FREEDOM OF SPEECH / FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION


FREEDOM OF SPEECH / FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak without censorship and/or limitation. The synonymous term freedom of expression is sometimes used to indicate not only freedom of verbal speech but any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used [United Nations, 1966, 1976]. The right to freedom of speech is recognized as a human right under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognized in international human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The ICCPR recognizes the right to freedom of speech as "the right to hold opinions without interference. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression". Furthermore freedom of speech is recognized in European, inter-American and African regional human rights law [United Nations, 1966, 1967]. Freedom of speech, or the freedom of expression, is recognized in international and regional human rights law. The right is enshrined in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 13 of the American Convention on Human Rights and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights [Andrew Puddephatt & Hodder Arnold, 2005; Kumar, Ambika, 2006].

In Islamic ethics freedom of speech was first declared in the Rashidun period by the caliph Umar in the 7th century. In the Abbasid Caliphate period, freedom of speech was also declared by al-Hashimi (a cousin of Caliph al-Ma'mun) in a letter to one of the religious opponents he was attempting to convert through reason.

According to George Makdisi and Hugh Goddard, "the idea of academic freedom" in universities was "modelled on Islamic custom" as practiced in the medieval Madrasah system from the 9th century. Islamic influence was "certainly discernible in the foundation of the first deliberately-planned university" in Europe [Boisard, Marcel A., 1980].

* Selected REFERENCES / Sources:


Amnesty International: Annual Reports: URLhttp://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aireport/index.html Andrew Puddephatt & Hodder Arnold. (2005). Freedom of Expression: The Essentials of Human Rights. United Publishers. Boisard, Marcel A. (July 1980), "On the Probable Influence of Islam on Western Public and International Law", International Journal of Middle East Studies 11 (4): 429–50. Goddard, Hugh. (2000). A History of Christian-Muslim Relations. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Kumar, Ambika. (2006). ‘Using Courts to Enforce the Free Speech Provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.’ Published by Chicago Journal of International Law. Summer 2006. URLhttp://www.allbusiness.com/corporate-governance/4082846-1.html United Nations: ‘International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.’ Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 2200A (XXI) of 16th December 1966: Entry into force 23 March 1976, in accordance with Article 49. URLhttp://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/ccpr.htm (United Nations) Wikipedia. (2010). ‘Freedom of Speech.’ Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. URLhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_expression

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27 January 2016

Sultan Nusantara !


Source:
http://www.utusan.com.my/berita/nasional/lelaki-didakwa-agong-nusantara-1.182692


Mungkin pelik, mungkin aneh atau katalah apa sahaja tetapi inilah hakikatnya apabila seorang lelaki yang asalnya hanya seorang pengamal perubatan tradisional boleh mengisytiharkan dirinya sebagai 'Duli Yang Mulia Sri Sultan Notobroto Nusantara 1’.
Lebih menarik, dia juga dikatakan diangkat sebagai 'Agong Nusantara’ oleh sultan-sultan di Indonesia. Kedudukan itu membolehkan lelaki tersebut menganugerahkan pelbagai darjah dan pingat termasuk membawa gelaran 'Datuk’ dan 'Datuk Seri’.

 Siapakah lelaki tersebut dan apakah modus operandimya? Dalam laporan khas kali ini wartawan Mingguan Malaysia, ZULKIFLEE BAKAR dan MOHAMMAD YASIR JAAFAR memaparkan 'tembelang’ lelaki berkenaan.


KUALA LUMPUR 23 Jan. -  Seorang individu rakyat Malaysia mendakwa dirinya sebagai 'Agong Nusantara' telah menyampaikan anugerah pingat dan darjah kebesaran kepada beratus-ratus rakyat negara ini di Indonesia.
Situasi ini mungkin dilihat aneh dan melucukan, tetapi itulah yang dilakukan seorang individu yang suatu ketika dahulu hanya seorang pengamal perubatan tradi­sional dan secara tiba-tiba muncul menggelarkan dirinya sebagai 'Duli Yang Maha Mulia Sri Sultan Notobroto Nusantara manakala isterinya pula, Kanjeng Sri Ratu Notobroto.
Gelaran itu dikatakan digunakan sejak 2011 yang mendapat kecaman pelbagai pihak dalam laman-laman sosial.
Apa yang mengejutkan, satu sumber mendakwa, lelaki tersebut kononnya telah disepakati secara bersama bertaraf 'Yang Dipertuan Agong dari Indonesia' oleh sultan-sultan di negara itu dan berasal daripada keturunan Sultan Demak.
Siasatan Mingguan Malaysia mendapati sejak 2012, lelaki yang berasal dari Johor itu telah mengurniakan pingat dan darjah kebesaran yang membawa pelbagai gelaran termasuklah 'Datuk' dan 'Datuk Seri' kepada beratus-ratus individu dari Malaysia.
Selain itu, 'Sri Sultan Notobroto' juga menganugerahkan darjah yang membawa gelaran 'Raden Kajeng' kepada beberapa individu khusus­nya orang kenamaan.
Satu sumber mendakwa, lelaki tersebut yang kini menetap di sebuah negeri di selatan tanah air, dijadualkan menyampaikan pingat yang membawa gelaran 'Datuk' kepada enam individu pada Mac ini di Indonesia.
Sambil mendakwa segalanya boleh diuruskan, sumber itu berkata, 'Sri Sultan Notobroto' akan mengurniakan darjah tersebut dengan bayaran tertentu mengikut darjah atau pingat yang dianugerahkan.
Beliau yang ditemui di lokasi yang dirahsiakan berkata, terdapat tiga pingat dianugerahkan oleh lelaki tersebut yang majlisnya diadakan di Indonesia.
''Untuk pingat membawa gelaran Datuk harganya kira-kira RM35,000, Dato' (RM45,000) manakala Dato' Sri RM95,000 hingga RM100,000. Semua bayaran itu merangkumi segala kemudahan dan kelengkapan termasuk pengangkutan dan pakaian bagi menghadiri majlis penganugerahan,'' dakwa sumber tersebut.
Sumber itu mendakwa, kebia­saannya majlis penganugerahan akan diadakan dua tahun sekali iaitu pada Februari dan Oktober.
''Penerima harus membayar separuh daripada keseluruhan bayaran bagi urusan 'dokumentasi' manakala bayaran penuh dilakukan sekurang-kurangnya seminggu sebelum penyampaian pingat dibuat,'' dakwanya.
Menjawab satu soalan, sumber tersebut mendakwa, penganugerahan pingat oleh 'Sri Sultan Notobroto Nusantara' itu mempunyai watikah rasmi dan pingat.
''Segala-galanya lengkap. Semuanya direkodkan di dalam sebuah buku, yang paling ramai menerima anugerah daripada 'Sri Sultan' ialah ahli-ahli perniagaan. Mereka begitu inginkan gelaran 'Datuk' atau 'Datuk Seri' bagi meningkatkan imej masing-masing,'' katanya.


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Agong Nusantara’ kini dijel

lelaki yang mendakwa dirinya Sri Sultan Notobroto Nusantara (empat
lelaki yang mendakwa dirinya Sri Sultan Notobroto Nusantara (empat dari kanan) turut menggunakan gelaran Mahaguru apabila turut menjadi pengasas sebuah pertubuhan silat.
MUKADIMAH:Percaya atau tidak? Walaupun dijatuhi hukuman penjara pada 2010 dan dalam proses rayuan di Mahkamah Rayuan atas tuduhan menipu, lelaki bergelar ‘Sri Sultan Notobroto Nusantara’ itu masih berjaya memperdaya ramai individu termasuk orang kenamaan.
 Malah sejak 2012, lelaki itu terus mengurniakan pingat dan darjah dalam majlis yang diadakan di Indonesia. Dalam bahagian akhir laporan khas ini. 
Wartawan Utusan Malaysia, ZULKIFLEE BAKAR dan MOHAMMAD YASIR JAAFAR mendedahkan apa yang sudah dilakukan oleh lelaki tersebut dan di mana dia berada sekarang.

KUALA LUMPUR 24 Jan. Seorang lelaki yang mendakwa dirinya sebagai ‘Sri Sultan Notobroto Nusantara’ dan kononnya diangkat sebagai ‘Agong Nusantara’ dengan gelaran ‘Duli Yang Maha Mulia Sri Sultan Raden (...) Notobroto Nusantara Al-Haj’ pernah dihadapkan ke mahkamah kerana terlibat dengan beberapa kes penipuan.
Siasatan Utusan Malaysia turut mendapati lelaki berkenaan kini meringkuk dalam penjara apabila Mahkamah Rayuan menjatuhkan hukuman penjara selama tiga tahun bermula Jun tahun lalu atas kesalahan terlibat kes penipuan pembelian tanah bernilai RM9.3 juta menggunakan nama Menteri Besar Johor, hampir 20 tahun lalu.
Lebih mengejutkan, satu sumber memberitahu, lelaki berusia 50-an yang mendakwa berasal daripada keturunan kesultanan Nusantara itu turut menjalankan penganugerahan pingat pada 2012, 2013 dan 2014 di Indonesia walaupun Mahkamah Sesyen telah mensabitkan hukuman penjara terbabit pada 2010.
“Lelaki ini banyak terlibat dengan pelbagai kes penipuan sejak tahun 80-an dengan menawarkan perkhidmatan perubatan tradisio­nal atau lebih spesifik menjalankan pembedahan secara batin di bawah nama Pusat Rawatan Keraton.
“Ketika mengusahakan pusat rawatan tersebut dia menggunakan gelaran lain dan dikenali sebagai Prof. Dato’ Dr. Raden (...) Al-Haj, malah pada 2010 dia dihadapkan ke Mahkamah Sesyen kerana menjalankan operasi pusat jagaan kesihatan swasta tanpa lesen,” katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia baru-baru ini.
Lelaki itu yang asalnya penjual ubat tradisional di kaki lima turut mendakwa berketurunan Wali Sembilan selain mengasaskan sebuah persatuan silat dengan menggunakan gelaran ‘Mahaguru’.
Di samping itu, perbuatan lelaki yang berkelulusan Sijil Rendah Pelajaran (SRP) itu memperdaya orang ramai dalam pelbagai kes penipuan khususnya berkaitan rawatan tradisional turut tersebar dalam laman sosial.
Sementara itu, seorang anak mangsa penipuan lelaki tersebut turut mendedahkan bagaimana ibunya yang menghidap penyakit kanser terpedaya untuk mendapatkan rawatan secara pembedahan batin dengan harapan dapat membuang tumor kanser.
Menurutnya, lelaki terbabit telah mengarahkan mangsa baring sebelum meletakkan perut palsu di atas perut pesakit berkenaan dan mendakwa membedah pesakitnya secara langsung.
“Sedangkan dia (lelaki terbabit) telah cipta perut palsu dan me­mang­gil kakitangannya untuk me­rakam proses pembedahan itu,” jelas seorang mangsa yang turut dikenakan bayaran RM3,000 bagi pembedahan berkenaan.




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Bonda Ratu - Sungai Rambai - Melaka


Source:
http://www.utusan.com.my/berita/nasional/8216-bonda-ratu-8217-pula-mahu-sampai-anugerah-kebesaran-1.177568

‘Bonda Ratu’ pula mahu sampai anugerah kebesaran

Menggelarkan diri Raja Kerinchi Tinggi Sumatera dari Indonesia

Kad jemputan Ratu Bonda yang mengaku keturunan raja dari Sumatera,
KAD jemputan Ratu Bonda yang mengaku keturunan raja dari Sumatera, Indonesia bercadang mahu menyampaikan darjah kebesaran di Melaka, Sabtu ini.
KUALA LUMPUR 7 Jan. - Selepas kecoh isu penganugerahan pingat kebesaran oleh Noor Jan Tuah yang mendakwa sebagai Sultan Melaka, kini muncul pula seorang wanita mengaku berasal daripada keturunan raja yang turut merancang menyampaikan anugerah pingat kebesaran pada Sabtu ini.
Wanita yang menggelarkan dirinya Raja Kerinchi Tinggi Sumatera, Indonesia atau ‘Bonda Ratu’ itu akan menyampaikan pingat kepada beberapa individu pada ‘Hari Kebesaran Bonda Ratu’ di ‘Istana Ratu Mahligai Sungai Rambai, Melaka.
Antara penerima yang tersenarai dalam atur cara termasuklah beberapa tokoh dalam dan luar negara dan turut diadakan ialah pemberian anugerah gelar adat kepada lima penerima.
“Difahamkan seramai 80 orang dijangka hadir pada majlis tersebut untuk menerima anugerah dan gelaran tertentu. Majlis yang diadakan secara besar-besaran itu turut didakwa akan dihadiri oleh keturunan Kesultanan Kerinchi,’’ kata sumber itu kepada Utusan Malaysia, di sini hari ini.
Penganugerahan pingat seumpama itu sudah beberapa kali berlaku termasuk yang terbaharu oleh Noor Jan, baru-baru ini. Selain itu, Melaka juga pernah ‘digemparkan’ dengan penganugerahan pingat oleh keturunan Raja Naning pada 2014.
Kesemua anugerah itu dirancang akan disampaikan oleh wa­nita tersebut yang turut akan menjelaskan susur galur keturunan Kesultanan Alam Kerinchi Tinggi Nan Sakti.
Lebih mengejutkan, wanita berkenaan turut mempamerkan logo rasmi kononnya melam­bangkan institusi Kesultanan Kerinchi pada sampul surat jemputan bagi majlis berkenaan yang tertera perkataan ‘Urusan Seri Paduka Baginda’, selain menggunakan gelaran ‘Duli Yang Maha Mulia Tuanku Ratu...’ pada permulaan namanya.
Sementara itu, difahamkan satu laporan polis telah dibuat oleh kerajaan negeri bagi membolehkan pihak polis menjalankan siasatan bagi mengelakkan daripada berlaku perkara tidak diingini yang bertentangan dengan undang-undang negara.


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20 January 2016

OIL PRICES DROP TO BELOW $28 PER BARREL - IRAN SANCTIONS LIFTED

Source:
https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/oil-slides-lowest-since-2003-022621847.html



Oil slumps below $28 to 2003 low as Iran sanctions lifted




By Nia Williams
(Reuters) - Oil prices slumped to a 2003 low below $28 per barrel on Monday as the market anticipated a rise in Iranian exports after the lifting of sanctions against Tehran over the weekend.
Responding to Tehran's compliance with a nuclear deal, the United States and major powers revoked international sanctions that had cut Iran's oil exports by about 2 million barrels per day (bpd) since their pre-sanctions 2011 peak to little more than 1 million bpd.
Iran, a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), issued an order on Monday to increase production by 500,000 bpd, the country's deputy oil minister said.
Worries about Iran's return to an already oversupplied oil market drove down Brent crude to $27.67 a barrel early on Monday, its lowest since 2003. The benchmark was down 29 cents at $28.64 by 1850 GMT.
U.S. crude was down 48 cents at $28.94 a barrel, not far from a 2003 low of $28.36 hit earlier in the session. Trading volumes were thin with U.S. markets closed for the Martin Luther King Day holiday.
"You can't say this was unexpected but the Iran news is an additional factor that's working against oil prices," said TD Securities analyst Bart Melek, who also pointed to global oversupply and concerns about demand from China.
He said oil could fall further if Chinese economic data released overnight, including GDP and retail sales data, points to more weakness in the economy.
"If we get nasty economic numbers from China there's potential for another swoosh lower," Melek said.
Analysts expect Iran will realistically be able to export an extra 500,000 bpd in the short term from storage, but there are doubts whether the state of Iran's oil infrastructure will allow further boosts anytime soon.
SEB Markets assumes Iranian oil output will rise by 400,000 bpd to 3.2 million bpd in 2016, while Tehran has said it will add 1 million bpd to its existing output by the year-end.
Iran has at least a dozen Very Large Crude Carrier super-tankers filled and in place to sell into the market.
In a sign of the pain low prices are inflicting on oil producers, OPEC forecast that supply outside the organisation would decline by 660,000 bpd in 2016, led by the United States. Last month OPEC predicted a drop of 380,000 bpd.
(Additional reporting by Ahmad Ghadder in London, Roslan Khasawneh and Henning Gloystein in Singapore and Osamu Tsukimori in Tokyo; Editing by David Goodman, Dale Hudson and Frances Kerry)



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14 January 2016

South Korea Father Stay Home to Take Care of Children - A Growing Trends



Source:
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/south-koreas-brave-stay-home-fathers-035758184.html?nhp=1
(14 Jan 2016)

South Korea Father Stay Home to Take Care of Children



South Korean father Kim Jin-Sung plays with his young children at their apartment in Seoul
View photos
South Korean father Kim Jin-Sung plays with his young children at their apartment in Seoul
When Kim Jin-Sung applied for paternity leave to care for his two young children, the response from senior management at the company he worked for ranged from shock and disbelief to outright anger.
"They asked me hundreds of times if I was being serious," the 40-year-old, Seoul-based IT salesman said.
The reaction from friends was equally incredulous, with most struggling to comprehend why Kim would disrupt his career to do "the wife's job."
But Kim was determined and, after months of pleading with management, he was finally granted a year-long paternity leave -- the first in the 15-year history of his employer.
"It was a very difficult process, but I was really lucky to get it at all," he said in the toy-strewn living room of his apartment in Seoul.
Kim is one of a growing number of South Korea fathers opting to take a break from their careers to help bring up their children -- an unthinkable idea until recently in a male-dominated society where daily childcare has always been considered a woman's responsibility.
But a rock-bottom birthrate, fuelled in part by a growing reluctance among women to accept traditional roles, has spurred the government to push for societal changes that will help couples to have larger families.
The multi-billion campaign has included subsidies to encourage more men to take paternity leave -- despite resistance from the corporate world.
Fathers like Kim forsake their company salary but receive a government handout equivalent to 40 percent of their monthly income -- capped at 1.0 million won ($840). By law men and women are entitled to up to one year maternity or paternity leave.
- Rapidly ageing society -
South Korea has a fertility rate of 1.19 births per woman as of 2013 -- the lowest among OECD member nations and far below the OECD average of 1.67.
This is forcing a worrying demographic shift in Asia's fourth-largest economy, as the pool of young, working-age South Koreans shrinks in contrast to a burgeoning elderly population.
Sky-high property prices and narrowing job prospects are causing many young South Koreans of both sexes to delay marriage -- or shun it completely.
But women are becoming particularly resistant, rebelling against the traditional norm of the stay-at-home mother, with sole responsibility for all household duties.
South Korea men spend an average of 45 minutes a day on household chores including childcare -- the lowest among OECD member nations.
"Our mindset is still stuck in the old days when men were sole breadwinners," President Park Geun-Hye said last month during a meeting with experts to discuss the low birthrate.
"We need to ... educate more fathers to create a culture where they can naturally take part in childcare," she said, urging local companies to cut "unnecessary long office hours and after-hour drinking sessions."
- Gruelling work culture -
South Korea's intense work culture was a major factor behind Kim's decision to take his year off to be with his five-year-old daughter and three-year-old son.
"I used to come home from work at eight or nine on a few lucky days ... and it was impossible to find enough time to play with or read to my kids," he said.
And he isn't alone.
The number of South Korean fathers taking paternity leave in the first half of 2015 jumped 40 percent from the same 2014 period -- albeit off a very low base -- to 2,212.
But men still only represented five percent of requests for parental leave, compared to more than 40 percent in countries like Sweden.
South Korea still has a "long, long way to go," said Hong Seung-Ah, researcher at Korea Women's Development Institute.
"It's a brave father who asks for a paternity leave in South Korea, but things are changing in a positive way," Hong told AFP.
The "brave" tag, which has been actively promoted by the government, references the concern fathers have of the career consequences.
- Fears of demotion -
A recent survey showed nearly 80 percent of South Korean fathers wanted to take paternity leave, but half were too worried about the risk of being laid off or demoted when they returned to work.
There are signs that the business world is beginning to accept the need for change, even at major conglomerates like Samsung or Hyundai which are notorious for their long office hours and conservative work cultures.