BIDOR: The Barisan Nasional (BN) Government can easily solve problems of the multiracial populace of the country as the BN is a party for all races, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.

He said the Government governing the nation was a multiracial coalition government that constantly worked to maintain racial harmony, peace, prosperity and safety of the people.

"The BN Government functions on the basis of consultation and consensus.

This is a multiracial, united and collaborative coalition government," he said.

Abdullah said the Cabinet comprising ministers representing diverse races discussed together problems that surfaced and planned ahead to transform Malaysia into a peaceful and prosperous nation.

Abdullah, who is also BN chairman, said the BN government understood the aspirations of the various races who wanted to live in a peaceful and safe country.

Huckabee wastes no time politicizing terror plot

Wow, it took 20 posts for the Neville-Chamberlin-Betty-Bumpers-unilateral-disamament nuts to start blaming the US for this attack. WW II wasn't our fault, the Soviet Union wasn't our fault, and al Qaida isn't our fault. These people are evil and you can resist or submit. Thankfully a majority of Americans have always chosen to resist.

Weak banks, carmakers end European scrips rally

European stocks dipped in early trade on Friday, falling for the first time in five sessions as banking shares slipped on renewed worries over the global credit crunch.

Geopolitical concerns following the assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto also dampened the mood in equity markets around the world.

Europes benchmark index is up 1.4 percent on the year, on track to record its worst annual performance since 2002.

HSBC was down 0.9 percent, HBOS down one percent and Credit Suisse down 0.5 percent.

Banking shares have been hit in recent months by a squeeze in the global credit market, and investors fear that financial institutions have not yet unveiled the full impact of the debacle in the U.S. subprime mortgage market on their books.

Gavel-to-gavel coverage: The latest from the Rezko trial

Judge Amy St. Eve has punctuated her questioning of jurors with several so-called sidebars as she, the three-member prosecution team and Antoin "Tony" Rezko's two attorneys huddle in a corner of the courtroom poring over what look like information sheets about the jury.

One lengthy sidebar took place before the morning session began. As the judge and lawyers talked, Rezko sat quietly -- and alone -- at the defense table. Today he is wearing a smartly tailored blue-gray suit, one of several from his wardrobe that his defense team has brought to court for him to change into when brought each day from a federal jail in the Loop.

So far, 59 prospective jurors have been interviewed and another 17 are scheduled to be quizzed this afternoon and more tomorrow. Before breaking for lunch, St.

Bloggernacle Back Bench: In search of Mormon blogs

I get asked that question frequently. And my response is always the same: there are a lot of ways. Let me outline how I search.

1st click: I start with a blog aggregator. As discussed in a previous techie tip, these can show you a list of blogs and most recent posts. I use Mormon Blogs, Mormon Archipelago, LDSelect.org and just recently discovered LDS Blogs.

2nd click: I start choosing posts/blogs that intrigue me. I skim through contents and carefully read the more interesting posts.

3rd click: A few blogs provide their own picks of the week or day or whenever-they-feel-like-it interspersed within their content posts, i.e. "LDS & Mormon Blogs" on A Soft Answer and the "The Bloggernacle Minute" on Dave's Mormon Inquiry.

4th click: Most blogs have a side blog roll highlighting their favorite blogs.

Olympics: Five divers seeking to join Bryan in Beijing

KUALA LUMPUR: The number of Malaysian qualifiers for the Olympics is expected to increase drastically when our divers compete in the 16th FINA World Cup in Beijing from Feb 19-25.

Of the divers, five – Yeoh Ken Nee, Rossharisham Roslan, Leong Mun Yee, Elizabeth Jimie and Pandalela Rinong – have been identified as having the potential to do well at the World Cup, which is the last platform to qualify for the Olympics.

So far, seven athletes have qualified for the Olympic Games on merit. They are diver Bryan Nickson Lomas; archers Cheng Chu Sian, Wan Mohd Khalmizam Wan Abdul Aziz and Mohd Marbawi Sulaiman; taekwondo exponents Elaine Teo and Che Chew Chan; and pole vaulter Roslinda Samsu.

Yesterday, the National Sports Council’s (NSC) aquatics manager for elite athletes, Jennifer Yong, said that it was possible for Malaysia to have the biggest number of divers at the Olympics as the top 18 semi-finalists in the individual competition of the World Cup will make the cut.

Jennifer said that 14-year-old Pandalela, the country’s top junior diver, was their best bet for an Olympic berth in the 10m platform.

“She is our best bet to make the grade in the World Cup.