Najib sah angkat sumpah Jumaat ini

MalaysiaKini
Istiadat pengurniaan suratcara pelantikan dan istiadat mengangkat sumpah serta menyimpan rahsia Datuk Seri Najib Razak sebagai perdana menteri baru berlangsung di Istana Negara, Jumaat ini.

Para jemaah menteri telah menerima jemputan untuk menghadiri istiadat pada 10 pagi ini.

Jemputan tersebut turut dihantar melalui Sistem Pesanan Ringkas (SMS).

Menurut jemputan tersebut, istiadat tersebut akan berlangsung di Balairong Seri mulai jam 9 pagi.

Di perhimpunan agung Umno hujung minggu lalu, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi berkata beliau akan menghadap Yang di-Pertuan Agong pada Khamis untuk memaklumkan hasrat melepaskan jawatan perdana menteri.

Perhimpunan agung tersebut menyaksikan pemilihan pucuk pimpinan baru Umno yang diketuai oleh Najib selepas Abdullah enggan bertanding.

Tindakan Abdullah itu ekoran persetujuan antara beliau dengan Najib untuk melaksanakan pelan peralihan kuasa selepas perhimpunan itu selesai.

Sementara itu, Najib dilaporkan berkata tarikh sebenar peralihan kuasa kepadanya hanya akan diketahui selepas kenyataan rasmi dikeluarkan leh Jabatan Perdana Menteri.

Menurut Bernama, beliau tidak boleh membuat sebarang ulasan selagi kenyataan rasmi belum dikeluarkan.

"Ini kena tunggu kenyataan rasmi dululah," katanya kepada pemberita selepas melawat ibu pejabat Sin Chew Daily di Petaling Jaya hari ini.

Ketika ditanya mengenai kabinet barunya, Najib berkata perkara itu hanya akan diputuskan selepas acara angkat sumpah jawatan perdana menteri.

Ditanya kemungkinan beliau akan memilih calon yang kalah dalam
pemilihan Umno lepas untuk membarisi kabinetnya nanti, Najib berkata: "Ia belum difikirkan lagi."

Najib yang dilahirkan pada 1953 di Kuala Lipis, Pahang merupakan anak sulung Perdana Menteri kedua, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein dan Toh Puan Rahah Mohamad Noah.

Beliau mendapat pendidikan awal di St John Institution, Kuala Lumpur sebelum meneruskan pelajaran ke Maven Boy's College, Worchestershire, England.

Najib kemudiannya melanjutkan pelajaran ke University Of Nottingham, England dan mendapt ijazah pertama dengan kepujian dalam bidang ekonomi industri pada tahun 1974.

Najib mulai menceburkan diri dalam arena politik selepas dipilih bertanding kerusi Parlimen Pekan ekoran kematian mendadak bapanya di London 14 Januari 1976.

Najib menang tanpa bertanding dan muncul sebagai ahli Parlimen termuda pada usia 23 tahun.

Najib dilantik sebagai timbalan menteri tenaga, telekom dan pos pada 1978 ketika usia 25 tahun. Pada 1982 hingga 1986, beliau menjadi menteri besar paling muda dalam sejarah Malaysia, pada 29 tahun.

Sepanjang penglibatannya dalam politik, Najib telah berkhidmat di pelbagai kementerian, termasuk timbalan menteri tenaga, telekom dan pos, timbalan menteri pendidikan dan timbalan menteri kewangan. Pada 1982, beliau bertanding dan memenangi kerusi DUN Bandar Pekan dan dilantik sebagai menteri besar Pahang.

Pada tahun 1986, ketika berumur 33 tahun, Najib menerajui kementerian kebudayaan, belia dan sukan dan selepas pilihanraya umum 1990, beliau berpindah ke kementerian pertahanan.

Beliau dilantik menteri pendidikan pada 1995. Selepas pilihanraya umum pada 1999, beliau dilantik menerajui kementerian pertahanan. Setelah Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi mengambil alih jawatan perdana menteri pada Oktober 2003, Najib dilantik sebagai timbalan perdana menteri pada 6 Januari 2004.

Dalam kabinet 2008, beliau dilantik sebagai timbalan perdana menteri dan menteri pertahanan. Manakala 17 September 2008, Najib dilantik sebagai menteri kewangan dan jawatan menteri pertahanan diterajui oleh Abdullah.

Ultimatum to US automakers

WASHINGTON - PRESIDENT Barack Obama said on Monday that neither General Motors nor Chrysler has proposed sweeping enough changes to justify further large federal bailouts, and demanded 'painful concessions' from creditors, unions and others as their price for survival.

Mr Obama also raised the possibility of a controlled bankruptcy to help either or both 'restructure quickly and emerge stronger' - uttering the term that industry and union officials have warned repeatedly could lead to the collapse of an entire domestic industry.

Declaring he would no longer 'excuse poor decisions' as the companies tried to survive on 'an unending flow of tax dollars,' Mr Obama said, 'These companies and this industry must ultimately stand on their own, not as wards of the state.'

With his words, Mr Obama underscored the extent to which the government is now dictating terms to two of the country's iconic corporations - forcing the departure of Rick Wagoner as CEO of General Motors, and bluntly warning it may pull the plug on either or both companies.

The Bush administration late last year approved US$17 billion (S$26 billion) in federal funds to help GM and Chrysler survive.

It also demanded both companies submit restructuring plans that the Obama administration would review.

Even as he pronounced their effort unsatisfactory, the president said the administration will offer General Motors 'adequate working capital' over the next 60 days to produce a reorganisation plan acceptable to the administration.

He said Chrysler's situation is more perilous, and the government will give the company 30 days to overcome hurdles to a merger with Fiat, the Italian automaker.

If they are successful 'we will consider lending up to US$6 billion to help their plan succeed,' he said. -- AP

Agenda for 1st foreign trip

WASHINGTON (AP) - PRESIDENT Barack Obama heads to London on Tuesday for his first overseas trip since taking office, to take part in the economic summit of 20 major and developing nations that together represent more than 85 per cent of the global economy.

Advisers said the goal was to manage the current crisis by restoring growth and to prevent a future downturn by reforming financial regulations.

Mr Obama has vowed to listen to his foreign counterparts and lead by example to address the economic crisis and work to stem future financial catastrophes.

His jam-packed agenda includes a major speech in France on the US trans-Atlantic relationship. He will deliver another one in the Czech Republic on nuclear proliferation. Then he's off to hold a round-table in Turkey with students. He also has plans to meet with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, as well as a slew of other heads of state as part of a rigorous schedule.

'It's an opportunity ... to not just confront the inherited challenges the administration took on but also to re-energize our alliances to confront the looming threats of the 21st Century,' said Denis McDonough, the administration's deputy national security adviser for strategic communications.

While economics certainly will dominate discussions, advisers said nuclear proliferation, cyber threats, climate change, energy security, terrorism, and Mr Obama's new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan also will be discussed at G-20, European Union and NATO gatherings.

Thus far, Mr Obama's only foreign trip as president was a day-long visit to Canada.

As a White House candidate last summer, he traveled to the Middle East and Europe in what was then his first high-profile step onto the international stage. He drew huge crowds everywhere he went, including an enormous one estimated at more than 200,000 in Berlin.

'The president and America are going to listen in London as well as to lead,' White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

Discussions are expected to be intense as there are wide differences between the US and Europe over how to stabilise and grow economies. -- AP

World switches off

Organisers are calling Eart Hour 2009 a 'global election', with switching off the lights a vote for the Earth and failure to do so, a vote for global warming. -- PHOTO: FAIRFAX MEDIA 2007






LONDON - FROM Sydney Harbour to the Eiffel Tower, cities and world landmarks plunged into darkness as a symbolic energy-saving exercise unfolded across the globe.

The pyramids at Giza in Egypt, the Acropolis in Athens and the Houses of Parliament in London cut their electricity as part of 'Earth Hour", a worldwide call for action to avert potentially devastating climate change.

Some 371 landmarks were due to power down worldwide, including Niagara Falls, the Empire State Building, the Las Vegas casino strip and Beijing's 'Bird's Nest' Olympic stadium.

The switch-off was due to end in Honolulu, capital of the US state of Hawaii.

The global event began dramatically as Sydney's iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge plunged into darkness on Saturday night, killing their lights for an hour, followed later by the glittering waterfront of Hong Kong.

Millions of people turned out Sydney, while Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city, came to life with a pedal-powered concert and others enjoyed moonlit picnics and barbecues.

The global grassroots movement began in Sydney two years ago, when 2.2 million people switched off their lights. Earth Hour has since grown to include 3,929 cities, villages and localities across the globe.

'It is a very positive, hopeful campaign,' Andy Ridley, the event's director, told reporters in Sydney.

'We want people to think, even if it is for an hour, what they can do to lower their carbon footprint and take that beyond the hour.'

Mr Ridley said he was aiming for one billion participants, hoping the event would send a resounding message to world leaders about significant emissions cuts.

Scientists have warned that global warming caused by burning fossil fuels on a massive scale could devastate the planet, hitting the poorest countries hardest with floods, droughts and disease. -- AFP

Death toll rises to 69

CIRENDEU (Indonesia) - INDONESIA'S search and rescue agency says the number of people killed when a dam burst outside the capital has climbed to at least 69. Dozens more remain missing.

Local police chief Capt. Ngisa Asngari said on Saturday that hundreds of soldiers, police and volunteers were digging through piles of mud and debris in search of survivors or more bodies. Heavy rain caused a decades-old dam outside Jakarta to burst early Friday sending a wall of water crashing into a crowded neighbourhood. Some survivors have compared the latest disaster to a tsunami.

Muddy water breaking free from the dam swept into hundreds of homes, many of whose occupants were still asleep.

More than 400 houses were submerged by the flash flood, with the water levels reaching the rooftop in some places. Many trees were uprooted and cars tossed around by the force of the water.

People living near the Situ Gintung dam in Cirendeu, a suburb of Tangerang in Banten province, said they heard sirens go off just before the dam burst, following a four-hour downpour.

Those still fast asleep had no chance to make a run for it.

Cirendeu has a mix of middle-class residences and crowded slum housing.

Rescuers, some of them using rubber dinghies to reach the victims, told reporters that the casualty figures could rise as many victims remained trapped in their submerged homes.

The Health Ministry's Crisis Centre chief, Mr Rustam Pakaya, said the dam was breached after 2am while most people were sleeping.

Mr Sutedja, who is an early riser, told The Straits Times that he immediately got his wife and two-year-old son out of their house once he knew the dam was about to burst.

As the family of three headed for higher ground, Mr Sutedja said he saw waves of muddy water sweeping into his neighbourhood and flattening his house, which was 30m from the dam.

'I don't have anything left. The clothes I'm wearing now is all that I have left,' said the 32-year-old fish cracker vendor. Another resident compared his experience to 'being in the middle of a tsunami'.

Additional information from AP

$42m dress for sale

An updated handout image of a sketch which shows a dress dubbed the " Nightingale of Kuala Lumpur". --PHOTO: REUTERS

KUALA LUMPUR - A RM100 million (S$42 million) dress will be featured at a fundraising show in the lead-up to the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix next Friday.

'Nightingale of KL' is designed by Faisol Abdullah of Jendela KL with 750 pieces of diamonds weighing over 1,000 carats held together by a pear-shaped 70-carat diamond from jeweller Mouawad.

Celebrity designer Datuk Jimmy Choo will provide the shoes.

Actress Kavita Sidhu has been given the honour to parade the dress and shoes at the STYLO Fashion Grand Prix KL at the Lake Gardens here.

'The dress is for sale at RM100 million. Datuk Jimmy Choo is delighted to create a pair of couture shoes to accompany it,' said Datuk Nancy Yeoh, the president and CEO of STYLO International.

If sold, 5 per cent of the sale price will be donated to a Gaza fundraising initiative.

Ms Yeoh added that only 500 handpicked guests would get to view the dress and shoe ensemble.

Faisol described the 'Nightingale of KL' as a couture evening gown in STYLO's corporate colours of red and burgundy and created out of 14m of silk and satin Malaysian batik.

He said the way the dress has been designed allows it to be customised to the needs of the buyer.

'As an investment, the dress is of excellent value,' said Mouawad Malaysia managing director Antoine Bakache. 'The diamonds, if sold individually, cost RM150 million,' he said.

STYLO Fashion Grand Prix KL will be held from March 28 to April 5 in four different locations in Kuala Lumpur. The main venue is a specially-erected STYLO Fashion Cube on the 91.6ha grounds of the KL Lake Gardens. -- THE STAR/ANN

Fighter jet crashes in desert

The US military has committed to 183 of the jets, down from a plan in the 1980s to build 750. -- PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE (California) - ONE of the Air Force's top-of-the-line F-22 fighter jets crashed Wednesday in the high desert of Southern California, killing a test pilot for prime contractor Lockheed Martin Corp.

The F-22A Raptor crashed at 10am (1pm Singapore time) about 35 miles (56 kilometres) northeast of Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert. The Bureau of Land Management identifies the area as Harper Dry Lake, a vast and empty expanse of sometimes marshy flat land.

The pilot was David Cooley, 49, a 21-year Air Force veteran who joined Lockheed Martin in 2003, the company said in a statement. It did not release any details of the accident, including whether Mr Cooley attempted to eject.

A statement issued by Edwards said first responders transported Mr Cooley from the crash scene to Victor Valley Community Hospital in Victorville, where he was pronounced dead.

Mr Cooley, of Palmdale, California, was part of a team of company and Air Force pilots who conduct F-22 testing.

'We are deeply saddened by the loss of David and our concerns, thoughts and prayers at this time are with his family,' the statement said.

Sam Grizzle, a spokesman for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co, said no additional information would be released.

A board of officers is investigating the crash, the Edwards statement said. The Air Force urged people to stay away from the site because hazardous materials may have been released.

'This is a very difficult day for Edwards and those who knew and respected Dave as a warrior, test pilot and friend,' said Major General David Eichhorn, the Air Force Flight Test Centre commander.

The jet, assigned to the 411th Flight Test Squadron of Edwards' 412th Test Wing, was on a test mission, said Air Force Major David Small at the Pentagon. Small did not know the nature of the mission. -- AP

'Umno's glory has dimmed'

KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA'S outgoing premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Thursday issued a damning indictment of the ruling party, saying it was contaminated by greed, complacency and internal rivalries.

In his last speech to the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) before handing over as party leader to his deputy Najib Razak, Abdullah lamented the decay that has set in after a half-century in power.

'We were intoxicated by our own achievements and we became complacent. We believed that we had become all-powerful. We have put our own positions within the party first,' he told delegates at its annual meeting.

Mr Abdullah said that elections a year ago, which handed the opposition control of a third of parliamentary seats in an unprecedented result that effectively ended his career, were a sign that 'Umno's glory has dimmed'.

'Materialism has seeped into the party, making a number of party members greedy and avaricious,' he said.

'The path that we choose will determine whether we continue to remain relevant or whether we are reduced to a forgotten footnote in the pages of history.' The 66-year-old drifted through a lacklustre term in power after taking over from veteran premier Mahathir Mohamad, who led Malaysia for more than two decades and publicly undermined his successor after the 2003 handover.

Mr Abdullah was punished at the ballot box for failing to implement reforms he had promised, including overhauling the police force and tackling corruption which is endemic in Umno and Malaysian society.

However, he won some measure of praise for giving more space to free expression after the repressive Dr Mahathir years, and on Thursday he warned the party not to resort to a hardline approach.

'If we revert to the old path I believe we are choosing the wrong path, one that will take us to regression and decay. It is a path that I fear will hasten our demise,' he said.

Mr Najib has promised a radical overhaul of Umno, but commentators say his political baggage - including low popularity ratings and unsubstantiated allegations of corruption and links to a sensational murder - will weaken his position.

Mr Najib has appealed to party members, who are voting this week to fill a range of key posts, to install a strong new leadership team to help him effect the turnaround.

No date has been set for the formal transition of power, but the king is expected to swear Mr Najib in as the nation's next leader on April 3. -- AFP

Banned for inciting 'hatred'

KUALA LUMPUR - TWO Malaysian opposition newspapers that have been banned for three months were punished for inciting hatred against the government, the home minister said, according to reports on Tuesday.

The opposition has said it fears a media crackdown is under way, after action was taken against Suara Keadilan, run by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's Keadilan party, and Harakah, published by the Islamic party PAS.

The papers have vowed to defy the ban and continue publishing during a period of intense political activity, with a leadership transition, a ruling party conference, and three by-elections all to take place in the next few weeks.

Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the newspapers had threatened the stability of the multi-racial nation, particularly with their reporting on a struggle for control of a northern state, which erupted in January.

'We found that facts were distorted and fabricated with the aim to create misunderstanding and instill hatred for the government and leaders,' he said, according to the New Straits Times.

'We want to send them a clear message,' he said. 'You can promote your political ideology but do not create dissension that could disrupt peace and stability.' Malaysia's mainstream media are largely government-linked, and the opposition relies on its own press, as well as Internet news sites and blogs, to convey its message to the public.

Reporters Without Borders ranks the country 132 out of 173 on its worldwide press freedom index, and says the mainstream media are 'often compelled to ignore or to play down the many events organised by the opposition.' The ruling party, Umno, has been in disarray since elections a year ago that saw an unprecedented loss of ground to the opposition. Its general assembly, which begins Tuesday, is expected to establish a recovery plan.

Political commentators are watching closely to see which direction will be taken under new leader Najib Razak, who is to replace Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi after the five-day party conference.

'We fear that this action by the government is a prelude to a general clampdown on press freedom in Malaysia,' Keadilan spokesman Tian Chua said on Monday. -- AFP

Volcano erupts four times

The 3,100-meter Redoubt Volcano, roughly 160 kilometers southwest of Anchorage, last erupted during a four-month period from 1989-90. -- PHOTO: AFP

ANCHORAGE (Alaska) - ALASKA'S Mount Redoubt volcano erupted four times overnight and early Monday, sending an ash plume more than 14 1/2 kilometers into the air, but the state's largest city has likely been spared from any ash fall.

'The ash cloud went to 50,000 feet, and it's currently drifting toward the north, northeast,' said Janet Schaefer, a geologist with the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

The current wind patterns are taking the ash cloud away from Anchorage and instead heading toward Willow and Talkneetna, two communities near Mount McKinley, North America's largest mountain in Denali National Park.

Geophysicist John Power said no cities have yet reported any ash fall from the volcano, but noted that it's still early.

Dave Stricklan, a hydrometeorogical technician with the National Weather Service, expected very fine ash 'Just kind of a light dusting,' he said. He said the significant amount of ash probably dropped immediately, right down the side of the volcano.

'The heavier stuff drops out very quickly, and then the other stuff filters out. There's going to be a very fine amount of it that's going to be suspended in the atmosphere for quite some time, but nothing to really affect anything such as aviation travel. The heavier stuff will filter out,' he said.

The 3,100-meter Redoubt Volcano, roughly 160 kilometers southwest of Anchorage, last erupted during a four-month period from 1989-90.

But the volcano became restless earlier this year. The observatory had warned in late January that an eruption could occur at any time.

Increased earthquake activity over the past 48 hours prompted scientists to raise the alert level for Mount Redoubt on Sunday. -- AP

M'sian tiger park plan slammed

The department of wildlife and national parks aims to double the country's remaining 500-strong wild tiger population. -- PHOTO: AP

KUALA LUMPUR - A COALIATION of wildlife groups in Malaysia have criticised plans by northern Penang to set up a 40 hectare tiger park, saying it could hurt the state's tourist industry.

The park would also go against the central government's commitment to protect and increase tiger populations in the wild, the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MyCat) said in a letter over the weekend to the state's chief minister.

The department of wildlife and national parks aims to double the country's remaining 500-strong wild tiger population.

'Building zoos and wildlife parks always sound simple and exciting but, in reality this is far from the truth and has far more negative implications,' the group said.

Penang's tourism industry could be hit should there be any allegation of illegal tiger trading, as with other such parks in Asia, MyCat added.

The Harbin Siberian Tiger Park and the Guilin Tiger Park in China have been implicated in the killing and sale of their animals.

'There have been cases where a country's tourism-driven income has been severely affected because of the response to an ill-thought of action,' the group said.

Malaysia has more than 40 zoos and according to MyCat monitoring these for illegal wildlife trading was already a major task.

It said a number of zoos here have already been linked to the illegal wildlife trade and the Taiping Zoo in northern Perak state and the Saleng Zoo in southern Johor have been prosecuted for violations.

The group also pointed out that feeding and housing the tigers would be financially draining as food alone could cost up to 30,000 ringgit (S$12,475) per animal per year.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng told AFP his government would study the matter further before making a decision. -- AFP

Japanese 'suicide forest'

AOKIGAHARA FOREST (Japan) - ALSO called the 'Sea of Trees', the Aokigahara Forest is known for two things in Japan - breathtaking views of Mount Fuji and suicides.

Japan's suicide rate, already one of the world's highest, has increased with the recent economic downturn.

There were 2,645 suicides recorded in January 2009, a 15 per cent increase from the 2,305 for January 2008, according to the Japanese government reported CNN.

Suicide rates are a priority for the Japanese government which has pledged to cut the number by more than 20 per cent by 2016. However officials fear the number will rise with the economic crises adding to unemployment and bankruptcies.

'Unemployment is leading to this,' Toyoki Yoshida, a suicide and credit counselor, told CNN.

'Society and the government need to establish immediate countermeasures to prevent suicides. There should be more places where they can come and seek help.'

Mr Yoshida has posted signs in Aokigahara Forest urging suicidal visitors to call their organisation, a credit counselling service.

Local authorities, say they are the last resort to stop people from killing themselves in the forest and have posted security cameras at the entrances of the forest.

Imasa Watanabe of the Yamanashi Prefectural Government fears more suicidal visitors will turn up in the coming weeks.

'Especially in March, the end of the fiscal year, more suicidal people will come here because of the bad economy,' he told CNN.

'No living thing left'

NUKU'ALOFA - A VOLCANIC eruption close to the South Pacific nation of Tonga has destroyed rich birdlife and vegetation, leaving a wasteland of black ash and tree stumps, witnesses said on Friday.

Sightseers, officials and scientists who have taken boats to the site have described frequent explosions hurtling rocks and ash hundreds of metres into the air.

The volcano, on the small, uninhabited islet of Hunga Ha'apai 63 kilometres northwest of the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa, began erupting on Monday, several days after a moderate earthquake.

It continued to spew on Friday even as a major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 rocked Tonga's main island of Tongatapu. The volcano is hundreds of kilometres from the epicentre of the earthquake, which caused no significant damage but sparked a regional tsunami warning.

Radio journalist George Lavaka, who visited the island with a sightseeing group on Thursday, said the explosions were accompanied by a deep rumbling. 'The island itself is totally destroyed,' Lavaka said, 'there is no living thing left there, it's all covered in black ash.

'There are only black stumps where the coconut trees were,' he added. 'We saw dead birds and fish in the water.' Tonga's chief geologist Kelepi Mafi, who inspected the area on Thursday, said the volcano has two vents, one on Hunga Ha'apai and another around 100 metres offshore.

The volume of the rock and ash coming from the vents has completely filled the gap between the offshore vent and Hunga Ha'apai, increasing the island's land mass by hundreds of square metres.

Lavaka's boat managed to get out of harm's way when the explosive power of the eruptions suddenly surged.

'The smoke stopped about 30 metres short of the boat, we were a bit shaken actually.' Soon after the boat moved further away from the island, the area they had been in was enveloped in poisonous smoke.

A local airline was reportedly planning to fly sightseers near the eruption site on Friday. Mr Mafi said the government was warning the curious to stay away. 'It's very interesting, but it's very risky also,' he said, adding that - given the strength of the explosions - the eruption could continue until the end of the weekend. -- AFP

German killer did it 'for fun'

BERLIN - THE man taken hostage by German gunman Tim Kretschmer last week broke his silence on Wednesday, telling a magazine that the teenager had told him it was 'for fun' and wanted to find another school.

Igor Wolf, hijacked by the 17-year-old and forced to drive 40km with a gun in his back, asked him: 'Why are you doing this s***?' 'Because it is fun. Because I find it fun,' the gunman replied, according to an interview with Mr Wolf to appear in Thursday's edition of Stern magazine.

During the trip, Kretschmer also asked Mr Wolf: 'Do you think we could find another school?' He had just killed eight girls, one boy and three teachers at the Albertville secondary school in Winnenden, southern Germany.

Not knowing the exact death toll, Kretschmer told his driver: 'I have already killed 15 people in my old school and I'm not done yet today.' A chilling prediction: he later killed three more innocent passers-by before turning the gun on himself after a shoot-out with police.

At certain points of the two-hour ordeal, Mr Wolf considered escaping but was worried Kretschmer would kill several more people.

At one town, 'we stopped at traffic lights. I thought about just tearing the door open and running away. But there were other people going about their business. A woman with a pram, other children. What do you think he would have done if I have run away?'

Mr Wolf said he was waiting for his wife on the street when the gunman yanked open the back door of his Volkswagen, jumped into the back, shoved his 9mm Beretta in his face and said: 'Drive. Quickly.' The drive came to an end when Mr Wolf deliberately crashed the car and fled with the keys, forcing Kretschmer to continue on foot. -- AFP

UK jobless tops 2 million

LONDON - UNEMPLOYMENT in Britain rose to 6.5 per cent in January, with the number of people out of work reaching its highest in 12 years, the government said on Wednesday.

The unemployment rate rose from 6.3 per cent for the three months ending in December, leaving more than 2 million people jobless for the first time since 1997 across the country, the Office for National Statistics said.

The Office for National Statistics figures showed the claimant count rose by 138,400 in February, after an upwardly revised increase of 93,500 in January.

That was well above analysts' forecasts for a rise of 85,000 and the biggest increase since comparable records began in 1971. The claimant count rate hit 4.3 per cent, the highest since 1999.

'It's clear that the data is absolutely dreadful,' said Amit Kara, UK economist at UBS. 'Going forward we expect unemployment to rise well in excess of three million through next year.'

The IMF expects the British economy to contract by a brutal 3.8 per cent this year and shrink a further 0.2 per cent in 2010, at a time when most of its partners are seen recovering.

Unemployment is likely to rise even further this year because the figures tend to lag developments in the economy.

Bank of England policymaker David Blanchflower thinks there could be one in 10 people out of work by the end of this year.

'Horrendous,' said George Buckley, chief UK economist at Deutsche Bank. 'It does take about six months before changes in GDP have their maximum effect in the jobs market.'

The FTSE 100 index of leading shares and the pound fell after the data, which were much weaker than markets expected. -- AP, THOMSON REUTERS.

US casinos losing gamblers

'Before this year, I never had a day without a single ride,' Mr Lochs said, rolling a cigarette outside the bankrupt Trump Plaza casino. 'This year, I've had three of them.' -- PHOTO: REUTERS




ATLANTIC CITY - IN THE 20 years he's worked on the Atlantic City boardwalk, Mr Joe Lochs has never seen business this bad.

Mr Lochs, 54, makes his living giving rides to casino patrons in a 'rolling chair,' a three-wheeled, wicker-sided buggy that he pushes up and down the boardwalk between casinos, shops and restaurants.

In good times, he can make US$1,000 (S$1,520) a week but since the beginning of winter, business is off by around 60 per cent, and some days, there is no work at all.

Business at Atlantic City's 11 casinos is falling at a record pace. Aggregate revenue plunged 19.2 per cent in February from a year earlier, the sharpest decline in the 30 years since gambling was legalised in the city, according to the New Jersey Casino Control Commission.

'Before this year, I never had a day without a single ride,' Mr Lochs said, rolling a cigarette outside the bankrupt Trump Plaza casino. 'This year, I've had three of them.'

Nearby, six of Lochs' competitors dozed in their chairs as potential clients strolled by in the late-winter sunshine.

Like everyone else in New Jersey's gambling capital, Mr Lochs has been hit by the contracting national economy and by increased competition from a growing gaming industry in surrounding states, particularly neighboring Pennsylvania, where casinos allow slot machines but not table games.

Three of the city's casinos, those operated by Trump Entertainment, are in bankruptcy following a court filing by Trump on Feb 17. Two new resorts planned by Pinnacle and MGM Mirage have been scrapped because financing is unavailable in the tight credit market.

Pinnacle said its plans for a US$1.5 billion beachfront resort had been postponed indefinitely and that it may consider selling the land once the economy improves.

Revel Entertainment is moving ahead with plans to build a US$2 billion resort but the project has been delayed because of difficulty securing financing. -- REUTERS

Madoffs to lose assets

Madoff's New York's Long Island home with Madoff (inset) -- PHOTOS: REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

NEW YORK - US prosecutors want swindler Bernard Madoff and his wife Ruth to forfeit more than US$100 million (S$154 million) worth of homes, cars, boats, securities, silverware and a piano following his March 12 guilty plea, according to court papers.

Homes in Manhattan, Palm Beach, Florida, Cap d'Antibes, France and on New York's Long Island, valued at a total of US$22 million, US$17 million in a bank account and at least US$45 million in COHMAD Securities Corp, a brokerage part-owned by Bernard Madoff, are on the government's list seen on Monday.

The 70-year-old Madoff, a former Nasdaq stock market chairman, was jailed Thursday after a dramatic courtroom guilty plea in Manhattan federal court to running the biggest investment fraud in Wall Street history that drew in as much as US$65 billion over 20 years.

His sentencing on 11 criminal charges is scheduled for June 16, when he could be imprisoned for the rest of his life.

Separately, the court-appointed trustee winding down the firm, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, said he would need a lawyer to track down assets in Gibraltar.

The US government's 'notice of intent to seek forfeiture of certain assets' also cites a Cayman Islands company called Yacht Bull Corp, three boats valued at more than US$10 million, four cars, US$65,000 in silverware and a Steinway piano worth US$39,000.

In a court filing in early March, the Madoffs' lawyers said US$69 million in property and accounts belonged to Ruth Madoff and was unrelated to the fraud.

For each of the properties, the government notice said 'all insured and readily salable personal property contained therein' were included as items subject to forfeiture.

Ruth Madoff's lawyer, Peter Chavkin, declined to comment on the government's notice. Bernard Madoff's lawyers were not immediately available to comment.

In court papers on Friday, lawyers for Bernard Madoff argued for his release pending sentencing. A list of assets filed with the appeal put the net worth of Madoff and his wife between US$823 million and US$826 million. -- REUTERS

Help for small businesses

WASHINGTON - PRESIDENT Barack Obama cracks open the federal treasury on Monday to small businesses with plans for billions of dollars in government loans for the struggling sector that employs an estimated 70 per cent of American workers.

The program represents the next step in the administration's massive spending aimed at braking the economy's plunge, and it could blunt opposition Republican complaints that Mr Obama was doing to little to ease the pain of small businesses.

After spending the first weeks of his administration in doom-saying as he sought to engender a sense of urgency for congressional passage of a US$787 billion (S$1.2 trillion) economic stimulus plan, Mr Obama and his aides now are talking up modest economic upticks - last week's stock market rise and signs that showed consumers may be ready to reopen their wallets.

Mr Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Monday planned to announce a broad package that includes that includes US$730 million from the stimulus plan, with reduced small-business lending fees and an increase on the guarantee for some Small Business Administration (SBA) loans to 90 per cent.

The government also planned aggressive steps to boost bank liquidity with more than US$10 billion aimed at unfreezing the secondary credit market - a key to making it easier for small businesses to borrow. Outlines of the plan were provided by administration officials who demanded anonymity to avoid pre-empting the president's announcement.

On Sunday, a key Obama economic adviser said the administration was confident in the nation's economic underpinnings.'The fundamentals are sound in the sense that the American workers are sound, we have a good capital stock, we have good technology,' White House Council of Economic Advisers chair Christina Romer said.

Many Republicans quickly recalled that Mr Obama had mocked his campaign opponent, Sen. John McCain, who had used similar words as the financial system was threatened with collapse shortly before the election.

Larry Summers, the director of the National Economic Council and an Obama adviser, issued a more modest assessment, quoting the president: 'It's never as good as people say it is when they say it's good, and it's never as bad as people say it is when they say it's bad.'

The focus on help to small businesses was being announced as Republicans seek political gain from some bipartisan misgivings about Mr Obama's ambitious spending blueprint. In particular, Republicans say, Mr Obama's budget proposal to raise taxes, starting in 2011, on individuals earning more than $200,000 and on households earning more than $250,000 will hurt small businesses.

'We've got to do something to help these small-business people. We know that they're the job creators in this economy,' the House Republicans' No. 2 official, Rep. Eric Cantor, said on Sunday. 'And the problem ... I think we're seeing out of the Obama administration is a lack of focus on how to get things going again.' -- AP

US missile strike kills 5

The Pakistani officials say the attack late on Sunday took place in Chota Janikhel village close to Bannu town. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

DERA ISMAIL KHAN (Pakistan) - INTELLIGENCE officials say a suspected US missile strike has killed two Arabs and three other people in northwest Pakistan.

The Pakistani officials say the attack late on Sunday took place in Chota Janikhel village close to Bannu town.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The identities of those killed were not immediately known.

It was the latest in almost three dozen suspected US missile strikes in Pakistan's border region since last year. -- AP

Riot police clash with mobs

LAHORE (Pakistan) - PAKISTAN'S main opposition leader Nawaz Sharif defied house arrest on Sunday, ramping up his challenge to the government, as riot police clashed with stone-throwing mobs in street battles.

The former premier, now the most popular political leader in the country, led about 10,000 supporters in a banned protest in Lahore, from where he has urged thousands of activists to march on the capital Islamabad by Monday.

Mr Sharif, locked in a standoff with President Asif Ali Zardari since the Supreme Court on Feb 25 barred him from running for office, is demanding the government reinstate judges deposed by ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

'We don't accept this decision. The house arrest is illegal and immoral. All these decisions are unconstitutional,' he told a crowd after breaking his house arrest order.

'Come and join me. I am leaving the house. The time has come to march hand in hand.'

In the most violent scenes since the crisis began, riot police wearing body armour baton-charged protesters and fired tear gas. Witnesses said more than a dozen people were wounded.

'The main GPO Square looked like a battleground. I saw at least two ambulances ferrying casualties to the hospital,' said resident Hanif Goraya, as Sharif supporters brought the city centre to a standstill.

'Police fired scores of shells, inside and outside the Lahore High Court building. A shell hit my left thigh, I received stitches. The injured include lawyers, political workers and some police officials,' he said.

At one point, crowds surged ahead of Mr Sharif's convoy to mob two public transport buses blocking the route, forcing drivers to rescue the vehicles from being set alight, as a large police presence melted away.

His SUV inched through the streets and down The Mall of Lahore, in a convoy of security vans, accompanied by private guards and supporters perched in vehicles and streaming behind on foot, said an AFP reporter. -- AFP

BN picks locals to contest

War of flags - Flags and banners from UMNO. PAS and the ruling [party Barisan Nasional compete for voter's asttention in Kedah. On the campaign trail with Dato' Mukhriz Mahatir in Jerlun, Kedah. [Malaysian Elections 2008] -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO

Kuala Lumpur - The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) yesterday named local boys as its candidates for three upcoming by-elections, ahead of a pre-election campaign that kicks off on March 29.

Its choices reveal that it is serious about going all-out to win the April 7 by-elections.

The opposition has yet to name its candidates.

Former Bukit Gantang Umno information chief Ismail Saffian, 49, has been chosen as BN's candidate for the parliamentary by-election in Bukit Gantang, Perak.

The choice of a local candidate in Bukit Gantang is significant because BN's candidate during the March elections, Mr Azim Zabidi, was not local. He lost to Parti Islam SeMalaysia's Roslan Shaharum, who died last month.

Mr Azim's candidacy also created resentment among local Umno divisions.

It has become increasingly crucial for BN to win the Bukit Gantang contest amid a constitutional crisis in Perak.

A win for the opposition would cause embarrassment for the BN, which took over the Perak government earlier this year amid defections.

Both sides have refused to concede defeat and the crisis is at an impasse.

Widespread sympathy for the opposition could lead to an easy victory for them here.

US$823m life of luxury

Madoff and his wife lived a life of luxury and owned properties all over the world. -- PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

NEW YORK - COURT documents released Friday show that Bernard Madoff and his wife Ruth lived a life of high luxury, with exclusive homes, yachts and other assets worth US$823 million (S$1.37 billion).

The revelations came in documents filed with the US Court of Appeals due March 19 to hear Madoff's appeal to be granted bail. He was jailed on Thursday after pleading guilty to a multi-billion-dollar investment fraud.

The documents, filed by Madoff's lawyer, show the Wall Street con man and his wife had US$22 million worth of real estate at the end of 2008.

This included the seven million dollar Manhattan apartment where Madoff lived between his arrest in December and Thursday's court hearing, when he pleaded guilty to 11 counts, including fraud, perjury, money laundering and theft.

Lawyers for Madoff, 70, argue he should be allowed back there on bail while he waits for a June 16 sentencing hearing. He is expected to receive to a lengthy prison sentence, with a maximum term of 150 years.

In addition to the apartment, the Madoffs had a US$1 million house in exclusive Cap d'Antibe in the south of France, another in New York state, and US$11 million house in Palm Beach, Florida.

Aside from the real estate, the disclosure lists nearly US$10 million worth of furniture and art, and a seven million dollar yacht named 'Bull' in France, complete with its own US$1.5 million slip.

Long known for lavish tastes, the Madoffs are revealed to have owned US$2.6 million in jewelry, a US$39,000 Steinway piano and US$65,000 worth of silverware in their New York apartment alone.

Madoff's documents show a US$700 million dollar value on his now disgraced investment business.

Madoff claimed in court on Thursday that although his personal investment advisory business was crooked, the trading branch of his firm was legitimate.

Most of the real estate and many other assets are said to be owned exclusively by Ruth Madoff.

Lawyers have sought to separate her from Madoff's interests as his thousands of victims and prosecutors ramp up efforts to recuperate the money he stole over at least two decades. -- AFP

M'sia's Q1, Q2 to be 'bad'

'If we have a government that faces no financial constraints, we can do many things,' said Mr Nor Mohamed. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA'S economy is going to suffer in the first couple of quarters this year, a top minister was quoted as saying on Saturday, as the export-dependent country battles dying growth.

'The first two quarters are going to be bad,' Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop told the Edge financial weekly.

Malaysia on Tuesday announced a 60 billion ringgit (S$27 billion) stimulus package to boost the economy.

Mr Nor Mohamed said the stimulus package will add 2.5 per cent to 3 per cent to the economy, and that in its absence the economy will contract by at least 2.5 percent.

Malaysia's growth came in at just 0.1 per cent in the fourth quarter, and the government also on Tuesday cut its 2009 growth estimate to a range of 1 per cent contraction to 1 per cent growth from an earlier expectation of 3.5 per cent expansion. Exports, worth more than 100 per cent of the South-east Asian country's gross domestic product, fell 28 per cent in January.

The stimulus package has been criticized by many economists for not including provisions for immediate relief, such as individual tax breaks and making money directly available to consumers to boost domestic demand.

Mr Nor Mohamed said this was because of Malaysia's growing fiscal deficit, which is officially forecast at 7.6 per cent of gross domestic product this year. Malaysia has been running a deficit for the last ten years.

'If we have a government that faces no financial constraints, we can do many things,' Mr Nor Mohamed said.

'But we start on the basis that money is limited, and for every ringgit that we spend there is of course growth, but there is also the deficit.' When asked by the newspaper whether the government had run out of options to help the economy, he left the probability of another boost open.

'... we say this is not the silver bullet, not the last bullet,' Mr Nor Mohamed said. -- REUTERS

A 'very dangerous year'

World Bank president Robert Zoellick (left) said on Friday that 2009 was turning into 'a very dangerous year' for the global economy. --PHOTO: REUTERS

LONDON - WORLD Bank president Robert Zoellick said on Friday that 2009 was turning into 'a very dangerous year' for the global economy.

'2009 is shaping up to be a very dangerous year,' he told reporters ahead of Saturday's G20 finance ministers meeting on how best to tackle the worst economic slowdown in decades.

'I believe it will be a positive sign if the G20 supports extended IMF resources, condemns protectionism and supports practical solutions,' Mr Zoellick said.

The G20 includes the Group of Seven industrialised countries - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States - the European Union and leading developing nations including Brazil, China and India.

Finance ministers and central bank leaders from the United States and Europe go into Saturday's meeting deeply divided on whether stimulus packages or tighter regulation of the finance sector should be the way forward.

Saturday's gathering in Horsham, near London, is expected to lay the groundwork for a G20 heads of state summit on April 2. -- AFP

KL to have new mega-tower

KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA'S capital Kuala Lumpur will see a 65-storey Four Seasons building rise up alongside its iconic 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers, a report said on Friday.

The tower, which will include a hotel, apartments and a shopping mall, will be completed by 2012 despite the global economic crisis, developer Syed Yusof Syed Nasir told the New Straits Times.

The daily said the project, known as Four Seasons Place, was being built by a firm controlled by Syed Nasir along with Malaysian tycoon Ong Beng Seng and the Sultan of Selangor.

'We are committed to the project even during the downturn,' Syed Nasir said.

The daily said the 140 apartments in the project would be sold for about RM2,500 (S$1,049) per square foot.

The 452-metre (1,483-foot) Petronas Twin Towers which were completed in 1998 were the world's tallest buildings until they were upstaged by the 509-metre-high Taipei 101 in Taiwan's capital. -- AFP

Umno rocked by bribery probe

KUALA LUMPUR - THE ruling party was rocked on Thursday by a high-level investigation involving bribery allegations and a prominent minister preparing to run in a party election that will shape Malaysia's next administration.

In a vaguely worded statement on Thursday, the Tourism Ministry said 'some of its personnel have been asked to provide statements' to assist the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in its investigations.

It denied that any offence has occurred, but said the ministry will 'extend its cooperation in all investigations', including a probe into misuse of ministry funds.

The New Straits Times daily reported last week that 11 people have been questioned. Among them is Tourism Minister Azalina Othman Said's political secretary, who was allegedly found with RM70,000(S$29,000) cash - purportedly ministry funds - in his car, it said.

The probe puts Ms Azalina in the spotlight as she prepares to contest a post in the ruling party's powerful Supreme Council during the March 24-28 elections. The Supreme Council takes all major party decisions.

The investigation has revived complaints that elections to the top posts in the ruling United Malays National Organisation party are usually tainted by bribery, with contestants paying huge sums of money to delegates to win votes.

The anti-corruption commission has not commented on the case.

The opposition dismissed the probe as the result of a power struggle in the ruling party.

The probe is simply 'a tool for the ruling clique to engage in their own games and power struggle', said Tian Chua of the opposition People's Justice Party.

The Umno elections will choose top officer bearers, who hold important positions in the government. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak is contesting the post of party president unopposed.

Once elected, he will also become the prime minister and replace Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is stepping down to take responsibility for the party's dismal election showing in March 2008. -- AP

Marking a year at Penang’s helm

The man who used to be called SG (secretary-general) and now CM (chief minister) but actually only wants to be known as Guan Eng spoke to The Star on his family, his famous father and the challenges of his new role as a government leader.

ONE year after DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng landed the top job in Penang, he is still trying to get the hang of it.

He is still adjusting to changes, juggling his position between being an MP and state assemblyman as well as managing a team of executive councillors to run the state.

“It has been tough for my family but I marvel at their courage and determination to adjust. It’s definitely not easy,” Lim said.

Despite his busy schedule, Lim takes time off for himself to have his hawkers’ meals, especially the all-time Penang favourite, char koay teow.

“I have even conducted meetings in hawker centres while having such meals,” he said.

But what he really misses these days are reading and watching his favourite football team, Manchester United in action.

Doting dad: Lim kicking the ball around with his youngest son Ethan at his official residence Seri Teratai as his wife Durian Daun (Malacca) Assemblyman Betty Chew looks on.

On being Chief Minister

It has changed my life but I am still the same person because I know where I came from. I’ve gone through the bitterness and pain. When I was languishing in prison, I always encouraged myself that this too shall pass. Even at your lowest ebb, always remember that this will pass if you persevere. Even when you peak, that too will pass, so take it with a sense of equanimity.

What is important when it comes to leadership is that you have to lead a strong team. You can be the best person but if you cannot forge a team of brilliant individuals to work as a team, you are a failure.

Being chief minister is the priority. I have my assistants to help me in my state constituency and if necessary, I’ll go down myself to keep close tabs on the ground.

Of course, I have to discharge my duties as MP and secretary-general but it’s a question of balancing. What’s important is to keep the ship on even keel.

I told my members when I was first elected as secretary-general where I want to bring them. My objective is not to make DAP the largest opposition party. My aim was to make us a full partner in power. I never expected that to happen within a few years but now that we have done that, being chief minister must be the priority because we have always said we wanted to be in power.

The most important thing is to provide the leadership and carry out the transformation of Penang.

An invaluable lesson

I’ve learnt in this one year is to have faith and trust in the people. A government can only be as good as the people and Penangites are good that is why we must trust them.

I cannot give the people everything they want but at least I can assure them that there is no corruption. Everything is for public benefit. We save money so we can use it to wipe out hardcore poverty. We are even-handed when we take action.

Faith, hope and love

These are not just words. These are values to me. I believe a government should have a soul. We are not cold calculating machines. A government can have a soul by having these values.

We want the people to have faith that the government is here to help, not harm you.

For too long, the government has been seen as a necessary evil. We want to be seen as a necessary good.

It sounds corny but love helps you get through the day. No matter how tired I am, when I go back and see my children, it gives me that “ooomph”.

In society, if there is no love, there cannot be national unity, if there is no caring society, there is no compassion.”

Tun Lim Chong Eu a leadership benchmark

I’ve met him several times. What the former Penang Chief Minister said will remain private but he has always been positive and encouraging.

We view him as a benchmark because he is one of the best leaders in the country. A decisive leadership, having a vision of where you want to take Penang to and never forgetting that the people are your masters – these are things from Tun’s administration that can be applied to this government.

I’ll never be embarrassed to seek his advice. I’m willing to meet anyone who can help Penang. I’m not a person who sticks to protocol. I don’t have a big ego. That’s why I even offered to meet Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon despite my obvious feelings about him.

Kit Siang’s son

Anyone would be proud to have Lim Kit Siang as a father but it is always difficult to grow under a banyan tree. Its big shade may be very cooling and comforting yet it can also stunt your achievements because it may not be seen as your own effort.

Any failure is magnified. It’s difficult. I was a young boy when he was detained under the Internal Security Act. At that age, you think your father is a bad person because only bad people are arrested by the police so it was an immense struggle for me to convince myself otherwise.

I remember my classmates jeering at me in school, saying my father was a bad guy. I could only kneel and cry – not because of the jeering but because I thought what was said was true and I could not defend him.

I never told my mother because I didn’t want her to be sad. I had caught her crying at night when my father was detained. It was then that I realised in this life, there is so much injustice and when you try to right the wrongs, you are punished.

I am inspired by his sacrifice and determination, ideals and principles.

But finally it’s my own faith and belief that has pulled me through. When I was in prison, who my father was didn’t matter. When I was in prison, my family was there to hold hands during the tough times. My children understand but in a way its not fair to them.

His relationship with the media

I’m a small town guy still getting used to the cameras and bright lights. Previously, we never had that. Nobody cared. We were lucky to get one reporter to cover our events and even then, we were not sure whether they would see print it or not.

The hurdles

It’s been a year now but there are still some obstructions. The Opposition is trying to derail and obstruct our programmes like the cancellation of summonses, putting up bilingual signboards and their unwillingness to come clean on land scams.

Some government officials are also not supportive of this government. I have reprimanded a few senior and mid-rank officials but those who deserve a second chance will be given it. Those who need to be transferred will face it soon.

We gave them a year to get used to the change and if they still cannot, they have to leave. I can work with anybody as long as they can accept that this government expects orders to be complied with.

We can’t expect Barisan to support us all the time but on measures which are critical and which are common to all political parties like wiping out poverty, they must work together with us. In areas which you claim is part of your agenda, why are you trying to undermine our efforts?

There are instances where we offer our hand, like when we invited the state Opposition Leader to speak at a government function against Israel in Gaza.

We also created the role of Opposition Leader. This is an indication that we can work with the Opposition if they are constructive.

DAP governance and the new premier

People’s hopes and expectations are a big pressure. Whether we like it or not, Penang will be a model of DAP governance. If we do well here, people can see that the DAP can govern well.

Thirty percent of the country’s exports are from Penang and 30% of foreign tourist arrivals are also from here.

We must impress on the Federal Government that they cannot allow Penang to fail because of political vindictiveness. They will become losers too. Let’s all be winners.

So far, we have a fruitful relationship where I’ve managed to get things done and hopefully I can get more ministers to come around. Penang’s interest is so closely intertwined with Malaysia’s interest.

I have spoken to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at impromptu meetings outside Parliament. So far, discussions have been positive.

Our relationship with the Federal Govern- ment is touchy at times but we must stick to the big picture which is national interest.

I am happy that at least the Second Penang Bridge is proceeding at full speed and the court house is completed. The Tourism Ministry’s Zoom project was also held here.

It is not that I want to wax lyrical on the potential and attractiveness of Penang but we have a natural advantage and brand appeal. Let’s leverage on this. That is why Penang must be made an international city.

We are pushing for free WiFi because Internet connection is considered a requirement like water and electricity. We want to introduce international benchmarks to solve problems of cleanliness, crime and congestion.

The Opposition mentality

You must look at the role I am playing here. I am the government here but at Federal level, I am the Opposition. When I ask for something for Penang, I ask nicely and humbly. But if refused, what do you expect me to do? Lie down and cry? That is not our style.

If you do not agree, I will pursue the matter forcefully because Penangites pay taxes and want to see a justifiable return. We are still learning but in one year, there are changes you can see, touch and feel. Look at Komtar now. We have revived it. We have put up multi-lingual signboards, attracted record investments and put in free WiFi. There may be some delay (in certain projects) but we are trying to make the administration leaner and faster.

CAT governance

We are Malaysia’s first Competency, Accounta- bility and Transparency (CAT) government and we are proud of it. The Oppo- sition keeps saying that we have failed, such as in the eradication of hardcore poverty programme. But it is not even the end of March yet.

Whether we achieve or not, at least we are trying to do what they never dared to. Even if there is a delay, it will be only be by one or two months but I am quadrupling my efforts to make sure it happens by the end of this month.

Most hardcore poor families are in the Opposition’s constituencies but they are not keen on helping us.

Last year, we got RM10.2bil in investments, double the amount in 2007. This is a record achievement. How can this be the effort of the previous administration?

The hardest part is closing the deal. Insurance agents will tell you that. The fact that we convinced them is evidence enough to show their confidence in us.

We have also managed to collect debts owed to the state which were not collected for years.

I will be announcing a few tourism projects soon but generally speaking, we have to source for private finance initiatives and public-private partnerships if we can’t get funding from the federal government.

The team

I have told my exco to improve on their communication skills and to be more accessible and friendly to the media. They have to come out and explain the rationale of actions. This is a learning curve.

There are weaknesses but we will take the necessary steps to remedy them. If any of our exco members fail, it is considered not just an individual failure.

This is a team effort. We try to lift everybody together but if in the end, if there is still somebody left behind, we won’t wait until next general election to make any adjustments.

When it is crucial for the state’s development, changes can be made especially in portfolios. We will do what’s necessary. Our objective is to scale international benchmarks.

Obama wants new teachers

President Barack Obama will unveil an overhaul of the underperforming US education system, with a goal of restoring America to the top-ranks of learning excellence on Tuesday. --PHOTO: AP

WASHINGTON ? PRESIDENT Barack Obama promoted his costly education overhaul on Tuesday, pressing methodically forward with stimulus and government reform plans in the midst of an imploding economy.

Schools across the nation have been struggling as millions of Americans have lost their jobs, and state and local governments have seen tax revenues tighten. Obama did not propose new spending during the speech, although he already has taken steps on education.

His $787 billion economic stimulus package provides $41 billion in grants to local school districts.

He also plans to send $79 billion in state fiscal relief to prevent cuts in state aid and another $21 billion for school modernization.

In his speech, the president issued a call for a new generation of teachers.

'America needs you,' he said.

'We need you in our suburbs. We need you in our small towns. We need you in our inner cities. We need you in classrooms all across our country,' said Obama, unveiling the first piece of his education plan to the US. -- AP

Chinese 'harassed' US ship

WASHINGTON - THE United States on Monday urged China to observe international maritime rules after the Pentagon said five Chinese ships, including a naval vessel, harassed a US Navy ship in international waters.

The Chinese vessels 'shadowed and aggressively maneuvered in dangerously close proximity' to the USNS Impeccable on Sunday, with one vessel coming within 25 feet (7.6 metres) of the US ship, a US Defense Department statement said.

The American ship, an unarmed ocean surveillance vessel, was conducting routine operations in the South China Sea 75 miles (120 km) south of Hainan Island, according to the Pentagon.

Defense officials said the incident followed days of increasingly aggressive Chinese conduct in the area, including fly-bys of two US Navy ships by Chinese maritime surveillance planes.

'Our ships operate fairly regularly in international waters where these incidents took place,' White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told a news conference.

'We are going to continue to operate in those international waters and we expect the Chinese to observe international laws around them.' The US embassy in Beijing lodged a protest on Sunday with the Chinese government, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said. US defense policy officials on Monday reiterated the protest to China's defense attache in Washington.

Officials at the Chinese embassy in Washington did not return calls seeking comment.

'The unprofessional maneuvers by Chinese vessels violated the requirement under international law to operate with due regard for the rights and safety of other lawful users of the ocean,' Marine Corps Major Stewart Upton, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement.

'We expect Chinese ships to act responsibly and refrain from provocative activities that could lead to miscalculation or a collision at sea.' The Pentagon identified the Chinese vessels in Sunday's incident as a navy intelligence ship, a bureau of maritime fisheries patrol vessel, a state oceanographic administration patrol vessel and two small Chinese-flagged trawlers.

The Impeccable is one of five ocean surveillance ships that serve with the US 7th Fleet, which is based Yokosuka, Japan. The ships use low-frequency sound to search for undersea threats including submarines, a US military official said. -- REUTERS

US$50 trillion wiped out

'Asia was hit harder than other parts of the developing world because the region's markets have expanded much more rapidly,' the Manila-based bank said in a new study. -- PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

MANILA - THE global crisis wiped a staggering US$50 trillion (S$77 trillion) off the value of financial assets last year including US$9.6 trillion of losses in developing Asia alone, the Asian Development Bank said on Monday.

'This is by far the most serious crisis to hit the world economy since the Great Depression,' said ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda.

But he predicted Asia would be 'one of the first regions to emerge from it'.

In a study commissioned by the Manila-based lender on the impact of the financial crisis on emerging economies, it estimated the value of financial assets worldwide - currency, equity and bond markets - to have dropped by US$50 trillion in 2008.

It said developing Asia was hit harder - losing the equivalent of just over one year's worth of gross domestic product - than other emerging economies because the region has expanded much more rapidly.

In Latin America, losses were estimated at US$2.1 trillion. According to the study, the figures provide clear proof of the close connections between markets and economies around the world, leaving few, if any, countries immune to financial or economic fallout. A recovery can only now be envisaged for late 2009 or early 2010, it said.

A sprawling region, developing Asia includes 44 economies from the central Asian republics to China to the Pacific islands. The bank had earlier projected the region's growth to slow to 5.8 per cent this year from an estimated 6.9 per cent last year.

The worldwide downturn has hit export-driven economies particularly hard. From South Korea to Taiwan to Singapore, exports have plunged by double digits in recent months as American and European consumers spent less on cars and gadgets.

Mr Kuroda said on Monday the impact of the crisis could result in a spike in unemployment, slower growth rates and depressed stock markets.

Tight liquidity and credit could also hit small and medium enterprises, while a drop in remittances from overseas workers, which has been fueling domestic consumption in countries like the Philippines and Indonesia, could remove important social safety nets, Mr Kuroda said.

He said the ADB has responded by stepping up access to loans, grants and credit guarantees by several billion dollars from the originally planned US$12 billion for 2009. -- AP

Women drug runners up

IN JUST four months, a dozen Singapore women have been nabbed for making drug runs after they were persuaded by West Africans who seduced them with love, money and offers of travel.

In the three years between 2005 and 2007, there were only seven such cases.

The sudden surge in numbers was revealed by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on Monday in a statement warning of the phenomenon.

Last December, five Singaporean women were caught abroad. Barely three months into this year, another seven have been arrested, including two who were stopped here before they left Singapore.

The CNB said: 'Singaporeans should not allow themselves to be made use of by foreign drug syndicates and should reject any suspicious offer of free travel or paid holidays.'

The instigators were described as members of West African drug syndicates who were mostly Nigerians aged between 20 and 30. Some claimed to be businessmen who dealt in used car or electronic goods.

Based on investigations, the syndicate members got to know the women at public places or social networking websites.

'Many of these female Singaporean drug couriers were cajoled into carrying out the drug runs, with promises of love and friendship or inducement of free holidays or cash payment,' said the CNB statement.

'Swiss gigolo' on trial

BERLIN - 'I LIVE off money that women give me,' the so-called 'Swiss gigolo' told his country's police in 2001.

But when he allegedly tried to hoodwink BMW heiress Susanne Klatten, it looks like Helg Sgarbi got too greedy.

On Monday Sgarbi goes on trial in Munich charged with blackmailing a string of super-rich women out of millions of euros. If convicted, the smooth-talking Sgarbi, who told his wealthy conquests he was a 'special Swiss representative in crisis zones', according to the charge sheet, faces up to 10 years in prison.

According to prosecutors he first met Ms Klatten, who has a personal fortune of over US$13 billion (S$20 billion) according to the Forbes Rich List, at the Lanserhof exclusive Austrian health resort in July 2007.

At first the married mother-of-three spurned his advances but when Sgarbi turned up unexpectedly in the south of France where she was on holiday the following month, they began an affair. Later in August they met in a Holiday Inn hotel in Munich - suitably downmarket for Ms Klatten not to run into any acquaintances - for an 'intimate' encounter that Sgarbi secretly filmed, according to the charge sheet.

In September they met at the same hotel and this time Sgarbi allegedly said that he needed 10 million euros because he had injured a little girl in a car crash in Florida - asking Ms Klatten to lend him a cool seven million euros.

Ms Klatten believed him, handing over the sum in the underground garage of the Holiday Inn a cardboard box containing seven plastic folders each containing a thousand 500-euro banknotes.

But then Sgarbi went for the big one, telling the 46-year-old to leave her husband and put into a trust fund 290 million euros to fund their new life together.

Ms Klatten balked, and ended the relationship. But then Sgarbi turned nasty, according to prosecutors, threatening to send compromising video footage of the two together to the press and to her husband, among others.

This time he allegedly demanded 49 million euros, which he subsequently reduced to 14 million euros, and set a deadline of Jan 15 last year. But she had long since informed the police, and Sgarbi was arrested. -- AFP