Lone ranger PAS needs support from Najib, claims Mahathir

SG BESAR POLLS Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has claimed that PAS is now courting Umno as it requires support after being left as a stand-alone party.

"PAS is now alone. That is why they want support from (Umno president) Najib (Abdul Razak) in particular.

"PAS will not criticise Najib. As as stand-alone party with no more support, they need to seek help from Najib. Help in what form, I don't know," said Mahathir at a press conference after delivering the keynote address at a DAP-organised forum in Sekinchan.

He said this when asked whether he would also support PAS Sungai Besar candidate Dr Abdul Rani Osman if the Meru assemblyperson endorsed the Citizens' Declaration to call for Najib's resignation.

Mahathir earlier pledged his support for Amanah's Azhar Abdul Shukur who had signed the Citizens' Declaration.

Mahathir reiterated the two by-elections would not result in a change of government or its policies, but would make a statement.

"This by-election is a referendum.

"It is a move to show Najib that the rakyat have rejected him," he said.

Cuts both ways

Asked whether a victory for BN would then be seen as an endorsement for Najib, Mahathir said, "If you have a referendum you have to follow what the results are."

He, however, warned that it would lead to further destruction of the country's administration.

"People who support Najib either don't know what is happening, or they have dedak (animal feed) in their mouths.

"Whatever that may mean," he quipped.

Dedak is a metaphor for being obligated to the hand that feeds one.

PAS' campaign in both Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar have been shadowed by claims of future cooperation with Umno, although it has been repeatedly denied by the party's top leaders.

However PAS Youth chief Nik Abduh Nik Aziz was today reported in Sinar Harian suggesting otherwise, saying if Umno walks the Islamic path, "there would come a time when we can all unite".

Dr M hits campaign trail, declares support for Harapan candidate

SG BESAR POLLS Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad has declared his support for Parti Amanah Negara Sungai Besar candidate Azhar Abdul Shukur.

This is after Azhar today signed the Citizens' Declaration to support the call for prime minister Najib Abdul Razak's resignation.

"I am now no longer a member of any party. Not Umno and not any other party. I am here as a concerned citizen.

"That is why I am here. To support an Amanah member who signed the Citizens' Declaration to remove Najib," said Mahathir in his keynote address at a DAP-organised forum on 1MDB and the RM2.6 billion scandal.

This is the first time Mahathir has openly campaigned for Pakatan Harapan after previously stating that he is against Najib and BN.

Even after several months since the Citizens' Declaration was launched, Mahathir said he still felt "awkward" sharing the stage with his former enemies.

The forum was attended by about 500 people who mostly wore Amanah's orange-coloured T-shirts.

In explaining reasons why Najib should be rejected, Mahathir insisted that never in his 22 years as prime minister did he receive as much as RM2.6 billion.

"I used to be the prime minister and I never received that much money.

"Even if I did, such donations must be rejected because we would have to 'sell ourselves' to foreigners," he said.

Najib and 1MDB have consistently denied all wrongdoings raised against it, despite ongoing probes by several foreign authorities.

Among other speakers at the forum include Selangor DAP chief Tony Pua, corruption watchdog C4 executive director Cynthia Gabriel and constitution expert Prof Abdul Aziz Bari.

Azhar is running against PAS' Dr Abdul Rani Osman and BN's Budiman Mohd Zohdi for the Sungai Besar seat.

The moment one woman ditched the symbol of ISIS oppression by throwing off her niqab after her village is liberated in Syria

By SARA MALM FOR MAILONLINE

• Several towns and villages in northern Syria, liberated from ISIS this week
• ISIS's strict dress code dictated women be covered head to toe in black
• Women are celebrating by wearing colours and ditching the niqab
• See more Syria news as liberated Syrian ditches symbol of ISIS oppression

This is the joyful moment a woman literally casts off ISIS rule by taking off her terrorist-imposed black niqab in front of fellow liberated villagers in northern Syria.

The strict dress code implemented by ISIS in their conquered areas in Syria and Iraq dictates that all women be covered from head to toe in black, covering their faces with a veil.

Images of women celebrating their freedom by no longer covering their faces in black veils are flowing out of Aleppo, where several villages and towns have been liberated from ISIS this week.

The unnamed woman is seen cheering as she removes the full-face black niqab to reveal a bright purple hijab underneath.

Other women in the village on the outskirts of Manbij, Aleppo, stand next to her, all wearing coloured dresses with their hands and faces exposed.

On Thursday, Khadija Abdu Al-Muotee from liberated Abu Qalqal, south of Manbij, also cast off the ISIS rules, and swore to never wear black again.

'Now I will only wear red!' an exhilarated Mrs Abdu Al-Muotee told Ara News after her town in northern Syria was freed from ISIS this week.

Celebrating the freedom of her home, Mrs Abdu Al-Muotee can be seen wearing a red leopard-print hijab decorated with flowers over a leopard-print dress with red patterns.

'They forced us to cover our faces with the Islamic veil and threatened to kill us,' she adds.

Video from Abu Qalqal shows women and children dressed in colourful clothes and adults no longer covering their faces in full niqab.

The crowd can be heard chanting 'We are freed! We are freed!'

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a U.S.-backed Kurdish and Arab alliance, have liberated several villages and small towns on the edges of Manbij, cutting of an important supply route.

Manbij is strategic town held by IS that serves as a waypoint between the Turkish border and ISIS's self-declared 'capital' of Raqqa.

ISIS has come under growing pressure on various fronts in Syria and Iraq, where it established its self-declared 'caliphate' in 2014.

The extremists lost control Friday of a vital supply artery when Arab-Kurdish forces completely surrounded a key jihadist-held town.

'The SDF cut off the last road from Manbij to the Turkish border,' said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group.

Manbij lies at the heart of the last stretch of territory along Turkey's border still under IS control, and was a key point on the jihadists' supply line from Turkey.

Other secondary roads to the frontier are more dangerous and difficult to access, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

The US envoy to the anti-IS coalition backing the SDF, Brett McGurk, confirmed the road had been severed.

'ISIL terrorists now completely surrounded with no way out,' he wrote on Twitter, using another acronym for ISIS.

This week the SDF, backed by coalition air strikes, cut the road north out of Manbij to the IS-held border town of Jarabulus, which the jihadists had used as a transit point for fighters, money and weapons.

The SDF also blocked the road south out of Manbij heading to IS's de facto capital of Raqa.

'For the jihadists to reach the Turkish border from Raqa, they now have to take a route that is more dangerous because of regime troops nearby and Russian air strikes,' Abdel Rahman said.

Russia launched air strikes in support of President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria in September.

Thousands of residents have fled Manbij - held by IS since 2014 - but jihadists who evacuated their families stayed to defend the town, the Observatory said.

About 20,000 people are still living in the town, which had a pre-war population of about 120,000 -- mostly Arabs, but about a quarter Syrian Kurds.

Last month, the SDF launched attacks on two fronts from the north of Raqa province towards Manbij and in direction of the IS-held town of Tabqa on the same vital supply line further south.

Regime troops backed by Russian air strikes have also pushed an offensive to the southwest of Tabqa.

Moscow and Washington -- despite backing different sides in Syria's five-year conflict -- have both focused efforts on fighting the jihadist group.

Syria's war has killed more than 280,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

13 passengers, 7 crew, Rosmah's aide tells Rafizi to do luggage math

An aide to Rosmah Mansor has dismissed the latest allegation concerning the luggage on board a private jet which flew the prime minister's wife to Istanbul.

According to Rizal Mansor, this was another miscalculation by PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli, who questioned the excessive number of bags and their contents this morning.

"The prime minister's wife is not the only passenger on the flight. The plane also carried 13 other passengers and seven crew members. Are you saying they all do not have any luggage?

"This is a long-range flight. So it means they would have to change clothes.

"Which is why the bags were hand-carried. They also carried their own food on board," he said in a Facebook post.

Rizal (photo) also accused Rafizi of attempting to cover up a previous miscalculation over the Istanbul flight hours.

"That is why he is now talking about the number of bags for the entourage of the prime minister's wife to Istanbul," Rizal said.

He said Rafizi's allegation that the plane had ample cargo space for baggage storage stemmed from the PKR parliamentarian's misunderstanding or lack of knowledge about aircraft specifications.

First of all, he explained, the particular plane's cargo space was not as large as others of the same model or make.

"YB (Rafizi) can check the term ACT - 'additional centre tank' with his friends in the airline industry. The plane's cargo compartment has been modified to accommodate a larger fuel tank to increase its flight range," he said.

Rizal also said that the cargo space had been used to transport equipment and costumes for Permata's performance troupe, which had accompanied Rosmah on her trip on an invitation.

"For your information YB, the cargo compartment for executive aircraft is also not the same as those of commercial flights.

"In the case of this flight, the cargo compartment was used to carry the costumes and props for the Permata Seni performance group, which was invited to perform over there (Istanbul)," he said.

Rizal claimed that Rafizi, who is also the MP for Pandan, had ill-intentions and wanted to incite hatred against Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife.

"Maybe, in the Pandan constituency, there are no longer any public concerns that he needs to fight for, and that is why he is minding other people's business," he said.

While campaigning for the Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar twin by-elections, Rafizi had accused Rosmah of using a private jet for her overseas trips.

However, Rizal denied any wrongdoing, stressing that Rosmah was legally accorded the privilege as the prime minister’s wife and when travelling on national matters.

Meanwhile, Rosmah, who was with her husband in his full day campaign in Kuala Kangsar, stayed mum when asked to respond to Rafizi's allegations.

She visited Hospital Kuala Kangsar this evening before leaving for the BN candidate Mastura Mohd Yazid's house.

Her security came to block journalists who tried to take video footage of Rosmah on their handphones.

Earlier, before her arrival, two police personnel had told the journalists to refrain from interviewing her.

Man hacks FB account to ask for breast photos

Compiled by NEVILLE SPYKERMAN and CRYSTAL CHIAM SHIYING

A SINGAPOREAN man was arrested after he hacked into a woman’s Facebook account and got several of her friends to send him photographs of their breasts, on the pretence of doing a breast cancer awareness project, Kwong Wah Yit Poh reported.

Police arrested the 27-year-old man near Orchard Road at about 10.30pm on Monday after several women lodged reports.

One of the victims said she received a Facebook message on May 2 from her friend who told her she was doing a breast cancer awareness project and wanted to collect breast photographs from women.

“At first I felt it could be a scam and rejected the request. I also felt uneasy to show my body to others. However, she insisted and told me that she would pay me S$500 to S$600 (RM1,500 to RM1,800) as an allowance.

“After some discussion, I agreed to help my friend finish the project and I also told her that she didn’t have to pay me,” said the victim, who subsequently sent her breast photograph to her friend’s account by Facebook Messenger.

She said she later found out that she was cheated after her friend posted a message on Facebook telling all friends that her account was hacked.

She then called her friend and lodged a police report together with another victim who she found out was also scammed.

MyWatch's Sanjeevan, woman inspector questioned in khalwat raid

PETALING JAYA: MyWatch chairman Datuk R. Sri Sanjeevan and a police inspector were caught during a khalwat (close proximity) raid at a luxury hotel in Seremban on Friday.

Sanjeevan and the inspector, reported to have been transferred, have not been arrested nor anything seized from them.

According to a report filed by Bukit Aman’s Integrity and Standard Compliance Department (JIPS), the raiding team comprising officers from JIPS and Negri Sembilan Islamic Affairs Department, went to two connecting rooms at the hotel at 1.30am.

After identifying themselves, the team waited for 10 minutes before the occupant of Room 1002, who was the inspector attached to the Jempol station, opened the door.

They found the officer fully dressed and wearing a headscarf, while a brassiere was left on a chair, the report said.

The team then went to the other room, 1003, and found Sanjeevan alone and fully clothed. No woman’s clothes were found in the room.

The report said the inspector told police she was there to meet Sanjeevan but denied any intimate relationship.

Seremban OCPD ACP Muhammad Zaki Harun confirmed the report. He said the suspects did not commit any crime.

On the transfer of the inspector, he said it was unrelated to the case and transfers were normal procedures in the force.

Sanjeevan, in a WhatsApp reply to The Star Online, confirmed that he was in the hotel but “nothing inappropriate happened.”

“All I know I was alone in my room,” he said.

Mass yoga session on June 19 at Dataran Merdeka

Malaysia Hindu Dharma Maamandram (MHDM) is organising a mass yoga session on June 19, 2016 (Sunday) in conjunction with International Yoga Day, as acknowledged and designated by the United Nations General Assembly.

This event is organised by MHDM with the partnership of MyPPP National Youth Wing as co-organiser and supported by Kementerian Wilayah Persekutuan, Polis DiRaja Malaysia (PDRM), Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL), Hindu Youth Organisation (HYO), Malaysian Ceylonese Congress (MCC), Telugu Association Malaysia (TAM), ISCKON, Yayasan MyNadi and many more.

Last year (2015) being the maiden celebration of the event, we managed to attract 2,200 participants on June 21, 2015 at open ground of Sri Subramaniar Swamy (Batu Caves), Selangor. This was far beyond our initial estimate of 1,000 participants. Motivated by last year’s success we are targeting 5,000 participants to congregate at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur and perform basic Yoga postures simultaneously.

Malaysia Hindu Dharma Mamandram, which is also generally known as ‘Maamandram’, is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to serving Hindus in Malaysia. With 35 active branches all over the country, MHDM is focused mainly on religious education and spiritual development as well as social service.

Founded in 1982, MHDM recently celebrated its 30th year of service. Maamandram aims to expand its service to the community even further and move forward in these modern times. Taking the motto ‘Service to the community through religion’ as inspiration, the Malaysia Hindu Dharma Maamandram continues to help Hindus in Malaysia strive for excellence and prosperity.

MHDM believes in adapting Hinduism to fit our lifestyle yet still holding on to what matters most - our roots and values. Our approaches are modern with conservative values. We hope to expand our scope further and also hope this website will help to enlighten you about our organisation.

We always seek volunteers who are willing to serve the community through religion which justifies our constantly widening Maamandram family. The MHDM family welcomes you to join us.