Russia at UN echoes Red Cross, proposes pause in Yemen fight |
- Russia at UN echoes Red Cross, proposes pause in Yemen fight
- Anwar’s father, Ibrahim Rahman, dies
- Jagielka deals costly blow to Southampton’s top 4 bid
- JJ my friend since university, says PM
- Under-the-radar food finds in Klang
- Greece has cash to make IMF payment next week, minister says
| Russia at UN echoes Red Cross, proposes pause in Yemen fight Posted: 04 Apr 2015 05:50 PM PDT
Blasts rocked Yemen's capital of Sana'a yesterday as Russia circulated its draft resolution during a 90-minute emergency meeting to discuss fighting between the 10-nation military coalition and Houthi rebels. Prospects for the resolution were unclear. Saudi officials called the measure unnecessary. The proposal calls for "regular and obligatory humanitarian pauses in the air strikes by the coalition to allow all concerned states and international organizations to evacuate their citizens and personnel from Yemen," according to a copy of the draft resolution obtained by Bloomberg. Russia circulated the text after it evacuated almost 350 of its citizens from Yemen, according to an Interfax news agency report yesterday, which cited a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Sana'a. Its initiative coincided with a demand by the International Committee of the Red Cross for a temporary halt to the fighting to allow delivery of humanitarian aid. "A humanitarian pause is very important because of the diplomatic and civilian people in Yemen," Russia's deputy UN ambassador, Vladimir Safronkov, told reporters before the council meeting. "The idea, of course, is when we evacuate people we have to make sure it's secure and safe." Americans warned Houthi rebels fought their way into the centre of the seaport city of Aden on April 2, before withdrawing as the Saudi-led group of nations targeted their positions. About 519 people have been killed and 1,700 injured during the past two weeks, Valerie Amos, the UN under secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said two days ago. Late Friday the US State Department urged Americans living in or visiting Yemen to leave. There were no plans for a US government-coordinated evacuation, the State Department said in its travel warning. The US suspended consular services in Yemen in February, citing the deteriorating security situation. 24-hour halt The Geneva-based ICRC issued a statement earlier yesterday, saying, "All air, land and sea routes must be opened without delay for at least 24 hours to enable help to reach people cut off" by the violence. The aid organisation on March 31 accused the Saudi-led coalition of blocking the delivery of aid shipments to Sana'a. Windows shook in Sana'a yesterday as the Saudi-led coalition bombed military posts loyal to the Houthis and former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, said Ahmed Yahia, a local resident, said by telephone. Targets included weapons depots and the headquarters of the military police. "Hospitals and clinics treating the streams of wounded from across much of Yemen are running low on life-saving medicines and equipment," the ICRC said. "In many parts of the country, the population is also suffering from fuel and water shortages, while food stocks are quickly depleting." Production has been halted at Yemen LNG's liquefied natural gas facility in Balhaf, Shabwa province, and all but a few workers evacuated, said an employee not authorised to speak publicly. Yemen LNG is operated by a consortium led by France's Total SA. Abdullah al-Mouallimi, Saudi ambassador to the UN, said yesterday there was no need for Russia's resolution because the coalition has made arrangements for evacuating foreigners and is facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance "as we have always agreed to do so." Gulf resolution "We share the concern for the humanitarian situation, but it is something that is already covered in the resolution that was prepared and presented through Jordan by the GCC states," Al-Mouallimi said, referring to a draft Security Council resolution he authored with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council on Mar. 26. Jordan is one of 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council and acts as a proxy for other Arab countries. The Gulf text called for imposing an arms embargo and sanctions on the Houthis. Russia objected to that in an expression of support for Iran, according to two Security Council diplomats who are involved in the negotiations and asked not to be named citing sensitivity of the matter. Dina Kawar, the Jordanian ambassador to the UN, said negotiations between the Gulf nations and Russia will continue throughout the weekend with "hopes to come up with something by Monday." — Bloomberg  |
| Anwar’s father, Ibrahim Rahman, dies Posted: 04 Apr 2015 05:46 PM PDT
According to Anwar's wife and PKR president, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Ibrahim will be buried today at the Sungai Ramal Muslim cemetery following the Zohor prayers. "The first time [Anwar] was jailed, he was tested by the passing of his mother and also (then PAS president) Ustaz Fadzil Noor. This time he is tested by the death of [Tok Guru Nik Aziz] and, now, his father," Dr Wan Azizah said in a post on Facebook today. The PKR president also announced the cancellation of her programmes in Penang, saying she must rush back to Kajang for the funeral. Ibrahim was a former Umno lawmaker who had served as Seberang Prai Central MP from 1959 to 1969. He had also been the parliamentary secretary of the Health Ministry from 1964 to 1969. Anwar is currently serving a five-year jail sentence after the Federal Court on February 10 upheld his conviction for sodomising a former aide. |
| Jagielka deals costly blow to Southampton’s top 4 bid Posted: 04 Apr 2015 05:42 PM PDT
Ronald Koeman's side needed a victory on Merseyside to keep in touch with the Premier League's top four, but Jagielka's strike left sixth placed Saints trailing fourth placed Manchester City by eight points with just seven games to play. Southampton's first defeat in four matches leaves them with a place in the Europa League their most likely route to continental competition next season. For Everton, a third successive league win lifted them into the security of mid-table, with a 12-point gap to the bottom three, after they briefly looked in danger of being dragged into the relegation dogfight. It was an upbeat end to a day with started with the news that Everton midfielder Darron Gibson is likely to miss the remainder of the season after breaking a metatarsal. The Republic of Ireland international was replaced by Gareth Barry, returning from suspension, with the other change seeing Ross Barkley replace Romelu Lukaku, who had not recovered from the hamstring problem which saw him miss Belgium's recent internationals. Southampton were quickly into their stride and threatened in the first minute when defender Jose Fonte headed wide from a free-kick. Graziano Pelle had scored just once in his last 16 appearances for Southampton, but the striker found the net in Italy's midweek friendly draw against England. He came close to building on that morale-boosting goal when he met Shane Long's cross with a lobbed volley that Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard brilliantly clawed away from under the crossbar. But failure to convert those early opportunities proved costly for Southampton as the hosts took the lead in the 16th minute. A Leighton Baines corner was only half-cleared to Barry and his cross reached England international Jagielka, who steered a low shot into the corner for his fifth club goal of the season. James Ward-Prowse nearly produced an immediate response from the visitors when the midfielder's curling free-kick found the side-netting with Howard beaten. Ward-Prowse was proving a real menace to the Everton defence and another stinging strike drew a fine save from Howard. Everton were back on the offensive when Aaron Lennon found Arouna Kone on the right and his cross reached Osman, whose header deflected just wide. Koeman's team dominated possession in the second half but lacked the cutting edge to prise open Everton's back four in a lacklustre finale. — AFP |
| JJ my friend since university, says PM Posted: 04 Apr 2015 05:36 PM PDT
"It is a big loss for me and my family because Jamaluddin has been my friend since we were in university," he told reporters during a visit to the crash site in Semenyih last night. "We were very close in our history of politics starting at division level. He was a capable person who contributed greatly to the government, party and country." Najib said Jamaluddin had many friends in governments around the world, especially during his time as an ambassador in Washington DC. "He played a big role in our ties with the US. He always gave advice to me. Losing him is a tragedy to me," he said. Najib added that Azlin was very close to him and helped in government matters and other important issues.
"Azlin had agreed to leave his corporate life to serve the government as a form of national service," he said. "He was someone who worked with full dedication and was liked by all. His passing is also a big loss to me. I hope both their families remain strong and patient. I also hope their lives will serve as an example of how we should serve the country." Najib said he had ordered a thorough investigation. "It is too early to make a conclusion but a full, thorough and comprehensive investigation must be carried out," he said. |
| Under-the-radar food finds in Klang Posted: 04 Apr 2015 05:35 PM PDT
In a town made famous by the deeply-gratifying (or scarily-intoxicating) herbal pork soup served with steamed white rice usually at breakfast (no kidding), it is hard to imagine speaking of another dish in the same breath. But let me share with you a few reasons why you should open up your mind and be ready to explore some other delicious alternatives. Firstly, let's not forget that Klang is also a world-class trading hub, thanks to Port Klang, the main gateway by sea into Malaysia. And the close proximity to the waters and strategic location naturally led to a fishing industry; evidence of this is seen from the various seafood restaurants and fresh as well as dried sea produce sold at the wet markets and grocery stores around town. Bagan Hailam Seafood Restaurant may not ring a bell to outsiders, as opposed to more familiar names like Telok Gong Seafood Restaurant or Coconut Flower Seafood Restaurant. But travelling deeper towards the Port Klang side of town, you will find a rustic restaurant built on stilts, gently lit by tungsten bulbs (almost like dining under the stars) and within the backyard of someone's home. The open kitchen concept is nothing new, but the proprietors of Bagan Hailam could not have done it in a more in-your-face, unsubtle way — you simply cannot ignore the frantic pace of the kitchen soldiers ramping up the steaming, frying and chopping action, as you are ushered to your table.
Although the execution of the dishes at Bagan Hailam does not reek of outstanding creativity, the freshness of the seafood really shines through and coupled with fairly reasonable prices, it is well-deserving of your effort getting there. Ask for the freshest catch of the day; in our case we had the soy sauce steamed threadfin (ma yau) where the fresh, sweet and flaky fish is enhanced by the use of good soy sauce, a sprinkle of chopped scallions and julienned ginger.
Since we are in Port Klang, let's shift our focus to another stall that opens until late at night. Within the vicinity of Port Klang town, there is a stretch of food stalls that stays open during the day but close for dinner/supper hours. However, there's one stall that is open until rather late at night; catering to the night owls perhaps in this quieter side of town.
I don't even remember the name or number of the stall, but there is only one stall that was operating that Saturday evening, so it's not possible to miss it. The food court, however, is not that well known to outsiders; simply named Gerai Makan Pelabuhan Klang in the midst of Port Klang town. And last but not least, let me introduce you to a very interesting dish found nearer to Klang town — fried porridge at Restoran Bubur Goreng in Berkeley Garden.
Despite the curious stares and peculiar questions that come up whenever I talk about fried porridge, the combination is not as wacky as you might have thought. Where traditionally porridge is known to be a comfort food that's "soft" and relatively healthy (depends a bit on the ingredients that you chuck in at times), at Restoran Bubur Goreng, they literally "fry" the rice gruel with an abundance of savoury ingredients: yam cubes, pork lard fritters, dried cuttlefish and tofu, which turns the mixture brownish — a jarring difference from the pure white porridge we are accustomed to. But the taste is definitely very agreeable to my tastebuds. Fried porridge is not the only signature dish of the restaurant. The crabs, fried la-la bee hoon, steamed la-la with Chinese wine and deep fried meat balls served with a killer green chilli sauce are also excellent accompaniments to the unusual fried porridge. Bagan Hailam Seafood Restaurant Gerai Makan Pelabuhan Klang Restoran Bubur Goreng |
| Greece has cash to make IMF payment next week, minister says Posted: 04 Apr 2015 05:32 PM PDT
Greece has an IMF payment of about €450 million (RM1.78 billion) due on April 9. With euro-area officials withholding aid payments until an agreement is reached on economic overhauls, the government also has to get through a short-term debt auction a day before, to refinance €1.4 billion of six-month notes due April 14. "The country will pay the IMF on April 9," Alternate Finance Minister Dimitris Mardas said in an interview on Mega TV yesterday. "There's money there for payment of salaries, pensions and whatever else is needed for all of next week. That doesn't mean that there isn't for the week after. This is a political decision that will be taken, and we will follow whichever political decision." Greece and euro-area authorities are in negotiations about a package of measures proposed by the government to repair its economy, a condition for the release of bailout funds. The standoff has left the nation's banks dependent on European Central Bank loans, with Greece facing the risk of a possible default within weeks and a potential exit from the euro area. Meeting Lagarde Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis will meet IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde in Washington today for an informal discussion on the Greek government's reform package, according to an e-mailed statement from the Finance Ministry. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will visit Moscow next week, with Russia ready to discuss easing restrictions on Greek food products, according to Russian government officials. Russia isn't considering financial assistance to Greece, they said. Greece and euro-area authorities pledged to press ahead with efforts to reach an agreement, according to three officials with knowledge of a conference call of finance ministry deputies on Wednesday. Greece sent more details on its budget and economic proposals ahead of the call, including combating tax evasion and streamlining public administration. "There is a cash shortfall problem if there isn't any disbursement to Greece," Alberto Gallo, head of European macro- credit research at Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, said in a Bloomberg TV interview. "I think this reform plan is a good step. It goes deep enough on the technical details; it can be deepened even more." — Bloomberg |
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