Week 4 - End Of Mubarak

President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak has finally resigned on February 12, after 18 days of violent protests in Egypt. The Chaos ended after the Vice President Omar Suleiman announced on 11th February that Hosni Mubarak who had been ruling over the country for 30 years, found guilty for the political corruption, would be stepping down from his position and turning power over to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

Hundreds of demonstrators that had gathered in a Cairo square to witness the speech were ecstatic to hear that Mubarak was leaving, and were chanting, "Leave! Leave!" even while the speech was going on. Ayman Nour, a rival of Hosni Mubarak for presidency in 2005, described it as the greatest day in Egypt's history. The amount of joy and happiness in the Egyptians were indescribable.

This is indeed good news for most of the Egyptians. Its time for Egypt to start all over again to a bright future.

Week 4 - Valentines Not for Muslims?

Valentines day in Malaysia had been conquering the media for the past week., Non Government Organization, Sisters in Islam (SIS) has criticize at several PAS Youth over its controversial plans to “check” sinful activities and play the moral police on Valentine’s Day.  

PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hasan At-Tantawi reportedly said that the Pakatan Rakyat state in Kedah, Kelantan and Selangor had directed the local authorities to work closely with the police and Rela to check on immoral activities that day.

In August last year, According to Nasrudin, Valentines day and New Years are the main causes of social problems like rampant teenage baby dumping and increase in liberal socialization among teens and is one of the main reasons why the Islamic movements in Malaysia are going against Valentines Day.

Its good for religious bodies are trying to protect youth these days from sinful actions, but Vday was supposed to be a day for all the lovebirds out there to just celebrate their relationship and appreciate one and another. It is definitely not harmful but we should know our limits.

Week 3 - Protest in Egypt

Protests in Egypt has reached its peak, with riots and demonstrations exploding everywhere, especially in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, to demand an immediate end to President, Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule.

Mubarak on the other hand said he won’t stand down until elections due in September. This statement has made all the citizens furious and they started gathering in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to demand an immediate end to his regime. The Cairo crowd began chanting anti-Mubarak slogans before the president’s state television broadcast finished.

The anti-government protests, mostly inspired by the downfall of the Tunisian government, began on the 25^th of January 2011 and almost a dozen days later, the protests have claimed an estimate of 300 lives, with thousands more injured in clashes throughout Egypt, primarily in Liberation Square.

Many lives have already been claimed since these protests began and I expect many more are at stake as long this issue isn’t resolved. I hope that Mubarak will listen to his citizens and step down to prevent more horrible things to happen.

Week 3 - Wet Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is around the corner but the preparation was shockingly disrupted as continuous downpour caused massive flooding across several states in Malaysia. Affected areas are Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Northern Sabah and other areas but primarily Johor was affected with harsh flash floods. So far, there are around 4 millions of victims that had been evacuated. Unfortunately, 4 were killed. 

Segamat was the most affected area. Its water level has reached 10 feet. Most of the main roads, railway and shop lots were flooded. In addition, there was neither supply of electricity nor water, the street then became empty and quite. There was even a lack of the Chinese New Year atmosphere.  Besides that, the Railway station services were interrupted due to the flood, the train line which travels from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and Kelantan were canceled. Therefore, those who were about to return to their hometown were forced to delay their trip. The deputy prime minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin described that this is an unusual phenomenon if it continues to rain, this disaster will probably exacerbate.

Social Services like MERCY and National Security Council(NSC) have combined their services and have been providing assistance to the public in terms of food safely while other agencies like the  Standard and Poor as the Armed Forces, Fire and Rescue Department and Civil Defense Department were involved in the evacuation process. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali makes his rounds at the centers to ensure Were assistance services to victims.

Its very sad to those who have to go through a new year like that. Chinese New Year should be a joyous and filled with happiness but to be so far away from own home is really sad. I hope that the flood to subside so that affected parties can get on with their prosperous celebrations and celebrate it with joy instead of sadness.

Week 2 - Drama of A Billionaire

Stanley Ho, the 13^th richest man in Hong Kong who owns a Macau casino accused family members of seizing his stake in Asia's biggest casino empire, plunging ownership of the gambling business into dispute. Forbes places Ho’s wealth at $3.2 billion, but some analysts feel the figure could be much higher. Stanley Ho is a 90 years old man with 3 surviving wives and 17 children. Ho’s fortune became a hot topic when he declared that his third family, comprising of wife Ina Chan and five children, had improperly taken control of a 31.7 per cent stake in the holding company. Later, Stanley Ho went on television to inform that he would not sue and he wanted to resolve the matter with his family privately.

Everyone might think that being rich is good but this case proved that money is not everything. Ho started out in his business career with only $10. He took nearly half a century went on to build up a lucrative gambling empire in Macau, but what he get in return is not what he wanted. I think that family should be the main priority to live with, not money.

Week 2 - Serious Dog Abuse that Shocked the Nation

A video had been circulating on the net has sparked a heated response from canine lovers on social networking site Facebook. The 15 minutes video showing a man training his dog to stand with its two hind legs. The man is seen punching the dog in the face, slapping it and throwing it across the room when the dog failed to do what the man was training it to do.

Thousands of animal lovers were shocked and angered by the man's act and they demanded for the man to be arrested immediately. Fifteen police reports have been lodged against two people who are allegedly implicated in the dog abuse video. Angered by the images, netizens exchanged emails and messages via websites like Facebook and Twitter over the weekend to search for the man and the woman behind the camera. Canine lovers are offering on Facebook cash rewards exceeding RM 5, 000 for information on the culprit The abuser, if caught, will be charged under Part IV of the Animals Act 1953 and can be fined RM 200 or jailed six months, or both, if found guilty.

I personally watched the video but I couldn’t finish watching it, just by watching the video for 5 minutes already disgust me. There is a proper way to train a dog and not with a brutal way. I think that they deserve a justice punishment for what they did to the dog.

Week 1 - Flood in Australia

Since the late December of 2010, huge flood had strike Australia, primarily in the state of Queensland and its main capital, Brisbane. Damages recorded are believed to cost up to $30 billion. More than 50 villages in southeastern Victoria state have been swamped following heavy rains linked to an especially strong La Nina weather pattern also unleashed record flooding in the nothern Queensland region. The flooding in Victoria follows weeks of massive flooding in nothern Queensland which swamped two-thirds of the giant state, paralyzed several mines and left 30people dead. People living in low-lying areas were urged to be prepared, according to a statement issued by Brisbane Mayor Campbell Newman. The Brisbane River is expected to remain high until Sunday. Other states are lending a helping hand to the affected area. The flood hits 2/3 of the country. Officials have said the complete cleanup of the Queensland state capital would take months, and reconstruction up to two years.The Australia government is considering a higher levy to cover up the cost for rebuilding.

It is sad to have a big disaster happening nowadays in the earth. I'm still glad that everyone is lending a helping hand to the people in Australia. Stars like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are among the big names in tennis to take part in a special exhibition on the eve of the Australian Open to raise money for the victims of Australia’s flood disaster. I hope that the Australian government will handle this disaster efficiently because every single action means a lot to the ones who are suffering.