Good night Malaysian 370

Good night Malaysian 370

Good night Malaysian 370

Posted: 26 Aug 2014 08:17 PM PDT

RMonday.

Malaysia's ambassador to China told Chinese families inBeijing as early as March 12, four days after the flight wentmissing, that the last words had been "All right, good night."

"Good night Malaysian three seven zero" would be a moreformal, standard sign-off from the cockpit of the Boeing 777, which was just leaving Malaysia-controlled air space on itsroute from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Minutes later its communications were cut off and it turnedback across Malaysia and headed toward the Indian Ocean. Morethan three weRestigation" to determine P

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Malaysia says the plane, which disappeared less than an hourinto its flight, was likely to have been diverted deliberatelyfar off course. Investigators have determined no apparent motiveor other red flags among the 227 passengers or the 12 crew.About two-thirds of the passengers were Chinese nationals.

(Reporting By Stuart Grudgings; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

By Matt Siegel

ABOARD US NAVY P-8 POSEIDON, Indian Ocean, April 1 (Reuters)- O f all the 20 aircraft and ships out scouring the vast IndianOcean for debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370,the U.S. Navy's P-8 Poseidon seems perhaps the most likely tohelp unlock modern aviation's most confounding mystery.

Five workstations lining the fuselage displayhigh-definition video from the top-secret sensors that make thisone of the most sophisticated surveillance planes in the world.

But the latest mission in the three-week hunt - fiveluckless hours skimming as low as 300 feet (90 metres) above thewave tops - only served to underscore the enormity of thechallenge facing the international search team.

"This is my first time in the Indian Ocean and it isunquestionably the most untouched piece of water I have everseen," U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander David Mims, the plane'spilot, told Reuters during a search flight this week.

"It's rare to come out and not see any land mass, not seeany shipping traffic. There's nothing," he said. "It's weird."

The United States, China, Australia, New Zealand, SouthKorea and Japan are all scouring an area some 2,000 km (1,200miles) west of the Australian city of Perth, where investigatorsbelieve the Boeing 777 carrying 239 people came down.

So far, the search has turned up only fishing rubbish andother flotsam. It has been halted several times by bad weatherin the search area.

Two Poseidons are engaged in the search. Costing around $175million, the aircraft is armed with cameras, infra-red and radarsensors that are fine-tuned to detect enemy submarines hidingunder the ocean surface.

But despite its high-tech equipment, much of the searchingis visual - crew members peering out a window.

"I'm a pretty optimistic guy by nature," said Petty OfficerMichael Herman, perched in front of a porthole staring out intothe foggy sea. "But yeah, this is tough."

The Poseidons operate alongside a pair of Chinese Il-76military transport planes at Perth International Airport. Theyare kept under tight security, including a round-the-clock armedrapid response team.

The plane is so top-secret that a Reuters journalist given arare berth was stripped of all electronic devices and barredfrom taking pictures.

The technology is impressive. Sitting at a pair of monitorsstacked one atop the other, Petty Officer Julio Cerpa operates apanoramic camera that quickly zooms in on distant patches ofocean with great clarity.

An infrared version of the same camera feed cuts through thehaze of fog surrounding the plane, offering a polarised andsomewhat nightmarish view of the search area.

About two hours into the search zone, the monotony ofpeering out a window or at a computer screen, is starting towear on the crew.

Petty Officer Sam Judd begins a slow climb up his seat backthat will eventually see him perched atop it. Cerpa's hands turnhis workstation into the world's most expensive drum kit.

And then the plane begins to ascend back to 30,000 feet,(9,000 metres) having found nothing. The total trip, includingflying time to reach the search zone, is around 10 hours.

To an outsider, the experience can seem frustrating, but thecrew maintains a remarkably optimistic outlook. Even a trip thatfinds nothing rules out a part of the search zone, and is thusan important part of finding the wreckage, says Mims, the pilot.

"Being this far into the search process and having this muchocean to cover definitely makes it a challenging evolution," hesays. "But if it's in our area, I think the probability offinding it is high." (Editing by Ron Popeski)

By Matt Siegel

ABOARD US NAVY P-8 POSEIDON, Indian Ocean, April 1 (Reuters)- O f all the 20 aircraft and ships out scouring the vast IndianOcean for debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370,the U.S. Navy's P-8 Poseidon seems perhaps the most likely tohelp unlock modern aviation's most confounding mystery.

Five workstations lining the fuselage displayhigh-definition video from the top-secret sensors that make thisone of the most sophisticated surveillance planes in the world.

But the latest mission in the three-week hunt - fiveluckless hours skimming as low as 300 feet (90 metres) above thewave tops - only served to underscore the enormity of thechallenge facing the international search team.

"This is my first time in the Indian Ocean and it isunquestionably the most untouched piece of water I have everseen," U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander David Mims, the plane'spilot, told Reuters during a search flight this week.

"It's rare to come out and not see any land mass, not seeany shipping traffic. There's nothing," he said. "It's weird."

The United States, China, Australia, New Zealand, SouthKorea and Japan are all scouring an area some 2,000 km (1,200miles) west of the Australian city of Perth, where investigatorsbelieve the Boeing 777 carrying 239 people came down.

So far, the search has turned up only fishing rubbish andother flotsam. It has been halted several times by bad weatherin the search area.

Two Poseidons are engaged in the search. Costing around $175million, the aircraft is armed with cameras, infra-red and radarsensors that are fine-tuned to detect enemy submarines hidingunder the ocean surface.

But despite its high-tech equipment, much of the searchingis visual - crew members peering out a window.

"I'm a pretty optimistic guy by nature," said Petty OfficerMichael Herman, perched in front of a porthole staring out intothe foggy sea. "But yeah, this is tough."

The Poseidons operate alongside a pair of Chinese Il-76military transport planes at Perth International Airport. Theyare kept under tight security, including a round-the-clock armedrapid response team.

The plane is so top-secret that a Reuters journalist given arare berth was stripped of all electronic devices and barredfrom taking pictures.

The technology is impressive. Sitting at a pair of monitorsstacked one atop the other, Petty Officer Julio Cerpa operates apanoramic camera that quickly zooms in on distant patches ofocean with great clarity.

An infrared version of the same camera feed cuts through thehaze of fog surrounding the plane, offering a polarised andsomewhat nightmarish view of the search area.

About two hours into the search zone, the monotony ofpeering out a window or at a computer screen, is starting towear on the crew.

Petty Officer Sam Judd begins a slow climb up his seat backthat will eventually see him perched atop it. Cerpa's hands turnhis workstation into the world's most expensive drum kit.

And then the plane begins to ascend back to 30,000 feet,(9,000 metres) having found nothing. The total trip, includingflying time to reach the search zone, is around 10 hours.

To an outsider, the experience can seem frustrating, but thecrew maintains a remarkably optimistic outlook. Even a trip thatfinds nothing rules out a part of the search zone, and is thusan important part of finding the wreckage, says Mims, the pilot.

"Being this far into the search process and having this muchocean to cover definitely makes it a challenging evolution," hesays. "But if it's in our area, I think the probability offinding it is high." (Editing by Ron Popeski)

Jailed parents out soon

Posted: 05 Jul 2014 09:00 AM PDT

06 July 2014| last updated at 12:16AM

The children were told by Ketereh member of parliament Tan Sri Annuar Musa, who had visited Shalwati recently, that Azizul Raheem would be released next month, while Shalwati would be released in September.

The couple's eldest child, Aishah, 15, said she and her three siblings were elated by the news.

"I am very happy to hear the news that mummy and daddy will be released soon.

"We are surprised, as we thought that they would be in prison for a longer time.

"We will wait patiently for their return."

Azizul Raheem, 38, who is Tourism Malaysia director in Sweden, was sentenced to 10 months in prison, while Shalwati, 46, was handed a 14-month sentence for gross violation of the integrity of their children.

The couple have been in the custody of Swedish authorities since December last year.

The children, Aishah, Ammar, 12, Adam, 11, and Arif, 8, have been living with their aunt here since returning from Sweden early this year.

Aishah said Ramadan this year would be extra meaningful, as it would be the first time the siblings would fast in their home country.

She said they were glad that their father would be here with them.

She said Arif was excited by the news of their father's impending return, as he was closest to him.

"We miss mummy and daddy very much.

"It has been more than six months since we last saw them."

Street crime in KL down 25pc till May

Posted: 05 Jul 2014 09:00 AM PDT

06 July 2014| last updated at 12:15AM

Dang Wangi police chief Assistant Commissioner Zainuddin Ahmad said a 25.9 per cent reduction in serious crime was recorded in the district in the same period.

"This is proof of our commitment and continuous effort to fight crime, especially street crime, in the district," he said, attributing the success to Op Cantas Khas.

He said regular checks and police presence at several hot spots, such as Bukit Bintang, Jalan Silang, Central Market and Kota Raya, were among the initiatives that had led to the development.

Zainuddin added that random checks on suspicious-looking individuals at hot spots in the Golden Triangle had led to the arrest of 92 suspects.

Cabinet reshuffle announcement today?

Posted: 12 Jun 2014 09:00 AM PDT

13 June 2014| last updated at 11:22PM

Talk about the reshuffling of ministries and swapping of portfolios began when MCA publicly expressed its desire to represent the Chinese community in federal cabinet.

"This cabinet reshuffle is vital for the component parties to rejoin the cabinet to help the prime minister implement his transformation plans," said MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai to Bernama at the Parliament lobby yesterday.

It was a desire endorsed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, following a more than year-long hiatus of Chinese community representatives from the cabinet.

Furthermore, Najib, who is also Barisan Nasional chairman, promised that Gerakan president Datuk Mah Siew Keong would become a minister if he emerged victorious in the Teluk Intan by-election. Thus, the upset against DAP in the by-election ensures that at the very least, a mini reshuffle of the cabinet was needed.

The focus now is on the inclusion of Chinese leaders in the cabinet.

Other than Mah, the other two Chinese leaders most likely to make the cut as full ministers are Liow and his MCA deputy Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong.

Universiti Sains Malaysia's Associate Professor Sivamurugan Pandian said he expected the next cabinet reshuffle to change the current "deficit line-up" to better represent communities in the country.

"It is going back to the power sharing formula practised by BN component parties. Gerakan will be represented by Mah, who is the party president, while MCA will likely be represented Liow and Wee."

Sivamurugan said Liow, Wee and Mah could then use their ministerial positions to better strategise their approach against waning support from the Chinese community for the ruling coalition.

"New positions in the cabinet for Gerakan and MCA would also mean a new platform for the two parties to rebuild their voting base.

"They need to focus on the needs and demands of the Chinese community while assessing the reason behind the loss of support."

MCA grassroots members had proposed a "3+5" formula, meaning the appointment of three ministers and five deputies.

"But he (Najib) does not want the change to be merely lip-service. The proposed MCA formula may not be fully met. The prime minister wants the new line-up to be of substantial leaders equipped with capabilities to realise the projected outcome of nation building policies," says Sivamurugan.

Independent analyst professor Hoo Ke Ping speculated that expectations to return the health ministry portfolio to Liow remained, with the same fate for Wee, who might be appointed transport minister.

"Mah is likely to be a minister in the prime minister's department in charge of unity and performance management."