SECURITY FORCES NOW GET FIREARMS

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A news article taken from TODAYOnline.com, Tuesday, 23-Mar-2010

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BANGKOK - Just as their protests seemed to be petering out, Thailand's red-shirted protesters vowed to "shut down" Bangkok with another rally on Saturday, defying the government which had raised the stakes with new security measures.

Starting yesterday, army officers guarding key sites including checkpoints, government buildings and military bases were supplied with firearms. Previously, the 30,000 military personnel deployed for the protests were not armed.

Army spokesman Colonel Sunsern Kaewkumnerd said the government was "very concerned" after several minor grenade attacks and wanted to "prevent ill-intentioned people from inciting unrest".

But he said army officers will be allowed to use their weapons "only in crucial situations in order to protect the lives of officials or the public".

On Saturday, two small grenade blasts hit Bangkok and a nearby province shortly after tens of thousands of anti-government protesters held a parade through the capital. One person was slightly injured.

A week ago, four grenades exploded at a Bangkok military base, wounding two soldiers.

Col Sunsern warned demonstrators that the army was also ready to take "decisive action" if they try to disrupt a Cabinet meeting scheduled for today at a ministry on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the government would extend a stringent security law for an additional week in Bangkok and two other provinces, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan.

The Internal Security Act, which allows authorities to set up checkpoints, impose curfews and limit movement, had been enforced across eight provinces since March 11 and was due to expire today.

Protest leaders are seeking to regain their momentum, as the number of supporters gathered in the capital waned over the week.

Mr Jatuporn Prompan said their rally this weekend would be bigger than the noisy procession last Saturday, which drew around 65,000 people.

"On Saturday, we will shut down Bangkok and rally at provincial halls across the country," he said.

Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij sought to downplay the impact of the protests, saying they had not deterred foreign investors in the country.

"The main issue ... is that we manage it in a civilised manner within the rules of law and under democratic principles," he told an investment conference in Hong Kong. AFP
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s-E-x: The Downfall of Leaders?

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SEX AND BRIBERY CLAIMS ROCK BERLUSCONI IN RUN-UP TO ITALY'S REGIONAL ELECTIONS

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ROME - After shrugging off a series of sex scandals that cost him his marriage, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has found that his poll ratings have finally taken a dive as he becomes mired in yet another controversy.

Mr Berlusconi has described regional elections at the end of March as a crucial test. But they have been overshadowed by a new scandal that involves sex, bribes and the mercenary exploitation of the earthquake that struck the town of L'Aquila in April last year, killing 307 and leaving 50,000 homeless.

At the time, Mr Berlusconi's handling of the reconstruction process was seen as proof of a can-do spirit and was widely viewed as his greatest triumph since re-election in 2008. But transcripts obtained by magistrates through wire-taps have led to allegations that one of his political allies swapped rebuilding contracts for sexual favours. And the public outcry shows no sign of abating.

According to the transcripts, two building contractors boasted that ties to the government would win them lucrative work. "I was laughing at 3.30am in bed this morning," said Mr Francesco de Vito Piscicelli, referring to the precise time of the tragedy.

The magistrates wire-tapped Mr Piscicelli and have now arrested three public officials and a contractor.

Twenty-seven people are under investigation, including Mr Guido Bertolaso, the head of Italy's civil protection agency, who is often seen at Mr Berlusconi's side.

"These magistrates should be ashamed of themselves," was Mr Berlusconi's first, furious reaction. But as newspapers filled with accounts of bribes and favours affecting millions of euros of contracts, the Prime Minister has retreated into an uncharacteristic silence.

Earthquake survivors have marched holding banners reading "I wasn't laughing". And according to latest polling, the number of Italians dissatisfied with Berlusconi has risen to a record high of 52 per cent.

Mr Bertolaso has insisted that the alleged "sexual favour" was no more than a massage, but admitted: "I may not have checked things well enough."

Magistrates allege that contractors such as Mr Piscicelli profited as the civil protection agency's power to issue contracts for emergencies was extended to construction projects for Rome's hosting of the 2009 world swimming championships and next year's 150th anniversary of the founding of the Italian state.

Mr Berlusconi, on trial for tax fraud and bribery, re-entered the fray timidly on Thursday, stating that the scandal involved just a handful of "scoundrels".

From TODAY, Monday, 22-Feb-2010

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A bovine blunder on Twitter

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Some lines just can't be crossed… if you do, you'll pay the price…

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MINISTER 'S GAFFE

India's Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr Shashi Tharoor. AFP

NEW DELHI - A row about Twitter went to the top of India's ruling party yesterday, when an Internet-savvy junior minister who made a joke about "holy cow" politicians was called to explain himself.

The Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr Shashi Tharoor (picture), a former United Nations communications chief believed to be the only Twittering minister, held a meeting with Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi about the controversy.

Some news reports suggested he might even lose his job, though television station IBN-CNN said that Mrs Gandhi had "pulled him up" over the issue.

Mr Tharoor has been caught up in a row about austerity measures in the government that saw ministers taking economy-class air travel.

Asked on Twitter if he was travelling economy on a trip to the southern state of Kerala, he replied: "Absolutely, in cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows!"

Cows are considered sacred in Hindu-majority India and Mr Tharoor faced resignation calls from the opposition and the Congress chief minister of the large state of Rajasthan.

Even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was asked to comment on the row, called the remark a "joke" on Monday.

Mr Tharoor made no comment to reporters as he left the meeting with Mrs Gandhi, but the lesson appears to have been learnt in a country where social media such as Twitter are taking off - albeit slowly - in the political class.

On Sept 17 he tweeted: "I now realise I should not assume people will appreciate humour and you shouldn't give those who would wilfully distort your words an opportunity to do so (sic)." AFP

From TODAY, World – Wednesday, 23-Sep-2009

NZ politician resigns over sex allegations

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WELLINGTON - A New Zealand politician quit Parliament on Friday, nine days after he resigned as a government minister over sex allegations.

Since it was revealed that Mr Richard Worth was being investigated by the police over claims made by a Korean woman living in Auckland, other allegations have emerged that he pursued another woman with sexually explicit text messages and phone calls.

Mr Worth said on Friday that the decision to resign was in the best interests of Prime Minister John Key's National Party.

"It would be easy for me to be bitter about the avalanche of rumour and innuendo that has led me into making this decision, which I regard as being in the best interests of my party," he said in a statement.

He reiterated that he did not commit any crime and was confident he will be cleared of any criminal conduct.

Mr Key described Mr Worth's decision as a "sensible course of action".

The allegations that Mr Worth had sent "vulgar" text messages and made such phone calls were made by a woman in the opposition Labour Party. Mr Worth blamed a political conspiracy for his problems. AFP

From TODAY, World – Weekend, 13/14-Jun-2009

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A new $600 million vaccine plant opens

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FOREIGN INVESTMENT

GlaxoSmithKline, EDB also pump $50m into fund for students

Updated 11:03 AM Jun 10, 2009

SINGAPORE’S hopes of exploiting the emerging health and wellness markets in Asia have just received a $30-million shot in the arm.

That is the amount that pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will be contributing to an endowment fund to sponsor Singaporean students who want to study green chemistry or public health policy.

The endowment fund is part of a new 10-year roadmap that GSK has agreed with the Economic Development Board (EDB). Under it, GSK will build a stronger research and development presence in Singapore, and develop new capabilities in green manufacturing.

For its part, the EDB will add $20 million to the fund, making it a $50 million-programme, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.

“With this roadmap, we can better support GSK to develop and exploit the emerging health and wellness markets in Asia,” Mr Lee said in a speech to mark the opening of GSK’s new $600-million vaccine plant in Singapore, its largest in Asia.

Mr Lee described the opening of the state-of-the-art facility as “the result of many years of hard work to lay the foundation for biologics manufacturing” here.

He noted that Singapore - which had a well-established track record in “traditional” chemical molecule drug manufacturing - decided to break into biologics manufacturing in 2000 because biologics drugs were increasingly driving global pharmaceutical market growth.

“... Besides this plant by GSK, five other biologics manufacturing plants have been announced and four are under construction,” Mr Lee said.

“Together, they will employ over 1,000 highly-skilled workers and make Singapore the key biologics manufacturing location in Asia for global pharmaceutical and biotech companies.”

Still, despite the promising outlook for the industry, Mr Lee cautioned that the road ahead will be difficult.

“First, we have to see through the global economic storm. Beyond that, we face a new world, with new market dynamics and tougher competition.”

Mr Lee said Singapore needs to find more niche areas for itself in order to prosper in the new world.

“Ours is a small island with no natural resources,” he added.

“We must therefore invest in knowledge and R&D, recruit and groom talent, and focus our efforts to excel in niche areas.

“Then, we can transcend the limitations of physical size and punch above our weight class among the global competition.”

GSK’s new vaccine plant - which also marks the company’s 50 years of operation here - sits on an 85,000-square metre site at the Tuas industrial area. It houses production buildings, quality control labs, a utility plant, a warehouse and other support buildings.

The plant aims to produce GSK’s pneumococcal conjugate vaccine from 2011. The vaccine protects infants and children under age of two from the bacterium streptococcus pneumoniae, which causes diseases like pneumonia, meningitis, bronchitis, acute sinusitis and inflammation of the inner layer of the heart or endocarditis. Such diseases kill nearly a million children worldwide each year, 90 per cent of them in developing countries.

GSK’s chief executive Andrew Witty, who was also present at the opening ceremony, said the global economic downturn has not significantly affected his company’s operations. “Vaccines are a particularly important, potential product line for the emerging markets and for Asia,” Mr Witty said. “With very strong growth in population, there is a tremendous need for high-quality vaccines, so that’s an area where I think we will see a lot of growth.” He said GSK will seek to grow organically in the region and add to its portfolio of drugs so that the company can address different income groups.

To date, GSK has invested $1.5 billion in Singapore, employing more than 1,000 people. CHANNEL NEWSASIA, AGENCIES

From TODAY, News – Wednesday, 10-Jun-2009

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Is education the key?

Malaysia, Thailand take new tack in ending insurgency

Updated 10:21 AM Jun 09, 2009

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razzak (L) shakes hands with his Thai counterpart, Abhisit Vejjajiva (R), during their meeting in Malaysia's administrative capital of Putrajaya. AFP

PUTRAJAYA - Malaysia pledged yesterday to help young Muslims in neighbouring Thailand to secure a better education and employment to ease violence sparked by an Islamic separatist movement.

Leaders of both countries discussed measures to bring economic progress to southern Thailand, including Malaysia's role of providing scholarships for Thai Muslim students and helping revamp the syllabus of Islamic schools in the Thai provinces that border northern Malaysia.

Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was on his first official visit to Malaysia, where he met his Malaysian counterpart, Mr Najib Razak. Both leaders planned to visit a religious school in Thailand's Muslim-dominated south in order to talk to the people. The visit is still unscheduled.

Mr Abhisit said his government was shifting emphasis in the troubled southern region to economic development. His comments came shortly after Islamic insurgents shot dead a villager and then detonated a car bomb as a crowd gathered, killing one person and wounding 19 others.

In spite of the killings, Mr Najib said both leaders remained optimistic of the situation in the south. "We remain optimistic that things will get a lot better if we continue to emphasise on economic development and giving them a better future. As a result of this new policy towards the south, things have improved," said Mr Najib.

An Islamic insurgency launched in 2004 has killed more than 3,400 in Thailand's southern provinces. The area was the former Islamic sultanate of Pattani, conquered by Thailand over 200 years ago. AGENCIES

From TODAY, World – Tuesday, 09-Jun-2009

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Seeking the right balance

Changes coming up… watch for it. If I will have my say, it is that the people’s mentality will go a long way before any change can happen… locals have their ‘superiority complex’ and want to work as the boss, not the rank and file level… I could be wrong – until proven right time and again.
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Leong Wee Keat, weekeat@mediacorp.com.sg

MOST of the 45,000 new jobs to be created this year and next would go to Singaporeans, said Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong in Parliament on Friday. The Government will create some 18,000 jobs in the public sector, said the Minister, with “a majority” for professionals, managers, executives and technicians. The other 27,000 would be regulated by the foreign workers’ quota system, he added.

Mr Gan was responding to a clarification raised by Opposition Member of Parliament Low Thia Khiang (Hougang GRC), who had asked how many of the 45,000 new jobs would be for locals.

Earlier, the minister outlined the Manpower Ministry’s plans in response to MPs debate on President S R Nathan’s opening address to the second session of the 11th Parliament. Even though it may be more challenging in a recession, Mr Gan agreed that there is a need to continue to encourage employers to recruit and retain older workers.

“The labour market will tighten once the economy recovers and it is important for companies to realise this and maximise their ability to tap on the contributions of their older workers,” he said.

At least five MPs raised the issue of challenges faced by older workers in the downturn.

The minister also addressed Mr Low’s concerns on what the Government is doing to put the welfare of Singaporean workers first. Mr Gan said the Government has “tilted the balance in favour of local workers during this downturn” by improving their employability through the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience and enhancing their cost competitiveness through the Jobs Credit Scheme.

As for foreign workers, he said his ministry will support the new Economic Strategies Committee headed by Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam in looking at how Singapore can strike a balance and maximise the contributions from both the local and foreign workers.

Instead of looking at foreign manpower as competition, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Lim Swee Say said the local worker’s challenge would be to strive to be as good as the best in the world.

As to whether the Government has been overly protective of Singaporeans, Mr Lim — who is also the secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress — felt “it is never enough” as far as employment and employability are concerned.

Mr Lim assured Singaporean workers that the tripartite partners — the Government, unions and businesses — would “not spare any effort” to cut costs, save jobs and contain retrenchment.

Parliament was adjourned to a later date.

From TODAYOnline.com; see the source article here.

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