Monday 15 December 2014

Krisis Tebusan Sydney : Polis enggan dedah butiran kejadian

SYDNEY: Butiran tentang tebusan di Sydney yang memasuki jam ke-11 masih tidak lengkap, dan pihak polis enggan mendedahkan maklumat terperinci kejadian.

Menjawab soalan media tempatan tentang motif insiden, Pesuruhjaya polis New South Wales, Andrew Scipione berkata pihak polis tidak akan membuat spekulasi, sebaliknya memfokuskan kepada aspek siasatan.

“Saya boleh memberi jaminan bahawa kita sedang melakukan apa sahaja agar mereka dapat dibebaskan dengan selamat,” katanya dalam satu sidang media.

Beliau juga enggan memberi maklumat tentang mereka yang berada di dalam kafe Lindt.

"Kami tidak akan memberitahu maklumat tentang siapa di dalam kafe dan berapa ramai. Kami tidak akan berbuat demikian pada masa ini," katanya.

Apabila ditanya wartawan sama ada lima tebusan dibebaskan atau melarikan diri, Scipione berkata, “Kami tidak akan bercakap tentang bagaimana ia berlaku. Kami gembira melihat mereka keluar."

Scipione menasihati orang ramai yang mengerumuni kawasan sekitar Martin Place agar tidak berada di lokasi itu kerana “tiada apa yang perlu dilihat."

Sumber :  http://www.astroawani.com

Tebusan di Sydney, papar bendera bertulisan Arab

 
Tebusan ditahan dalam sebuah kafe pusat Sydney di mana televisyen tempatan menunjukkan bendera hitam dengan tulisan Arab dilihat pada tingkap dan ini meningkatkan kebimbangan terhadap serangan yang dikaitkan dengan militan Islam.

Perdana Menteri Tony Abbott berkata beliau mengadakan mesyuarat jawatankuasa keselamatan negara untuk taklimat mengenai kejadian itu.

Australia, yang menyokong Amerika Syarikat dan tindakannya yang semakin meningkat terhadap IS (Negara Islam) di Syria dan Iraq, mengambil tindakan berjaga-jaga terhadap serangan puak radikal Islam atau pejuang tempatan yang pulang dari konflik di Timur Tengah.

Puluhan anggota polis bersenjata mengepung Lindt Cafe di Martin Place, yang menempatkan Reserve Bank Australia, bank-bank perdagangan dan berhampiran dengan bangunan parlimen negeri New South Wales (NSW).

Rakaman televisyen secara langsung menunjukkan pelanggan di dalam kafe itu berdiri dengan tangan mereka ditekan ke tingkap. Bendera hitam dan putih yang serupa dengan yang digunakan oleh militan Islam di Iraq dan Syria juga dapat dilihat.

Twitter Polis NSW menyebut: "Satu operasi polis sedang dilancarkan di Martin Place, CBD Sydney Orang ramai dinasihatkan supaya mengelak kawasan itu".

Media tempatan melaporkan bahawa Sydney Opera House yang terletak berhampiran, telah dikosongkan selepas satu bungkusan yang mencurigakan ditemui.

Seorang kakitangannya berkata dia masih berada di dalam bangunan tetapi enggan mengulas lanjut dan polis berkata mereka masih berusaha untuk mengesahkan kejadian itu.

Perkhidmatan keretapi dan bas dihentikan dan laluan di kawasan itu ditutup, dengan pengendali keretapi berkata terdapat satu ancaman bom di Martin Place.

Peniaga di pasaran mata wang berkata berita mengenai tebusan itu mungkin telah menyebabkan kemerosotan nilai dolar Australia, yang sudah pun berdepan dengan tekanan daripada penghindaran risiko global seperti harga minyak yang jatuh semula.

Mata wang tempatan berada pada paras $0.8227, dengan mencecah paras terendahnya minggu lalu.



Sumber : http://www.malaysiakini.com

Krisis tebusan di Sydney

 
SYDNEY: Seorang lelaki bersenjata menahan beberapa tebusan di Sydney, Australia namun belum disahkan jika ada kaitan dengan kegiatan pengganas.
“Saya sahkan seorang penjenayah bersenjata api sedang menahan beberapa orang di kawasan Martin Place,” kata Pesuruhjaya Polis New South Wales, Andrew Scipione dalam sidang media hari ini.
Katanya lagi masih belum ada komunikasi dengan suspek terbabit.
Martin Place yang terletak di pusat daerah perniagaan terpaksa dikosongkan manakala polis mengerumuni Kafe Chocolate Lindt di mana kelihatan beberapa tebusan memegang bendera hitam tertera tulisan arab berwarna putih dipercayai dua kalimah syahadah.
“Kami belum sahkan jika ini ada kaitan dengan aktiviti keganasan dan kami akan berusaha sedaya-upaya untuk memastikan insiden ini dapat diselesaikan dengan aman,” tegas Scipione. - AFP

Sumber : Harian Metro

Hostage situation erupts in Sydney cafe

SYDNEY (AP) — Five people escaped from a Sydney cafe where a gunman took an unknown number of hostages during Monday morning rush hour. Two people inside the cafe earlier held up a flag with an Islamic declaration of faith that has often been used by extremists, raising fears that a terrorist incident was playing out in the heart of Australia's biggest city.
The first three people ran out of the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in downtown Sydney six hours into the hostage crisis, and two women sprinted from a fire exit into the arms of waiting police shortly afterward. Both women were wearing aprons with the Lindt chocolate logo, indicating they were cafe employees.
As the siege entered its 12th hour Monday night, basic questions remained unanswered. Police refused to say how many hostages were inside the cafe, what they believed the gunman's motives might be, whether he had made any demands or whether the hostages who fled the cafe escaped or were released.
"I would like to give you as much as I can but right now that is as much as I can," New South Wales state police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said. "First and foremost, we have to make sure we do nothing that could in any way jeopardize those still in the building."
Police were negotiating with the gunman and said they had no information to suggest anyone had been hurt. Scipione said they had not confirmed whether the siege was related to terrorism.
"Our only goal tonight and for as long as this takes is to get those people that are currently caught in that building out of there safely," he said.
Channel 10 news said it received a video in which a hostage inside the cafe had relayed the gunman's demands. The station said police requested they not broadcast it, and Scipione separately asked all media that might be contacted by the gunman to urge him instead to talk to police.
The drama began around 9:45 a.m. in Martin Place, a plaza in the heart of the city's financial and shopping district that is packed with holiday shoppers this time of year. Many of those inside the cafe would have been taken hostage as they stopped in for their morning coffees.
Television video shot through the cafe's windows showed several people with their arms in the air and hands pressed against the glass, and two people holding up a black flag with the Shahada, or Islamic declaration of faith, written on it.
 he Shahada translates as "There is no god but God and Muhammad is his messenger." It is considered the first of Islam's five pillars of faith, and is similar to the Lord's Prayer in Christianity. It is pervasive throughout Islamic culture, including the green flag of Saudi Arabia. Jihadis have used the Shahada in their own black flag.
A number of Australian Muslim groups condemned the hostage-taking in a joint statement and said the flag's inscription was a "testimony of faith that has been misappropriated by misguided individuals."
In a show of solidarity, many Australians offered on Twitter to accompany people dressed in Muslim clothes who were afraid of a backlash from the cafe siege. The hashtag #IllRideWithYou was used more than 90,000 times by late Monday evening.
Seven Network television news staff watched the gunman and hostages for hours from a fourth floor window of their Sydney offices, opposite the cafe.
The gunman could be seen pacing back and forth past the cafe's windows. Reporter Chris Reason said the man carried what appeared to be a pump-action shotgun, was unshaven and wore a white shirt and a black cap.
Earlier in the day, network staff counted about 15 different faces among hostages forced up against the windows.
"The gunman seems to be sort of rotating these people through these positions on the windows with their hands and faces up against the glass," Reason said in a report from the vantage point. "One woman we've counted was there for at least two hours — an extraordinary, agonizing time for her surely having to stand on her feet for that long."

"When we saw that rush of escapees, we could see from up here in this vantage point the gunman got extremely agitated as he realized those five had got out. He started screaming orders at the people, the hostages who remain behind," he added.
Reason later reported that staff brought plates of food from a kitchen at the rear of the cafe and the hostages were fed.
As night set in, the lights inside the cafe were switched off. Armed police guarding the area outside fitted their helmets with green-glowing night goggles.
St. Vincent's hospital spokesman David Faktor said a male hostage was in satisfactory condition in the hospital's emergency department. He was the only one of the freed hostages to be taken to a hospital, and Scipione said he was being treated for a pre-existing condition.
Hundreds of police blanketed the city, streets were closed and offices evacuated. The public was told to stay away from Martin Place, site of the state premier's office, the Reserve Bank of Australia, and the headquarters of two of the nation's largest banks. The state parliament house is a few blocks away.

Workers in the cordoned-off area were asked to stay home Tuesday, indicating police believe the hostage drama could stretch into the next day.
"This is a very disturbing incident," Prime Minister Tony Abbott said. "It is profoundly shocking that innocent people should be held hostage by an armed person claiming political motivation."
Lindt Australia posted a message on its Facebook page thanking the public for its support.
"We are deeply concerned over this serious incident and our thoughts and prayers are with the staff and customers involved and all their friends and families," the company wrote.
Infosys, India's second-largest IT services provider, confirmed that one of its employees was among the hostages. The staffer's family has been informed, it said.

Australia's government raised the country's terror warning level in September in response to the domestic threat posed by supporters of the Islamic State group. Counterterror law enforcement teams later conducted dozens of raids and made several arrests in Australia's three largest cities — Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. One man arrested during a series of raids in Sydney was charged with conspiring with an Islamic State leader in Syria to behead a random person in downtown Sydney.
The Islamic State group, which now holds a third of Syria and Iraq, has threatened Australia in the past. In September, Islamic State group spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani issued an audio message urging so-called "lone wolf" attacks abroad, specifically mentioning Australia. Al-Adnani told Muslims to kill all "disbelievers," whether they be civilians or soldiers.

One terrorism expert said the situation appeared to be that of a "lone wolf" making his own demands, rather than an attack orchestrated by a foreign jihadist group.
"There haven't been statements from overseas linking this to extremist groups outside the country — that is quite positive," said Charles Knight, lecturer in the Department of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism at Australia's Macquarie University. "The individual or individuals involved didn't kill early, which is part of the pattern of some recent international attacks. ... It seems to be shifting more into the model of a traditional hostage situation, rather than the sort of brutal attacks we've seen overseas."
___
Associated Press writers Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Nick Perry in Wellington, New Zealand, Jocelyn Gecker in Bangkok, Shawn Pogatchnik in Dublin and Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report.

Credit to :  http://news.yahoo.com

Sydney Hostage Situation: Live Updates


PHOTO: An armed tactical response police officer grabs a hostage as she flees from a cafe under siege at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, Dec. 15, 2014.
A hostage situation that began Monday morning in Australia has stretched into the night hours, as authorities carefully negotiate with an armed assailant.
Five people have escaped from the Lindt chocolate cafe after they had been taken hostage -- with others still held inside as neighboring blocks remain locked down, authorities said.
Two people inside the cafe were seen holding up a flag with Arabic writing on it that has been used by extremists in the past -- raising fears that a terror attack was unfolding in Australia's largest city.
Authorities declined to say how many hostages are being held in the cafe. Some of those being held can be seen through the shop's windows with their hands held in the air.
The area is also close to the New South Wales state parliament.
Stay with us for live updates as the situation unfolds. 

Credit to:  http://abcnews.go.com

Sydney siege: Hostages held in Lindt cafe

A gunman is holding staff and customers hostage at a cafe in Sydney, Australia.
The Lindt cafe in the city centre is surrounded by armed police. Officers have made contact with the gunman.
Five people have been seen running from the building. It is not clear how many remain inside. A black Islamic flag has been displayed at the window.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said it was "profoundly shocking" that people were being "held hostage by an armed person claiming political motivation".
He was speaking after chairing a meeting of the national security committee in Canberra.
Earlier Mr Abbott said: "Australia is a peaceful, open and generous society - nothing should ever change that and that's why I would urge all Australians today to go about their business as usual."

Senior police officers say they are on a footing "consistent with a terrorist event".
The incident began as people were arriving for work in Martin Place on Monday. Witnesses saw a man with a bag and gun walk into the Lindt chocolate shop and cafe.
Lindt said about 10 employees and 30 customers were thought to be inside at the time. Nearby offices were evacuated and police asked people to remain indoors and away from open windows.
The BBC's Jon Donnison in Sydney says an enormous police operation is in place, on a scale few Sydney residents will have seen.
A former hostage wearing a Lindt uniform runs towards police from a cafe in central Sydney where a gunman is holding people captive It is not clear whether the five who ran away from the cafe fled or were released
map of exclusion zone
About six hours into the siege, three people were seen running from the building housing the cafe. Two more people followed about an hour later. It is not clear whether they escaped or were released.
New South Wales Police deputy commissioner Catherine Burn said: "Those people are now being assessed to make sure their health is okay and then police will talk to them."
"Our approach is to resolve this peacefully. It might take a bit of time but that is our priority," she added.

Police have identified the gunman and he is well known to them, Australian media report.
News organisations also say the suspect has contacted them to issue demands, which police have urged media not to report.
Channel 7, a broadcaster with offices facing the cafe, said lights inside the premises were turned out as night fell.

Credit to :  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-30473983
line

Tuesday 2 December 2014

Hacking Wireless Networks for Dummies (eBook)


Pengiraan harga petrol tidak telus


RAFIZI Ramli, Ahli Parlimen Pandan mendedahkan bahawa pengiraan harga petrol RON95, RON97 dan diesel tidak telus dan tidak selari dengan harga pasaran dunia.

Dalam kenataan medianya, beliau mendedahkan bahawa harga rujukan minyak mentah Brent pada hujung minggu lepas mencecah USD68 setong yakni harga sepatutnya sekitar RM1.70.

Berikut kenyataan penuh Rafizi.

Pengumuman harga baru tanpa subsidi bagi RON95, RON97 dan diesel bermula 1 Disember 2014 membayangkan harga petrol dan diesel akan terus dimanipulasi oleh Barisan Nasional dan menjadi beban utama rakyat di masa akan datang. Walaupun Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak menggunakan alasan harga yang dibayar oleh rakyat sekarang adalah mengikut harga pasaran, perbezaan di antara harga pasaran dan harga yang ditetapkan Barisan Nasional adalah terlalu ketara.

Harga rujukan minyak mentah Brent di hujung minggu lepas telah mencecah USD68 setong, iaitu penurunan sebanyak 35.2% dari harga sebelum kejatuhan pasaran minyak mentah iaitu sekitar USD105 setong. Harga purata minyak mentah Brent sepanjang bulan November 2014 ialah sekitar USD76 setong, iaitu penurunan sebanyak 27.6% dari harga sebelum kejatuhan pasaran minyak.

Harga rujukan minyak mentah Brent ini menentukan harga rujukan produk petroleum RON95, RON97 dan diesel yang didagangkan di Singapura dan digunakan sebagai asas menentukan harga petrol dan diesel di negara ini. Oleh itu, jika harga rujukan minyak mentah Brent telah jatuh di antara 27% hingga 35%, sudah tentu penurunan RON95, RON97 dan diesel juga adalah dalam lingkungan yang tidak banyak berbeza dari itu.

Malangnya, pengumuman Barisan Nasional menetapkan harga RON95 hanya turun 1.7%, RON97 hanya turun 3.5% malah diesel pula naik 1%. Rakyat tertanya-tanya kenapa ada jurang yang begitu besar di antara harga rujukan di pasaran dunia dan harga yang ditetapkan Barisan Nasional di Malaysia walaupun kononnya harga itu ditetapkan mengikut harga pasaran dunia.

Keadaan ini berpunca dari kaedah penentuan harga yang tidak telus dan memasukkan formula yang menjamin keuntungan syarikat minyak seperti yang saya nyatakan sebelum ini. Bagi setiap liter RON95 contohnya, Barisan Nasional menjamin keuntungan dan kos dibayar-balik (cost reimbursement) kepada syarikat minyak sebanyak 30 sen.

Oleh yang demikian, KEADILAN mendesak supaya Kerajaan Persekutuan menyiarkan setiap minggu secara terperinci harga rujukan RON95, RON97 dan diesel di pasaran dunia yang menggunakan harga terbitan MOPS (Means of Platts Singapore) serta kos-kos lain yang dimasukkan di dalam perkiraan menentukan harga pasaran Malaysia bagi RON95, RON97 dan diesel. Hanya dengan ketelusan sebegini Barisan Nasional boleh mengenepikan pandangan serong rakyat bahawa ia mengambil keuntungan dengan menetapkan harga minyak yang lebih tinggi kepada rakyat walaupun harga pasaran dunia telah jatuh menjunam.

Pada masa yang sama, KEADILAN juga telah menubuhkan pasukan sendiri untuk memantau harga pasaran RON95, RON97 dan diesel untuk memastikan harga pasaran di Malaysia adalah selari dengan harga pasaran dunia. KEADILAN akan mendedahkan secara terperinci harga pasaran rujukan MOPS serta kos-kos lain yang dijamin oleh Kerajaan Persekutuan pada setiap minggu untuk membolehkan rakyat mendapatkan harga minyak terbaik.

Perbezaan harga yang ketara ini (iaitu penurunan 2% di Malaysia berbanding kejatuhan 28% hingga 35%) juga menimbulkan tanda tanya sama ada Barisan Nasional akan mengenakan cukai petrol secara senyap-senyap seperti yang berlaku sepanjang bulan November 2014.

Kenyataan Dato’ Ahmad Maslan, Timbalan Menteri Kewangan pada 31 Oktober 2014 yang disiarkan BERNAMA secara jelas menyebut bahawa jika harga minyak mentah dunia jatuh ke harga di bawah USD75 setong, harga petrol RON95 sepatutnya menjadi sekitar RM1.72 seliter. Menurut beliau, pada ketika itu Kerajaan Persekutuan boleh membuat keputusan sama ada mengenakan cukai petrol untuk mengekalkan harga yang lebih tinggi.

Pada ketika ini, harga minyak mentah dunia telah pun jatuh ke paras USD68 setong. Malah, harga rujukan purata minyak mentah bagi November 2014 dianggarkan sekitar USD76 setong. Mengikut kenyataan Dato’ Ahmad Maslan sendiri sebulan yang lepas, harga RON95 yang lebih selari dengan harga pasaran sepatutnya adalah RM1.72 seliter, bukannya RM2.26 seperti yang diumumkan semalam.

Oleh hal yang demikian, saya akan terus berkempen supaya harga minyak diturunkan melalui kempen #turunhargaminyak. Sementara menunggu demonstrasi yang telah diumumkan pada 31 Disember 2014 ini, KEADILAN akan membantu rakyat dengan mengumumkan setiap minggu harga pasaran RON95, RON97 dan diesel mengikut harga pasaran antarabangsa untuk mengelakkan Barisan Nasional mengambil kesempatan mencukai rakyat melalui cukai petrol secara senyap-senyap seperti yang telah berlaku sejak sebulan lalu. – HARAKAHDAILY 1/12/2014

Wednesday 8 October 2014

Monday 15 September 2014

Furniture & Cabinetmaking King's Desk (eBook)

Building Arts & Crafts Furniture (eBook)

Shelves, Closet & Cabinets (eBook)




Danny Proulx's Cabinet Doors & Drawers (eBook)


Furniture Design Second Edition -Jim Postell (eBook)


Complete Home Storage (eBook)