PUTRAJAYA: More and more medical students sent abroad to study on government scholarships, many costing more than a million ringgit each, are breaking their 10-year bond by refusing to return and serve in public hospitals.
�This is a sore point with us. In 2006, 21 medical students in Britain did not return. Last year, the number was 63. For those studying in Ireland, three students did not come back in 2006 while last year, 27 did not return,� said Human Capital Development division director Datin Madinah Mohamad.
She said these students cost the Government up to RM1.1mil each in funding for the five-year course.

Since 2003, 145 students from Britain and 85 from Ireland have not come back. However, only three from Russia, two from Jordan and one from Japan failed to return.

Brace for the worst-ever haze this year. That's the dire warning from experts who are blaming the weakening La Nina.

The news gets worse as Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore don't have detailed plans on how to cope with the haze.

If weather patterns hold, the number of hot spots in Indonesia is expected to shoot up and cause choking haze, the kind which blanketed the region for months in 2006.

The looming environmental and health threat was the "hot" topic at the fourth meeting of the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution yesterday.

Hosted by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, the meeting was attended by environment ministers and officials from Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Brunei.
"We are prepared for the worst," said Indonesian Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar after the meeting.

In the anti koranfilm of Geert Wilders the cartoon showed up again. I did not like it because he says it is theft and breached the copyright. "I do not agree with many of Wilders viewpoints, but he has the right to publish them." In Denmark a politician would never disallow it. Everything should be allowed , I stick to that Westgaard said. We will have to go through this period.
Tension between the religious moslims and Westerse democraty is not something that will be solved tomorrow. It will take years to solve but democraty will win in the end.

All Mydin stores nationwide have placed red labels on products from the Netherlands as a sign of protest over the release of the controversial anti-Islam film Fitna.
Mydin Mohamed Holdings Bhd managing director Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin said they have put up notices in their two hypermarkets and 24 emporiums nationwide as a step to urge shoppers not to purchase the products.

Shahrir commended Mydin and Ameer for speaking up and placing the labels to discourage people from purchasing products from the Netherlands.