13 new arrests in Shah Alam over Islamic State links

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said police were constantly on the lookout for militant activities. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, October 15, 2014.Police arrested 13 men at a restaurant in Shah Alam yesterday for alleged links with Islamic State (Isis) militants, said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.
The Star reported that Khalid gave a brief press conference today to reveal the latest arrests, which brings to 36 the total number of people arrested so far this year for alleged militant involvement.
Between January and June this year, police arrested 23 people in various parts of Malaysia for alleged links to the Islamic State.

"Militancy and terrorism have no place in Malaysia. Police are constantly monitoring these kind of activities," Khalid was reported as saying during the conference at Bukit Aman this morning. The atrocities committed by Islamic State militants in the Middle East has drawn widespread global condemnation and provoked a military response from the United States.
Putrajaya has also come out to condemn the Islamic State, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak saying Malaysia deplored the actions of Isis in Syria and Iraq.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has urged the public to report any social site accounts that spread militancy or terrorism in this country.
MCMC strategic communications senior director, Sheikh Raffie Abd Rahman said parents needed to be alert and monitor any changes in their children's behaviour and activities online.  
"MCMC always cooperates with the police in cases such as this to help investigations," he said.
Yesterday, it was reported that militant groups in Syria were not only recruiting Malaysian girls but also tried to recruit teenaged students in the name of jihad.
Principal assistant director of the Counter Terrorism Division of the Special Branch at Bukit Aman, SAC Datuk Ayub Khan Mydin Pitchay had said they conducted their recruitment drive through Facebook and targeted students and teenage girls.
Sheikh Raffie said Facebook was only one of the platforms that was probably used by the groups to recruit members apart from other social media platform.
"However I am made to understand that there are sites or accounts that have been closed by Facebook as they are suspected of trying to bring militant ideology and spread militant activities," he said.
At present 22 Malaysians, including three women, had been identified as having joined the militant groups in Syria. – October 15, 2014.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/13-new-arrests-in-shah-alam-over-islamic-state-links

 

‘Future richest man’ now a monk

                 

Published: Sunday August 31, 2014 MYT 12:00:00 AM
Updated: Sunday August 31, 2014 MYT 8:32:44 AM

‘Future richest man’ now a monk      

       

KUALA LUMPUR: Zhang Jian, founder of the controversial YSLM multi-level marketing business, has become a monk.

The self-proclaimed Chinese millionaire is undergoing a 100-day temporary ordination programme at a temple in Thailand.
However, the head shaving ceremony was only held on Friday, a month after the programme begun.
Zhang has been given the Buddhist name “Fo Yun” which means the words of Buddha.

The company’s charity wing chairman Datuk John Lee Kim Tian told China Press that becoming a monk was Zhang’s way of fulfilling the vow he had made.
“Like all monks, Zhang has to beg for alms from the public daily. He will read Buddhist scriptures and clean the temple during free time,” said Lee, who returned from Thailand yesterday after witnessing the ceremony together with some 100 company members.
He claimed that Zhang donated RM394,330 to the temple after his company’s global revenue was said to have hit the RM50bil mark.
In early July, Zhang made headlines in the Malaysian media when billboards of him appeared in Penang, proclaiming himself as the “future richest man in the world”.
He also awarded his lucky “distributors” with luxury cars.
The Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry is also investigating YSLM – also known as Yun Shu Mao – of being linked to a get-rich-quick scam.
Soon after, Zhang left for Thailand.
The company later offered a refund to those who had not introduced any new member to the company.
Hundreds of people accepted the offer within a week.

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/08/31/Future-richest-man-now-a-monk-YSLM-charity-wing-chief-It-is-a-way-of-fulfilling-his-vow/

Malaysia is now 12th most competitive economy

                 

Malaysia is now 12th most competitive economy

by rahimy rahim

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has climbed another three spots from 15th to 12th in world rankings of competitive economies.
The Institute for Management Development’s (IMD) World Competitiveness Yearbook 2014 showed that Malaysia is the 12th most competitive country, ahead of Britain (16), Australia (17), New Zealand (20), Japan (21) and China (23).
The survey assessed countries according to economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure.
It measured how well countries managed economic and human resources to raise their prosperity.

Sixty countries were surveyed.
The rankings released by IMD took into account more than 300 criteria, two-thirds of which are based on statistical indicators and one-third on an exclusive IMD survey of 4,300 international executives.
Among the challenges that Malaysia will face this year are to enhance growth enablers for sustainable economic development, harness talent to achieve higher productivity growth, and to intensify efforts to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens and restrictions.
The country would also face challenges in trying to curb higher inflation as a result of subsidy rationalisation and ways to strengthen technological capabilities to enhance value creation, said the report.
“In Asia, both Malaysia and Indonesia (at No. 37) make gains, while Thailand (29) falls amid political uncertainty,” said IMD World Competitiveness Centre director Prof Arturo Bris.
The United States retained its No. 1 spot, followed by Switzerland and Singapore, which came 5th on the previous year.
Yesterday, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the Government was committed to implementing sustainable economic policies as opposed to short-term populist short-cuts that would have negative consequences.
“The right decisions are not necessarily popular. We expect to see a much better performance in the next three to five years as more of our initiatives began to bear fruit,” he said in response to Malaysia’s latest rankings.
Malaysia Productivity Corporation director-general Datuk Mohd Razali Hussain said the improvement in various areas showed that the country was moving towards the right direction.

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/05/22/Malaysia-is-now-12th-most-competitive-economy/

A DRAGON HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD IN A HOUSE IN WEST MALAYSIA.

A DRAGON HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD IN A HOUSE IN WEST MALAYSIA.

#ALTERNATIVENEWS, @ALT_NEWS_TK, ALTERNATIVE NEWS, ASIA, CRYPTOZOOLOGY, WORLD NEWS JUNE 24, 2014 ~Q~

http://alternative-news.tk/blog/a-dragon-has-been-shot-dead-in-a-house-in-west-malaysia/

Take a good look at the photos in this album. They were sent to me by someone in the area. This is what the person wrote (Please remember that English may be a second language for him/her). Here we go:


A dragon has been shot dead in a house in West Malaysia. An fruit orchard owner were asleep in the 2nd floor room of the home woke up when he heard the screams of rabbits and sound like an odd noise tiger. Orchard owner continue peek of stairs found a strange animal with two horns and a long mustache is suck a male rabbit. Because aid, he continued to take an auto rifle and fired eight shots cause the odd animal fell to the floor. After ensuring these animals really dead he was shocked to find it is a dragon with fluffy white rabbit fur. He told reporters that, “I do not think that the animal is a white dragon. Extremely surprised me” because according to Chinese belief when a dragon enters the house, it will bring ‘luck’ and horns can fetch millions of dollars. However, he does not plan to sell any part of the body of the animal and will preserve the dead animal for public viewing.

 





Read more at http://alternative-news.tk/blog/a-dragon-has-been-shot-dead-in-a-house-in-west-malaysia/#33istudoBBQkroIF.99

Health minister: El Nino may increase dengue, malaria risk

Health minister: El Nino may increase dengue, malaria risk

May 23, 2014

KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 — The El Nino phenomenon, expected to hit the country from June to December this year, may increase the risk of vector borne diseases such as dengue and malaria, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S.Subramaniam.

He said the climate and temperature changes caused by the phenomenon would influence the vector population and behaviour including the virus replication.

“Various studies have shown that the incubation period of the virus reduces in warm temperature as demonstrated in the laboratory experiment which reduced from 12 days at 30 Celsius to 7 days at 32 to 35 Celsius,” he said when addressing the 67th World Health Assembly 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland.

His speech text was faxed to Bernama today.

The phenomenon is characterised by a band of unusually warm ocean water temperatures that periodically develops off the Pacific coast of South America that could cause extreme weather changes across the Pacific region such as fluctuating droughts, floods and scrappy crop yields in some regions.
Subramaniam said the existence of mosquitoes in new areas had also increased due to global warming and would increase the epidemic potential by 31 to 47 per cent for dengue and 12 to 27 per cent for malaria transmission.
He said although studies linking climate factors with dengue were limited in Malaysia, it was generally accepted that changes in precipitation, ambient temperature and humidity may influence the abundance and distribution of the mosquito vectors.
“Several studies have shown a positive relationship between rainfall and dengue, the timing of rainfall was as important as the amount of rain.
“Warmer temperatures can increase transmission potential by allowing the mosquitoes’ vector to survive and reach maturity much faster and shorten the virus incubation period,” he said.
He said the government had taken firm steps in mitigation and adaptive measures through multi-agency intervention, which also included strengthening existing programme within the ministry.
It included addressing climate sensitive diseases and health conditions such as vector borne, food and water borne disease, sanitary waste disposal, the provision of clean water with high priority to research and development, he said.
“Malaysia has also prepared a plan of action for drought to face the uncertainties that may arrive due to the El Nino phenomenon,” he said. — Bernama
- See more at: http://m.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/health-minister-el-nino-may-increase-dengue-malaria-risk#sthash.xOAPc2rq.dpuf

17 April 2014| last updated at 12:09AM

Anwar lashes out at Singapore over MH370

By SYED UMAR ARIFF | news@nst.com.my

'WRONG': It should not be praising Malaysia's 'mediocre' search efforts, he says

PETALING JAYA: DATUK Seri Anwar Ibrahim has hit out at  Singapore for supporting "mediocre" Malaysian efforts in the search for MH370, while absolving himself of  a controversial statement that he could handle the tragedy in a second.
Commenting on the recognition of other countries on Malaysia's attempts to find the missing aircraft, the opposition leader singled out Singapore as being "inconsistent" between championing meritocracy and mediocrity.
"Singapore has repeatedly praised Malaysia. I thank them in the case of MH370. But Singapore sometimes contradicts itself. It talks about meritocracy, but (would settle for) mediocre leaders in the neighbouring country (Malaysia)," he said at a press conference at PKR headquarters here yesterday.
Anwar said the opposition was not against the search-and-rescue operation as a whole.
"We are not saying that everything is wrong in Malaysia. We are saying there is no transparency.
"(For example), there are (matters on) radar and mangosteens (pertaining to allegations that the MH370 flight manifest not made public or clear). These are the central issues."
The PKR de-facto leader said the Singapore government should not infer that the Malaysian opposition was irresponsible in its criticism.
"And (Singapore) repeatedly say that it is satisfied. I mean are you satisfied with mediocrity when you talk about meritocracy in your country?"
On the recent controversial statement in which Anwar was quoted as saying that he would only take one second to address the mystery of MH370, he said he was misquoted by the report.
"I refer to the original statement in which I said I would take one second... which I meant that I will take a spontaneous action on my part to take immediate action to protect national security and disseminate information in a transparent manner."
On April 5, a Chinese daily published an interview by the Southern Weekly magazine with Anwar, quoting him as saying that he would only take one second to decide to ensure national safety and provide information to the people if he was the prime minister.


Read more: Anwar lashes out at Singapore over MH370 - General - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/anwar-lashes-out-at-singapore-over-mh370-1.570284#ixzz32PJhJy4b

Ipoh-born wins 'MasterChef UK''

By ZAHARAH OTHMAN | news@nst.com.my

WORLD CLASS': Prime Minister tweets his congratulations to the champion

LONDON: MALAYSIAN-BORN chef Catherine Chin Wan Ping Coombes, 32, was crowned UK MasterChef Champion 2014 on Friday, catapulting Malaysia and the humble nasi lemak with sambal ikan bilis on to the international culinary stage.
Beating Jack Lucas and Luke Owen after eight weeks of nail-biting moments to become the show's tenth winner, Ping, a full time housewife who lives in Bath with husband Andrew, and 18-month-old daughter Alexa, won over judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace with dishes she was familiar with when growing up in Malaysia.
Her winning three-course meal, which included a Chinese wonton dumpling soup, nasi lemak and vanilla panna cotta for dessert, was agreed by judges of the BBC1 show as a clear winner, while her two other competitors both agreed the best chef had won.
Her win also got the attention of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who congratulated her via twitter, "@NajibRazak: well done UK Masterchef @WanPingCoombes! Malaysian flavours and talent are truly world class."
"When I eat Ping's food I feel happy, it makes my heart thump," said Torode.
There was a tense moment when Wallace said the sambal ikan bilis was too salty, but the overall presentation won him over.
Visibly overwhelmed by the announcement by the judges last night she said: "The last time I felt such emotion was when my daughter was born. Something that I don't think you get to experience a lot. (It is ) pure joy and pure bliss that feels incredible, epic."
With her mother as her constant inspiration, she added: "My mother would be really proud, I'm sure. But I say this a lot -- I'm sure she still wouldn't let me in her kitchen!"
Her entry into the vast, albeit daunting kitchen of MasterChef was followed closely by Malaysians everywhere and last night's victory was marked with "Ping! Ping did it!", all over Facebook timelines and Twitters.
The new MasterChef champion initially underestimated her ability and was not even confident she would make it to be one of the contestants.
However, once she was on the set, the adrenaline started pumping and she told herself that she was going to make it a great experience "no matter what".
Although her mother is thousands of kilometres away in Malaysia, she finds inspiration in her mum's cooking, and had watched and learnt a lot of her mother's cooking techniques.
She made sure her mother watched her using her iPad.
One of the first to congratulate her was celebrity chef Chef Norman Musa, who had also been tirelessly promoting Malaysian food on the international stage.
He said: "Ping winning MasterChef UK will dramatically boost the exposure of Malaysian food -- my big mission, for which I have been working hard over the last few years. Ping is a great example of how we Malaysians cook and eat our food with passion, which she did so brilliantly. I and all Malaysians are very proud of her!"
Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation's (Matrade) Commissioner, Mr Khairul Nizam Moonier, who had been following the programme closely, said Matrade was very happy with the victory and hoped that as MasterChef champion, she would be able to participate in Malaysia Kitchen programmes in the UK.
"I have had a chance to meet Ping when she visited the Spring Market, organised by Malaysia Kitchen recently, and informed her that we would like to invite her to participate in our events, which would include the Malaysia Night at Trafalgar Square."

MasterChef UK champion Catherine Chin Wan Ping Coombes says she is determined to make the journey a great experience

Read more: Ipoh-born wins 'MasterChef UK'' - General - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/ipoh-born-wins-masterchef-uk-1.599882#ixzz32P2Zh9ec

#Bantah GST Gambar Perhimpunan Bantah GST 1 Mei 2014 Kuala Lumpur

Gambar perhimpunan bantah cukai GST 1 Mei 2014 di Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. Peserta himpunan bantah cukai barang dan perkhidmatan (GST) mula berkumpul di lima lokasi ibu negara antaranya di Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC), Pusat Beli-Belah Sogo, Masjid Negara, Dataran Maybank dan Brickfields bermula pada jam 9.30 pagi. Seterusnya peserta bantah GST akan berarak ke lokasi perhimpunan utama iaitu di Dataran Merdeka. Antara tujuan himpunan bantah GST adalah untuk menyuarakan bantahan terhadap pelaksanaan cukai barang dan perkhidmatan (GST) yang dipercayai membebankan rakyat. Terdahulu, kerajaan dalam bajet 2014 telah membentangkan pelaksanaan GST yang berkuatkuasa mulai 1 April 2015.

Gambar Perhimpunan Bantah GST 1 Mei 2014 Malaysia

Teruskan Membaca:

Sumber: Gambar Perhimpunan Bantah GST 1 Mei 2014 Kuala Lumpur | melvister.com
Sumber: Gambar Perhimpunan Bantah GST 1 Mei 2014 Kuala Lumpur | melvister.com

PORT DICKSON International Triathlon 2014

Kenyir Lake International Triathlon - 16 March 2014 (Results)
Kapas Marang International Swimathon - 20 April 2014 (CLOSED)
KLANG Premiere Ride - 25 May 2014 (Open. Closing date: 18 April)
SCORE Run - 8 June 2014 (Open. Closing date: 25 April)
Port Dickson International Triathlon - 9-10 August 2014 (Open. Closing date: 1 July)
Morib Triathlon
Nusajaya Triathlon


============================================

14 April 2014

PORT DICKSON International Triathlon 2014

Date : 9 - 10 August 2014
Registration OPEN

============================================

http://www.triathlonmalaysia.com/

ERNEST ZACKAREVIC ARTS : ART IS RUBBISH IS ART

February 9, 2014 By StrawberrY Gal - Malaysia, Penang, Trave

During our trip to Penang, we get the opportunity to witness the famous street art artist Ernest Zackarevic arts in the Hin Company Bus depots. The success of Ernest Zackarevic who drew pieces of arts around the town had indeed improve he tourism industry in Malaysia and now he had showcase his arts which is made from rubbish the private place now. The exhibition will be ending this coming 14 February 2014

Before you entered the exhibition, you can see the theme from Zach which is “Art is Rubbish is Art”. In here, you can find the beautiful art showcase.

Ernest and Kopi Gold is simply a beautiful art to capture my eyes when I entered into the exhibition. More arts which is available in the art gallery includes

Girl in Pink which is the art by using pink spray and drawing.

The Horse

Girl with balloon

Japanese Girl with Rubberband

Trishaw guy

Michael Jackson- the usual drink in Penang

Lego crook waiting for the girl is one of the highlight in the arts itself.
Some of others in his collection includes















The location for this exhibition is at Hin Bus Company. Behind Gama.
Address: Hin Company Bus Depot, Jalan Gurdwara,
George Town, Penang
Website: http://www.facebook.com/events/250908208397502/