Big Deal! Big News!

Malaysia is donating RM57.6 million (USD16 million) to the Palestine govt with approx 1 million population. It works out to be RM57.6 per person. Well, that's a great gesture from a humane prime minister of Malaysia. How much did Brunei & Saudi's donate?

Malaysian Airlines (MAS) today launched the Malaysia’s biggest mutual separation scheme (MSS) for employees to shed about 6,000 employees from its stable of 23,000 employees. It would cost RM600mil to be funded by its internal coffers. MAS said it is a big deal and an attractive package where each employee will receive about one to three months’ salary for every year of service with no cap on the number of years. This is the biggest MSS in corporate Malaysia as no other organisation in Malaysia has carried out a scheme to shed so many workers.

Health Minister, Dr Chua Soi Lek calls on Malaysian specialist doctors abroad to come back because he is giving them an “instant” pay rise of RM4,000 if they were to return home and serve the country. Chua Soi Lek said they would immediately move up from the Grade U41 salary scale of RM3,000 to Grade U48 of RM7,000. Chua said the Public Services Department (PSD) had approved the “big jump” in recognition of their specialised skills and training in Britain. “So my advice is return home and don't take take too long as there could be a surplus of doctors in Malaysia in 10 to 15 years. It’s either doctor laku or doctor yang tak laku,” Chua said.

PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he had sensed, even before the Sarawak state elections on Saturday, that the Barisan Nasional would be losing several seats. “I sensed there was something amiss,” but added he did not want to talk about it publicly. “I can't explain my feelings to the public,” the Prime Minister said/.

Kelantan MB and PAS Spiritual Leader, Nik Aziz said the recent results of the Sarawak state elections showed a favourable support for PAS and the Opposition, make it timely for PAS to open its doors to non-Muslims. Nik Aziz said PAS members are now more educated and mature enough to accept the proposal. “I will propose to the party’s central leadership to seriously think about my suggestion. For a start, non-Muslims could be admitted into the party as associate members. And, when the time is ripe, they may become full-fledged members to strengthen the party’s political clout,” said Nik Aziz. “It is timely now to admit non-Muslims to strengthen the party and take advantage of the weaknesses in the Barisan, which is losing steam.” Nik Aziz claimed many non-Muslims in Kelantan were flying the PAS flag at their homes, and said this was an encouraging sign.

Cold-rolled coil (CRC) producer Mycron Steel Bhd CEO Azlan Abdullah said the steel price hike is 19% hike this year and last year's it was 75%, which severely affected the steel industry. The current iron ore price is about US$51 per tonne compared with last year's average price of US$43 per tonne. Azlan said the CRC price in the second quarter this year hovered at US$630 per tonne while the HRC price was about US$520 per tonne. “Prices have risen by over US$200 per tonne over the past six months,” he added.

Contractors, brace yourself to absorb the possible hike and shortages soon.

The Three Gorges dam on China's Yangtze River will be the largest artificial lake in the world. The water level is supposed to rise 175 meters, creating a lake that's 675 kilometers long.

When The Three Gorgeous Dam is completed, it will submerge 1,271 archaeological sites. Ever since the giant dam was proposed by Mao, it has been controversial. In return for supplying a vast increase in hydroelectric power and preventing disastrous floods downriver, it will evict 2 million people and flood 30,000 hectares of farmland. The construction of the dam, set to become the world's largest hydroelectric power project, will be completed nine months ahead of schedule, on May 20. China's State Council has approved the raising of the dam's water level in the Three Gorges Reservoir to 156 meters (approximately 511.68 feet). About 80,000 people will be evacuated this year from areas to be flooded by rising waters behind the colossal dam. The evacuees are among the roughly 1.3 million being moved to make way for the project, according to state media.