MALAYSIA:::Broke BTV staff protest over wage delays / Kakitangan BTV berdemo tuntut gaji

About 20 Bernama TV staff held a peaceful demonstration in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur, yesterday afternoon to demand the salaries owed to them.

The protesters carried banners, one of which read 'Mana Shabery' in reference to Communications and Multimedia Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek.

Bernama TV is minority-owned by national new agency Bernama, which falls under the purview pf Shabery (below, right).
Some 140 staff members were told to take leave because Bernama TVcould not pay their salaries.

They were last paid on Dec 24 when the first salary crisis was averted, after Bernama secured funds to pay the wages.

Bernama TV belongs to Bernama TV Synergy Bhd, which is 33-percent owned by Bernama. The rest are owned by private shareholders.

The protesters also stood up for their colleagues, part-time staff at Radio-Television Malaysia (RTM), whose salaries have also not been paid by the national broadcaster.

MALAYSIA:::Tens of thousands bid farewell to Tok Guru / Thousands Pay Their Last Respects To Nik Aziz

It is a sombre morning in Kelantan as thousands make of their way to Pulau Melaka to pay their last respects to Nik Aziz Nik Mat, who had led the state as menteri besar for 23 years.

People has been making way to his house since last night, resulting in a sudden surge of vehicles in the sleepy hollow of Pulau Melaka.

Authorities have cordoned off the area, thus those visiting his home would have to make a 3km trek on foot.

The authorities are providing a shuttle service from the Sultan Muhammad IV stadium in Kota Bharu from 7.30am.

Funeral rites will be held at 10am at the mosque next to his home.

Malaysia set to beat Moody’s GDP forecast

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) for 2014 is set to exceed Moody Analytics’ forecast of 5.3% as technology production and the construction sector are helping to offset a slowdown in the energy sector.

Moody’s Analytics, in its report yesterday, said industrial production, which registered a strong finish in 2014, posed upside risk to its fourth-quarter Malaysian GDP forecast results due today.

Malaysia’s Industrial Production Index grew 7.4% in December 2014 compared with the same month a year ago, mainly due to positive growth in all indices of manufacturing, mining and electricity.

MALAYSIA:::MTUC Wants Emergency Financial Assistance For 'Suddenly-Unemployed' Workers

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has called on the government to immediately to put in place an emergency relief scheme for the suddenly unemployed as they seek new employment.

Its secretary-general, N. Gopal Krishnan said the move would prevent the workers and their families from sliding down to poverty.

"Like the recent floods, unemployment can also come suddenly and unexpectedly, and affected workers and their families will need some emergency help to survive the situation and get back on their feet," he said in a statement here today.

This assistance, he said, would be temporary in nature, lasting possibly for a period of maybe, not more than six to 12 months, being the time required for the out-of-job worker to find a suitable new employment.