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5 years ago
Friday, July 3, 2009
(MY048) Dr M: Where did Petronas money go?
KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 — Petronas adviser Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today asked what did the government spend with the RM253.6 billion payment from the national oil company over the past six years when his successor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was prime minister.
The former prime minister, a trenchant critic of Abdullah, wrote in his http://chedet.co.cc/chedetblog/ weblog that Petronas has been paying dividends, taxes, royalty and export duties to the government since 1976, after it was set up as the national custodian for fossil fuels.
"Where has the money gone to?" Dr Mahathir asked.
He said Petronas began by paying RM300 million in 1976, rising to RM2 billion in 1981, when he assumed office. The total from 1981 to 2003 was RM168.8 billion for the 22 years that marked Dr Mahathir's tenure as the country's fourth prime minister.
"From then onwards it increased from RM19 billion in 2004 to RM67.8 billion in 2009. The total for six years is RM253.6 billion," he said. It is not known if the figures were adjusted for foreign exchange fluctuations as oil is usually quoted in US dollars.
"I am sure the government had spent the money wisely. It would be interesting to know what the RM253.6 billion was spent on," said Dr Mahathir, who retired as prime minister in favour of Abdullah, who stepped down in early April.
His remarks today came after a June 25 announcement by Petronas that it had paid RM30 billion in dividends to the federal government for the financial year ended March 31, 2009.
The amount was despite a 14 per cent decline in net profit to RM52.5 billion due to lower crude oil prices and higher operating costs and included a special dividend of RM6 billion which was declared in the last calendar year. Petronas paid out RM24 billion in the previous financial year.
Apart from the dividends, Petronas — the country's only Fortune 500 company — also paid RM29.4 billion taxes, RM6.2 billion royalties and RM2.2 billion export duties for the last financial year, totalling RM67.8 billion to the federal government against RM56.8 billion in the previous year
The former prime minister, a trenchant critic of Abdullah, wrote in his http://chedet.co.cc/chedetblog/ weblog that Petronas has been paying dividends, taxes, royalty and export duties to the government since 1976, after it was set up as the national custodian for fossil fuels.
"Where has the money gone to?" Dr Mahathir asked.
He said Petronas began by paying RM300 million in 1976, rising to RM2 billion in 1981, when he assumed office. The total from 1981 to 2003 was RM168.8 billion for the 22 years that marked Dr Mahathir's tenure as the country's fourth prime minister.
"From then onwards it increased from RM19 billion in 2004 to RM67.8 billion in 2009. The total for six years is RM253.6 billion," he said. It is not known if the figures were adjusted for foreign exchange fluctuations as oil is usually quoted in US dollars.
"I am sure the government had spent the money wisely. It would be interesting to know what the RM253.6 billion was spent on," said Dr Mahathir, who retired as prime minister in favour of Abdullah, who stepped down in early April.
His remarks today came after a June 25 announcement by Petronas that it had paid RM30 billion in dividends to the federal government for the financial year ended March 31, 2009.
The amount was despite a 14 per cent decline in net profit to RM52.5 billion due to lower crude oil prices and higher operating costs and included a special dividend of RM6 billion which was declared in the last calendar year. Petronas paid out RM24 billion in the previous financial year.
Apart from the dividends, Petronas — the country's only Fortune 500 company — also paid RM29.4 billion taxes, RM6.2 billion royalties and RM2.2 billion export duties for the last financial year, totalling RM67.8 billion to the federal government against RM56.8 billion in the previous year
(MY047) RM10K could be your's..just throw your fishing line
KUALA TERENGGANU: Berikutan pendedahan Metro Ahad minggu lalu mengenai misteri ikan naga atau Arapaima Gigas di Tasik Kenyir, kerajaan negeri menawarkan ganjaran RM10,000 kepada kaki pancing yang berjaya menangkap ikan berkenaan.
Tempoh kebenaran menangkap ikan itu bermula semalam hingga 15 Ogos ini di seluruh tasik kecuali kawasan yang diwartakan sebagai Taman Negara dan Santuari Kelah.
Menteri Besar, Datuk Ahmad Said yang mengumumkan ganjaran itu, berkata kaki pancing berminat perlu mendaftar dengan Lembaga Kemajuan Terengganu Tengah (Ketengah) dan penguat kuasa Kenyir Rangers akan memantau usaha menangkap ikan itu.
“Walaupun Arapaima Gigas spesies ikan besar, ia tidak menyerang manusia tetapi menjadikan ikan lain dalam tasik sebagai makanan.
anyone interested???
(MY046) 15 dead in suspected US missile strike in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD – Suspected U.S. missiles struck a training facility allegedly operated by Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud and a militant hide-out Friday, killing 15 people and wounding 27 others, intelligence officials said.
The two attacks by drone aircraft took place in South Waziristan, a Mehsud stronghold close to the Afghan border, two officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
They were the latest in more than 40 such strikes by the United States against militant targets in the border area since last August. Washington does not directly acknowledge being responsible for the attacks, which kill civilians as well as militants.
world peace please..
The two attacks by drone aircraft took place in South Waziristan, a Mehsud stronghold close to the Afghan border, two officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
They were the latest in more than 40 such strikes by the United States against militant targets in the border area since last August. Washington does not directly acknowledge being responsible for the attacks, which kill civilians as well as militants.
world peace please..
(MY045) Bad news? Global warming now shrinking sheep
WASHINGTON – Like the wool sweater that emerges from the dryer a size too small, global warming seems to be shrinking sheep.
On average, wild Soay sheep on Scotland's island Hirta are 5 percent smaller today than they were in 1985, according to a team of researchers led by Tim Coulson of Imperial College London.
"The decrease in body size was due to a reduction in growth rates caused, in part, by the changing climate," Coulson said in an interview via e-mail.
Evolution favors the development of large sheep, which can more easily survive harsh winters, Coulson explained. So the researchers became curious about the overall decline in size of the animals on Hirta.
They discovered that as the climate has grown milder, small lambs that would not have survived previous winters were now living to grow up and reproduce.
Since size is inherited, the survival and reproduction of these smaller animals lowered the average size of the herd
if the sheep can shrink then how about homosapien @ human @ us????
On average, wild Soay sheep on Scotland's island Hirta are 5 percent smaller today than they were in 1985, according to a team of researchers led by Tim Coulson of Imperial College London.
"The decrease in body size was due to a reduction in growth rates caused, in part, by the changing climate," Coulson said in an interview via e-mail.
Evolution favors the development of large sheep, which can more easily survive harsh winters, Coulson explained. So the researchers became curious about the overall decline in size of the animals on Hirta.
They discovered that as the climate has grown milder, small lambs that would not have survived previous winters were now living to grow up and reproduce.
Since size is inherited, the survival and reproduction of these smaller animals lowered the average size of the herd
if the sheep can shrink then how about homosapien @ human @ us????
(MY044) Birth weight appears associated with leukemia
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – There may be an association between high birth weight and an increased risk of overall leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) appears to be associated with the high and low extremes of birth weight.
"There is a growing body of evidence indicating that childhood leukemia is initiated in utero," the two study authors reported in the International Journal of Cancer.
Dr. Robert W. Caughey of the Harvard School of Public Health and Dr. Karin B. Michels of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, conducted an analysis of 32 studies to examine the association between birth weight, childhood leukemia, plus ALL and AML, two common leukemia subtypes. Included in the analysis were 16,501 cases of all types of leukemia, 10,974 cases of ALL, and 1832 cases of AML.
Compared with normal birth weight, high birth weight was associated with a 35 percent overall increased risk of leukemia, a 23 percent increased risk of ALL and a 40 percent increased risk of AML.
For every 1000 gram increase in birth weight, the odds ratio for overall leukemia increased by 1.18.
While low birth weight was not associated with overall leukemia or ALL, there was an association between low birth weight and a 49 percent increased risk of AML.
"Our study supports the notion that childhood leukemia is likely to be initiated in utero," Michels said in an email interview with Reuters Health. "Birth weight is a marker for events during pregnancy that may have affected the risk for leukemia in the offspring."
"It will be important to investigate which factors may operate in utero that affect leukemia risk," Michels said. For example, leukemia risk may be affected by epigenetic factors, modifications to genes other than changes in the DNA sequence itself. Epigenetic modifications may include the addition of molecules, like methyl groups, to the DNA backbone and other factors that may indirectly influence the expression of the genome.
SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, June 1, 2009.
yahoo.com
"There is a growing body of evidence indicating that childhood leukemia is initiated in utero," the two study authors reported in the International Journal of Cancer.
Dr. Robert W. Caughey of the Harvard School of Public Health and Dr. Karin B. Michels of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, conducted an analysis of 32 studies to examine the association between birth weight, childhood leukemia, plus ALL and AML, two common leukemia subtypes. Included in the analysis were 16,501 cases of all types of leukemia, 10,974 cases of ALL, and 1832 cases of AML.
Compared with normal birth weight, high birth weight was associated with a 35 percent overall increased risk of leukemia, a 23 percent increased risk of ALL and a 40 percent increased risk of AML.
For every 1000 gram increase in birth weight, the odds ratio for overall leukemia increased by 1.18.
While low birth weight was not associated with overall leukemia or ALL, there was an association between low birth weight and a 49 percent increased risk of AML.
"Our study supports the notion that childhood leukemia is likely to be initiated in utero," Michels said in an email interview with Reuters Health. "Birth weight is a marker for events during pregnancy that may have affected the risk for leukemia in the offspring."
"It will be important to investigate which factors may operate in utero that affect leukemia risk," Michels said. For example, leukemia risk may be affected by epigenetic factors, modifications to genes other than changes in the DNA sequence itself. Epigenetic modifications may include the addition of molecules, like methyl groups, to the DNA backbone and other factors that may indirectly influence the expression of the genome.
SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, June 1, 2009.
yahoo.com
(MY043) Warren Buffett donates US$1.5b
NEW YORK, July 3 — Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has donated about US$1.5 billion (RM5.25 billion) of Berkshire Hathaway Inc stock, in connection with his 2006 pledge of his holdings to charitable causes.
According to a regulatory filing, Buffett on Wednesday donated 428,688 Berkshire Class B shares to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and 87,884 shares to four family charities.
Following the donations, Buffett still held 350,000 Class A and 1,501,532 Class B shares of Berkshire, together worth about US$36.1 billion based on Wednesday closing prices.
Buffett said he still has a 25.8 per cent stake in Berkshire, and 31.6 per cent of the company's voting power. A Class B share is worth about 1/30th of a Class A share.
Buffett, 78, has built Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire into a conglomerate with close to 80 businesses that sell such things as insurance, clothing, ice cream and paint, and which owns tens of billions of dollars of common stock.
Forbes magazine in March called Buffett the world's second-richest person, trailing only Bill Gates, who is also a Berkshire director. Gates co-founded Microsoft Corp. — Reuters
According to a regulatory filing, Buffett on Wednesday donated 428,688 Berkshire Class B shares to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and 87,884 shares to four family charities.
Following the donations, Buffett still held 350,000 Class A and 1,501,532 Class B shares of Berkshire, together worth about US$36.1 billion based on Wednesday closing prices.
Buffett said he still has a 25.8 per cent stake in Berkshire, and 31.6 per cent of the company's voting power. A Class B share is worth about 1/30th of a Class A share.
Buffett, 78, has built Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire into a conglomerate with close to 80 businesses that sell such things as insurance, clothing, ice cream and paint, and which owns tens of billions of dollars of common stock.
Forbes magazine in March called Buffett the world's second-richest person, trailing only Bill Gates, who is also a Berkshire director. Gates co-founded Microsoft Corp. — Reuters
wow..what a figure..when can i become billionaire???
(MY042) Michael Owen set to join Manchester United
LONDON, July 3 — The Manchester United manager, Alex Ferguson, was poised to make an astonishing move in the transfer market by bringing injury-prone striker Michael Owen to Old Trafford on a free transfer.
Reliable sources have confirmed to Telegraph Sport that Owen is on the brink of joining the Premier League champions after becoming a free agent when his contract at Newcastle expired three days ago.
Details of the prospective deal are scarce but it is anticipated that Owen, 29, would sign a highly incentivised deal due to his worrying problems with injuries over the last four years at St James’ Park where he was paid £115,000 (RM665,000) per week.
Owen, who will be ready to accept a dramatic drop in wages, has already attracted public declarations of interest from Stoke and Hull while Tottenham and Portsmouth are also understood to be keen on securing the services of a striker who has fallen from grace during his time on Tyneside.
couldnt wait to see owen play in MU team
Reliable sources have confirmed to Telegraph Sport that Owen is on the brink of joining the Premier League champions after becoming a free agent when his contract at Newcastle expired three days ago.
Details of the prospective deal are scarce but it is anticipated that Owen, 29, would sign a highly incentivised deal due to his worrying problems with injuries over the last four years at St James’ Park where he was paid £115,000 (RM665,000) per week.
Owen, who will be ready to accept a dramatic drop in wages, has already attracted public declarations of interest from Stoke and Hull while Tottenham and Portsmouth are also understood to be keen on securing the services of a striker who has fallen from grace during his time on Tyneside.
couldnt wait to see owen play in MU team
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