Maid's sponsor finds man in wardrobe

Dubai A driver was taken by surprise when his girlfriend's sponsor caught him hiding in a wardrobe after the couple were interrupted having sex.

The 40-year-old Pakistani driver was caught hiding inside the wardrobe of his 40-year-old Filipina girlfriend, a housemaid, after her Emirati sponsor banged on the door while the couple were in bed together.

The Dubai Misdemeanour Court Monday handed both the driver, A.R., and the housemaid, R.Z., three-month jail sentences after they confessed to having consensual sex.

Prosecutors accused R.Z. and A.R. of having sex out of wedlock. A.R. was charged with getting drunk and trespassing into the sponsor's villa in Al Barsha. R.Z. was charged with aiding and abetting the driver to trespass into her sponsor's villa. Pronouncing the primary judgement from the first hearing Presiding Judge Rifaat Tolba Othman also gave A.R. an additional month in jail for trespassing. The couple will be deported after serving their jail terms.

Police records said the 30-year-old sponsor, G.M., caught the defendants having sex in the housemaid's room.

"I heard a knock at the door around 2am. I thought that it must be my brother, but the latter turned out to be sitting in his bedroom.

"When I saw my brother, he said that he suspected that a stranger had come into our house because he had spotted a strange car parked in front of our main door. I rushed to R.Z.'s room and knocked on the door… she refused to open it although I knocked several times.

Restrained
 
"Then she popped her head out of the window and told me that she wouldn't open it. I woke up my mother and we went back to R.Z.'s bedroom. Then my mom knocked on the door and the housemaid opened it immediately. I was surprised when I found the driver hiding inside the closet. Our housemaid was half naked," G.M. said during police interrogation.

Prosecution records said A.R. pushed G.M's mother out of his way and attempted to run out of the room. G.M.'s brother restrained him and kept hold of him until police came and arrested the couple.

Thousands of Afghans vent fury outside US base over Quran burning

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Thousands of Afghans rallied outside a U.S. military base over a report that foreign troops had improperly disposed of copies of the Quran, including some being burned. NBC's Natalie Morales reports.

By NBC, msnbc.com and news services

 

 KABUL, Afghanistan -- Thousands of angry Afghans protested outside a U.S. military base on Tuesday, some hurling rocks and firing guns in the air, after reports surfaced that American troops had burned copies of the Quran and other religious items.

The demonstrators — shouting "Die, die, foreigners!" — gathered outside Bagram airbase, an hour's drive north of the capital Kabul. Photographs taken by the AFP news agency outside the airbase, showed people firing slingshots and others holding charred copies of the Quran, Islam's holy book.

"The people are very angry. The mood is very negative," said Zia Ul Rahman, deputy provincial police chief. "Some are firing hunting guns in the air, but there have been no casualties."

"We Afghans don't want these Christians and infidels, they are the enemy of our soil, our honor and our Quran," said Haji Shirin, one of the protesters.

"I urge all Muslims to sacrifice themselves in order to pull out these troops from this soil."
U.S. helicopters fired flares to disperse the crowd.

Seeking to quickly tamp down the outrage, the White House apologized for the burning of Muslim holy books in a pile of garbage at Bagram.

PhotoBlog: Afghans besiege US base in protest over Quran burning
Press secretary Jay Carney said the "deeply unfortunate incident" doesn't reflect the respect the U.S. military has for the religious practices of the Afghan people.

Carney echoed military officials Tuesday in saying that the Quran burning happened unintentionally, and that an investigation was being undertaken to ensure it didn't happen again.

The top NATO general in Afghanistan, Gen. John Allen, also apologized. He said religious materials, including Qurans, that were identified for disposal were inadvertently taken to an incineration field at the airfield.

"Along with our apology to the Afghans is our certainty and assurance to them, that these kinds of incidents, when they do occur, will be corrected in the fastest and most appropriate manner possible," Allen said in a statement. "We've been shoulder to shoulder with the Afghans for a long time. We've been dying alongside the Afghans for a long time because we believe in them; we believe in their country, and we want to have every opportunity to give them a bright future."

Allen said he has also directed all coalition forces in Afghanistan to complete training in the proper handling of all religious materials by March 3.

A military official with knowledge of the incident told The Associated Press the Muslim holy books had been removed from a library at a nearby detention center because they contained extremist messages or inscriptions. He said it appeared the Qurans and other Islamic readings were being used to fuel extremism, and detainees apparently were leaving notes for one another inside them.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the incident.

Shah Marai / AFP - Getty Images

Afghan protesters throw stones toward U.S. soldiers standing at the gate of Bagram airbase during a protest Tuesday.

'Very angry'
Roshna Khalid, the provincial governor's spokeswoman, said Qurans were burned inside Bagram, citing accounts from local laborers.

"The laborers normally take the garbage outside and they found the remains of Qurans," she said.

Massoud Hossaini / AFP - Getty Images

A demonstrator holds a copy of the Quran allegedly set alight at Bagram airbase.

Ahmad Zaki Zahed, chief of the provincial council, said U.S. military officials gave him about 30 Qurans and other religious books that were recovered before they were destroyed.

"Some are burned. Some are not burned," Zahed said, adding that the books were used by detainees once incarcerated at the base.

Latest killer of Afghan children: Hunger
The materials were in trash that two soldiers with the U.S.-led coalition transported in a truck late Monday night to a pit where garbage is burned on the base, according to Zahed, who spoke with five Afghans working at the pit.

He said that when the workers noticed the religious books in the trash, they stopped the disposal process.

Bagram also houses a prison for Afghans detained by American forces. The center has caused resentment among Afghans because of reports of torture and ill-treatment of suspected Taliban prisoners, with President Hamid Karzai demanding the transfer of prisoners to Afghan security.

NYT: Afghan girls pay price for elders' misdeeds
Protests raged for three days across Afghanistan in April after a U.S. pastor burned a Quran in Florida. Eleven people were killed when demonstrators stormed a U.N. compound in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, including seven foreign U.N. workers. Another riot in the southern city of Kandahar left nine dead and more than 80 wounded.

Meanwhile, NATO said three coalition service members have been killed in a roadside bombing in southern Afghanistan. It did not give any other details about Tuesday's deaths.

So far this year, 47 NATO service members have been killed in Afghanistan.

Earlier, NATO reported that a fourth service member died Tuesday as a result of a non-battle related injury, also in the south.

Hindraf: Give us 'urimai', not 'nambikei'

PM harus memberi penjelasan ‘hadiah’ lebuhraya RM2.2 bilion

Kontroversi terbaru timbul ekoran pemberian konsesi Lebuhraya Kinrara-Damansara (Kidex) kepada dua tokoh yang menjadi dalang menggulingkan kerajaan negeri Pakatan Rakyat Perak.

PETALING JAYA: Kontroversi terbaru timbul berhubung pemberian konsesi bernilai RM2.2 bilion Lebuhraya Kinrara-Damansara (Kidex) kepada dua tokoh yang terlibat dengan rampasan kuasa oleh Barisan Nasional (BN) di Perak.

Menurut Naib Presiden PKR, Nurul Izzah Anwar, dua tokoh tersebut ialah bekas Ketua Hakim Negara, Tun Zaki Azmi dan penasihat undang-undang Umno, Datuk Hafarizam Harun.

Beliau yang juga Ahli Parlimen Lembah Pantai berkata, Hafarizam merupakan pengarah dua buah syarikat yang menerima konsesi tersebut Emrail Sdn Bhd dan Zabima Engineering Sdn Bhd.

“Sementara isteri Zaki Azmi merupakan pengarah syarikat Emrail, sebuah syarikat yang tidak mempunyai rekod di dalam pembinaan lebuhraya.

“Kenyataan syarikat tersebut sendiri menyatakan mereka berhasrat menjadi “Syarikat Kejuruteraan Rel Utama di Malaysia dan Rantau ini,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan media hari ini.

Justeru itu, Nurul mendesak Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak memberi penjelasan tentang beberapa isu yang timbul ekoran dari pemberian projek lebuhraya Kidex ini.

Beliau mahu Najib menyatakan pendiriannya berkenaan Seksyen 9 Kod Etika Hakim 2009 yang menyatakan “seorang hakim akan, pada masa pelantikan atau mana-mana masa kemudiannya sekiranya diminta oleh Ketua Hakim Mahkamah Persekutuan membuat perisytiharan bertulis semua asetnya kepada Ketua Hakim Mahkamah Persekutuan.”

Isytihar aset

Merujuk kepada peruntukan ini katanya, Ketua Hakim Negara pada masa ini, Tan Sri Ariffin Zakaria mestilah meminta Zaki Azmi membuat perisytiharan aset beliau dan keluarganya secara bertulis berikutan tuduhan-tuduhan ini.

Nurul juga mahu kerajaan mendedahkan sebab dan kriteria pemberian tender kepada Zabima Engineering dan Emrail.

“Apakah syarikat-syarikat lain yang dipertimbangkan, dan adakah tender terbuka dibuat demi memastikan kepentingan orang ramai terpelihara?

“Bagaimanakah pemberian konsesi dan pakej kontrak ini selari dengan dasar pentadbiran ini, khususnya Model Ekonomi Baru, Inisiatif Pembaharuan Strategik dan lain-lain lagi? Apakah terma lengkap konsesi, kadar tol dan perkongsian keuntungan?,” soal beliau.

Menurut Nurul, Hafarizam dalam smsnya kepada sebuah portal berita mendakwa bahawa syarikat-syarikatnya diserang memandangkan mereka merupakan antara sebilangan kecil syarikat Bumiputera yang dianugerahkan projek ini.

“Malang sekali apabila sebuah isu tentang ketelusan dan kebertanggungjawaban yang akan memberi impak kepada semua rakyat sekali lagi dilihat dari perspektif kaum.

“Hakikatnya, sekiranya tuduhan ini terbukti benar, sekelompok kecil kroni akan sekali lagi mendapat durian runtuh sedangkan ramai rakyat Malaysia, termasuk majoriti masyarakat Bumiputera terpaksa menjadi mangsa projek ini,” terangnya.

Nurul juga mahu terma perjanjian antara kerajaan dan syarikat-syarikat yang dipilih didedahkan agar projek ini tidak menjadi satu lagi konsesi yang membebankan rakyat Malaysia.

HRP’s application: Hisham gets 14 days to decide

KL High Court orders Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein to decide on HRP's application to be registered as a political entity.

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here today ordered Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein to decide on the Human Rights Party’s (HRP) application to be registered as a political entity within a fortnight.

The decision was made by Justice Rohana Yusuf who gave Hishammuddin 14 days to respond.

In August last year, the Registrar of Societies (ROS) rejected HRP’s application, which was submitted in November 2010.

The ROS said the application was rejected because it was not in order and that party’s constitution did not meet its requirements.

HRP pro-tem secretary-general, P Uthayakumar, duly filed for a judicial review, saying that no political party’s registration has ever been rejected thus far.

“Even Parti Sosialis Malaysia’s (PSM) registration is approved. Why pick on us?” asked Uthayakumar.
The former ISA detainee also criticised ROS’ excuse for denying its application, saying 99% of HRP’s constitution is similar to DAP’s constitution.

“So if our constitution did not meet ROS’ criteria, then DAP is also illegal,” he said.

Harussani says Malays must defend their land

(The Malaysian Insider) - Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria called today on Malays to defend their race and rights to the land, saying Prophet Muhammad also spoke about his race.

The Perak Mufti said at the launch of former Selangor PAS chief Datuk Hasan Ali’s new Muslim NGO Jati that “it is compulsory for Malays to speak about this as this is a Malay country.”

“Some people say we should not talk about Malays. They call us nationalists. But even the Prophet spoke about his race and tribe,” he said in his speech.

“This land is the right of Malays but today we have lost it. I’m not sure but probably less than 40 per cent belongs to Malays now. We are supposed to have 30 per cent of the economy but only have 17 per cent. Still we are silent,” he said before breaking into tears.

Gombak Setia asemblyman Hasan Ali later said Jati would be “saviours of the faith” by defending Islam, Malay rights and the Malay Rulers, a concept he termed as IMR.

The former Selangor executive councillor told about 300 at the launch of Jati here that the weakened faith of Muslims had led to them being left behind in the economy and plagued by moral and social ills.

But Harussani told the audience that “just forming groups and clapping your hands will get you nowhere.”
He also said that it was incumbent on Malays to defend Islam and the royalty “who first adopted Islam, leading to all Malays becoming Muslims.”

“They cannot be separated from Malays that is why in the constitution the rulers are to protect Malays.”
He added that the many insults that Muslims have endured in Malaysia has led to their faith being shaken.

Philippine Authorities Struggle with Quake Aftermath

Maybe it's Mount Mayon's turn next

Once again, lack of disaster preparedness plagues the government
Once again in the wake of a Philippine disaster, authorities are belatedly struggling after the fact to determine the magnitude of the catastrophe and determine a course of action for the next one. This is a country battered by a constant series of floods, fires, earthquakes, volcanoes and typhoons that authorities have not yet learned to cope with.

A powerful 6.9 magnitude earthquake flattened homes, twisted roads and killed at least 113 villagers on the island of Negros on Feb. 6, leaving authorities struggling to map out hidden earthquake faults to be able to respond better in the future. Authorities indicated Monday that 52 bodies have been found and that they have lost hope of finding any survivors among the 61 people still missing.

Although the Philippines’ 7,000-odd islands lie on the so-called “ring of fire,” a 40,000-km horseshoe of fractures, oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs and belts and plate movements in the Pacific Basin, the country remains woefully unprepared for quakes and has done precious little mapping to find out where they are. Tectonic forces are compressing the Philippines into what is called the Philippine Mobile Belt, a series of tectonic blocks and strips running north and south. These plates have compressed and lifted parts of the country, causing extensive faulting and producing volcanoes like Mount Pinatubo, which cooked off in 1991, ejecting 10 cubic km. of magma and 20 million tons of sulphuric acid into the stratosphere, ultimately cutting global temperatures by 0.5C, more than any eruption since that of Krakatau in Indonesia in 1883.

However, the authorities so far have mapped out about a dozen of the faults. Seismologists believe the quake was caused by the movement of a "blind fault line" - or a previously unknown fault line - under a narrow strait between Negros and the island of Cebu, catching disaster response officials by surprise.

The authorities said the destruction in the Feb. 6 quake was extensive because many residents in the Negros towns of Guihulngan and La Libertad had for years unknowingly lived in vulnerable areas on the sides of mountain and at the foot of the slopes where they farmed the fertile land.

The government said it is enhancing environmental funds to attempt to forestall natural disasters and to respond better. As often is the case in Philippine disasters, authorities were uncoordinated, slow to attempt to help the distressed or find the missing, and unable to provide adequate medical and other care for the survivors.

"Many of the houses [were] made of light materials, not earthquake proof. The bridges and roads were not as strongly built to withstand a powerful quake and many had for many years ignored warnings against living on the slopes because there had never been quakes in these areas," Benito Ramos, head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, told IRIN, a news agency operated by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

"The Philvolcs [Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology] is now trying to locate and map these so-called blind faults after this quake," Ramos told IRIN. Because many faults have been under-studied, entire communities had for years built residential areas over them. Two other known faults are the Manila Bay and Manila Trench fault lines, which could lead to powerful destructions, according to the 2004 Metro Manila Earthquake Reduction Study in the capital city.

According to Pacific Strategies & Assessments, a Manila-based country risk assessment organization, 20 earthquakes are recorded every day in the Philippines, 200 of them of magnitude big enough to be felt. According to the 2010 PSA report, “despite national assistance programs that have gained momentum over the course of the last several years, unreliable infrastructure systems, informal settlements in the form of slums and squatters in hazardous areas and a lack of government resources and coordination between national and local disaster management authorities are just some of the factors that plague the country’s natural disaster preparedness.”

"There is now a rush to map up all of these other so-called blind faults - or the small ones that were previously unknown," Ramos told IRIN, adding that Philvolcs has yet to determine how many there are.

The 2004 Metro Manila Earthquake Reduction Study concluded that a 7.2 magnitude earthquake resulting from the movement of the Manila Trench, for example, could kill as many as 50,000 people in Manila, the home of 12 million people, which rises to 14 million during working hours. Such a quake would destroy a third of the public buildings and 13 percent of the residential buildings, rendering 1.2 million people homeless.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority head Francis Tolentino said disaster response training for local officials covering the 17 districts was being improved, while much needed search and rescue equipment will be pre-positioned in areas critical to saving lives, like under bridges, for example.

"We need to train more volunteers for disaster response," said Tolentino. "We will also train volunteers from the nearby regions, because if a quake strikes Manila, they will be the first responders. We will also boost the number of container vans with emergency and rescue equipment like hydraulic tools and cutting and digging equipment, which we would preposition around Manila."

Ramos said the warnings are not meant to scare the public, but rather empower them in case of a major earthquake. "We don't want a repeat of Negros."

The disastrous state of public preparedness was exemplified by the government’s 2010 response to Typhoon Ondoy, known internationally as Typhoon Ketsana, which hovered over Manila for several days, plunging the city into a state of calamity from which it took months to recover. The Philippines is hit by as many as 20 major typhoons each year.

(With reporting from IRIN, which says its reports do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations)

23/2/2012 : ABU ceramah in Beranang, Semenyih

You have friends and relatives in the vicinity of the ceramah but who do not access the internet?
Go on, do your part.
Give them a call or send them an sms to alert them that the ABU roadshow is coming to them on 23rd February, 2012.
Urge them to tell others and to come out to the ceramah to hear first hand the dire state of the nation and why, come the 13th GE, we have to consign UMNO / BN to the rubbish heap.

Mechanic: Gun pointed to my head to force confession