12.20pm: Pudu Plaza – At Jalan Landak, Pudu, some 200 people have started to gather, preparing for the rally. Police are scattered about, searching the protestors’ bags but take no further action. A small quarrel breaks out between protestors and Pudu security personnel when latter try to chase them away. Some foodstalls and restaurants are still open, and a durian stall is seen offering protestors a taste of its wares.

DAP leaders who have shown up include Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun, PJ Utara MP Tony Pua, Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching, Bukit Bendera MP Liew Ching Tong, Segambut MP Lim Lip Éng, Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham, Selangor exco Ean Yong Hian Wah, Lukut Adun Ean Yong Tin Sin, Pasir Pinjir Adun Thomas Soo, Bahau Adun Teo Kok Seong.

12.45pm: Dataran Merdeka – Police have fired tear gas at a group of protestors heading towards the area. The cannisters land near the Bar Council building. This group is believed to started from the former KTM headquarters nearby. The crowd is estimated to be 1,000.

12.50pm: About 3,000 to 4,000 people are marching from Petaling Street in downtown Kuala Lumpur to Stadium Negara. They are chanting “Bersih, Bersih, Pilihanraya” and “Hidup, Hidup, Rakyat”.

Six middle-aged protestors began a rendition of Negaraku, immediately receiving strong response from the crowd which sings along. Dr Wong Fort Pin, one of the six singers, said they are celebrating peace. “We are walking for a better Malaysia,” he said.

12.51pm: Hilton Hotel – PKR leaders Nurul Izzah Anwar, Syed Husin Ali, Lateefah Koya arrive at Anwar Ibrahim’s hotel room. Local and foreign media are at the lobby.

12.55pm: Pudu Plaza – DAP leader Teresa Kok is defying her ban and leading protesters to start the walk towards Merdeka Stadium. The crowd is shouting, “Bersih, bersih,” “Hidup rakyat” , “Rakyat sudah bangun,” and “Daulat Tuanku.”

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Technorati Tags: 9 july, bersih, bersih 2, bersih chronology, bersih event, bersih live report

7.50am: Masjid Jamek – There is heavy police presence in the vicinity of the mosque. The road fronting the mosque has been sealed off.

7.45am: Masjid Negara – A dozen FRU jeeps and a water cannon truck are stationed at the Jalan Keretapi roundabout opposite the Kuala Lumpur Syariah Court complex. No roadblocks are visible, but there are many police personnel in the area.

8am: Jalan Bukit Bintang – The streets of the tourist trap areas in Bukit Bintang are still empty, save for a few cars and a jaywalker. Unlike the other known assembly points for protesters, there is minimal police presence. Umno Youth is expected to rally here at 1.30pm.

8.10am: Tune Hotel – The Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman interchange are being manned by about 100 police personnel who are inspecting all vehicles entering the area. Tourist appear to be having trouble finding taxis.

8.25am: Sogo – The Sogo shopping complex on Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman now looks like a police base. More than 10 police trucks and 100 police personnel are spotted. There is another roadblock here, and every vehicle is being inspected.

8.30am: Kampung Baru – Nine Bersih 2.0 supporters are nabbed and packed into one of the two police trucks parked near the Kampung Baru mosque. The road to the mosque has been cordoned off.

8.40am: Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman – Bar Council’s monitoring team hits the streets donning black suits and a “Observer” tags on their jackets. “We will monitor the rally and take photographs if necessary. There are about 100 observers from the Bar Council. Some of them are also providing legal aid,” said HR Dipendra, who leads a team of 15 observers.

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Technorati Tags: 9 july, bersih, bersih 2, bersih chronology, bersih event, bersih live report

A group of 86 top scorers who failed to secure Public Service Department (PSD) overseas scholarships will be offered places in local private institutions of higher learning (IPTS).

This was decided by the Cabinet meeting Wednesday, according to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.

He said the move would cost RM21.6 million compared to RM52.1 million if they were offered overseas scholarships.

“We’ve decided on the first option, which is sending them to local IPTS where they can pursue studies in fields of their choice,” he told reporters here.

He said the students, comprising three Malays, 71 Chinese, 11 Indians and one Bumiputera student from Sarawak, would be placed at several IPTS like International Medical University, Monash University Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Petronas and Malaysian Multimedia University.
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Technorati Tags: engineering, jabatan perkhidmatan awam, jpa, matriculation, medicine, psd scholarship, scholarship

There is a prima facie case in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy charge as the accuser Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan is a credible witness, trial judge Datuk Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah has ruled.

The High Court judge, in his decision today, quashed the defence team’s arguments in attacking Saiful’s credibility as the case’s star witness.

They had charged that Saiful had lied in open court, and charged that there were many loopholes in his testimony.

Mohd Zabidin had also decided that there was nothing “inconsistent” with the clinical findings by the doctors from Hospital Kuala Lumput (HKL) as well as government chemists who had taken DNA samples from Saiful and Anwar.
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Technorati Tags: anwar, anwar ibrahim, enter defence, high court, saiful, saiful bukhari, sodomy case

The “Male Y” DNA profile found in samples from Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan’s anus belongs to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the High Court here heard today.

Lead prosecutor Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden said the DNA samples taken from three items in a cell where Anwar spent the night in on July 16, 2008 matched with the “Male Y” DNA profile.

“It confirms the unknown contributor Male Y is Datuk Seri Anwar. This shows there is a prima facie case,” he said in his submissions on whether Anwar should be called to enter his defence in the Sodomy II trial

Yusof also said Anwar was the sole detainee in the lockup at the time when the items — a “good morning” towel, toothbrush and mineral water bottle — were retrieved.

Chemist Dr Nor Aidora Saedon and Supt Amidon Anan were called earlier this month to identify the items to be marked as exhibits.
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Technorati Tags: anwar ibrahim, dna, male y, saiful bukhari, sodomy

Robert Kuok, the sugar king who owns a string of five-star hotels in the region, retained his position as the richest individual in Malaysia with assets worth a staggering RM50.04 billion. with telecommunications tycoon T. Ananda Krishnan, who is worth RM45.78 billion, coming in a close second.

In third place is Public Bank chairman Tan Sri Teh Hong Piow, who moved up one notch with a fortune of RM12.77 billion, said the Malaysian Business magazine based on a survey of the 40 richest individuals in the country.

As in previous years, the wealth of the country’s top 40 individuals was assessed based on the value of their stakes in listed companies.

The survey also revealed Malaysia’s 40 richest individuals were collectively worth RM206.27 billion as at Jan 21, up 30 per cent compared with RM156.7 billion last year, boosted by the bullish stock market and an expanding economy.

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