Today, Friday, 31 August 2007, marks the 50th anniversary of independence for Malaysia (then Malaya). It was also a Friday, 31 August 1957 when the first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj declared independence from the British. Fifty years is a long time. Much has been achieved, especially in the 1990s where the nation prospered under the leadership of fourth Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir.
However, in recent years, things do not seem to be better than before. We have seen some increase of intolerance, particularly with regards to race and religion, the increase of crime rate such as murder, rape, robbery, corruption, etc. The government ought to do something about it. Law and order shall be enforced. Such incidents would mar the 50th anniversary celebrations which is happening. Why is that not many people care to even fly the national flag Jalur Gemilang? Many are not happy with the current state of affairs. It is no doubt many do not even know the theme Malaysiaku Gemilang for this year’s celebration.
SINGAPORE, Aug 29 (Bernama) — Sophos, a world leader in information technology security, has warned Internet users about the latest disguise being used by malicious software (malware) authors in their attempt to infect people’s personal computers (PCs) — an e-mail claiming to point to a YouTube video.
“Clicking on a link inside the e-mail will send surfers to a web page containing a malicious script and a Trojan horse designed to compromise the user’s PC and turn it into a zombie,” the company said in a statement.
The malware that hackers were using to try and infect innocent computer users was from the same families of malware used in the waves of Storm Trojan that wreaked havoc on the Internet earlier this year, it said.
“The gang behind these attacks are among the most professional we’ve ever seen — spewing out new variants of their code with multiple disguises in their attempt to infect as many PCs as possible,” said Sophos senior technology consultant, Graham Cluley.
“Clicking on the links in the e-mail won’t take you to YouTube’s real website but the IP address of a compromised PC. If infected, victims’ computers can be used by hackers to steal personal information, spam out malware and junk e-mail, or launch distributed denial of service attacks against innocent parties”.
Sophos said that its products pro-actively detect the malware as “Troj/JSXor-Gen” and “Mal/Dorf-E”, without requiring an update. Users of other vendors’ products are recommended to update their protection and ensure that they are defended against the threats.
Last month, Sophos published the findings of a research which revealed a rise in web-based malware in the first half of 2007.
“With computer users becoming increasingly aware of how to protect against e-mail-aware viruses and malware, hackers have turned to the web as their preferred vector of attack,” the company said.
The Taman Tun Dr. Ismail (TTDI) interchange at the Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP) will be upgraded under a RM84m project which is to begin by the end of the year and to be completed in about 3 years. The upgrade involves the construction of a north-bound flyover to carry the main traffic from SS2 to Kepong as well as some road widening works.
The north-bound stretch of LDP from SS2 to Kepong is notoriously congested, especially during the evening rush hour as main traffic from SS2 will need to switch lanes from right to left after the Damansara Utama underpass tunnel. Traffic from Sprint Highway Damansara Link turning left into LDP to enter TTDI will switch lanes from left to right to access the traffic lights junction at the TTDI interchange. The switching of lanes from both sides created a bottleneck at that stretch of the expressway.
Traffic bottleneck also occurs right after the junction at the interchange. Main traffic from the left lanes to Kepong will switch to the right lanes while traffic from TTDI to Bandar Utama will switch lanes from right to left before turning into Bandar Utama. Such a situation results in traffic congestion that sometimes stretches all the way to SS2. It is hoped that upon completion of the upgrade, smoother traffic can be expected along this stretch.
KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 27, 2007): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi says the application of Islam Hadhari does not mean Malaysia is a theocratic country.
“The Islam Hadhari approach is a guide to the government in implementing its responsibility in a fair and just manner to all Malaysians.
“The Islam Hadhari approach also fulfills the need to preserve harmony in a multi ethnic and multi religious country,” he added.
“The government which I am leading is a government based on the principles of Parliamentary democracy and is responsible to Parliament,” he said.
He said at the same time the Cabinet which is made up of Muslims, Buddhists, Hindu, Christians and others approach in a consensus manner to discuss and produce national development policies.
Abdullah said the government always paid attention and implemented what is best to preserve unity and the people’s interest including ensuring each Malaysian is free to practise their religion.
“All quarters receive aid from the government, whether they are Mosques, Surau’s, Temple or Churches. The country’s development has been implemented fairly, without any ethnic community or religious community being oppressed,” he said.
Abdullah said this was what was meant by his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, when he said that Malaysia was an Islamic country.
He added that this was the sort of administration used by the Malaysian government for the last 50 years.
“This unique formula has been successfully tested and I don’t see why a government formed such a way could not be continued into the future,” Abdullah said.
“I also reject the argument that this is against the social contract which was decided together by our leaders in the past,” he added.
He reminded all that the Federal Constitution was formulated and undertaken in an understanding and cooperative manner by the three largest communities during their struggle to achieve independence and only contains articles which take into account the the needs of various communities to live in a peaceful manner.
“For example, even though Islam is the official religion of the Federation, the adherents of other religions are free to practice their religion.
“The application of Islamic principles in the country’s administration which I have stated earlier has in no way changed the Social Contract or the basis of our Constitution,” Abdullah stressed.
He added the government allows the space to various quarters to voice their views.
“However it is absolutely wrong if certain quarters thought that such a space has no limitation,” Abdullah said.
He said it was not the government’s intention to bar the freedom to voice views but any act or words which could whip up emotions or anger among the various communities in the country would have exceeded the freedom allowed.
“We must be aware that there is too much at stake, economic, political and social stability that could be destroyed if religious or ethnic sensitivity is not taken into account,” Abdullah said, adding that was the reason why the government would not hesitate to take legal action when certain quarters who abused freedom of speech.
In a written reply to Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur), Abdullah reiterated that Malaysia is neither a secular nor a theocratic country.
“Malaysia is an Islamic country which is administered based on the principles of Islam and at the same time holds strong to the principles of Parliamentary democracy guided by the highest law of the land - The Federal Constitution,” said Abdullah.
Rapper Namewee, or his real name Wee Meng Chee is set to release an album of 10 songs. He announced the release via his blog, adding that all the 10 songs are definitely not sensitive.
The album is recorded all by himself, in order to reduce the cost. A promotional video has been uploaded to YouTube, promoting his debut album.
