Is History Repeating Itself In The Oil Markets?

By David Melton - May 31, 2017, 6:00 PM CDT

It wasn’t that long ago, 19 years to be precise, when the average oil price was $11.91 per barrel (WTI). Are world conditions such that we could see that price again? Everyone said that oil prices would never fall into the $20 range, but 14 months ago oil prices hit a 14-year low of $26.21 per barrel on February 11, 2016. Are we, or better yet, can we really be looking at the same world conditions that drove those 1998 oil prices down to record lows that almost equaled the 158-year average annual oil price of $11.22 per barrel (WTI)?

The answer is “it depends”. I’m not saying we could survive today at that level for any extended length of time, but conditions are ripe for low prices and long recovery times, unless oil exporting countries learn some valuable lessons from their not-so-distant past, including the past couple of years.

Let’s look at some similarities from 1998 and 2016.

• 1998 - $11.91 per barrel reflected a 58 percent drop in one year from 1996 through 1998

• 2016 - $43.80 per barrel reflected a 51 percent drop in one year from 2014 through 2016

• 1998/2016 - Unusual historical sustained lows in daily prices and slow recovery times

• 1998/2016 – Over-production destroyed the balance of supply and demand basic fundamentals.

• 1998/2016 - This crisis caused much concern to both governments and companies engaged in the upstream sector of the industry.

• 1998/2016 - Oil inventories have been built up to high levels.

• 1998/2016 – Unrest and lack of cooperation between Middle East countries and surrounding countries has caused uneasiness.

• 1998/2016 - Oil exporting countries have moved slowly in expressing concern about falling oil prices and in some cases not at all.

• 1998/2016 - Oil-exporting countries and private oil companies have gone on a ‘production binge’ in recent years.

• 1998/2016 - Many recent bankruptcies have occurred due extreme price reductions.

• 1998/2016 - OPEC does not seem capable of preventing price crises, but is only able to respond to them with varying degrees of success when they emerge by agreeing to cut daily production by some number for a short period without any concrete long term solutions.

• 1998/2016 - Uncoordinated production creates a heavy toll in terms of revenues for governments and of cash flows for companies with interests in the upstream sector.

• 1998/2016 - Saudi Arabia is playing a key or lead role as a fixed-volume supplier.

• 1998/2016 - Other oil producing countries (Iran) are looking to expand their production plans.

• 1998/2016 - Saudi Arabia feeling threatened and their initial reactions were not advertised before increasing production levels, thus lowering prices.

• 1998/2016 – There is a need for the restoration of credibility to the OPEC quota system, which lost its validity.

Investor Alert: The End Of The Electric Car

An extraordinary metal that is vital to the electric car boom is facing a critical shortage. One small company has positioned itself to profit hugely from the coming price shock.

• 1998/2016 - A dramatic increase in daily oil production has occurred.

Oil exporting countries, and more generally, the oil and gas industry has much to learn from our past when it comes to world oil developments over the past couple. Lessons can be derived from an analysis of the causes of falling oil prices and the building-up of inventories, or producers’ reactions and the ways in which world oil diplomacy works or does not and has not worked, and of the market response to producers’ policy initiatives and decisions.
Related: Will This Foreign Oil Giant Grab Iran's First Post-Sanctions Project?

As in 1998, an opportunity today has now arisen for oil-exporting countries, both from within and outside OPEC, including the United States, to re-think the framework and substance of their co-operative policies. Their current approach to the problem of weaker prices has certainly not proven to be very effective.

Furthermore, the current oil price crisis may prove deeper than initially thought and may be unable to manage a quick and stable recovery or a positive response to the remedy which OPEC and other oil-exporting countries are trying to apply today, unless some serious cooperation comes about.

The internet is full of articles that claim the world can turn on $60 to $70 oil and there are ways to help insure that. If prices would stabilize at that level it would support thriving stock values again and thousands of lost jobs could be reinstated, while at the same time creating thousands of new ones, thus stimulating the economy again.

There are solutions to this issue, but they do not make sense for politicians when it comes to re-election time. It seems politicians are more interested in keeping their jobs than helping those who lost theirs due to the lack of preventive measures being implemented.

The scales of justice have now become the scales of common sense however. Countries like Saudi Arabia, who rushed in to make a point in the past couple of years, have only hurt themselves in the long run it seems. We should be looking hard at our situation here in the United States.
Related: The Biggest Hoaxes In The Oil Market

With that being said though, there’s always good and bad in everything. Let’s take a look at the upside comparisons:

• Oil prices and production outputs started rebounding and stabilizing 1-year later from 1998 in 1999.

• Oil prices started rebounding 1-year later from 2016 to 2017.

• Oil prices doubled within two years, from 1998 to 2000.

• Oil prices doubled from mid $20’s to mid $40’s in one year from mid 2016 to mid 2017.

• Oil prices rose to amounts equal to 4 times that of 1997 to $91 in 10 years (2008).

• There are predictions that oil markets could see stable oil prices in excess of $80 per barrel within the next 5 years (2017 to 2023 - World Bank Oil Price Forecast).

Something else good that has come about in the past two years is that smart investors are taking advantage of lower drilling and completion costs, which equates to lower breakeven price points that positions them in a much better position to realize significant profits in the future.

I am an optimist at heart and firmly believe much of what I read about the upside of the future of oil and gas pricing and all of the predictions. I also believe that we can and will learn from the past, hopefully sooner rather than later. It may be painful for a while but I believe the good guys in white hats, with cooperation and common sense on their side, will prevail.

By David Melton for Oilprice.com

[SHOCKING!] Underaged Daughters Pimped By Their British Parents

There are parents out there who actually pimp their underaged daughters. Unsurprisingly, we have heard cases of men pimping their own wives. Shame to know the things people do for money. In this case, a pair of 50-plus year olds willingly pimped their own underaged daughters. The family was found living in a shed, and according to The Daily Mail, the daughters have been sexually abused by a friend of the couple. I think this is seriously despicable and wrong!

As reported by The Daily Mail, they were caught in 2016 and sentenced. Yet there is no shame for these people, they continued on with their crimes. This apparently has been going on since 2009.

The British pair are aged 54 and 59, and formerly lived in Mallorca. It’s a good thing to know that they have been tracked down for a long time, especially by the Spanish Civil Guard. After months of searching, the Civil Guard found them living in a shed of a farm in Cártama, Malaga.


They wouldn’t know they were getting surrounded… | Source: The Daily Mail Online

The pair was then arrested, for the offence of abusing minors sexually.

A Spanish Civil Guard stated, according to The Daily Mail:

The couple has been doing this since 2009, pimping their daughters to the same man.
They are doing this for economic benefits.
They were convicted in 2016 for the offense of abusing minors sexually.
Post-sentence, they ran away to Mallorca Island to avoid getting intro prison.
They remained hidden in the shed.
Do you think people who have pimped their family members as humans? Because I don’t.

8-Year-Old Yemeni Girl Dies On Her Wedding Night

I’m sure we’ve all heard of child brides before girls as young as below the age of 13 getting married to men much older than them. This happens because of the extensive poverty in Yemen, poor families arrange marriages for their young daughters in exchange for a dowry.

Yemen is an Arab country in Western Asia and it is the poorest country in the Middle East. But Yemen is not the only country that allows child marriages, Saudi Arabia and the United States allow it as well.

An 8-year-old Yemeni girl died of internal bleeding on her wedding night after marrying a man five times her age. Yup, that’s right! Five times!

This 8 Year Old Bride Died On Her Wedding Night, When You See Why, You’ll Be Sick 

The girl was married to a 40-year-old man in the town of Meedi in Hajjah province in northwestern Yemen.

The head of Yemen House of Folklore, Arwa Othman said,

“On the wedding night and after intercourse, she suffered from bleeding and uterine rupture which caused her death.

“They took her to a clinic but the medics couldn’t save her life.”

What’s messed up is that the local security official denied that the girl’s death had taken place.

MUST READ  Thai Woman Electrocuted To Death At Songkran Festival Due To Faulty Wires Setup By The Event Organiser!!!


Don’t you see a lifeless body?? How can you deny that she’s dead??

What’s even more messed up is that the local tribal chiefs tried to cover up her death when word got out and a local journalist was reportedly warned to not cover the story!



Othman said the authorities have not taken action against the husband or the girl’s family.

You know what?



I give up.

Human Rights Watch reported that in 2013 nearly 14% of Yemeni girls were married before the age of 15 and 52% before the age of 18. Some states allow girls to marry at the age of 12, while the consent for marriage ranges between 9 and 13 years old.

CAUGHT ON CAMERA: SEXY NUDE MODEL MOLESTED WITH CHOPSTICKS

A HALF-naked ‘sushi table’ model got her revenge on a frisky customer who tried to grope her with his chopsticks.

The model, who was wearing beige underwear, was stretched out on a bench at a restaurant in the Shanxi province in northern China when she accused a diner of molesting her.

In a video taken of the incident, which has gone viral, the model is seen yelling at a man in polo shirt and jeans, claiming he did “unspeakable” things to her.

The South China Morning Post reported the woman first thought the man’s actions were unintentional but then believed he was taking advantage of her.

Sushi model claims man attempted to molest her with chopsticks. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

The raw fish and sushi fell off her body as she sat up to confront the man, and she threw food at him. The worker then climbed down from the table and threw plates and pushed herself through the crowd, while onlookers continued to film the drama.

The man stood and looked at her as she shouted at him angrily.

The restaurant offered a “naked” sushi experience, which in Japan is called Nyotaimori.

It’s a traditional practice that was born from the samurai period in Japan. It would historically take place in a geisha house to celebrate a victorious battle.

The models are expected to stay still and not talk to those eating.

The practice has many modern day critics who describe it as decadent, humiliating, cruel, and objectifying.

– http://www.news.com.au

SINGAPORE: Woman Instructed a Little Girl to Steal A Box of Cigarettes, To Prove Her Innocence, She Made The Shopkeeper Check Her Bag!

If a pair of parents pimping their daughters was taking advantage of a child’s innocence, this one’s another story. Imagine being an adult and you make a little girl steal a pack of cigarettes for you, so that you could go off scott-free. What kind of conscience is that? Or perhaps there are truly people without conscience.

The incident happened in a convenience shop at Block 121, Bedok Reservoir Road back in March 16th, as reported by STOMP.

The woman brought a young girl at the age of 4 into the convenience shop. Her plan was as such: she would hand over the pack of cigarettes to the girl, have the girl run out, and she would have to pay. But instead of paying, she would have to pretend that she needed to withdraw money. The shopkeeper decided to stop her, and of course she could easily say “I didn’t steal anything, it’s not in my bag!” As per her extremely intelligent plan, the pack of cigarettes wouldn’t be tucked in her handbag, but with the little girl.

Unfortunately for the thief, the scenario was captured on a CCTV.

Source: STOMP

The shopkeeper stated that her card could not be used and she had the guts to make him check her bag to prove his innocence!

This is clearly unfair for the girl, especially. Being used for crimes when they are actually innocent, all for the benefits of criminals like her.

Some do not have respect for the fasting season by stealing parking spots and swearing at the victims and Police going take action no because same colour

COMMUNITY“Shoes Were Thrown” -Intense Drama Unfolds As A Group Of Malay People ‘Steals’ A Car Park Spot!

I believe that every Malaysian driver surely had this experiences of fighting for a parking spot, especially during the peak hours in a shopping mall or night markets, right?

According to Moretify, a young lady who named Ann shared a video on Facebook to rant how she and her friends were being bullied by a group of Malay family after their long-awaited parking slot was rudely “stolen” by the family.

According to Ann’s status, she moved her car in front of the parking spot with the signal on. However, the Malay driver who came after her parked straight into the parking spot without any hesitation.

Ann who couldn’t stand with his rude actions, winded down her car window to confront the Malay driver. However, what she got from the Malay driver was an arrogant reply, asking her to find another parking spot as he parked first despite the fact that she had already been waiting for it.

What makes the incident more ridiculous is the fact that one of the Malay ladies in the family showed her ‘powerful’ middle finger to Ann and her friends who stayed in the car. Ann and her friends did not fight back but start to take video of how they were bullied by the family.

Out of the sudden, the Malay ladies start to remove both of her shoes and started throwing to Ann’s car. I wonder how the lady walked away without her shoes. *facepalm*

Now let’s watch the video that took by Ann while she was being bullied by the Malay family. You will surely get irritated while watching this video. Try to imagine if you were Ann, what would you do?

OPINION: The Girl Who Threw Her Shoes, In The Perspective of a Malay

ByHazPosted on June 1, 2017


It has come to my attention that the video featuring a woman throwing her shoes at a car (of the person recording the video, Ann) over parking spot became a hot topic. (Why would you even throw a shoe? To feel savage?) I feel like providing my insight regarding this viral scene, so please, bear with me. A fellow writer has covered the scene in the form of article, and here’s the video that backs the article:

AS A DISCLAIMER, I HAVE NO INTENTION ON HARMING ANYONE INVOLVED, AND NEITHER DO I CLAIM TO BE A BETTER PERSON THAN THIS LADY WHO THREW HER SHOES.

I agree with one of the comments the article received. This one in particular:

I read that there are many others who agree with the comment, and I just wanna say: THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

I personally agree that we have always identified each other of different races. I feel like that’s okay, you know? I’m neutral about it, it’s not always bad, not always wrong. Lately, with the racial tension that has increased greatly, it feels like it will only add fuel to the fire that is already burning. Especially when we use it for news where we might end up associating a certain race to certain negative traits.

This one in particular implies Malays being racist towards Chinese, Malays being naturally mean, and Malays being uncivilised.

Personally, yeah, I agree, some of us are terrible. But that’s the same with every other race. That’s the same with every other religion. It isn’t just Malays.

At the same time, we cannot assume that the family in the video is a Malay family. They could be people of another race too! (You know, all the indigenous races we have in Malaysia? Remember we aren’t just three races?)

But what gets to me is the fact that this happened in the month of Ramadhan. I noticed that people honk a little more since the start of this month, people are less likely to give others way during peak hours. I understand, we’re all hungry for food after work… And rushing either home or to meet your friends for buka puasa. But doesn’t that mean we should take the initiative to always be ready? Pack up a little snack before we start driving. No one’s going to judge you for packing food, it’s not like you’re going to be eating in the public’s eye.

I cringed when I saw her pointing her middle finger at the person who recorded the video.

Like, have some grace, lady. And patience. Wouldn’t kill to have some, right?

I can’t believe the way her family seemed to just let her do as she liked! If I had done exactly what she did, my parents would have smacked me! Mentally, at least! And I would thank them for that, because then I wouldn’t be known as a rude person. Regardless, we can also assume that they may or may not reprimand her after. Maybe she felt generous and decided to throw her shoes at the original poster… We may never know.

Maybe she acted that way because she never knew kindness. Sad to think of it in that way, no?

However, let us use her as a lesson. Let us not be so rude and unkind during the holy month of Ramadhan, if we are aware of what is kindness. I don’t want to use fasting as an excuse to be a disrespectful person. In fact, that shouldn’t even be an excuse. If it’s hard to fast from food and drinks, then fast from saying harsh words, cool yourself from possible anger. It is a personal obligation to God. Donate to those who need the money and food more if you find it hard to fast.

May this month be a month of reflection and detox. Both for our body and soul.

I sure do hope she got a new pair of shoes, too.

Police Are Looking For The Driver Who Killed A University Student In A Hit And Run Case On NKVE!!

Police are looking for witnesses to the event of a hit and run on NKVE at 17km near Damansara on Monday evening, resulting in the death of a Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Sungai Buloh student.

The unfortunate event took place at around 5.30 pm that day, Muhammed Anas Abdul Wahab, 22, died on the spot from severe injuries to the head.

Selangor Traffic Chief Deputy Superintendant Sahimi Husin said that the victim was believed to be traveling from his University in Sungai Buloh to Kapar, Klang.

“Upon arrival at the scene,  Anas lost control of his motorcycle as the road was wet.

“An unidentified car came speeding from behind and rammed into the motorcyclist.”

As a result of the impact, the victim who sustained serious injuries to the head was pronounced dead at the scene, while the culprit escapes quickly.

“The body of Anas was brought to Sungai Buloh Hospital for a post-mortem.

“Thus, the police urged those who witnessed the incident to come forward to assist with the investigation and help track down the driver responsible for the death of Anas.”

Source: myMetro

A Chinese Factory Busted For Producing Millions Of Fake Budweiser Beer Cans

If you are a big fan of Budweiser beer, you should think again before you buy a can of that beer in China. Why? Because it might not be original, you may just end up with a fake Budweiser can. Yes, really!



Recently, two videos have been going on viral on social media. The videos show an underground factory in Southern China producing their own fake Budweiser beer using recycled cans of the popular American brand. Yuck!


In the videos, workers are caught filling up empty Budweiser cans and packing them in cardboard boxes.

In the first clip, factory personnel can be seen picking up recycled cans and dipping them into a big plastic container filled with some home-made brew. The cans are then placed on a conveyor belt where they are sealed and slapped with fake production labels.

The second clip shows the counterfeit Budweiser beer packed in cardboard boxes and ready to be shipped out.

Then some officials in uniform appear in the picture, suggesting that the factory was being raided.

The videos, first appeared on a Facebook page in Taiwan and it instantly went viral and prompted intense discussions about the ever-expanding counterfeiting racket in China.

Few netizens pointed out that the fake cans looked so real that one could barely tell the difference. Got to agree with that!

Eventhough the operation was busted, there are worries that the factory may have already shipped out several thousand cartons of the fake Budweiser beer. Oh-no!

According to media reports, the underground factory was located in Dongguan in China’s southern Guangdong province.

Alarmed at the news from China, Budweiser (Taiwan) said on its Facebook page that it reserves the right to pursue legal action against the illegal mainland factory.

Here’s the shocking video:

Big dark storm blowing this way

SHOCK FALL IN CURRENT ACCOUNT BALANCES ANOTHER SIGN OF A PERFECT STORM BUILDING UP IN SCANDAL-RAVAGED MALAYSIA

OF all the statistics trotted out to show the health of the economy, one indicator is causing some concern among economists, who said it spells trouble for every Malaysian over the long term.

The current account balance is a gauge for the state of the economy and if it goes into a deficit for an extended period, it affects everything from wages to the price of vegetables.

Malaysia’s current account balance still shows a surplus but the bad news is that it has been declining steadily from 2014.

Economist Ali Salman said that the surplus dropped by more than half or 57.75%, from the fourth quarter of 2016 to the first quarter of this year.

If this decline is not addressed, it will mean years of tepid growth and hit the pockets of ordinary Malaysians. Economists said these are among the impacts of a declining surplus:

* It makes it harder to create new jobs and sources of income for citizens thus, curbing their spending power.

* It saps investor confidence, which can then weaken the ringgit.

* A weak ringgit would make imports, such as food and goods, more expensive and drive up supermarket prices.

* The worst part is that the above factors can compound and feed off each other, thus, leading to slower overall growth.

“(This then) becomes a vicious cycle of poor growth and rising inflation which can lead to social unrest,” said economist Ramon Navaratnam.

Decreasing surplus

According to the website Investopedia, a country’s current account consists of its trade balance (exports minus imports), income from abroad and net current transfers, including remittances by foreign workers.

Ali of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) said the current account contains four components – the goods account, services account, primary income and secondary income.

“The current account balance decreased by about 57.75% from the fourth quarter of 2016 to the first quarter of 2017, with a total loss of RM 7.2 billion,” said Ali, who is IDEAS head of research.

According to the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER), the country’s current account surplus stood at RM48 billion for 2014. It declined to RM34 billion in 2015 and RM25 billion in 2016.

MIER executive director Prof Zakariah Rashid said the decline is primarily caused by the  weak global demand for Malaysian exports, its uncompetitive maritime industry and the prevalence of unskilled foreign workers.

“Weak global commodity prices of palm oil, natural gas and crude oil as well as deteriorating competitiveness in its manufacturing base have weakened export performance,” he said.

This is reflected in declines in the country’s goods account and services account, said Ali.

The goods account decreased by 18.93% from the previous quarter, while the services account slipped by 15.29%, he said.

The country’s primary income also went down by 7.19% compared with the previous quarter and is already registering a deficit.

Worrisome trends

Although overall, Malaysia is still exporting more than it is importing, said Zakariah, this trade surplus is deteriorating.

Given that Malaysia is a maritime country, a big portion of the services account comprises of shipping services but this is where the country falters.

“Less than one-third of the ships plying the Malacca Straits used the services of Malaysian ports. Similarly, only one-tenth of our volume in international trade was shipped by Malaysian ocean liners.”

Combined, Malaysia still records a surplus in its goods and services accounts, said Zakariah. But this declining surplus is “a worrisome trend”.

The other “worrisome trend” is the large number of foreign workers who make up one-third of the labour force, said Zakariah.

When they remit what they earn here to their home countries, this drives down the country’s primary income account, which currently records a deficit.

“This deficit is a reflection of the structural weaknesses in the maritime industry and labour market.”

Structural problems

In the long run, a current account that slips into negative territory will sap economic vitality, said Ali of IDEAS.

“Foreign investors will be demotivated to invest in Malaysia and demand weakens for the country’s assets, including government bonds.

“As foreign investors withdraw investment, the national currency will lose value relative to other currencies. Ultimately, there will be capital flight from Malaysia.”

It is still not too late to prevent this slide as the declining surplus is a sign that certain structural weaknesses in the economy need to be fixed, said Zakariah.

This includes cutting the dependence on unskilled foreign labour and strengthening the maritime services industry.

“Addressing these will certainly bring a rewarding and positive impact on the creation of high-skilled jobs,” said Zakariah.

THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT

‘BRACE FOR A WAVE OF REJECTION’: GE14 WILL BE ‘MO1’ NAJIB’S WATERLOO

A PKR leader believes there will be a “wave of rejection” towards Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in the next general election.

According to Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, this will be generated by the 1MDB scandal, which has spawned investigations and court actions in various countries.


“Malaysians are obviously ready to make change for their welfare as well as that of the country’s,” added the PKR secretary-general in a media statement.

Saifuddin also cited a TIME magazine report which claimed that Najib was among the five world leaders who are less popular than United States President Donald Trump.

The report had mentioned the 1MDB scandal as well as the RM2.6 billion in the prime minister’s personal account.

“This is really embarrassing for the rakyat. The Malaysian prime minister is known more internationally for financial scandals,” said Saifuddin.

Following the TIME report, Communication and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak noted how the magazine voted Anwar Ibrahim the man-of-the-year and more popular than Dr Mahathir Mohamad but yet Mahathir won the 1999 general election.

Meanwhile, Saifuddin also accused Najib of failing to fulfill his responsibilities since taking over the leadership reins in 2009.

“He doesn’t listen to the rakyat. He can only make promises until the rakyat are burdened with the goods and services tax (GST) and higher cost of living as well as increased price of goods and the ringgit’s slump,” he added.

Saifuddin also mentioned the US Department of Justice (DOJ) civil suits related to 1MDB, where the documents mentioned “Malaysian Official 1” 36 times.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Abdul Rahman had confirmed that MO1 was Najib, but argued that since he was not named, the prime minister was not part of the investigation.

The DOJ last year filed civil suits to seize assets in the US that it claimed were purchased using funds siphoned from 1MDB.

It had described MO1 as a senior government official who was previously investigated by Malaysian authorities for receiving US$681 million in his personal bank accounts.

It also claimed that MO1 received US$731 million in total which originated from 1MDB.

Najib’s stepson Riza Aziz and Penang-born billionaire Jho Low were among those named in the DOJ suits.

Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali however had cleared Najib of receiving US$681 million on the grounds that it was a “donation” from the Arab royal family.

Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the matter, and refuted allegations of abusing public funds for personal gain.



– M’kini

.

From OutSyed The Box Blog - Nama Tak Kafir Tapi Bodoh Macam Tapir By Dean Kadeer

Nama Tak Kafir Tapi Bodoh Macam Tapir By Dean Kadeer

Someone sent this to me. I dont know who this writer is (Dean Kadeer) or if it is a real person but the points are interesting.

 

Ana dah malas nak cerita pasal benda lapuk ni, tapi sebab otak Melayu masih kat celah jub_r,  so ana ulang lagi sekali.

Lagipun ana prihatin dgn isu nama anak yang kedengaran macam nama "kafir", ramai Melayu yang sentap bila tengok nama anak orang Melayu macam mat saleh, lalu dikeluarkan fatwa nama sebegitu "tak sesuai",  tak Islamik kononnya.  Puii..!!

Pelik betul otak orang Melayu ni.  Bodoh sebesar Alam.  Katanya Jesus tu Nabi Isa, dalam Bible namanya Jesus, dalam Quran namanya Isa.  Perkataan Jesus pun berasal dari Hebrew,  ada yang sebut Yeshua.  Kalau Melayu pakai nama Jesus,  takkan jadi kapir pulak.  Kebanyakan nabi dalam Quran ada nama "kafir" mereka dalam Bible. Moses jadi Musa, Harun jadi Aaron, Ibrahim jadi Abraham, Jacob jadi Yaakob, Ishak jadi Isaac.  Kalau Melayu letak nama anak Isaac Newton,  tak Islamik ke?  (campuran nama Nabi dan tokoh fizik - tak bagus lagi?)

Nama sahabat nabi iaitu Umar Al Khattab sewaktu dia kafir ialah Umar. Selepas convert masuk Islam,  dia tak tukar nama jadi Najib atau Tengku Adnan.  Dia tetap guna nama Umar. Nama Abu Bakar As Siddiq sewaktu kafir ialah Abdul Ka'bah, selepas masuk Islam namanya ditukar menjadi Abdullah.  Gelaran Abu Bakar diberi oleh nabi kerana maksud Abu Bakar ialah "bersegera"  (masuk Islam).

Dua contoh nama tersebut ana tunjuk sebab mereka sahabat yang rapat dengan Nabi Muhammad. Umar tak tukar pun nama untuk nampak Islamik walaupun sudah Islam, walhal Umar kaki bunuh orang sewaktu kafir.  Dia tetap pakai nama Arab kafir.  Tak salah pulak.  Nabi tak bising pun.  Sikit pun tak jadi isu.

Nama Abu Bakar pulak  sewaktu kafir dah "Islamik"sungguh iaitu Abdul Ka'bah tapi kenapa tukar jadi Abdullah?  Patutnya teruskan guna nama Abdul Ka'bah,  tempat suci orang Islam.

Morale of the story,  nabi tak ambik pot pun nama Umar yang tak bertukar tu. Sepatutnya nabi suruh Umar guna nama "Muhammad Ibrahim" atau nama lain yang lebih Islamik  (kononnya).  Nama Abdul Ka'bah ditukar jadi Abdullah mungkin sesuai atas sifat dan jatidiri Abu Bakar sewaktu itu,  bukan sebab nama Abdul Ka'bah tak Islamik.  Nama Kaabah takkan tak Islamik kot?

Ini bukan persoalan besar, tapi contoh kebodohan Melayu dalam memahami teks2 agama.  Mereka suka memperbesarkan benda2 yang kecik jadi senjata memecah belahkan keharmonian sesama manusia.  Mereka cuma mahu tunjuk kepada dunia "Kami Islam,  kami guna nama Islam".  What the f_ _k?!

Mamang ada riwayat, nabi menggesa meletakkan nama yang "baik" kepada anak2, tapi bukan nama Arab. Janganlah jadi bodoh sangat.  Tak wujud isu "Nama Islam", sebab dalam Quran disebut "manusia dijadikan berbagai bangsa untuk berkenal-kenalan",  meaning nama manusia wujud atas dasar tempat, bahasa, budaya, keturunan dan bangsa.  Kalau Red Indian Islam,  takkan nak bubuh nama anak  Sitting Bull Khalid atau Ismail Crazy Horse.  Confirm kena gelak dengan cowboy kafir.  LOL

Akuilah, beratus juta pemakai nama "Muhammad" diseluruh dunia yang sudah masuk jel keluar jel,  yg makan rasuah,  yg sapu duit rakyat,  yg pecah amanah dll.  

 

Dan kenapa pemakai nama "kafir" lebih maju ke hadapan berbanding pemakai nama "Islamik"?  

 

Mana berkat nama "Islamik" tu? 

 

So Melayu,  fikir guna otak,  bukan guna dot dot dot...

Mufti of Zimbabwe, Mufti Ismail Menk - What Zimbabwe a Muslim country

Stop bad habits, be careful with words, especially during Ramadan – Najib

 Bernama,New Straits Times 3 hours ago


KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak today called on Muslims to stop their bad habits and be careful with what they say, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

The prime minister said he was very impressed with the call by the Mufti of Zimbabwe, Mufti Ismail Menk ( Islam is the religion of less than one percent of the population of Zimbabwe ) for all Muslims to stop their bad habits.

"We should all be careful with our words, avoid making accusations or spreading lies because these actions are detrimental and can lead to destruction," he said in his blog www.najibrazak.com today.

Religion in Zimbabwe (2010)
Religion Percent Christianity   
87%
Unspecified   
7.9%
Traditional   
3.8%
Islam   
0.9%
Others or none   
0.4%

Najib said he believed that being careful with what is spoken is not something new to Muslims and Malaysians.

"Even from school days, we were taught that words, once uttered, could not be taken back and could have detrimental effects.

In English, there is the saying "If you have nothing good to say, say nothing", often used as a reminder or guide," he said.

Najib said besides enduring hunger and thirst, Muslims were also encouraged to embrace the spirit of Ramadan which is full of blessings and forgiveness from Allah.

"The blessings are multiple and Allah has promised that all sins will be forgiven for those who fast with full faith and sincerity," he added. – Bernama

Caught on camera: MyVi goes against traffic on highway, zips down fast lane

JOHOR BARU: Police are looking for the owner of the Perodua MyVi, who shocked motorists along KM34 North-South Expressway (NSE) near Kulai when it was going against incoming traffic this morning.

The reckless act was caught on camera by a motorist travelling on the other side of the highway.

The video showed the MyVi going against traffic on the south-bound lane heading towards Johor Baru at around 8.20am.

To make matters worse, the car was seen racing down the fast lane.

The one minute and 21 seconds long video clip has since made its rounds on social media and garnered huge attention.

One social media user, Foo Wee Chin questioned the driver’s sanity.

“Was the driver completely insane? Why are there are still crazy people allowed to drive on roads?” said Foo.

Another user by the name Sunthari Thara commented: “OMG, so scary to see this.”

Facebook user Noraini Salleh said she was concerned with the reckless driving and is worried that this is becoming a dangerous trend.

The flurry of negative comments and concern came after a March 14 incident in which a 26-year-old car driver was killed during a multi-vehicle collision caused by a 19-year-old woman, who had driven her car at high speed against the flow of traffic along the NSE after the Sungai Dua toll in Penang.

Johor deputy traffic police chief superintendant Ibrahim Mat Som said the incident is being investigated and police are tracing the driver of the MyVi.

“The clip did not show who was driving but we have managed to trace the owner of the car to a man in his 50s and his last known address is in Pahang,” he said.

Ibrahim said there were no reports of road accidents between the MyVi with other vehicles.

“We will get to the bottom of this and find out why the driver acted in such a way,” he said.

Soon Malaysian Airlines will be flying empty and please have pity on the MAS employees who need the job to feed family

Alcohol-free flights: Take it to Parliament, says Nufam Aedi Asri | June 1, 2017

An idiot oops instant Idiot is made

Nufam president points out that the association had also proposed that Malaysia Airlines stop serving alcoholic beverages for safety and health reasons.

PETALING JAYA: Any political party that wants the government to remove alcohol from the menu on Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flights should take the matter to Parliament, said the National Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia (Nufam).
“The MPs can raise this proposal in Parliament and debate on it if they really want (alcohol to be banned on Malaysia Airlines flights),” said Nufam president Ismail Nasaruddin.
He was commenting on PAS Youth’s call for the ban, which came after a disruptive passenger, whom Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi said appeared drunk, caused a MAS plane to turn back to Melbourne last night.
While Ismail said Nufam had no wish to be linked to any political party, he pointed out that the association itself had proposed to the government and MAS management that the airline stop serving alcoholic beverages.
“Our call was based on health and security factors. Alcohol during a flight can put passengers’ health at risk.

“It was also made to prevent disruptive behaviour on flights which will ultimately heighten the stress level of our cabin crew,” he told FMT.
Nufam had in the past also urged that Muslim cabin crew be exempted from serving alcohol.
Ismail acknowledged that most passengers no longer drink excessively when on board an aircraft, adding that MAS itself had stopped serving alcoholic beverages on flights less than three hours long.
But he agreed that the time has come for MAS to review its policy on alcoholic beverages.
“MAS has continued this service for business reasons, to attract customers and as an advantage over airlines that do not offer alcoholic beverages,” he said.
Australian police earlier today said the disruptive passenger on MH128 had been released from a psychiatric facility hours before he boarded the plane yesterday.
Flight MH128 left Melbourne Airport at 11.11pm and was to arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 5.28am today (June 1). However, it turned back to Melbourne after the operating captain was alerted by a cabin crew of a passenger attempting to enter the cockpit, MAS said.
The Sri Lankan national, who was overpowered by crew and other passengers, had allegedly threatened to blow up the plane, but the device he claimed was an explosive turned out to be a powerbank.

No Funfare no lavish settings or fancy feast - Just plain simple banana leaf Dinner between Singapore and Indian PM

Photos are worth a thousand words and maybe celebrating PM Modi's award as the best Prime Minister by another best Prime Minister of the world. Hello where is PM from Malaysia

PM Modi enjoys special dinner organised for him by Singapore PM in an Indian restaurant 

And the award from UNESCO

Cop found dead in office with gunshot wound in head must be the stress or lovesick or !!!!!!!!!

Bernama | June 1, 2017

A policeman went to the victim's office in search of him and saw his body on a chair.

PASIR PUTEH: A police Inspector was found dead today in his office at the Pasir Puteh district police headquarters with a gunshot wound in the forehead.

Kelantan acting police chief SAC Din Ahmad said the body of the 29-year-old victim was found at about 9am when a policeman was ordered to search for the deceased after he did not show up at the district police headquarters administration meeting to represent the Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief.

“The policeman went to the victim’s office and saw his body on a chair with blood under it and reported the incident,” he told reporters here.

Din said the victim was pronounced dead by a doctor from Tengku Anis Hospital here at 9.40am.
He said the victim, who hailed from Selangor, had been transferred to the district police headquarters in February and was the officer on duty from 8pm yesterday to 8am today.

“There were people who heard a gunshot between 4am and 5am, but they did not suspect anything until the discovery of the body this morning.

“As of now, the case is classified as sudden death. However, we will conduct a thorough investigation to identify the cause of death,” he said.

Around the clock operations for Bukit Kayu Hitam border checkpoint from Jan 2019

Thailand is land of endless entertainment and much cheaper and no questions ask and open 24 hrs. Die the Malaysian border towns and even Alor Setar as all will now folk across the border for fun unlimited.  No looking over shoulder and seeing if the fanatics from the religious department are coming to spoil your fun. 

BUKIT KAYU HITAM: Thailand has agreed with Malaysia’s request to extend the border checkpoint operations here to 24 hours from Jan 2019.

Night life in Danok thai(casanova night club)

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said his Thai counterpart, General Prawit Wongsuwon has expressed his government's agreement to the proposal.

Call of Danok

Zahid, who is also Home Minister said for a start, the border checkpoint operations would be extended from the current 18 hours to 20 hours by September. This is upon the completion of the first phase of the new Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex.

Danok Thailand

"I must thank the Thai government for agreeing to our request to extend the countries' border checkpoint operations to 24 hours by Jan 1, 2019," he said after inspecting work progress at the new ICQS Complex which is behind schedule.

This is his second visit to the site since April after the government came out with a solution to end prolonged dispute between two companies which formed a consortium to develop the project. It caused the project to be delayed by almost two years.

Danok Nightlife plenty happening place

On a separate matter, Zahid said the Thai government had also agreed to Malaysia application to extradite three human trafficking syndicate kingpins to face a trial in the country. This is in connection with the discovery of illegal immigrants detention camps in Wang Kelian, Perlis two years ago.

"I have discussed the matter with General Prawit, who is also Thai Defence Minister and he had agreed to the request under our existing Mutual Legal Assistant (MLA)," he said.

Zahid added that the number of kingpins that believe to be related to the cases in Malaysia were only three and not 10 as reported earlier.

In May 2015, Malaysian police uncovered mass graves of human trafficking syndicates victims in the woods of Bukit Burma in Wang Kelian. Some 153 bodies and skeletons were exhumed from the graves and were given a proper burial at a site in Pokok Sena.

An octopus tried to escape from an aquarium by slithering away on dry land

The octopus slithered around on the floor for a bit (Picture: CEN)
An octopus was apparently spotted trying to leave an aquarium after escaping from its tank.

It didn’t go well for the sea creature though as it turns out they’re rubbish on dry land.

A video showed the octopus slithering along the floor of the aquatic centre in Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai region, Russia.

It had apparently escaped after pushing down on a lock that was above its tank.

The octopus’ jail break was helped by the fact it has no bones and was able to squish itself through the small hole.

Giant octopus makes desperate bid for freedom

But the sea creature’s escape was ultimately thwarted when it was spotted by workers.

ISIS at the door and beware as they are looking for arms now or meeting sympathetic army personnel to procure weapons - Remember The Al-Ma'unah militant group

Remember - The Al-Ma'unah was a militant group based in Malaysia. The group was made famous by their audacious raid on 2 July 2000 on a Malaysian Army Reserve camp in the early hours of the morning and stealing weapons from the armoury. The group was later cornered in the village of Sauk, Kuala Kangsar, Perak and was involved in a stand-off the against the Malaysian Army and Royal Malaysian Police forces. The siege was ended when Malaysian security forces, including the army 22nd Grup Gerak Khas (22nd GGK) and police VAT 69 Pasukan Gerakan Khas, stormed the camp in Operation Dawn.

Two including a student, caught for masquerading as army officers, trespassing

 HANI SHAMIRA SHAHRUDIN,New Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR: Two men including a student were nabbed for impersonating army officers and attempting to enter an army camp in Sungai Besi earlier today.

The duo, aged 22 and 23, told the military police guarding the entrance that they were there to meet a friend, who is also an army personnel at about 1.15am.

City police chief Datuk Amar Singh said upon inspection by the military police, it was discovered that the two did not have any military identification on them.

There was however some military uniforms in the Proton Saga that they were traveling in.

The men were immediately nabbed by the military police.

“The first man is a student of a private university while the other man is unemployed.

“The case is being investigated under Section 447 of the Penal Code for criminal trespass and Section 16 of the Minor Offences Act 1955 (for unlawful possession of military, naval, air force or police stores),” he said.

Both men have no previous criminal records and they have been remanded until Saturday.

History Asia - Al-Maunah : The Malaysian Arms Heist part 1

History Asia - Al-Maunah : The Malaysian Arms Heist part 2

History Asia - Al-Maunah : The Malaysian Arms Heist part 3

History Asia - Al-Maunah : The Malaysian Arms Heist part 4

World's largest airplane is rolled out

Paul Allen’s 250-ton Stratolaunch airplane finally rolled out of its hangar Wednesday in Mojave, Calif. It won’t launch a rocket into space any sooner than 2019, and Stratolaunch faces skepticism about its business plan for delivering satellites to orbit.

Dominic Gates By Dominic Gates - Seattle Times aerospace reporter

Paul Allen’s monstrous Stratolaunch airplane finally rolled out of its hangar in Mojave, Calif., Wednesday, showing off its complete twin-hulled majesty for the first time.

It will now spend many months on ground tests before a first flight. And it’s not expected to be used to launch a rocket into space — a mission that some observers are skeptical will ever make business sense — any sooner than 2019.

Two tugs pulled the 250-ton giant from the hangar where it was built for Allen’s Stratolaunch Systems company by Scaled Composites, the specialty airplane-development firm founded by aviation pioneer Burt Rutan.

Over the past few weeks, mechanics removed the last of the three-story scaffolding that had surrounded the aircraft during construction, leaving the aircraft’s full weight to rest on its 28 wheels for the first time.

Paul Allen’s colossal Stratolaunch plane emerges from its lair


Jean Floyd, chief executive at Stratolaunch Systems, said in a statement that the empty airplane, powered by six used 747 engines, weighs approximately 500,000 pounds.

“That may sound heavy,“ Floyd acknowledged. “But remember that the Stratolaunch aircraft is the world’s largest plane by wingspan, measuring 385 feet. By comparison, a National Football League field spans only 360 feet.”

The plane — nicknamed the Roc, after a mythical Middle Eastern bird so big it could carry an elephant in its claws — will have a three-person crew: pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer.

They’ll be in the flight deck of the starboard fuselage, maneuvering the plane from far to the right of its centerline, while the port fuselage cockpit is empty and unpressurized.

Stratolaunch is intended to carry a rocket slung beneath the central part of the wing, between the two fuselages, and release it at 35,000 feet. The concept is that the rocket will then launch into space and deliver satellites into orbit.

For comparison, the empty weight of the world’s largest airliner, the double-decker Airbus A380 designed to carry around 550 passengers, is 610,000 pounds.

And the empty weight of Boeing’s largest jet, the 747-8, is a paltry 435,000 pounds.

Paul Allen’s aircraft is 238 feet from nose to tail, and it stands 50 feet tall from the ground to the top of the vertical tail.

It will carry about 250,000 pounds of fuel and a rocket payload of up to 550,000 pounds or 275 tons, giving it a maximum takeoff weight of 1.3 million pounds — equal to the fully loaded weight of the A380.

There’s plenty of skepticism about Stratolaunch’s business plan for delivering satellites to orbit using this behemoth plane.

Since Allen first put forward the idea in 2011, both Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin have successfully pioneered new reusable ground-launched rockets that are already dramatically lowering the cost of access to space.

And the satellite business has changed, with demand shifting toward small satellites going to low Earth orbit, not the huge, minivan-sized satellites that used to be standard.


The airplane may be simply too colossal and therefore too expensive to be used to launch smaller satellites.

Progress on the project has been slow. A year ago, Stratolaunch’s leadership indicated that it hoped for a rollout by the end of 2016.

Yet driven by Allen’s passion for space and science fiction and funded by the billionaire — courtesy of co-founding Microsoft more than 40 years ago — construction of the airframe is complete and the Roc has finally emerged to the light of day.

Floyd on Wednesday laid out an extended time frame, though he didn’t specify when the aircraft might first take to the air.

“Over the coming weeks and months” at the Mojave Air and Space Port, the aircraft will undergo “ground testing, engine runs, taxi tests and ultimately first flight,” Floyd said.

“Stratolaunch is on track to perform its first launch demonstration as early as 2019,” he added.

Wow Malaysia deports 23,000 illegal immigrants for criminal offences and 6 million more are unaccounted in Malaysia

Immigration Department: 23,000 illegal immigrants deported for criminal offences

 NOORSILA ABD MAJID,New Straits Times

PUTRAJAYA: The Immigration Department has deported 23,000 illegal immigrants up till May this year for various criminal offences, said its director-general, Datuk Mustafar Ali.

Topping the list of illegal immigrants deported are Indonesians with 6,849 people. This was followed by Bangladeshis at 4,220 people.

“We need the foreign workers. But we will not tolerate their crimes,” he told reporters after a dialogue session with the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) in his office this evening.

Also present was the vice chairman of MCPF, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

“They have violated the terms of their pass. They are involved in a lot of immoral activities here,” Mustafar said.

He listed various offences such as prostitution, black money scam, murder, snatch theft and kidnapping.

Currently, there are 13 detention centres nationwide and the Immigration Department has detained a total of 146,876 illegal immigrants in a series of nationwide crackdowns conducted from 2014 to 2016.

Addressing criticism on the lack of medical assistance at the detention centres, Mustafar said the medical assistance provided at the detention centres were sufficient.

“We have one medical officer from the Ministry of Health visiting each detention centre periodically.

“What we need is a bigger workforce to mind the 137 entry points and the detention centres.”

At present, there are 14,447 enforcement officers serving the department nationwide.

Shame only an Hour-long downpour have left parts of Johor Baru submerged and reason is drainage is lacking or drains filled with rubbish

The heavy rain which started at about 7pm inundated major roads such as Jalan Rosmerah Utama, Jalan Serampang, Jalan Bakawali 27, Jalan Wong Ah Fook and the Mount Austin area. (Pix courtesy of Civil Defence Force)

By Halim Said - May 31, 2017

JOHOR BARU: An hour-long heavy downpour today brought flash floods to at least five areas in the city this late evening.

The heavy rain which started at about 7pm inundated major roads such as Jalan Rosmerah Utama, Jalan Serampang, Jalan Bakawali 27, Jalan Wong Ah Fook and the Mount Austin area.

Floodwaters gradually receded by 10pm.

Johor Civil Defence Force director Colonel Mat Zin Bujang said although some areas were hit by flash floods, the agency did not receive any report of individuals in life-threatening situations or damage to any property.

“There is no immediate need for flood relief centres to be opened at this moment,” he said.

Shippers upset by Customs change requiring permits for transiting goods - money making scheme Illegal or Legal

KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 — A new Customs ruling now requires shipping firms to apply for approved permits (APs) for 74 product types, even if Malaysia is only an intermediate destination.

For local shipping firms, the added cost and bureaucracy would hurt not only their business but the attractiveness of Malaysian ports for international traders and transporters.

Malaysian Shipping Association chairman Ooi Lean Hin said the Customs Department ruling has been gazetted and came into effect in April.

“It’s ridiculous. We can’t do it. The goods are not ours. The goods are merely transiting in Malaysia,” Ooi told Malay Mail Online when contacted this week.

“We have written to the Customs Department and the matter is under consideration currently,” he added.

Ooi acknowledged, however, that the ruling has not yet been applied.

If enforced, it would require every ship calling in Malaysian ports to apply for the APs if any of their cargo falls in the 74 categories, even if these are not meant for the domestic sale or consumption.

“If this takes effect, the ports are going to lose a lot of business. The industry will be affected,” Ooi said.

It was previously reported that shipping companies are already looking to relocate abroad after Putrajaya announced that it was exempting the cabotage policy for Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan from today.

Local shipping firms are anticipating massive losses as the policy would mean foreign vessels would be able to transport domestically within Malaysia.

Under the cabotage policy, only a domestic freight company could transport goods domestically once it is unloaded by a foreign vessel at a Malaysian port.

Debate in India over whether Congress leaders protected Zakir Naik

Indian Congress Party have done alot of evil things and protect alot of evil killers and protecting another one does not make Indian congress party less evil

FMT Reporters | June 1, 2017

TimesNow.tv claims Naik’s aide has confessed that Naik received help from Congress ministers after his UK entry ban in 2010 when police began to focus attention on his activities.

KUALA LUMPUR: A debate has started in India following revelations that senior ministers of the previous Congress-led government, including a close aide of the Gandhis, allegedly helped save controversial preacher Zakir Naik from enforcement authorities.

TimesNow.tv claimed today it had access to a sworn confession of Zakir Naik’s closest aide, Amir Gazdar, before a magistrate in which he allegedly revealed that Naik sought and received help from senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh and two ministers.

TimeNow said Digvijay Singh was a close aide of Rahul Gandhi and one of the Gandhi family’s staunchest supporters.

The Press Trust of India reported yesterday that Naik, who is wanted in India to answer money-laundering and terror-related charges, was seeking Malaysian citizenship. Naik was given permanent residency status by the Malaysian government five years ago.

Gazdar claimed, according to TimesNow, that Naik had also met two ministers of the then Congress-led government. Congress lost the 2014 general election to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
It asked: “If Zakir Naik was already proscribed by the UK in 2010 and had cases filed against him by Mumbai cops in 2008, why did these ministers who were in a position to influence the probe, give him an audience?”

It said in 2010, then British Home Minister Theresa May signed an order barring Zakir Naik from entering the United Kingdom. The UK government informed India as to why Naik had been barred from entry.

TimesNow said Naik had been preaching in the UK off and on for about 15 years before the ban and that the UK law enforcement authorities had found that he was preaching hatred and “was actively conditioning young minds to take part in terrorism”.

According to the confession statement of Gazdar, it said, Naik was questioned at the Mumbai airport when he returned from the UK.

Naik, it said, had already been under investigation from 2008 by the Maharashtra state police for preaching hatred. Naik, even then, was prohibited by the Maharashtra police from holding rallies.
So, upon his return to India, police began to focus more on him.

Gazdar is alleged to have admitted that that was when Naik sought the help of Digvijay Singh and two ministers and that they helped solve Naik’s “problems”.
TimesNow said, from Gazdar’s confession, it was clear that these politicians had helped keep Naik safe from police action.

“These politicians abetted in the cause of Naik who is accused by both India and Bangladesh of indoctrinating young minds and turning them into terrorists. “

It showed clips with excerpts of statements and speeches of Naik and also clips of Digvijay Singh hugging Naik, in 2012, and praising him for his work for peace.

Digvijay Singh was last month removed by Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi as the party’s general secretary in-charge of Karnataka and Goa. But he still remains the All-India Congress Committee general secretary in charge of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

PTI said Naik fled India in July last year, immediately after an investigation was initiated against him following claims by terrorists in Bangladesh that they had been inspired by his speeches to carry out an attack on a cafe in Dhaka in which 22 people, mostly foreigners, were killed.

Naik is accused of spreading hatred through his provocative speeches, funding terrorists and money laundering. He has failed to return to India to answer the accusations or to be interviewed by law enforcement agencies.

Interpol was approached after a year-long probe which led to the banning of Naik’s NGO – the Islamic Research Foundation. His Peace TV has also been taken off the air by both India and Bangladesh.

The trouble with our immigration gatekeepers that most are corrupted

Hundreds of millions spent on immigration biometric and computer system yet we still allow North Korean operatives and IS fighters into the country

COMMENT

I refer to the special report by New Straits Times on May 16, 2017, on how Malaysia has become dumping ground for would-be IS fighters who were arrested in other countries for attempting to join the terrorist group in Syria.

The report implied that the reason for this was because of our visa-free arrangement to the terrorists’ country of origin.

Because these IS fighters, some flagged as “high risk”, were allowed to enter Malaysia, our police had to be mobilised to track them down.

My question is: why did our Immigration let them enter Malaysia in the first place?

During the MH370 crisis, the Malaysian Immigration authority was criticised for their admission of not checking visitors against Interpol database and allowing two Iranian with forged passports to pass.

I have raised several times inside and outside of parliament, the problems with our multi-million ringgit biometric and computerised Immigration management system.

I have also warned of an insiders syndicate which has been facilitating human trafficking in the country.

In October 2014, I have highlighted how the NERS system may have potentially be breached to allow 718,000 suspicious foreigners to enter our country in 2013.

The Auditor-General report in April 2016 highlighted how another system, the MyEG online migrant worker permit renewal system had breached immigration laws by illegally renewing almost 9,000 migrant workers in 2013 and 2014.

In June 2016, it was reported that the authority busted an insider syndicate in the Immigration Department which has been sabotaging the computer system called the Malaysia Immigration System (MyIMMS) to allow illegal entry into Malaysia.

All these systems are provided by private contractors who were awarded contracts worth hundreds of millions with yearly recurring payment, without open tender.

Malaysians were assured that these expensive contracts and purchases are necessary to ensure that our entry points are strengthen against intrusion.

Yet today our Immigration gatekeepers are letting North Korean operatives and IS terrorists into the country!

Is it the problem with the tools? Or the insiders syndicate? Or both?

With such severe rot in the system, nothing less than a Royal Commission of Enquiry on immigration reform will do to deal with our immigration crisis.

Steven Sim is the MP for Bukit Mertajam

Times are bad and everybody wants to be in the news for the wrong reasons to get an Ang Pow from the PM

Perak woman buys toy set for son; shocked to find "terrorist" figure holding "Allah" flag
 Bernama,New Straits Times 2 hours 19 minutes ago
Reactions  Like  Reblog on Tumblr  Share  Tweet  Email

PARIT BUNTAR: A woman who bought a building blocks toy set for her son here was shocked to discover that it contained elements that are offensive to Muslims.

40-year-old Mahnun Mat Isa, a teacher, said she was surprised to find the word ''Allah'' and ''Muhammad'' on a banner held by a ''terrorist-like'' character in the game set.

"What's more shocking is that the terrorist character (is wearing) an (Islamic turban)," she said

Mahnun had bought the toy set at a shop in Taiping and the product was made in China.

"I came to know about it when my son, who was playing with the toy, showed me the 'terrorist' character holding a banner which displayed the words 'Allah' and 'Muhammad’," she told reporters here yesterday.

Mahnun said she immediately lodged a police report and informed the Perak Islamic Religious Council (Maipk) in Parit Buntar on May 25.

Kerian police chief Supt Omar Bakhtiar Yaacob confirmed receiving a report from the teacher. -- BERNAMA

Pilots Testing Kitty Hawk Flying Vehicle

Kitty Hawk Corp., the flying car project backed by Alphabet CEO and Google co-founder Larry Page, unveiled the first prototype of the Flyer last month, and now it’s showing how to learn to fly it.

Kitty Hawk provided a short behind-the-scenes video to Business Insider, which shows early test flights and pilot training for the flying car.

Read: Summer Olympics 2020 News: Toyota-Backed Flying Car Could Light Torch In Tokyo For Opening Ceremony

The fully electric car looks like a jet ski with a web around it, but the company says the final version will differ from the prototype. The video shows pilots testing the Flyer with the machine was connected to a cord so it wouldn’t go too high or too fast during the learning period.

You can watch the video here:

The co-lead engineers of the Kitty Hawk Flyer, Cameron Robertson and Todd Reichert, told Business Insider they chose pilots from different backgrounds to test the machine, including sports pioneers, paraglider enthusiasts and helicopter pilots. The pilots first practiced with a flight simulator with replica controls, then went on to use a scale remote-controlled model of the Flyer. The controls were similar to video game controllers.

“The flight controls use thumbsticks just like an Xbox,” Robertson and Reichert said. “The right thumb lets you tilt the Flyer in any direction, and the left controls the altitude and heading. We aimed for an experience that was as universal and familiar as possible."


The engineers made it clear that Kitty Hawk is trying to make using a flying car as easy it can.

Reichert and Robertson said:

“Our focus is to reduce the workload for the user, so the immediate benefit of flying can be realized. On a bike, you have only one control input you need to handle all the time — steering. With Flyer, technically you can have no input at any given time and you’ll float comfortably in the air. The aircraft actively manages altitude and level. Only when you want to change something (i.e. move forward, or get a little higher) do you need to give input. Our goal is for flight to be only what you want to be doing, and for your intentions to be easy to express. The rest of the complexity and stress should fall away.”

They Kitty Hawk Flyer is expected to launch at the end of 2017, its site says. The price will be revealed when the machine is released later this year. The good news is that you won’t need a special pilot license to fly the machine. However, you won't be able to use the Flyer on land or cities — only over fresh water.

Other companies are looking into flying cars. Uber announced in April it plans to develop and test cars that can vertically take off and land by 2020. Airbus and Italdesign unveiled the new modular transport system concept Pop.Up in March. The concept includes a car that connects to a drone, propelled by eight counter-rotating rotors, that lifts it into the air to avoid traffic on the ground.

Lilium, a Munich startup, already has tested its all-electric flying car, Lilium Jet. The company is currently working on a five-seat model of the Jet for on-demand air taxi and ride-hailing services. Meanwhile, Japanese carmaker Toyota recently backed a flying car project, Skydrive, hoping to light the 2020 Olympic torch with the airborne vehicle.

Rolls-Royce’s Latest Car Costs $12.8 Million

By Nick Mafi. Photos courtesy of Rolls-Royce.

With most car's ranging in the six-figures, Rolls-Royce has built a reputation for excellence since their founding in 1906. Which makes the news that the British luxury-car manufacturer recently unveiled their most expensive vehicle all the more exciting. Adding to the drama is the fact that the Sweptail, as the car is being called, is a one-off vehicle that took four years to create by hand, and features a full-length panoramic roof that culminates in a tail-like rear of the vehicle. In total, the custom-built car costs a whooping $12.8 million.

The Sweptail is a two-seat coupe that was the dream of a longtime Rolls-Royce customer. In 2013, the undisclosed male owner commissioned the car company to build a vehicle that would take on many of the aesthetics of the swept-tail Rolls-Royces' of the 1920s and '30s. Much of the clients love for the vehicles of that era came from his current passion for yachting. As such, the designers and engineers came up with a bespoke car that included an ample of amount of wood interiors, as well as a long, uninterrupted glass roof to enjoy the sky, much like from the deck of a yacht. Just to make the interior that much more glamorous, the team at Rolls-Royce added a button that, when pushed, deploys a chilled bottle of the owners favorite champagne along with two crystal flutes.

The eight-figure car was unveiled over the weekend at the Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este in Italy. Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös expressed his pride in designing the historic vehicle at the ceremony, “Sweptail is a truly magnificent car. It exudes the romance of travel for its own sake, and immediately places ‘Sweptail’ in the pantheon of the world’s great intercontinental tourers...We are listening carefully to our most special customers and assessing their interest in investing in similar, completely exclusive masterpieces."

This story originally appeared on Architectural Digest.