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MCMC blocks over 1,000 pornographic websites

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 10, 2015:

Over 1,000 pornographic websites have been barred by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) this year alone.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak said as of October, 1,074 pornographic websites were barred and another 106 sites would face a similar fate under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

“This is part of the steps taken by MCMC to preserve good values upheld by the plural and multi-religious society in the country,” he said, in a statement, today.

In the meantime, the public were urged to report to the authorities any website that was suspected of promoting pornography, he told reporters after attending the Sabah MIC Deepavali Open House at the Likas Complex Multipurpose Hall near here today.

Salleh said they could do so by lodging relevant information to MCMC at diaduanskmm@cmc.gov.my(http://aduan.skmm.gov.my).

On the Deepavali Open house, he hoped that it would enlighten the relationship between Malaysians, thus fostering a sense of mutual respect between races that would work towards preserving the country’s peace and harmony.

“I hope that we will be able to live in harmony on the basis of tolerance, which is very important in a multi-racial country like Malaysia.”

Salleh said this was in line with the government’s aspirations under the 1Malaysia concept that prioritised unity among the multiracial, multireligious and multicultural society in the country.

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MCMC blocks over 1,000 pornographic websites

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 10, 2015:

Over 1,000 pornographic websites have been barred by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) this year alone.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak said as of October, 1,074 pornographic websites were barred and another 106 sites would face a similar fate under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

“This is part of the steps taken by MCMC to preserve good values upheld by the plural and multi-religious society in the country,” he said, in a statement, today.

In the meantime, the public were urged to report to the authorities any website that was suspected of promoting pornography, he told reporters after attending the Sabah MIC Deepavali Open House at the Likas Complex Multipurpose Hall near here today.

Salleh said they could do so by lodging relevant information to MCMC at diaduanskmm@cmc.gov.my(http://aduan.skmm.gov.my).

On the Deepavali Open house, he hoped that it would enlighten the relationship between Malaysians, thus fostering a sense of mutual respect between races that would work towards preserving the country’s peace and harmony.

“I hope that we will be able to live in harmony on the basis of tolerance, which is very important in a multi-racial country like Malaysia.”

Salleh said this was in line with the government’s aspirations under the 1Malaysia concept that prioritised unity among the multiracial, multireligious and multicultural society in the country.

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Swallowable gadget in the works to fight obesity

AN ELECTRONIC pill that enables you to enjoy your meal without giving you the urge to overeat is in the works at an Israeli start-up and making headlines in the medical community.

Using an external magnet, the capsule is positioned in the place in which it will be most effective in the stomach.

A wireless remote control that’s compatible with iOS and Android devices delivers electronic stimulation to the digestive tract to quell the appetite.

It works for about three weeks before it disintegrates and the body expels it, at which point the patient swallows another.

The startup, called MelCap, was granted a patent from the US Patent Office for its technology in June of 2014.

Founders say it will be a cost-effective, non-invasive solution that’s easy to use and could improve the quality of life for millions of overweight and obese individuals.

Watch a video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0P3bZ4Huw0

The race is on to create an effective pharmaceutical solution to the obesity epidemic.

In January, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences in the US announced the discovery of a pill that tricks the body into feeling full, inducing the energy-burning process.

“This pill is like an imaginary meal,” says Ronald Evans, director of Salk’s Gene Expression Laboratory and senior author of the new paper, published Jan 5, 2014 in Nature Medicine.

It’s made from a compound called fexaramine that, once it dissolves in the digestive track, doesn’t cause the same uncomfortable side-effects that other appetite suppressants are known for such as dizziness and nausea.

“It sends out the same signals that normally happen when you eat a lot of food, so the body starts clearing out space to store it. But there are no calories and no change in appetite.”

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With new material, an intimate look at Kurt Cobain

TWENTY-ONE years after the music legend killed himself, a more intimate picture of Kurt Cobain has emerged with a new documentary revealing early recordings by the future Nirvana frontman.

“Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck” seeks to humanise Cobain from his now mythic status by offering unvarnished snapshots of his life along with interviews with those close to him, but ultimately it leaves room for viewers to make judgements.

“I believe that this intimacy adds power to the film,” said director Brett Morgen, who called the production an “immersive ride into Kurt’s life.”

Cobain, consumed by heroin addiction and chronic depression, suddenly became a cultural icon in the early 1990s as the visceral sound of Nirvana turned the page on the previous decade’s pop sounds.

Cobain, who had thought about suicide since his childhood, shot himself in the head in April 1994 at his home in Seattle. He was 27.

Morgen — whose earlier works included 2012’s “Crossfire Hurricane” about the Rolling Stones — made the film with the blessing of Cobain’s widow, fellow rocker Courtney Love, who handed the director 15 boxes of the singer-guitarist’s belongings.

Morgen said that Love did not have editorial control.

But the famously volatile Love has voiced approval of the film, shedding tears at recent screenings and making a rare joint appearance at the Los Angeles premiere Wednesday night with the couple’s 22-year-old daughter Frances Bean Cobain, with whom she has had a rocky relationship.

Frances appears in one of the most haunting scenes of “Montage of Heck” as Cobain, high on heroin, holds her and Love — also known for her drug use — and tries to cut the baby’s hair.

“He’s between his love for his daughter and his addiction — the struggle you see all in a one shot. It’s an incredibly uncomfortable scene. It was authorised by Frances,” Morgen said on the sidelines of the film’s Paris premiere.

He said that Frances watched the footage in his office, where he left her with a box of tissues.

“‘You gave me a couple of hours with my father. That meant everything,'” he recalled her saying.

‘The most pure expressions‘

Cobain rarely threw out his belongings and when Morgen sifted through the boxes, he found notebooks filled with song lyrics and drawings, as well as paintings, guitars and even shoes.

Among the most striking findings were more than 100 cassette tapes recorded by the rocker, who grew up in the lumber town of Aberdeen, Washington, where his parents’ divorce had a crushing effect on him.

One tape reveals a young Cobain both experimenting with his own songwriting and covering earlier songs including the Beatles’ “And I Love Her”.

“When I first heard it, I was in the storage facility and I had no prior knowledge of it. I put it on and I immediately felt like there was some sort of portal into his mind, like it was one of the most pure expressions of Kurt that I encountered — maybe more than in most of his songs,” Morgen said.

“I felt that within these mixtapes, all the different sides of Kurt were displayed — the romanticism, the honesty, all of these different emotions.”

“Montage of Heck” will be accompanied by a soundtrack, in which Morgen has promised previously unreleased material.

‘Kitschy, funny, scary’

A month before his death, Cobain had tried to kill himself when Love and Frances joined him at a luxury hotel in Rome.

Love said that Cobain had taken 67 Rohypnols, the relaxant drug often used to treat insomnia, because he suspected that she was having an affair.

“I had said Kurt was very sensitive to critics and then she said that he was so sensitive that he could have been a psychic,” Morgen said.

“Montage of Heck” — the title is an allusion to a Cobain mixtape — took eight years to make as Morgen researched and produced the film and then sorted out potential legal issues.

The film will come out in the coming months in cinemas around the world and will also be broadcast in the United States on HBO.

Morgen believes that the film presents different facets of Cobain — “kitschy, funny, scary”.

But ultimately it does not seek to address his death directly.

“There’s a lot of subtext in this film. But I ask the audience to conclude on their own,” he said.

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RM5 juta untuk rakyat Permatang Pauh, Suhaimi perlu menang 

PERMATANG PAUH, 26 April: 

Selain daripada peruntukan berjumlah RM5 juta yang akan disalurkan kepada Permatang Pauh, Menteri Dalam Negeri, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi juga akan memastikan peruntukan tambahan diberi bagi kawasan itu.

Perkara itu bagaimanapun memerlukan kemenangan calon Barisan Nasional, Suhaimi Sabudin bagi merampas kerusi milik PKR itu.

“Mana-mana Ahli Parlimen akan diberikan RM5 juta daripada Kerajaan Persekutuan.

“Peruntukan ini akan diagihkan untuk pembangunan dan perbelanjaan lain termasuk untuk kebajikan,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan Pusat Komuniti Transformasi (CTC) di Pusat Komersil Permatang Pauh.

Naib Presiden UMNO itu menambah, beliau akan menggunakan kapasitinya sebagai menteri persekutuan bagi mendapatkan peruntukan tambahan untuk Suhaimi daripada Perdana Menteri dan Timbalan Perdana Menteri.

Ini kerana pengundi telah terbeban dengan infrastruktur di Permatang Pauh yang perlu dibaiki.

“Rakyat Permatang Pauh telah menunggu lama untuk membaik pulih kemudahan infratsruktur,” katanya ketika mengulas lanjut mengenai peruntukan.

Dalam ucapan beliau di majlis itu, Ahmad Zahid berkata Permatang Pauh memerlukan seorang Ahli Parlimen yang memegang tiket BN.

Ini bagi memudahkan laluan untuk menyelesaikan masalah yang berkaitan dengan Kerajaan Persekutuan.

“Tidak semua masalah boleh diselesaikan oleh kerajaan negeri.

“Oleh kerana paip besar adalah di Putrajaya. Dan paip peruntukan adalah seperti Putrajaya,” katanya kepada hadirin yang hadir pada majlis pelancaran itu.

Sementara itu, menteri itu juga berkata sentimen umum di kalangan manusia adalah menginginkan ‘angin perubahan’.

“Saya berada di sini lebih daripada seminggu dan saya turun ke bawah. Orang kata angin perubahan akan berlaku. Orang-orang di pinggir bandar dan di kampung-kampung rindukan pembangunan.

“Suhaimi adalah orang Permatang Pauh, dan dia hanya memerlukan tiga tahun untuk memenuhi janji pembangunan.

“Kita cuba dulu, jika anda tidak berpuas hati selepas tiga tahun, anda semua boleh tendang dia keluar,” kata Ahmad Zahid yang juga Ahli Parlimen Bagan Datoh.

Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Parlimen Permatang Pauh bakal menyaksikan pertandingan empat penjuru pada 7 Mei ini.

Presiden PKR, Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail akan dicabar calon UMNO, Suhaimi Sabudin dan dua calon lain dalam pertempuran untuk mengekalkan kerusi parlimen.

Dua calon tersebut adalah calon Bebas, Salleh Ishak, 53, dan calon Parti Rakyat Malaysia, Azman Shah Othman, 50.

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Berikan bapa hak mengundi - Nurul Izzah

BUKIT MERTAJAM, 26 April: 

Ketua Umum PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yang kini sedang menjalani hukuman penjara di Sungai Buloh harus diberikan hak untuk mengundi di Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Permatang Pauh, 7 Mei ini.

Anak perempuannya yang juga Naib Presiden PKR, Nurul Izzah Anwar berkata demikian dengan merujuk kepada laporan Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN) sebelum ini mengenai mekanisma yang membolehkan banduan melaksanakan hak mereka untuk mengundi.

“Menteri, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata perbincangan berterusan akan diadakan di antara Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) dan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) untuk memastikan tahanan dapat memenuhi hak mereka sebagai pengundi,” katanya di dalam satu sidang media di Pusat Media Pilihan Raya Kecil PKR di sini hari ini.

Malah menurut Izzah, Zahid sebelum ini ada mencadangkan satu peruntukan digubal di bawah undang-undang SPR.

Cadangan Zahid itu disambut baik Izzah dengan menamakan Anwar sebagai banduan perintis untuk melaksanakan hak sebagai rakyat untuk mengundi pada pilihan raya yang akan berlangsung pada 7 Mei ini.

“Bukankan ia satu tahun yang telah diperuntukkan untuk merumuskan mekanisme tersebut selaras dengan Akta Penjara 1965 dan Perlembagaan Persekutuan telahpun diluluskan?” soalnya.

Apabila ditanya sama ada terdapat sebarang permohonan yang telah dikemukakan kepada KDN untuk membolehkan Anwar mengundi di PRK itu, Izzah berkata saranan ini adalah bersifat umum dan bukanlah khusus buat bapanya.

“Seperti yang kita semua tahu, Akta Penjara 1965 memberi kuasa untuk membenarkan mana-mana tahanan menghadiri majlis-majlis tertentu dan pengebumian yang tertakluk kepada budi bicara Pengarah Penjara dan KDN.

“Selain itu, peruntukan ini selaras dengan kenyataan dan cadangan yang dibuat oleh SUHAKAM seperti yang termaktub di bawah Perkara 21 Perisytiharan Hak Asasi Manusia Sejagat,” jelasnya.

Oleh itu, beliau menggesa agar pihak berkuasa memudahkan laluan Anwar untuk membuang undi pada pilihan raya kecil kali ini.

“Ini bukan cadangan kita, tetapi ini cadangan Menteri Dalam Negeri. Kami maklum bahawa tahanan tidak mempunyai hak untuk mengundi tetapi hanya minta KDN bertindak susulan daripada cadangan mereka,” katanya lanjut.

Sementara itu, Pengarah Pilihan Raya  PKR, Datuk Saifuddin Nasution berkata, Pakatan Rakyat akan menggunakan Cukai Barangan dan Perkhidmatan (GST) sebagai modal sepanjang tempoh berkempen di Permatang Pauh.

“Ini berikutan kajian yang dijalankan pakatan di kawasan tersebut dan isu berkenaan adalah isu yang disebut-sebut pengundi.

“Oleh itu kami merancang untuk mengetengahkan isu ini dan menanganinya dengan cara yang terbaik yang kita boleh lakukan,” katanya.

Saifuddin turut mendakwa Barisan Nasional (BN) gagal mengekalkan momentum dan memilih untuk melancarkan serangan peribadi kepada calon PKR, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

“Kami menerima maklum balas bahawa kempen hari pertama BN dengan melancarkan serangan peribadi terhadap Dr Wan Azizah.

“Ini hanya akan bertahan untuk beberapa hari sahaja kerana BN memang sedang ketandusan ini untuk menyerang PKR,” katanya lagi.

Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Parlimen Permatang Pauh bakal menyaksikan pertandingan empat penjuru pada 7 Mei ini.

Presiden PKR, Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail akan dicabar calon UMNO, Suhaimi Sabudin dan dua calon lain dalam pertempuran untuk mengekalkan kerusi parlimen.

Dua calon tersebut adalah calon Bebas, Salleh Ishak, 53, dan calon Parti Rakyat Malaysia, Azman Shah Othman, 50.

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Indonesia informs death row convicts execution just days away

CILACAP, April 26, 2015:

Indonesia has informed two Australians, one Nigerian and four other death-row drug convicts that they will be executed in a matter of days, possibly as soon as Tuesday.

The Attorney-General’s office said notices that they would face a firing squad after 72 hours were delivered to the seven on the prison island of Nusakambangan, despite last-minute appeals for clemency from the Australian government and others.

“My client just received a notification letter that in 72 hours there will be an execution,” said Utomo Karim, the lawyer for the Nigerian convict, adding that six others were also told the countdown to their execution had started.

“There is no date specified for the execution, but families will have time to visit Nusakambangan until 2pm on Tuesday, this could mean that it will be carried out on later on Tuesday, probably in the evening or after midnight.”

Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, two Australians arrested as ringleaders of the ‘Bali Nine’ drug-smuggling group, were among the seven, lawyers said.

In all there were originally 10 inmates, including nationals from Brazil, France, Ghana and the Philippines, who were due to be executed together.

The attorney general’s spokesman, Tony Spontana, said a date for the executions would not be announced until after a verdict had been reached on an appeal by the Indonesian convict, which is expected as early as Monday.

Indonesia has harsh punishments for drug crimes and resumed executions in 2013 after a five-year gap. Six executions have been carried out so far this year.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Indonesia had notified her government the execution of the two Australian men would be “scheduled imminently”.

“Nothing can be gained and much will be lost if these two young Australians are executed,” she said in a statement, urging clemency and that legal challenges still outstanding should be heard.

A temporary reprieve was granted to the French citizen, Serge Atlaoui, who will not be in the next round of executions, aFrench embassy official said on Saturday. It was not clear why his execution was postponed.

“We remain extremely cautious. Everything can change from one day to the next,” said Richard Sedillot, Atlaoui’s lawyer.

“I am torn between an extreme sadness to learn that other (people) condemned could be executed and the relief to learn that the man I was defending for eight years could at this stage be spared.”

Marches in support of Atlaoui were due to take place in Paris and in Metz, eastern France, his home town.

France has told Indonesia the executions could damage relations, while Australia has pleaded repeatedly for clemency for Chan and Sukumaran.

“I again respectfully call on the president of Indonesia to reconsider his refusal to grant clemency. It is not too late for a change of heart,” Bishop said.

Outside the maximum-security prison, an Australian diplomat and a lawyer for the two men showed a self-portrait painted by Sukumaran to reporters. On the back was written: “The 72 hours just started.”

The members of the Bali Nine were arrested at the main airport on the holiday island of Bali for trying to smuggle 8kg of heroin to Australia. The seven other members of the gang, all Australians, have been jailed in Indonesia.

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Zahid to seek additional allocation for Permatang Pauh if Suhaimi wins

PERMATANG PAUH, April 26, 2015: 

Apart from an allocation of RM5 million that will be given to Permatang Pauh should by-election candidate Suhaimi Sabudin win, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi would also seek an additional allocation.

“An MP is given RM5 million from the federal government.

“I reckon this allocation will be distributed for development and other expenditure, including for welfare,” he told reporters after launching the mobile community transformation centre (CTC) here at Permatang Pauh Commercial Centre.

The Umno vice-president added that he will use his capacity as a federal minister to seek the additional allocation for Suhaimi from the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.

This because the voters were burdened by infrastructure in Permatang Pauh that needed to be improved, he said.

“Permatang Pauh has waited a long time to fix the infrastructure,” he told reporters when asked to elaborate on the allocation.

During his speech, Ahmad Zahid said there was a need for Permatang Pauh to have an MP with the Barisan Nasional ticket, as the candidate would be able to take the problems of the rakyat straight to the federal government.

“Not all problems can be solved by the state government.

“Because the big pipe is at Putrajaya. The allocation pipe is at Putrajaya,” he told attendees at the launch event.

Meanwhile, the minister also said that the common sentiment among the people was that they wanted “winds of change”.

“I have been here more than a week now and I’ve gone down to the ground. People there said winds of change will happen.

“Those at the edge of the city and in villages are yearning for development.

“Suhaimi is someone who stays in Permatang Pauh and he just needs the next three years to fulfil the promise of development.

“Try him, if you’re not happy after three years you can kick him out,” said Ahmad Zahid.

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Obama pokes fun at political friends and foes at White House dinner

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2015:

At the gathering he jokingly called “a night when Washington celebrates itself,” US President Barack Obama took light-hearted aim on Saturday at a range of political friends and foes, including the people running to succeed him.

Obama’s comedy routine at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner included a sly dig at Hillary Clinton, the current front-runner to be the Democratic candidate in the 2016 presidential election.

Noting that some Americans are living in a time of uncertainty, Obama said: “For example, I have one friend just a few weeks ago, she was making millions of dollars a year and she’s now living out of a van in Iowa.”

Clinton, who as a former secretary of state, former senator and former first lady is one of America’s best known figures, travelled around in a van this month in a deliberately low-key trip to the state that holds an early contest in the election primary season.

Obama, now in office for six years, is a polished performer at an event that draws journalists, politicians and celebrities to a cavernous ballroom in the Washington Hilton.

Some of his jokes are stock, including a reference to how much his time as president has aged him. “I look so old,” he said this year, “that John Boehner has already invited Netanyahu to speak at my funeral.”

Obama was angered when Boehner, the Republican leader of the House of Representatives, invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to Congress last month against a nuclear deal with Iran that the Obama administration was negotiating with other world powers.

The comedian at the dinner, Cecily Strong of NBC show “Saturday Night Live,” also fired freely around the audience.

Taking a jab at some media coverage of women politicians, she had the audience repeat after her, “I solemnly swear not to talk about Hillary’s appearance, because that is not journalism.”

Strong also took aim at the Secret Service that protects Obama, which has seen a slew of embarrassing recent bungles.

Referring to a series of deaths of black men at the hands of law enforcement that have provoked protests around the country, she said, “They’re the only law enforcement agency that will get in trouble if a black man gets shot.”

On a serious note, Obama noted there were journalists around the world who were unjustly imprisoned, and cited the case of Jason Rezaian of the Washington Post, an American-Iranian who is in prison in Iran.

“For nine months, Jason has been imprisoned in Teheran for nothing more than writing about the hopes and the fears of the Iranian people,” Obama said, adding that he had told Rezaian’s brother Ali that he would not rest “until we bring him home to his family safe and sound.”

The case represents a point of friction with Iran at a time when the Obama administration is seeking with five other major powers to conclude a nuclear deal with Teheran after reaching a framework agreement earlier this month.

The dinner, a long-running tradition organised by the White House Correspondents’ Association, has morphed from being a relatively low-key gathering of journalists and their sources from around town. In recent years, media organisations have invited not just sources but Hollywood stars and sports celebrities.

Washington has a love-hate relationship with its annual spring party.

Those who go tend to enjoy having dinner with the president, albeit along with more than 2,600 others, seeing sources in a semi-casual setting and mingling with celebrities.

But the dinner also draws an annual chorus of condemnation from critics who say that laughing and partying with sources is not conducive to hard-hitting journalism.

The dinner is actually a weekend of events — various media organisations host pre- and post-dinner parties that give the affair an echo of Hollywood at Oscar time.

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Brother claims accused Tunisian was forced to captain migrant boat at gunpoint

TUNIS, April 26, 2015:

The Tunisian man accused of piloting a migrant boat that sank off Libya, killing more than 700 people, is himself a migrant who was forced at gunpoint to captain the ship because of his experience as a fisherman, his brother said.

Italian authorities said the man named in court as Mohammed Ali Malek, 27, was in charge of the heavily overloaded fishing boat that capsized shortly before midnight on April 18 with hundreds of African and Bangladeshi migrants locked below deck.

The man’s brother told Reuters the Tunisian’s real name was Nourredine Mahjoub and he had first travelled clandestinely to Europe five years ago, spending time in Italy and France before being deported. He had recently returned to Libya seeking work.

“My brother was recruited by Libyans to work in a cafe in Libya a few weeks ago, but afterwards he was forced under threat by smugglers to pilot the voyage because he knows a little about the sea and worked with our father fishing,” the brother,Makrem Mahjoub, said by telephone.

He said his brother had called from a Libyan number a few days earlier to say he had been threatened by men with Kalashnikovs and ordered to pilot the ship.

“They took him to the boat. When he called, he was in shock and crying.”

The account could not be independently verified. Makrem Mahjoub said his brother had given a false identity to Italian authorities, but gave no reason why.

Only 28 people survived the capsize, believed to be the deadliest disaster on the Mediterranean for decades.

It prompted European Union leaders to hold emergency talks on how to deal with the tide of desperate migrants risking their lives to escape war and poverty in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia.

Many use chaotic Libya, torn between two rival governments, as the starting point for the perilous crossing.

Prosecutors said the Tunisian mishandled the 20-metre-long fishing boat and caused it to collide with a Portuguese merchant ship that was coming to its aid.

They have requested that he face kidnapping charges in addition to multiple counts of homicide, causing a shipwreck and facilitating clandestine immigration.

An Italian judge on Friday ordered that he should remain in custody.

The man’s lawyer, Massimo Ferrante, said outside the courtroom: “He said he’s a migrant like all the others and he paid his fare to go on the boat.”

Makrem Mahjoub said the family comes from the eastern fishing town of Chebba.

“My brother was in Italy after a clandestine journey five years ago after leaving from Chebba. He was in Mazara in Italy before he was deported from Lyon in France after two years there,” he said.

He said he later returned to the family home, making his living as a fisherman with his father and three other brothers.

The Tunisian showed little emotion on Friday during a preliminary hearing in a court in the Sicilian city of Catania, where he will come face to face with a number of survivors who will be giving testimony.

“When I saw my brother on television in detention in Italy, I really believed he was under the influence of drugs or something like that,” Mahjoub said.

“The ones who are responsible are the recruiters and the smugglers. But him, he is just another victim of lawless Libya.”

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Di mana Alvin Tan sembunyi?

KUALA LUMPUR, 26 April:

Provokasi terbaru Alvin Tan yang menghina Islam membuktikan dia lebih berbahaya daripada mana-mana ancaman termasuk gerakan militan Negara Islam (IS).

Awang Selamat dalam kolumnya di Mingguan Malaysia menjelaskan beberapa mufti juga menuntut kerajaan bertindak tegas termasuk meminda undang-undang berkaitan bagi mengelak gejala menghina Islam terus berleluasa.

“Sekali lagi pemilik akaun Facebook Alvin Tan menghina Islam.

“Kali ini, dia menjadikan azan sebagai sasarannya,” katanya.

Malah, Awang juga melahirkan rasa tidak sabar untuk melihat Alvin dibawa pulang ke Malaysia.

Menurutnya, timbul persoalan di mana tempat persembunyiannya apabila bertindak lari ke luar negara tidak lama selepas didakwa di mahkamah atas tuduhan mempersendakan umat Islam dan Ramadan.

“Mungkinkah dia kini hidup dalam gua, menumpang tidur di kandang haiwan atau dalam lubang cacing sehingga sukar dikesan lokasinya?

“Kegagalan untuk membereskan isu ini dengan segera dan berkesan akan memberikan mesej yang salah kepada rakyat Malaysia.

“Sudah banyak penghinaan daripada Alvin yang Awang anggap sangat keterlaluan dan dahsyat termasuk ke atas Sultan Selangor dengan kata-kata maki hamun. Begitu juga dengan cabarannya supaya diberkas oleh polis, yang sentiasa diperlekehkan,” jelasnya lagi.

Namun, Awang juga tertanya-tanya mengapa sampai hari ini keluarganya tidak tampil memohon maaf dan menyatakan rasa kesal sebagai isyarat menolak ekstremisme.

“Berdiam boleh ditafsir mereka turut menyokong perbuatan memudaratkan itu,” ujarnya.

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PAS Permatang Pauh buat U-turn, tutup mata sokong calon PKR

PERMATANG PAUH, 25 April:

PAS Kawasan Permatang Pauh menegaskan perselisihan faham di antara parti itu dengan PKR berhubung isu Hudud telah selesai dan akan saling membantu bagi memberi kemenangan pada Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Parlimen Permatang Pauh 7 Mei ini.

Yang Dipertuanya, Omar Hassan berkata, dalam perjumpaan bersama pimpinan PKR malam tadi, mereka telah memberikan penjelasan yang diterima dengan baik oleh pihaknya.

Menurutnya, jentera PAS kawasan berkenaan akan memberikan sokongan padu terhadap calon PKR, Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail untuk membolehkan parti berkenaan mengekalkan kerusi di Parlimen itu.

“Selepas perbincangan semalam (Isnin), kami berpendirian bersetuju untuk tidak bersetuju dengan pemimpin PKR beragama Islam yang menolak Hudud.

“Kami isytiharkan kepada semua jentera PAS untuk bekerja keras untuk memastikan UMNO dan Barisan Nasional (BN) terus terkubur di sini,” katanya pada sidang media selepas melancarkan jentera pilihan raya PAS di Dewan Haji Yusoff Ar-Rawa, Sama Gagah di sini.

Hadir sama pada majlis itu ialah Presiden PAS yang juga calon Pakatan Rakyat, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail; Timbalan Presiden PAS, Mohamad Sabu; dua Ahli Jawatankuasa PAS Pusat, Dr Hatta Ramli dan Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa serta beberapa pimpinan DAP pusat dan negeri.

Omar berkata, perselisihan faham kini sudah diselesaikan secara baik dan perbincangan bersama PAS serta PKR telah menghasilkan penyatuan dalam usaha memastikan kemenangan calon PKR pada 7 Mei ini.

Menurutnya lagi, tidak timbul isu permohonan maaf yang dituntut sebelum ini dan pihaknya berpuas hati dengan perbicangan yang telah diadakan.

Sebelum ini, PAS Kawasan Permatang Pauh dilaporkan bertegas akan hanya bekerjasama jika PKR memohon maaf secara terbuka kepada Presiden PAS, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang dan menarik balik penolakan terhadap pelaksanaan Hudud.

Omar berkata, walaupun menerima situasi itu namun PAS tetap membantah pendirian PKR menolak hudud.

“Selepas kita mendengar penjelasan demi penjelasan dengan begitu teliti dalam suasana yang harmoni, akhirnya kita bersetuju dan pihak PKR juga bersetuju dengan (pendirian PAS yang) tidak bersetuju setiap pimpinan PKR Islam menolak hudud PAS.

“Setelah berbincang, kita buat kesimpulan akhirnya bersetuju supaya kemelut ini diselesaikan dengan sebaik mungkin,” katanya.

Sebelum itu pada Jumaat malam, Dr Wan Azizah serta timbalannya, Azmin Ali dan Ketua AMK Pulau Pinang, Dr Afif Bahardin mengadakan pertemuan khas dengan kepimpinan PAS Pulau Pinang di sebuah hotel di Seberang Jaya.

Ia dihadiri Mohamad yang juga Pesuruhjaya PAS Pulau Pinang, Timbalan Pesuruhjaya PAS Pulau Pinang, Datuk Salleh Man serta beberapa kepimpinan PAS Kawasan Permatang Pauh termasuk Omar.

Pertemuan itu diadakan sebelum PKR mengumumkan Dr Wan Azizah sebagai calon dalam majlis di Seberang Perai Arena.

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Gunmen kill prominent female activist in Pakistan

KARACHI, April 26, 2015:

Gunmen on a motorcycle killed a prominent women’s rights activist in Pakistan just hours after she held a forum on the country’s restive Baluchistan region, home to a long-running insurgency, police said on Saturday.

While investigators declined to speculate on a motive for the killing of Sabeen Mahmud, friends and colleagues immediately described her death as a targeted assassination in Pakistan, a country with a nascent democracy where the military and intelligence services still hold tremendous sway.

The gunmen shot both Mahmud and her mother, Mehnaz Mahmud, as they stopped at a traffic light Friday night in an upscale Karachi neighbourhood, senior police officer Zafar Iqbal said.

Later, Mahmud’s car was brought to a nearby police station; blood stained the car’s white exterior, the front driver’s side window was smashed and a pair of sandals sat on the floor, surrounded by broken glass.

“Two men riding a motorcycle opened fire on the car,” Iqbal said.

Mahmud “died on her way to the hospital. Her mother was also wounded,” he said.

Alia Chughtai, a close friend of Mahmud, told The Associated Press that Mahmud was driving at the time of attack and her mother was sitting next to her.

Chughtai said Mahmud’s driver, who escaped unharmed, was sitting in the back seat at the time of the attack. She said she did not know why the driver wasn’t driving the car.

Iqbal and other police officials declined to speculate on a motive for the slaying. However, earlier that night, Mahmud hosted an event at her organisation called The Second Floor to discuss human rights in Baluchistan, an impoverished but resource-rich southwestern province bordering Iran.

Thousands of people have disappeared from Baluchistan province in recent years amid a government crackdown on nationalists and insurgent groups there. Activists blame the government and intelligence agencies for the disappearances, something authorities deny.

Qadeer Baluch, an activist who last year led a nearly 3,000km protest march across Pakistan to demand justice for the missing in Baluchistan, attended Mahmud’s event Friday night. Baluch, known widely as Mama or “Uncle” in Urdu, hinted that the government could be involved in Mahmud’s slaying.

“Everybody knows who killed her and why,” Baluch told Pakistan’s The Nation newspaper, without elaborating.

In a statement Saturday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned Mahmud’s killing and ordered an investigation into the attack. The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad also condemned Mahmud’s slaying and offered condolences to her loved ones.

Mahmud was “a courageous voice of the Pakistani people and her death represents a great loss,” it said.

Mahmud, a well-known activist who also ran a small tech company, hosted poetry readings, computer workshops and other events at The Second Floor.

She continued to live in Karachi, Pakistan’s southern port city, even while acknowledging the danger from insurgent groups and criminals operating there.

“Fear is just a line in your head,” Mahmud told Wired magazine in 2013.

“You can choose what side of that line you want to be on.”

Also Saturday, Pakistan’s powerful army condemned the killing of Mahmud, pledging that the country’s intelligence agencies would assist in the investigation and that authorities would “apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice.”

“We condemn the tragic and unfortunate killing of Mahmud,” said Maj-Gen Asim Salim Bajwa, the army spokesman, in a statement.

“Our heart goes out to bereaved family at this sad moment.”

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Penyokong Malaysia diminta jaga maruah negara di Sukan SEA 2015

SINGAPURA, 26 April:

Bukan sahaja atlet negara yang harus berjuang mati-matian demi mengangkat imej sukan negara, para penyokong juga diharap mampu memikul maruah Malaysia pada temasya Sukan SEA 2015, di sini, Jun ini.

Daripada 36 acara yang dipertandingkan, kontinjen negara menyertai 35 acara termasuk acara yang menawarkan pingat yang menjadi ‘ibu segala pingat’ iaitu bola sepak.

Berdasarkan beberapa insiden penyokong bola sepak Malaysia, khususnya ketika kejohanan bola sepak Piala AFF Suzuki dan liga tempatan, wujud sedikit keresahan yang disuarakan Timbalan Pesuruhjaya Tinggi Malaysia di Singapura Kamsiah Kamaruddin.

Beliau berkata berdasarkan pengalaman lepas serta beberapa insiden terkini berkait penyokong bola sepak, beliau meminta agar mereka menjaga tatasusila ketika berada di negara penganjur itu.

“Bola sepak memang menjadi tumpuan dan kami memang menjangkakan penyokong Malaysia akan datang ke Singapura untuk memberikan sokongan kepada pasukan negara.

“Apa yang kami harapkan, mereka menjaga tingkah laku serta mengikut segala peraturan yang ditetapkan oleh pihak penganjur. Bukan sahaja atlet, para penyokong juga perlu jaga maruah negara,” katanya ketika ditemui pada sesi lawatan Persatuan Penulis-Penulis Sukan Malaysia (SAM) di sini.

Katanya, insiden yang timbul ekoran tindakan segelintir penyokong yang di luar kawalan, turut mendapat liputan di Singapura, dan ia sedikit mencemarkan imej penyokong bola sepak negara.

Acara bola sepak menyaksikan Malaysia diundi dalam kumpulan B, bersama Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei dan Timor Leste manakala pasukan tuan rumah dalam kumpulan A bersama Indonesia, Myanmar, Kemboja dan Filipina.

Dalam pada itu, Kamsiah berkata untuk melancarkan perjalanan pada temasya Sukan SEA itu nanti, para penyokong diminta datang secara berkumpulan dan memaklumkan kedatangan mereka kepada pihak Suruhanjaya Tinggi Malaysia di Singapura lebih awal.

“Kami harap kerjasama penyokong Malaysia untuk lebih bersiap sedia sebelum datang. Harap mereka datang dalam kumpulan yang besar, senang kami hendak beri bantuan terutama di Causeway (Tambak Johor) dan Tuas.

“Kami minta penyokong datang lebih awal dengan dokumen yang betul dan sekiranya mempunyai sebarang masalah, datang berjumpa dengan kami. Kami mempunyai persiapan dan juga ikatan kerja yang baik dengan pihak Singapura untuk menyambut kedatangan rakyat Malaysia ke sini,” katanya.

Mengenai pergerakan atlet pula, Kamsiah berkata setakat ini pihaknya masih belum menerima maklumat mengenai jadual penuh kedatangan atlet yang dijadual menggunakan laluan darat ke negara tuan rumah itu.

Justeru, Kamsiah meminta agar pihak Kementerian Belia dan Sukan memaklumkan lebih awal mengenai jadual ketibaan para atlet bagi membolehkan pihaknya berurusan dengan Imigresen Singapura.

Bernama difahamkan kontinjen negara akan menggunakan laluan Tuas untuk ke Singapura yang dikatakan kurang sesak berbanding di Tambak Johor.

Pengalaman delegasi SAM sendiri ketika lawatan itu, delegasi seramai 35 orang terdiri daripada exco SAM, wakil Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) dan wakil media terpaksa berbaris hampir dua jam sebelum melepasi kawalan imigresen negara itu.

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PRK Permatang Pauh: Suami isteri bersilih ganti, banyak janji tak tertunai

KUALA LUMPUR, 26 April:

“Lupakah lagi, banyak janji tidak tertunai. Cukuplah.”

“Mengapa PKR tidak memberi kepercayaan kepada pemimpin setempat seolah-olah mereka tidak layak berbanding hanya keluarga Anwar dan Wan Azizah?”

Itu persoalan yang dilontarkan Awang Selamat dalam kolumnya Mingguan Malaysia yang mempertikaikan ini kali kedua calon PKR, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail menggantikan suaminya, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sebagai calon bagi menghadapi Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Parlimen Permatang Pauh pada 7 Mei depan.

Kata Awang Selamat, rakyat Permatang Pauh dijadikan pentas politik buat dinasti Anwar sedangkan sebelum ini Wan Azizah pernah melepaskan kedudukannya sebagai Ahli Parlimen Permatang Pauh dengan memanipulasikan demokrasi untuk memberi laluan kepada suaminya.

Sedangkan sebelum ini, Anwar tanpa rasa malu memilih Wan Azizah sebagai calon PRK DUN Kajang.

“Awang ingin ucapkan tahniah kepada Presiden PKR, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail kerana memilih dirinya sebagai calon kitar semula bagi PRK Permatang Pauh. Sama senarionya – selepas Anwar dipenjarakan atas kesalahan meliwat.

“Suami isteri saling berganti kawasan Parlimen yang sama seperti berkongsi bantal di rumah,” katanya.

Malah, Awang Selamat menjelaskan rekod Wan Azizah sebagai ADUN Kajang dan Ahli Parlimen Permatang Pauh (sebelum ini) lesu berdasarkan maklum balas ramai.

Namun, Awang melahirkan rasa simpati kepada penduduk kawasan tersebut yang terus dipergunakan atas faktor suami isteri dan nepotisme.

“Gerakan itu dinamakan Langkah Kajang. Bahkan desakan Anwar yang mahu Wan Azizah menjadi Menteri Besar mencetuskan krisis dengan pihak istana.

“Sekali lagi ia soal suami isteri dan nepotisme. Sudah lupakah kita?

“Kali ini, penduduk Permatang Pauh berpeluang menolak sekali gus – budaya politik nepotisme yang tebal dan calon yang teruja menang kerusi, bukannya khidmat,” jelasnya.

Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Parlimen Permatang Pauh bakal menyaksikan pertandingan empat penjuru pada 7 Mei ini.

Presiden PKR, Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail akan dicabar calon UMNO, Suhaimi Sabudin dan dua calon lain dalam pertempuran untuk mengekalkan kerusi parlimen.

Dua calon tersebut adalah calon Bebas, Salleh Ishak, 53, dan calon Parti Rakyat Malaysia, Azman Shah Othman, 50.

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MP slams last minute concert cancellation

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26, 2015:

The last minute cancellation of “Thirst: We are all Stardust” 2015 concert that was supposed to be held at the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre (MIECC) only serves to dent the reputation of Malaysia.

DAP’s Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming said this would serve as a disadvantage to Malaysia as a destination to hold international level entertainment events because of the possibility that such events may have to be cancelled at the last minute due to the withdrawal of permits.

“It is very disappointing for the ticker holders, the organisers, the performers and all the other stakeholders that this event had to be cancelled at the last minute.

“I hope that the police can come out to give an explanation on why they withdrew their support for this event at the last minute,” he said in a press statement.

He said moving forward, he called for a transparent Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on the part of the police for such events.

“This is to ensure that all stakeholders can take the necessary steps to prevent such a cancellation from happening again, without legitimate reasons given.”

He summarised the series of events that led to the cancellation as follows:

“The Serdang police had issued a letter on the March 25, saying that they had no objections to the staging of this event. The Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) then issued a temporary permit to the organisers on April 21.

“This was done with conditions being fulfilled including ensuring that there would be no one under the age of 18 attending the concert and ensuring that no Muslims would be allowed to attend the concert.

“On the afternoon of April 24, the police sent a letter to MPSJ stating that they would not support the concert without stating a reason. As a result, MPSj was forced to withdraw the entertainment permit. This is the only reason why MPSj withdrew the entertainment licence.”

He said there were last minute attempts by different parties to request for the assistance and support of the police for this event but failed.

“The organisers had no choice but to cancel the event and to promise refunds to all those who had bought tickets to the event.

“While the police have the right not to support any entertainment event based on valid and legitimate reasons, it is unfair to the organisers who spent millions of ringgit for the large scale event when the withdrawal of support comes at the 11th hour and without any stated reason.”

Attempts to reach the police for a statement regarding the matter was unsuccessful.

It was reported yesterday that the event’s organisers, Future Sound Asia, in a statement described the last minute announcement as “disappointing news”.

“All prior approvals were fully obtained. We have worked tirelessly throughout last night and all of today trying to resolve these issues. Despite all efforts taken to make sure it is a suitable and safe environment for everyone, the authorities have decided to cancel the event and we are obliged to follow their decision.”

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'Batman' theatre gunman to go on trial

CENTENNIAL, April 26, 2015:

Opening statements will finally begin Monday in the long-awaited trial of James Holmes, the allegedly crazed gunman accused of opening fire in a packed Batman movie premiere in 2012, killing 12.

Troubled graduate student Holmes, 27, has been in custody since the night of the mass murder in Aurora, Colorado on July 20, 2012, which also left 70 people injured.

Holmes — who had a shock of orange hair when first seen after the attack, in which he allegedly dressed up as Batman villain the Joker — faces 166 counts of aggravated murder, attempted murder and possession of explosives charges.

If convicted, he could face the death penalty. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, and much of the trial is expected focus on whether Holmes was sane at the time of the massacre.

A panel of 12 jurors and 12 alternates was selected after lawyers questioned over 1,000 of the 9,000 residents of Arapahoe County who received summons since January, when jury selection began.

The trial is likely to hear some grisly and harrowing evidence.

“Jury service is not something we do because it’s easy,” said Colorado district judge Carlos Samour.

“It’s something we do because we deeply treasure our democracy.”

Witnesses said Holmes threw smoke bomb-type devices before opening fire randomly with weapons, including an AR-15 military-style rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun and a .40-calibre pistol.

In preliminary hearings, prosecutors said Holmes had enough ammunition to kill everyone in the crowded theatre showing The Dark Knight Rises.

His apartment was later found to be booby-trapped with an array of home-made explosive devices, which police had to disarm before entering the dwelling.

Holmes appeared in court initially with flaming orange hair, apparently to mimic the Joker, who also had colored hair in the Batman movies.

By the time he appeared at the start of jury selection, Holmes wore a sport coat, blue shirt and khaki pants, glasses and had his brown hair and beard neatly trimmed.

Proceedings have dragged on for more than two-and-a- half years because the prosecutor is seeking the death penalty, according to Denver lawyers following the case. The defendant has undergone two psychiatric examinations.

Holmes’s parents, Robert and Arlene Holmes, in December wrote a letter to the editor of The Denver Post saying their son had never harmed anyone prior to the shooting.

“He is not a monster. He is a human being gripped by a severe mental illness,” the couple wrote of their son, who was a neuroscience graduate student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine before the shooting.

If he is found not guilty by reason of insanity, Holmes will be confined to a state mental hospital. To win a release, he would have to be found free of mental illness and no longer a danger to himself or to others.

Lawyers said that is not likely to happen, as no psychiatrist would be willing to sign off on releasing him.

There is at least one famous precedent: John Hinckley, the man found not guilty by reason of insanity in the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, who was back in court last week seeking to gain freedom.

Hinckley has been in a Washington mental institution, but has lived with his mother in southeast Virginia 17 days a month since 2013. His doctors joined in Hinckley’s request that he be allowed out permanently with monitoring.