Swiss group pushing for probe into Sarawak company linked to Taib

By: whiteworldth2 on 07:58

The front page of the Malaysia Airlines website as seen on a mobile device, as at 10am this morning. – January 26, 2015.Hackers allegedly linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) militant group today broke into the website of Malaysia Airlines."Plane not found," said a message on the front page of the national airline's website at www.malaysiaairlines.com this morning, signed off as "Cyber Caliphate", as a rap song played in the background.The website title was also changed to "Isis will prevail".It is understood that only those using Telekom Malaysia's Unifi service are taken to the hacked page.Hackers claiming to be Isis supporters have in the past brought down Twitter and YouTube accounts.Some experts believe today's attack on the MAS website appears to be a DNS redirect rather than an all out hack.DNS, or domain name system, translates a domain name to the Internet Protocol (IP) address.MAS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.According to an AFP report, the hackers claimed to be from the "Lizard Squad", a group known for previous denial-of-service attacks.The Lizard Squad is a group of hackers that has caused havoc in the online world before, taking credit for attacks that took down the Sony PlayStation Network and Microsoft's Xbox Live network last month.The Islamic State, an extremist Sunni Muslim group, has seized large swathes of Syria and Iraq, where it has declared an Islamic "caliphate".It has drawn thousands of fighters from across the globe to its anti-Western cause, and shocked the world with its video-taped executions of journalists and other foreigners it has captured, the most recent being a Japanese security contractor it claimed Sunday to have beheaded.A second Japanese captive being held by the militants has also been threatened with execution.The Isis group, which uses social media in recruiting and spreading its message, is believed to harbour ambitions of launching a cyber-war against the West.It is unclear why MAS was targeted but the hacking group said on its Twitter feed that it was "Going to dump some loot found on malaysiaairlines.com servers soon."AFP added that MAS had released a statement confirming its Internet domain name had been compromised, re-directing users."At this stage, Malaysia Airlines' web servers are intact," it said, but added it could take nearly 24 hours to fully resolve the issue, which it had reported to Malaysian authorities."Malaysia Airlines assures customers and clients that its website was not hacked and this temporary glitch does not affect their bookings and that user data remains secured," it said.Concern has been rising in the country after scores of Malaysians were lured to the Isis cause in the Middle East.Malaysian authorities last week said they had detained 120 people suspected of having Isis sympathies or planning to travel to Syria. – January 26, 2015.

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Penang upbeat about ballooning collaborations with Tourism Ministry

By: whiteworldth2 on 06:37

One of 15 balloons to be featured at the Penang Hot Air Balloon Fiesta on 21 and 22 February. – The Malaysian Insider pic, January 26, 2015.Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today said the state government was upbeat on the prospect of cooperating with the Tourism and Culture Ministry to help boost the arrival of both local and international tourists into the country.Lim said he was optimistic that the collaboration would be fruitful and would benefit the state and national economies, following feedback on sagging tourist arrivals in several states in Malaysia at the end of last year.“We hope to have more events together with Tourism Malaysia," he said, adding that Penang’s tourism figures for last year, which have yet to be tabulated and announced, were not significantly hampered.Lim’s comments came in the wake of visible support from Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz for tourism initiatives in Penang.Nazri had last year openly supported the state’s plan to ban foreign cooks at hawker stalls, to house the Colonial Penang Museum and to organise the George Town Festival. Nazri and Lim also attended together the celebrations to mark the 228th anniversary of Fort Cornwallis on August 7 last year.Lim added that Penang had not been affected by lower arrivals from China although there was concern of reduced interest among China nationals visiting Malaysia following the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on March 8 last year.The flight vanished while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with a 12-person crew and 227 passengers on board, including 152 citizens of China.“We have to work harder to get the tourists," Lim said, adding that the state would work with the ministry to lay particular focus on getting more Asean and domestic visitors.Lim was speaking at a press conference to announce the Penang Hot Air Balloon Fiesta to be held on February 21 and 22 at the Padang Polo on the island.Also present were Tourism Malaysia state deputy director Haryanty Abu Bakar and programme partner AKA Balloon Sdn Bhd finance manager Maimoon Mohd.The RM650,000 event is sponsored by the state and held in collaboration with Tourism Malaysia, a division of the Tourism Ministry.The ministry will cooperate with the Penang Island Municipal Council and state agency Penang Global Tourism in holding the event which will feature a total of 15 balloons.

Lim said three of the balloons would remain tethered and open for rides to the public at RM25 per person, while a “cold inflation balloon" would allow individuals to pose for photographs inside the balloon at RM5 per person.“We hope to make the balloon fiesta an annual event," Lim said, noting that the only other place to feature a balloon festival was Putrajaya.He added that a series of festivals, including the George Town Festival in August, would be vital to strengthening the tourism appeal of Penang. – January 26, 2015.

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Putrajaya denies outlawing caning of children in amended act – Bernama

By: whiteworldth2 on 05:45

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim reportedly said caning would be an offence under the new new Child Act. The ministry says not all forms of caning are outlawed. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, January 26, 2015.A provision proposed by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry under the new Child Act is not meant to outlaw all forms of caning of children.On the other hand, the ministry clarified that what was proposed in the new act was for a more detailed provision on actions which cause physical or mental injuries to children including caning."The ministry is studying and scrutinising the proposal so that the legislation will cover all acts against children causing physical and emotional injuries deemed as criminal offences which could be punishable with heftier imprisonment or fines."Besides, the ministry is also considering alternative punishment such as community service or counseling or parenting courses," said the statement issued by the ministry's corporate communications unit.The ministry also clarified that the action of refining the law was in line with the previous proposal to abolish Section 91(1)(g) of the Child Act 2001 where the court is allowed to conduct caning on children found guilty.Several newpapers have reported Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim as saying that caning children would be a criminal offence if the new legislation to replace the Child Act 2001 was passed by Parliament.Following the report, several parties asked for clarification and called the ministry to review the proposal.In this regard, the ministry also explained that the proposal to abolish caning at the court level was in line with the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child(CRC)."At the same time, Section 91(1)(g) of the Child Act 2001 allows a male child to be sentenced to caning not more than 10 strokes if found guilty of criminal offences. On this, caning in court is different from caning in the house or in school."Caning in court is carried out according to procedures set by law. However, based on pyschological development in line with CRC, the ministry proposes to abolish the punishment," the statement said. – Bernama, January 26, 2015.

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MB: Yang demo itu penduduk tempatan ke?

By: whiteworldth2 on 04:07

MB: Yang demo itu penduduk tempatan ke?

Menteri Besar Selangor Azmin Ali mempersoal sama ada peserta demonstrasi projek Datum Jelatek di Taman Keramat benar-benar penduduk tempatan.

Beliau menjawab soalan pemberita yang mahu mendapat maklum balas beliau berhubung bantahan dalam demonstrasi projek itu semalam.

"Kamu pasti mereka penduduk tempatan?" soal Azmin ketika ditanya perkara itu.

Seorang pemberita kemudian menjawab beliau pasti kerana berada di tempat kejadian ketika acara itu berlangsung.

Azmin kemudian bertanya lagi sama ada pemberita itu boleh mengesahkannya.

"Sebab wakil penduduk Encik Salleh..." jawab wartawan.

Bagaimanapun Azmin memintasnya dengan berkata: 

"Selain Encik Salleh, siapa lagi yang berada dalam demonstrasi itu.”

Beliau sebelum itu ditanya berhubung tuntutan peserta perhimpunan itu untuk berjumpa dengan Azmin, yang mana beliau membangkitkan perkara sama.

Semalam dilaporkan hampir 1,000 orang termasuk penduduk di Taman Keramat berdemonstrasi mendesak projek pembangunan Datum Jelatek di taman itu dihentikan.
   
Salleh, pengerusi badan bertindak Datum Jelatek mendakwa projek hartanah itu ditawarkan kepada warga asing China, Singapura dan Indonesia, seperti dilaporkan sebuah majalah perniagaan pada 2012.

Mengulas lanjut berhubung isu tersebut, Azmin berkata kerajaan negeri mengambil kira pandangan dan bantahan rakyat khususnya di kawasan pembangunan itu melalui pendengaran awam beberapa kali dan menganggap proses itu sebagai perkara biasa.

"Tetapi ia (pandangan dan semakan) juga diambil kira untuk membuat sebarang semakan atau pindaan dalam bentuk pembangunan di kawasan tersebut. Itu proses biasa.

“Rakyat boleh kemukakan bantahan, dalam mana-mana pembangunan, kita akan teliti bantahan itu," katanya.

Ditanya sama ada alasan bahawa kawasan itu akan dimiliki oleh orang luar termasuk kaum selain Melayu, Azmin berkata beliau akan meneliti laporan terperinci daripada Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor (PKNS) terlebih dahulu.

'Tak penting tak menjurus perkauman'

Bahkan, setakat ini beliau yang juga timbalan presiden PKR tidak pasti sama ada bantahan itu benar-benar daripada penduduk di kawasan itu.

"Yang penting pembangunan itu, mestilah pembangunan yang tidak menjurus kepada perkauman.

“Walaupun kita ada kuota dalam sesuatu pembangunan, janganlah ia dijadikan sebagai sentimen untuk menjadi penghalang pembangunan di Selangor.

"PKNS akan teliti bantahan itu. Kita benarkan bantahan sesuatu pembangunan, bahkan kita ada townhall meeting, kita buat engagement dengan pihak berkepentingan dalam semua pembangunan," katanya.

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Hollywood Sign seekers disrupt neighborhood

By: whiteworldth2 on 03:14

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By: whiteworldth2 on 02:58

Fed judge issues 14-day stay in Ala. same-sex marriages

Cari Searcy, left, and Kim McKeand pose for a portrait with their son Khaya in Mobile, Ala., in May 2006. U.S. District Callie V.S. Granade ruled in favor of the couple, who sued to challenge Alabama’s refusal to recognize their 2008 marriage performed in California.(Photo: Rob Carr, AP)MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A federal judge on Sunday put a two-week hold on her decision that overturned Alabama's gay marriage ban, but said same-sex couples should not be kept in lengthy legal limbo.U.S. District Judge Callie V. S. Granade refused the Alabama attorney general's request to put her ruling on hold until the U.S. Supreme Court takes up the decision of gay marriage later this year. But she did issue a 14-day stay to give the state time to appeal her decision to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.Granade said it was inappropriate, in her view, to put the decision on lengthy hold."As long as a stay is in place, same-sex couples and their families remain in a state of limbo with respect to adoption, child care and custody, medical decisions, employment and health benefits, future tax implications, inheritance and many other rights associated with marriage," she wrote.Some hoping to get married swiftly expressed disappointment over the two-week hold."It's aggravating. The judge ruled and everybody got so excited and now, this," said Tori Sisson, who had camped outside the Montgomery courthouse Sunday night with Shante Wolfe in hopes of securing a marriage license first thing Monday.The stay will expire Feb. 9 unless the court extends it.Granade had ruled Friday that Alabama's statutory and constitutional bans on gay marriage were in violation of the U.S. Constitution. That ruling was the latest in a string of victories for same-sex marriage advocates around the Deep South after judges struck down bans in Mississippi, Arkansas, the Carolinas and Florida. The judge's order reverberated in a state considered one of the Bible Belt's most socially conservative.Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange called the 14-day stay a step in the right direction."While I would have preferred a longer stay to allow the matter to be settled by the U.S. Supreme Court's anticipated ruling in June, the 14-day stay allows more time for my office to prepare our stay request to the 11th Circuit Court while also affording the public time to resolve the confusion over the impact of the recent ruling," Strange said.Granade's ruling striking down the marriage ban came out of a case filed by Cari Searcy and McKeand of Mobile. The couple said the ban prevented Alabama from recognizing their 2008 California marriage and Searcy as a parent to their son. McKeand gave birth to the child in 2005, but the court's rejected Searcy's adoption petition because the couple was not legally married.Grande said before the stay expires that she would also issue a separate order addressing a key issue of dispute in the wake of her initial ruling: Must state probate judges begin issuing marriage licenses to gay couples?The Alabama Probate Judges' Association maintains that Friday's ruling applies only to the parties in that case, and that it doesn't require judges to issue marriage licenses to other same-sex couples.One probate judge and president of the association, Greg Norris of Monroe County, said probate judges have a duty to issue licenses in accordance with Alabama law, which means they can't issue them to same-sex couples.In a teleconference Sunday afternoon, Norris said, "The Alabama law does not allow that and we are duty-bound by it."Al Agricola, attorney for the group, said the case only concerned Searcy and McKeand. Agricola said Strange was enjoined from enforcing the ban, but that probate judges were not mentioned in the lawsuit."The attorney general in Alabama has no role to play in the issuance of marriage licenses, so there is no party to Judge Granade's case who has any role to play with regard to the issuance of marriage licenses in Alabama and the plaintiffs do not represent any class of person who might be similarly situated to them," Agricola said.Norris said the association has asked all 67 probate judges in the state to stay decisions on issuing marriage license to same-sex couples until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the issue, likely in June."Unless the federal judge issues a stay, then MGM Probate Court will issue a license to ANY couple that wants to be married," Reed wrote on Twitter.Norris said he was not sure how many probate judges in the state would issue marriage certificates to same-sex couples starting Monday. Norris also said no judge would be penalized for acting against the association's advice."Each probate judge and their county is their own jurisdiction," Norris said. "What we are basing the Alabama Probate Judge's Association's advice on is legal counsel and our stance is not to issue them."Agricola said the association would be filing a claim in Granade's court that supports Stranges's motion to stay Granade's decision until the U.S. Supreme Court rules.Contributing: The Associated PressNortheast braces for potentially epic winter stormJan 25, 2015

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