1. Malaysiakini.com (http://www.malaysiakini.com)
Science and Maths: Parents want English policy retained, 22 October 2009
The Parents Action Group for Education wants all national schools to be given the option to continue teaching Science and Mathematics in English.
Its chairperson Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said an opinion poll carried out in seven schools in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur showed that 97 percent of parents wanted their children's schools be exempted from the scraping of the policy of teaching Science and Mathematics in English.
The seven schools are Sekolah Kebangsaan Assunta 2, Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Damansara, Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Hartamas, Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Megah, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Seri Hartamas, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (Perempuan) Sri Aman and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Taman SEA.
"We are not against the policy of upholding the Bahasa Malaysia and strengthening the command of English. We just want schools to be given the option," she said.
She said that a memorandum on the matter had been handed over to Deputy Federal Territories Minister M Saravanan, to be submitted to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
High-speed broadband next year
On another matter, the country's high-speed broadband is expected to be deployed by middle of next year, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Deputy Information Communication and Culture Minister Joseph Salang Gandum (right) said at the moment the system was being tested at four exchanges in the Klang Valley namely Bangsar, Shah Alam, Subang Jaya and Taman Tun Dr Ismail.
Telekom Malaysia, he said, had also started physical work at 22 other exchanges nationwide.
"The network access will provide high-speed broadband via 1.3 million premises in the Klang Valley, Iskandar Malaysia and in several economic and industrial zones in Malaysia.
"The comprehensive test is to be completed this year and the service will come on stream by middle of next year," he said in reply to Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (PKR-Machang) during question time.
He said that apart from last mile access, the joint venture project between the government and Telekom Malaysia would also cover core network and international gateway which was currently under preparation.
"Most of the domestic core network has been installed and is being tested. As for the international gateway, the existing American-Asia Gateway undersea cable system is being enhanced and expected to be completed by end of this year," he said.
(Bernama)
2. Bernama.com (http://www.bernama.com)
Teresa Kok's Suit Against Syed Hamid Albar On Feb 4, 2 November 2009
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 (Bernama) -- The High Court here on Monday fixed Feb 4 next year for case management of Teresa Kok Suh Sim's suit against a former Home minister and three others for wrongfully arresting and detaining her under the Internal Security Act (ISA) last year.
Deputy Registrar Nazri Ismail set the date in chambers.
On March 13, Kok, the Seputeh Member of Parliament, filed the suit against Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan, DSP E Kim Tien and the Malaysian government.
Kok was represented by counsel S.N.Nair while the four defendants were represented by senior federal counsel Lailawati Ali.
In her statement of claim, Kok said that she was arrested by the defendants at the entrance to her residence at Pearl Tower, OG Heights, at 11.15pm on Sept 12 last year and detained for two hours without being allowed to contact her closest relative or her lawyer.
She said that at 2am on Sept 13 at the Wangsa Maju police station she was informed that she was detained under section 73(1) of the ISA on the ground that she had taken part in activities that could cause tension and racial clashes.
Kok said she was then sent to a secret location where she was detained without trial until Sept 19.
She claimed that her arrest and detention were done without basis and that because of the negligence, arbitrariness and frivolity of the defendants in effecting her wrongful arrest and detention, she had been placed under severe mental stress, pain and suffering due to food poisoning and denial of her constitutional rights.
She is seeking damages for wrongful arrest and detention, pain and suffering and mental stress, general and special damages and other reliefs deemed fit by the court.
3. Jihad Watch (http://www.jihadwatch.org)
Surprise: Converts from Islam to Christianity set free in Iran, 23 November 2009
International pressure sometimes works. Some unexpected good news in an update on this story: "Freedom for imprisoned Christian 'apostates,'" by Chelsea Schilling for WorldNetDaily, November 19 (thanks to all who sent this in):
After millions of prayers and numerous petitions from around the world, two Iranian women jailed for no other reason than being Christian were released from a Tehran prison today.
Maryam Rustampoor, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh, 30, were imprisoned for 259 days - since March 5. They were repeatedly told to recant their faith and that they would be executed as "apostates," solely because they are Christians.
But now Open Doors USA has confirmed the women have been released from the notorious Evin prison with no bail, a rarity for Christians released from prison in Iran. [...]
Compass Direct News noted that the women may still face charges of proselytizing and "apostasy," or leaving Islam.
An Iranian source told Compass the Iranian government faced intense public pressure for imprisoning the women.
"It was from the international pressure, and also the government couldn't handle it anymore," said the source. "Already their detention was illegal. At the same time, the government wasn't ready to prosecute them for apostasy. They already have many headaches. They cannot handle everything."
According to Facebook groups that support the women, Rustampoor and Amirizadeh had been participating in religious gatherings and handing out Bibles prior to their detention. Iranian security officials searched their apartments in March, confiscated their Bibles and arrested them.
As WND reported, Rustampoor and Amirizadeh appeared before a court in Iran and were charged with "crimes of apostasy, and propagation of the Christian faith." In a display of raw courage, they told a government prosecutor that not only are they Christian, it is up to God, not a bureaucrat, to whom He talks.
According to Elam, a dramatic part of the hearing came when they refused to deny their Christian faith.
They explained that God had convicted them through the Holy Spirit.
"It is impossible for God to speak with humans," Haddad, a deputy prosecutor identified only by his surname, stated.
"Are you questioning whether God is Almighty?" Amirizadeh asked him.
To which Haddad then replied. "You are not worthy for God to speak to you."
"It is God, and not you, who determines if I am worthy," she said.
Haddad earlier had asked if the women were Christian.
"We love Jesus," they replied.
"You were Muslims and now you have become Christians," Haddad stated.
"We were born in Muslim families, but we were not Muslims," the women said.
The deputy prosecutor asked about their regrets, and they said, "We have no regrets."
"You should renounce your faith verbally and in written form," he warned.
They refused....
(End)
