AirAsia plane tyre bursts while landing at Sibu Airport

SIBU: The right rear axle tyre of an A320 aircraft belonging to low-cost carrier AirAsia burst upon landing at the Sibu Airport but no injuries were reported. 

Sibu Malaysia Airports Berhad manager Zainuddin Abu Nasir said all 138 passengers and six crew on board Flight AK6440 were unhurt in the incident at 7.20pm Thursday.  

He said the aircraft was ordered to taxi to "Bay 3" after it landed and subsequently disallowed from taking off.  

He said the incident also caused a runway light to be damaged but it did not affect other flights.

"The plane is undergoing repairs and the damaged bulb has also been replaced," Zainuddin told Bernama.  

He added that passengers scheduled to board the plane on the Sibu-Kuching route at 7.50pm had to wait for a replacement aircraft and were scheduled to depart on Friday morning.

The cause of the incident is under investigation and it is learnt that two flights had to be delayed by several hours, namely MH3383 to Kuching and Miri-bound MH3660. - BERNAMA

FELDA menang saman, dapat ganti rugi RM100,000

Berhubung dakwaan jual minyak sawit kepada Israel

KUALA LUMPUR: Mahkamah Tinggi di sini semalam memerintahkan Setiausaha Agung PAS Datuk Mustafa Ali dan empat lagi defendan supaya membayar ganti rugi RM100,000 kepada Lembaga Kemajuan Tanah Persekutuan (FELDA) selepas mereka didapati bertanggungjawab memfitnah FELDA berkaitan artikel bahawa agensi itu menjual minyak sawit mentah kepada Israel.

Hakim Lee Heng Cheong turut memerintahkan Mustafa dan empat lagi defendan — Ketua Pengarang Harakah Ahmad Lutfi Othman, Pengarang Taufek Yahya, penulis artikel Mohd Arif Atan dan pencetak Harakah Angkatan Edaran Ent Sdn Bhd — membayar kos berjumlah RM30,000 kepada FELDA.

Bagaimanapun, mahkamah menolak tuntutan FELDA terhadap defendan pertama, Presiden Persatuan Anak Peneroka FELDA Kebangsaan, Mazlan Aliman dan memerintahkan FELDA membayar RM30,000 kos perundangan kepada Mazlan.

“Defendan pertama membuktikan pembelaannya berhubung perlindungan bersyarat dan komen berpatutan,” katanya.

Ketika membenarkan saman FELDA terhadap lima defendan itu, Lee mendapati kedua-dua artikel yang disiarkan Mustafa dalam Harakah mampu menimbulkan fitnah terhadap plaintif (FELDA).

Hakim itu turut mendapati FELDA membuktikan dengan jelas bahawa agensi berkenaan tidak menjual minyak sawit mentah kepada Israel dan lima defendan itu juga gagal membuktikan pembelaan mereka berhubung perlindungan bersyarat dan komen berpatutan.

Lee dalam keputusannya berkata FELDA ialah entiti sah yang berasingan daripada FELDA IFFCO Oil Products Sdn Bhd dan FELDA Global Ventures Holdings Sdn Bhd dan selain itu tiada penjualan minyak sawit mentah dilakukan kepada Bunge Agribusiness Singapore Pte Ltd, sebuah syarikat berpusat di Singapura.

“Bunge Agribusiness bukanlah sebuah syarikat Israel,” kata hakim itu yang membuat keputusan selepas mendengar keterangan daripada enam saksi.

Peguam Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun mewakili FELDA manakala Azhana Mohd Khairuddin mewakili keenam-enam defendan.

Mohd Hafarizam memberitahu pemberita kemudian bahawa beliau akan mendapatkan arahan anak guamnya sama ada akan merayu berhubung keputusan mahkamah menolak saman FELDA terhadap Mazlan.

Pada 7 Jan tahun lepas, FELDA menyaman keenam-enam mereka dan Setiausaha Agung PKR Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, berhubung beberapa artikel bertajuk ‘2,000 Himpun Bantah Felda Jual Minyak ke Israel’ dan ‘BN Jangan Tipu Rakyat, bertarikh 27 Nov 2012, yang disiarkan dalam Suara Keadilan.

Dalam pernyataan tuntutannya, FELDA berkata Mazlan memuat naik dalam laman Facebook beliau pada 19 Nov 2012, gambar invois dan kapsyen yang berbaur fitnah terhadap FELDA selain turut membuat kenyataan yang sama semasa perhimpunan di hadapan pejabat FELDA empat hari kemudian (23 Nov 2012).

FELDA mendakwa kenyataan itu diterbitkan semula oleh defendan kedua hingga keenam dalam beberapa artikel akhbar Harakah antara 26 Nov dan 29 Nov, 2012.

Ia menegaskan kenyataan itu menjejaskan reputasi FELDA dan mendakwa defendan berbuat demikian dengan niat mencapai agenda peribadi mereka untuk memusnahkan kepercayaan orang ramai terhadap FELDA.

Bagaimanapun, pada 21 April kes saman fitnah FELDA terhadap Saifuddin itu diselesaikan secara baik.

Saifuddin juga bersetuju untuk menerima dan mengakui bahawa FELDA IFFCO Oil Product Sdn Bhd membuat penghantaran ke Palestin dan bukan Israel pada Mac 2010, dan FELDA tidak pernah menjual minyak sawit mentah kepada Israel atau mana-mana syarikat milik Israel.

Beliau turut mengakui FELDA dan FELDA IFFCO Oil Products Sdn Bhd adalah dua entiti berasingan yang sah di sisi undang-undang. — Bernama

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/05/01/felda-menang-saman-dapat-ganti-rugi-rm100000/#ixzz3Cqs17kcD

Liquid water was flowing on Mars 200,000 years ago

A very young crater on Mars has shown evidence that liquid water existed on the red planet as recently as 200,000 years ago, according to a new research.

"We have discovered a very young crater in the southern mid-latitudes of Mars that shows evidence of liquid water in Mars' recent past," said Andreas Johnsson at the University of Gothenburg.

The southern hemisphere of Mars is home to a crater that contains very well-preserved gullies and debris flow deposits, researchers said.

The geomorphological attributes of these landforms provide evidence that they were formed by the action of liquid water in geologically recent time, they said.

When sediment on a slope becomes saturated with water, the mixture may become too heavy to remain in place, leading to a flow of debris and water as a single-phase unit. This is called a debris flow.

Debris flows on Earth often cause significant material destruction and even human casualties, when they occur in built-up areas. During a debris flow, a mixture of stones, gravel, clay and water moves rapidly down a slope.

When the sediment subsequently stops, it displays characteristic surface features such as lobate deposits and paired levees along flow channels.

It is these landforms that Johnsson has identified on Mars. The research group has been able to compare the landforms on Mars with known debris flows on Svalbard with the aid of aerial photography and field studies.

The debris flows on Mars provide evidence that liquid water has been present in the region.

"Our fieldwork on Svalbard confirmed our interpretation of the Martian deposits. What surprised us was that the crater in which these debris flows have formed is so young," said Johnsson.

Crater statistics allowed Andreas Johnsson and his co-authors to determine that the age of the crater to be approximately 200,000 years. This means that the crater was formed long after the most recent proposed ice age on Mars, which ended around 400,000 years ago.

"Gullies are common on Mars, but the ones which have been studied previously are older, and the sediments where they have formed are associated with the most recent ice age. Our study crater on Mars is far too young to have been influenced by the conditions that were prevalent then," Johnsson said.

"This suggests that the meltwater-related processes that formed these deposits have been exceptionally effective also in more recent times," Johnsson said.

The study crater is situated in the mid-latitudes of Mars' southern hemisphere, superposed on what is known as the rampart ejecta of a nearby larger crater.

A rampart ejecta display a "flowerlike" form around the host crater, and scientists have interpreted this as being the result of an impact in wet or ice-rich ground.

The study was published in the journal Icarus.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/liquid-water-was-flowing-on-mars-200-000-years-ago-114042700218_1.html

2000-year-old Roman tiles with puppy paw prints discovered

It seems that for about as long as there have been opportunities to do so, mischief makers have been attempting to immortalize their appendages or names in the drying material of someone else’s workspace for others to see.

This well documented phenomenon is just as evident with the recent discovery of puppy paw prints on Roman tiles in England, proving that the troublesome mischief makers are not always bipedal.

The small paw prints of a young, snoopy dog were discovered hardened into a rusty colored clay tile from an ancient archeological site with Roman roots.

In what was likely a very upsetting act to whomever tirelessly toiled over making the tile, the puppy had carelessly stomped on the tile just before it dried in order to leave an impression of its paw that has lasted for over a millennia.

The find was made in the Blackfriars area of Leicester, England. Leicester is also famous for the 2012 discovery of the long sought for bones of King Richard III under a parking lot. Nick Daffern, a senior project manager with Wardell Armstrong Archaeology refers to it as “a snapshot [of] a single moment in history.”

Leicester was once home to a group of people known as the Corieltauvi tribe, a faction of people living in England prior to the Roman conquest of 43 AD. The Corieltauvi were an Iron Age people who lived a largely agricultural lifestyle.

They produced coins during the first century, before the usurping Roman armies violently conquered England. Several fragments of what are possibly coin molds that are likely of Corieltauvi origin were also found with the tiles. Also among the recovered items were a set of Roman tweezers, brooches, coins, and painted wall plaster.

Additionally, they uncovered evidence of a large Roman style structure, possibly a basilica which had been ransacked for building materials during the medieval era.

The archeological dig conducted by Wardell Armstrong Archaeology is funded by the construction company, Watkin Jones. Wardell Armstrong Archaeology is currently working on the site, a locale that had previously been selected as the future location of student housing.

The archeologists present updates on their blog, Blackfriars. They are routinely uploading insider images to the blog of their efforts to recover a historically significant, ancient structure.

Some of the tiles that were not damaged by the playful pup are imprinted with the hoof of another creature, such as a sheep or goat, with just as little respect for the act of tile making as the puppy.

The ancient, red tinged tiles could be approximately 2,000 years old, but their origin is unknown.

The artifacts were discovered amidst layers of rubble. The initial purpose of the tiles is unclear, but the sight of them invokes the image of a jovial puppy romping through an ancient clay filled workshop, much to the animated dismay of its disgruntled proprietor.

In time, as the Wardell Armstrong Archaeology team continues its work on the East Midlands dig site, we may learn more specific details about the lives of the people who lived there long ago.

https://www.authintmail.com/article/art-culture/2000-year-old-roman-tiles-puppy-paw-prints-discovered

Killer Shrimp now Haunts UK

Earlier, the UK Government warned about Asian hornets, but now they are raising alarm about killer shrimp. The species, which is capable of laying 200 eggs at one go, is proving quite taxing for wildlife in the UK.

Experts said the shrimp is not only a threat to the environment but to human health as well. The Environmental Audit Committee, Parliament's green watchdog, strongly feels that the UK needs to come up with stringent laws to stop these creatures.

In the UK, there were 1,875 non-native species and 282 of them had been included in the category of 'invasive'. Among the species that have now become threat to Britain are the ruddy duck, Japanese Knotweed, zebra mussels and North American signal crayfish.

Most disappointing part is that currently, no monitoring ways are present for invasive non-native species. "As yet there is no formal surveillance system in place in Great Britain that could effectively trigger action to ensure early eradication of invasive species before they become established", said the report.

Problem of invasive species is present in entire Europe and now steps are being taken to tackle the problem. Last week, legislation has been finalized that aims to strengthen the fight against the invasive species across the EU. If collective damage is seen from the aliens to the European Union then it is at least _12 billion a year.

The law will require experts appointed by the Commission to prepare a priority list having the names of the most problematic species across the EU. To complete the task, experts will be given a deadline. These species will be then be declared as of 'Union Concern'.

The list will be finalized and will come into force by January 2016. It simply means that European citizens will not be allowed to own, transport, sell or grow any of the listed species.

http://austriantribune.com/informationen/143431-killer-shrimp-now-haunts-uk

Search-and-rescue ships called back from S China Sea

The government (Taiwan) has called back navy and Coast Guard Administration ships sent to search part of the South China Sea for signs of Malaysia Airlines flight 370, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, one day after Malaysia said it no longer believes the missing plane will be found in that area.

Along with a Chengkung-class frigate and Lafayette-class frigate from the navy and two coast guard patrol vessels, a C-130 transport plane will no longer be sent out to help with the search, the ministry said in a statement.

“The Malaysian government has not decided on the next move in the search for the missing plane, so our frigates and coast guard vessels will return home first,” the ministry said.

Ministry spokesman Major General David Lo said that the ministry will consider how it can best participate in the international search-and-rescue once Malaysia announces its next move in the search for the plane, which disappeared on March 8 with 227 passengers aboard, including one Taiwanese.

The ministry remains committed to helping in the search, he said.

The ministry began sending out the C-130 plane on a daily basis to help find the missing aircraft starting on Monday last week, when the flight was still believed to have crashed into the ocean. Authorities now believe its disappearance and apparent divergence from its planned route were intentional decisions.

The plane disappeared from radar screens and lost contact with air traffic controllers in the early hours of March 8, shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2014/03/17/2003585855

Experts: Search for jet hampered by Malaysian government

The investigation into the mysterious disappearance of a Malaysian Airlines passenger jet has been hindered by the Malaysian government’s lack of technology and its reluctance to share critical information about the flight now the subject of an unprecedented search that stretches from the southern tip of the Indian Ocean to Kazakhstan, aviation experts said.

Government officials behind the search announced yesterday Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 — which took off March 8 bound for Beijing with 227 passengers — was deliberately diverted and continued flying for more than six hours after losing contact with the ground.

“The evidence is pretty sketchy, the electronic evidence. And the government doesn’t seem to be too technically savvy in terms of interpreting it,” said Vernon Grose, a veteran NTSB plane crash investigator.

Malaysia is not suited to handle an investigation of this scope, and the investigation has been compromised, he said.

“The fact is they’re not very well-equipped to head the investigation,” Grose said.

John Hansman, an aeronautics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said, “We probably could have been searching more efficiently if the Malaysian government had been more open with the information it had.”

He added, “It’s been hard to put all the pieces together. ... This is probably the biggest search area that I’ve seen. The possible search area is about two or three times the size of the United States.”

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is assisting in the investigation, but only has a supportive role, Hansman said.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said yesterday the jet’s disappearance was no accident. The investigation is now focused on the flight’s 12-person crew and passengers. Authorities have previously said that whoever disabled the plane’s communication systems and then flew the jet must have had technical knowledge and experience with planes. The jet took off last week from Kuala Lumpur destined for Beijing at 12:40 a.m., and communication with civilian air controllers was severed about 40 minutes later.

The Chinese government, where the bulk of the passengers were from, has expressed frustrations over Malaysia’s foot-dragging in releasing information.

The mystery is something out of a novel, Grose said. “Whoever writes this one would get a Nobel Prize for creativity,” he said.


http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/international/europe/2014/03/experts_search_for_jet_hampered_by_malaysian_government