Tika Malaysia sambut merdeka,rusuhan di S'wak pasai bola...

Rusuhan di Stadium Negeri Sarawak bila Sarawak - Perak seri 1-1...

Kecewa dengan keputusan seri 1-1 dilakar Sarawak ketika berdepan Perak dan mutu pengadilan dianggap rendah, ratusan penyokong skuad negeri itu merusuh di dalam dan luar Stadium Negeri, Petra Jaya, malam tadi.

Keputusan yang mengakibatkan skuad Ngap Sayot tersingkir dalam kempen Piala Malaysia itu menyaksikan penyokong bertindak meluru masuk ke kawasan balapan sebelum menendang papan iklan dan melempar papan berkenaan ke dalam padang.

Lebih memburukkan keadaan, di luar stadium, sekumpulan penyokong fanatik kemudian bertindak membaling sekurang-kurangnya empat suar ke arah deretan kenderaan polis, termasuk melempar mercun.

Selain detuman mercun, bunyi botol dipecahkan dan laungan ‘merdeka’ oleh penyokong fanatik terbabit turut kedengaran dengan pihak berkuasa tenang mengawal keadaan.

Difahamkan punca utama kepada tindakan tidak bermoral ini adalah disebabkan keputusan penjaga garisan yang membenarkan jaringan gol oleh pemain import Perak, Marco Tulio Lopes Silva pada minit ke-76 sekalipun didakwa pemain Sarawak – ofsaid.

Seramai 100 anggota keselamatan terdiri daripada Pasukan Simpanan Persekutuan (FRU), Jabatan Pertahanan Awam Malaysia (JPA) dan Jabatan Sukarelawan Malaysia (RELA) cuba mengawal keadaan walaupun suar dibaling ke arah mereka.

Di Luar stadium, 20 anggota Pasukan keselamatan dari Unit Pencegah Rusuhan (PORU) dilihat hanya berkawal berdekatan trak polis dan tidak mendekati sekumpulan 100 penyokong bagi mengelak insiden bertambah buruk.

Kira-kira 600 penyokong Sarawak berkumpul di luar stadium namun majoritinya hanya mahu melihat situasi yang berlaku.

Keadaan kembali tenang selepas 40 minit kejadian rusuhan berlaku tanpa ada sebarang kecederaan membabitkan penyokong Sarawak mahupun pasukan keselamatan.

Sebelum perlawanan, Persatuan Bolasepak Sarawak (FAS) tidak membenarkan jualan tiket buat penyokong Perak bagi mengelak kejadian tidak diingini berlaku. – BH Online

Fans storm Stadium Negeri pitch after Perak draw...

Chaos broke out at the State Stadium around 11pm when fans invaded the pitch following Sarawak’s 1-1 draw with Perak. Some sections of unhappy spectators threw firecrackers while those on the field took to vandalising advertisement boards.

It was believed that fans were directing their anger at Perak following an incident at Ipoh when Sarawak played Perak and Sarawak fans were attacked and abused by the home supporters.

Fans gathered outside the stadium main gate to block the Perak team bus from leaving.

Police Federal Reserve Unit used teargas to disperse the crowd. Two police cars were overturned with one being set alight. It is believed three spectators have been apprehended.

A section of spectators storming the pitch and vandalising advertising banners.

At last night’s match, defender Hairol Mokhtar put the home side 1 up in the 60th minute. Perak cancelled the lead in the 75th minute through Marco Tulio Lopes.

The goal which many believed was scored from an offside postition could have fueled frustration to an already tense atmosphere as Sarawak faced elimination from the Malaysia Cup.-mysarawak.org

Five Sarawak supporters from the group ‘GB13’ were allegedly assaulted outside the compound of Stadium Perak on Wednesday night, according to fan accounts and video on social media.

250 PPS men detained after Merdeka parade...

The police have hauled up about 250 members of the Penang Voluntary Patrol Unit (PPS) after attending the Merdeka parade at the Esplanade this morning.

The group, dressed in their purple vests, were brought to the Beach Street police station located only a few metres away from the Esplanade at about 10.07am, according to Wong Hon Wai, political secretary to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

"They were all invited to the police station to give their statement," said Wong, who is also DAP's Air Itam assemblyperson.

According to PKR's Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin, the group has yet to be arrested, but will be sent to the Northeast District Police Headquarters for their statements to be taken.

They will be driven there in police trucks, said Sim.

The group was heavily guarded by FRU personnel in headgear armed with batons and shields while they were at the police station, he added.

Several Penang Pakatan Rakyat assemblypersons are accompanying the men at the police station.

'So much for national unity'

"This is outrageous! Is this national unity? These men have just attended the Merdeka parade, what will happen to the spirit of voluntarism?" Sim (below) asked, upset with the incident.

Met at the police station, PPS chairperson and state executive councillor for caring society and environment Phee Boon Poh said lawyers will handle the matter and the state will provide assistance to their families.

It is learnt that the group has been hauled up for violating the Societies Act.

Last Tuesday, Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar deemed the state-sanctioned PPS "illegal" claiming the entity was not registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

Khalid has warned about possible arrest of PPS members but Lim has defended the group, saying it is a state government agency, and like the Village and Security Development Committee (JKKK) do not need to be registered under the ROS.

Lim said the state government will provide legal assistance to PPS members if the police carry arrests.

The PPS shot into the limelight when businessman Ong Eu Soon, 51, lodged a police report claiming he was assaulted by two PPS members in Air Itam.

The two men however lodged police reports claiming that it was Ong who first attacked them.- mk

250 PPS ditahan lepas perarakan merdeka

bankrap lagi baguih...

cheers.

Rumah Lim Guan Eng dibaling bom molotov koktail...

Kediaman Ketua Menteri, Lim Guan Eng di Jalan Pin Horn dekat sini dilempar bom buatan sendiri yang meletup dalam kejadian kira- kira pukul 11.45 malam tadi.

Ketika kejadian difahamkan Guan Eng dan ahli keluarganya berada di dalam rumah dan tiada yang tercedera kerana bom molotov koktail yang dilempar meletup di kawasan parkir kereta.

Kajian forensik menunjukkan bahawa botol tersebut mengandungi minyak tanah dan meletup menyebabkan kebakaran,namun tiada kecederaan atau kemusnahan harta benda.

Ketua Polis negeri, Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi berkata, penelitian terhadap kamera litar tertutup mendapati seorang lelaki menaiki motosikal berhenti di hadapan rumah Guan Eng dan bertindak melempar bahan letupan itu sebelum melarikan diri.

Datuk Abdul Rahim merayu kepada orang ramai yang mungkin telah menyaksikan insiden tersebut untuk tampil ke depan bagi membantu polis dalam siasatan mereka.

Guan Eng's house hit by Molotov cocktail...

Minutes before the nation celebrates Merdeka, a Molotov cocktail was hurled into Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's house.

The incident happened at about 11.45pm.

The homemade explosive landed in the lawn and burn marks are slightly visible.

Meanwhile, state police chief Abdul Rahim Hanafi (left) said the preliminary forensic probe showed that the bottle was filled with kerosene.

He confirmed that the suspect riding a motorcycle was captured by the CCTV.

"But the policeman on duty guarding the residence was inside the compound and did not see what happened outside," said Abdul Rahim.

"The bottle fell in the car park and exploded," he added.

He said the incident will be probed under Section 435 of the Firearms Act.

At 1.40am, Lim's press assistant Wong Kim Fei told reporters that‎ Lim has declined to comment on the matter.

"He and his family are fine, and will not be giving any statement for now.

"We shall leave it to the police to investigate for now," he added.

Lim is scheduled to attend the state's Merdeka‎ celebrations at the Esplanade at 9am.

Wong said that Lim was home with his wife Betty Chew and their two sons during the incident. - mk

Meanwhile, it is understood that the debris from the blast was small and scattered on the paving of the compound, nearer to the gate.

Investigators were seen leaving the scene with samples at 1.30am.

He said Lim would go ahead with his scheduled plan to attend the state-level Merdeka Day celebration at Padang Kota Lama at 9am.

The use of a motorcyclist appears to echo another incident on June 28 when a severed cow's head was left outside the gate of DAP Seri Delima assembly member R.S.N. Rayer's house in Penang by a passing motorcyclist at 5.58am.

In another incident on January 27, two Molotov cocktails were thrown into the compound of the Church of Assumption at Farquhar Street in George Town about 1.30am.  – tmi

Dah harga roti canai lebih mahal daripada saham MAS, kini 6,000 stafnya bakal nak kena tendang...

Anwar Ibrahim membidas langkah Putrajaya membuang 6,000 staf Malaysia Airlines (MAS), sementara pihak sebenar yang menjadi punca kerugian syarikat penerbangan negara itu diberi pampasan.

Ketua pembangkang tersebut mempersoalkan apa akan berlaku kepada masa depan keluarga staf MAS tersebut.

"Pernah anda terfikir sejenak, bagaimana dengan masa depan keluarga 6,000 staf ini? Adakah ini salah mereka? Adakah mereka malas, tidak berdaya saing?

"Salah siapakah ini? Kenapa hukum mereka, tetapi mereka yang melakukan jenayah diberikan pampasan secukupnya?" kata Ketua Umum PKR tersebut semasa berucap di Puchong dalam forum berjudul Asian Renaissance Course hari ini.

Anwar mendakwa MAS mula mengalami kerugian selepas bekas perdana menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad dan Tun Daim Zainuddin memutuskan untuk menswastakannya.

Dr Mahathir bertanggungjawab dalam perjanjian yang menyaksikan Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli mengambil pinjaman RM1.79 bilion pada 1991 untuk membeli 32% pegangan majoriti MAS.

Tajuddin, bekas pengerusi eksekutif MAS, menerima tempias akibat krisis kewangan Asia pada 1997 dan terpaksa menjual pegangannya kepada kerajaan pada harga RM1.79 bilion atau RM8 sesaham, jumlah sama yang dibayarnya pada 2001.

Bagaimanapun, harga saham terakhir syarikat semasa Tajudin membeli MAS adalah pada RM3.68.

"Apa yang akan berlaku selepas ini? MAS hilang berbilion ringgit dan Tajudin diberikan hadiah sebanyak RM586 bilion ringgit," kata Anwar.

Khazanah Nasional Berhad mengumumkan MAS akan mengurangkan 6,000 (30%) daripada 20,000 pekerja kepada 14,000, di samping memindahkan ibu pejabat dan operasi utama ke Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) di bawah pelan pemulihan syarikat itu.

Sebagai pemegang saham terbesar MAS, Khazanah mengumumkan pengurangan pekerja besar-besaran itu selepas ia kerugian sekurang-kurangnya RM3 juta sehari bagi separuh pertama tahun kewangan semasa.

Kerugian semakin bertambah selepas ia dilanda dua tragedi besar, kehilangan pesawat MH370 pada Mac lalu dan MH17 yang ditembak jatuh di Ukraine pada 17 Julai.

Pelan penstrukturan semula MAS itu mendapat kelulusan kabinet dan lembaga pengarah MAS, bertujuan mewujudkan sebuah entiti yang lebih kukuh dan lebih cekap.

Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak selepas pengumuman tersebut berkata suntikan tersebut adalah "pelaburan" dan bukannya bantuan kewangan.

"Najib kata ia bukan bantuan kewangan tetapi pelaburan. RM6 bilion akan dibelanjakan dan 6,000 staf akan dikorbankan.

"Persoalannya disini, mengapa ia perlu berlaku begini?" kata Anwar.

Beliau kemudian menerangkan mengenai kontrak katerer selama 25 tahun bernilai RM6.25 bilion yang diberikan kepada Brahim's Holding, yang dikatakan membebankan MAS bertahun-tahun.

"Tidak pernah sebelum ini ada perjanjian melibatkan pemberian kontrak kepada sesiapa pun selama 25 tahun. Dan ini diberikan kepada abang(pix,atas) bekas perdana menteri," kata Anwar, merujuk kepada Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

"Semua ini melemahkan MAS dan terus membebankan mereka hingga ia mencapai tahap ini. Ini diikuti insiden MH370 dan MH17."

Anwar berkata tidak adil kepada 6,000 staf dan keluarga mereka dihukum sebegitu kerana perkara tersebut di luar kawalan mereka.

"Jika kamu menjadi pemimpin, kamu mesti menjaga orang bawahan kamu. Kamu mesti faham kesusahan rakyat," katanya.

Najib berkata, sebarang pemberhentian kerja akan dilaksanakan secara perikemanusiaan dan belas kasihan.

Katanya, jika ada keperluan bagi menggantikan ketua pegawai eksekutif MAS pada masa ini, maka keutamaan akan diberi kepada anak tempatan.

"Dia boleh orang tempatan atau asing. Jika asing, ia hanya dalam tempoh sementara. Warga tempatan akan mengambil alih kemudiannya," katanya.

MAS yang menggantung dagangan pada Khamis lalu berikutan pengumuman pelan itu, melaporkan kerugian sebelum cukai sebanyak RM302.62 juta pada suku kedua berakhir 30 Jun, 2014, daripada kerugian sebanyak RM165.89 juta pada suku yang sama tahun lepas.

Saham itu terakhir diniagakan pada 25 sen Khamis lalu. – tmi

Jangan Bebankan MAS Ke Atas Rakyat Jelata Lagi...

Laporan media massa hari ini mengatakan Sistem Penerbangan Malaysia (MAS) akan mengurangkan kakitangan seramai 6,000 orang sebagai sebahagian daripada langkah penyelamatannya.

Kos pampasan memberhentikan mereka adalah sebanyak RM1.9 bilion. Keseluruhan operasi menyemat MAS daripada menjadi muflis akan menelan belanja RM6 bilion.

Pengurangan bilangan kakitangan bukanlah perkara baru atau cetusan minda kelas dunia.

Sejak zaman MAS di bawah pemilikan swasta lagi (1994-2002) ia mencadangkan untuk mengurangkan kakitangan seramai antara 5,000 hingga 8,000 orang tetapi tidak dipersetujui oleh kerajaan.

Sekarang apabila MAS sudah menjadi milik 100% kerajaan (melalui Khazanah Nasional Berhad) dan secara teorinya sudah “muflis” ia terpaksa melakukan yang lebih radikal kalau masih mahu diselamatkan.

Saya sudah banyak kali menyatakan pendirian mengenai MAS, iaitu:- 
1. Bubarkan. 
2. Jual kepada swasta. 
3. Selamatkan, tetapi tanpa terus membebankan kewangan negara. 
4. Lantik pengurusan antarabangsa yang telah terbukti dan 
5. Hapuskan campur tangan kerajaan yang merugikan.

Untuk berhentikan pekerja saja sudah memerlukan RM1.9 bilion. Apa halnya dengan kos-kos lain. 

Wang sebanyak RM1.9 bilion itu hampir cukup untuk menaikkan taraf sistem pengairan MUDA di Kedah dan Perlis yang menampung lebih 100,000 isi rumah atau kegunaan awam lain yang memberikan faedah kepada lebih ramai orang.

Menyelamatkan MAS berulang kali ibarat menimbus perigi tanpa dasar. Bottomless pit, dalam bahasa Inggeris.

Pelawat dan pembahas yang berminat boleh mendapat maklumat lanjut mengenai pandangan saya dengan menekan ikon Kunta Kinte “Ada Had Bantu MAS” di sebelah.- A Kadir Jasin

Tak waras melabur RM6b dalam syarikat rugi

6,000 punished for MAS’ poor management...

Anwar Ibrahim has questioned why 6,000 Malaysian Airlines (MAS) staff are being “punished” for the company’s poor management.

“Did you think what's the future of the 6,000 affected families? Can you reflect on that for one second. Is it their fault? Were they lazy? Were they not competent? Whose fault is this?

“Now why must you punish these poor guys when those who commit the crime (of bleeding MAS) are given adequate compensation?” he said in a speech in Puchong today.

Anwar was referring to the MAS’ RM6 billion restructuring exercise, which the sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional had announced yesterday.

Amongst other measures, it said loss-making airline has 30 percent more staff than comparable airlines, and those jobs would be cut.

Speaking to reporters after his speech, he said the 6,000 staff should not be “sacrificed” to save MAS, whereas its senior management who had led the airline to making losses were “saved”.

'Who caused the losses?'
                                                              
Earlier in his speech, Anwar said MAS used to make billions in profit, but had been mismanaged under successive leaderships starting from former MAS chief executive officer and chairperson Tajudin Ramli.

Dr Mahathir brokered a deal that saw Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli take out a RM1.79 billion loan in 1994 to buy a 32% majority stake in MAS.

Tajudin, a former MAS executive chairman, was badly affected by the 1997 Asian financial crisis and ended up selling his stake in the ailing airline to the government for RM1.79 billion – or RM8 a share –  the same sum he paid in 2001. However, the company’s closing share price at the time Tajudin sold MAS was RM3.68.

“What happened? It lost billions. Who caused the losses? Tajudin, and he was given a ‘gift’ RM586 million.

“Then a new management was appointed, Munir Majid. His priority? Buy paintings, RM1.8 million. They filled senior management positions like deputy directors, there were tens of them,” he said, among other alleged excesses.

Botero's 'Still Life With Violin' (photo,above) cost RM1.14 million while his other piece 'Still Life With Lobster' (photo, below) was bought with the sum of RM342,000. 

State investment vehicle Khazanah Nasional Berhad announced yesterday that 6,000 jobs will be cut at the national carrier, which has lost at least RM3 million a day for the first half of the current financial year.

Khazanah managing director Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar said RM6 billion will also be injected into MAS, adding that the money can be recovered within three years, with the flag carrier projected to attain profitability by the end of 2017, and when it prepares for relisting between 2018 and 2020.

"Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak says it is not a bailout, but an investment. RM6 billion to be spent and 6,000 staff to be sacrificed," said Anwar.

“Say it straight: This is indeed a bailout because of the MAS’ problems and massive losses,” he said.

"The fundamental question is, why has it come to this?"

He pointed to the RM6.25 billion, 25-year catering contract awarded to Brahim's Holdings, which he said had burdened MAS for years.

"Never before has there been a deal involving giving a contract to anyone for 25 years. And this was given to the brother of a former prime minster," said Anwar, referring to Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

"All this weakened MAS and continued to burden it, until it has reached this point. Then came MH370 and MH17."

Anwar said it was unfair that the 6,000 MAS staff and their families are punished for matters beyond their control.

"If you want to be a leader, you must care for the people. You must understand the people's suffering," he said.

Yesterday, Najib said the job cuts would be done with compassion. And, if there was a need to replace the chief executive officer during this period, opportunities would be given to locals.

Najib said the restructuring plan was only for the betterment of the national carrier, and help from Putrajaya was needed to see that being fulfilled.

On Thursday, MAS said its second-quarter nett loss widened to RM307 million from RM176 million for the same period last year, though the result was an improvement from the nett loss of RM443 million in the first quarter.

MAS warned of poor second-half earnings as passenger bookings continue to fall, with business hit by the shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine in July and the unexplained disappearance of flight MH370 in March. - tmi/mk

cheers.

Kisah putu mayam dan ADUN tak boleh sambut merdeka...

Bagi penggemar putu mayam, mereka tentu tahu kesukaran untuk mendapatkan makanan tradisional India ini.

Biasanya putu mayam hanya dijual di kedai mamak tertentu dan ane yang menjaja menggunakan motosikal di petang hari.

Sudahlah makanan ini susah diperoleh, kini tersebar pula proses dan lokasi pembuatan putu mayam yang kotor dan menjijikkan.

Dalam gambar di atas kelihatan pekerja bertenggek depan besen berisi tepung siap sedia untuk menguli dengan hanya bercawat pelekat tanpa memakai baju. Di atas meja sama terdapat putu mayam yang sudah siap terletak betul-betul di sebelah kakinya.

Amalan tak memakai baju dan hanya memakai kain pelekat ala cawat ini nampaknya turut dilakukan pekerja lain sepanjang proses pembuatan putu mayam di sini. Tong gas jadi bukti lokasinya di Malaysia.

Manakala dalam satu gambar lain, kelihatan sampah sarap dibiarkan di atas lantai tempat putu mayam dibuat.

Sayang sekali kami belum mengetahui lokasi putu mayam yang dibuat secara jijik ini dan ke mana ia dipasarkan - mynewshub.my

Putu mayam di atas mungkin dibuat di restaurant2,pasai tu kita nampak beberapa orang pekerja dok prosesnya. Kalaulah yang dibuat di restaurant dah macam tu keadaannya, bagaimana pula keadaan putu mayam yang dibuat oleh penjual2 putu mayam persendirian...

ADUN PKR dilarang hadiri sambutan merdeka(Pahang assembly bars PKR rep from Merdeka do)...

Undangan ke sambutan Hari Merdeka peringkat negeri Pahang terhadap Anggota Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Semambu daripada PKR Lee Chean Chung dibatalkan ekoran penggantungannya daripada Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN).

Lee berkata, DUN melarangnya menghadiri acara itu kerana beliau telah digantung dewan untuk dua sesi kerana menggelar belanjawan surplus Pahang sebagai "palsu" pada November tahun lalu.

Minggu lalu, Lee berkata, beliau menerima SMS daripada setiausaha kerajaan negeri mengundangnya ke raptai dan sambutan rasmi kemerdekaan pada Ahad.

“Bagaimanapun, saya terima panggilan telefon daripada setiausaha kerajaan negeri yang memberitahu bahawa undangan pada saya dibatalkan.

“Saya tidak dibenarkan hadir ke acara pada Ahad, kerana saya digantung dua sesi oleh DUN,” kata Lee.

PKR’s Semambu assemblyperson Lee Chean Chung has been barred from attending the Merdeka Day celebration ceremony in Kuantan because of his suspension from the Pahang state assembly for criticising the state government.

Lee said today the state assembly prohibited him from attending the ceremony on grounds that he has been suspended by the House for two sessions.

Last week, Lee (left) received an SMS from the state assembly secretariat inviting him to attend the rehearsal and the formal state Merdeka celebration on Sunday.

"However, I received a phone call from state assembly secretary, telling me that the invitation given to me has been cancelled.

"I am not allowed to attend the ceremony on Sunday, given that I have been suspended for two sessions by the state assembly," Lee said in a statement today.

The Pahang state assembly late last year suspended Lee for two sessions for calling the Pahang budget surplus a “false” one.

Lee stressed that his suspension should have ended after the second sitting, which was held this month.

He also slammed the Pahang government for abuse of power by using other related laws to ban him from attending the Merdeka ceremony.

"I urge the state government to stop oppressing the opposition and to retract the unreasonable decision of preventing me from attending the Merdeka Day ceremony," Lee added.

Meanwhile, Perak PAS Youth chief has criticised the selection of the venue for the state Merdeka celebrations which he described as a "bangunan hantu" (poorly managed building) facing the KTM Bhd building.

Raja Ahmad Iskandar Raja Yaacob said it shows the lack of sensitivity of the state in choosing the venue for celebrations, which would see the presence of Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah.

Previously, he said the building was a hotel and it was not left abandoned. Efforts by various departments including government agencies had been made to revive the KTMB building.

"The state government should have quickly suggested to the federal government to develop the building in the interests of KTMB," he said in a statement.- mk

Depa anggap hari merdeka ini macam bapak depa punya...

cheers.

MAS rugi lagi dan peserta sukan bogel dipenjara...

MAS rugi RM307 juta suku kedua 2014... 

Penerbangan Malaysia (MAS) mencatat kerugian bersih RM307 juta pada suku kedua berakhir 30 Jun 2014.

Berikutan itu, kerugian bersih yang dicatat MAS dalam tempoh enam bulan pertama tahun ini mencecah RM750 juta, 65 peratus lebih tinggi berbanding tempoh sama tahun lalu.

Ia kerugian bersih buat enam suku tahunan berturut-turut yang dilaporkan oleh MAS, sehari sebelum pemegang kepentingan utamanya, Khazanah Nasional Bhd dijadual mengumumkan pelan penstrukturan semula syarikat penerbangan nasional itu.- BH

MAS posts Q2 net loss of RM300 million...

Malaysia Airlines today reported another financial loss and warned of poor second-half earnings, as passenger bookings tumbled in response to the loss of two aircraft in separate disasters this year.

In a statement to the stock exchange, Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) said its second-quarter net loss grew to RM307.04 million (US$97.6 million) from a net loss of RM175.9 million in the same period a year earlier.

The result was an improvement from the net loss of RM443 million it reported in the first quarter.

The April-June earnings are the first to fully reflect the impact on sales of the unexplained disappearance of flight MH370 in March.

The airline is set to be taken private by its majority shareholder, state fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd, in a move to revamp its business – devastated this year by loss of MH370 and the shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine in July.

MAS said the MH17 incident had derailed "all the hard work and effort" to regain market confidence and sales it had put in after the loss of MH370.

The two tragedies are expected to hit earnings in the months from July to December, as average weekly bookings declined 33%, with numerous flight cancellations immediately after the MH17 incident, said MAS.

Seat load factors fell 6.7 percentage points to 74%, next to a 9% increase in capacity during the quarter. Operating expenses rose 2% on higher fuel costs.

"The fact that both incidents have occurred within such a short span of time had exacerbated the situation and severely damaged the airline's brand and business reputation, accelerating the need to restructure the company."

Even before the aircraft tragedies, the carrier that was one of Southeast Asia's most prestigious airlines in the 1990s had steadily been squeezed between high-end rivals, such as Singapore Airlines and Asian budget carriers. The company has not made an annual profit since 2010.

The company's shares will be suspended tomorrow ahead of the announcement of its planned restructuring by Khazanah, a source told Reuters today.

About a quarter of the carrier's nearly 20,000 staff may lose their jobs in the overhaul, with some international routes set to be abandoned as new management is brought in, according sources.

The impact of the March 8 disappearance of flight MH370, bound for Beijing from Kuala Lumpur, had tipped the carrier into what was then its worst quarterly performance in more than two years.

Sales in China declined 60% in March after the incident, it said earlier this year. – tmi

Peserta sukan bogel Pulau Pinang dihukum penjara sebulan...

Enam peserta sukan telanjang di pantai Pulau Pinang hari ini mengaku bersalah dan dijatuhkan hukuman penjara sebulan dan denda RM5,000 manakala empat lagi mengaku tidak bersalah di Mahkamah Majistret.

Seramai 10 individu didakwa atas kesalahan menimbulkan mengganggu ketenteraman awam kerana mengadakan sukan telanjang di pantai terpencil Teluk Kampi selama tiga jam pada 30 Mei di Teluk Bahang.

Mereka yang mengaku bersalah ialah Loh Kok Hong, Mu Wei Peng, Justin Ang Ji Keng, Albert Yam Kam Hoong, Lionel Loo Joo Heng dan M Nanda Kumar.

Timbalan Pendakwa Raya Edward Chan memberitahu mahkamah apa yang tertuduh lakukan adalah kesalahan yang serius dan merayu mahkamah mengenakan hukuman berat terhadap mereka.

Chan berkata, tidak wajar untuk telanjang di khalayak ramai dan perbuatan itu boleh merosakkan minda anak muda yang tidak berdosa.

Beliau meminta mahkamah menjatuhkan hukuman penjara sebagai pengajaran kepada orang ramai.

Majistret Mohd Najib Ismail kemudiannya menjatuhkan hukuman penjara sebulan dan denda RM5,000 atau 3 bulan penjara jika engkar.

Yam, seorang penduduk tetap di Singapura, dijatuhkan hukuman tambahan enam bulan penjara mengikut Seksyen 292 Kanun Keseksaan kerana mengedar dan memiliki bahan lucah.

Dalam penghakimannya, Najib berkata masyarakat tempatan masih tidak dapat menerima aksi telanjang di tempat awam, berdasarkan tindak balas negatif terhadap kelakuan sedemikian.

Beliau menyebut salah satu prinsip Rukun Negara ialah kesopanan dan kesusilaan, yang memberitahu orang ramai agar berkelakuan sopan dan bersusila.

"Tindakan yang dilakukan jelas melanggar prinsip ini," katanya kepada enam yang mengaku bersalah.

Loh dan Mu merayu kepada mahkamah untuk menangguhkan pelaksanaan tetapi ditolak.

Sementara itu, tertuduh yang mengaku tidak bersalah ialah Tok Chew Hua, Chan Chia Wen, Teh Guan Hoon dan Kong Meng Long.

Majistret membenarkan ikat jamin RM4,000 dengan seorang penjamin bagi setiap tertuduh.

Mahkamah menetapkan 16 Oktober untuk sebutan kes.

Peguam Alan Choong mewakili Loh manakala Jason Khor mewakili Teh. Tertuduh lain tidak diwakili peguam. – tmi

10 charged over Penang nude sports event...

Ten participants of a nudist camp in Teluk Bahang, Penang have been charged in a magistrate's court in Balik Pulau today for causing public unrest.

Six pleaded guilty and four claimed trial to the charge under Section 294(a) of the Penal Code.

They allegedly took part in the event at the National Park in Teluk Kampi, Teluk Bahang on May 31.

A video of the incident was uploaded on Vimeo and it sparked public outrage in conservative Malaysia.

Magistrate Mohd Najib Ismail presided over the case while DPP Edward Chan prosecuted.

Those convicted today after pleading guilty are Loh Kok Hong, 41, Mu Wai Peng, 34, Justin Ang Ji Keng, 24, Yam Kam Hoong, 54, Lionel Loo Joo Heng, 52 and R Nanda Kumar, 40.

Those who plead not guilty are Chew Tok Hua, 57, Chan Chia Wen, 27, Teh Guan Hoon, 37 and Kong Meng Long, 38.

Judge Mohd Najib sentenced the six who pleaded guilty to one month's jail starting today and RM5,000 fine.

Failure to pay the fine will result in three months' jail.

Yam, who produced the video received an extra sentence of six months jail.

The charge is under Section 292 (a) of the Penal Code, for producing a pornographic materials.

Diversity, not nudity

In sentencing, Mohd Najib said that Malaysia is unique due to its multiracial, multireligious, multi-language and diverse lifestyles.

"We are unique but manage to live in a peaceful and harmonious way as an independent and successful nation," he said.

"What keeps us together is this unity in diversity which is based on our Rukunegara, which emphasises on good behaviour and manners.

"It is based on these principles that we have to protect public interest, to give a signal to society that such acts will not be repeated," he added.

Mohd Najid did not allow a stay of execution and ordered the six to serve their sentence.

The six expressed remorse and apologised to all Malaysians for their act and promised not to repeat the offence.- mk

cheers.