'This may be the worst flood in Beaufort history'

'This may be the worst flood in Beaufort history'

 

[caption id="attachment_12369" align="alignnone" width="400"] (Photo NSTP/Roy Goh)[/caption]

 

By Kristy Inus

 

KOTA KINABALU: The gloomy weather at Beaufort district persists and the flood situation is expected to continue for the next few days.

 

District officer Mohd Shaid Othman who is the district natural disaster committee chairman said this may turn out to be the worst flood in Beaufort history.

 

"From what we can see there are areas which have never been submerged before, are now flooded.

 

"The water level at the town area has receded but we see the water moving into villages and rising there," he said.

 

Rescue and relief operations are in full swing to reach out to thousands affected by the floods.

 

"Some villagers were trapped at their own homes when they refuse to leave the house at the first place and could not go anywhere once the water level rises rapidly.

 

"Right now we know about 300 villagers in 70 houses are trapped at Kampung Mantanior.

 

"Meanwhile, some villagers chose to run to higher grounds, like the 138 villagers from 40 families in Kampung Batu 60 to Kampung Batu 63," added Mohd Shaid.

 

(New Straits Times, 15 Saturday February 2014 The Roman)

 

A Malaysian buys bananas

A Malaysian buys bananas

 

[caption id="attachment_11735" align="alignnone" width="400"] (Photo AFP - Mohd Rasfan)[/caption]

 

Bananes

 

Une Malaisienne achète des bananes dans une échoppe de fruits à Ampang, dans la banlieue de Kuala Lumpur.

 

Bananas

 

A Malaysian buys bananas in a fruit stall in Ampang, in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur.

 

(AFP - Mohd Rasfan)

 

(Agence France-Presse, 4 Tuesday February 2014 The Roman)

(Translated: R.S.F. toshiki speed news press, Agence France-Presse, 5 Wednesday February 2014 The Roman)

 

VietJetAir to finalise $ 6.1 bn Airbus order

VietJetAir to finalise $ 6.1 bn Airbus order

 

Hanoi (AFP)

 

Communist Vietnam's first private airline, VietJetAir, said Wednesday that it was close to finalising a $ 6.1 billion order for 62 Airbus aircraft.

 

The deal is expected to be signed at the Singapore Airshow next month, VietJetAir's managing director Luu Duc Khanh told AFP.

 

VietJetAir and Airbus signed a letter of intent in September for the purchase of 62 A320 medium-haul aircraft worth US$ 6.1 billion at catalogue prices, and for options for another 30.

 

The low-cost carrier began operating in late 2011 and is the first private airline in Vietnam to offer domestic and international flights.

 

It currently serves 11 cities in Vietnam plus Bangkok.

 

Last year, the carrier took delivery of a ninth leased A320.

 

The letter of intent was for 14 of the current single-aisle A320 model and 42 of the new A320Neo due to enter into service in 2015, which promises airlines considerably better fuel efficiency.

 

Another six planes will be the longer A321 version, which can be configured with up to 220 seats.

 

While VietJetAir has a good foothold in the Vietnamese market, analysts say it is facing stiff competition in the low-cost segment in Southeast Asia, behind Malaysia's Air Asia, Lion Air of Indonesia, Singapore's Tiger Airways and Jetstar of Australia.

 

(Agence France-Presse, 28 Tuesday January 2014 The Roman)

 

Asia-Pacific leaders on track to sign trade deal by year end

Asia-Pacific leaders on track to sign trade deal by year end

 

[caption id="attachment_9201" align="alignnone" width="722"] (US Secretary of State John Kerry (second from right) speaks with his country's Trade Representative Michael Froman, as New Zealand Prime Minister John Key (second from left) speaks with his Trade Minister Tim Groser at the Trans-Pacific Partnership meet in Bali, Indonesia on Tuesday, Oct 8, 2013. The United States and 11 other nations negotiating an Asia-Pacific trade pact say they are on track to agree on a comprehensive deal before the year's end. (PHOTO: AP))[/caption]

 

BALI (AP) - The United States and 11 other nations negotiating an Asia-Pacific trade pact say they are on track to agree on a comprehensive deal before the year's end.

 

A statement issued by the 12 leaders on Tuesday after an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bali said they have made "significant progress" in setting standards for trade in goods and services, and for investment and public procurement.

 

It said they had agreed "to resolve all outstanding issues with the objective of completing this year a comprehensive and balanced, regional agreement."

 

US Secretary of State John Kerry stood in for President Barack Obama, who stayed home to deal with the debt stalemate.

 

The nations include Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States, and Vietnam.

 

(The Straits Times, 8 Tuesday October 2013 The Roman)

 

 

Gangsters now becoming desperate

Gangsters now becoming desperate

 

PUTRAJAYA: Secret societies are ganging up on the police following the nationwide crackdown on hardcore criminals, according to Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.

 

He said the success of Ops Cantas Khas had made the gangs desperate, leading them to group together to fight the law.

 

Khalid told reporters that a number of top cops had received death threats from the underworld.

 

“This clearly shows Ops Cantas Khas, which began on Aug 17, is successful and effective in fighting crime,” he said after attending a crime prevention forum moderated by Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi here yesterday.

 

“(In their desperation) criminals are threatening the police.”

 

Khalid said that his men were not intimidated by the threats and vowed to act against those who made them.

 

After more than a month, 11,873 people had been detained nationwide and 401 weapons were seized, including firearms, he said.

 

Earlier at the forum, Khalid ex­­­pressed fear that Malaysia would turn into Mexico or Colombia should gangs group up and become dominant, and if there were no preventive detention laws in the country.

 

In Mexico and Columbia, he said, drug cartels and other organised crime groups were powerful because the law enforcement institution there was weak.

 

Khalid said that preventive detention, under proposed amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act 1953, was needed to curb organised crime.

 

He said gangs had become bold and blatant in committing crime after the abolition of the Internal Security Act and Emergency Ordinance in 2011.

 

“So, I hope the people understand that we need preventive detention laws to live in peace and harmony,” he said.

 

Under the proposed amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act, a person may be held for two years without charge or trial.

 

The detention may be extended for another two years in the interest of public order, security or crime prevention.

 

(The Star Online, 29 Sunday September 2013 The Roman)

 

EU and Singapore unveil new free-trade agreement

EU and Singapore unveil new free-trade agreement

 

(Reuters, BRUSSELS)

 

The EU and Singapore yesterday submitted for approval one of the world’s most comprehensive free-trade agreements, which the EU sees as a stepping stone toward a wider deal with southeast Asia.

 

The chief negotiators of both sides presented the entire text of the agreement yesterday after initialing each page of the roughly 1,000-page document.

 

Subject to approval in Singapore and by the 28 EU member states and the European Parliament, the agreement should enter into force late next year or early 2015.

 

Trade in goods between the two topped 52 billion euros (US$70.4 billion) last year and in services 28 billion euros in 2011.

 

Mutual investment has reached 190 billion euros.

 

The EU sees a free-trade deal as opening the door to a deal with other members of ASEAN, which has set a goal of economic integration by 2015.

 

The EU and ASEAN launched free-trade talks in 2007, but abandoned them two years later, the EU choosing instead to conduct bilateral talks with individual members.

 

The European Commission is already negotiating free-trade agreements with Malaysia and Vietnam, and it launched talks in March with Thailand.

 

Singapore has a population of just 5 million people, against about 600 million for the whole of ASEAN, but accounts for about a third of all EU-ASEAN trade and more than 60 percent of all investment between the two regions.

 

The deal goes beyond many other free-trade accords in committing to open up public procurement, an area where the EU has many leading suppliers, and agreeing on technical standards in areas such motor vehicles, electronics and green technologies.

 

For example, a car made according to EU standards would be accepted for sale in Singapore.

 

The EU also gains better protection of “geographical indications,” region-specific products such as Parma ham or champagne.

 

EU tariffs on virtually all items from Singapore would disappear over five years.

 

Singapore has committed to its existing zero tariffs on EU imports.

 

Singapore is likely to benefit from reduced tariffs for pharmaceutical and petrochemical products.

 

In services, particularly financial, the agreement would ensure the right to sell directly or establish branches in each other’s markets.

 

(Taipei Times, 21 Saturday September 2013 The Roman)