SCENARIOS - North Korea again at centre of regional tension |
- SCENARIOS - North Korea again at centre of regional tension
- North Korea threatens to cut last link with South
- BP's handle on Gulf spill pivots on 'top kill'
- Japan PM confident ruling coalition will hold
- Hon Hai in damage control blitz after worker suicides
- Flights cancelled as Air India staff strike over media gag
- Oil slick 'contained' off Singapore
- Foxconn takes bizarre steps over worker suicides
- Orang Asli get RM6.5m compensation
- Apple watching Foxconn's handling of China suicides
- 'Miraculous' baby survives being hit by Australian train
- Flights cancelled as Air India staff strike over media gag
- Multiple choice questions on subsidy cuts
- Indonesia deports French journalists
- Clinton urges China to pressure North Korea
- Bombs kill two, wound 28 in Thai Muslim south
- Hon Hai in damage control blitz after worker suicides
- Remove subsidies systematically: FOMCA
- Clinton warns N.Korea to stop threats, provocation
- Thai tourism plans comeback after unrest
| SCENARIOS - North Korea again at centre of regional tension Posted: 26 May 2010 12:51 AM PDT SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea warned it would close the last road link across the increasing tense peninsula if the South goes ahead with a threat to broadcast anti-Pyongyang propaganda into its hermit neighbour.
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| North Korea threatens to cut last link with South Posted: 26 May 2010 12:51 AM PDT SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea threatened on Wednesday to close the last road link with the South if Seoul goes ahead with anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts, as Washington pressured China to help persuade the North to change its ways.
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| BP's handle on Gulf spill pivots on 'top kill' Posted: 26 May 2010 12:51 AM PDT HOUSTON (Reuters) - Dogged by delays and intense pressure from the Obama administration, BP Plc faces a pivotal day on Wednesday as it attempts a tricky plan to clog the gushing Gulf of Mexico oil well five weeks into the disaster.
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| Japan PM confident ruling coalition will hold Posted: 26 May 2010 12:51 AM PDT TOKYO (Reuters) - Struggling Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said on Wednesday he was confident his coalition would stick together, despite concerns a junior partner might withdraw over a plan to keep a U.S. airbase on Okinawa.
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| Hon Hai in damage control blitz after worker suicides Posted: 26 May 2010 12:51 AM PDT LONGHUA, China (Reuters) - Dressed in white, the traditional colour of mourning in China, the father of 19-year-old Ma Xiangqian weeps outside the gates of a sprawling electronics complex. His wife and daughter kneel alongside.
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| Flights cancelled as Air India staff strike over media gag Posted: 25 May 2010 04:48 PM PDT MUMBAI: A total of 76 Air India flights were cancelled today after a lightning strike by ground crew and engineers in protest at a management gag order on staff after the weekend's fatal air crash. The state-run carrier said senior officials were to hold talks with two unions, whose members walked out yesterday after being ordered not to speak to the media about safety after the accident in Mangalore. The protest came after Air India asked union officials to respond to claims that they had disclosed sensitive information following Saturday's Air India Express crash that killed 158 of the 166 people on board. "Talks will take place in Delhi as part of our contingency plan to reschedule operations," Air India spokesman K Swaminathan said. "Seventy-six flights will be cancelled today across all the main metros (Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata). These include 14 international flights." Nearly 50 flights were cancelled and many more delayed yesterday after the walk-out by some 15,000 staff from the Air India Engineering Association and the Air Corporation Employees Union. Vivek Rao, from the Air Corporation Employees Union, said: "The strike continues. It's definitely across the country. We are not going to buckle under pressure... We are asking for the gag order to be removed." Air India appealed to those on strike that it had a "well-established system of dealing with any grievance -- be it of an individual employee or groups of employees" and that a walk-out was not necessary. The company is trying to turn around heavy losses and improve its market share of the domestic aviation sector, which has been eroded by the growth in private and low-cost carriers in recent years It declared a 55.5-billion rupee (RM3.9 million)net loss for the financial year to March 2009 and is expected to report a 54-billion rupee loss for the 12 months to March 2010, according to government figures. - AFP
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| Oil slick 'contained' off Singapore Posted: 25 May 2010 04:34 PM PDT
"Small patches of oil" were sighted at a naval base near Changi Airport early today morning, Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said, and six vessels had been dispatched to clean them up. "Other than this, the oil slick has not affected Singapore's coastlines," an MPA statement said. "The waters in our anchorages and the Traffic Separation Scheme south of Changi were reported to be clean," the MPA said, referring to a busy shipping lane also straddling Malaysia and Indonesia. The Malaysian-registered tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3 was carrying nearly 62,000 tonnes of crude when it collided before dawn yesterday with the MV Waily, a bulk carrier registered in St Vincent and the Grenadines. A spokeswoman for the tanker's operator, petroleum shipper AET, said the leaked crude was "more or less contained" and would not spread out of the clean-up zone after being surrounded by booms. About 2,500 tonnes of crude leaked from a gash on the double-hulled tanker's port side, according to port officials, withdrawing an estimate of 5,000 tonnes in a statement issued by Singapore's ministry of foreign affairs late yesterday. Double-hulled tankers are designed to limit spillage in case of a rupture. In a statement today, AET said "the incident caused significant damage to the vessel's hull and resulted in a spill of Bintulu light crude oil that is now being cleaned up by specialists using a small armada of boats". "Efforts resumed early this morning, with the addition of more than 100 personnel deployed along the shoreline in case the spill reaches the coast," the Malaysia-based company said. Singapore ecologists said they were awaiting progress reports on the clean-up after the government alerted waterfront establishments and communities in districts near Changi Airport to be on standby for a possible oil-spill impact. "If they manage to contain it, then it won't affect wildlife that much," said Louis Ng, executive director of activist group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society. An AFP reporter who visited the Changi coast on Wednesday said there were no indications that any of the oil had washed ashore. Underwater nets The strong smell of crude that had lingered in residential areas near the coast overnight was gone as joggers and cyclists enjoyed the fresh morning breeze. Singapore food-industry regulators said 51 offshore aquaculture farms near the spill were loaned canvas skirting to cover their underwater nets and prevent any leaked oil from contaminating their fish stocks. The collision took place in a busy shipping route along the Singapore and Malacca straits but ship traffic was not affected by the incident and clean-up, port officials said. Singapore is one of the world's leading ports, with data from the port authority showing the island-nation handled 472 million tonnes of cargo last year, with bulk oil cargo constituting 37.5 percent of the total. Hours after the collision, an oil slick about four kilometres (2.5 miles) long and one kilometre wide was spotted near the east coast of Singapore. There were no immediate estimates of the remaining slick's volume Wednesday, and salvage experts said much of it would evaporate in the tropical heat. AET said the remaining oil within the damaged section of the tanker was being pumped into another tank in the vessel prior to an underwater inspection of the hull. - AFP
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| Foxconn takes bizarre steps over worker suicides Posted: 25 May 2010 04:24 PM PDT  SHENZHEN: Apple manufacturer Foxconn was taking extraordinary measures today to safeguard its business and workers following a spate of suicides at its sprawling plant in southern China. Workers have reportedly been told to sign letters promising not to kill themselves and even agreeing to be sent to psychiatric institutions if they appear to be in an "abnormal mental or physical state for the protection of myself and others". Nets were also reportedly being hung around buildings to deter suicidal employees. The measures came after a 19-year-old employee fell to his death at the Shenzhen factory yesterday -- the ninth apparent suicide at the enormous site this year. The deaths have raised questions about conditions for millions of factory workers in China, especially at Foxconn, where labour activists and employees say long hours, low pay and high pressure are the norm. Terry Gou, chairman of Foxconn's Taiwanese parent company Hon Hai Precision, flew into the booming city of Shenzhen aboard his private jet today with reporters, whom he urged to see the factory for themselves. Labour activists in nearby Hong Kong called yesterday for a boycott of the next generation of Apple's iPhone, which is assembled by Foxconn, days ahead of the international launch of the iPad. The Taiwanese technology giant, which also boasts Dell and Hewlett-Packard among its clients, has defended its practices and Gou on Monday said he was not running "blood and sweat factories". "You know, Hon Hai has more than 800,000 workers worldwide, and it's not easy to manage such a large team," he said. But workers spoke of long hours, harsh supervisors and low pay. A 21-year-old employee from the southern province of Guangxi told the South China Morning Post how she worked 12-hours a day, six days a week. "The atmosphere inside our workplaces is so tight and depressing that we're not allowed to speak to each other for 12 hours or you'll be reproached by your supervisors." Another worker, from the central province of Hunan, complained that the assembly line moved too fast and she had to check thousands of motherboards for electronic gadgets every day. The 22-year-old's monthly salary, including overtime, was only 2,000 yuan (RM979) -- about the same as the US price of a 32 gigabyte iPhone. "I feel like I have an empty life and work like a machine," she told the paper. Bizarre action Foxconn is taking bizarre action to try to prevent further suicides -- notably getting staff to sign a letter promising not to kill themselves, according to Taiwan's CTI cable TV channel. Roof patrols are also being arranged and nets installed around buildings to deter suicidal workers, it added. "If they jump, they'll fall into the safety nets, so their lives will be saved," a contractor told the channel. The Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper today published a photo of a memo with a Foxconn letterhead that it said all employees were being asked to sign. The letter instructed employees to report to a supervisor or seek medical help if they experienced any difficulties or frustration. "I promise never to hurt myself or others in an extreme manner," said a pledge section of the letter. The letter also contained a section asking employees to allow the company to send them to a medical institution if they appeared to be in an "abnormal mental or physical state for the protection of myself and others". One Foxconn worker told the newspaper he had refused to sign because the company was seeking the right to institutionalise employees. "If I bicker with my supervisor, will I be sent to a mental hospital?" the employee told the paper. But there was no shortage of people trying to get through the factory gates. Around 8,000 people apply to work at the factory every day, Foxconn spokesman Liu Kun told the state-run China Daily newspaper. The company came under pressure from Beijing today, as China's Taiwan Affairs Office said it was working with Foxconn to implement "effective measures". "We are deeply sorry for the Foxconn employees who jumped to their death," the office's spokesman, Yang Yi, told a news conference. Yang said the suicides would have no impact on China's relations with self-ruled Taiwan. - AFP
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| Orang Asli get RM6.5m compensation Posted: 26 May 2010 12:37 AM PDT It was a victory for 26 Temuan families in Bukit Tampoi, Dengkil, when they were awarded RM6.5 million as compensation for their native customary land which was taken to build a highway to the KL International Airport (KLIA) in 1995.
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| Apple watching Foxconn's handling of China suicides Posted: 26 May 2010 12:33 AM PDT HONG KONG, May 26 (AFP) - Apple said Wednesday it was evaluating steps by Foxconn, manufacturer of many of its products including the iPhone, to prevent further suicides at an assembly plant in southern China.
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| 'Miraculous' baby survives being hit by Australian train Posted: 26 May 2010 12:21 AM PDT MELBOURNE, May 26 (AFP) - A 15-month-old baby escaped with minor cuts and bruises after being hit by a train Wednesday when his pushchair rolled off a station platform, paramedics said.
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| Flights cancelled as Air India staff strike over media gag Posted: 26 May 2010 12:20 AM PDT MUMBAI, May 26 (AFP) - A total of 76 Air India flights were cancelled Wednesday after a lightning strike by ground crew and engineers in protest at a management gag order on staff after the weekend's fatal air crash.
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| Multiple choice questions on subsidy cuts Posted: 26 May 2010 12:14 AM PDT There will be another open day on 27 May in Kuala Lumpur. However, it is not meant for festive celebration. Instead, it is to collect public opinion on subsidy cuts. People attending the Subsidy Lab Open Day are best to bring along their calculators to calculate the increment of cost of living after the subsidy cuts.
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| Indonesia deports French journalists Posted: 26 May 2010 12:12 AM PDT JAKARTA, May 26(AFP) - Two French journalists will be deported from Indonesia on Wednesday after they filmed a peaceful demonstration in Papua province, where the government is accused of rights abuses.
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| Clinton urges China to pressure North Korea Posted: 26 May 2010 12:20 AM PDT SEOUL (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday it was in the interests of the international community, including China, to persuade North Korea to change its ways.
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| Bombs kill two, wound 28 in Thai Muslim south Posted: 25 May 2010 11:48 PM PDT YALA, May 26 — Two bombs exploded in quick succession in Thailand's restive Muslim south today, killing two people and wounding at least 28, police said. The first bomb, hidden in a motorcycle, exploded near a car showroom in Yala province, 1,100km south of Bangkok, police said. As rescue workers and bomb squads arrived at the scene, the second ...
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| Hon Hai in damage control blitz after worker suicides Posted: 25 May 2010 11:37 PM PDT BEIJING, May 26 — Dressed in white, the traditional colour of mourning in China, the father of 19-year-old Ma Xiangqian weeps outside the gates of a sprawling electronics complex. His wife and daughter kneel alongside. Ma is one of nine workers who have died in apparent suicides at tightly guarded factory complexes this year, raising questions ...
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| Remove subsidies systematically: FOMCA Posted: 26 May 2010 12:03 AM PDT The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA) has called on the government to systematically dismantle the various subsidies as they are a huge "waste" and not benefiting the target groups.
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| Clinton warns N.Korea to stop threats, provocation Posted: 26 May 2010 12:01 AM PDT SEOUL, May 26 (AFP) - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned North Korea Wednesday to halt its "provocations and policy of threats" and said the world must respond to its sinking of a South Korean warship.
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| Thai tourism plans comeback after unrest Posted: 25 May 2010 11:58 PM PDT BANGKOK, May 26 (AFP) - The Thai capital has been mostly scrubbed clean, but it will be some time before images of two months of deadly anti-government street protests fade from the minds of potential visitors.
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