WhatsApp? Service down, three days after Facebook deal

WhatsApp? Service down, three days after Facebook deal
French anti-airport protesters clash with police
Ukraine’s Yanukovych says ‘does not intend to resign’
Black boxes found from Libyan plane crash in Tunisia
Najib: BR1M to continue as long as economy is strong
Mawan extends olive branch to G5

Posted: 22 Feb 2014 06:15 PM PST

WhatsApp's 450 million worldwide users were unable to access the smartphone free-messaging service on Saturday, three days after Facebook declared it was lavishing up to $19 billion on it.

"Sorry we currently experiencing server issues. We hope to be back up and recovered shortly," WhatsApp said in a message on Twitter that was retweeted more than 25,000 times in just a few hours and provoked ridicule because it comes so soon after Facebook's hefty acquisition.

Some WhatsApp users found they were unable to connect to the app, while others complained their messages were not going through.

WhatsApp has not indicated how long the outage would last or when it began.

However, the specialist website techcrunch.com suggested the problem might be down to "a surge of signups and usage that has overloaded its servers" after the publicity the app garnered after Facebook's announcement on Wednesday.

Facebook is betting huge on mobile with the eye-popping cash-and-stock deal for WhatsApp, which was only started five years ago but has quickly grown as a free alternative to text messages.

It is Facebook's biggest acquisition and comes less than two years after the California-based Internet star raised $16 billion in the richest tech sector public stock offering.

Neither WhatsApp nor Facebook were immediately available for comment.

However, the outage was the source of much amusement — as well as anger — on Twitter.

"I expect you are all away from your desks on the ales drinking some of that Facebook cash!" one user, "leonclarance," replied to WhatsApp's tweet about the blackout.

Another simply tweeted: "Turn down Facebook's offer guys!" – AFP

French anti-airport protesters clash with police

Posted: 22 Feb 2014 05:55 PM PST

FRANCE: Protesters opposed to plans to build a new airport for the French city of Nantes smashed shop windows Saturday and hurled paving stones at police, who answered with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Tens of thousands of protesters against building the airport on protected swampland swarmed the western city's Petite Hollande square, the latest in a string of demonstrations against the pet project of Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.

But a short distance away, about 1,000 radical environmentalists staged a more violent protest, smashing shop windows and trashing a post office and the local offices of Vinci, the contractor on the airport project in nearby Notre-Dame-des-Landes.

The eco-warriors pulled up paving stones from the Nantes tramway and threw them at charging police, along with bottles, emergency flares and other projectiles.

Six police were wounded in the clashes and four protesters were arrested, officials said.

Police said the more mainstream protest organisers were "overwhelmed by the radical fringe they've relied on from the start".

Ayrault, who was mayor of Nantes from 1989 to 2012, condemned the violence.

"In a democracy, the right to oppose and protest against a project is legitimate, but such violence is unacceptable, and nothing can justify it," he said.

Interior Minister Manuel Valls echoed his criticism and said the "ultra-left" and foreigners had turned the protest into "urban guerrilla warfare".

The protest comes two months after local officials gave the final go-ahead for preliminary work on the 580-million-euro ($795-million) project, which was approved in 2008.

Construction is due to start this year but has not yet begun, and the target date for opening has been pushed back from 2017 to at least 2019.

The airport is set to have an initial annual capacity of four million passengers. Supporters say it will provide a major boost to tourism in western France and on the Atlantic coast. – AFP

Ukraine’s Yanukovych says ‘does not intend to resign’

Posted: 22 Feb 2014 04:34 PM PST

UKRAINE: Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych denied on Saturday that he planned to resign in response to violence that left nearly 100 people dead in anti-government unrest.

"I am not leaving the country for anywhere. I do not intend to resign. I am the legitimately elected president," Yanukovych told a local television station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

The embattled leader said he felt that his own security and the safety "of people close to me" was being threatened by protesters who had taken control of large parts of central Kiev.

He added that he had been given "security guarantees" by international mediators who helped him and the opposition sign a political pact on Friday aimed at ending the country's three-month crisis.

"My car was shot at. But I have no fear," Yanukovych said.

He added that "everything happening today can primarily be described as vandalism, banditry and a coup d'etat. That is my assessment."

"This is not an opposition," Yanukovych added. "These are bandits." -AFP

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Black boxes found from Libyan plane crash in Tunisia

Posted: 22 Feb 2014 04:22 PM PST

TUNISIA: Searchers in Tunisia have found the black boxes of a Libyan military hospital plane that crashed early on Friday, killing 11 people including a top former jihadist, the transport ministry said.

"The transport ministry announces that the two black boxes from the Libyan military aircraft that crashed yesterday in the Grombalia region have been found," a statement said, without elaborating.

The aircraft came down at about 1:30 am (0030 GMT) on Friday in a field on the edge of Nianou village, around 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the capital Tunis.

It had been transporting Meftah al-Mabrouk Issa al-Dhawadi to Tunis from a military airfield near Tripoli for medical treatment, the Libyan government said in a statement.

All 11 on board were killed. In addition to Dhawadi and another unidentified patient, the dead were three medics and a crew of six.

Dhawadi was a leader of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) — a now disbanded movement with alleged links to Al-Qaeda which joined the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

Several members of the group served in the transitional government of Abdelrahim al-Kib, which held power for a year from November 2011.

Dhawadi was undersecretary at the ministry of martyrs and missing persons.

The aircraft that crashed was a Libyan air force Russian-made Antonov-26, a twin-engine turboprob. -AFP

Najib: BR1M to continue as long as economy is strong

Posted: 22 Feb 2014 12:15 PM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday gave the assurance that the people would continue to get the 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) for as long as the country's political stability and strong economic growth is maintained.

The prime minister said with economic growth, it would enable the government to implement development programmes and channel aid to the people.

Hence, he said, it was the priority of the Barisan Nasional (BN) government to do its best in administering the country.

"Currently, BN is able to administer the country well, when other countries are facing problems, through policies which are strong and accelerate economic growth, although there are uncertainties in the world economy.

"But in Malaysia, we are able to determine our economy as well as accelerate its growth, and when the country's revenue increases, we distribute the wealth to the people," he said when launching the BR1M 2014 here yesterday.

Najib said the government had allocated RM4.6 billion for BR1M 2014 which would benefit 7.9 million recipients.

He hoped the increase in the value of BR1M could ease the people's burden, especially the urban residents.

The BR1M allowance to households with monthly income of RM3,000 and below has been increased from RM500 to RM700, including RM50 for contribution to the Group Takaful Rakyat 1Malaysia (i-BR1M) insurance which provides protection of up to RM30,000 in the event of death or permanent disability.

For single individuals aged 21 and above, and with a monthly income not exceeding RM2,000, the amount is increased from RM250 to RM300.

In addition, BR1M has been extended to households with a monthly income of between RM3,000 and RM4,000 and they will receive RM450.

The prime minister said that as a responsible government, it had to carry out fiscal consolidation to maintain the momentum of the country's economy and the people's well-being.

He said it had to be done in stages to ease the people's burden, besides having to convince the world market that efforts would continue to be made by the government to strengthen the country's fiscal position.

Najib said the improvements made to BR1M was in tandem with the implementation of the targeted subsidy in an effort to ease the people's burden.

"Therefore, the government will change the policy on subsidy, which is from bulk subsidy to targeted subsidy to ensure that the implementation of the subsidy is fair," he added.

The prime minister also said the government had fulfilled the promises it made in the last general election's manifesto, which among others, was to increase in stages the BR1M value.

The prime minister said implementation of bulk subsidy was seen as a wastage and leakage because those who were not eligible to benefit from it, like foreign tourists and workers, also enjoyed the facility.

"For example, the subsidy for RON95 petrol is 63 sen per litre. Imagine the difference between owners of low and high capacity vehicles if they get to enjoy the same petrol subsidy. It is not fair.

"So, the government decides to change the policy from bulk subsidy to targeted subsidy in stages and shift the savings to the people through BR1M. BR1M is an example of the targeted subsidy," he added.

Najib said BR1M 2014 was a manifestation of a good economic management by the government.

"The BR1M payment has been credited directly to the bank accounts of the recipients since yesterday. Those who do not have a bank account, they will receive the voucher, to be given in stages.

"This is because the people need the aid now and they need not have to wait long to enjoy aid from the government," he said.

He also said the BN government would always fulfill its election manifesto, including during the 13th general election to increase the value of BR1M to RM1,200 in five years.

"It will be increased in stages, meaning next year, the amount will increase," he added. — Bernama

Mawan extends olive branch to G5

Posted: 22 Feb 2014 12:12 PM PST

Door opens for G5 to rejoin SPDP as party seeks to reconcile with rebel leaders

KUCHING: SPDP president Tan Sri William Mawan said the Group of Five (G5) can apply to rejoin the party following recent calls by top Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders to reconcile.

Speaking to journalists here yesterday, Mawan, who is also Minister of Social Development, said he was all for letting "bygone be bygone" and to be forward looking in the interest of the party and the Barisan Nasional (BN).

"The chief minister has asked us to reunite and reconsolidate ourselves, and we are responding to that. We have to … there is no other way which we can go," he said after attending a function at Batu Lintang Teachers' Training College here.

Mawan said the party would "reconcile as far as we can".

When prodded whether that meant allowing the G5 back into the party, he quipped: "I guess so."

The G5 moniker refers to assemblypersons Datuk Peter Nansian Ngusie (Tasik Biru), Datuk Sylvester Entrie Muran (Marudi), Rosey Yunus (Bekenu), Paulus Palu Gumbang (Batu Danau) and former Mas Gading MP Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe.

Nansian is also Assistant Minister of Industrial Estate Development, Sylvester is Assistant Minister of Agriculture (Farmer's Organisation), while Rosey is Assistant Minister of Early Childhood Education and Family Development.

They were sacked from the party in November 2011 and January 2012 for gross insubordination, and are now partyless.

Mawan admitted SPDP had undergone "some hiccups, or you can call it a little bit of incidents in the party's disciplinary process" in the past that prompted action to be taken against those concerned.

"For certain members, we have sacked them. But there again, even sacked members still have the right reapply to join the party. I guess in our case, we shall try to reconcile.

"We even have members at grassroots who might not go alongside with us, who might go astray, not necessarily these five members. Even at Saratok, I have members who are fighting me, but I say please come around."

He thus called on party members to let bygone be bygone and to focus on how they could contribute to the party.

"Don't go back into the past, but move forward in tandem with the general development of the party. If we are united, we are okay and the trust and public confidence will be there.

"The reconciliation is somewhere there. It may not be taking a 100 per cent form. I believe the solution to our party is through reconciliation and we must go beyond our emotions and personal feelings. Efforts must be seen and done in the interest of BN solidarity."