Newswriting Assignment

MALAYSIA GREEN FORUM 2010

by Lee Kwan Li

PUTRAJAYA : Government will continue its commitment to environmental sustainability, said by prime minister, Dato' Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak  in the  launch of Malaysia Green Forum 2010.

            Prime minister said the aim of Malaysia Green Forum 2010 is establishing an action-oriented network that deal with environmental issues in a holistic manner is indeed refreshing and most welcomed. Malaysia Green Forum 2010 has drawn the participation of senior government officials, industry captains, society leaders and academic experts from within and outside of Malaysia. It also allows the government with an opportunity to reiterate its resounding commitment towards environmental sustainability in the country.

            During the launch of Malaysia Green Forum 2010 , prime minister also reveal a fact that over 73 per cent of the total forest area in Malaysia is currently protected as national parks. Malaysia is one of the countries with the richest biodiversity in the world, prized with 16 million hectares of tropical forest area, which covers 60 per cent of the countries land area. Preservation of this asset is a key to sustainability.

            Malaysia is one of the earliest nations in the world to have adopted a serious concern towards our environment by enacting the Environment Quality Act in 1974. The very concept of sustainability was an integral part of Third Malaysia Plan, even before the idea of Sustainable Development was popularized in the late eighties by the Brundtland Report. In this regard, a big critical contribution had done by Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for bringing together 14 agencies from 4 different ministries when he established the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in 2004 that paved the way for a more comprehensive and cohesive approach in tackling environmental issues.

            The government has consistently affirmed its commitment to environmental sustainability over the years and prime minister pledge to continue this throughout his  administration. He also announced the formation of the Ministry of Energy,Green Technology and Water. The government will continues to take cognizance of the growing need and urgency of green technology towards sustainable development.

            Co-organizers of this forum are Landscape Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Perbadanan Putrajaya. 

Newswriting Assignment

Earthquake Story

By Lee Kwan Li

ALASKA  : A strong earthquake of 6.6 Richter scale had hit Aleutian Island at Sunday night and there is no reports of injuries or major damage.

            The strong earthquake hit at 7:01 p.m. PST. The earthquake had shook three Aleutian Island fishing villages, Nikolski , Dutch Harbor and Unalaska for three minutes.  The epicenter in the North Pacific about 40 miles east of the village of Nikolski and 850 miles southwest of Anchorage.        

            According to Alaska Tsunami Warning Center , it was reported the strong earthquake happened in Aleutian Islands measured 6.6 on Richter Scale. George Carts , who is a seismologist at the center , said the quake was felt strongly in the towns of Unalaska , Dutch Harbor and Nikolski. These three fishing villages are located on western islands in the Aleutian chain. "There was some very minor damage at Nikolski, with items knocked off shelved and small items damaged.", said by Carts.

            Earthquake of 6.6 magnitude can cause severe damage if it hits populated areas. There are 20 aftershocks and one measured 5.0 on the scale. None was powerful enough to cause a tsunami, officials said. Aleutians are sparsely settled.

            Richter scale measures ground motion and is recorded on seismographs. Official categories of Richter scale are : 3.5 can cause slight damage; 4, moderate damage; 5, considerable damage; 6, severe damage; 7, major earthquake, can cause widespread heavy damage; 8, great quake. Each increase of one number means a tenfold increase in magnitude; example, 7.5 is 10 times greater than 6.5.

News Article (5W1H)

Parents want milk for babies to be made a price controlled item

October 6, 2012

 

KUALA LUMPUR: Parents are urging the government to consider making baby formula a controlled item in order to curb recent price hikes.

They are concerned that the manufacturers' increase in prices would cause lower income parents to choose the cheapest and lowest quality milk in the market which would jeopardise their babies' growth.

A mother of two, housewife Azila Awaludin, 35, expressed her concern over the volatile prices of the products lately.

"My husband doesn't earn much and I'm forced to choose the cheapest milk for my baby," she told Bernama.

Father of one, Al-Hafiz Jaamat Wok, 27, felt the government needed to play a bigger role in controlling the hike in baby formula prices.

"The government should subsidise baby milk and not take this issue lightly as many parents are not able to cope with the extra expenses now," he said.

Wan Norasikin Abdul Cader, 42, who is a babysitter, said she had to spend an extra RM200 monthly just on baby formula alone.

"Supermarkets usually offer promotions on other items but never for baby formula," she added.

Meanwhile, a Jalan Kasipillay mini market owner, K. Sathiah, 43, explained that people were buying less baby formula since prices started going up recently.

"Most people have to choose the cheapest milk and we have to sell it lower than the suppliers' set prices. I hope the government can do something to control the situation," he said.

A media report on Friday said that some baby formula manufacturers had increased prices up to RM15 per kg in the past two weeks and others would follow suit soon.

It also quoted Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as saying the government did not control the prices of baby formula. - Bernama

Source :
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/10/6/nation/20121006163308&sec=nation

Who : Parents

What :Urge government to consider making baby formula as price controlled item

When : (No)

Where : (No)

Why : To curb recent price hikes.

How : (No)

Elements of the Newsworthy  : Consequences

News Article (5W1H)

1,681 private college nurses to serve in govt hospitals

October 6, 2012 

 

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 1,681 nurses from private nursing colleges will be recruited at the end of the year to serve in government hospitals, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

He said prior to this the government only hired one per cent of nurses from private colleges for every 3,000 accepted.

He said recruitment had increased to meet the rising demand for nurses from government hospitals and high number of applications from private colleges.

Liow said that according to Human Resources Ministry records, the number of applications went up to 5,000 from 2,500 last year.

"Each year we will recruit this number until 2015 when we will have 6,726 nurses from private colleges," he told reporters after opening an international conference on Disaster Nursing in conjunction with the 17th Malaysia-Singapore Nursing Conference on Saturday.

He said to ensure the nurses met requirements, they had to sit for and pass the Malaysian Nurses Board examination.

To date, the ministry has 66,000 nurses working in government hospitals nationwide.

Liow said 473 nurses had been trained in disaster nursing preparedness while another 438 nurses were trained in emergency and trauma nursing programmes last year.

He said these training programmes had also been extended to private institutions.

"Emergency physicians in the main hospitals throughout Malaysia have started to develop nurse training programmes in the area of disaster preparedness, formulation of disaster plans for hospitals and organising disaster drills to ensure proper patient care and management in disaster settings," he said.

Liow said nurses had to be prepared to deal with all hazards as they played a major role in responding to such events. - Bernama

Source :
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/10/6/nation/20121006144053&sec=nation

Who : 1,681 nurses from private nursing colleges

What : recruited  to serve

When : at the end of the year

Where : in government hospitals

Why : (No)

How : (No)

Elements of the Newsworthy  : Consequences

 

 

 

News Article (5W1H)

Johor, Penang gazetted as ‘No Smoking’ zones

October 5, 2012 

 

KUALA LUMPUR: Six areas in Penang and one in Johor have been gazetted as 'No Smoking' zones under the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said in a statement Friday that the gazette was effective Oct 2 and implemented with the cooperation of both state governments.

He said in Penang, the gazetted zones were the George Town Municipal Park, Botanic Gardens, Air Itam Dam, Teluk Bahang Dam (all on the island), Mengkuang Dam in Bukit Mertajam and Ampang Jajar Urban Park in Seberang Perai Tengah.

In Johor, the gazetted 'No Smoking' zone is the Mutiara Rini Urban Forest, Johor Baru.

Liow said in June last year, the Malacca government gazetted five zones, namely Malacca World Heritage City, Malacca Raya, Malacca International Trade Centre, Alor Gajah town centre and Jasin town centre under the Malacca Free of Cigarette Smoke programme.

"The ministry with the cooperation of state governments is determined to create more 'No Smoking' zones, especially in public places.

"This is to protect the non-smokers, especially women and children, from the effects of secondhand tobacco smoke," Liow said in the statement.

He said the Malaysia Global Adult Tobacco Survey conducted last year found that 70 percent of adults were exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke in public places.

The Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004 prohibits smoking in 21 categories of places including hospital or clinic areas, lifts and public toilets, public transport vehicles, public transport stations/stops, government premises, higher learning institutions, childcare centres/kindergartens, shopping complexes, fuel stations and libraries. - Bernama

Source :
 http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/10/5/nation/20121005204019&sec=nation

 

Who : (No)

What : Gazetted as 'No Smoking' zones

When : (No)

Where : Six area in Penang and one in Johor

Why : (No)

How : Under the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004

Elements of the Newsworthy  : Consequences

 

 

News Article (5W1H)

Left turn allowed at six major junctions in KL even if traffic lights are red

October 4, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR: Effective today, vehicles passing through six traffic light junctions in Kuala Lumpur can turn left even if the traffic light is red, provided no vehicles or pedestrian are passing by.

Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Ahmad Phesal Talib said the six junctions involved are Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Parlimen, Jalan Raja Abdullah, Jalan Ampang, Jalan Tun Razak and Jalan Raja Muda Musa Abdul Aziz.

The move is to reduce traffic congestion and City Hall had put up sign boards in the areas to inform the public, he told reporters after launching the implementation of the rule known as 'Authorised Left Turn'.

He said, the move was implemented based on the guideline and specification stipulated by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) to ensure the security of road users, especially pedestrians, was not compromised.

He said City Hall would implement the move in stages at several new locations after carrying out a feasibility study.

Currently, three locations had implemented the move, namely, in Putrajaya, Kuching, Sarawak and Kuantan in Pahang. - Bernama

Source :
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/10/4/nation/20121004214542&sec=nation

Who : Driver

What :Left turn allowed at six major junctions even if traffic lights are red

When : Starts from October 4, 2012

Where : Kuala Lumpur

Why : (No)

How : (No)

Elements of the Newsworthy  : Timeliness

News Article (5W1H)

PM: Budget 2013 is people-friendly, fiscally responsible

October 2, 2012 

 

KUALA LUMPUR: Continued growth, low unemployment and a healthy banking sector are key strengths of Malaysia's economy that allowed the Government to present a people-friendly, fiscally-responsible budget.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak noted how Malaysia's growth is expected to remain strong at between 4.5 to 5 percent this year, with less than 3 percent unemployment and a banking system that continued to be "in good shape".

“This strength is what allowed the Government to deliver a budget last week that was responsive to people's needs but also fiscally responsible.

“I am glad treading the comments from analysts who found that indeed it was a people-friendly budget but fiscally responsible,” Najib said in his closing address at the Khazanah Megatrends Forum 2012.

The two-day event was attended by over 600 local and foreign delegates comprising leaders who discussed the global economic shifts.

Najib said that while the Government had made a commitment to cut the country's deficit from 4.5 percent to 4 per cent in 2014, Budget 2013 was also a “budget for the future” of the country.

“It looks to address some of the questions that this conference has posed how Asian economies can remain competitive, secure more investment, and capitalise on their comparative advantages,” he said.

Najib said Malaysia's experience in dealing with the 1997 Asian economic downturn and the aftermath of the 2008 credit crisis in the United States gave the Government valuable experience in preparing for any future crisis.

“The risks still remain. But thankfully, the Government's successful management of the economy meant that Malaysia was fortunate to emerge from the credit crisis in a position of relative strength,” said Najib.

Najib later launched a book produced by Khazanah on the mangroves of Johor titled “Sandpipers and Mudskippers A Journey Through the Ramsar Mangroves of Iskandar Malaysia.”

He also launched the “Friends of Iskandar Ramsar”, an initiative by Khazanah to organise conservation awareness programmes at the three mangroves in Johor protected under the inter-governmental Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

The three mangroves - Tanjung Piai, Kukup Island and Sungai Pulai are all located in Iskandar Malaysia.

Source :
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/10/2/nation/20121002194114&sec=nation

 

Who : Government

What : Budget 2013

When : (No)

Where : (No)

Why : (No)

How : (No)

Elements of the Newsworthy  :  Proximity