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Revealed - hundreds of desperate British women have proposed marriage to Isis extremists online after EIGHT schoolgirls followed 'jihadi bride trail'

• At least eight schoolgirls have left the UK to join ISIS since last summer
• Three school friends from Bethnal Green Academy left for Syria last week
• Another young girl from the same school travelled to join ISIS in December
• Manchester terror twins Salma and Zahra Halane, 16, were the first British schoolgirls to join the Islamic State
• Later Yusra Hussien, 15, and Samya Dirie, 17, travelled ISIS-held Raqqa
• An Edinburgh-born jihadi bride is thoughy to help recruit young schoolgirls
• Aqsa Mahmoud joined the terror group last year and has been in contact with several young British school girls since her arrival

By Robert Verkaik for MailOnline

Eight British schoolgirls have travelled to Syria in the last seven months using a route which has become known as the 'jihadi bride trail' - and hundreds more besotted British women have proposed marriage to extremists online.

The true figure is likely to be even higher as the police and families have imposed news blackouts in some cases, prompting fears that Britain's anti-terrorism agencies are losing the battle against the radicalisation of young Muslims on the internet.

School friends Shamima Begum, 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase 15, from Bethnal Green Academy are reported to be in Syria after flying out of Gatwick for Turkey earlier this month. A fourth unnamed girl from the same school went out in December.

Radical websites like Jihad Matchmaker, which offers to arrange marriages between Muslim women and Jihadists, have been blamed for encouraging young, impressionable girls to travel to Syria.

Hundreds of besotted British women have put marriage proposals to jihadists fighting on the front line with Islamic State, according to security sources.

One European fighter in Syria who has become a pin-up jihadi fighter has been bombarded with proposals from women all over the world, desperate to be associated with a 'holy warrior'.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2965495/Revealed-EIGHT-British-schoolgirls-left-follow-jihadi-bride-trail-hundreds-desperate-women-proposed-marriage-Isis-extremists-online-thanks-jihadmatchmaker.html

Advocate for Christians (and Others) Persecuted By the Islamic State

By Marv Knox

Christians and other religious minorities in northern Iraq face extermination if people of faith in America and elsewhere in the West fail to speak up on their behalf.

A new religious liberty group, the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative, conducted a fact-finding trip to the region early this year and then released a sobering report. "Edge of Extinction" documents the attempted genocide of Christians, Yezidis, Shabaks and other religious minorities by the Islamic State.

The toll of hostility toward Christians in the region already has been devastating, noted Wilberforce President Randel Everett, former executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board.

"A decade ago, Iraq's Christian population numbered 1.5 million," Everett said. "Today, roughly 300,000 remain, and most have no jobs, no schools and no places of worship."

The violence against Christians and other ethno-religious groups, such as the Yezidis and Shabak, escalated with the rise of the Islamic State early last summer. The city of Mosul, just across a river from the biblical city of Nineveh in northern Iraq, fell to the Islamic State.

"Christians were ordered to leave lands that had been their home for thousands of years," the Wilberforce group reported. "Those remaining were issued a stark choice--convert to Islam, pay the (Muslim) Jizya tax or die."

Christians, others in grave peril

By late summer, the Islamic State extended its control across the greater Nineveh Plain. Tens of thousands of Christians and other minorities fled as the Peshmerga, the Kurdistan Regional Government's military force, abandoned them.

Wilberforce investigators found no evidence Christians in the region ever committed acts of terror. They are not led by warlords; they don't operate militias. Still, they suffer grievously.

The Islamic State forces murdered men, raped women and girls, and kidnapped children. The death and refugee tolls escalated.

To illustrate the persecution, "Edge of Extinction" tells the story of a Christian couple in northern Iraq:

"After IS (Islamic State) seized Mosul, one Christian husband attempted to take his wife of 28 years to Mosul so that she could continue to receive treatment for breast cancer. When they arrived at the hospital, they were met by an IS guard who refused to allow them entrance because they were Christian. They were told the price for entrance and medical treatment was conversion to Islam.

"The wife responded: 'I am not going to leave the cross of Christ. I will not abandon it. For me, a love of life is not as important as the faith. The desire to go on living is not as important as my faith.'

"The couple ... returned to their small village about 16 miles away. Ten days later, she passed away with her husband and 19-year-old and 8-year-old sons at her bedside."

These were her final words: "I am going to hold onto the cross of Christ. I refuse to convert. I prefer death. I prefer death to abandoning my religion and my faith."

Church turned into torture chamber

The Wilberforce group learned the Islamic State converted an 800-year-old church into a torture chamber. A 150-year-old church was turned into a prison. And another now warehouses weapons.

The United Nations' high commissioner for human rights also has documented "widespread ethnic and religious cleansing" in the region.

"The violations include targeted killings, forced conversions, abductions, trafficking, slavery, sexual abuse, destruction of places of religious and cultural significance, and the besieging of entire communities because of ethnic, religious or sectarian affiliation," Commissioner Navi Pillay said. "Among those directly targeted have been Christians, Yezidi, Shabaks, Turkomen, Kaka'e and Sabaens."

But for the most part, Christians in the West have turned a blind eye, the Wilberforce Initiative's team noted.

"After a flurry of initial news coverage in August, the story of the men, women and children--whose lives were upended, homes confiscated and dignity assaulted--virtually disappeared from the public eye," the Wilberforce report said.

The West has done little

"With some notable exceptions, those living in the West have said or done little in the face of the crisis facing the minority communities in Iraq. There is a pervasive feeling of abandonment among these beleaguered men and women of faith who cannot comprehend why burning churches, forced conversions and the emergence of a caliphate in the cradle of Christendom is not being met with urgency and action by people of similar faiths in the West."

The Wilberforce Initiative has proposed six recommendations to counteract "the destruction of ancient faith communities" in northern Iraq:

• Establish a Nineveh Plains Province "uniquely designed for Christians, Yezidis and other besieged minorities." This would enable them to live peacefully in the land their ancestors have occupied for hundreds of years.
• Provide support for the new Nineveh Protection Unit, a national guard that can defend the province. This is necessary, since neither the Iraqi army nor the Peshmerga militia has stood with the people.
• Return property confiscated by the Islamic State--such as homes and churches--to its rightful owners.
• Encourage and strengthen the Kurdistan Regional Government's "efforts to build a context of civil discourse, freedom of religion, human rights protections and the inclusion of all minorities."
• Provide and support "ongoing and immediate humanitarian aid" from the United Nations but also from nongovernmental organizations, such as Samaritan's Purse. The needs include both education and health care.
• Prosecute the Islamic State and its leaders for war crimes and genocide. The relevant authorities for such action include the United Nations, the International Criminal Court and the U.S. State Department.

American Christians must do more than read about the plight of persecuted Christians and other minority groups and say, "How awful!"

Speaker says Anwar to remain MP pending royal pardon petition

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is still a Member of Parliament pending a decision on his petition to the King for a royal pardon, parliament Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia said today.

In a statement today, Pandikar Amin said he had received a copy of the petition filed by Anwar’s wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar this afternoon at the Istana Negara.

Pandikar Amin said Article 48 (4) (C) in the Federal Constitution allowed a lawmaker who filed for a royal pardon to keep his post, until the appeal had been dealt with.

The speaker said this being the case, he will not declare the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat vacant.

Anwar's 14-day deadline to file the pardon application would have expired today and he would have automatically been disqualified as Permatang Pauh MP.

His daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar, who is PKR vice-president, said the petition for pardon was made on the basis that the conviction failed to adhere to the principles of justice.

"The petition for a royal pardon has been sent to the Palace," she added.

Anwar's lawyer, N. Surendran, earlier said that the opposition leader had decided not to seek a royal pardon.

"We met Anwar in prison last week and he did not give any instruction to file such an application. His lawyers, too, will not file anything to that effect," he told The Malaysian Insider.

On February 10, a five-man bench led by Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria found Anwar guilty of having carnal intercourse with his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

He committed the offence at a unit of the Desa Damansara condominium in Bukit Damansara, between 3.10pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008.

The Federal Constitution states that the seat will not be declared vacant until the Pardons Board has deliberated and made a decision.

Surendran also said that Anwar's legal team would continue studying the 116-page judgment before deciding to file a review application of the ruling.

"There is no time schedule to file the review but it must be done expeditiously," he said.

Former attorney-general (A-G) Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman said nothing stopped family members of an accused person from filing a petition to the Pardons Board.

"Usually, the accused who has exhausted his legal avenue will through his counsel file the petition," he told The Malaysian Insider.

Talib said the application for pardon would be chaired by the King and the members of the board would consist of the prime minister, the attorney-general and two others.

Talib, who served as A-G between 1980 and 1993, said the board was not bound by the opinion of the present A-G although it must consider his advice.– February 24, 2015.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/speaker-says-anwar-to-remain-mp-pending-royal-pardon-petition#sthash.NPRhBr6b.dpuf

Wealth talk taints dad's name, say Najib's brothers

 

The four brothers of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today expressed concern over news reports regarding inheritance said to be from their father, Malaysia’s second prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein.

Speculation arose after the Prime Minister’s Office told the New York Times that Najib's lifestyle is not unusual "for a person of the prime minister’s position, responsibilities and legacy (of) family assets".

In an unusual move, four of Najib's younger brothers issued a rare "private" statement late this evening expressing worry that the name of their father, who was known for his "frugality", could be tarnished by such talks of family assets.

"We are extremely concerned that some recent news ​articles and postings​ have given rise to speculation as to the nature and extent of the inheritance that our​ late​ father, Abdul ​R​azak​, ​had ​left​ behind.

"We wish to put on record that Abdul Razak (right) was a ​highly-principled man, well known to all ​who knew him ​for his frugality and utmost integrity​ and any statement or inference to the contrary would be totally false and misleading to his memory and to his service and sacrifices for the nation.​

"We take issue with anyone who taints his memory, whatever the motive. We would also like to add that our whole family is united on this issue," they said.

The short statement was sent by Najib’s youngest brother Nazir and signed by him, Johari, Nizam and Nazim. It is not clear who they were directed at when referring to those who taint their father's memory.

Nazir, who is CIMB chairperson in a commentary last year recalled how Abdul Razak lambasted his boys for asking him to build a swimming pool at the official residence.

Stressing Abdul Razak's care with the public purse, he wrote that their father was angry they expected him to use public funds for their pleasure.

Piles and piles of cash

The New York Times had contacted PMO on its report on fund manager Jho Low, and his links to the PM's family through Najib's stepson Riza Aziz.

The report also noted Najib and his family's allegedly lavish lifestyle, pointing to a series of photos of Najib's wife Rosmah Mansor with expensive handbags.

The NYT also claimed that it had obtained invoices and other documents amounting to "millions of dollars" in jewellery ordered for Rosmah in Hong Kong in 2008 and 2009.

It also quoted Najib's former aide Ariff Sabri saying that Najib had kept “piles and piles” of cash stacked in his safe.

However, the PMO reportedly responded saying, "Neither any money spent on travel, jewellery purchases nor the alleged contents of any safes are unusual for a person of the prime minister's position, responsibilities, and legacy (of) family assets."

NGOs seek to meet Zahid in bid to oust IGP

With abuse of power and continued repression of freedom of speech seemingly on the rise, a group of NGOs want to meet with Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to demand the resignation of Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar.

This group of civil societies - among them the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0), Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram), Amnesty International, Lawyers for Liberty (LFL), student organisations and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) - collectively agreed that Khalid's actions have tarnished the image of the police force.

As part of the strategy to oust Khalid as IGP, Bersih 2.0 chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah (left) said that they will "try and meet" with Zahid to discuss the issue.

"We will actually have to strategise whether it (Khalid's resignation) is going to be demanded through a petition or even ask the home affairs minister for a meeting to present our case as to why we need somebody like this IGP to resign," Maria noted during a joint press conference today.

However, she told Malaysiakini that this attempt to meet with Zahid was still under discussion among the group members.

After Anwar Ibrahim was sentenced to five years’ jail for sodomy on Feb 10, activists and opposition members have been hauled up by the police in a sedition dragnet for their respective comments on the PKR supremo’s trial.

Commenting on the arrests, Suaram coordinator Syukri Razab emphasised that they “completely object to the actions of the police” who are abusing their power in the guise of the law.

“It is astonishing that the IGP is so actively monitoring the social (media) pages of opposition leaders and social activists that they are arrested for making criticisms on Twitter and Facebook.

“Is this the standard duty of a police chief?” Syukri asked during the joint press conference today.

In addition, Michelle Yesudas pointed out - on behalf of LFL - that the United States does not use the social media to intimidate its younger generations.

"Twitter is supposed to be a part of a democratic process. Take a look at (US President Barack) Obama for example, who uses Twitter as a tool to reach out to the younger generation, not to silence them."

Meanwhile, PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan - who was among those arrested - told Malaysiakini that he had been treated very well by the officers at the police station.

According to him, the police had quipped that they were tired of arresting the same people over and over again, and that they wondered when an Umno member would be next.

IGP receives video death threat by men in masks

Members of the group called Anti-Democracy Sons of Malaysia (AMAD) say they intend to blow up the IGP’s car.

FMT


SHAH ALAM: Barely a month after uploading a video threatening to blast firecrackers in front of the courthouse, another video has been uploaded, this time even more severe as it contains a clear and precise threat to kill the Inspector-General of Police by blowing-up his car.

The video features three individuals clad in black and wearing full face masks, with their spokesman, speaking in a digitally altered voice.

He starts off his tirade asking if the people were aware that before developed countries like the United States, Russia and China became successful and respected, their people rejected all forms of democratic mean to bring down their corrupt regimes.

The spokesman also asked a string of questions relating to how democracy had failed the people of Malaysia.

“Can Malaysians change the Elections Commission chairman via democratic means? Can the chief justice be changed via democratic means? Can the IGP be changed via democratic means?” the spokesman asked.

He said the answer was no, because these people were the very “agents” that destroyed democracy.

“We the Anti-Democracy Sons of Malaysia (AMAD) hereby announce that we will kill the Inspector-General of Police by blowing-up his car. After which the heads of government agencies will be too terrified to carry out crimes against democracy.”

He also said the people of Malaysia will then rise by using means other than democracy.

Before ending the video by flashing their middle fingers and saying, “f@#$ democracy”, one individual illustrated the group’s intentions by dragging two toy cars across the table while the spokesman lit the cars aflame to the sounds of a massive explosion.

Throughout the video, the spokesman’s face was obliterated by the image of the group’s logo.

The video was uploaded on February 23 (Tuesday) by Anonymous Malaysia who entitled it ‘Warning to the IGP’.

At the time of writing, a total of 1,386 users had viewed it.

Couple starved maid to death, court told

There is no reason for the deceased to steal food or to take food scraps from a rubbish bin if she was given proper food, said DPP.

FMT

PUTRAJAYA: A couple should have been convicted for the murder of their Cambodian maid because they had deliberately deprived her of food over a period of time which caused her death, the Court of Appeal here was told today.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Lailawati Ali submitted that not only was Mey Sichan, who only weighed 26.1kg, not given food to eat, she was physically abused with injuries all over her body.

She said the High Court judge had failed to analyse evidence with regard to the conduct by the couple on the deceased which could infer their state of mind.

“There is no reason for the deceased to steal food or to take food scraps from a rubbish bin except that she was not given proper food,” said Lailawati, who added that Mey was also deprived of medical care.

The prosecution is cross-appealing the Penang High Court’s decision on May 16, 2013 to convict hardware store owner Soh Chew Tong and his wife Chin Chui Ling on a reduced charge of committing culpable homicide not amounting to murder instead of the original charge for murder.

The couple were sentenced to 24 years’ jail each for causing the death of Mey, 24, at their home in Taman Asas Murni, Jalan Bukit Minyak in Bukit Mertajam, Penang between January 1 and April 1, 2012.

Soh, 46 and Chin, 43, are also appealing against their conviction and jail term.

Lailawati also argued that it was not an act of negligence on the part of the couple to have caused the deceased’s death, instead it was a series of acts over a prolonged period of time.

Their lawyer, K. Kumaraendran, argued that the prosecution did not prove beyond reasonable doubt that the deceased died as a result of starvation.

He said the prosecution failed to adduce evidence to show that the deceased did not suffer from other diseases which could have led to the progressive wasting and emaciation of her body.

“Without ruling out the probabilities that the deceased suffered from, for example, tuberculosis, pernicious anemia or anorexia nervosa, it cannot be concluded that the deceased’s gastric ulcer was caused by her deprivation of food by the appellants,” he said.

He said at the very best, his clients could be found to have acted so negligently as to have caused Mey’s death whereby despite her (Mey’s) persistent refusal to meet a doctor, they (the couple) ought to have nevertheless ensured that she got the necessary medical care.

The three-member panel comprising Justices Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, Zakaria Sam and Ahmadi Asnawi reserved their decision to a date to be fixed.

Mey who started working for the couple in July 2011, was found dead at the couple’s shophouse with old and fresh injuries on her body and was severely dehydrated. She had sunken cheeks and eye-sockets. Her death was caused by perforation of a gastric ulcer, an acute peritonitis that was left untreated for a week.

– BERNAMA

Hindraf wants to see MB on demolition of 100 temples

The NGO maintains all these temples in Selangor were legally built.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Hindraf Makkal Sakthi is seeking an urgent meeting with Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali on a reported 100 Hindu temples in the state which have purportedly been earmarked for demolition.

The meeting follows a public admission by Selangor Exco V Ganapathi Rao that some 100 Hindu temples, older than the recently demolished 60-year-old Sri Kottai Munisvarar Nageswary Temple, would be demolished by the state government.

He did not state the reasons for the pending demolitions.

Rao was lamenting that there was nothing much that he could do to save the Sri Kottai Munisvarar Nageswary Temple.

“Rao’s statement reminds us of the era of MIC and BN where they kept giving lame excuses for their inefficiency in tackling matters of public interest and concern,” said Hindraf vice-president Tamil Selvam. “He’s the lone Indian representative in the Exco and clearly outnumbered by the others.”

His helplessness, pointed out Tamil Selvam, stems from the fact he has not been given the mandate to handle the issue. “We understand his predicament.”

Hindraf, he stressed, had always maintained that these temples were never illegally built.”

The temples, he added, originated from plantations which were subsequently acquired by the government or sold to private developers. “They fail to appreciate the sensitivity of the issue.”

“Just because the plantations where the temples sit have been acquired by the government and developers, it does not mean that they can go on a demolition spree.”

Two youths charged with murder of cop’s wife

No plea was recorded and court fixed April 22 for mention as post-mortem report was not ready.

FMT

IPOH: Two youths were charged in the magistrate’s court today with the murder of a policeman’s wife at her home on Feb 11.

A. Nagarujun,19, who is unemployed, and a 17-year-old car wash employee was charged with the murder of Izaah Abdullah, 52, between 12.30am and 2am in Taman Tanjung Emas, Ulu Kinta.

When the charge was read out in Tamil by the court interpreter before magistrate Nurul Asyifa Redzuan, the youths nodded to indicate they understood the charge. However, no plea was recorded from them.

DPP Geetha Jora Singh requested the court to fix another date for mention of the case as the post-mortem report on Izaah was not ready.

Nurul Asyifa set April 22 for mention. She did not allow bail.
After the proceedings, a woman, believed to be a family member, was seen crying and hugging the 17-year-old youth.

The youth was represented by counsel Naran Singh while Nagarujun did not have a lawyer.
Four youths had been remanded from Feb 12 to yesterday to assist in the investigation into the case.

– BERNAMA

Let MCA and Gerakan Presidents explain whether MCA and Gerakan had agreed to Kelantan UMNO Assemblymen supporting PAS’s hudud legislation in Kelantan State Assembly next month as part of the UMNO strategy to break up Pakatan Rakyat?

By Lim Kit Siang blog,

The MCA President, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and the Gerakan President, Datuk Mak Siew Keong should explain whether MCA and Gerakan had agreed to Kelantan UMNO State Assemblymen supporting PAS’ hudud legislation for implementation in the Kelantan State Assembly next month as part of the UMNO strategy to break up Pakatan Rakyat?

Suspicion of such an agreement has been caused by three developments:

• firstly, the sudden increase in the number of speeches and statements by all levels of MCA and Gerakan leaders on this issue in the past few days;
• secondly, the sudden two-hour meeting of the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council last Friday night within 24 hours of the death of Tok Guru Nik Aziz on the night of Thursday, 12th February, necessitating the holding of a by-election in the Chempaka state constituency; and
• thirdly a statement by a UMNO Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and Deputy Umno Youth leader Razali Ismail on Tuesday, 17th February that “despite the death of PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, UMNO will continue to support the Islamic party on the implementation of hudud in Kelantan”.

So is the stage set for a “big drama” from the Barisan Nasional component parties for next month’s Kelantan State Assembly, with Kelantan UMNO State Assemblmen voting in support of hudud implementation in Kelantan but ignored by MCA and Gerakan leaders and publicists who will concentrate on their attacks on the DAP and PKR for “selling out the rights of the non-Muslims in Malaysia” because of PAS Kelantan State Assemblymen and women voting for implementation of hudud in Kelantan?

In the uproar and din of multi-party attacks and counter-attacks, accusations and counter-accusations, the inability of the Kelantan State Assembly to implement hudud unless Parliament authorizes it will be temporarily forgotten.

In the Pakatan Rakyat Leadership Council meeting on 8th February 2015, it was unanimously agreed by PKR, DAP and PAS leaders, led by PKR Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng that as hudud and local government issues were outside the PR Common Policy Framework, the two issues would be specifically discussed at the following PR Leadership Council meeting and that no further steps would be taken to pursue these two issue in the meanwhile – which meant that any intention whether to propose an amendment to the hudud enactment in the Kelantan State Assembly or a private member’s bill in Parliament should first be brought to the PR Leadership Council for discussion and decision. This also applies to any proposal to follow-up on local government elections.

I have consistently taken the position that it is the paramount duty and challenge of every PR leader to jointly save PR by adopting an Eight-Year PR Roadmap to reaffirm the secret recipe of the PR success in the 2008 and 2013 general elections, namely adherence to the PR Common Policy Framework which binds all three parties and the operational principle of consensus requiring the consent of all three parties before any policy, issue or decision could be made or changed.

Nik Aziz will be missed greatly, especially with the revived campaign orchestrated by UMNO strategists for a “unity government” between UMNO and PAS reaching a new crescendo.

If Nik Aziz is still alive, there would be no possibility even for a revival of the “unity government” conspiracy, for he was the bulwark in PAS in opposition to it.

Now, it would appear that MCA and Gerakan top leaders have also bought into the “unity government” proposal of the UMNO strategists to break up Pakatan Rakyat, as they ware persuaded that with Nik Aziz’s death, this is the best gambit to break up Pakatan Rakyat – a two-prong attack with Umno staying out of Chempaka by-election and Kelantan UMNO State Assemblymen giving support to Kelantan PAS proposal in the Kelantan State Assembly next month for hudud implementation.

MCA President Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and MCA Datuk Mah Siew Keong should declare their party’s stand on both these issues as noises by their subordinate officials carry no weight whatsoever.

The UMNO leadership has yet to give a commitment to support a PAS private member’s bill in Parliament but it has given a commitment that its PAS Kelantan State Assembly persons would support PAS proposal in Kelantan State Assembly for hudud implementation.

Why is MCA and Gerakan supporting UMNO and UMNO Kelantan State Assemblymen endorsing hudud implementation in Kelantan?

Produce Highly Creative, Innovative And Value-Added Products, Says Najib

Datuk Seri Najib Tun RazakPUTRAJAYA, Feb 24 (Bernama) -- The production of highly creative, innovative and value-added products should be given utmost priority instead of just price competitive products, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

"If we continue to compete just on pricing based on low inputs then we will only compete at a low level and reap less returns on investments," he said at the launch of the Public-Private Research Network (PPRN) here today.

The premier said the country would feel the impact if other countries were to lower their cost of production as this would force Malaysia to further reduce cost to withstand the stiff competition.



"In order to survive in an ever competitive world, we must realise our strengths and look at areas where we can make improvements," he said.

Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said attention should also be accorded to the manufacture of knowledge intensive and high technology products to meet market demand.

"To succeed global competition entails the production of differentiated and high-value products which is not easily imitated or copied by competitors," he added.

"As an example, iPhone 6, if compared with other brands of mobile phones, enjoys a strong demand that outstrips supply.

"Customers are prepared to sleep on five-foot paths in order to be the first to get their hands on the iPhone 6 when stores open the next day.

"Why is this product much sought after compared to the rest?" he asked.

On the PPRN, Najib said it was an innovative incentive introduced by the government in the 2015 Budget to promote demand-based innovative programmes.

Najib announced a RM50 million allocation for PPRN which would establish an ecosystem that is triple-helix in nature and knowledge-friendly, where knowledge is produced, assimilated and distributed to those companies that need it to upgrade their technologies and business models.

Missing MH370 data 'strongly suggests' the Malaysia Airlines jet was deliberately flown off course towards ANTARCTICA, experts tell new documentary

• New documentary tries to find out what happened to flight MH370
• Satellite data suggests plane flew for hours after losing contact
• Expert says it 'strongly suggests' it was deliberately flown off course
• Australian search co-ordinator confident MH370 will be found by May
• Flight vanished on March 8, 2014 travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing

By Sara Malm for MailOnline and Louise Cheer for Daily Mail Australia

Flight MH370 may have been deliberately flown off course by someone in the cockpit, a new documentary claims.

Aviation disaster experts have analysed satellite data from the lost Malaysian Airlines flight and discovered that the plane flew on for hours after losing contact.

Careful examination of the evidence has revealed that MH370 made three turns after the last radio call, first a turn to the left, then two more, taking the plane west, then south towards Antarctica.

According to Malcolm Brenner, a world's leading expert in the causes of aviation disasters, those turns 'strongly suggest' someone in the cockpit deliberately flew MH370 off course.

'This accident has caught the attention of the world in a way I have not seen in a forty-year career in aviation,' Mr Brenner says.

The claims are being made in a new National Geographic documentary out next month where Mr Brenner and a team of experts try to solve the mystery of MH370.

This follows confident claims by the Australian co-ordinator of the search that the doomed jetliner will be found within the next few months.

As the current search for the Malaysia Airlines plane is set to wrap up by the end of May, Australian Transport Safety Bureau Commissioner Martin Dolan said he was hopeful his team would unearth the wreckage by then, News.com.au reported.

But the Joint Agency Co-ordination Centre is remaining tight lipped about the issue, saying the Chinese, Malaysian and Australian governments would be assessing what to do next.

Flight MH370 vanished on March 8, 2014 while travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

No trace of the jet has been recovered since then but Mr Dolan believes his team are close to discovering the wreckage.

'I don't wake up every day thinking 'This will be the day' but I do wake up every day hoping this will be it, and expecting that sometime between now and May that will be the day,' Commissioner Dolan told News Corp.

'It's been both baffling and from our point of view unprecedented - not only the mystery of it, but also on the scale of what we're doing to find the aircraft.

'As we keep on pointing out, we don't have a certainty only a confidence that we'll find the missing aircraft.'

The search for MH370 has so far been fruitless, with the crash site initially thought to be in the South China Sea or Gulf of Thailand.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2965399/Missing-MH370-data-strongly-suggests-Malaysia-Airlines-jet-deliberately-flown-course-ANTARCTICA-experts-tell-new-documentary.html