A tour of some of the best secret-busting websites this week on "The Link."
For obvious reasons the press have chosen to report this specifically from the perspective of the Liberal Democrats' position on fees; this is despite the fact that the site (and our communications to the media) have framed the range of issues more broadly about pledges and trust.
As a result, in any communication about R2R, we would advise:
It is important to frame the campaign when promoting it as principally about the issues of fees, EMAs (or both), with signing up the way to place pressure on the politicians. "Recalling" or unseating MPs is not an objective in and of itself of the campaign- it's the issues of fees, cuts and funding that must remain prominent in your comms.
Try not to overtly target particular MPs or parties. The site contains details of pledges made by all three of the main political parties on both issues; those of you in universities can encourage students to think about home as well as university MPs, and all of you have more than one constituency where your students will live locally.
The key thing to stress is that the campaign is about keeping all politicians to the pledges they make where those pledges relate to your goals as a students' unions (ie fees, EMAs or both)
The controversial whistle-blowing site Wikileaks has released a cache of 250,000 secret messages sent by US diplomatic staff.
So far, Wikileaks has published on its site 220 of 251,287 of what it describes as US "cables"; it has given the files in full to five media groups, including the New York Times and Guardian newspapers.
Below are some of the key issues the documents reveal.
Iran attack
Several Arab leaders and their representatives are quoted as urging the US to carry out an attack on Iran to bring an end to its suspected nuclear weapons programme.
In a cable from April 2008, the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Adel al-Jubeir, recalled King Abdullah's "frequent exhortations" to the US to attack Iran.
Mr al-Jubeir said the king wanted the US "to cut the head off the snake"; the cable also reported that the Saudi foreign minister was less extreme, calling for more severe sanctions on Tehran.
The economic strength of nations is typically measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP). By this measure, the U.S. is still No. 1 and when China passed Japan in August to become the second wealthiest country, it was big news.
However, GDP doesn't tell you how much income -- the money that actually ends up in people's pockets -- is produced in a given country. To understand which nation has the most income, 24/7 Wall St. used Gross National Income (GNI) as a measure. We ranked the ten countries with the highest GNI per capita using the most recent data available from the World Bank. To factor in a nation's quality of life, we collected information on literacy, unemployment, and percentage of GDP spent on education. Sources include the World Bank, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, (UNESCO), and the CIA World Factbook.
Our methodology makes for a surprising list. Very few are superpowers. These are countries where there is either a small group of extremely wealthy people (Kuwait and Brunei, for example), or where the government heavily influences the distribution of income (such as Norway and the Netherlands).The following the 24/7 Wall St. list of the ten richest countries in the world:
August 25, 2009 - Abū Bakr ibn Abi Maryam reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah say: "A time is certainly coming over mankind in which there will be nothing (left) that will be of use (or benefit) save a Dinār (i.e., a gold coin) and a Dirham (i.e., a silver coin). [This prophecy clearly anticipates the eventual collapse of the fraudulent monetary system now functioning around the world.]
(Musnad, Ahmad)
There seems to be little understanding of the role that a European-created money-system has been playing in delivering to enemies of Islam the capacity to engage in massive legalised theft of the wealth of mankind. Nor is there realization that those enemies have designed a monetary system that would eventually deliver to them financial dictatorship over the whole world. They have already succeeded in enslaving millions of Muslims (as well as others amongst mankind) with slave wages and even destitution, while pursuing a sinister global agenda on behalf of the Euro-Jewish State of Israel. It is truly pathetic to listen to those who blame Pakistanis and Indonesians for miserable poverty in Pakistan and Indonesia.
NEW BRITAIN —Norton Mezvinsky told students, faculty and members of the publicTuesday at Central Connecticut State University that a one-state solution is the best hope for the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Prof. Mezvinsky is president and academic director of International Council on Middle East Studies, Inc. in Washington, D.C. Back from a trip to the Middle East, he recently debated Prof. Joel Kovel on the “One State Solution” at the Brecht Forum in New York. Mezvinsky said the violent resistance to “the Israeli occupation” is the wrong approach morally and practically for Palestinians.
“Unfortunately, Israeli violence toward Palestinians will continue to beget Palestinian violence against Israel,” he said. “The present condition is a recipe for disaster, more continued oppression of Palestinians followed by increased violence for Palestinians, resulting in more wounding and killing of Palestinians and Israeli Jews.”
He warned about an amendment in the Israeli parliament that would require everyone to take a loyalty oath to Israel — another example, he said, of oppression of Palestinians.
thestaronline | November 26, 2010 - Apex Court dismissed the petitions filed by former Kelantan Ruler Tuanku Ismail Petra Sultan Yahya Yahya Petra. It ruled Tuanku Ismail Petra has no legal right to refer questions of law to the Federal Court for determination.
AlJazeeraEnglish | November 24, 2010 - Pakistani pilgrim Sayid Mahboob tells Al Jazeera's Imran Garda why he was forced to sleep on the streets during Hajj.
Cabinet agrees last Ethiopian Jews can move to Israel
Falash Mura Jews arrive in Israel in January 2010
The remaining members of the Ethiopian Jewish community are to move to Israel.
After years of wrangling, Israel’s cabinet voted in favour of giving the more than 7,800 Falash Mura Jews citizenship.
The decision, likely to be the final chapter in the saga of the Ethiopian Jewish community, comes almost exactly 26 years after Operation Moses, when Israel airlifted 8,000 Jews out of Ethiopia in secret.
Finally: 8,000 Falashmura members will make Aliyah
Watch video below to see other Jews (from other parts of the world making Aliyah :
Bnei Menashe and Kaifeng Jews Making Aliyah (return to Israel)
ShaveiIsrael | November 19, 2009 - This video news report from CBN documents the aliyah of both the Bnei Menashe from India and the Jews from Kaifeng who have been brought to the Holy Land by Shavei Israel.
At the general election, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg made a great deal of politicians needing to 'be more honest', and 'for promises to be kept'. The Liberal Democrats also suggested that a new 'right to recall' procedure should be introduced whereby MPs who break promises or are found guilty of impropriety should be vulnerable to a constituency petition of (10%) that MP would face an immediate by-election.
The 'right to recall' promise sadly itself represents another broken promise by the Liberal Democrats, and may never actually be introduced. However, in order to show the strength of feeling by the voting public against those MPs who vote for the raising of University tuition fees and/ or for the scrapping of the Education Maintenance Allowance, we ask you to sign up to call for them to be recalled – this way, perhaps this broken promise can be put to some use!
AlJazeeraEnglish | October 19, 2010 - A high-speed train service run by a German company has made its first crossing between France and Britain using the Channel Tunnel.
The journey is significant because it is the first time a passenger train not run by Eurostar has used the tunnel.
The new link, which will connect London, Frankfurt and Amsterdam within three years, is set to revolutionise the way people travel across Europe.
With Islamophobia on the rise in the US and Europe, has Canada set a different example by electing that country's first ever Muslim mayor?
Thirty-eight-year-old Naheed Nenshi, a Harvard-educated professor of Indian descent, won in the western city of Calgary, considered to be Canada's conservative bastion.Many say his victory is a testament to the country's commitment to multiculturalism that encourages immigrants to both preserve their ethnic roots and embrace their Canadian identity.
But critics say the multicultural model actually makes it tougher and not easier for new Canadians to integrate into mainstream society.Does multiculturalism help or hurt the cause of diversity in Canada?
Writer's Profile : Tony Benn could have been Lord Stansgate if he wanted to, but instead he disclaimed the peerage in 1963 on the day the Peerage Act 1963 passed into law and made it possible for him to do so. I was a student when he was a minister in the British cabinet.
In this book review show, Ken Livingstone and his guests, Nadifa Mohamed and Robin Yassin-Kassab, have a detailed discussion about Tony Benn's new book called 'Letters to My Grandchildren'.
In his new book, Tony Benn writes letters to his 10 grandchildren and their generation where he shares his experience of life with them in an attempt to help them avoid the mistakes their parents and grandparents made.
Prime Minister David Cameron has sent his warmest wishes to Muslim communities around the world as they celebrate the fesival of Eid ul Adha.
In the PM’s message, he wished everyone a “very happy and peaceful Eid”.
The PM said:
“On this festival of Eid ul Adha I send my warmest wishes to all Muslim communities throughout the United Kngdom.
Eid ul Adha, celebrated all over the world, is one of the most holy festivals in Islam and celebrates the culmination of Hajj.
As families and friends come together in celebration. I want to recognise the immense contribution that British Muslims, over many generations, have made to our country.
And to wish everyone a very happy and peaceful Eid.
AlJazeeraEnglish | Riz Khan, November 11, 2010 - Is the world ignoring the signs of the so-called "end times"? Renowned philosopher and critic, Slavoj Zizek, explains what he thinks is causing the downhill slide, and points to the faltering economy, global warming and deteriorating ethnic relations as evidence.
G20 Leaders Make Little Progress on Major Differences:
VOAvideo | November 12, 2010 - The leaders of the world's top 20 economies have agreed to strive for currency exchange rates that are determined by market forces. And they plan to create a system to identify economic imbalances that threaten economic stability. But as VOA Correspondent Steve Herman reports from the Group of 20 summit in Seoul, their statement was vague on specifics, and did not clearly resolve differences.
November 12, 2010 - In this edition of Comment like the previous episodes, George Galloway reviews the most important news of the week like student's ralli.es in the UK, George Bush's memoirs called Decision Points.
adycousins | November 11, 2010 - Windows were broken at Tory party head office during today's protest but the real violence is being inflicted on the ConDem attack on education.
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 — Singapore is poised to overtake Malaysia as the third largest economy in Southeast Asia by the end of this year in a development economists and analysts say underlines the need for Putrajaya to step up efforts to increase competitiveness and undertake wider reforms.
According to a Bloomberg report, Singapore’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) this year is expected hit US$210 billion on the back of a blistering 15 per cent annual growth, beating Malaysia’s projected US$205 billion GDP. Both countries will release their 2010 numbers by February next year.
“A lot of times when we meet foreign investors what they tend to say is that Malaysia on the whole is generally inward focused ” he said. Eng said Malaysians were more preoccupied with how to divide the economic pie among themselves while other nations in Southeast Asia were more concerned with how to gain an edge over their neighbours.
Shiv Malik - co-author of Jilted Generation - at the student demo in London 11 Nov 2010.
• Protesters occupy Conservative HQ in Millbank Tower • Two police officers injured as tensions mount • Bonfire started outside the building on the Thames • NUS estimate 52,000 protesters in the capital
An exclusive interview with Grant F. Smith, author of Spy Trade, a book that narrates the formidable and damaging espionage organized by Israel in the United States.
Are they, then, not aware that they are being tested year-in, year-out? And yet, they do not repent and nor do they learn a lesson (from it). - (Quran 9:126) 
The Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) is an organization now. MCLM had a public forum in London on the 12th December 2010.
Asyura or the 10th Muharam in the Hijri(Islamic) calender have many things religious for the Ibrahmic faith followers,more so for muslims. One tragic event also occurred on the day of Asyura too, that is the unjust killing of Sayyidina Hussein (as) by the forces of the then regime under the Caliphate of Yazid of Banu Umayyah. Politics probably, have it that this sad event is forgotten in many Islamic environment. Nonetheless by the scheme of things in the Wisdom and Grace of the alMighty, the fact that it occurred on the 10th of Muharam make it not easily erased episode from the minds of many ordinary Muslims.
The fund helps people stay out of residential care
When Anthony Burgess (pic) returned to Malaysia in 1980 after a gap of 22 years to film an episode of the BBC series Writers and Places, he was not impressed. "The country and I," he announced, "have nothing to say to each other." The author of A Clockwork Orange and Earthly Powers died 17 years ago, but he is still being talked about in the land that launched his career as one of the most celebrated British novelists of the late 20th century. And last night, the capital, Kuala Lumpur, saw a historic royal unveiling of one of Burgess's first works, which was never published. Further, not only had it been forgotten, it had been deliberately suppressed.
Proof in print: Mohd Aiseri (right) with Kelantan palace comptroller Datuk Halim Abdul Rahman showing the newspaper cutting after the press conference Sunday.
For obvious reasons the press have chosen to report this specifically from the perspective of the Liberal Democrats' position on fees; this is despite the fact that the site (and our communications to the media) have framed the range of issues more broadly about pledges and trust.
The controversial whistle-blowing site Wikileaks has released a cache of 250,000 secret messages sent by US diplomatic staff.
