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			<title>Evolution in action: Scientists discover lizards on verge of leap from egg-laying to live births</title>
			<link>http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/evolution_action_scientists_297563.html</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 06 Sep 2010 04:32:19 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>*Evolution in action: Scientists discover lizards on verge of leap from egg-laying to live births 
 
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER 
Last updated at 4:18 PM...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><b>Evolution in action: Scientists discover lizards on verge of leap from egg-laying to live births<br />
<br />
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER<br />
Last updated at 4:18 PM on 3rd September 2010</b><br />
<br />
Scientists have caught the process of evolution in action as a species of Australian lizard abandons egg-laying for live births.<br />
<br />
The variety of skink, which is snake-like with four tiny legs, has been found laying eggs along the coast of New South Wales.<br />
<br />
However, the same yellow-bellied three-toed lizard living in the colder mountainous region is giving birth to offspring like a mammal does.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/09/03/article-1308772-0B074AED000005DC-588_468x361.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="tcattdimgresizer" onload="NcodeImageResizer.createOn(this);" /><br />
Rare study: The Australian lizard has been found laying eggs along the warm coast of New South Wales while the same species gives birth to live young in the colder mountainous region<br />
<br />
There are only two other types of modern reptiles which use both types of reproduction methods – another skink species and a European lizard.<br />
<br />
One in five snakes and lizards gives birth to live young, with records showing nearly a hundred reptile lineages have changed from egg-laying in the past.<br />
<br />
Study co-author James Stewart, a biologist at East Tennessee State University, in America, told National Geographic that the discovery provided scientists with a rare opportunity.<br />
<br />
‘By studying differences among populations that are in different stages of this process, you can begin to put together what looks like the transition from one [birth style] to the other,’ he said.<br />
<br />
Mr Stewart said the transformation could be linked to how newborns get nourishment. Or it could be a way of protecting the young in harsher climates.<br />
<br />
Baby mammals are fed via a placenta which is connects the foetus to the ovary wall.<br />
<br />
Through this it can breathe and pass back waste.<br />
<br />
Embryos of egg-laying species get nutrients from the yolk while absorbing calcium from the porous shell, which also protects them from the external environment.<br />
<br />
However, some fish and reptiles are using a mix of both birthing styles.<br />
<br />
Mothers form an egg which she keeps inside her body until the last stages. The shells thin, allowing the embryos to breathe until birth – but, according to scientists, this poses a nourishment problem, as it contains less calcium.<br />
<br />
This discovery prompted Mr Stewart and his colleagues to investigate the nutrient issue in the structure and the chemistry of the Australian lizard’s uterus.<br />
<br />
He explained: ‘Now we can see that the uterus secretes calcium that becomes incorporated into the embryo – it’s basically the early stages of the evolution of a placenta in reptiles.’<br />
<br />
However, Mr Stewart added that the process of reptiles moving from egg-laying to live birth is common in historic terms as making the switch is relatively easy.<br />
<br />
‘We tend to think of this as a very complex transition,’ he added. ‘But it’s looking like it might be much simpler is some cases than we thought.’<br />
<br />
Source: <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1308772/Evolution-action-Scientists-discover-lizards-verge-leap-egg-laying-live-births.html" target="_blank">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...ve-births.html</a></div>

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			<category domain="http://forums.sgclub.com/foreign_affairs/">Foreign Affairs</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Vatican decries Iran 'stoning']]></title>
			<link>http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/vatican_decries_iran_297545.html</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 06 Sep 2010 03:39:02 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[*Vatican decries Iran 'stoning'* 
 
VATICAN CITY - THE Vatican has raised the possibility of using behind-the-scenes diplomacy to try to save the...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><b>Vatican decries Iran 'stoning'</b><br />
<br />
VATICAN CITY - THE Vatican has raised the possibility of using behind-the-scenes diplomacy to try to save the life of an Iranian widow sentenced to be stoned for adultery.<br />
<br />
In its first public statement on the case, which has attracted worldwide attention, the Vatican decried stoning Sunday as a particularly brutal form of capital punishment.<br />
<br />
Vatican spokesman the Rev Federico Lombardi said the Catholic church opposes the death penalty in general.<br />
<br />
It is unclear what chances any Vatican bid would have to persuade the Muslim nation to spare the woman's life. Brazil, which has friendly relations with Iran, was rebuffed when it offered her asylum.<br />
<br />
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was convicted in 2006 of adultery. In July, Iranian authorities said they would not carry out the stoning sentence for the time being, but the mother of two could still face execution by hanging for adultery and other offenses.<br />
<br />
Her son, Sajad, told the Italian news agency Adnkronos that he was appealing to Pope Benedict XVI and to Italy to work to stop the execution.<br />
<br />
Lombardi told The Associated Press that no formal appeal had reached the Vatican. But he hinted that Vatican diplomacy might be employed to try to save Ashtiani.<br />
<br />
Source: <a href="http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/Story/STIStory_575400.html" target="_blank">http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_575400.html</a></div>

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			<category domain="http://forums.sgclub.com/foreign_affairs/">Foreign Affairs</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[M'sia: 1st gay church draws the crowds]]></title>
			<link>http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/msia_1st_gay_297508.html</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 05 Sep 2010 23:34:28 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[*M'sia: 1st gay church draws the crowds* 
 
Image: http://dailychilli.com/images/stories/2010/09/01_03/gay2main.jpg  
Rev Ouyang co-founded...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><b>M'sia: 1st gay church draws the crowds</b><br />
<br />
<img src="http://dailychilli.com/images/stories/2010/09/01_03/gay2main.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="tcattdimgresizer" onload="NcodeImageResizer.createOn(this);" /><br />
Rev Ouyang co-founded Malaysia's first gay church.<br />
<br />
Reverend Ouyang Wen Feng is not just a man of God, he is also Malaysia’s only openly homosexual pastor.<br />
<br />
On top of that, he co-founded the nation’s first gay church, which has been operating in suburban Kuala Lumpur for the last three years.<br />
<br />
Though homosexuality is still a crime punishable by 20 years in jail in the Muslim-majority nation, Ouyang’s church has been drawing a steady group of gay Christians for Sunday services and bible studies.<br />
<br />
&quot;We are working on encouraging more people to join the church, for Christians to come out and live authentic lives,&quot; says the pastor, who was married for nine years until he &quot;came out&quot; publicly in 2006.<br />
<br />
&quot;Whether one is gay or straight or bisexual, they are sexual orientations, it is not something we do that makes us gay.&quot;<br />
<br />
Ouyang adds that the church, which also embraces bisexuals and transsexuals as well as welcoming heterosexuals to its services, wants to help the community know they are not &quot;alone in fighting the battle&quot;.<br />
<br />
Ouyang's battle is part of a campaign being fought on many fronts in Malaysia, where there is a growing sense of activism among the gay community that is beginning to mobilise to fight for its rights.<br />
<br />
&quot;When I was young, how I wished someone who was good, highly admired and respected in the society could come out and tell me 'I am gay too,',&quot; says the 40-year-old.<br />
<br />
But homosexuality remains a social taboo across the racial and religious spectrum in the country, which is also home to large ethnic Chinese and Indian communities.<br />
<br />
Gay men and women are a visible presence out in public, and on the Internet where they are connected through online forums.<br />
<br />
However, authorities periodically crack down on the thriving gay scene, carrying out raids at gay-friendly bars or massage parlours, leaving some with a constant fear of persecution.<br />
<br />
Source: <a href="http://dailychilli.com/news/6094-malaysias-first-gay-church" target="_blank">http://dailychilli.com/news/6094-mal...rst-gay-church</a></div>

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			<category domain="http://forums.sgclub.com/foreign_affairs/">Foreign Affairs</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[China: Chinese 'Tarzan' lives on tree]]></title>
			<link>http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/china_chinese_tarzan_297507.html</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 05 Sep 2010 23:32:32 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[*China: Chinese 'Tarzan' lives on tree* 
 
Image: http://dailychilli.com/images/stories/2010/09/01_03/tarzans.jpg  
Du uses a piece of plastic cloth...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><b>China: Chinese 'Tarzan' lives on tree</b><br />
<br />
<img src="http://dailychilli.com/images/stories/2010/09/01_03/tarzans.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="tcattdimgresizer" onload="NcodeImageResizer.createOn(this);" /><br />
Du uses a piece of plastic cloth as the ...<br />
<br />
A man in the city of Shijiazhuang, China lives in a tree, just like Tarzan, lord of the jungle.<br />
<br />
The 43 year old man, surnamed Du, has made his home in a tree located about 200 m away from a busy traffic junction.<br />
<br />
<img src="http://dailychilli.com/images/stories/2010/09/01_03/treeman.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="tcattdimgresizer" onload="NcodeImageResizer.createOn(this);" /><br />
Du is very good at climbing and can go up the tree within 5 seconds<br />
<br />
Since 2007, he has been earning a living by picking up plastic bottles to sell.<br />
<br />
He told local reporters that he only eats one bun each day, and that he once lived a box before he was driven out.<br />
<br />
Du found the tree a month ago and finally made his &quot;home&quot; there.<br />
<br />
A security guard at a bank nearby said the man usually lingers around outside in the daytime but climbs up to the tree to sleep each night.<br />
<br />
&quot;He never disturbs passers-by, but people usually worry about him,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
Source: <a href="http://dailychilli.com/news/6095-chinese-tarzan-lives-on-tree" target="_blank">http://dailychilli.com/news/6095-chi...-lives-on-tree</a></div>

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			<category domain="http://forums.sgclub.com/foreign_affairs/">Foreign Affairs</category>
			<dc:creator>*StarDust*</dc:creator>
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			<title>Taiwan: Destination unknown</title>
			<link>http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/taiwan_destination_unknown_297500.html</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 05 Sep 2010 23:18:35 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>*Taiwan: Destination unknown* 
  
Image: http://dailychilli.com/images/stories/2010/09/04_06/bus.jpg  
 
A public bus in Taiwan is leading its...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><b>Taiwan: Destination unknown</b><br />
 <br />
<img src="http://dailychilli.com/images/stories/2010/09/04_06/bus.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="tcattdimgresizer" onload="NcodeImageResizer.createOn(this);" /><br />
<br />
A public bus in Taiwan is leading its passengers to nowhere.<br />
<br />
The San Chung Bus No 1203 in Taipei heads towards the destination called 'unknown'.<br />
<br />
This was shown on the signboard at Ximen Market's bus stop.<br />
<br />
According to it, the No 18 bus is going to Huajiang while the No 621 bus is heading to Erchong, but the No 1203 bus goes to an unknown place.<br />
<br />
The Taipei Public Transportation Office covered the word 'unknown' with white paint on Friday following complaints from the people.<br />
<br />
It said the destination for bus No 1203 should be left blank for the moment and blamed the mistake to the signboard-making company who &quot;tried to be smart&quot;.<br />
<br />
&quot;We believe the company has tried to be smart and added the word on the space meant to be left empty.&quot;<br />
<br />
Source: <a href="http://dailychilli.com/news/6115-a-bus-to-nowhere" target="_blank">http://dailychilli.com/news/6115-a-bus-to-nowhere</a></div>

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			<title><![CDATA[M'sia : Abducted clinic assistant tells of torture, forced labour and prostitution]]></title>
			<link>http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/msia_abducted_clinic_297485.html</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:44:34 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>MALAYSIA - A CLINIC assistant, who went missing for a month from her home, was found in a dazed state at a bus station in Muar with stories of...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>MALAYSIA - A CLINIC assistant, who went missing for a month from her home, was found in a dazed state at a bus station in Muar with stories of assault, torture, forced labour and prostitution, Harian Metro reported.<br />
<br />
Her family believes the woman, identified only as Nori, is a victim of a powerful black magic potion - oil taken from the chin of a murdered women.<br />
<br />
Soon after her family found her at the station on Saturday, she was admitted to the Sultanah Fatimah Specialist Hospital where she started vomiting blood and behaving crudely.<br />
<br />
The tabloid said the man who had allegedly lured the 26-year-old married woman away was an acquaintance of her husband who used to hang around the family's food stall, not far from their home in Sungai Mati.<br />
<br />
Speaking from her hospital bed, Nori told the newspaper she was treated like a slave during the weeks she was detained by the man, a lorry driver.<br />
<br />
She was put under the care of a woman from Sabah and also ordered to do all kinds of chores, including satiating the sexual desires of other lorry drivers and working at a factory.<br />
<br />
When she tried to escape from his clutches, she was beaten, slapped and kicked in the abdomen. At one juncture, the man threatened to sell her off.<br />
<br />
Police questioning was futile because Nori behaved strangely towards them and refused to speak to anyone except in whispers. She also threatened to stab herself.<br />
<br />
It is understood that the suspect has a previous record of house break-ins and snatch thefts in Malacca.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20100903-235305.html" target="_blank">http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne...03-235305.html</a></div>

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			<category domain="http://forums.sgclub.com/foreign_affairs/">Foreign Affairs</category>
			<dc:creator>fgfmse</dc:creator>
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			<title><![CDATA[M'sia : Woman grossly overcharged by Chinese herbal shop]]></title>
			<link>http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/msia_woman_grossly_297483.html</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:41:36 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>The daily also reported that a housewife managed to get back RM30,000 (S$12,936), after she was overcharged by a Chinese herbal shop in Li Jiang,...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>The daily also reported that a housewife managed to get back RM30,000 (S$12,936), after she was overcharged by a Chinese herbal shop in Li Jiang, China.<br />
<br />
Li Xiu Chen bought the herbal products worth RM3,000 from the shop using her credit card in May but the shop charged her RM30,000 instead.<br />
<br />
Li only found out about it when she returned to Malaysia. She sought help from various organisations including the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia but was unsuccessful.<br />
<br />
The shop voluntarily returned the money after she complained to the China Tourism Department.<br />
<br />
The shop operator wanted Li to write a letter stating that it was a technical error but she refused to do so.<br />
<br />
&quot;Many people think it's impossible to get back our money after being cheated by shop owners in China. I want to tell Malaysians that we can do it,&quot; she said.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20100903-235334.html" target="_blank">http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne...03-235334.html</a></div>

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			<category domain="http://forums.sgclub.com/foreign_affairs/">Foreign Affairs</category>
			<dc:creator>fgfmse</dc:creator>
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			<title><![CDATA[M'sia : Bogus cop forces boy to have sex with him]]></title>
			<link>http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/msia_bogus_cop_297482.html</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:36:57 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>DRIVEN by his ravenous sexual appetite, a man posed as a police officer to intimidate a 15-year-old boy into doing his bidding, reported Harian...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>DRIVEN by his ravenous sexual appetite, a man posed as a police officer to intimidate a 15-year-old boy into doing his bidding, reported Harian Metro.<br />
<br />
During the incident on Monday evening, the &quot;officer&quot;, in his 50s, had approached the teenager at a cybercafe in Ampang and threatened to handcuff him.<br />
<br />
Feeling intimidated, the boy decided to follow the man home to his apartment for &quot;interrogation&quot;.<br />
<br />
A police source told the tabloid that in the apartment, the man had asked the teenager if he took drugs.<br />
<br />
&quot;But by then, he could no longer hold in his sexual urges and started to grope the boy's private parts and even tried to sodomise him.<br />
<br />
&quot;He later threatened the boy to keep the incident a secret,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
The boy subsequently lodged a police report.<br />
<br />
&gt; The daily also reported that an angry motorist chased a motorcyclist, who had snatched his wife's bag, for about a kilometre before ramming into him with his vehicle.<br />
<br />
When the snatch thief tried to make his escape on foot, the man, who is in his 30s, gave chase and managed to apprehend him with the help of bystanders.<br />
<br />
The thief who suffered injuries to his hands and legs in the 8.30am incident on Wednesday was handed over to the Ampang Jaya police station.<br />
<br />
&gt; Berita Harian reported that a 33-year-old former security guard has been charged at a magistrate's court on Thursday. with killing his toddler son<br />
<br />
Muhaimi Sautar had allegedly slit three-year-old Muhammad Adam Muzhaffar's throat with a knife on Oct 24 at his home in Kampung Sungai Budor, Kota Baru, almost severing it.<br />
<br />
When the charge was read out to him before magistrate Mohd Yusoff Yunus, Muhaimi, who was later sent for a psychiatric evaluation, merely nodded.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20100904-235510.html" target="_blank">http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne...04-235510.html</a></div>

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			<category domain="http://forums.sgclub.com/foreign_affairs/">Foreign Affairs</category>
			<dc:creator>fgfmse</dc:creator>
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			<title><![CDATA[M'sia : Racism: Cop under probe]]></title>
			<link>http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/msia_racism_cop_297479.html</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:25:14 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[KUALA LUMPUR - A police inspector who allegedly told a 51-year-old snatch theft victim to "balik China" (return to China) if she could not speak...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>KUALA LUMPUR - A police inspector who allegedly told a 51-year-old snatch theft victim to &quot;balik China&quot; (return to China) if she could not speak Bahasa Malaysia is being investigated.<br />
<br />
City police chief DCP Datuk Muhammad Sabtu Osman said the inspector, in his 30s, was from the Sentul district police headquarters. He is being investigated by the city police headquarters disciplinary committee headed by the Chief Police Officer.<br />
<br />
The officer, who is attached to the Criminal Investigation Department, has been temporarily relieved of his duties pending investigations. He is now handling administrative work.<br />
<br />
<br />
He allegedly made the remark to housewife Loh See Moi, who was a snatch theft victim on Aug 24 in Kepong.<br />
<br />
&quot;The police force will not defend and protect any policemen, if they are guilty of wrongdoing,&quot; said DCP Muhammad Sabtu.<br />
<br />
Loh, from Selayang, lodged a police report against the inspector at the Jinjang police station yesterday, alleging that he had uttered these words: &quot;Jika tak tahu cakap Bahasa Melayu, balik China&quot; (go back to China if you can't speak Bahasa Malaysia).<br />
<br />
In her report, Loh said she had gone to the Kepong police station accompanied by her daughter Fong Ay Lian, 26, to lodge a report following the snatchtheft.<br />
<br />
She said at the inspector's office, her daughter spoke to the officer in English but he refused to entertain her as she was not the complainant.<br />
<br />
Then as Loh began to relate her ordeal in English, the inspector made the remark.<br />
<br />
Loh said she asked him in Bahasa Malaysia why he made the remark, saying that she was a Malaysian.<br />
<br />
DCP Muhammad urged the public to lodge a report or complaint with their respective district police chiefs if they encountered problems with policemen or officers.<br />
<br />
&quot;I will be very disappointed if the allegations against my officer are true. We will investigate the matter thoroughly,'' he added.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20100905-235618.html" target="_blank">http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne...05-235618.html</a></div>

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			<dc:creator>fgfmse</dc:creator>
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			<title><![CDATA[M'sia : Docs need consent to take pics of intimate parts]]></title>
			<link>http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/msia_docs_need_297478.html</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:22:50 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>GEORGE TOWN: Surgeons must obtain the consent of their female patients before taking photographs of their intimate parts, ruled a High Court in what...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>GEORGE TOWN: Surgeons must obtain the consent of their female patients before taking photographs of their intimate parts, ruled a High Court in what is believed to be a landmark decision.<br />
<br />
Judicial Commissioner Chew Soo Ho said this in allowing a claim for invasion of privacy filed by freelance writer Lee Ewe Poh, 50, against general and colorectal surgeon Dr Lim Teik Mau and Loh Guan Lye &amp; Sons Sdn Bhd.<br />
<br />
<br />
The judge yesterday awarded Lee a nominal RM25,000 (S$10,780) in damages with costs of RM10,000. He also ordered that Dr Lim's memory card (from his digital camera) be destroyed by the High Court Deputy Registrar in the presence of both Lee and Dr Lim.<br />
<br />
Besides finding that women have the right to determine whether their intimate parts can be photographed during surgical procedures, the judgment also affirms that invasion of privacy is a cause for action in Malaysia.<br />
<br />
Lee, a former journalist, said she was glad that her case would benefit other Malaysian women in similar situations.<br />
<br />
In her claim, Lee said she underwent a procedure known as stapler haemorrhoidectomy at the Loh Guan Lye Specialists Centre here on Dec 21, 2006.<br />
<br />
She felt violated when she discovered six days later that Dr Lim had taken photographs of her intimate parts without her consent while she was under anaesthetic.<br />
<br />
Dr Lim said it was common and acceptable medical practice to take photographs of patients under sedation, and that he took the photographs with the intention to help the patient understand the procedure.<br />
<br />
In his judgment, JC Chew noted that the testimony of Dr Lim's witness, leading consultant colorectal and general surgeon Dr Mohamed Akhtar Qureshi, was favourable to the plaintiff.<br />
<br />
He said Dr Akhtar testified that it was acceptable practice to photograph a patient under sedation, but went on to say that the right to decide if the photographs could be taken rested solely on the patient who must be warned in advance.<br />
<br />
Lee was represented by counsel K. Simon Murali, while T. Sagadaven and Ramsun Ho represented Dr Lim and the hospital respectively.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20100903-235418.html" target="_blank">http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne...03-235418.html</a></div>

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			<title><![CDATA[M'sia : Mum disowns son over debt]]></title>
			<link>http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/msia_mum_disowns_297475.html</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:20:46 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>JOHOR BARU: A tyre shop owner has disowned her son after Ah Long harassed her over his RM60,000 (S$25,872) gambling debt. 
 
Bong Swee Yin, 50, said...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>JOHOR BARU: A tyre shop owner has disowned her son after Ah Long harassed her over his RM60,000 (S$25,872) gambling debt.<br />
<br />
Bong Swee Yin, 50, said although she could tolerate her son stealing from her to fuel his online gambling habit, the visit by the Ah Long was &quot;unbearable.&quot;<br />
<br />
&quot;I can accept and even forgive him for stealing from me over the past eight months. However, leaving me to settle his RM60,000 debt is too much.<br />
<br />
&quot;I have decided to disown him,&quot; she told reporters at a press conference organised by Johor Baru MCA public complaints bureau deputy chief Michael Tay here.<br />
<br />
She said she hoped the Ah Long would stop harassing her since she had severed family ties with her 25-year-old son who would often stay up until the wee hours of the morning gambling online on his computer.<br />
<br />
&quot;Whatever the Ah Long want to do to him, I don't care anymore. I am very disappointed with his behaviour,&quot; she said, adding that her son had been missing since Aug 25.<br />
<br />
Bong also vowed that even if her son were to repent and beg for forgiveness, she would not help him pay his debts.<br />
<br />
&quot;If he comes home and explains his actions, I am still willing to take him back. I will not, however, help pay his debts. That will be his problem,&quot; she said.<br />
<br />
&quot;Before the Ah Long came to my shop last Wednesday, I had no idea that my son's gambling habit was so serious.<br />
<br />
&quot;He has always been rebellious and disobedient but I never imagined him getting into this kind of trouble,&quot; she said, adding that the Ah Long had threatened to seize goods from her shop if her son did not settle the debt soon.<br />
<br />
Tay said almost 90% of the Ah Long cases the bureau received this year were linked to debts incurred through online gambling.<br />
<br />
&quot;Many people turn to Ah Long when they get into debts. I urge the public to never ask Ah Long for help no matter how deep the trouble they are in,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20100904-235506.html" target="_blank">http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne...04-235506.html</a></div>

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			<dc:creator>fgfmse</dc:creator>
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			<title><![CDATA[M'sia : Woman ditches husband for boyfriend after 1-day marriage]]></title>
			<link>http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/msia_woman_ditches_297474.html</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:18:13 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>Malaysia Nanban reported that a new bride V. Puvaneswari ditched her husband T. Ramesh to run away with her boyfriend - just one day after their...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>Malaysia Nanban reported that a new bride V. Puvaneswari ditched her husband T. Ramesh to run away with her boyfriend - just one day after their marriage in Kadallur in Tamil Nadu.<br />
<br />
It said the newlyweds went for a movie on Aug 31.<br />
<br />
While there, the girl introduced Ramesh to two motorcyclists who she said were her relatives.<br />
<br />
She told her husband that she wanted to take a ride with one of them while he was asked to follow her with the other motorcyclist. The husband lost sight of his wife after a short distance. He was also dropped off midway.<br />
<br />
Sensing that something was wrong, the husband tried to contact his wife's relatives.<br />
<br />
But he was shocked to find out that all their numbers had been disconnected.<br />
<br />
The husband and the girl's parents later lodged a police report over his missing wife.<br />
<br />
&gt;Tamil Nesan reported that two youths were jailed 30 and 38 years respectively after they pleaded guilty to charges of rape, molest and robbery.<br />
<br />
The Shah Alam Sessions Court also ordered them to be given two strokes of the cane.<br />
<br />
They were charged with raping a 17-year-old girl in a car in Sungai Buloh between 5.40am and 6.40am on Feb 17, 2006 and molesting another 12-year-old girl. The youths also admitted to robbing a 49-year-old lorry driver and a 51-year-old trader in Sungai Buloh.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20100904-235514.html" target="_blank">http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne...04-235514.html</a></div>

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			<title><![CDATA[M'sia : Giant lizard in dead python]]></title>
			<link>http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/msia_giant_lizard_297473.html</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:16:08 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>KOTA TINGGI: Three fishermen at the Orang Asli settlement in Kampung Sungai Selanggi must have thought they had a good catch. 
 
Yesterday, after...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>KOTA TINGGI: Three fishermen at the Orang Asli settlement in Kampung Sungai Selanggi must have thought they had a good catch.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, after casting their net into a disused mining pool, they felt a heavy tug and began pulling in their catch.<br />
<br />
To their surprise, the heavy weight they were pulling in was not a bumper catch, but a 6.6m-long python.<br />
<br />
<br />
But Ramlan Md Yusuf, 33, and 21-year-olds Adam Arof and Sanan Talib soon realised the reptile was weak and dying.<br />
<br />
There was a huge bulge in its stomach, indicating that it had not finished digesting its latest meal, which must have been a rather large animal.<br />
<br />
That meal, however, proved to be its last.<br />
<br />
It is believed the python had just devoured the monitor lizard before getting trapped in the fishing net.<br />
<br />
While waiting for the police whom they called, they realised the python had died.<br />
<br />
District police chief Superintendent Osman Muhammad Sebot arrived at the scene and called the Civil Defence Department.<br />
<br />
Curious about what's inside the bloated stomach, the python was cut open.<br />
<br />
The carcass of a 2m-long Asian water monitor lizard, weighing about 30kg, was found.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20100904-235525.html" target="_blank">http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne...04-235525.html</a></div>

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			<dc:creator>fgfmse</dc:creator>
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			<title><![CDATA[M'sia : Girl says 'I love you' to dad and jumps to her death]]></title>
			<link>http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/msia_girl_says_297472.html</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:11:37 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[GEORGE TOWN: The 14-year-old girl who was found sprawled on the ground floor of her flat on Thursday had sent her father a text message saying "I...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>GEORGE TOWN: The 14-year-old girl who was found sprawled on the ground floor of her flat on Thursday had sent her father a text message saying &quot;I love you&quot;, before jumping to her death.<br />
<br />
Amy Shahira Chin, a Form Two student who was alone at home, had sent the SMS to her father Firdaus Chin half an hour before the incident.<br />
<br />
According to her neighbours, she was spotted walking down from her 17th floor apartment but no one saw her jump.<br />
<br />
<br />
&quot;I felt that something wasn't right when I got her SMS so I rushed home but it was too late,&quot; said Firdaus, a single parent of three children, at his flat in Bukit Jambul yesterday.<br />
<br />
He said his daughter was often very quiet and depressed after her mother died in 2003.<br />
<br />
&quot;She doesn't really get along with her elder brother and sister and would usually keep to herself. I believe she was suffering from depression.<br />
<br />
&quot;She often complained about school and was under pressure because her teacher used to scold her,&quot; he added.<br />
<br />
Amy Shahira was found lying motionless by flat dwellers at about 5.30pm that day.<br />
<br />
State Education Director Ibrahim Mohamad was quoted in a Chinese daily as saying that the teenager had been absent from school for 75 days.<br />
<br />
&quot;I do not think that Form Two school homework would cause her stress (for her to jump),&quot; he said, adding that police had recorded her teacher's statement.<br />
<br />
HELPLINES<br />
Samaritans of Singapore (SOS):	1800-2214444<br />
Singapore Association for Mental Health:	1800-2837019<br />
Sage Counselling Centre:	1800-5555555<br />
Care Corner Mandarin Counselling:	1800-3535800<br />
<br />
<a href="http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20100905-235610.html" target="_blank">http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne...05-235610.html</a></div>

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			<dc:creator>fgfmse</dc:creator>
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			<title><![CDATA[M'sia :Sex brochure teacher gets stern warning from ministry]]></title>
			<link>http://forums.sgclub.com/singapore/msia_sex_brochure_297471.html</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:09:26 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>JOHOR BARU - A disciplinary teacher at a secondary school in Skudai who had been distributing brochures on sex enhancement drugs in his school has...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>JOHOR BARU - A disciplinary teacher at a secondary school in Skudai who had been distributing brochures on sex enhancement drugs in his school has been given a stern warning.<br />
<br />
Deputy Education Minister Dr Puad Zarkashi said investigations by the Johor Education department revealed the teacher had been distributing brochures to students, detailing traditional sex drugs and pills on sale. However, he has not been selling the drugs to students.<br />
<br />
Dr Puad said the brochures were printed by the teacher from his Facebook page.<br />
<br />
&quot;We have given him a stern warning,&quot; he said yesterday.<br />
<br />
&quot;We believe he has been distributing the brochures only recently but had been in business for longer than that.&quot;<br />
<br />
He said it was also believed that the teacher might have been targeting the students' parents as prospective buyers.<br />
<br />
Dr Puad said that the teacher's action in distributing the brochures to students was morally wrong, especially with the increase in underage sex and baby dumping in the country.<br />
<br />
He added that the ministry would not hesitate to take more drastic action if the teacher repeated the offence.<br />
<br />
Dr Puad said the teacher had set a very bad example to the students.<br />
<br />
It was reported that businessman Ng Ching Sea, 58, was surprised to discover brochures on sex enhancement drugs among his son's books two weeks ago.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Edvantage/Story/A1Story20100905-235617.html" target="_blank">http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%...05-235617.html</a></div>

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