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Iranian Protesters Ransack Saudi Embassy After Execution of Shiite Cleric

by Ben Hubbard
New York Times
JAN. 2, 2016

Iranian protesters ransacked and set fire to the Saudi Embassy in Tehran on Saturday after Saudi Arabia executed an outspoken Shiite cleric who had criticized the kingdom’s treatment of its Shiite minority.

The cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, was among 47 men executed in Saudi Arabia on terrorism-related charges, drawing condemnation from Iran and its allies in the region, and sparking fears that sectarian tensions could rise across the Middle East.

The executions coincided with increased attacks in Saudi Arabia by the jihadists of the Islamic State and an escalating rivalry between the Sunni monarchy and Shiite Iran that is playing out in conflicts in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere. Sheikh Nimr was an outspoken critic of the Saudi monarchy and was adopted as a symbolic leader by Shiite protesters in several Persian Gulf countries during the Arab Spring uprisings. Continue reading “Iranian Protesters Ransack Saudi Embassy After Execution of Shiite Cleric”

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Fifth phase of DAP – form Malaysian federal government with Pakatan Harapan in the 14th General Election

Young and idealistic Malaysians came together fifty years ago to form the Democratic Action Party not because of perks, position or power but because of our common beliefs in justice, freedom and national unity out of our diverse races, religions, languages and cultures in the country and out of our love and patriotism for Malaysia as we believe Malaysia can become a great nation and a show-case to the world for successful and harmonious plural nation building.

We never thought that we would be around for fifty years, but we were engaged not in a battle for a day but for ages, as we are committed in a long-term mission to realise our vision of a great nation founded on the principles of justice, freedom, democracy, integrity and good governance.

The five-decade history of DAP, which will be fully 50 on March 18, 2016, the date of our registration, can be divided into four phases: Continue reading “Fifth phase of DAP – form Malaysian federal government with Pakatan Harapan in the 14th General Election”

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Poor MCA – so irrelevant and so lost that it is even following the lead of liars to scrape the bottom of the barrel

Poor MCA, so irrelevant and so lost in the woods of Malaysians politics that it is even following the lead of liars to scrape the bottom of the barrel!

This is not only my reaction, but the response of most Malaysians who came across new report like the one headlined: “MCA Youth join in to bash DAP over alleged Israeli link”.

I do not blame the MCA and MCA Youth for feeling so irrelevant and so lost, for what else can they do when MCA has established the most unenviable record of being the first political party in Malaysia which has a majority of members who do not vote for the MCA and Barisan Nasional in a general election?

Similarly, I will not waste any more time on the so-called Pro-Barisan Nasional NGOs Coalition whose president Zulkarnain Mahdar said that DAP should sue the Penang Chief Minister’s former special officer Mohamed Razali Abdul Rahman who alleged DAP of being offered RM1.2 billion in return for an Israeli base in Port Dickson if the opposition managed to capture Putrajaya in the last general election. Continue reading “Poor MCA – so irrelevant and so lost that it is even following the lead of liars to scrape the bottom of the barrel”

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Two questions for Najib on his twin mega scandals – what were 1MDB’s total debts before “rationalization” and why no one charged court for 1MDB’s multi-billion ringgit losses?

I have resumed my tour of parliamentary constituencies as part of the “Solidarity with Lim Kit Siang & Mana RM2.6 billion?” nation-wide campaign, following my suspension from Parliament for six months on Oct. 22, in pursuit of the question “Mana RM2.6 billion?”.

Kluang yesterday was the 56th and Pulai today the 57th Parliamentary constituency I am visiting in the new year of 2016, and both visits have shown that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak could not be more wrong when he claimed in his New Year message that his RM2.6 billion donation and RM55 billion 1MDB twin mega scandals have been resolved and are no more issues in the country.

In fact, the opposite is the case, as both scandals remain foremost issues among Malaysians, especially as they had been responsible for the most shameful episode in the 58-year history of the nation – Malaysia’s third placing in the world’s “worst corruption scandal in 2015”!

Although it will not be possible for me to visit all the 222 Parliamentary constituencies in the country during the period of my 180-day six-month suspension from Parliament, I will try to visit more than 150 Parliamentary constituencies in the country by the time I am allowed to return to Parliament – with a strong and unmistakable mandate from Malaysians from all over the country, embracing all races, religions and regions in the country, to demand that Najib must fully account for his twin mega scandals.

Najib had tried to bury “once and for all” his twin mega scandals in his New Year message, but his effort could not survive 24 hours.

He claimed that he had honoured his promise in June last year to resolve the 1MDB problem, alleging that with the latest agreement announced on 31st December for the sale of 60 per cent equity in Bandar Malaysia to a joint local and international consortium – composed of Iskandar Waterfront Holdings at 60 per cent and China Railway Engineering Corporation at 40 per cent – 1MDB will see its debts reduced by approximately RM40.4 billion, which represents the overwhelming majority of 1MDB’s debt.

Leaving aside for the moment the details of the 1MDB “rationalization programme” to reduce 1MDB debts, as they are indirect bailouts by the Federal Government, there are two questions which Najib needs to answer. Continue reading “Two questions for Najib on his twin mega scandals – what were 1MDB’s total debts before “rationalization” and why no one charged court for 1MDB’s multi-billion ringgit losses?”

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Ramadi: Series of IS counterattacks target Iraqi forces

BBC
2 January 2016

Fighters from so-called Islamic State (IS) have continued to pursue counterattacks on the edges of Ramadi a week after the city was recaptured by Iraqi troops.

Most of the attacks were outside central Ramadi to the north and east, spokesman for the US-led coalition, Col Steve Warren, told the AFP news agency.

He said Iraqi government forces had so far successfully repelled every attack.

On Friday the group attacked a military base near the city.

The Iraqi government said a week ago that it had “liberated” Ramadi from IS. The jihadist group had held the city since May.

Col Warren said they had not yet seen IS “mass enough combat power to move Iraq off their positions”.

The BBC’s Thomas Fessy, who has just returned from Ramadi, says a tough fight continues in the city and government forces have been taking casualties. Continue reading “Ramadi: Series of IS counterattacks target Iraqi forces”