“I will not come to Davos again.”

Erdogan was angry when a panel moderator cut off his remarks, which were in response to Peres’ impassioned speech defending Israel’s offensive.

“I find it very sad that people applaud what you said,” Erdogan said. “You killed people. And I think that it is very wrong.”

The angry exchange followed an hour-long debate at the forum attended by world leaders.

Erdogan tried to rebut Peres as the discussion was ending, asking the moderator, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, to let him speak once more. “Only a minute,” Ignatius replied.

“Mr. Peres, you are older than me. Your voice is too loud,” Erdogan told Peres, saying his emotion belied a guilty conscience.

“You kill people,” Erdogan told the 85-year-old Israeli leader.

“I remember the children who died on beaches. I remember two former prime ministers who said they felt very happy when they were able to enter Palestine on tanks.

“When it comes to killing, you know it too well,” the Turkish leader said.

When the moderator tried to cut short Erdogan’s remarks again, saying that it was past time to adjourn for dinner, he answered, “Don’t interrupt me. You are not allowing me to speak.”

He then said: “I will not come to Davos again.” -- The Buffalo News via Penarik Beca

Bot Yazid: Semua orang tidak mahu ketinggalan termasuk Malaysiakini

Tumpuan laporan media alternatif hari ini kepada respon Syed Hamid, Menteri Dalam Negeri, berkaitan pendedahan Harian Singapura The Straits Times bahawa lebih 10 anggota kumpulan radikal yang dikaitkan dengan peristiwa 911 telah dibebaskan dari Kem Tahanan Kamunting.

Portal berita terkemuka Malaysiakini hari ini (Dec 10, 08 4:01pm) juga tidak mahu ketinggalan ‘bot Yazid’ melaporkan bahawa:

Lebih 10 anggota kumpulan radikal yang dikaitkan dengan Jemaah Islamiah (JI) termasuk Yazid Sufaat - didakwa terlibat dalam peristiwa 11 September - dibebaskan daripada kurungan Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) di kem Kamunting.

Nama Yazid muncul sewaktu perbicaraan Zacarias Moussaoui, warga Perancis yang didapati bersalah berkonspirasi dalam pengeboman Pusat Dagangan Dunia (WTC) di New York pada 2001.

Harian Singapura The Straits Times hari ini dilaporkan memetik seorang pegawai Malaysia yang menyatakan anggota-anggota jaringan JI di kem Kamunting warga Indonesia dan Filipina turut dibebaskan sejak sebulan lepas.

Mereka dibebaskan selepas didapati tidak lagi menimbulkan ancaman keselamatan, laporan itu dipetik.

Pegawai kanan itu berkata mereka yang dibebaskan itu telah insaf selepas menjalani pemulihan di kem di Taiping itu.

Yazid, yang ditahan pada Disember tujuh tahun lepas, telah menunjukkan "peningkatan besar", kata pegawai itu lagi tanpa mengulas lanjut.

Bekas kapten tentera berusia 43 tahun itu antara radikal yang paling popular dikaitkan dengan JI dan serangan dua menara di Amerika Syarikat itu.

Suspek anggota-anggota JI negara ini, Indonesia dan Filipina yang ditahan ISA dikaitkan dengan beberapa serangan bom di republik itu dan perjuangan gerila Islam di Mindanao.

Sementara itu Menteri Dalam Negeri Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar hanya menyebut enam tahanan ISA, termasuk Yazid dan dua anggota JI dibebaskan baru-baru ini, lapor Bernama.

Katanya, lima orang dibebaskan 4 Disember lepas iaitu dua warga Thailand yang dituduh anggota kumpulan pemisah dan tiga rakyat Malaysia termasuk seorang anggota JI.

Yazid dibebaskan bulan lepas, kata Syed Hamid.

"Kerajaan bersikap, kalau tahanan tidak menjadi ancaman kepada masyarakat, dia akan dibebaskan selepas dipulihkan dan seterusnya boleh dikembalikan kepada masyarakat," katanya di lobi Parlimen.

Menurut agensi berita itu lagi, Syed Hamid berkata sejak beliau memegang Kementerian Dalam Negeri, jumlah 75 tahanan akta kontroversi itu sudah menurun kepada 46 orang.

Katanya, daripada jumlah tersebut, 16 anggota kumpulan militan JI, 13 orang dari kumpulan Darul Islam, 10 orang kerana terlibat dalam pemalsuan dokumen kad pengenalan dan pasport, lima pemimpin Barisan Bertindak Hak-hak Hindu (Hindraf) dan dua individu yang bekerja dengan agensi perisikan asing. –Malaysiakini - Dec 10, 08 4:01pm MYT

Faktanya, jangan lupa, 10 penyerang Mumbai@BomBay menggunakan ‘bot’ untuk ke sasaran yang telah dikenalpastikan oleh 8 ‘reconnaissancers’... [setakat itu saja]

Proton-Mitsubishi: Reunion of old partners! ~ Malaysiakini

Dear Proton, Just a note to wish you every success in your new alliance. We’ve watched you do well through stock market…

afp: Malaysia's Proton announces big jump in profits

...and have every confidence that you’ll breeze through the next stage in your ambitious scheme. Your attitude towards these things is right, and you’ve got nothing to worry about.

Now back to your new ride!

[Malaysiakini Dec 5, 08 2:42pm]Malaysia's national carmarker Proton on Friday announced it has inked an agreement to develop a new vehicle with its former Japanese partner Mitsubishi Motors Corp.

Under the ambitious scheme, Proton, which is in need of advanced technology and auto designs in order to remain competitive, will use Mitsubishi expertise to develop a new model, it said in a statement to the stock exchange.

It said the alliance would also allow the two companies to improve component quality for Proton vehicles, and explore options for exports and contract assembly.

Mitsubishi Motors was a former Proton shareholder and helped the state-controlled firm make its first cars more than two decades ago. It sold its stake in 2004.

For Mitsubishi Motors, Japan's fourth-biggest carmaker, the deal would provide a springboard to expand its business in Malaysia, Southeast Asia's biggest passenger car market.

Proton was formed 25 years ago by former premier Mahathir Mohamad as part of an ambitious national industrialisation plan, but its market share has slumped in recent years as it flailed in a newly deregulated market.

It has also suffered from a reputation for unimaginative models and poor quality that has left it struggling to compete against Japanese and European carmakers.

The government has urged it to forge a partnership with a foreign automaker to give it the expertise and economies of scale that it needs to survive.

However, talks with Volkswagen and General Motors have collapsed, with the stumbling block reputed to be demands for a stake in Proton. The Mitsubishi deal does not include any ownership changes. – Agence France-Presse - 12/5/2008 6:42 AM GMT

Rowling waves her magic wand again

The author of the phenomenally successful Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling, publishes her new book on Thursday, an event expected to spark midnight queues at shops for the collection of short stories.

Rowling brought out the final book in the seven-tome Potter series 18 months ago, but publishers promise that "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" provides an insight into the characters and their wizardry.

The British author made a fortune from the tales of the boy wizard, but all the proceeds from "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" will go to the charity she co-founded to improve life for children in institutional homes in eastern Europe.

Publishers are widely expecting the initial print run of 7.5 million copies to be snapped up quickly when the book goes on sale in more than 20 countries including Britain, the United States, France, Germany, China and Japan.

"We think it will appeal to established Harry Potter fans, but also to people who want to do something for charity," said Amy MacLaren, a spokeswoman for the charity, Children's High Level Group (CHLG).

The charity said it would receive a total of 1.61 pounds (1.90 euro, 2.05 dollars) from each book sold in Britain, and an equivalent amount from foreign sales.

Rowling will host a tea party in her home city of Edinburgh to launch the book on Friday.

She produced seven original handwritten copies, giving away six to people involved with the Potter books and auctioning the seventh a year ago, which was bought for 1.95 million pounds (2.3 million euros, 2.9 million dollars) by online retailer Amazon.

Amazon has placed reviews of the five short stories on its website, promising that they "read like Aesop's fables and echo the themes of the (Potter) series".

Each story is followed by commentary by Albus Dumbledore, the white-bearded headmaster of the Hogwarts school where Potter and his friends learn their spells. --Agence France-Presse via MSN