Richard Quest: Malaysia Airlines jet was 'at safest point' in flight

(CNN) -- As mystery surrounds the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH 370, which was en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing early Saturday, CNN's aviation expert Richard Quest said the airliner would have been at the safest point in the flight.

"It was two hours into the flight -- this would have been classed as the 'cruise portion of the flight,'" he said. "You break down the flight into taxi, take-off, climb out and then cruise.

"So in that particular point of the flight, this is the safest part, nothing is supposed to go wrong. The aircraft is at altitude on auto-pilot, the pilots are making minor corrections and changes for height as the plane burns off fuel -- the plane will be going higher and higher -- so this is extremely serious that something happened at this point in the flight."

Quest, who coincidentally had been working on a story with the carrier recently, said the aircraft -- a Boeing 777-200 -- would have been around 11 years old, powered by two British-made Rolls-Royce Trent engines.

"So it's not a particularly old aircraft. Malaysia has 15 777-200s in its fleet; it's an extremely experienced operator of this type of aircraft. It's a very reputable airline with a very good safety record."

It takes three or four minutes for an airliner to fall out of the sky when it is at cruising altitude, Quest said. He added, "we don't know and won't know for some time whether the plane broke up in the air or entered the water in one piece."

Once that is discovered, investigators can analyze if a crash was due to mechanical or structural failure, a fire, or terrorism, he noted.

Back-up power

Greg Feith, a former investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the United States, suggested the pilots should have been able to report in, even if power on the aircraft had failed.

"The airplane by certification has to have battery back-up power -- they still have to be able to utilize certain flight instruments and communication tools to complete the flight safely.

"So you could lose all the generators, you could have both engines out, but the battery back-up -- which will only work for a certain time -- is intended for emergency situations."

Feith also pointed to the possibility of an issue with the pressurization of the aircraft.

"If you have a high-altitude pressurization problem, catastrophic decompression, the time of useful consciousness (the time a pilot can operate with an insufficient oxygen supply) in the 30,000-40,000-feet range is a matter of seconds."

Asked whether it was likely the airliner could have made an emergency landing, Quest said it was possible but unlikely.

"You're not talking about a Cessna here. You're talking about a long-haul, wide-bodied aircraft and that puts it into a completely different league."

Search for aircraft

But with speculation mounting over whether Flight MH 370, which was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, went down on land -- perhaps in Vietnam -- or in the South China Sea, one aviation expert says it's essential to find the plane as soon as possible in case there are survivors.

"Given the modern communications and the truly modern equipped (Boeing) 777, it's highly unlikely this plane would have landed somewhere not contactable," Mary Schiavo, the former Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation, told CNN. "Depending on how the plane has gone down, there could be many survivors in need of aid.

"That plane has many different ways to locate it: Automatic beacons that tell you where it is; there are several ways to contact it both with radios and GPS, as well as computer communications within the cockpit.

"But the lack of communication suggests that something most unfortunate has happened -- though that does not suggest there are not any persons that need to be rescued and secured."

Schiavo warned that if for some reason the transmitters on the airliner are not operating, then the search will obviously become far more complex and time-consuming.

"If they are not working then sadly there are similarities with the Air France plane, which was traveling from Brazil to Paris, France and was lost in the ocean. That was very difficult to locate because of the depth of the ocean," she said.

Air France Flight 447 -- an Airbus A330-203 -- plunged into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009, killing all 228 people on board. It took four searches over the course of nearly two years to locate the bulk of the wreckage and the majority of the bodies in a mountain range deep under the ocean.

The incident report detailed how the pilots failed to respond effectively to problems with the plane's speed sensors or to correct its trajectory when things first started to go wrong.

Aviation expert Jim Tilmon said the Boeing 777-200 was as sophisticated an aircraft as they come with an excellent safety record.

"The only fatality has been from the Asiana crash in San Francisco (last year)," he told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "There's been one other 777 that had some problems but no-one was hurt. This is really a shock in lots of ways."

MH370 fake passport passengers 'looked like Mario Balotelli'

Thai police and Interpol have questioned the proprietors of a travel agency in the resort town of Pattaya that sold one-way tickets to two men now known to have been travelling on flight MH370 using stolen passports.

With no confirmation that the Boeing 777 en route to Beijing with 239 people on board had crashed, hundreds of distraught relatives waited anxiously for any news.

There has been no indication that the two men had anything to do with the tragedy, but the use of stolen passports fueled speculation of foul play, terrorism or a hijacking gone wrong. Malaysia has shared their details with Chinese and American intelligence agencies.

Malaysia’s police chief was quoted by local media as saying that one of the men had been identified.

Civil aviation Chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman declined to confirm this, but said they were of “non-Asian” appearance, adding that authorities were looking at the possibility the men were connected to a stolen passport syndicate.

Asked by a reporter what they looked like “roughly,” he said: “Do you know of a footballer by the name of (Mario) Balotelli? He is an Italian. Do you know how he looks like?”

A reporter then asked, “Is he black?” and the aviation chief replied, “Yes.”

As relatives of the 239 people on the flight grappled with fading hope, attention focused on how two passengers managed to board the aircraft using stolen passports. Interpol confirmed it knew about the stolen passports but said no authorities checked its vast databases on stolen documents before the jet departed.

Warning that “only a handful of countries” routinely make such checks, Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble chided authorities for “waiting for a tragedy to put prudent security measures in place at borders and boarding gates.”

The two stolen passports, one belonging to Austrian Christian Kozel and the other to Luigi Maraldi of Italy, were entered into Interpol’s database after they were stolen in Thailand in 2012 and last year, the police body said.

Electronic booking records show that one-way tickets with those names were issued Thursday from a travel agency in the beach resort of Pattaya in eastern Thailand.

Thai police Col. Supachai Phuykaeokam said those reservations were placed with the agency by a second travel agency in Pattaya, which told police it had received the bookings from a China Southern Airlines office in Bangkok.

The owners of the second Pattaya travel agency refused to talk to reporters. Thai police and Interpol officers went in to question the owners.

A telephone operator on a China-based KLM hotline confirmed Sunday that passengers named Maraldi and Kozel had been booked on one-way tickets on the same KLM flight, flying from Beijing to Amsterdam on Saturday. Maraldi was to fly on to Copenhagen, Denmark, and Kozel to Frankfurt, Germany.

Missing Malaysia Airlines plane 'may have turned back'

Radar signals show that a Malaysia Airlines plane missing for more than 24 hours may have turned back, Malaysian officials have said.

Rescue teams looking for the plane have now widened their search area.

Investigators are also checking CCTV footage of two passengers who are believed to have boarded the plane using stolen passports.

Flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared south of Vietnam with 239 people on board.

Air and sea rescue teams have been searching an area of the South China Sea south of Vietnam for more than 30 hours, but there have been no definite sightings of wreckage.

Late on Sunday, the Vietnamese authorities said a navy aircraft had spotted "an object" suspected of belonging to the missing plane, but officials said it was too dark to be certain.

The object is thought to be near a potential oil slick that was spotted on Saturday, but again officials have urged that this may be nothing to do with flight MH370.

Malaysia's civil aviation chief, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur that the search area had been expanded to include the west coast of Malaysia.

Five passengers booked on the flight did not board, he added. Their luggage was consequently removed.

There are now 40 ships and 34 aircraft from nine different nationalities taking part in the search. But no signal has been received from the plane's emergency locator transmitter, Malaysian aviation authorities say.

Air force chief Rodzali Daud said the investigation was now focusing on a recording of radar signals that showed there was a "possibility" the aircraft had turned back from its flight path.

Fake passports

The BBC has confirmed that a man falsely using an Italian passport and a man falsely using an Austrian passport purchased tickets at the same time, and were both booked on the same onward flight from Beijing to Europe on Saturday.

Both had purchased their tickets from China Southern Airlines, which shared the flight with Malaysia Airlines, and they had consecutive ticket numbers.

The real owners had their passports stolen in Thailand in recent years.

The international police agency Interpol confirmed that at least two passports recorded as lost or stolen in its database were used by passengers on the flight - and that no checks of its database had been made for either passport between the time they were stolen and the departure of the flight.

"Whilst it is too soon to speculate about any connection between these stolen passports and the missing plane, it is clearly of great concern that any passenger was able to board an international flight using a stolen passport listed in Interpol databases," the agency's Secretary General Ronald Noble said in a statement.

He expressed frustration that few of Interpol's 190 member countries "systematically" search the database.

Malaysia's Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said international agencies including the FBI had joined the investigation and all angles were being examined.

"Our own intelligence has been activated and, of course, the counterterrorism units... from all the relevant countries have been informed," he said.

"The main thing here for me and for the families concerned is that we find the aircraft."

The passengers on the flight were of 14 different nationalities. Two-thirds were from China, while others were from elsewhere in Asia, North America and Europe.

The plane vanished from radar south of Vietnam at 17:30 GMT Friday (01:30 local time Saturday).

Malaysia Airlines had previously said it last had contact with air traffic controllers 120 nautical miles off the east coast of the Malaysian town of Kota Bharu.

Distraught relatives and loved ones of those on board are being given assistance at both the arrival and departure airports.

Many have expressed anger at the lack of information.

"I can't understand the airline company. They should have contacted the families first thing," a middle-aged woman told AFP news agency at Beijing airport, after finding out her brother-in-law was on the flight.

Texas firm Freescale Semiconductor says 20 of its Malaysian and Chinese employees were on the flight, according to astatement on its website.

Malaysia's national carrier is one of Asia's largest, flying nearly 37,000 passengers daily to some 80 destinations worldwide.

Correspondents say the route between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing has become more and more popular as Malaysia and China increase trade.

Missing MAS flight: Authorities not ruling Uighur link out

There is speculation that militants from China's Uighur Muslim minority could be involved the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 airplane, as it occurred just one week after knife-wielding assailants killed at least 29 people at a train station in the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming.

A Malaysian official said authorities were not ruling out Uighur involvement in the jet's disappearance, noting that Uighurs were deported to China from Malaysia in 2011 and 2012 for carrying false passports.

"This is not being ruled out. We have sent back Uighurs who had false passports before. It is too early to say whether there is a link," the official said.

Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country that has courted close ties with Beijing in recent years, deported 11 Uighurs in 2011 it said were involved in a human smuggling syndicate.

The next year, it was condemned by US-based Human Rights Watch for deporting six Uighurs the rights group described as asylum seekers. Human Rights Watch said the six had been detained while trying to leave Malaysia on fake passports.

A source with ties to the Chinese leadership said there was no confirmed connection to Uighur militants, but described the timing as "very suspicious" coming so soon after the Kunming attack.

Li Jiheng, governor of Yunnan province where Kunming is located, told reporters on Sunday that there was currently no information to show that the knife attack and the missing flight were "necessarily connected".

Malaysia Airlines operations director, Hugh Dunleavy, told reporters in Beijing that they were aware of the reports of stolen passports.

"As far as we're aware, every one of the people onboard that aircraft had a visa to go to China," he said. "That doesn't mean they weren't false passports, but that means that it's probably lower down on the probability scale."

China has a reputation for being rigorous on visa approvals and checks at border entry points, but the pair's European passports may have enabled them to bypass visa scrutiny.

Under a recently-launched exemption programme, citizens of many Western nations are granted visa-free entry for 72 hours upon arrival in Beijing as long as they have an onward ticket.

The BBC reported that the men using the stolen passports had purchased tickets together and were flying on to Europe.

"People with fake passports present a huge problem for security," said Yang Shu, a security expert at China's Lanzhou University.

"I strongly believe that they had something to do with the plane going missing." - Reuters

Pray hard for them!!

Real Barbie Doll: Justin Jedlica's insane plastic surgeries vs. Valeria Lukanovia's 'Breatharian' lifestyle

Should the "Real Life Ken" and "Real Life Barbie" join forces?

Justin Jedlica once appeared on TLC's hit show "My Strange Addiction" due to his infatuation with looking plastic. According to RadarOnline, the 33-year-old artist is already up to an astounding 145 procedures. He's spent over $168,000 to enhance his doll-like features.

Recently, Jedlica replaced his biceps with larger implants. He also had three shoulder implants to buff-up his deltoids. Such implants don't exist, so Jedlica actually designed them himself. He's now starting his own plastic surgery consultation business. Jedlica told the popular gossip webloid, "This is a very exciting time because not only am I creating new implants for myself, I am also in the process of finding the right distributor for my line of custom implants as there are limited options in the current marketplace which simply do not fit everyone. Additionally, the launch of my consultancy allows me share all that I have learned with others looking to have cosmetic and/or reconstructive procedures, but are confused or overwhelmed by the process."

And Jedlica doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon, especially since he's inspiring others to achieve their own ultimate "beauty" look:

"Over the years I've received so many emails and letters asking for advice that I am thrilled to have formalized a way to help those looking for guidance," he said.

As for his counterpart, Real Life Barbie Valeria Lukanovia...

She's following a totally different, "all natural" route.

As Mstars previously reported:

The infamous "living doll" is taking things to even greater extremes - and she's putting her health at risk.

Apparently, the ultra-thin Lukanovia has a new goal - to live off of air and light alone. No food.

"In recent weeks I have not been hungry at all," the International Business Times quotes Lukyanova. "I'm hoping it's the final stage before I can subsist on air and light alone."

This New Age (and rather dangerous) dietary trend is known as Breatharianism. People like Lukyanova do not drink or eat - such followers believe that they can exist solely on "cosmic micro-food." The term's derived from Inedia, Latin for "fasting."

Doesn't sound too healthy.

Lukyanova insists that she uses her viral fame and bizarre, Barbie-like looks to promote her "spiritual ideals." But do fans think she's merely starving herself to stay thin? (Get more info over at Jezebel.com).

The Herald Sun reports that at least one person has already died from malnutrition after practicing Breatharianism.

Whatever her intentions, Lukyanova has managed to snag another 15-minutes of viral fame. Maybe that's all she's looking for.

Perhaps the same goes for "Ken?"

Ultraman comic book banned in Malaysia!!

Add caption

Ridiculous news that I ever heard!!!

Malaysia has banned an Ultraman comic book because it uses the word "Allah" to describe the Japanese action hero.

The Home Ministry says the Malay-edition of "Ultraman, The Ultra Power" contains elements that can undermine public security and societal morals.

It says Ultraman is an idol for many Muslim children and equating the lead character, Ultraman King, with Allah will confuse them and shake their faith. It warns such irresponsible use of the word Allah can provoke Muslims and threaten public safety.

It said Friday that other Ultraman comic books were unaffected and that only this edition is banned.

The government says Allah, which is the Arabic word for God, is exclusive for Malay Muslims, who account for about 60 percent of Malaysia's 30 million people.

In my opinion, don't too sensitive with your religion. I don't think this will much affected the young mind set. Of course they know to differentiate god and Ultraman.  

Mourinho: Madrid players care more about their appearance

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Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says that several of his players at Real Madrid cared more about their public appearance than about winning trophies.

The Portuguese coach left Los Blancos for Stamford Bridge last summer after three years in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu and he was not impressed by the attitude shown by his squad during his time at the club.

"Lots of times at Real Madrid, the players would be queuing in front of the mirror before the game while the referee waited for them in the tunnel," Mourinho told Esquire.

"But that's how society is now. Young people care a lot about this: they are twenty something and I am 51 and if I want to work with kids I have to understand their world. 

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"I'm a manager since 2000 so I'm in my second generation of players. 

"What I feel is that, before, players were trying to make money during their career, be rich at the end of their career but, in this moment, the people who surround them try to make them rich before they start their career."

Mourinho won one La Liga title, the Copa del Rey and a Supercopa de Espana during his three years at Madrid.

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This is why man dream to go to watch LIVE MATCH!!
They enjoy the cheer-leading part more than the real match!
MAN SCREAM LIKE HELL WHEN CHEERLEADERS IS ON THE FIELD!!

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David Moyes admits Manchester United’s poor performance to Olympiacos

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David Moyes admits Manchester United’s performance in Tuesday night’s shock first-leg defeat to Olympiacos was “really poor” – but is determined to make amends when the sides meet again at Old Trafford on 19 March.

The Reds were strongly fancied to claim a fifth win in five meetings with the Greek side but were instead turned over 2-0 by goals from Alejandro Dominguez and Joel Campbell in the 38th and 55th minutes. The United boss felt the deficit was greater than the difference between the sides, although he did accept his side didn’t “offer enough” at the other end of the pitch where, in the latter stages, Robin van Persie spurned the Reds’ only real chance.

“It's the worst we've played in Europe [this season], that's for sure,” said Moyes in his post-match press conference.

“It was a really poor performance. We didn't get going from the start. We didn't deserve anything from tonight.

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"We just never got to grips with things. To a man, you could hardly pick anyone out [who played well]. We just didn't perform well.

“I'm surprised. I didn't see that level of performance coming. We came into the game in good form and a good mindset but it didn't show tonight.

“I have to say I don't think we were two goals worse off in the game. [For the first goal] they had a shot, which got deflected... but we didn't offer enough on the night to create a goal really.”

The only crumb of comfort for Moyes and his men is the time lapsed in the tie - only 90 minutes have passed with the same period to be played again on home soil in three weeks, at Old Trafford.

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"We'll do everything we possibly can to reverse the 2-0 defeat tonight. We'll put it right, we're determined to put it right and we'll have opportunities to do that in the coming weeks.

"There's undoubtedly talent at Manchester United but tonight we didn't show it. Me and the team, we didn't show it together. I take responsibility. It's my team and I'll always front up. The players are hurting as well. They know how they performed. We're a team and we stick together.

"We didn't play well and we have to play better. We can do. The one good thing is there's still a second game to come. Old Trafford's seen some great nights in the past and I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing another one."

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What do you think??? Moyes OUT??!!!

In Asia, WhatsApp posts mixed message for Facebook

An illustration photo shows a man holding a smart phone with a Facebook logo as its screen wallpaper in front of a WhatsApp messenger logo, in Zenica February 20, 2014.

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WhatsApp may be hugely popular but its forays into Asia, the world's biggest mobile market, have had mixed success, raising questions about whether it can sustain the explosive growth Facebook Inc cited to justify its $19 billion price tag.

Data from app metric company App Annie, for example, shows that WhatsApp ranks as the top communications app in only three of 13 Asian countries tracked - Hong Kong, India and Singapore.

"WhatsApp has been a strong player in Asia, but in the past year has faced strong competition from LINE and WeChat," said Neha Dharia, India-based analyst for Ovum, a technology consultancy. "WhatsApp has not been displaced by these players, but has seen stiff competition in growing its market share."

Facebook said on Wednesday it would buy WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash and stock, in a deal worth more than Facebook raised in its own IPO.

For sure, WhatsApp has been phenomenally successful. For many users it has replaced sending costly texts, or SMS messages. Since its launch in 2009 it has built an active monthly user base of 450 million users.

A survey by marketing and research company Jana found WhatsApp to be the most used messaging app in all the countries it surveyed - India, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil and Mexico - beating competitors by a huge margin. The reason: users most prize the basic functions it offers - ad-free chat and photo sharing.

WhatsApp subscribers sent 18 billion messages a day in January. The overall market is growing rapidly: According to Ovum, 27.4 trillion such messages were sent last year; this year that figure will be close to 69 trillion.

CHINA CALLING

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By hooking up, Facebook and WhatsApp may be able to take on those markets that have been elusive to Facebook so far. With Facebook blocked in China, and lagging Twitter Inc and Naver Corp's LINE in Japan, WhatsApp "is a potential avenue for Facebook" into those markets, said Vincent Stevens, a senior manager for telecoms consultancy Delta Partners.

Forrester, a consultancy, forecasts that China will have more than 500 million smartphones this year.

And in the fast growing smartphone market of India, says Neil Shah, research director of devices and ecosystems at Counterpoint Research, local users now account for almost 9 percent of total active WhatsApp users around the world - some 40 million of them.

But Facebook and WhatsApp face formidable foes. Where once messaging apps were simply about messaging, now Tencent Holdings Ltd's WeChat, LINE and KakaoTalk offer a slew of additional services, from icons and games to buying goods and services.

"LINE and the others are very different to WhatsApp. They're much more innovative in the business models they engage in," says Michael Vakulenko of VisionMobile, a UK-based consultancy. "They are innovating much faster than WhatsApp and going in a different direction."

This could prove decisive in Asia - the biggest battleground for social messaging apps - where no single player dominates.

Data from market research company Nielsen, for example, showed BlackBerry Messenger as the most downloaded messaging app in Indonesia last October, the latest data available, while Viber, bought by Japanese online retailer Rakuten Inc for $900 million last week, was the most popular in the Philippines, and LINE in Thailand.

WhatsApp was third in Indonesia, second in Malaysia and not in the top-10 in the Philippines or Thailand. And while locals say WhatsApp remains the default messaging app in Indonesia, some notice a shift.

FICKLE FORTUNES

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Jerry Justianto, who runs a radio station network in Jakarta, says he's noticing fewer of his friends using WhatsApp than before. "I think it's reached a plateau in Indonesia," he said. "I see a lot of WhatsApp accounts in my list are inactive."

A survey by market research firm On Device Research late last year found that while nearly two thirds of Indonesians surveyed had installed WhatsApp, less than half used it at least once a week, compared to three quarters of Brazilians who had installed it.

Part of the problem, Justianto says, is that WhatsApp's approach of linking accounts to a phone number doesn't suit Indonesians who change their SIM card frequently. "Some of my early adopter friends are moving to Telegram messenger, where you can activate multiple devices with one number."

Telegram, which offers much the same features as WhatsApp, is evidence of the fickleness of users. The app is free and heavily encrypted, and is popular in some countries. In Spain, for example, it has risen from its launch last year to be the No.1 communications app in Google's Play store, at the expense of WhatsApp, according to App Annie data.

This, said one executive at a handset company in Spain, was partly because of a viral campaign among users to switch, and partly because many users dumped WhatsApp before they were charged at the end of their first, free year.

GETTING USERS TO USE MORE

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Across Asia, the fragmentation is evident to users such as Martin Tomlinson, Asia Pacific director for On Device Research, who says he has installed at least six messaging apps for work: "I need to have at least three of these on my phone because that's how my clients communicate."

LINE, for example, considers its top markets as not only Japan but also Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia. Now, says Simeon Cho, general manager at LINE Plus, which handles LINE's ex-Japan business, the goal is less about winning new users than getting existing ones to use the app more frequently.

Kakao, which started the KakaoTalk messenger service in 2010 and has since grown rapidly to 130 million users, said it was also focusing heavily on Southeast Asia, where there is relatively low smartphone penetration and no dominant messenger service.

And for China's Tencent, KakaoTalk and LINE are more of a threat overseas than WhatsApp, as the company's WeChat expansion is focused on Southeast Asia.

WhatsApp would only pose a serious threat if the likes of Tencent were to expand farther west. "This means it's now going to be more difficult for LINE to win in North America and Europe," said Serkan Toto, a Tokyo-based technology consultant.

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PM: BR1M to continue as long as economy is strong

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Datuk Seri Najib Razak today gave the assurance that the people would continue to get the 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) for as long as the country's political stability and strong economic growth is maintained.

The prime minister said with economic growth, it would enable the government to implement development programmes and channel aid to the people.

Hence, he said, it was the priority of the Barisan Nasional (BN) government to do its best in administering the country.

"Currently, BN is able to administer the country well, when other countries are facing problems, through policies which are strong and accelerate economic growth, although there are uncertainties in the world economy.

"But in Malaysia, we are able to determine our economy as well as accelerate its growth, and when the country's revenue increases, we distribute the wealth to the people," he said when launching the BR1M 2014 here today.

Najib said the government had allocated RM4.5 billion for BR1M 2014 which would benefit 7 million recipients.

He hoped the increase in the value of BR1M could ease the people's burden, especially the urban residents.

The BR1M allowance to households with monthly income of RM3,000 and below has been increased from RM500 to RM700, including RM50 for contribution to the Group Takaful Rakyat 1Malaysia (i-BR1M) insurance which provides protection of up to RM30,000 in the event of death or permanent disability.

For single individuals aged 21 and above, and with a monthly income not exceeding RM2,000, the amount is increased from RM250 to RM300.

In addition, BR1M has been extended to households with a monthly income of between RM3,000 and RM4,000 and they will receive RM450.

Prime minister said that as a responsible government, it had to carry out fiscal consolidation to maintain the momentum of the country's economy and the people's well-being.

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He said it had to be done in stages to ease the people's burden, besides having to convince the world market that efforts would continue to be made by the government to strengthen the country's fiscal position.

Najib said the improvements made to BR1M were in tandem with the implementation of the targeted subsidy in an effort to ease the people's burden.

"Therefore, the government will change the policy on subsidy, which is from bulk subsidy to targeted subsidy to ensure that the implementation of the subsidy is fair," he added.

The prime minister also said the government had fulfilled the promises it made in the last general election's manifesto, which among others, was to increase in stages the BR1M value.

The prime minister said implementation of bulk subsidy was seen as a wastage and leakage because those who were not eligible to benefit from it, like foreign tourists and workers, also enjoyed the facility.

"For example, the subsidy for RON95 petrol is 63 sen per litre. Imagine the difference between owners of low and high capacity vehicles if they get to enjoy the same petrol subsidy. It is not fair.

"So, the government decides to change the policy from bulk subsidy to targeted subsidy in stages and shift the savings to the people through BR1M. BR1M is an example of the targeted subsidy," he added.

Najib said BR1M 2014 was a manifestation of a good economic management by the government.

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"The BR1M payment has been credited directly to the bank accounts of the recipients since yesterday. Those who do not have a bank account, they will receive the voucher, to be given in stages.

"This is because the people need the aid now and they need not have to wait long to enjoy aid from the government," he said.

He also said the BN government would always fulfill its election manifesto, including during the 13th general election to increase the value of BR1M to RM1,200 in five years.

"It will be increased in stages, meaning next year, the amount will increase," he added.

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Thomas Muller ruled out with hamstring injury as Ribery nears Bayern return

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The Germany international will miss the weekend clash with Schalke after picking up a problem against Hannover, but the France star and Xherdan Shaqiri is close to comebacks.

Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller has been ruled out of Saturday's Bundesliga game against Schalke after suffering a hamstring injury.

The Germany international scored twice as Bayern cruised to a 4-0 win over Hannover at the weekend, but picked up a problem in his right leg later in the match.

After further tests on Monday, the club has confirmed on their official website that Muller has been ordered to rest for the next five days, meaning he will definitely miss the meeting with Schalke at the Allianz Arena and could potentially be a doubt for the game with Wolfsburg on March 8.

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Meanwhile, Bayern have received better news on the injury front as Franck Ribery and Xherdan Shaqiri close in on returns to first-team action.

Ribery, who underwent surgery on a buttock problem earlier this month, resumed high-intensity sprint training on Monday under the scrutiny of the club's physios.

Shaqiri, meanwhile, is set to return to training this week after suffering a torn muscle against Freiburg.

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National Dog for World Cup.

A photographer has found his creative way to combine the countries with their national dog for World Cup.

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 BEST ODDS EVER IN DAFABET!

 BEST ODDS EVER IN DAFABET!

 BEST ODDS EVER IN DAFABET!

 BEST ODDS EVER IN DAFABET!

 BEST ODDS EVER IN DAFABET!

BEST ODDS EVER IN DAFABET!

Moyes buoyed by ‘viral’ Rooney and Robin Van Persie partnership

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David Moyes has backed Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie to fire Manchester United past Olympiakos on Tuesday evening.

Injuries have hampered the partnership between Rooney and Van Persie this season but the duo both struck on Saturday to secure a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

United face the Greek champions in the first leg of their round-of-16 Champions League tie in Athens and Moyes insists his first-choice pairing can be decisive for the remainder of the campaign.

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"They’re both vital to a lot of the things we do. They’re both excellent players," the Scot told reporters.

"Our record with them is far better than our record without them, that’s for sure. Both have had injuries - Robin much longer than Wayne - and both have got themselves back into shape.

"They’re both goalscorers and they’re scoring goals, which is great for us. That’s why they’re top players - they score in big games and make the big moments."

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You'll never play here again! Lambert tells Hutton his Villa career is over

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Paul Lambert has told Alan Hutton his Aston Villa career is OVER because of his mega-wages.

Right-back Hutton has been forced to train with the Villans' youth team all season with no club taking him on loan.

He has been included in Scotland's squad for next month's friendly in Poland, despite not playing a competitive club game all season.

Hutton is understood to earn £40,000 a week and is still contracted until next summer.

Lambert has ditched a series of players including big-earners Darren Bent and Shay Given - but he is adamant he has not had a bust-up with Hutton.

He said: "There's never been any fall-out; I just want to help him to get a loan move. It will be unlikely he will ever play here - he knows that.

"We need to get the [wage] structure down to a level. We have to look at the books and get it down a bit and Alan understands.

"Is it all to do with money? More or less, yes. Do we settle up with him? No, I'm not so sure, that comes down to the hierarchy.

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"Alan trains away with the development squad; his fitness is not a problem. And his performances for the national team have been good.

"The thing I can't understand is why no-one has come in for him. It's baffling me because he's playing well for the national side; he is good and works hard in training.

"If Alan went on loan, we would help that club on the financial side of things."

Hutton was loaned out to Spain's Real Mallorca for the second half of last season, and MirrorFootball reported in September that three Spanish clubs had looked at borrowing him in the summer window but could not agree terms.

He was also loaned to Nottingham Forest for six weeks in November 2012.

So far this season, his only six appearances have been for Scotland - in World Cup qualifiers against Belgium, Macedonia and Croatia and friendy meetings with England, the USA and Norway.

The 29-year-old was signed by Villa in August 2011, and made his last first-team appearance for them at the end of that season.

Villa - only four points above the relegation places with 12 matches to play - have been away on a training trip to Portugal as they did not have a match last weekend, and Lambert reckons it's done his squad good...

BEST ODDS EVER-DAFABET