BACHOK - Penduduk di daerah ini berasa cukup bertuah dengan kesudian Menteri Besar Kelantan, Datuk Ahmad Yacob meluangkan masa setengah hari di Dun Perupuk, di sini semalam.
Menjelang tengah hari, Ahmad menghadiri majlis kenduri kaum Siam di Kampung Balai sebelum menunaikan solat berjemaah bersama penduduk dan menjamu selera dalam jamuan rakyat di Kampung Mujur pada sebelah petang.
Beliau turut menyempurnakan majlis pecah tanah masjid baharu Mukim Mujur yang bakal memulakan pembinaan dalam masa terdekat.
Adun Perupuk, Mohd Huzaimy Che Husin berkata, beliau amat berbesar hati menerima kunjungan Menteri Besar Kelantan dan amat berbangga melihat sambutan diberikan orang ramai.
"Saya ucap terima kasih kepada Menteri Besar atas kunjungannya dan tidak lupa kepada semua yang menjayakan majlis bersama beliau hari ini (semalam)," katanya ketika ditemui pada majlis pecah tanah untuk pembinaan masjid baharu Mukim Mujur, dekat sini.
Hadir sama, Adun Jelawat, Abdul Azziz Kadir dan Adun Tawang, Hassan Mahmood.
Sementara itu, Imam Tua Masjid Mukim Mujur, Mohamed Marzuki Lateh memaklumkan, hasrat membina masjid baharu sudah dirancang selama dua tahun bersama ahli jawatankuasa masjid.
Menurutnya, pembinaan masjid baharu adalah satu langkah perlu diambil memandangkan masjid sedia ada yang dibina sejak 1979 sudah semakin usang dan sering bocor.
"Masjid sedia ada hanya boleh memuatkan 500 jemaah pada satu-satu masa dan kami bercadang membina masjid baharu yang boleh memuatkan sehingga 1,000 jemaah. Ia akan dibina dua tingkat untuk keselesaan jemaah.
"Pembinaannya akan dilaksanakan dalam masa terdekat menggunakan dana melalui derma orang ramai. Bagi mereka yang ingin menyumbang untuk pembinaan masjid ini, boleh berbuat demikian melalui akaun Bank Islam bernombor 03111-01–001400-5," katanya.
Tambah Mohamed Marzuki, sebarang pertanyaan mengenai pembinaan masjid baharu Mukim Mujur boleh diajukan kepada beliau sendiri di talian 013-935 3268 atau kepada Imam II Masjid Mukim Mujur di talian 019-959 9484.
SECOND CHANCE This is a freelance blog yaw..
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Malaysia tersingkir Kejohanan Futsal AFC 2014
MALAYSIA tersingkar dari Kejohanan Futsal AFC 2014 setelah tewas kepada pasukan China Taipei 2-3 dalam perlawanan kumpulan C yang terakhir di Stadium Ton Duc Thang University di Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam pada Isnin.
Kekalahan itu menyaksikan pasukan Maizal Hairi Marzuki gagal menempah tempat di suku akhir selepas mengumpul tiga mata dari tiga perlawanan.
Thailand dan Lubnan berjaya memasuki suku akhir sekalipun kedua-dua pihak seri 3-3 dalam satu lagi perlawanan kumpulan di Phu Tho Stadium, di bandaraya itu.
China Taipei yang telahpun tersingkir dari pertandingan, mendahului kedudukan menerusi Chang Hao-Wei pada minit ke-14 sebelum skipper, Huang Cheng-Tsung memperkukuh kedudukan hadapannya, tiga minit kemudian.
Mohd Asmie Amir Zahari mengecilkan jurang bagi pasukan negara pada minit ke-20 tetapi gagal menyekat pasukan lawan menambah gol ketiga menerusi tendangan Weng Wei-Pin pada minit ke-26.
Muhamad Fitri Muhamad Yatim menjaringkan satu lagi gol pada minit ke-29 tetapi sudah lewat untuk menghalang pasukan lawan meraih kemenangan pertama mereka di pertandingan itu.
Maizal Hairi berkata, pemain-pemainnya telah bermain dengan baik, tetapi mereka gagal mendapatkan mata penyama selepas ketinggalan 2-3 kepada China Taipei pada separuh kedua.
Keputusan itu melanjutkan kemarau Malaysia di pertandingan itu oleh kerana mereka tidak pernah memasukan suku akhir sejak pertandingan diperkenalkan pada 1999.
- Bernama
Kekalahan itu menyaksikan pasukan Maizal Hairi Marzuki gagal menempah tempat di suku akhir selepas mengumpul tiga mata dari tiga perlawanan.
Thailand dan Lubnan berjaya memasuki suku akhir sekalipun kedua-dua pihak seri 3-3 dalam satu lagi perlawanan kumpulan di Phu Tho Stadium, di bandaraya itu.
China Taipei yang telahpun tersingkir dari pertandingan, mendahului kedudukan menerusi Chang Hao-Wei pada minit ke-14 sebelum skipper, Huang Cheng-Tsung memperkukuh kedudukan hadapannya, tiga minit kemudian.
Mohd Asmie Amir Zahari mengecilkan jurang bagi pasukan negara pada minit ke-20 tetapi gagal menyekat pasukan lawan menambah gol ketiga menerusi tendangan Weng Wei-Pin pada minit ke-26.
Muhamad Fitri Muhamad Yatim menjaringkan satu lagi gol pada minit ke-29 tetapi sudah lewat untuk menghalang pasukan lawan meraih kemenangan pertama mereka di pertandingan itu.
Maizal Hairi berkata, pemain-pemainnya telah bermain dengan baik, tetapi mereka gagal mendapatkan mata penyama selepas ketinggalan 2-3 kepada China Taipei pada separuh kedua.
Keputusan itu melanjutkan kemarau Malaysia di pertandingan itu oleh kerana mereka tidak pernah memasukan suku akhir sejak pertandingan diperkenalkan pada 1999.
- Bernama
Pelajar Al-Azhar disingkir
KAHERAH - MESIR. Puluhan pelajar Universiti Al-Azhar disingkir kerana terlibat dalam protes anti kerajaan.
Agensi berita Mena melaporkan, kebanyakkan pelajar kemasukan sesi Ogos tahun lalu itu merupakan penyokong tegar bekas Presiden Mohammed Mursi.
Presiden universiti, Osama El-Abd berkata, siasatan membuktikan kesemua pelajar itumengambil bahagian dalam aktiviti yang melanggar peraturan universiti.
“Seramai 36 daripada mereka adalah pelajar wanita dari cawangan universiti di bandar Delta Nil di Zagazig,” katanya.
Februari lalu, Presiden sementara Adly Mansour meminda undang-undang membenarkan ketua universiti untuk mengusir pelajar yang terlibat dalam rusuhan.
Menurut laporan Al Ahram, sebanyak 25 pelajar universiti berkenaan telah diusir sejak Mac lalu namun kumpulan akademik berpendapat, polis sengaja menahan mereka tanpa bukti dan menuduh mereka terlibat dengan aktiviti rusuhan.
Agensi berita Mena melaporkan, kebanyakkan pelajar kemasukan sesi Ogos tahun lalu itu merupakan penyokong tegar bekas Presiden Mohammed Mursi.
Presiden universiti, Osama El-Abd berkata, siasatan membuktikan kesemua pelajar itumengambil bahagian dalam aktiviti yang melanggar peraturan universiti.
“Seramai 36 daripada mereka adalah pelajar wanita dari cawangan universiti di bandar Delta Nil di Zagazig,” katanya.
Februari lalu, Presiden sementara Adly Mansour meminda undang-undang membenarkan ketua universiti untuk mengusir pelajar yang terlibat dalam rusuhan.
Menurut laporan Al Ahram, sebanyak 25 pelajar universiti berkenaan telah diusir sejak Mac lalu namun kumpulan akademik berpendapat, polis sengaja menahan mereka tanpa bukti dan menuduh mereka terlibat dengan aktiviti rusuhan.
Innalillah - Datuk Aziz Satar meninggal dunia
PELAKON veteran, Datuk Aziz Sattar, 89, meninggal dunia akibat penyakit jantung di Hospital Kajang pada kira-kira jam 2 pagi tadi.
Memetik laporan sebuah media, Allahyarham menghembuskan nafas terakhir di sisi dua anak, menantu dan seorang cucu.
Allahyarham dilaporkan dimasukkan ke hospital sejak kelmarin selepas diserang penyakit jantung.
Jenazah yang akan dibawa pulang ke rumahnya di Bandar Tun Hussein Onn, Cheras, sebaik dibenarkan pihak hospital dan urusan pengebumian dijangka dilakukan pagi ini.
Allahyarham yang dilahirkan di Surabaya, Indonesia merupakan rakan seangkatan Allahyarham Tan Sri P Ramlee dan Allahyarham S Shamsuddin popular menerusi filem Seniman Bujang Lapok.
Al-Fatihah...
Allahyarham dilaporkan dimasukkan ke hospital sejak kelmarin selepas diserang penyakit jantung.
Jenazah yang akan dibawa pulang ke rumahnya di Bandar Tun Hussein Onn, Cheras, sebaik dibenarkan pihak hospital dan urusan pengebumian dijangka dilakukan pagi ini.
Allahyarham yang dilahirkan di Surabaya, Indonesia merupakan rakan seangkatan Allahyarham Tan Sri P Ramlee dan Allahyarham S Shamsuddin popular menerusi filem Seniman Bujang Lapok.
Al-Fatihah...
Brunei agresif perjelas kepada bukan Islam
SHAH ALAM - Kerajaan Brunei menitikberatkan penerangan yang jelas mengenai undang-undang hudud kepada rakyatnya, terutama golongan bukan Islam, bagi memastikan ia lebih difahami.
Timbalan Peguam Kanan, Jabatan Peguam, Hasanah Hasan berkata, pihaknya bertanggungjawab meningkatkan pemahaman masyarakat bukan Islam tempatan mengenai undang-undang itu berikutan fasa pertama pelaksanaan yang bermula 1 Mei lalu.
“Saya ingin mengingatkan orang ramai, pelaksanaan hukum hudud merupakan kewajipan pemerintah sebagaimana diisytiharkan Tuanku Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah sewaktu mengumumkan pelaksanaan hudud.
“Fasa pertama hanya meliputi kesalahan am yang ditetapkan undang-undang, manakala hukuman berat seperti hukuman mati hanya akan berkuat kuasa pada fasa ketiga dan terakhir pelaksanaan, 24 bulan selepas Mahkamah Tatacara Jenayah Syariah (CPC) diwartakan,” katanya dipetik The Brunei Times ketika memberi taklimat berkenaan undang-undang jenayah syariah Brunei kepada Persatuan India Belait (IAB).
Katanya, rakyat juga mempunyai kewajipan untuk bersungguh-sungguh memahami kandungan dan tujuan sebenar hukum hudud dilaksanakan.
“Taklimat ini turut menyentuh jenis-jenis kesalahan dan hukuman serta memberi penekanan kepada kaedah pembuktian dan keadaan apabila ‘hadd’ (hukuman bagi kesalahan tertentu yang ditentukan al-Quran dan as-Sunnah) tidak akan dikenakan untuk ‘sariqah’ atau kecurian,” katanya.
Dalam satu kenyataan, IAB berkata, pihaknya telah mengadakan taklimat mendidik ahli-ahlinya dan masyarakat India di Belait, Brunei mengenai undang-undang jenayah syariah bagi memastikan mereka bertanggungjawab serta mematuhi undang-undang ditetapkan.
IAB juga berhasrat mengambil segala usaha dalam membantu jabatan kerajaan berkaitan menyebar maklumat dan meningkatkan kesedaran undang-undang dalam kalangan masyarakat India.
Dalam perkembangan sama, Kerajaan Arab Saudi bersedia melatih hakim syariah dan pegawai kehakiman Brunei dalam melaksanakan hukum hudud di negara itu.
Duta Arab Saudi ke Brunei, Mohammed Jameel Abdul Jaleel Hashim berkata, kerajaannya bakal menyediakan hakim syariah bagi membantu undang-undang berkenaan dilaksanakan.
Katanya, Brunei menjadi negara pertama di Asia Tenggara melaksana hudud dan diharap rakyat negara itu mengetahui tujuan undang-undang itu dilaksanakan.
Timbalan Peguam Kanan, Jabatan Peguam, Hasanah Hasan berkata, pihaknya bertanggungjawab meningkatkan pemahaman masyarakat bukan Islam tempatan mengenai undang-undang itu berikutan fasa pertama pelaksanaan yang bermula 1 Mei lalu.
“Saya ingin mengingatkan orang ramai, pelaksanaan hukum hudud merupakan kewajipan pemerintah sebagaimana diisytiharkan Tuanku Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah sewaktu mengumumkan pelaksanaan hudud.
“Fasa pertama hanya meliputi kesalahan am yang ditetapkan undang-undang, manakala hukuman berat seperti hukuman mati hanya akan berkuat kuasa pada fasa ketiga dan terakhir pelaksanaan, 24 bulan selepas Mahkamah Tatacara Jenayah Syariah (CPC) diwartakan,” katanya dipetik The Brunei Times ketika memberi taklimat berkenaan undang-undang jenayah syariah Brunei kepada Persatuan India Belait (IAB).
Katanya, rakyat juga mempunyai kewajipan untuk bersungguh-sungguh memahami kandungan dan tujuan sebenar hukum hudud dilaksanakan.
“Taklimat ini turut menyentuh jenis-jenis kesalahan dan hukuman serta memberi penekanan kepada kaedah pembuktian dan keadaan apabila ‘hadd’ (hukuman bagi kesalahan tertentu yang ditentukan al-Quran dan as-Sunnah) tidak akan dikenakan untuk ‘sariqah’ atau kecurian,” katanya.
Dalam satu kenyataan, IAB berkata, pihaknya telah mengadakan taklimat mendidik ahli-ahlinya dan masyarakat India di Belait, Brunei mengenai undang-undang jenayah syariah bagi memastikan mereka bertanggungjawab serta mematuhi undang-undang ditetapkan.
IAB juga berhasrat mengambil segala usaha dalam membantu jabatan kerajaan berkaitan menyebar maklumat dan meningkatkan kesedaran undang-undang dalam kalangan masyarakat India.
Dalam perkembangan sama, Kerajaan Arab Saudi bersedia melatih hakim syariah dan pegawai kehakiman Brunei dalam melaksanakan hukum hudud di negara itu.
Duta Arab Saudi ke Brunei, Mohammed Jameel Abdul Jaleel Hashim berkata, kerajaannya bakal menyediakan hakim syariah bagi membantu undang-undang berkenaan dilaksanakan.
Katanya, Brunei menjadi negara pertama di Asia Tenggara melaksana hudud dan diharap rakyat negara itu mengetahui tujuan undang-undang itu dilaksanakan.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Possible signals from lost jet's black boxes heard
PERTH, Australia (AP) — Underwater sounds detected by a ship searching the southern Indian Ocean for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet are consistent with the pings from aircraft black boxes, an Australian official said Monday, dubbing it "a most promising lead" in the monthlong hunt for the vanished plane.
"Clearly this is a most promising lead, and probably in the search so far, it's probably the best information that we have had," Houston said at a news conference. "We've got a visual indication on a screen and we've also got an audible signal — and the audible signal sounds to me just like an emergency locator beacon."Angus Houston, the head of a joint agency coordinating the search, warned that it could take days to confirm whether the signals picked up by the Australian navy ship Ocean Shield are indeed from the black boxes that belonged to Flight 370, but called the discovery very encouraging.
After a monthlong search for answers filled with dead ends, Monday's news brought fresh hope given that the two black boxes, which contain flight data and cockpit voice recordings, are the key to unraveling exactly what happened to Flight 370 and why.
Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammudin Hussein told reporters that in light of the new information, "We are cautiously hopeful that there will be a positive development in the next few days, if not hours."
There was little time left to locate the devices, which have beacons that emit "pings" so they can be more easily found. The beacons' batteries last only about a month — and Tuesday marks exactly one month since the plane disappeared during a flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing with 239 people on board.
The Australian navy's Ocean Shield, which is carrying high-tech sound detectors from the U.S. Navy, picked up two separate signals late Saturday night and early Sunday morning within a remote patch of the Indian Ocean far off the west Australian coast that search crews have been crisscrossing for weeks. The first signal lasted two hours and 20 minutes before it was lost. The ship then turned around and picked up a signal again — this time recording two distinct "pinger returns" that lasted 13 minutes, Houston said.
"Significantly, this would be consistent with transmissions from both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder," Houston said.
Still, Houston cautioned that it was too early to say the transmissions were coming from the missing jet.
"I would want more confirmation before we say this is it," he said. "Without wreckage, we can't say it's definitely here. We've got to go down and have a look."
The airliner's black boxes normally emit a frequency of 37.5 kilohertz, and the signals picked up by the Ocean Shield were both 33.3 kilohertz, said U.S. Navy Capt. Mark Matthews. But officials contacted the device's manufacturer and were told the frequency of black boxes can drift near the end of their shelf lives.
The Ocean Shield was slowly canvassing a small area trying to find the signal again, though that could take another day, Matthews said.
The ping locator is designed to detect signals at a range of 1.8 kilometers (1.12 miles), meaning it would need to be almost on top of the black boxes to detect them if they were on the ocean floor, which is about 4,500 meters (14,800 feet) deep.
If they pick up the signal again, the crew will launch an underwater vehicle to investigate, Matthews said. The Bluefin-21 autonomous sub can create a sonar map of the area to chart where the debris may lie on the sea floor. If it maps out a debris field, the crew will replace the sonar system with a camera unit to photograph any wreckage."It's like playing hot and cold when you're searching for something and someone's telling you you're getting warmer and warmer and warmer," he said. "When you're right on top of it you get a good return."
But that may prove tricky, given that the sub can only dive to about 4,500 meters (14,800 feet) — the approximate depth of the water. That means the vehicle will be operating to the limits of its capability.
Given the difficulties involved, officials warned the mystery of Flight 370 would still take time to resolve.
"It could take some days before the information is available to establish whether these detections can be confirmed as being from MH370," Houston said. "In very deep oceanic water, nothing happens fast."
Geoff Dell, discipline leader of accident investigation at Central Queensland University in Australia, said it would be "coincidental in the extreme" for the sounds to have come from anything other than an aircraft's black box.
"If they have a got a legitimate signal, and it's not from one of the other vessels or something, you would have to say they are within a bull's roar," he said. "There's still a chance that it's a spurious signal that's coming from somewhere else and they are chasing a ghost, but it certainly is encouraging that they've found something to suggest they are in the right spot."
Meanwhile, the British ship HMS Echo, was using sophisticated sound-locating equipment to try to determine whether two separate sounds heard by a Chinese ship about 555 kilometers (345 miles) away from the Ocean Shield were related to the plane. The patrol vessel Haixun 01 detected a brief "pulse signal" on Friday and a second signal on Saturday.
The crew of the Chinese ship reportedly picked up the signals using a sonar device called a hydrophone dangled over the side of a small boat — something experts said was technically possible but extremely unlikely. The equipment aboard the British and Australian ships is dragged slowly behind each vessel over long distances and is considered far more sophisticated.
The search effort was also continuing on the ocean surface Monday. Twelve planes and 14 ships were searching three designated zones, one of which overlaps with the Ocean Shield's underwater search. All of the previous surface searches have found only fishing equipment or other sea trash floating in the water, but have found no debris related to the Malaysian plane.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Soda sales in US decline at faster pace
NEW YORK (AP) — Americans cut back on soda at an accelerated pace last year, extending a slow retreat from the category that began nearly a decade ago.
The latest numbers underscore the daunting challenge Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. face in turning around the category, despite their plans to intensify marketing and introduce versions of their flagship sodas made with natural, low-calorie sweeteners.U.S. sales volume of carbonated soft drinks fell 3 percent in 2013, according to a report released Monday by Beverage Digest, an industry tracker. That represents a steeper drop than the 1.2 percent decline in 2012 and brings total soda volume to the lowest level since 1995.
While carbonated soft drinks still represent the biggest category in the beverage industry, alternatives such as energy drinks and flavored waters have slowly chipped away at the popularity of longtime favorites like Coke, Pepsi and Dr Pepper.
Soda's image has also taken a beating, with public health advocates blaming it for fueling weight gain.
Even diet sodas are suffering. Last year, for instance, sales volume for Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi suffered steeper declines than their full-calorie counterparts.
"The carbonated category is in need of innovation and innovation quickly," said John Sicher, publisher of Beverage Digest.
Industry executives blame the trend in diet sodas on worries people have about artificial sweeteners. But newer, smaller brands made with artificial sweeteners, such as Sparkling Ice by TalkingRain, have enjoyed strong growth.
Overall, Coca-Cola Co. fared better than rival PepsiCo and saw its soda volume fall 2.2 percent, according to the Beverage Digest. In addition to its namesake soda, Coca-Cola owns Sprite and Fanta.
PepsiCo Inc., which makes Mountain Dew, saw volume fall 4.4 percent. That was despite the company's stepped up marketing for Pepsi, including sponsorship of the Super Bowl halftime show for the past two years.
Overall, the declines in the soda category mean that 1.2 billion cases have been wiped from the industry since 1995. Each case represents 192 ounces.
Coke remains the top soda brand, followed by Diet Coke at No. 2, Pepsi at No. 3 and Mountain Dew at No. 4. The only new brand in the top 10 was Coke Zero, which displaced Diet Dr Pepper.
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo both make an array of other beverages, including bottled water, orange juice and sports drinks. But sodas still account for a large and lucrative portion of their businesses.
Dan Schafer, a spokesman for Coca-Cola, said the Atlanta company was "committed to returning our overall sparkling business to growth in the U.S."
A representative for PepsiCo, Dave DeCecco, noted that the company's portfolio includes several leading beverages in growth categories, such as Gatorade in sports drinks and Lipton in bottled teas. The company, based in Purchase, N.Y., has noted that it is less dependent on soda sales than rival Coca-Cola.
North, South Korea trade live fire over sea border
Seoul (AFP) - The two Koreas traded hundreds of rounds of live artillery fire across their disputed maritime border Monday, forcing South Korean islanders to take shelter a day after the North drove up tensions by threatening a new nuclear test.
South Korea's defence ministry said the North fired some 500 shells during the drill, around 100 of them landing on the south side of the sea boundary.The exchange, triggered by a three-hour North Korean live-fire exercise that dropped shells into South Korean waters, was limited to untargeted shelling into the sea, military officials said.
The ministry said the South had responded to Pyongyang's "premeditated provocation" by firing 300 shells from K-9 self-propelled howitzer batteries based on its front-line islands.
"If the North takes issue with our legitimate returning of fire and uses it to make yet another provocation towards our sea and islands, we will make a resolute retaliation," ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok said.
The United States denounced North Korea's artillery fire, with the White House and the Pentagon accusing Pyongyang of "dangerous" behavior.
"The provocation that the North Koreans have once again engaged in is dangerous and it needs to stop," Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel told reporters in Washington.
Analysts said the incident, coming a day after Pyongyang threatened to conduct a "new" type of nuclear test, was largely a sign of the North's growing frustration with US resistance to resuming multi-party talks on its nuclear programme.Hagel said the North's actions would be "a subject that I will discuss with my counterpart in China" during a tour of Asia over the next two weeks.
"I don't see that this ran any real risk of escalating into a serious clash," said Yang Moo-Jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
"It's really North Korea showing it intends to keep the pressure on to resume a dialogue," Yang said.
Pyongyang sees the nuclear negotiations as an opportunity to win material concessions and aid from the international community.
The South Korean stock market shrugged off the incident, with the main Kospi index closing up 0.23 percent at 1,985.61.
- Unusual advance warning -
The North had ensured maximum publicity for its live-fire drill by taking the unusual step of notifying the South beforehand, and issuing a provocative no-sail, no-fly advisory.
The exercise began at 12:15pm (0315 GMT) and South Korea, which had threatened to respond if any shells crossed the border, retaliated shortly afterwards, the defence ministry said.
As a precaution, border island residents were evacuated to shelters, as South Korean fighter jets flew overhead. The evacuation order was lifted an hour after the North ended its drill.
In November 2010, North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong island just south of the sea boundary, killing four people and triggering concerns of a full-scale conflict.
China, the North's key ally, expressed concern and urged the two Koreas to exercise restraint.
Pyongyang has carried out a series of rocket and short-range missile launches in recent weeks, in a pointed protest at ongoing annual South Korea-US military exercises."Currently there are raised tensions on the Korean peninsula, and we are concerned about this. We hope relevant parties exercise restraint," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters.
Monday's incident coincided with a massive, amphibious landing drill by nearly 15,000 South Korean and US troops.
Last week, the North upped the ante by test-firing two mid-range ballistic missiles capable of striking Japan.
The UN Security Council condemned the launches, and Pyongyang responded with its threat of a new type of nuclear test -- a possible reference to testing a uranium-based device or a miniaturised warhead small enough to fit on a ballistic missile.
North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests, the most recent -- and most powerful -- in February last year.
Most experts believe it is still some way from mastering the technology required to build a miniaturised warhead -- a development that would be seen as a game-changer in assessing the North's nuclear arms capabilities.
- 'Severe cost' for nuclear test -
South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-Se warned Monday that the North would pay a "severe cost" if it went ahead with another test in defiance of UN sanctions.
North-South tensions have been rising for weeks, undermining hopes raised after the North in February hosted the first reunion for more than three years of families separated by the war.
As well as the annual South Korean-US military drills, the North has been angered by efforts to bring Pyongyang before the UN Security Council over a UN report detailing Pyongyang's record of systematic human rights abuse.
In a new bid to coordinate policy, the State Department announced that Robert King, the US special envoy for human rights in North Korea, would visit South Korea and Japan starting Wednesday
Asiana: Jet partly to blame in California crash
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Asiana Airlines acknowledged in documents released Monday that its pilots failed to correct their fatally slow approach to a landing at San Francisco International Airport but also blamed the maker of the jet, saying it did not automatically maintain a safe speed.
U.S. accident investigators made public a filing in which the South Korea-based airline asserted that the Boeing 777 had major design flaws that led the pilots to believe it would keep flying at the proper speed and that failed to warn the cockpit crew in time when it did not.
Boeing Co. countered in its own filing with the National Transportation Safety Board that the airplane performed as expected, and the pilots were to blame for the July 6 crash because they stuck with a troubled landing.
The plane slammed into a seawall at the beginning of a runway during its final approach. The impact ripped off its back and scattered pieces of the jet as it spun and skidded to a stop.
In all, 304 of the 307 people aboard survived. Coroner's officials concluded that one of three teens who died, Ye Meng Yuan, was run over and killed by a rescue vehicle as she lay on the tarmac.
Asiana acknowledged in its NTSB filing that the crew failed to monitor air speed in the moments before the crash and should have aborted the landing for another go around.
"The probable cause of this accident was the flight crew's failure to monitor and maintain a minimum safe airspeed during a final approach," Asiana conceded.
However, Asiana argued that the pilots and co-pilot reasonably believed the automatic throttle would keep the plane going fast enough to reach the runway — when in fact the auto throttle was effectively shut off after the pilot idled it to correct an unexplained climb earlier in the landing.
The airline said the plane should have been designed so the auto throttle would maintain the proper speed after the pilot put it in "hold mode."
Instead, the auto throttle did not indicate that the plane had stopped maintaining the set air speed, and an alert sounded too late for the pilots to avoid the crash, Asiana said. The airline added that U.S. and European aviation officials have warned Boeing about the issue, but it has not been changed.
In most other planes, idling the auto throttle would not disengage it for the rest of a flight, aviation safety consultant John Cox said.
Cox, president and CEO of Safety Operating Systems and a former airline pilot and accident investigator, likened it to the cruise control in a car. If a driver sets it for 55 mph (88.5 kph) and then accelerates to pass a car, the driver would expect the cruise control to re-engage when the speed slows to 55 mph (88.5 kph) again.
"The flight crew had an expectation that the auto throttle system was going to do certain things that it did not do," Cox said. "Although they were trained about it, it was not overly intuitive."
Asiana wrote that the pilot flying the plane, Lee Kang Kuk, had been trained to recognize the throttle issue with a 777. The most recent training was three months before the accident, and the instructor specifically used a landing at San Francisco airport as an example.
"This lesson was explained on two occasions by two different instructor pilots," Asiana wrote. Lee "attended the lectures, asked questions specifically about this feature of the automation, and discussed the 'anomaly' with his fellow trainee captains after class."
The NTSB previously said the pilots showed signs of confusion about the 777's elaborate computer systems. The agency has not determined an exact cause of the crash.
Lee was an experienced pilot with Asiana but was a trainee captain in the 777, with less than 45 hours in the jet. He has told transportation safety board investigators that he did not immediately move to perform an emergency "go around" because he felt only the instructor pilot had that authority.
Asiana wrote to the NTSB that under its company policy, "any pilot can and should call for a go-around — without penalty — whenever confronted with a potential safety issue."
Boeing told the NTSB the airplane and all its systems were functioning as expected.
"Boeing believes that the evidence supports the following conclusion: This accident occurred due to the flight crew's failure to monitor and control airspeed, thrust level and glide path on short final approach," the airplane manufacturer said.
Asiana and Boeing have been sued in U.S. courts over the crash.
Attorney Michael Verna, who represents several clients seeking damages from Asiana, said the airline documents released Monday amounted to a probable cause statement that he would use when his cases go before a federal judge in Oakland.
"Had the pilots monitored the instruments," Verna said, "we wouldn't have had the accident."
MH370: fresh debris dismissed but search will go on, says Australian PM
Orange objects spotted by a plane searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet have turned out to be nothing more than fishing equipment, and the Australia prime minister, Tony Abbott, has declared there's no time limit on the search for MH370.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said the objects had been analysed and a spokesman, Jesse Platts, said: "They have nothing to do with the missing flight."
An Australian P-3 Orion search plane spotted at least four orange objects in waters west of Perth on Sunday and were described by the pilot Russell Adams as the most promising lead in the search so far.
But despite yet another false alarm, Abbott said the search would not be scaled down.
"I'm certainly not putting a time limit on it ... We can keep searching for quite some time to come," he said on Monday at RAAF Pearce, the Perth military base coordinating the operation.
"We owe it to the families, we owe it to everyone that travels by air, we owe it to the anxious governments of the countries who had people on that aircraft. We owe it to the wider world which has been transfixed by this mystery for three weeks now."
The Australian naval vessel Ocean Shield conducted sea trials of hi-tech detection equipment on Monday before its 1850km journey to a tract of the southern Indian Ocean west of Perth.
The trials included a US Navy black box detector, an unmanned underwater vehicle and other acoustic detection equipment.
The Ocean Shield is expected to take up to four days to reach the 319,000-square-kilometre search zone. Another navy ship, the frigate HMAS Toowoomba, reached the area by mid-morning on Monday after two days at sea.
It is a race against time, given the box's low-frequency acoustic beacon has a limited battery life. That has extended from an estimated 30 days to roughly 45 days, according to Captain Mark Matthews, a US Navy equipment specialist.
"These are rated to last 30 days, but that is a minimum. In my experience, they do last a little bit longer than that," Matthews said on Monday.
But the operation remained an extraordinarily difficult exercise, Abbott said.
"We are searching a vast area of ocean and working with quite limited information," he said after touring the Pearce base, where search planes from seven nations are being deployed, involving 550 personnel.
The defence minister, David Johnston, said about 1,000 sailors were looking for debris at sea but the task was still onerous.
Each country involved is bearing its own costs, but Australia is paying for the running of the co-ordination centre, which will have about 20 staff and be led by the retired air chief marshall Angus Houston from headquarters in Perth’s CBD.
Abbott also said his Malaysian counterpart was not too hasty in announcing last week that the plane was lost in the southern Indian Ocean and all on board were assumed dead, despite no debris being recovered or confirmed as being from MH370.
"That's the absolute overwhelming weight of evidence and I think that prime minister Najib Razak was perfectly entitled to come to that conclusion," he said.
A comment piece in the China Daily newspaper called for "rationality" among relatives – some of whom insist their loved ones could still be alive.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
POST 5 - Malaysia ketepikan Kanada 3-1
MALAYSIA mengetepikan Kanada 3-1 pada perlawanan pusingan awal Kejohanan Hoki Piala Sultan Azlan Shah ke-23 di Stadium Azlan Shah di Ipoh malam ini:
Separuh masa: Malaysia 1 Kanada 1
Penjaring:
Malaysia:
Faizal Saari (min-4 dan 46), Ahmad Nasruddin (min-66)
Kanada:
Adam Froese (min-15)
- Bernama
Penjaring:
Malaysia:
Faizal Saari (min-4 dan 46), Ahmad Nasruddin (min-66)
Kanada:
Adam Froese (min-15)
- Bernama
POST 4 - Kehilangan pesawat tidak jejas permintaan naik MAS
KEHILANGAN Penerbangan MH370 Malaysia Airlines (MAS) dijangka tidak mendatangkan impak teruk terhadap permintaan pelancongan udara syarikat penerbangan nasional itu dalam jangka sederhana.
RHB Research berkata, peristiwa itu adalah satu lagi halangan terhadap prospeknya untuk kembali meraih keuntungan, tetapi setakat ini trend tempahan penerbangan dan faktor muatan MAS jelas tidak berubah dan tidak ada tanda-tanda ia semakin perlahan.
Kegiatan promosi dihentikan dan laman sesawang syarikat penerbangan itu ‘digelapkan’ - laman ‘terpendam’ setelah semua bahan promosi ditiadakan untuk memberi maklumat dan berita terbaharu mengenai kehilangan MH370 itu.
“Laman sesawang yang ‘digelapkan’ hanya diaktifkan dalam keadaan krisis dan dalam kes ini kami tidak dapat mengandaikan tempoh masanya,” kata RHB Research yang menyarankan saham syarikat itu ‘dijual’.
RHB Research juga menurunkan taraf sektor penerbangan tempatan kepada neutral daripada beli lebih tanpa sebarang hasil diraih daripada penggiat industri tahun ini. - Bernama
RHB Research berkata, peristiwa itu adalah satu lagi halangan terhadap prospeknya untuk kembali meraih keuntungan, tetapi setakat ini trend tempahan penerbangan dan faktor muatan MAS jelas tidak berubah dan tidak ada tanda-tanda ia semakin perlahan.
Kegiatan promosi dihentikan dan laman sesawang syarikat penerbangan itu ‘digelapkan’ - laman ‘terpendam’ setelah semua bahan promosi ditiadakan untuk memberi maklumat dan berita terbaharu mengenai kehilangan MH370 itu.
“Laman sesawang yang ‘digelapkan’ hanya diaktifkan dalam keadaan krisis dan dalam kes ini kami tidak dapat mengandaikan tempoh masanya,” kata RHB Research yang menyarankan saham syarikat itu ‘dijual’.
RHB Research juga menurunkan taraf sektor penerbangan tempatan kepada neutral daripada beli lebih tanpa sebarang hasil diraih daripada penggiat industri tahun ini. - Bernama
POST 3 - Baca al-Quran rahsia kekal sihat
PASIR MAS - Amalan membaca ayat suci al-Quran adalah rahsia Mat Hassan Ngah yang kini berusia 105 tahun masih sihat tubuh badan dan tidak mempunyai sebarang penyakit.
Bapa kepada tiga anak berusia antara 58 hingga 48 tahun itu juga bersyukur dianugerahkan penglihatan yang baik walaupun telah berusia.
Berasal dari Kampung Chap, Gelang Mas, Mat Hassan dan isterinya, Jenab Adam, 90, tetap kelihatan mesra serta manja antara satu sama lain.
Bapa kepada tiga anak berusia antara 58 hingga 48 tahun itu juga bersyukur dianugerahkan penglihatan yang baik walaupun telah berusia.
Berasal dari Kampung Chap, Gelang Mas, Mat Hassan dan isterinya, Jenab Adam, 90, tetap kelihatan mesra serta manja antara satu sama lain.
Mereka sering bergurau senda dan tidak malu menunjukkan kasih sayang, malah adakalanya mereka juga turut makan bersuap.
“Pakcik masih ingat semasa kecil-kecil dulu, orang-orang tua selalu cakap pakcik dilahirkan semasa Kelantan dilanda banjir merah.
“Pakcik masih ingat semasa kecil-kecil dulu, orang-orang tua selalu cakap pakcik dilahirkan semasa Kelantan dilanda banjir merah.
“Tetapi kalau diikutkan pada kad pengenalan, pakcik dilahirkan pada 1915 dan semasa membuat kad tersebut, umur pakcik 25 tahun,” katanya.
Mat Hassan berkata, dia juga sangat menjaga pemakanan dan hanya memakan ulam-ulaman serta sayur-sayuran segar sahaja.
“Pakcik tidak suka mengambil makanan yang diawet dan segera, semuanya harus segar,” katanya.
Menurutnya, dahulu dia merupakan Home Guard dan berkhidmat dari tahun 1948 hingga 1962.
Mat Hassan yang begitu bersemangat menceritakan pengalamannya sebagai pejuang kemerdekaan berkata, melihat generasi muda sekarang seolah-olah tidak menghargai kebebasan, sangat menyedihkan hatinya.
Katanya, generasi muda seperti mensia-siakan kebebasan tersebut apabila ramai terjebak dengan aktiviti tidak bermoral seperti penyalahgunaan dadah dan lumba haram.
“Pakcik harap generasi muda akan sedar dengan kealpaan mereka dan menggunakan peluang yang ada ini untuk menikmati kehidupan lebih baik untuk masa depan, bukannya merosakkan diri sendiri,” katanya.
Mat Hassan berkata, dia juga sangat menjaga pemakanan dan hanya memakan ulam-ulaman serta sayur-sayuran segar sahaja.
“Pakcik tidak suka mengambil makanan yang diawet dan segera, semuanya harus segar,” katanya.
Menurutnya, dahulu dia merupakan Home Guard dan berkhidmat dari tahun 1948 hingga 1962.
Mat Hassan yang begitu bersemangat menceritakan pengalamannya sebagai pejuang kemerdekaan berkata, melihat generasi muda sekarang seolah-olah tidak menghargai kebebasan, sangat menyedihkan hatinya.
Katanya, generasi muda seperti mensia-siakan kebebasan tersebut apabila ramai terjebak dengan aktiviti tidak bermoral seperti penyalahgunaan dadah dan lumba haram.
“Pakcik harap generasi muda akan sedar dengan kealpaan mereka dan menggunakan peluang yang ada ini untuk menikmati kehidupan lebih baik untuk masa depan, bukannya merosakkan diri sendiri,” katanya.
POST 2 - Di mana MH370 boleh mendarat?
MAKLUMAT data mendapati pesawat MH370 berhubung enam kali dengan satelit dan yang terakhir direkodkan pada jam 8.11 pagi pada waktu tempatan 8 Mac lalu bukti pesawat itu tidak mengalami masalah teknikal meskipun transporder sudah dimatikan berhampiran sempadan kawalan trafik udara antara Malaysia dan Vietnam.
Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Penerbangan Awam (DCA), Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman berkata, berdasarkan data satelit berkenaan, kajian dilakukan pakar bagi menentukan laluan yang digunakan MH370.
Menurutnya, isyarat itu dikesan pada tempoh pesawat hilang daripada titik Igari untuk sempadan kawalan trafik udara Vietnam dan Malaysia dan ‘air turn back’ ke Selat Melaka.
Sidang media semalam, Pemangku Menteri Pengangkutan, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein berkata pesawat berkenaan mempunyai tempoh 30 minit sahaja selepas itu untuk melakukan penerbangan sebelum kehabisan minyak.
Walau bagaimanapun beliau sebelum itu turut menafikan pesawat berkenaan mendarat di Pengkalan Tentera Diego Garcia milik AS di Lautan Hindi.
Jadi ke mana pesawat yang hendak kehabisan minyak boleh melakukan pendaratan cemas?
Seperti yang diketahui umum di kawasan Lautan Hindi cukup luas dan mempunyai banyak pulau-pulau kecil.
Menurut pakar, MH370 boleh mendarat dengan selamat pada landasan pendek yang bukan khas untuk kegunaan pesawat komersial sepertinya.
Jika mendarat dengan kawalan juruterbang di laut, pesawat dianggarkan mengambil masa tiga minit untuk meluncur sebelum terhenti dan terapung sebelum tenggelam jika air memasuki kabin sepenuhnya.
Berbeza dengan sebarang pendaratan di daratan seperti padang pasir, pesawat boleh mengalami banyak kerosakan kerana permukaan tidak rata dan keras yang boleh menyebabkan MH370 melambung atau terhempas di luar kawalan.
Jika teori ini tepat, MH370 yang dilaporkan dikendalikan secara manual oleh seseorang yang mahir di dalam kokpit akan melalui kawasan Kepulauan Andaman selepas isyarat terakhir dipercayai dari pesawat itu dikesan radar Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia di situ.
Pulau Nicobar yang terletak Lautan Hindi mempunyai tiga landasan kapal terbang tinggal yang sudah tidak digunakan. Salah satu daripadanya adalah Lapangan Terbang Campbell Bay yang terletak 190 kilometer Utara Kepulauan Sumatera.
Selain itu, terdapat sebuah lagi landasan kapal terbang dibina tentera Jepun pada tahun 1942 hingga 1945. Landasan ini kemudiannya diubahsuai dan dipanjangkan sehingga 8,886 kaki oleh Tentera Udara India pada 1967.
Sebuah lagi landasan kapal terbang terletak di Utara antara Pulau Andaman dan Nicobar. Ialah Landasan Kapal Terbang Shibpur yang kini juga sudah tidak lagi digunakan.
Landasan kapal terbang tinggal juga wujud di Pulau Koko yang dikatakan dimiliki oleh tentera Myanmar dan sesetengahnya mengatakan ianya kini di bawah kekuasaan China.
Pilihan terakhir, MH370 juga boleh mendarat dengan selamat di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Veer Savarkar atau lebih dikenali sebagai ‘Portblair’ milik Negara India di pulau yang sama yang difahamkan kini dalam proses pengubahsuaian.
Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Penerbangan Awam (DCA), Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman berkata, berdasarkan data satelit berkenaan, kajian dilakukan pakar bagi menentukan laluan yang digunakan MH370.
Menurutnya, isyarat itu dikesan pada tempoh pesawat hilang daripada titik Igari untuk sempadan kawalan trafik udara Vietnam dan Malaysia dan ‘air turn back’ ke Selat Melaka.
Sidang media semalam, Pemangku Menteri Pengangkutan, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein berkata pesawat berkenaan mempunyai tempoh 30 minit sahaja selepas itu untuk melakukan penerbangan sebelum kehabisan minyak.
Walau bagaimanapun beliau sebelum itu turut menafikan pesawat berkenaan mendarat di Pengkalan Tentera Diego Garcia milik AS di Lautan Hindi.
Jadi ke mana pesawat yang hendak kehabisan minyak boleh melakukan pendaratan cemas?
Seperti yang diketahui umum di kawasan Lautan Hindi cukup luas dan mempunyai banyak pulau-pulau kecil.
Menurut pakar, MH370 boleh mendarat dengan selamat pada landasan pendek yang bukan khas untuk kegunaan pesawat komersial sepertinya.
Jika mendarat dengan kawalan juruterbang di laut, pesawat dianggarkan mengambil masa tiga minit untuk meluncur sebelum terhenti dan terapung sebelum tenggelam jika air memasuki kabin sepenuhnya.
Berbeza dengan sebarang pendaratan di daratan seperti padang pasir, pesawat boleh mengalami banyak kerosakan kerana permukaan tidak rata dan keras yang boleh menyebabkan MH370 melambung atau terhempas di luar kawalan.
Jika teori ini tepat, MH370 yang dilaporkan dikendalikan secara manual oleh seseorang yang mahir di dalam kokpit akan melalui kawasan Kepulauan Andaman selepas isyarat terakhir dipercayai dari pesawat itu dikesan radar Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia di situ.
Pulau Nicobar yang terletak Lautan Hindi mempunyai tiga landasan kapal terbang tinggal yang sudah tidak digunakan. Salah satu daripadanya adalah Lapangan Terbang Campbell Bay yang terletak 190 kilometer Utara Kepulauan Sumatera.
Selain itu, terdapat sebuah lagi landasan kapal terbang dibina tentera Jepun pada tahun 1942 hingga 1945. Landasan ini kemudiannya diubahsuai dan dipanjangkan sehingga 8,886 kaki oleh Tentera Udara India pada 1967.
Sebuah lagi landasan kapal terbang terletak di Utara antara Pulau Andaman dan Nicobar. Ialah Landasan Kapal Terbang Shibpur yang kini juga sudah tidak lagi digunakan.
Landasan kapal terbang tinggal juga wujud di Pulau Koko yang dikatakan dimiliki oleh tentera Myanmar dan sesetengahnya mengatakan ianya kini di bawah kekuasaan China.
Pilihan terakhir, MH370 juga boleh mendarat dengan selamat di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Veer Savarkar atau lebih dikenali sebagai ‘Portblair’ milik Negara India di pulau yang sama yang difahamkan kini dalam proses pengubahsuaian.
POST 1 - Dua daripada empat pelajar hilang ditemui
KUALA KANGSAR - Dua daripada empat pelajar tingkatan 5 Kolej Vokasional Padang Rengas yang dilaporkan hilang ketika ekspedisi mendaki Gubung Bubu, Ulu Kernas sejak Ahad lalu, sudah ditemui pagi tadi.
Siti Azimah Mohd Fitri dan Mohd Putera Rafii, 17, ditemui anggota penyelamat kira-kira jam 9.15 pagi sebelum tiba di pusat kawalan operasi anggota Bomba dan Penyelamat pada jam 12.13 tengah hari.
Pemangku Ketua Polis Daerah Kuala Kangsar, Asisten Superintenden Alias Seman berkata, kedua-dua mereka ditemui dalam keadaan lesu, namun tidak mengalami sebarang kecederaan.
Menurutnya, usaha mencari dua lagi pelajar, Adam Asyraf Azuaan dan Mohd Amir Asyraf masih diteruskan.
"Namun dengan penemuan dua pelajar itu, kawasan pencarian dapat dikecilkan dan anggota bertugas menumpukan pencarian di sekitar pesisiran Sungai Gading," katanya.
Siti Azimah Mohd Fitri dan Mohd Putera Rafii, 17, ditemui anggota penyelamat kira-kira jam 9.15 pagi sebelum tiba di pusat kawalan operasi anggota Bomba dan Penyelamat pada jam 12.13 tengah hari.
Pemangku Ketua Polis Daerah Kuala Kangsar, Asisten Superintenden Alias Seman berkata, kedua-dua mereka ditemui dalam keadaan lesu, namun tidak mengalami sebarang kecederaan.
Menurutnya, usaha mencari dua lagi pelajar, Adam Asyraf Azuaan dan Mohd Amir Asyraf masih diteruskan.
"Namun dengan penemuan dua pelajar itu, kawasan pencarian dapat dikecilkan dan anggota bertugas menumpukan pencarian di sekitar pesisiran Sungai Gading," katanya.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)