‘Fifty Shades’ eclipses ‘Ted’ to top list of highest-grossing ‘R’ rated movie |
- ‘Fifty Shades’ eclipses ‘Ted’ to top list of highest-grossing ‘R’ rated movie
- Range Rover offers new convertible version of Evoque
- Zahid passing buck on Anwar’s Parliament attendance, PKR lawyers insist
- AFP Video: Testing of new Range Rover Evoque Convertible
- UK to classify child sex abuse as a ‘national threat’
- Anti-Islamist general named Libya army chief
| ‘Fifty Shades’ eclipses ‘Ted’ to top list of highest-grossing ‘R’ rated movie Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:58 PM PST
The raunchy flick has eclipsed Seth MacFarlane's comedy, which previously held the record after making US$330 million, Variety reports. Current estimations put the film, which had a budget of US$40 million, on track to hit US$500 million next week. The steamy tale, based on the bestselling trilogy of novels by E. L. James, tells the story of S&M-loving billionaire Christian Grey and literature student Anastasia Steele, played by Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson respectively. — AFP-Relaxnews  |
| Range Rover offers new convertible version of Evoque Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:54 PM PST LONDON, Mar 3 — British luxury SUV brand Land Rover is to offer its most popular off roader as a convertible. Just 24 hours before the 85th Geneva Motor Show opens its doors to the world's motoring press, the company has decided to release the first official teaser images of what it claims will be the world's first premium compact SUV convertible. To try and keep the car's development a secret, the Range Rover Evoque Convertible was tested underground in the tunnels currently being created for the London Crossrail train project — the largest construction project currently being undertaken in Europe. And, a film has been posted to YouTube of the stunt. Murray Dietsch, Director of Land Rover Programmes said: "The tunnels are still under construction, so we had a unique opportunity to explore the vehicle's all-terrain ability in unchartered territory." When the convertible goes on sale later in 2015 it will line up alongside the face-lifted two-door and four-door hardtop versions of the Evoque, both of which will also be getting their official unveiling at this year's Geneva show. — AFP-Relaxnews |
| Zahid passing buck on Anwar’s Parliament attendance, PKR lawyers insist Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:53 PM PST
By virtue of Section 13(1) of the Prisons Act stating that the director-general was answerable to the home minister, PKR's N. Surendran and Latheefa Koya said this meant the decision is, by extension, entirely Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's. "It is not the responsibility or jurisdiction of the Speaker, AG or Pardon's Board to bring Anwar Ibrahim from prison to Parliament "Only the Prisons Director General has the legal authority to release Anwar Ibrahim to attend Parliament. ... The Prisons D-G and the prison's department fall under the control and responsibility of the home minister," the two said in a statement today. They then rubbished Ahmad Zahid's claim that the decision was also dependent on the Pardons Board meeting to hear Anwar's petition, saying that any decision by the board would render the appeal moot as the opposition leader will either be freed or disqualified if his appeal is rejected. "We are astonished at the lengths to which the home minister is prepared to go in order to evade responsibility regarding the attendance of the leader of the Opposition at Parliament," they added, Yesterday, Ahmad Zahid claimed that the request for Anwar to be granted permission to leave the Sungai Buloh Prison could not be processed as the Pardons Board that is hearing his petition has not been convened. The minister also added that the matter was for Parliament Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia and Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail to decide. On February 10, the Federal Court upheld the Court of Appeal's 2014 ruling that reversed Anwar's acquittal of sodomising former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, and sentenced the Permatang Pauh lawmaker to five years' jail. He remains an MP and federal opposition leader by virtue of the petition for a royal pardon filed on his behalf by his family, which stays the disqualification from his jail sentence pending the disposal of the petition. PKR insists that Anwar is entitled to be present during next week's Parliament sitting as federal opposition leader, but lawyers previously told Malay Mail Online that there is specific legal provision that provides Anwar with such a right. |
| AFP Video: Testing of new Range Rover Evoque Convertible Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:51 PM PST Duration: 01:34, Published 3 Mar 2015 British luxury SUV brand Land Rover is to offer its most popular off roader as a convertible. — AFP-Relaxnews |
| UK to classify child sex abuse as a ‘national threat’ Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:47 PM PST
Britain has been rocked by a series of child sex abuse revelations, including a case in Rotherham, northern England, where some 1,400 children, some as young as 11, were abused by gangs of predominantly Asian men. Classifying child sexual abuse as a national threat will create a duty for police forces to collaborate across regions to safeguard children, Cameron's office said. Cameron will also announce other measures to improve coordination between public bodies and a helpline to encourage whistleblowers. In addition, Cameron will propose criminal sanctions for senior public workers who fail to protect children from abuse, as he speaks to a meeting of victim groups, police and child protection experts in his official London residence. "We have all been appalled at the abuse suffered by so many young girls in Rotherham and elsewhere across the country," Cameron will say, according to extracts released in advance by his office. "Children were ignored, sometimes even blamed, and issues were swept under the carpet — often because of a warped and misguided sense of political correctness. That culture of denial which let them down so badly must be eradicated." The government has begun an inquiry into decades of child abuse and whether powerful public figures covered it up. Yesterday, British police charged 10 men with sexual offences, including several involving children, as part of a wider police investigation into child sexual exploitation in Rochdale, another northern English town. — Reuters |
| Anti-Islamist general named Libya army chief Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:43 PM PST
"I've chosen Major General Khalifa Belgacem Haftar for the post of commander-in-chief of the army after promoting him to the rank of lieutenant general," Aguila Salah, the speaker of the internationally recognised parliament, told AFP. Libya has been awash with weapons since the 2011 uprising that toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi, and opposing militias have since been battling for control of its cities and oil wealth. It has two rival governments and parliaments, those recognised by the international community sitting in the far east of the country and the others with ties to Islamists in the capital, Tripoli. The internationally backed legislature created the post of army chief under a new law passed last week. A member of parliament said at the time that the law was adopted to "legitimise" Haftar, who calls himself chief of the Libyan National Army. Army spokesman Colonel Ahmed al-Mesmari said Haftar would be sworn in today before the assembly. His appointment threatens to derail efforts by UN envoy Bernardino Leon to relaunch a political dialogue in Libya, which has rival governments and parliaments and is flush with armed militias. Yesterday night, however, the internationally recognised parliament voted to return to the UN-brokered talks a week after suspending its participation, a lawmaker told AFP. Last May, Haftar launched an offensive against Islamists in the country's east, prompting the then-government to accuse him of trying to stage a coup. But after Islamists-led militias seized Tripoli, following disputed elections in June, the internationally recognised authorities have gradually allied themselves with him. Last month, they formally requested that he and 129 other retired officers return to active service. In addition to the insecurity since Kadhafi's overthrow, there have been growing fears in Libya and beyond about efforts by the Islamic State jihadist group to establish a stronghold in the country. UN-sponsored talks The international community faces a daunting task to find a political solution to the lawless nation's political and military crisis. Fajr Libya, a coalition of militias that seized Tripoli and which backs a rival government based in the capital, has rejected any political settlement that includes Haftar. And Haftar has branded the Fajr Libya coalition—which includes moderate militias considered as the armed wing of the Libya branch of the Muslim Brotherhood—as "terrorist" groups. Haftar's convictions are not shared by many, with analysts saying that Fajr Libya has a role to play in UN-brokered talks just as much as the general. Western countries also do not share Haftar's views and believe "he is putting moderate Islamists and extremist ones in the same bag," a Western diplomat said. Yesterday UN envoy Leon shuttled between the rival parliaments to persuade them to resume talks on a political solution to the crisis. Lawmakers said Leon met representatives of the General National Congress, the parallel parliament backed by Fajr Libya, in Tripoli and with the legislature based in the eastern city of Tobruk. After meeting with Leon, the Tobruk-based parliament voted to return to the talks, said lawmaker Abu Bakr Beira. Last week the elected parliament had decided to suspend its participation in the UN-brokered talks over what is said was Western pressure to include Islamists in a future government. The suspension came days after 40 people were killed in suicide car bombings in the eastern town of Al-Qoba claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group. Since launching efforts at dialogue in September, Leon has been unable to bring together leading players from the rival camps. The United Nations had invited the two parliaments to the new round of talks on Thursday in Morocco but the meeting has been postponed. On February 11, Leon met separately with officials from both sides in southern Libya and reported that the indirect talks were "positive and constructive". — AFP |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malay Mail Online | All To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
