(MY023) Japanese unemployment hits five-year high

TOKYO (AFP) – Japan's unemployment rate rose to its highest level in more than five years as companies slashed jobs to cope with the worst post-war recession in the world's second largest economy, data has shown.
On a brighter note, consumer spending rose for the first time in 16 months, supported by the government's economic stimulus efforts.
The jobless rate climbed to 5.2 percent in May -- a level last seen in September 2003 -- up from 5.0 in April, the internal affairs ministry said.
While hopes are mounting that Japan's economy has come through the worst of its export and production slump, there are concerns that unemployment may rise further as companies seek to recover from heavy financial losses.
The jobless rate, which was slightly worse than expected, is close to a post-World War II high of 5.5 percent, which was last seen in April 2003.
The number of people in unemployment rose by 770,000, or 28.5 percent, from a year earlier to 3.47 million.

(MY022) Oregon man's wallet returns after 63 years

BAKER CITY, Ore. – Bill Fulton doesn't remember losing his wallet, but its return helped him remember the past. The leather stayed smooth and the cowboy design unblemished. The zipper moved with ease. And when he looked inside, the contents brought back memories from 1946, when he apparently dropped the wallet behind the balcony bleachers in the Baker Middle School gym.
Fulton's Social Security card and bicycle license, bearing the address where he lived during his teenage years, were positioned in their respective compartments, apparently untouched since the year after World War II ended.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090630/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_lost_wallet

a new world record???

(MY021) Pesawat Yaman terhempas di Lautan India

SAN'A (Yemen): Sebuah pesawat Yaman terhempas di Lautan India, di Comoros dengan berita awal menyebut lebih 100 penumpangnya dipercayai maut, awal hari ini. Pesawat Airbus 310 milik Yemenia Air itu dipercayai membawa warga Comoris dari Paris.
Setakat ini tiada butiran mengenai jumlah sebenar penumpang dan anak kapal serta punca nahas itu. - AFP


another plane crashed..

(MY020) The ‘Beast’ who cheated thousands of their savings

Disgraced financier Bernard Madoff stands during his sentencing hearing in New York in this court artist's sketch completed yesterday. - Reuters picNEW YORK, June 30 — Victims of Bernard Madoff’s billion-dollar Ponzi scheme branded him at his sentencing hearing as a “beast” who had ruined their lives, forcing one to scavenge for food in dumpsters.
Madoff “discarded me like road kill,” said Ms Miriam Siegman, of Stamford, Connecticut, today at the hearing in Manhattan. She now relies on food stamps, collecting recyclable bottles and digging through dumpsters.
Nine victims told their stories to US District Judge Denny Chin before he sentenced Madoff to a maximum 150 years in prison.
Madoff’s lawyer Ira Sorkin had recommended a sentence of not more than 20 years, while prosecutors urged 150. The federal probation service recommended 50 years.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/business/30931-the-beast-who-cheated-thousands-of-their-savings-

(MY019) World Bank says Malaysia’s governance worsened in last five years

KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 — A study by the World Bank suggests that Malaysia’s governance has deteriorated since 2003. The country fared worse in four out of six good governance categories in the World Bank study and improved in only two as of 2008.The nation also lags well behind the scores of high income countries such as Australia, Japan and Switzerland. It scored better than Indonesia but remained far behind Singapore. Indonesia, however, saw its governance scores improve across the board since 2003.

Malaysia saw its performance drop in four categories — voice and accountability (level of democracy), political stability, regulatory quality and control of corruption.In terms of its relative position to other countries, Malaysia also fell further behind countries in the same categories. It recorded an improvement in performance and relative position in only two categories — government effectiveness and rule of law.

The World Bank study uses a percentile method to show the relative ranking of a country. For example, a country with a ranking of 60 means that its score is higher than 60 per cent of countries in the study.Malaysia has a rank of 32 (2003 ranking — 38) for voice and accountability, 50 (57) for political stability, 84 (80) for government effectiveness, 60 (70) regulatory quality, 65 (63) for rule of law and 63 (65) for control of corruption.

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