KUALA LUMPUR: The Cabinet has decided against allowing Astro to raise its rates until the company gets clearance from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said.
The Information, Communication and Culture Minister said the matter was discussed at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting and members felt it was not appropriate for Astro to raise its rates at this time.
“I agreed that Astro’s rates could only be hiked with MCMC’s approval and that any increase must be reasonable and conform to the law,” he said after chairing his ministry’s post-Cabinet meeting at Angkasapuri here yesterday.
He said Astro had violated MCMC’s regulations by issuing notices on its rate hike to customers without the commission’s clearance.
“As such, I have asked MCMC to take appropriate action and instruct Astro to not continue with the rate hike until a time deemed more suitable.”
Explaining what he meant by “appropriate action”, Dr Rais said this was up to MCMC to determine and that Astro could be fined as allowed under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
Astro recently announced it would be streamlining the packages it was offering, which would take effect on July 11.
According to Astro, following the streamlining exercise, customers could save between RM4 and RM14.95 or pay nominal increases of between RM1 and RM15, depending on the packages chosen.
An Astro spokesman said it viewed the minister’s statement with concern as the price revision was conducted in consultation with MCMC and in accordance with the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and licence conditions. — Bernama
Source: The Star Online
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Monday, July 4, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Board to probe ‘nude squat’
PETALING JAYA: An investigation board will probe whether the arrests of two Singaporean women were done according to the law, said Immigration director-general Datuk Alias Ahmad.
He said the board would also check whether the incident stemmed from the carelessness of officials involved.
“The board will make recommendations for the department to carry out,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He said an investigation report was expected within a week and that the department was taking this issue seriously.
The board, known as the Malaysian Immigration Special Investigation Board (LPKIM), will start work today and is headed by department deputy director-general (control) Datuk Raja Mohd Raja Ismail.
Other board members include the department enforcement division director Mohd Zamberi Abdul Aziz, and officers from the police, Prisons Department and detention depot departments.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the authorities would also look at the standard operational procedures involving those detained at checkpoints to determine if changes are needed.
“If the operating procedures do not meet current needs, then changes and amendments must be made based on the findings of the inquiry.
“It is wrong to say that the Immigration front-liners were involved. They (the women) were actually brought to the detention centre,” he said at the Parliament lobby yesterday.
The women had been arrested at the Sultan Iskandar Immigration checkpoint in Johor Baru on June 9.
It was reported that the women were allegedly detained at the Immigration checkpoint for several hours before being taken to the Pekan Nenas detention centre on June 9.
They were told to strip, perform 10 squats and jailed for the night before being released at about 5pm the following day.
Source: The Star Online
He said the board would also check whether the incident stemmed from the carelessness of officials involved.
“The board will make recommendations for the department to carry out,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He said an investigation report was expected within a week and that the department was taking this issue seriously.
The board, known as the Malaysian Immigration Special Investigation Board (LPKIM), will start work today and is headed by department deputy director-general (control) Datuk Raja Mohd Raja Ismail.
Other board members include the department enforcement division director Mohd Zamberi Abdul Aziz, and officers from the police, Prisons Department and detention depot departments.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the authorities would also look at the standard operational procedures involving those detained at checkpoints to determine if changes are needed.
“If the operating procedures do not meet current needs, then changes and amendments must be made based on the findings of the inquiry.
“It is wrong to say that the Immigration front-liners were involved. They (the women) were actually brought to the detention centre,” he said at the Parliament lobby yesterday.
The women had been arrested at the Sultan Iskandar Immigration checkpoint in Johor Baru on June 9.
It was reported that the women were allegedly detained at the Immigration checkpoint for several hours before being taken to the Pekan Nenas detention centre on June 9.
They were told to strip, perform 10 squats and jailed for the night before being released at about 5pm the following day.
Source: The Star Online
Cops probing website hackings
KUALA LUMPUR: Police are investigating several websites that were hacked following a threat by international hacker group called Anonymous.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Khalid Abu Bakar said so far the only cases of hacking known to them was the Polytechnic Department website www.politeknik.edu.my as well as www.tourmalaysia.com.my, but these were done by a local group on Tuesday.
“We are aware of a rising trend of cyber-crimes nationwide, including the misuse of the Internet,” he said when asked to comment on reports that the www.malaysia.gov.my website was targeted by the hacker group due to the censorship of several websites by the Government.
Khalid said police were working with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on the hack threat made by group.
It was reported yesterday that Malaysia was on alert after a threat from the foreign-based hacker group that it would attack the Government's online portal from yesterday.
The group said the move was in response to the Government's ban on 10 file-sharing sites.
The MCMC had on May 30 or-dered local Internet service providers to block the banned sites.
Anonymous has already carried out cyber-attacks on Government websites in Turkey for what was seen as Internet censorship.
Source: The Star Online
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Khalid Abu Bakar said so far the only cases of hacking known to them was the Polytechnic Department website www.politeknik.edu.my as well as www.tourmalaysia.com.my, but these were done by a local group on Tuesday.
“We are aware of a rising trend of cyber-crimes nationwide, including the misuse of the Internet,” he said when asked to comment on reports that the www.malaysia.gov.my website was targeted by the hacker group due to the censorship of several websites by the Government.
Khalid said police were working with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on the hack threat made by group.
It was reported yesterday that Malaysia was on alert after a threat from the foreign-based hacker group that it would attack the Government's online portal from yesterday.
The group said the move was in response to the Government's ban on 10 file-sharing sites.
The MCMC had on May 30 or-dered local Internet service providers to block the banned sites.
Anonymous has already carried out cyber-attacks on Government websites in Turkey for what was seen as Internet censorship.
Source: The Star Online
Websites defaced before deadline set by hacker group
PETALING JAYA: Local websites have been hacked ahead of the deadline set by a foreign-based hacker group, Anonymous, that said it would attack the Malaysian Government portal at 3.30am today.
On the micro-blogging site Twitter yesterday evening, there were reports that 27 sites in total had been hacked.
But these were not named and there was no confirmation from the authorities as to the accuracy of the tweets.
Among the sites known to have been hacked was the Sabah Tourism website, www.sabahtourism.com. The defaced site was spotted early yesterday by the chief executive of a company that organises security conferences.
“A portion of the website was deleted when I saw it,” said Dhillon Andrew Kannabhiran, who heads Hack In The Box (M) Sdn Bhd. “I had just returned from an overseas trip.”
The Sabah Tourism website has since gone offline.
F-Secure Corporation (M) Sdn Bhd, a computer security software company, corroborated Dhillon's account.
Goh Su Gim, its security adviser for Asia, said the Sabah Tourism site was compromised.
“Worse still, the data from 392 user accounts were stolen from the site and released to the public,” he said.
The data that was posted online were e-mail addresses and passwords.
On the webpage where the hackers posted the data, they claimed they had the details of more than 3,400 users from the Sabah Tourism site, but they were only exposing the 392.
The hackers also claimed to be Anonymous members and that they meant no harm, and only wanted to show the vulnerability of this site.
According to Dhillon, the www.tourmalaysia.com.my site was also hacked and defaced yesterday. He had checked the site after viewing the hacked Sabah Tourism website. It was defaced with words that included “Deface by Kambeng Merah: Credit to DarkJawa.”
Another website hacked was www.cidb.gov.my, which belongs to the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB).
It was defaced with a long message that scolded the Government for censoring the Internet. However, a while later, the site was back to normal.
Dhillion said he believed these sites may not have been hacked by Anonymous.
“The hacker group is into co-ordinated attacks and keeps to its word when it comes to launching its attacks,” he said. “These are likely independent hackers taking advantage of the publicity.”
CyberSecurity Malaysia, responsible for the nation's borders in cyberspace, confirmed that several websites were hacked. But it declined to say how many and which were the sites.
“At present, we are not able to elaborate further,” said Lt Col (Rtd) Datuk Husin Jazri, chief executive officer of CyberSecurity.
He said rectification works were being conducted by the relevant authorities to address the situation.
Anonymous had threatened to hack the www.malaysia.gov.my portal to protest against the Government's censorship of the Internet and because Malaysia had blocked 10 filesharing sites.
These sites were among the most visited by Malaysians to illegally download movies.
Source: The Star Online
On the micro-blogging site Twitter yesterday evening, there were reports that 27 sites in total had been hacked.
But these were not named and there was no confirmation from the authorities as to the accuracy of the tweets.
Among the sites known to have been hacked was the Sabah Tourism website, www.sabahtourism.com. The defaced site was spotted early yesterday by the chief executive of a company that organises security conferences.
“A portion of the website was deleted when I saw it,” said Dhillon Andrew Kannabhiran, who heads Hack In The Box (M) Sdn Bhd. “I had just returned from an overseas trip.”
The Sabah Tourism website has since gone offline.
F-Secure Corporation (M) Sdn Bhd, a computer security software company, corroborated Dhillon's account.
Goh Su Gim, its security adviser for Asia, said the Sabah Tourism site was compromised.
“Worse still, the data from 392 user accounts were stolen from the site and released to the public,” he said.
The data that was posted online were e-mail addresses and passwords.
On the webpage where the hackers posted the data, they claimed they had the details of more than 3,400 users from the Sabah Tourism site, but they were only exposing the 392.
The hackers also claimed to be Anonymous members and that they meant no harm, and only wanted to show the vulnerability of this site.
According to Dhillon, the www.tourmalaysia.com.my site was also hacked and defaced yesterday. He had checked the site after viewing the hacked Sabah Tourism website. It was defaced with words that included “Deface by Kambeng Merah: Credit to DarkJawa.”
Another website hacked was www.cidb.gov.my, which belongs to the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB).
It was defaced with a long message that scolded the Government for censoring the Internet. However, a while later, the site was back to normal.
Dhillion said he believed these sites may not have been hacked by Anonymous.
“The hacker group is into co-ordinated attacks and keeps to its word when it comes to launching its attacks,” he said. “These are likely independent hackers taking advantage of the publicity.”
CyberSecurity Malaysia, responsible for the nation's borders in cyberspace, confirmed that several websites were hacked. But it declined to say how many and which were the sites.
“At present, we are not able to elaborate further,” said Lt Col (Rtd) Datuk Husin Jazri, chief executive officer of CyberSecurity.
He said rectification works were being conducted by the relevant authorities to address the situation.
Anonymous had threatened to hack the www.malaysia.gov.my portal to protest against the Government's censorship of the Internet and because Malaysia had blocked 10 filesharing sites.
These sites were among the most visited by Malaysians to illegally download movies.
Source: The Star Online
Some Malaysian websites are offline
PETALING JAYA: The www.malaysia.gov.my portal targeted for attack at 3.30am today by a foreign-based hacker group has been offline since midnight. Several other Malaysian Government websites are also offline.
Speculation is rife on blogs and Twitter, the micro-blogging site, with some believing that the hacker group that calls itself Anonymous has launched a distributed denial-of-service attack on the websites.
Others, however, seem equally sure that local authorities have unplugged the servers of these sites, either in an attempt to spoil Anonymous' plan, or to buy more time for website security to be upgraded before putting the sites back online.
Securitynewsdaily.com posted that the malaysia.gov.my website became unresponsive around midnight, most likely due to a denial-of-service attack.
This method of attack involves bombarding the website with an ever increasing amount of requests that it eventually becomes unable to handle all the queries and crashes.
On Twitter, some said they don't believe it was due to plug-pulling, while others stated that it was. One person tweeted that he received e-mail messages advising him to switch off servers, but did not provide more details when contacted through Twitter.
The other government websites that were offline include www.parlimen.gov.my, www.rmp.gov.my (Royal Malaysian Police), www.treasury.gov.my (Ministry of Finance), and www.mocat.gov.my (Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism).
But the Parliament, Treasury and Police websites came back up before 9am.
Among the unaffected are the websites belonging to the Ministry of Defence, Department of Islamic Development, the Election Commission, and Tourism Malaysia.
Anonymous had threatened to hack the malaysia.gov.my portal to protest against the Malaysian Government's censorship of the Internet, movies and TV shows. And because Malaysia had banned and called for the blocking of 10 filesharing sites. These sites were among the most visited by Malaysians to illegally download movies.
Source: The Star Online
Speculation is rife on blogs and Twitter, the micro-blogging site, with some believing that the hacker group that calls itself Anonymous has launched a distributed denial-of-service attack on the websites.
Others, however, seem equally sure that local authorities have unplugged the servers of these sites, either in an attempt to spoil Anonymous' plan, or to buy more time for website security to be upgraded before putting the sites back online.
Securitynewsdaily.com posted that the malaysia.gov.my website became unresponsive around midnight, most likely due to a denial-of-service attack.
This method of attack involves bombarding the website with an ever increasing amount of requests that it eventually becomes unable to handle all the queries and crashes.
On Twitter, some said they don't believe it was due to plug-pulling, while others stated that it was. One person tweeted that he received e-mail messages advising him to switch off servers, but did not provide more details when contacted through Twitter.
The other government websites that were offline include www.parlimen.gov.my, www.rmp.gov.my (Royal Malaysian Police), www.treasury.gov.my (Ministry of Finance), and www.mocat.gov.my (Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism).
But the Parliament, Treasury and Police websites came back up before 9am.
Among the unaffected are the websites belonging to the Ministry of Defence, Department of Islamic Development, the Election Commission, and Tourism Malaysia.
Anonymous had threatened to hack the malaysia.gov.my portal to protest against the Malaysian Government's censorship of the Internet, movies and TV shows. And because Malaysia had banned and called for the blocking of 10 filesharing sites. These sites were among the most visited by Malaysians to illegally download movies.
Source: The Star Online
Earthquake in Papua New Guinea
KUALA LUMPUR: Papua New Guinea has been struck by a 6.6 magnitude earthquake at 8.03am (local time) on Thursday.
The Meteorological Department said the earthquake struck at 605km northeast of Port Moresby.
There is no danger from tsunami. - BERNAMA
The Meteorological Department said the earthquake struck at 605km northeast of Port Moresby.
There is no danger from tsunami. - BERNAMA
MCMC: 41 Govt websites disrupted at various levels
CYBERJAYA: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) confirmed Thursday that there were attempts to hack several Malaysian government websites, including its website, www.skmm.gov.my
"Regarding the threat by unknown hackers to attack websites with the .gov.my domain, there were indeed attempts to hack several Malaysian government websites.
"These attacks started at approximately 11.30pm, on Wednesday, June 15. We are able to confirm that 51 .gov.my websites were attacked and there has been disruption at various levels to at least 41 of those websites.
"However, we do not expect the overall recovery to these websites to take long as most websites have already recovered from the attack.
"Our monitoring of the situation showed that there was a reduced level of attacks by 4.00am this morning (Thursday) and upon further evaluation, so far we gauge that there has been little impact on Malaysian users as a result of this attack.
"MCMC's Network Security Centre has been making concerted efforts to mitigate the attacks around the clock and will continue to work with other enforcement agencies and security experts as well service providers to monitor the situation.
"The public is advised to report any information they may have regarding the identity of these hackers as the act to disrupt network services is a serious offence, which is punishable by law," MCMC said in a statement.
It added that the attempt to hack MCMC's website was not successful.
Source: The Star Online
"Regarding the threat by unknown hackers to attack websites with the .gov.my domain, there were indeed attempts to hack several Malaysian government websites.
"These attacks started at approximately 11.30pm, on Wednesday, June 15. We are able to confirm that 51 .gov.my websites were attacked and there has been disruption at various levels to at least 41 of those websites.
"However, we do not expect the overall recovery to these websites to take long as most websites have already recovered from the attack.
"Our monitoring of the situation showed that there was a reduced level of attacks by 4.00am this morning (Thursday) and upon further evaluation, so far we gauge that there has been little impact on Malaysian users as a result of this attack.
"MCMC's Network Security Centre has been making concerted efforts to mitigate the attacks around the clock and will continue to work with other enforcement agencies and security experts as well service providers to monitor the situation.
"The public is advised to report any information they may have regarding the identity of these hackers as the act to disrupt network services is a serious offence, which is punishable by law," MCMC said in a statement.
It added that the attempt to hack MCMC's website was not successful.
Source: The Star Online
Country's first electric motorcycle launched
KLANG: The country's first electric-powered motorcycle has been launched by the Transport Minister.
Energy consumption for the environmentally friendly vehicle Modenas CTric, which will have a top speed of 70km per house, is one sen per kilometre.
At an average speed of 30km per hour, it can go as far as 60km on a single charge.
Source: The Star Online
Shut-down of Windows Marketplace for Mobile Web Site and My Phone Service
Microsoft will be discontinuing the My Phone service for Windows Mobile 6.x. We will also be discontinuing the Windows Marketplace for Mobile web site. Because you may be affected, please review the details below:
Windows Marketplace for Mobile Web Site To Be Discontinued
The Windows Marketplace for Mobile web site at http://marketplace.windowsphone.com will no longer be available starting on July 15, 2011. After July 15, 2011, you will no longer be able to browse, buy or download applications for Windows Mobile 6.x phones via the Windows Marketplace for Mobile web site.
The Windows Marketplace for Mobile service will continue to be available on your phone, however. You will continue to be able to browse, buy and download applications for Windows Mobile 6.x on your phone.
My Phone To Be Discontinued
On August 7, 2011, the My Phone service will stop saving content from phones to the My Phone service. If you rely on the My Phone service to back-up the content on your Windows Mobile 6.x phone, you will be affected.
Starting on August 7, 2011, Microsoft will begin moving your My Phone content to Windows Live SkyDrive. SkyDrive is Microsoft's free online storage service that helps you access and share your files such as photos and Microsoft Office documents. Contacts, calendar entries, text messages and photos will be moved to SkyDrive for you. Once moved, you will be able to access this content by logging into SkyDrive using the Windows Live ID that you used to register for the My Phone service.
Other content types, including videos, music, documents and favorites will not be moved from My Phone to SkyDrive for you. If you want this content, you must save it from the My Phone service to your local PC.
On October 6, 2011, the My Phone web site at http://www.microsoft.com/myphone will no longer be available. On this date, you will no longer be able to log in to the My Phone service to access your content stored to the My Phone service. Microsoft will continue to store your My Phone content for one (1) year. Physical copies of your content can be shipped to you upon request until October 5, 2012.
Take Action
To learn more about the My Phone service shut-down, including information about your content moving to Windows Live SkyDrive and how to save other content to your local PC, please visit this web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2557520
Microsoft is committed to making this transition easy. In the meantime, we want to sincerely thank you for your use of Windows Mobile 6.x.
Windows Marketplace for Mobile Web Site To Be Discontinued
The Windows Marketplace for Mobile web site at http://marketplace.windowsphone.com will no longer be available starting on July 15, 2011. After July 15, 2011, you will no longer be able to browse, buy or download applications for Windows Mobile 6.x phones via the Windows Marketplace for Mobile web site.
The Windows Marketplace for Mobile service will continue to be available on your phone, however. You will continue to be able to browse, buy and download applications for Windows Mobile 6.x on your phone.
My Phone To Be Discontinued
On August 7, 2011, the My Phone service will stop saving content from phones to the My Phone service. If you rely on the My Phone service to back-up the content on your Windows Mobile 6.x phone, you will be affected.
Starting on August 7, 2011, Microsoft will begin moving your My Phone content to Windows Live SkyDrive. SkyDrive is Microsoft's free online storage service that helps you access and share your files such as photos and Microsoft Office documents. Contacts, calendar entries, text messages and photos will be moved to SkyDrive for you. Once moved, you will be able to access this content by logging into SkyDrive using the Windows Live ID that you used to register for the My Phone service.
Other content types, including videos, music, documents and favorites will not be moved from My Phone to SkyDrive for you. If you want this content, you must save it from the My Phone service to your local PC.
On October 6, 2011, the My Phone web site at http://www.microsoft.com/myphone will no longer be available. On this date, you will no longer be able to log in to the My Phone service to access your content stored to the My Phone service. Microsoft will continue to store your My Phone content for one (1) year. Physical copies of your content can be shipped to you upon request until October 5, 2012.
Take Action
To learn more about the My Phone service shut-down, including information about your content moving to Windows Live SkyDrive and how to save other content to your local PC, please visit this web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2557520
Microsoft is committed to making this transition easy. In the meantime, we want to sincerely thank you for your use of Windows Mobile 6.x.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
RM1.8mil FB page to boost tourism
THE Tourism Ministry needs to allocate funds to reach out to global travellers, including youngsters, through social media, Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said.
She said a RM1,758,432 allocation by the ministry to develop its Facebook page professionally was part of its social media campaign, adding that it was a small amount compared to that spent by other countries in the region.
The Philippines spent RM7mil on social media for its tourism campaign while Australia had allocated about A$150mil (RM485mil) over the next three years.
Dr Ng was hitting out at those questioning in Parliament the ministry’s expenditure to develop its Facebook page.
She said these people must understand that the tourism sector was one of the main revenue earners for the country.
Earlier, Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit (Mambong-BN) had explained that the ministry spent close to RM1.8mil to develop its Facebook page to promote the ministry’s domestic tourism market and activities from this year to year 2013.
She said a RM1,758,432 allocation by the ministry to develop its Facebook page professionally was part of its social media campaign, adding that it was a small amount compared to that spent by other countries in the region.
The Philippines spent RM7mil on social media for its tourism campaign while Australia had allocated about A$150mil (RM485mil) over the next three years.
Dr Ng was hitting out at those questioning in Parliament the ministry’s expenditure to develop its Facebook page.
She said these people must understand that the tourism sector was one of the main revenue earners for the country.
Earlier, Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit (Mambong-BN) had explained that the ministry spent close to RM1.8mil to develop its Facebook page to promote the ministry’s domestic tourism market and activities from this year to year 2013.
Call for tolerance over diesel subsidy cut
TAWAU: The Tawau Fishermen's Association has asked offshore and trawler fishermen to exercise more tolerance over the withdrawal of their diesel super subsidy as of June 1.
Its chairman Hasan Timbasal said they still enjoyed subsidised diesel at RM1.80 per litre while the market price for the fuel was RM2.80.
“Usually, a trawler or an offshore fishing boat uses between 50,000 and 60,000 litres of diesel a month. At the price of RM1.80 the subsidy savings of the trawler can be more than RM40,000 a month,” he told Bernama.
The government had removed the diesel super subsidy on nine categories of commercial vehicles on June 1 but retained it for the other beneficiaries.
Hasan said inshore fishermen only used up to 60 litres of diesel a day and the savings from the subsidy was RM2,430 per month, much less than the savings of offshore fishermen. -- Bernama
Source: The Star Online
Its chairman Hasan Timbasal said they still enjoyed subsidised diesel at RM1.80 per litre while the market price for the fuel was RM2.80.
“Usually, a trawler or an offshore fishing boat uses between 50,000 and 60,000 litres of diesel a month. At the price of RM1.80 the subsidy savings of the trawler can be more than RM40,000 a month,” he told Bernama.
The government had removed the diesel super subsidy on nine categories of commercial vehicles on June 1 but retained it for the other beneficiaries.
Hasan said inshore fishermen only used up to 60 litres of diesel a day and the savings from the subsidy was RM2,430 per month, much less than the savings of offshore fishermen. -- Bernama
Source: The Star Online
Attack on govt website will be prevented, says Rais (Updated)
KUALA LUMPUR: The country's cyber security authorities are working towards preventing a planned attack on Malaysian government website www.malaysia.gov.my, said Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.
However, he declined to elaborate on the preventive actions, saying that they were confidential.
A hacker group, calling itself Anonymous has threatened to launch the attack on the government's official website at about 3.30am Thursday.
The group said in a Youtube posting that it was acting against the various forms of censorship by the Malaysian government and the recent move to block 10 file-sharing websites.
Dr Rais added that the hacker group had misunderstood the government's intention in blocking the 10 filesharing websites.
“We do not have censorship, except when crimes are committed through cyberspace,” he said, adding that the ministry was taking the threats very seriously.
Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Khalid Abu Bakar said the police was aware of the hack threat and was working with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC)to investigate the issue.
He added that there was a rise in cyber crimes including the misuse of the Internet for criminal activities.
Source: The Star Online
However, he declined to elaborate on the preventive actions, saying that they were confidential.
A hacker group, calling itself Anonymous has threatened to launch the attack on the government's official website at about 3.30am Thursday.
The group said in a Youtube posting that it was acting against the various forms of censorship by the Malaysian government and the recent move to block 10 file-sharing websites.
Dr Rais added that the hacker group had misunderstood the government's intention in blocking the 10 filesharing websites.
“We do not have censorship, except when crimes are committed through cyberspace,” he said, adding that the ministry was taking the threats very seriously.
Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Khalid Abu Bakar said the police was aware of the hack threat and was working with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC)to investigate the issue.
He added that there was a rise in cyber crimes including the misuse of the Internet for criminal activities.
Source: The Star Online
Singapore wants to know more on nude squat incident
SINGAPORE: Singapore's Foreign Affairs Ministry has asked the Malaysian immigration authorities for more information on the treatment of two Singaporean women detained for nearly 48 hours in Johor Baru.
The women - who wanted to be known only as Ms Chang and Ms Lim - told The Straits Times that they were handcuffed, thrown behind bars and forced to undress and perform squats.
Their nightmare happened after they accidentally entered Johor Baru without getting their passports stamped, by driving through what they said was an unmanned immigration lane.
“Our consulate in JB has been in touch with the Malaysian immigration authorities to enquire on the investigation and detention procedures that the two Singaporeans underwent,” said a ministry spokesman.
Chang, an insurance industry manager in her late 30s, and Lim, an estate agent in her late 20s, met up with consular officers here Tuesday to recount their ordeal.
They had driven across the Causeway for a snack in the early hours of last Thursday. After realising they had accidentally gone straight through immigration, they immediately did a U-turn.
They said they were questioned by immigration officers, and then taken to the Pekan Nenas detention centre in Pontian where they were ordered to strip and do 10 squats each. -- ST/ANN
Source: The Star Online
The women - who wanted to be known only as Ms Chang and Ms Lim - told The Straits Times that they were handcuffed, thrown behind bars and forced to undress and perform squats.
Their nightmare happened after they accidentally entered Johor Baru without getting their passports stamped, by driving through what they said was an unmanned immigration lane.
“Our consulate in JB has been in touch with the Malaysian immigration authorities to enquire on the investigation and detention procedures that the two Singaporeans underwent,” said a ministry spokesman.
Chang, an insurance industry manager in her late 30s, and Lim, an estate agent in her late 20s, met up with consular officers here Tuesday to recount their ordeal.
They had driven across the Causeway for a snack in the early hours of last Thursday. After realising they had accidentally gone straight through immigration, they immediately did a U-turn.
They said they were questioned by immigration officers, and then taken to the Pekan Nenas detention centre in Pontian where they were ordered to strip and do 10 squats each. -- ST/ANN
Source: The Star Online
Radiopharmaceutical company's premises sealed due to radiation
KUALA LUMPUR: A radiopharmaceutical company in Selangor has been ordered to stop operations and its premises have been sealed by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) for further investigation, after radioactive materials were detected on four of its workers.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili said the radioactive contamination was detected by AELB through a Radiation Portal Monitor (RPM) system at 11.30am on June 2, after the four workers went to the AELB office.
"The radiation reading on one of the workers exceeded more than 400 times the normal reading (the normal reading is 0.5 micro Sievert/hour)," he said in press statement here Tuesday.
He said the four workers had gone through the decontamination process, with three of them at the National Radiological Emergency Centre at the AELB head office in Dengkil.
The other worker, who was directly involved with the radiopharmaceutical leakage, was decontaminated at the Malaysian Nuclear Agency, he added.
Ongkili said an AELB team also monitored the company premises the same day and found the contamination there at more than 100 times the normal reading.
"The contaminated area has been cordoned off to ensure the radiation does not spread or any radioactive particles leave the place," he added.
The company was also ordered to review its work procedure and to submit remedial action to prevent the incident from happening again. - Bernama
Source: The Star Online
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili said the radioactive contamination was detected by AELB through a Radiation Portal Monitor (RPM) system at 11.30am on June 2, after the four workers went to the AELB office.
"The radiation reading on one of the workers exceeded more than 400 times the normal reading (the normal reading is 0.5 micro Sievert/hour)," he said in press statement here Tuesday.
He said the four workers had gone through the decontamination process, with three of them at the National Radiological Emergency Centre at the AELB head office in Dengkil.
The other worker, who was directly involved with the radiopharmaceutical leakage, was decontaminated at the Malaysian Nuclear Agency, he added.
Ongkili said an AELB team also monitored the company premises the same day and found the contamination there at more than 100 times the normal reading.
"The contaminated area has been cordoned off to ensure the radiation does not spread or any radioactive particles leave the place," he added.
The company was also ordered to review its work procedure and to submit remedial action to prevent the incident from happening again. - Bernama
Source: The Star Online
Strongest radiation - iPhone 4
(Reuters Hong Kong 14) World Health Organization included in the earlier phone radiation "probably carcinogenic" category, the same level with the plasticizer. Hong Kong, a test showed that the release of Apple's iPhone is the highest amount of radiation.
"Apple Daily" commissioned by the City University of electromagnetic laboratory, testing 5-renowned mobile communications products, under actual use of the amount of radiation released. Apple iPhone 4, whether the results of the call or data transmission, the amount of radiation released are the highest.
WHO refers to mobile phone radiation, is the body of RF energy actually absorbed, that "Specific Absorption Rate." "Apple" will iPhone 4 and iPad 2, HTC Desire HD, Samsung Galaxy S II, Motorola Atrix, 5 models of mobile communication equipment Chiu Hing Jiaocheng big test.
iPhone 4 in the two tests are the highest values of radiation, in a call the next, iPhone 4 in the "Specific Absorption Rate" value of 0.33 watts, the lowest Samsung Galaxy SII, only 0.02 watts.
Data transmission tests, iPhone 4 also the highest amount of radiation, up to 1.28 watts, is the call 4 times the minimum amount of radiation is the new Motorola mobile phone Atrix, only 0.47 watts.
Video
Hong Kong's most powerful electromagnetic survey - iPhone4
Source: LowYat Forum
"Apple Daily" commissioned by the City University of electromagnetic laboratory, testing 5-renowned mobile communications products, under actual use of the amount of radiation released. Apple iPhone 4, whether the results of the call or data transmission, the amount of radiation released are the highest.
WHO refers to mobile phone radiation, is the body of RF energy actually absorbed, that "Specific Absorption Rate." "Apple" will iPhone 4 and iPad 2, HTC Desire HD, Samsung Galaxy S II, Motorola Atrix, 5 models of mobile communication equipment Chiu Hing Jiaocheng big test.
iPhone 4 in the two tests are the highest values of radiation, in a call the next, iPhone 4 in the "Specific Absorption Rate" value of 0.33 watts, the lowest Samsung Galaxy SII, only 0.02 watts.
Data transmission tests, iPhone 4 also the highest amount of radiation, up to 1.28 watts, is the call 4 times the minimum amount of radiation is the new Motorola mobile phone Atrix, only 0.47 watts.
Video
Hong Kong's most powerful electromagnetic survey - iPhone4
Source: LowYat Forum
Sumatra quakes felt across several states, forcing evacuations
KUALA LUMPUR: Tremors from two earthquakes that hit Sumatra were felt in several states prompting some evacuations.
The tremors were felt as far away as Selangor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Perak and Putrajaya.
The first 5.5-magnitude earthquake occurred at 8.08am and the second 5.6-magnitude quake hit the same place at 11.01am yesterday.
In Kuala Lumpur, employees at Wisma BSN along Jalan Ampang were evacuated for almost an hour after the 11am tremors.
BSN corporate affairs vice-president Emilia Azyyati Abdul Rahman said over 1,000 employees were asked to assemble at two locations on either side of the office tower.
“I was up on the 19th floor when I felt the tremor. But it was very faint.
“We waited for firefighters to finish inspecting the building before going back,” said Emilia.
However, there was no evacuation at the Petronas Twin Towers across the street.
Workers in several other buildings in Damansara including Menara HP and Bangunan CIMB also felt the tremors and left their offices as a precaution.
Several readers also related their experience to The Star through email.
A student at Inti College, Y.S. Yan, was in the middle of an examination when the tremors hit.
“We were told to leave the building when the tables started shaking,” said Yan.
Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) employees were asked to evacuate their stations and gather at the football field.
Within TNB compounds, three buildings the headquarters, the National Load Dispatch Centre and TNB Generation were evacuated.
In Putrajaya, hundreds of people, mostly government staff, scrambled for safety when tremors were felt in several buildings. Civil servants working in the buildings in Parcel E, especially the Education and Health ministries, reported that they saw their chairs moving slightly.
Clerk Hairani Mohamad was just about to start work when she suddenly felt dizzy and saw her pen on the table rolling.
“Then I felt the building shake. When I saw other staff members rushing out of the building, I realised it was something serious and it turned out to be the earthquakes,” she said.
A Putrajaya Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said several teams were sent to Precincts 1, 2, 15 and 18 after it received reports of tremors.
Checks on the buildings later found no damage, he added.
A Fire and Rescue Department officer for Selangor and Kuala Lumpur said they received distress calls from over 100 people claiming that they had felt the tremors in their high-rise offices and buildings.
The state fire department inspected 15 buildings and gave the all-clear later.
The Kuala Lumpur Fire Department said 11 buildings were inspected with no structural damage detected.
Source: The Star Online
The tremors were felt as far away as Selangor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Perak and Putrajaya.
The first 5.5-magnitude earthquake occurred at 8.08am and the second 5.6-magnitude quake hit the same place at 11.01am yesterday.
Seeking comfort: Alya Batrisya, five, getting a hug from her mother after tremors were felt in Putrajaya yesterday.— Bernama
In Kuala Lumpur, employees at Wisma BSN along Jalan Ampang were evacuated for almost an hour after the 11am tremors.
BSN corporate affairs vice-president Emilia Azyyati Abdul Rahman said over 1,000 employees were asked to assemble at two locations on either side of the office tower.
“I was up on the 19th floor when I felt the tremor. But it was very faint.
“We waited for firefighters to finish inspecting the building before going back,” said Emilia.
However, there was no evacuation at the Petronas Twin Towers across the street.
Workers in several other buildings in Damansara including Menara HP and Bangunan CIMB also felt the tremors and left their offices as a precaution.
Several readers also related their experience to The Star through email.
A student at Inti College, Y.S. Yan, was in the middle of an examination when the tremors hit.
“We were told to leave the building when the tables started shaking,” said Yan.
Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) employees were asked to evacuate their stations and gather at the football field.
Within TNB compounds, three buildings the headquarters, the National Load Dispatch Centre and TNB Generation were evacuated.
In Putrajaya, hundreds of people, mostly government staff, scrambled for safety when tremors were felt in several buildings. Civil servants working in the buildings in Parcel E, especially the Education and Health ministries, reported that they saw their chairs moving slightly.
Clerk Hairani Mohamad was just about to start work when she suddenly felt dizzy and saw her pen on the table rolling.
“Then I felt the building shake. When I saw other staff members rushing out of the building, I realised it was something serious and it turned out to be the earthquakes,” she said.
A Putrajaya Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said several teams were sent to Precincts 1, 2, 15 and 18 after it received reports of tremors.
Checks on the buildings later found no damage, he added.
A Fire and Rescue Department officer for Selangor and Kuala Lumpur said they received distress calls from over 100 people claiming that they had felt the tremors in their high-rise offices and buildings.
The state fire department inspected 15 buildings and gave the all-clear later.
The Kuala Lumpur Fire Department said 11 buildings were inspected with no structural damage detected.
Source: The Star Online
Motorists to bear cost of testing vehicles
PETALING JAYA: Car owners, not car dealers, will bear the costs of Puspakom's Transfer of Ownership (B5) and Hire-Purchase (B7) inspections, the Federation of Motor and Credit Companies Associations of Malaysia (FMCCAM) said.
Secretary-general Khoo Kah Jin said motorists wanting to sell theirvehicles to used car dealers have to pay for the B5 and B7 inspections first.
“We will evaluate the car according to Puspakom's inspection results,” he told The Star yesterday.
However, he said the federationremained totally against the B7 inspection costing RM60 which is to be enforced from today, deeming it “an unnecessary cost.”
“The four-point B5 inspection is sufficient to test a vehicle's roadworthiness. Sellers can always go to a trusted mechanic for additional free professional advice,” he noted.
On Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob's statement last week that used motorcycles would be exempted from the B7 test due to the small number involved, Khoo questioned why this was the case if safety was the main issue
Meanwhile, FMCCAM and Gerakan Youth will submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister's Department and the ministry today requesting to delay the implementation of the B7 inspection.
According to the amended Hire-Purchase Act, motorists wanting to sell their vehicles need to send the cars for a comprehensive 18-point inspection by Puspakom before entering into a hire-purchase agreement.
The inspection will include computerised testing for smoke emission, brakes, side-slip and suspension.
Source: The Star Online
Secretary-general Khoo Kah Jin said motorists wanting to sell theirvehicles to used car dealers have to pay for the B5 and B7 inspections first.
“We will evaluate the car according to Puspakom's inspection results,” he told The Star yesterday.
Stringent check: A Puspakom vehicle inspector checking that the window tint is within regulations at the new Bukit Maluri service centre.
However, he said the federationremained totally against the B7 inspection costing RM60 which is to be enforced from today, deeming it “an unnecessary cost.”
“The four-point B5 inspection is sufficient to test a vehicle's roadworthiness. Sellers can always go to a trusted mechanic for additional free professional advice,” he noted.
On Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob's statement last week that used motorcycles would be exempted from the B7 test due to the small number involved, Khoo questioned why this was the case if safety was the main issue
Meanwhile, FMCCAM and Gerakan Youth will submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister's Department and the ministry today requesting to delay the implementation of the B7 inspection.
According to the amended Hire-Purchase Act, motorists wanting to sell their vehicles need to send the cars for a comprehensive 18-point inspection by Puspakom before entering into a hire-purchase agreement.
The inspection will include computerised testing for smoke emission, brakes, side-slip and suspension.
Source: The Star Online
Puspakom invests RM20mil on HPI services
KUALA LUMPUR: Puspakom has built 19 new dedicated lanes for motorists sending their used cars for the Hire-Purchase Inspection (HPI) to be enforced today.
Chief executive officer Hisham Othman said the body had invested RM20mil to add lanes to existing service centres and build six new branches in Taman Bukit Maluri, Pandan Mewah, Jalan Tandang, Batu Caves, and Taman Daya in Johor Baru and Pengkalan Chepa in Kota Baru.
An additional lane has been added to branches in Glenmarie, Wangsa Maju, Sungai Petani, Padang Jawa and Kuching, he said.
“We have selected heavily-populated locations where there are many car dealers. We have also engaged 121 new vehicle inspectors in our centres,” he told The Star.
Hisham said business hours had been extended to 7pm from 5pm, but assured motorists that service centres would continue to inspect cars up until midnight “as long as there is a queue and people are willing to wait.”
“We will stay open to complete the inspection,” he said, adding that this also covered weekends.
The HPI, also known as the B7 inspection, comprises an 18-point inspection using both visual and computerised equipment to test a vehicle's roadworthiness.
It is part of amendments made to the Hire-Purchase Act 1967.
Car owners have to pay RM60 more for the new inspection besides the RM30 for the existing Transfer of Ownership (B5) four-point inspection.
However, Hisham explained that vehicle owners need not be subjected to both B5 and B7 inspections simulatenously as separate certificates were issued for each.
“As long as the owner does not enter into a hire-purchase agreement, there is no need for the B7. It's your choice, you can do both at once or come twice,” he said.
The B5 and B7 certificates are valid for a month and two months respectively from the inspection date.
Source: The Star Online
Chief executive officer Hisham Othman said the body had invested RM20mil to add lanes to existing service centres and build six new branches in Taman Bukit Maluri, Pandan Mewah, Jalan Tandang, Batu Caves, and Taman Daya in Johor Baru and Pengkalan Chepa in Kota Baru.
An additional lane has been added to branches in Glenmarie, Wangsa Maju, Sungai Petani, Padang Jawa and Kuching, he said.
“We have selected heavily-populated locations where there are many car dealers. We have also engaged 121 new vehicle inspectors in our centres,” he told The Star.
Hisham said business hours had been extended to 7pm from 5pm, but assured motorists that service centres would continue to inspect cars up until midnight “as long as there is a queue and people are willing to wait.”
“We will stay open to complete the inspection,” he said, adding that this also covered weekends.
The HPI, also known as the B7 inspection, comprises an 18-point inspection using both visual and computerised equipment to test a vehicle's roadworthiness.
It is part of amendments made to the Hire-Purchase Act 1967.
Car owners have to pay RM60 more for the new inspection besides the RM30 for the existing Transfer of Ownership (B5) four-point inspection.
However, Hisham explained that vehicle owners need not be subjected to both B5 and B7 inspections simulatenously as separate certificates were issued for each.
“As long as the owner does not enter into a hire-purchase agreement, there is no need for the B7. It's your choice, you can do both at once or come twice,” he said.
The B5 and B7 certificates are valid for a month and two months respectively from the inspection date.
Source: The Star Online
RIM wants another file-sharing site blocked
PETALING JAYA: The Recording Industry Association of Malaysia (RIM) has called on the Government to ban another file-sharing site - jiwang.org.
It claimed that the site specialises in providing pirated Malaysian music recordings for illegal downloads.
RIM said the site also reaps lucrative advertising revenue from commercial organisations.
Last week, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) banned 10 file-sharing sites and called on local Internet service providers to block access to the sites.
RIM chairman Norman Abdul Halim lauded the Government's efforts to uphold copyright laws in cyberspace by taking action against the file-sharing sites.
The websites were among the most visited by Malaysians to illegally download movies.
He added that RIM had filed a complaint with the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry about jiwang.org.
Norman said the ban was a good starting point against illegal downloads, although savvy Internet users could still circumvent any blocks.
Malaysia is the first country in South-East Asia to block file-sharing sites, he said.
Although Internet censorship was against the MSC Malaysia Bill of Guarantees, which states that the Government will not censor the Internet, it was illegal to download pirated songs and movies, he said.
Source: The Star Online
It claimed that the site specialises in providing pirated Malaysian music recordings for illegal downloads.
RIM said the site also reaps lucrative advertising revenue from commercial organisations.
Last week, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) banned 10 file-sharing sites and called on local Internet service providers to block access to the sites.
RIM chairman Norman Abdul Halim lauded the Government's efforts to uphold copyright laws in cyberspace by taking action against the file-sharing sites.
The websites were among the most visited by Malaysians to illegally download movies.
He added that RIM had filed a complaint with the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry about jiwang.org.
Norman said the ban was a good starting point against illegal downloads, although savvy Internet users could still circumvent any blocks.
Malaysia is the first country in South-East Asia to block file-sharing sites, he said.
Although Internet censorship was against the MSC Malaysia Bill of Guarantees, which states that the Government will not censor the Internet, it was illegal to download pirated songs and movies, he said.
Source: The Star Online
PETALING JAYA: The Recording Industry Association of Malaysia (RIM) has called on the Government to ban another file-sharing site - jiwang.org.
It claimed that the site specialises in providing pirated Malaysian music recordings for illegal downloads.
RIM said the site also reaps lucrative advertising revenue from commercial organisations.
Last week, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) banned 10 file-sharing sites and called on local Internet service providers to block access to the sites.
RIM chairman Norman Abdul Halim lauded the Government's efforts to uphold copyright laws in cyberspace by taking action against the file-sharing sites.
The websites were among the most visited by Malaysians to illegally download movies.
He added that RIM had filed a complaint with the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry about jiwang.org.
Norman said the ban was a good starting point against illegal downloads, although savvy Internet users could still circumvent any blocks.
Malaysia is the first country in South-East Asia to block file-sharing sites, he said.
Although Internet censorship was against the MSC Malaysia Bill of Guarantees, which states that the Government will not censor the Internet, it was illegal to download pirated songs and movies, he said.
Source: The Star Online
It claimed that the site specialises in providing pirated Malaysian music recordings for illegal downloads.
RIM said the site also reaps lucrative advertising revenue from commercial organisations.
Last week, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) banned 10 file-sharing sites and called on local Internet service providers to block access to the sites.
RIM chairman Norman Abdul Halim lauded the Government's efforts to uphold copyright laws in cyberspace by taking action against the file-sharing sites.
The websites were among the most visited by Malaysians to illegally download movies.
He added that RIM had filed a complaint with the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry about jiwang.org.
Norman said the ban was a good starting point against illegal downloads, although savvy Internet users could still circumvent any blocks.
Malaysia is the first country in South-East Asia to block file-sharing sites, he said.
Although Internet censorship was against the MSC Malaysia Bill of Guarantees, which states that the Government will not censor the Internet, it was illegal to download pirated songs and movies, he said.
Source: The Star Online
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