HISTORICAL PHOTOS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE- Amazing
The last photograph of Titanic afloat, 1912
This photograph was taken by John Morrogh sometime around 2 PM on April 11th 1912 as Titanic was leaving Queenstown, Ireland. It's confirmed that this is the last photo.
U.S. Marines hit rough water as they leave their LST to take the beach at Cape Gloucester, New Britain 1943
KUALA LUMPUR: A former top civil servant has called on the Government to consider downsizing the country's bloated civil service, while it still can.
Malaysia has the highest civil servants-to-population ratio in Asia Pacific, employing 1.6 million people or 11% of the country's labour force.
Tan Sri Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim - the former Finance Ministry secretary-general and Economic Planning Unit director-general -- said that Malaysia may not be able to sustain this workforce if it runs into a financial crisis.
He said on Monday that if the Government was really set on keeping the national deficit to three percent, it needs to look at retrenching employees, particularly in the lower levels of the civil service, to cut spending.
"Government bureaucracy has grown so big that it's not only taking up too much resources but creating many failures in our finance economy.
"There are just too many rules and regulations that the public and private sector have to live with," he told a delegation of economists, politicians and government officials at the Malaysian Economic Association's forum on public sector governance. He advised Malaysia to begin downsizing the civil service, "better sooner than later," if it wanted to avoid running the risk of falling into a Greece-like crisis, where the European country had to cut salaries and was unable to pay pensions for its civil service.
Drawing examples from the recent Malaysia Airlines restructuring, where 6,000 people were retrenched, Mohd Sheriff said that it was better to let staff go now and compensate them with retrenchment packages while the Government can still afford it.
"It may cost the Government a heavy expenditure now, but it is worthwhile to do it while we can still afford it and not until we are forced into a financial crisis like Greece.
"We don't want to be in that situation. I think we should do it gradually. It is kinder to do it now with incentives than to suddenly cut their salaries and pensions at a time when they can least afford it," he said.
Malaysia is expected to spend RM76 billion on salaries and allowances for the civil service this year, on top of another RM21 billion for pensions.
Efficiency and corruption dominated talks on the civil service at the forum, held at Bank Negara's Sasana Kijang.
Mohd Sheriff, who is also former president of the Malaysian Economic Association, said these issues have been around since his time in the civil service decades ago - though not much has changed due to a lack of political will.
In jest, he suggested Malaysia emulate US President Donald Trump's idea on downsizing the US civil service.
He also suggested Parliament create a committee to monitor the performance of top civil servants and give them the ability to retrench these officers if they fail to meet their marks.
"In many countries, even Indonesia, they have committees to hold government leaders to any shortcomings on policy implementations and projects.
"These are the kinds of checks and balance we need to make our civil servants aware that they are being monitored for their work and they can be pulled out at any time," he said.
Photo taken on Dec. 29, 2016 shows the Beipanjiang Bridge linking Duge Township of Liupanshui City in southwest China's Guizhou Province and Puli Townshp under Xuanwei City in southwest China's Yunnan Province. The 1341.4-metre-long Beipanjiang Bridge was put into operation on Thursday
PETALING JAYA: A Malaysian footballer could find himself nominated
for this year’s Puskás Award for the aesthetically best ever goal
scored.
Penang’s Mohd Faiz Subri’s wonder goal from a freekick against Pahang
in the Super League at the City Stadium on Tuesday is being shared
around the world, with the video clip going viral.
The nippy player’s strike is even being compared to the thunderbolt
scored by Brazil’s leftback Roberto Carlos against France in 1997.
The Puskás Award was introduced in 2009 by Fifa to award the player,
male or female, judged to have scored the most aesthetically significant
or “most beautiful” goal of the year.
The award was named in honour of Ferenc Puskás, a Real Madrid striker
in the late 1950s and 1960s, and a central member of the highly
successful Hungarian side from the same era.
Faiz’s hit from about 30m looked to be heading towards the top left
corner of the goalmouth, but the ball then swerved dramatically to top
right corner of the net.
The wicked “physics-defying” swerve deceived the Pahang goalkeeper, who could only helplessly watch the ball sail into the net.
The freekick has awed football-crazy Malaysians, local political figures and foreign publications.
In his posts on Facebook and Instagram, Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Najib Tun Razak, who is currently in the United States, confirmed that
news of the glorious goal had even reached US shores.
Najib said he had watched a clip of the 29-year-old’s incredible feat and described it as “memang cantik!” (truly beautiful).
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng also praised the sportsman from the Pearl of the Orient.
“Cannot get enough of Penang player Faiz Subri’s wonder goal that
helped brighten up the Malaysian footballing scene,” he said on
Facebook.
Faiz’s goal has also been shared by football fans all over the world.
On the 101greatgoals.com Facebook page, the video has been
shared more than 31,000 times. Facebook user James Downie wrote: “The
wind was tame and Faiz’s freekick was just sheer spin. He sliced that
ball beautifully.”
The goal has also been highlighted by news organisations worldwide, including the Sydney Morning Herald, Bleacher Report and The Independent.
Mohd Faiz shortlisted for FIFA's Puskas Award 2016
PETALING JAYA: Football sensation Mohd Faiz Subri has made it into the final three for the FIFA 2016 Puskas Award!
The Penang winger became the first Malaysian and Asian to make the
list, the other two contenders were Marlone of Brazil and Venezuela’s
Daniuska Rodriguez.
The 29-year-old who plays for Penang in the Super League, was
shortlisted after hammering in a 30-metre “knuckleball” freekick against
Pahang in a league match which ended with a 4-1 win for the Panthers at
the City Stadium in Georgetown in February.
The final three goals in the running for the Puskas Award 2016 was announced by FIFA on Friday.
On Nov 19, FIFA had shortlisted 10 spectacular goals scored from Sept
30, 2015 till Sept 30, 2016 for the FIFA Puskas Award for voting on its
website.
The top three goals with most votes will go through a second round of
voting and the winners will be announced in Zurich, Switzerland on Jan
9.
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is
also finance minister, is scheduled to table the much-anticipated 2017
Budget in the Dewan Rakyat today at 4pm.
The Budget is likely to focus on tackling the cost of living especially
in terms of housing, food and transportation, in line with the
government’s principle of “People First, Performance Now”.
Themed “Accelerating Growth, Ensuring Fiscal Prudence, Enhancing
Well-being of the Rakyat”, the 2017 Budget is expected to reveal a
number of measures to address the country’s economic challenges
following the weak external front.
With the ultimate goal of enhancing the people’s prosperity in a fair
and inclusive manner, it will also consist of a new approach to bolster
certain industries to face the global economic slowdown.
These industries have been affected by weak international trade,
coupled with Britain’s exit from the European Union, as well as, global
uncertainties contributed by lower prices of commodities such as crude
oil, gas, minerals, palm oil and rubber.
The Ministry of Finance had conducted many meetings with various
stakeholders to discuss issues and recommendations for the 2017 Budget,
as well as, invited the public to contribute ideas for the preparation
of the budget.
“The planning process for the 2017 Budget has taken several measures to
advance the economy with the aim of enhancing the people’s prosperity
in a fair and inclusive manner,” Najib told the Dewan Rakyat on Monday.
He pointed out that Malaysia recorded a Gross Domestic Product growth
of five per cent in 2015, which far exceeded that of Indonesia (4.8 per
cent), Thailand (2.8 per cent) and South Korea (2.6 per cent).
The economy grew 4.1 per cent in the first half of this year and is
forecast to register a growth of between 4.0 and 4.5 per cent in 2016.
Under the 2016 Budget, RM267.2 billion had been allocated compared with the revised RM260.7 billion in 2015.
On January 28 this year, the government restructured and recalibrated
the 2016 Budget but within the range of initiatives and allocation that
was approved by Parliament.
The 2017 Budget speech will be telecast live over Bernama News Channel
and Bernama Online Live Streaming, while the latest breaking news will
also be available on Bernama’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. — Bernama
Startling video footage has been released of an airborne incident where a Russian jet fighter came close to colliding with a Nato F-16 over the skies of Norway, this week.
Norwegian warplane had a "near miss" with a Russian fighter jet north of Norway, the Nordic nation's military said Tuesday after showing video of the incident, which backed a complaint made to Moscow.
"The Russian pilot's behaviour was not quite normal," Norwegian armed forces spokesman Brynjar Stordal told AFP, commenting on a 26-second film clip released Sunday which appeared to show a fighter jet suddenly cut in front of a Norwegian F-16.
The incident added to climbing tensions between Russia and NATO member states in recent months, underlined by claims of other recent near misses with Russian military jets.
In the airforce clip supplied by Norway's military, the Norwegian pilot shouts "What the hell!" before veering away sharply from the other jet which Norway identified as a Russian MiG-31 that came to within 20 metres (65 feet) of the F-16.
"We don't know if it was a miscalculation or if he deliberately put himself in the path of our F-16," said Stordal, adding that Norway's armed forces had informed Russia that the incident was "undesirable".
The close encounter occurred in international airspace "north of Norway" but the armed forces did not say when.
Unlike neighbouring non-aligned Sweden, Norway -- a NATO member -- has not reported any airspace incursions by Russia in recent years and gauges the level of Russian airforce activity in the area as "pretty normal or a little more" than usual.
So far this year Norway has scrambled its airforce 43 times to identify 69 Russian planes, compared to 41 incidents involving 58 planes in 2013.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said last month that the alliance had reported 400 intercepts of Russian military flights so far this year -- a 50 percent increase compared to 2013 -- and complained that Russian jets flying without sharing their flight plans posed a danger to commercial air traffic.
The UCI has confirmed an investigation has taken place over the controversial kit worn by a Colombian women's cycling team over the weekend.
IDRD-Bogota Humana-San Mateo-Solgar caused a furore at the Tour of Tuscany after the team wore a kit with a flesh-coloured section from the stomach to the top of the thighs.
UCI president Brian Cookson appeared to make reference to the incident on Twitter on Sunday when he wrote: "To the many who have raised the issue of a certain women's team kit, we are on the case. It is unacceptable by any standard of decency."
And the UCI have now confirmed that an investigation has taken place into the incident and the governing body "will be sending a letter to the Colombian Federation reminding them of their responsibility regarding article 1.3.046."
Article 1.3.046 reads: "Each regional or club team for whom one or more riders take part in an event on the international calendar must, at the start of the year, notify the details of their clothing to their national federation specifying in detail the colours and their arrangement and the main sponsors. The name of the region and/or club may appear, in full or in abbreviated form, on the jersey."
The UCI statement in full read: "The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has investigated the issue of the kits worn by women's club team IDRD-Bogota Humana-San Mateo-Solgar of Colombia, this weekend in Italy, in the Tour of Tuscany, a three-day event registered on the UCI calendar as a 2.2 race.
"The UCI will be sending a letter to the Colombian Federation reminding them of their responsibility regarding article 1.3.046 in the control of regional and club team kits that compete in international
Scottish voters have rejected independence from the rest of the United Kingdom, by a margin of 10 per centage points.
SCOTLAND: Scottish voters have rejected independence from the rest of the United Kingdom, official results showed on Friday, by a margin of almost 10 percentage points.
With 31 out of 32 regions declared, 55.42 percent had voted against going it alone compared to 44.58 percent who wanted Scotland to break the 300-year-old union with England.
Kesiannya. Malaysian Dude Can’t Join a FB Group Cause of His Name…
About a month ago, we posted what we thought was our shortest article ever. We were wrong. We present to you our shortest article ever: a chat between a guy with an awesome name and the admin of a fan group for a custom jewelry brand called Steel Flame.
In case you missed it, the group admin probably isn’t too familiar with Asian names and thought there was Sum Ting Wong with the name, like a prank account or something. We’re not entirely sure how affiliated the fan group is with the actual company, so we’re gonna give the brand the benefit of doubt. Plus, their products look pretty good.
Screenshot from Steel Flame’s website
We give Ho Fu Ken credit for not choosing an alternate name like “Bob” and for wearing his with pride. Asian names are awesome.
If you have or know someone with an equally awesome name, send it over to us using the submission form below. We can’t promise you anything in return, but we can credit you and get you coffee at the very least
Businesswoman Yasmin Karim pictured here with her 2-year-old daughter, Rania Zulaikha. She uploaded a copy of the interim protection order (right) that she obtained from the Petaling Jaya magistrate's court against her husband who according to her is an AirAsia pilot. — Pic credit Instagram @minkarim
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18, 2014:
An alleged case of domestic violence has gone viral on the Internet after a businesswoman, Yasmin Karim, uploaded a copy of a police report onto her Instagram account, which was later shared by local actress and television host Wardina Safiyyah.
Uploaded this evening about 7pm on Wardina Safiyyah’s official page on Facebook, it had garnered 366 shares.
Yasmin had also commented on Wardina Safiyyah’s post, thanking the actress for helping share her story.
“Thank you Wardina for drawing attention to this.
“Many women, myself included, think by giving the man who hit you a second chance, he will mend his ways and reciprocate with love and kindness. But they rarely do.
“So, please don’t hang around for two years like I did expecting them to,” Yasmin wrote.
The police report was lodged by Yasmin against her husband who she said is a pilot with low-cost carrier AirAsia.
The report was lodged on July 30. However, it was only uploaded by Yasmin on her Instagram account today.
The 33-year-old woman, residing in Ara Damansara, Selangor, claimed in her police report that her husband had slapped her and injured her arm in front of his parents’ home in Jalan Sultanah Bahiyah in Alor Star.
The Rakyat Post got in touch with Yasmin tonight and she alleged that at present, their only child, aged 2, had been taken from her and was with her husband.
Saying that she had tried many other ways in dealing with this case, she now had to resort to social media in her bid to be reunited with her child.
In the police report, it was alleged that when her husband hit Yasmin, the incident was also witnessed by her father-in-law and two brother-in-laws. However, it was claimed that neither stopped her husband from hitting her.
She claimed in the report that he had also punched and kicked her previously, and that two other police reports had been lodged in the past at the Lembah Subang police station.
In their three years of marriage to date, Yasmin claimed he had been hitting her throughout.
In another posting, Yasmin uploaded a copy of the interim protection order she obtained from the Petaling Jaya magistrate court dated Aug 11 against her husband.
With regards to her husband being an AirAsia pilot, Yasmin told The Rakyat Post that she had highlighted the matter to the airline, including forwarding an email to AirAsia chief executive officer Aireen Omar and Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes.
“I have highlighted to AirAsia that as an airline pilot, it is important to be mentally fit. But I let AirAsia to decide on the matter,” Yasmin said, adding that it was not her intention to ruin her husband’s career.
“I reiterate that I highlighted this to the airline because this is a criminal case. A pilot has to be mentally fit,” Yasmin said.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson from AirAsia said they were not going to comment on the matter at the moment, when contacted by The Rakyat Post.
Yasmin added that her husband was charged under Section 323 and Section 18 of the Domestic Violence Act and had been taken to the police station, according to the investigating officer.
She said that he was released on police bail. However, she has not been given an exact court date on when her husband would be charged.
Claiming that her husband was using their child as leverage, she alleged that he told her she can see her child if she dropped the charges against him.
When asked if they are divorced, Yasmin said they were not and were only separated.
“I have already applied for temporary custody,” she said, referring to their child, Rania Zulaikha, 2.
Speaking on her history with her husband, Yasmin alleged that her husband would become more aggressive with her in the presence of his family, claiming that they, too, would fuel the situation.
“He punched me in the face in front of his family members,” she said.
A copy of the police report on the latest assault, which was shared on Instagram.
The couple had been married since 2012, with Yasmin saying it was a love marriage.
Prior to them getting married, Yasmin said her husband did not display any abusive behaviour although he would get frustrated easily.
“I am going public with this. We can’t be silent any more. I want to highlight it because more women will speak up.
“The syariah system takes a long time. If I wait, it may take years,” she told The Rakyat Post.
“This is a public plea as I want to reunite with my daughter. I have been denied the right to see my daughter; this is a criminal case.
“I’m not telling AirAsia what to do or to kick him out.
“I am giving them the avenue for them to make the decision. I am merely presenting them with the facts,” she added.
Meanwhile, The Rakyat Post managed to obtain Yasmin’s husband’s mobile number.
However, when called, an automated message said the number had barred all incoming calls.
SINGAPORE - An 18-year-old girl who fell from a 7th-storey flat in Bukit Panjang survived her ordeal, but suffered serious injuries when she landed on the common area at the foot of the HDB block on Tuesday morning.
The teen was not wearing any clothes when she was discovered at the foot of Block 431, with blood flowing from her head. A resident helped to cover with a piece of cloth to protect her modesty before an ambulance arrived to send her to Khoo Teck Puat hospital.
A report by Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao said she lives in a corner unit on the seventh floor of the block where she fell from. The only other person in the flat with her was her brother. Her brother, who gave his surname as Chen, said he was sleeping during that time and only learnt that his sister had fallen when the police came to his door.
Mr Chen, 21, said his sister, who studies in a private education institution does not appear to have any problems, and added he was puzzled by the incident. The siblings live with their parents.
A resident in the area added the girl is pleasant-looking and can often be seen exercising and jogging in the neighbourhood. He added: "She looks quite healthy and energetic. So I don't know why she fell."
A Malaysian Airlines’ Boeing-777 has crashed over Ukraine, close to the border with Russia.Espresso TV says the plane, with 285 people on board, was en route from Amsterdam to Malaysia.The Ukrainian military has confirmed that a Malaysian plane crashed in eastern Ukraine.The passenger plane was expected to enter Russian airspace but never did, a Russian aviation industry source was cited by Reuters.
-dilaporkan mmg nak tembak jet Putin tapi tersalah kena mh17
jet putin lalu route sama
Malaysian Airlines MH17 plane was travelling almost the same route as Russia’s President Vladimir Putin’s jet shortly before the crash that killed 295, Interfax news agency reports citing sources.
“I can say that Putin’s plane and the Malaysian Boeing intersected at the same point and the same echelon. That was close to Warsaw on 330-m echelon at the height of 10,100 meters. The presidential jet was there at 16:21 Moscow time and the Malaysian aircraft – 15:44 Moscow time,” a source told the news agency on condition of anonymity.
We've started a live blog to bring you the latest updates on MH17. We'll do our best to bring you the latest and most accurate news. In the meantime, let's all please pray for the passengers of Flight MH17.
#MH17: Reuters have released the picture of the crash site in the settlement of Grabovo in Donetsk region.
Having sparked a frenzy of wolf whistles by fielding an attractive young woman Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud in the Teluk Intan by-election, DAP unabashedly features another ‘awek cun’ set to send hearts aflutter.
KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 — It will cost RM50 to view the giant pandas when
the Giant Panda Conservation Centre (GPCC) opens to the
public tomorrow.
The fee, for visitors aged above 12, includes the National Zoo
admission ticket for RM30 and an additional RM20 to enter the panda
centre.
Children under 12, however, can gain free admission from tomorrow until July 27.
Foreign nationals will be charged RM50 (adults), RM25 (children aged
three to 12) and RM40 (senior citizens aged 65 and above) in addition to
entrance fees to the National Zoo.
There is no additional charge for the disabled.
The zoo’s vice-president Rosly @ Rahmat Ahmat Lana said that after July
27, the fees for Malaysians would be RM10 for children aged three to 12
and RM15 for senior citizens aged 65 and above.
“Some might say the fees are a bit too expensive but it is appropriate
with the kind of attention we are giving to the pandas,” he said told
reporters yesterday at the GPCC.
“Although the construction of the conservation complex was funded by
the government, the day-to-day operations and the well-being of the
pandas are solely managed by the National Zoo.”
GPCC will open daily from 9am to 5pm and entry is on a
first-come-first-served basis as the complex can only accommodate up to
3,500 visitors a day.
“We only allow up to 150 visitors per session, which lasts 20 minutes.
If there is a need to extend operating hours, we can allow up to 4,000
visitors a day,” he said.
Rosly said there was a possibility the zoo would request an extension
for the care of the pandas after the 10-year loan period, but this
depended on how well the pandas fared under its care.
He said if a panda cub was born during the period, the zoo would care
for the cub for two years before handing it over to the Chinese
government.
Zoology, Hospital and Veterinarian Services and GPCC director Dr Mat
Naim Ramli said apart from keeping the pandas healthy, they were also
monitoring the possibility of them mating.
“We are monitoring for any changes in their behaviour and diet for
signs they want to mate, especially Feng Yi, the female panda, on her
hormonal changes,” he said.
The pair of giant pandas are on loan through the Malaysia-China Giant Panda International Conservation Agreement programme.
Fu Wa and Feng Yi arrived in Malaysia on May 21 in conjunction with the
40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced on Wednesday their new
names — Xing Xing and Liang Liang — which were chosen from the results
of a national competition organised in 2012.
Pop superstar Jennifer Lopez has pulled out of the
World Cup opening ceremony in Brazil, FIFA said Sunday, four days before
the tournament kicks off.
Lopez, who recorded the official World Cup song, "We Are One," with
rapper Pitbull and Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte, had been due to
perform with them at the opening ceremony in Sao Paulo but had to
cancel, said the football governing body.
"For production issues, Jennifer Lopez, one of the artists of the
official song 'We Are One,' will not be able to perform at the FIFA
World Cup opening ceremony," it said in a statement.
The 25-minute ceremony will feature 600 artists including acrobatic
gymnasts, trampolinists, marshal arts-style capoeira performers and
stilt walkers.
The grand finale will be a performance of "We Are One" -- now minus
Lopez -- accompanied by Brazilian drumming collective Olodum.
Pitbull did not let J-Lo's withdrawal dampen his enthusiasm.
"To be performing 'We Are One' to the world, especially in such a
beautiful country like Brazil, is going to be a lot of fun. But more
than this, it is going to show the world that music is the universal
language," he said in a statement released by FIFA.
Lopez also missed the January event where Pitbull and Leitte unveiled
plans for the song alongside FIFA officials in Rio de Janeiro.
More than 60,000 people will be in Sao Paulo's Corinthians Arena to
watch the ceremony and kick-off match between Brazil and Croatia. Around
a billion people are expected to tune in on TV worldwide.
The saga of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 took a new turn
yesterday following latest revelations that the Malaysian military had
been told to keep an eye on the plane but had allowed it to disappear
off their radar after considering it as non-hostile.
The new revelation was made by acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri
Hishammuddin Hussein during an interview with the Australian
Broadcasting Corp's Four Corners programme.
This was the first time that Malaysia had said that civil aviation
authorities told the military to keep an eye on the aircraft – a fact
which was not mentioned in the five-page preliminary report on the
plane's disappearance released by the Ministry of Transport on May 1.
The much-criticised preliminary report had made no mention of the
instructions from the civil aviation authorities to the military to
monitor the plane.
Instead, the brief report, which had been sent to the International
Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), revealed a chaotic four hours after
communications between Malaysia air traffic controllers, the flag
carrier and other regional air traffic controllers before a hunt was
initiated.
Other information included in the report, which many analysts had said
raised more questions than provide crucial answers on the missing
jetliner, included details of the cargo manifest and audio recordings of
what had transpired between the pilots of the plane and the air traffic
controllers when it disappeared on March 8 while on the way to Beijing.
The report showed that there was a complete breakdown in communications
between the DCA and the military, an irony considering both share air
traffic control facilities at the airport in Subang.
It is now revealed that flight MH370, with 239 passengers and crew on
board, had flown almost directly over the Malaysian military air base
located on the island of Penang, but it appeared that the Malaysian
authorities did nothing.
The Malaysian authorities had been severely criticised over its
handling of the investigations into the missing jetliner with the
international media, family members of passengers and crew and the
public accusing them of hiding and delaying information.
A survey by The Malaysian Insider last month showed that more than half
of Malaysians polled believed that the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN)
government had been hiding information about flight MH370's
disappearance.
Out of the 1,029 respondents polled in The Malaysian Insider survey
carried out by the Merdeka Center, 54% said Putrajaya was not
transparent in releasing information about flight MH370 which vanished
on March 8.
In response to the question whether they thought Putrajaya had been
truthful or had been hiding anything about MH370, 54% of respondents
felt Malaysia had been hiding information, 26% said the government had
been truthful while 20% were unsure.
Families of passengers from China had been demanding evidence from the
Malaysian authorities to show that the plane had indeed crashed in the
southern Indian Ocean and that there were no survivors.
There had been ugly scenes in Beijing as distraught relatives vented
their frustrations and anger on Malaysian officials sent to brief them
on the investigations.
Speaking on the Four Corners programme, Hishammuddin said that the
military did not send a plane up to investigate as "it was not deemed a
hostile object and pointless if you are not going to shoot it down".
He was defending the military’s failure to scramble a fighter jet after
flight MH370 had disappeared from civilian radar on March 8 when its
transponder stopped transmitting during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to
Beijing around 1.21am.
The military radar had tracked it after it made a turn-back and turned in a westerly direction across the peninsula.
"If you're not going to shoot it down, what's the point of sending it
(a fighter) up?" Hishammuddin was quoted as asking on the Four Corners
programme.
Delays in pinpointing the Boeing 777-200ER’s location led to days of
searching in the South China Sea before analysis from British satellite
firm, Inmarsat, pointed its likely course as the Indian Ocean.
Hishammuddin had also said that had the jet been shot down with 239
passengers and crew on board, "I'd be in a worse position, probably".
He said he was informed of the military radar detection two hours later
and relayed it to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who then
ordered a search in the Malacca Strait. – May 20, 2014.
Small sparks caused by an explosion on the left engine of Malaysia
Airlines flight MH1438 while it was 20,000 feet off the ground, caused
panic among passengers on board a flight bound for Langkawi today.
A passenger with the user name Haswendy shared his experience and a picture of the plane engine on his Instagram page.
He said the incident occurred 10 minutes before the plane touched down at the Langkawi International Airport.
“I had a traumatic experience during our flight from KLIA to Langkawi
just now. One of our flight MH1438 left engine had a light explosion
that caused small sparks. Few of the passengers were startled and few
were crying.
“Alhamdulillah we landed safely,” said Haswendy, who was travelling with another friend.
He said he was talking to his friend when he heard an explosion and saw
sparks coming out from one of the engines while at the same time, the
lights in the plane went off for a few seconds.
He said passengers seated behind him were crying.
The latest incident adds to the difficulty and pressure the airline has
been having since MH370 bound for Beijing disappeared on March 8.
On March 24, a MAS flight which departed from Kuala Lumpur bound for
Seoul, was diverted to Hong Kong because of an inoperative aircraft
generator.
Three days earlier, flight MH114 from Kuala Lumpur to Kathmandu was hit
by a flock of birds during approach at the Tribhuvan International
Airport.
Upon landing, the aircraft was inspected by the engineer on duty. It
was found that the aircraft’s landing light lens cover was broken.
The aircraft had to be grounded for a night while the broken lens was replaced.
On April 21, MH192 flight bound for Bangalore, India made a turn back due to a mechanical failure.
MAS last week announced more losses and said its net loss expanded to
RM443.4 million in the first quarter, from a net loss of RM278.8 million
in the same period last year.
"The tragic MH370 incident had a dramatic impact on the traditionally
weak first quarter performance," the company said in a statement to the
Malaysian stock exchange.
It said it saw high numbers of cancellations and a decline in long-haul travel after flight MH370 went missing on March 8.
Since the majority of the passengers travelling on flight MH370 were
Chinese, sales in China slumped 60%, added MAS. – May 20, 2014.
