Liberia site's last Ebola patient

MONROVIA - Liberia released its last Ebola patient from a treatment center on Thursday, beginning its countdown to being declared Ebola-free.

"I am one of the happiest human beings today on earth because it was not easy going through this situation and coming out alive," teacher Beatrice Yardolo, 58, said after her release. As she walked out of the clinic, wearing a bright yellow shirt, hospital cap, and a beaming smile, Yardolo kept thanking God and the health workers at the center.

I am not returning, even until my death. I don’t believe that it will ever be safe to return: Alvin Tan

KUALA LUMPUR - Controversial blogger Alvin Tan Jye Yee vowed to never return to Malaysia, despite being freed of a sedition charge.

Tan told The Rakyat Post that he is "having a blast in America" and Malaysia was history to him.

"I won't return even if they roll out a red carpet for me and popped some champagne for me.

Sexist laws need to be abolished to set women free

In some countries, women are still fighting for their freedom to do every day things like driving a car or wearing a miniskirt.

Last month, Loujain al-Hathloul, 25, was released from prison after being arrested for defying a ban on female driving, according to Al Jazeera.

The Saudi woman was jailed for two months for attempting to drive from the United Arab Emirates into Saudi Arabia, where women are prohibited from driving and must be accompanied by a male chaperone at all times while travelling.

Visitors flock to see ‘crying’ statue of Mother Mary in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU- A statue of Mother Mary that is said to be shedding tears has been drawing visitors to a house at Kampung Mahandoi in Penampang here.

The statue began shedding droplets on Monday evening, said house owner Michael George, 52.

He said his youngest son Melvin, 14, was the first to notice the droplets on the statue at about 5pm that day.

Sources say 1MDB to be dismantled under debt plan

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's indebted and controversy-ridden state investor 1MDB will be left as a skeletal structure and possibly dissolved under a debt repayment plan in which most of its assets will be sold, sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The power and property fund, a pet project of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak with assets worth $14 billion, was hit by losses last year and nearly defaulted on a loan payment. The near-miss drove down the ringgit currency and Malaysian government bonds and prompted calls from opposition leaders to make the fund's accounts more transparent.

Umno Penampang campaigning against Upko Penampang?

KOTA KINABALU - It is unbecoming for an UPKO Penampang Youth leader to accuse Umno Penampang chief Datuk John Ambrose of campaigning against a Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate in the 13th general election.

According to former Umno Penampang deputy chief Datuk Fredie Sua, UPKO Penampang Youth information chief Billy Joe Dominic’s allegation against John was baseless.

PAS internal conflict: central committee assaulted

KUALA LUMPUR - PAS central committee member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad was punched and beaten up by unknown individuals upon returning home from Subuh prayers early today.

The incident was confirmed to have happened in the front yard of his house by PAS Youth chief Suhaizan Kaiat after performing the dawn prayers at a nearby surau.

"When he was attacked, Dzulkifli was still in his car and he was punched in the face until he had a cut on his forehead. After assaulting him, one of the attackers asked, 'kenapa kurang ajar sangat?' (why so uncouth?)," he told Bernama.

PR infighting ends its Sarawak dream

Bickering among the three partners of Pakatan Rakyat in Sarawak is diffusing the dream that it will be able to run the state one day.

The relationship between Sarawak DAP, Sarawak PKR and PAS has been steadily deteriorating over the past months.

When they first formed the coalition in 2010, they did fairly well. The combined forces of the three parties won 15 state seats in the 2011 state elections to form a respectable opposition in the state assembly of 71 seats.

Mystery deepens as girl had two stab wounds

KENINGAU - The mystery of a Selangor college student who was found dead on Monday inside the female toilet of the District Office building, here, deepened, Tuesday, when it was revealed that her body had two stab wounds in the chest.

However, no weapon was also found. District Police Chief DSP Douglas Nyeging Taong said the post mortem result showed two punctures of stabbing in the middle of her chest.

IS eyeing South-east Asia

The Islamic State (IS) militant group is strengthening its external operations wing and courting support in South-East Asia, a security expert said at a counter-terrorism meeting here on Wednesday.

Twenty-two terrorist groups in the region have already pledged allegiance to IS, said terrorism expert Professor Rohan Gunaratna at the Global Security Asia conference.

All computers and servers records wiped at 1MDB

Concerned staff at 1MDB have confided that all computers and records at the troubled fund were recently called in and wiped. They say this includes not only personal computers belonging to staff, but also the mainframe servers as well!

The order came as a surprise move by management, according to sources and it happened just before Christmas. Staff were contacted directly by phone or in person and told to take their computers immediately to the IT section in order to be wiped.

Kingpin Phua bailed out 'friends' to the tune of millions

Alleged gambling kingpin Paul Phua Wei Seng - arrested by in Las Vegas last July for allegedly running a chain of illegal betting operations - had shadowy business deals in Montenegro with a number of people close to Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, says a report.

And for some of these individuals, he even paid off their loans by offering a piece of his land to the bank, according to documents sighted by Montenegro’s Center for Investigative Reporting (CIN).

Yong shocked over murder of nephew

LAHAD DATU - Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) President Datuk Yong Teck Lee expressed his grief over the murder last Sunday of his nephew, who was a restaurateur, here.

According to Yong, Kong Thau Chin who is the son of his sister was a good and thoughtful person and he was puzzled why it happened.

"I was shocked and surprised when I heard about the incident as he was friendly and well liked by his employees. It does not make sense as he always assist his employees," he said, when contacted, Tuesday.

On Sunday, a restaurant operator was hacked to death on his birthday by his employee in his restaurant at Jalan Singgahmata. The incident was believed due to dissatisfaction of the amount of salary received.

Two in IS beheading video are Malaysians

KUALA LUMPUR - Two Malaysians spotted in an Islamic State beheading video have been identified by Bukit Aman’s counter terrorism unit.

They are 20-year-old Mohd Faris Anwar and 26-year-old Muhamad Wandy Muhamad Jedi.

Mohd Faris is from Kedah while Muhamad Wandy is from Melaka, said Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division principal assistant director Senior Asst Comm Datuk Ayub Khan.

Sabah Umno BN Leaders, Look At These Pathetic Developments – Dr. Jeffrey”

KOTA KINABALU - “Sabah Umno BN leaders should wake up and do their homework and highlight the pathetic state of development in Sabah and stop fooling themselves and Sabahans and then decide whether they should demand repeat demand for full or partial autonomy with regards to federal development funds for Sabah” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, noting the similar pathetic calls for partial autonomy on federal development funds instead of demanding for full autonomy.

On death row, still unrepentant, Delhi gangrape convict says it is the girl's fault she was raped

The horrific Delhi gangrape, in which a 23-year-old medical student was subjected to horrific injury and assault, resulting in her eventual death was widely seen as a wake up call for India on how unsafe women are in India. Even as the 23-year-old girl succumbed to her injuries,  people were outraged. The country was suddenly up in arms, politicians shed tears in the Parliament. People wanted justice.

More on 1MDB financil scandal

Together with London’s Sunday Times newspaper, Sarawak Report has completed an in-depth investigation into the trail of the missing billions at the heart of Malaysia’s 1MDB (One Malaysia Development Berhad) financial scandal.

Sarawak Report have obtained access to thousands of documents and emails relating to transactions by 1MDB, including its initial joint venture with the little known oil company PetroSaudi International from 2009.

Mother recognised son 'Jihadi John' in video

The mother of Mohammed Emwazi realised he was Jihadi John when she saw a beheading video, it emerged yesterday.

Ghaneya Emwazi, 47, screamed on recognising her 26-year-old son as the knife-wielding fanatic in the horrific Islamic State propaganda film.

She confirmed he was the IS chief executioner when she and her husband Jasem, 51, were questioned by the Kuwaiti security services on Sunday.

RM400 to get a ‘sugar baby'

Fancy having your own “sugar baby”? Thanks to the Internet, one can be yours – for as low as RM400 a month.

This arrangement – in which rich “sugar daddies” pay attractive young girls for companionship and sex – are becoming increasingly common what with the availability of sugar daddy websites and online classified ads.

Posing as potential sugar daddies/mummies and sugar babies, reporters from The Star’s R.AGE youth platform questioned several people online, including a university student who offered his companionship in return for a RM400 monthly allowance for sexual favours.

A woman, a trader and a govt officer detained for IS activities

KUALA LUMPUR - A woman and two men, including a 39-year-old civil servant, have been detained for alleged links to the Islamic State (IS) terror group.

The suspects, aged between 22 and 39, were detained in separate operations in Johor, Perak and Kuala Lumpur between Feb 28 and March 2 conducted by Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division.

Sabah's Autonomy Should Not Be Compromised – Dr. Jeffrey

KOTA KINABALU - “The Sabah State Assembly Speaker’s statement that the federal government should grant partial autonomy to Sabah and Sarawak consistent with the spirit and basis of the Malaysia Agreement (“MA63”) and the 20/18-Points is welcomed and long overdue from an Umno leader. However, the autonomy cannot be compromised and need to be sincerely implemented and not just an empty and hollow rhetoric or political gimmick,” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, Chairman of STAR Sabah responding to the Speaker’s request that the Barisan Nasional federal government grant partial autonomy to Sabah and Sarawak to partly fulfil the people’s request and reduce their anger.

Twitter founder, employees face new death threats from IS

Twitter again appears to be in the crosshairs of the terrorist group ISIS.

A message posted Sunday on the website JustPaste.it called for the death of Twitter founder Jack Dorsey and Twitter employees due to the site's takedown of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) member accounts, news site BuzzFeed reported. The message displays an image of Dorsey in the crosshairs of a gun and urged jihadis to kill Twitter employees because of the company's blocking of ISIS accounts.

Origins of AIDS virus strains traced to gorillas

Two of four strains of the virus that can cause AIDS come from gorillas in southwestern Cameroon, an international team of scientists reported in studies published Monday in the United States.

The new information means that researchers now know the origins of all strains of the HIV virus that occur in people.

HIV (HIV-1) has at least four strains. Known as Groups M, N, O and P, each one had its own origin -- from ape to man, on at least four separate occasions.

Get to the Bottom of Pakistani Pass Scandal - Dr. Jeffrey

KOTA KINABALU - “The Sabah government need to act unflinchingly and uncompromisingly on the on-going social passes given to Pakistanis and to recall and revoke the visit passes of all Pakistanis in Sabah with immediate effect” asked Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief commenting on reports of 5 Pakistanis being jailed after admitting to their offices following the 9 Pakistanis that were arrested with fake social passes in Semporna.

Aussie MH370 search may be called off soon

The search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 cannot go on forever, Australia's deputy prime minister said, and discussions are already under way between Australia, China and Malaysia as to whether to call off the hunt within weeks.

No trace has been found of the Boeing 777 aircraft, which disappeared a year ago this week carrying 239 passengers and crew, in what has become one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history.

China’s shortage of brides reaching critical mass

In the villages outside Handan, China, a bachelor looking to marry a local girl needs to have as much as $64,000, the price tag for a suitable home and obligatory gifts. That is a bit out of the price range of many of the farmers in the area.

So, in recent years, according to the Beijing News, local men turned to a Vietnamese marriage broker, paying as much as $18,500 for an imported wife, complete with a money-back guarantee in case the bride fled.

But that fairy tale soon fell apart. On the morning of Nov. 21, sometime after breakfast as many as 100 of Handan’s imported Vietnamese wives, together with the broker, disappeared without a trace.

Johor Muslim authority denies imposing fines on women over their clothes

JOHOR BARU - The state religious authorities have more pressing issues than impose fines on Muslim women for, among others, wearing indecent clothes or not donning their head scarves.

Rubbishing an online posting claiming that there was a plan to impose such fines, Johor Islamic Religious chairman Abd Mutalip Abd Rahim said it was malicious and intended to paint a negative picture of the present administration.

Terengganu website takes down article on tourist dress code

PETALING JAYA - An article on the Terengganu state website introducing a new ruling which bans tourists from wearing "inappropriate attire" has been taken down.

Terengganu to implement dress code for tourists

PETALING JAYA - Tourists who intend to visit Terengganu must now abide by a dress code, as outlined by the state government.

According to the the state government news portal Teganukita, a circular with guidelines on attire will soon be released to all Malaysian travel agents and Malaysian tourism headquarters in neighbouring countries, including Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.

The website states that the guidelines are targeted at tourists, especially female tourists.

Sabah's Future Bleak With These Leaders – Dr. Jeffrey

KOTA KINABALU - “It is comical seeing Sabah Umno leaders falling over each other trying to justify Umno’s presence in Sabah without any concrete basis or replies to the reasons why Umno is being rejected when not a single Umno Malaya leader has done do. If this is not to please their Umno leaders in Putrajaya, what else is?” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, Chairman of STAR Sabah responding to responses by Sabah Umno leaders on his earlier statement that Umno is not wanted by many in Sabah too.

Cheating wife and lover having sex become stuck together after 'witch doctor curse'

Crowds gathered after rumours spread that the frisky love cheats were trapped by black magic ordered by the woman's suspicious husband

Police had to break up a crowd gathered to see a cheating wife and her lover locked together during sex.

Scores of people flocked after a rumour spread that her husband had asked a witch doctor to put a curse on her private parts.

Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew remains in intensive care

(Reuters) - Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister, remains in intensive care after being admitted to hospital with severe pneumonia but his condition has improved slightly, the government said on Saturday.

Lee, who turned 91 last September, has been in hospital since Feb. 5. He is widely credited with the city-state's economic success.

"Lee Kuan Yew's condition has improved slightly. He remains sedated and on mechanical ventilation in the ICU (intensive care unit)," said a statement from the office of the current prime minister, adding that Lee was continuing with his antibiotics.

RM2.5bil 1MDB funds channelled to Jho Low's firm

IN THE summer of 2009, a Malaysian nicknamed “the Whale” appeared on the New York nightclub scene. He would travel with a large entourage in a fleet of Cadillacs and his party would spend tens of thousands of dollars a night in the company of socialites such as Paris Hilton.

“The Whale” is said to have celebrated his 28th birthday with a four-day event in Las Vegas that included a party at a pool surrounded by caged lions and tigers. Manhattan was abuzz with questions over his identity and the source of his wealth.

Buddha statue hides remains of 1,000-year-old monk

Scientists have recently discovered the remains of a monk hidden inside a Buddha statue currently exhibited in Budapest, Hungary.

The mummified remains are believed to be those of an unidentified monk who lived in present-day China over 1,000 years ago.

AG has powers to commute death sentence?

Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail and the Selangor Pardons Board have the powers to commute convicted murderer Sirul Azhar Umar's death sentence to life imprisonment.

The difference between the two is that the AG can do it without waiting for an appeal from Sirul while the Pardons Board would first require Sirul or his representatives to submit an appeal.

Keningau student murder case: Three suspects arrested

KENINGAU: A foreign woman is among the three suspect arrested to help with the investigation of the murder case of a college student  in Keningau District Office last Monday.

Police District Chief, Deputy Superintendent Douglas Taong, said the 26 years old woman have a passport addressed at Kg. Biah Keningau an works as an assistant at a Photostat shop.

Meanwhile, the two men arrested are aged 20 and 24 years old, addressed at Jalan Masak Keningau and Kg. Masjid Keningau.

ESSCom: Don’t Harbour Illegals, Terrorists

KUNAK - Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) Commander DCP Dato’ Abdul Rashid Harun has reminded the community in Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone) not to harbour the illegal immigrants or the Sulu terrorists.

He said that although it had been two years since the Kampung Tanduo incident, the operation to flush out the Sulu terrorists that might be hiding in the zone was still ongoing.

Fuel price hike on March 1st

Prices of fuel in Malaysia is expected to increase effective after midnight 12:01am.

RON 95, RON 97 and Diesel will be increased by 25 sen from RM1.70 to RM1.95 per litre, RM2.00 to RM2.25 and RM1.70 to RM1.95 respectively.

Dozens of Abu Sayyaf militants killed in Philippines

At least 24 Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) militants were killed and 27 injured as a military operation against the group entered its fourth day in Philippines' Sulu province, officials said Saturday.

Combined military forces launched attacks on some 300 ASG members Wednesday morning in the mountainous areas of Pakikul town and have since continued the operations, Xinhua news agency reported.

MACC and Esscom to flush illegal Pakistanis

KOTA KINABALU - Anti-Corruption officers have joined forces with the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) to flush out the remaining number of Pakistanis staying in the State with visas obtained fraudulently through a syndicate involving immigration officers.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Prosecuting Officer Awang Samsul Baharam Bungso said the agency, which embarked on an investigation following a public complaint early this year, has in its possession a list of the wanted Pakistanis.

He did not disclose any figure but said MACC was expecting to make more arrests with the help of Esscom throughout the State.

Regarding the eight immigration officers who were detained in connection with the said syndicate, Awang Samsul investigations were still on-going.

Phedophile jailed 25 years for child sexual abuse

A 12-year-old girl who was 'married' in an Islamic ceremony to a 27-year-old man fell pregnant but miscarried, a court has heard.

The ceremony between the girl, who cannot be named, and the male took place a house in the Hunter Valley, Fairfax reports.

The girl was taken to Westmead Children Hospital after complaining of sharp pains in the abdominal area, doctors later found she suffered an ectopic pregnancy but she had miscarried.

In October last year the man, who also cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to one count of persistent sexual abuse of a child.

At least, 48 percent of Malaysians are obese

At least, 48 percent of Malaysians, of whom 15.2 percent are adults, are obese, based on a National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) in 2011.

Public Health Institute (IKU) director Dr Mohd Tahir Aris, who disclosed this, said it showed that the number of adults suffering from diabetes had gone up by 3.6 percent compared to 11.6 percent during the national survey in 2006.

Schools without walls in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU - Very often we read taglines of how technology could make a borderless classroom. In Tuaran and Kiulu near here, there are schools without walls.

Students in at least three primary schools with more than 450 pupils near here, are at the mercy of the elements with classes being conducted in makeshift classrooms.

The three schools are among 10 with a total enrolment of more than 2,000 students. These schools with semi-permanent classroom blocks were destroyed by either fires or landslips in Sabah since a year ago.

Photos of good looking men to lure opposite sex to join IS

Photographs of abe hensem (good-looking men) are apparently being used to lure young and impressionable girls to join militants in Syria.

The recruiters appear to be cashing in on raw sex appeal to woo gullible girls.

One of the Facebook operators, known as Abu Chechnya in Russian, put up photographs of Chechen militants in Syria and blatantly asked: “Ada yang berkenan ke kat dalam gambar tu??? Abam2 shishani handsome2 wowww hahaha!!! (Interested in any in the picture? The men here are handsome).”

Did MH370 Actually Fly North And Land At This Airport? One Expert’s Case

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 will have remained missing without a trace for one full year, assuming that searchers don’t find any evidence of the plane in the southern Indian Ocean between now and March 8. And that’s a pretty good bet, considering that about 9,200 square miles — an area roughly the size of New Hampshire — has now been searched, turning up absolutely nothing.

Red Tide alert over Sabah's west coast

KOTA KINABALU - Sabah has issued a red tide warning after detecting the deadly algal bloom in waters off the state's west coast.

Sabah Fisheries Department director Datuk Rayner Stuel Galid said the phenomenon, common during dry spells, was detected in Tg Badak, Trayong and Karambunai in the city here, and Tuaran.

'Jihadi John' is a Kuwaiti-born Londoner named Mohammed Emwazi

LONDON — For months he taunted, knife in hand, his voice slightly muffled behind the mask that became the grim symbol of Islamic State barbarism.

But when the identity of the killer known as “Jihadi John” was revealed Thursday, the profile that emerged was disturbingly familiar: a young man whose parents’ decision to immigrate to the West afforded him a comfortable life and an education, but who ultimately found identity and succor in extremist ideology.

South Korean court legalises adultery ignites bull run on condom shares

An old law critics derided as anachronistic is struck down by the country's highest court resulting in surging shares for Unidus Corp

South Korea's highest court struck down a decades-old law banning adultery, a statute that critics said is anachronistic and infringes on personal freedom, sending shares in the country's biggest condom maker surging.

Interfaith group: 'Reject Quran' text not from us

Muslim NGO group IIS

The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) has denied circulating text messages to non-Muslims urging them not to accept translated copies of the Quran from a Muslim NGO.

The message via instant messaging application WhatsApp warned of a clandestine operation to convert non-Muslims through distribution of the Quran

Boko Haram + ISIS = Marriage from Hell

(CNN)For sheer cruelty, they are well matched. They also share an apocalyptic "end-of-days" vision. Now there are signs that Boko Haram -- the most feared group in West Africa -- may be edging toward a formal pledge of allegiance to the self-declared Caliph of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Observers of Boko Haram, which has inflicted years of terror on northern Nigeria, note that its actions in the last six months have frequently mimicked those of ISIS -- from punishments such as stoning and beheading of its victims to taking territory and an increasingly sophisticated use of social media that's very much in the ISIS "style."