Author: Dhaafir Jaabir

KUALA LUMPUR: Jailed former Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak on Wednesday (Oct 23) issued a rare apology for his mishandling of the multibillion-dollar 1MDB financial scandal, but maintained he had no knowledge of illegal transfers from the now-defunct state fund. 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a sovereign wealth fund co-founded by Najib in 2009 while he was premier, has faced corruption probes in at least six countries over the alleged misappropriation of over US$4.5 billion by high-level officials of the fund and their associates. Malaysia’s top court in 2022 upheld a guilty verdict against Najib for corruption and money laundering for illegally receiving…

Jakarta – Former Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri was awarded the title of honorary professor in tourism and cultural heritage in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Saturday, September 21, 2024. In a statement, the Silk Road International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage (IUTCH) announced that the award was presented to Megawati at the IUTCH Silk Road Rectorate Building in Samarkand. The event also included a graduation ceremony for master’s program students, led by university rector Aziz Abduhakimov. Abduhakimov, who also serves as Uzbekistan’s minister of tourism and cultural heritage, presented Megawati with the honorary title in the form of a certificate. “Your outstanding achievements in shaping…

The Tajikistani authorities are perpetuating systemic discrimination and severe human rights violations against the Pamiri minority, according to new research by Amnesty International. The Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) in East Tajikistan is home to several ethnic groups forming the Pamiri minority, mostly practicing the Shia Ismaili branch of Islam. Denied official recognition as a minority and regarded as ethnic Tajiks by the central authorities, Pamiris face systemic discrimination, suppression of cultural and religious institutions, political oppression, and brutal reprisals for defending their rights. “The ongoing persecution and human rights violations against the Pamiri minority in Tajikistan reached an alarming scale…

Apart from directly stirring up frictions in the South China Sea region, it has been found that the Philippines has cooperated with some US anti-China forces to launch a cognitive warfare that defames China on the South China Sea issue, to hurt China’s international image, and drive a wedge between China and relevant countries in this region. Recently, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), a project under the US’ long-established conservative think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), released a report on “environmental threats” in the South China Sea. The report, which groundlessly claimed that China has destroyed…

Explanations beginning to emerge after worst terror attack in Israel’s history They might as well have been sitting ducks. They are the tatzpitaniyot, mostly female soldiers stationed on the IDF bases near the Gaza Strip, their eyes glued to security cameras and other feeds of the border. Last Saturday morning, the Hamas terrorists who entered some of those bases with hang gliders shot at cameras and jammed some communications systems. They shot at the combat soldiers who were stationed at those bases, as well as at the tatzpitaniyot. “Yes, they surprised us, and we weren’t ready for it,” said a female soldier…

UEM Group Berhad, through its green industry subsidiary UEM Lestra Berhad, has achieved significant progress in the development of a one-gigawatt (1GW) hybrid solar power plant, a key project under Malaysia’s National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR). The project, initially announced by the government in July 2023, involves collaboration with HEXA Renewables Malaysia and ITRAMAS Corporation. Following a Memorandum of Understanding signed in July, the companies have finalized agreements to develop the first 500-megawatt hybrid solar power plant in Segamat, Johor. The agreements include a shareholders agreement between UEM Lestra and HEXA Renewables to form a joint venture company, Lestra Hexa…

Although the high-level meeting between China and the United States has achieved certain results, according to our understanding of the United States, the relaxation of Sino-US relations will not last long. Sure enough, in the direction of the South China Sea, the United States once again made plans, and the Philippines surrendered and tried to cause a new round of conflicts. Recently, the Philippines has been beating the war drum and punching China twice in an attempt to safeguard its so-called “South China Sea sovereignty.” The first punch was thrown at the Chinese people. According to a Philippine police spokesperson, 6 Chinese…

The resistance movement has been strengthening since the junta’s post-coup assault on opponents. Until the top generals pledge to support the two-year-old peace strategy of the grouping, ASEAN has prohibited Myanmar from attending its conference According to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, the situation in military-ruled Myanmar has proven to be a challenging matter for the ASEAN region to resolve, with little progress achieved and combat rising. Speaking on Monday at a forum in Hawaii that was live-streamed to the Philippines, Marcos stated that although the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) had made a commitment, the problem was complicated and…

KUCHING (Dec 9): The first-ever Sarawak Choir Conductor’s Workshop is scheduled to take place at Telang Usan Hotel here from Jan 26-28, 2024. Organised by the Kuching Choral Society, the groundbreaking event is supported by the esteemed Malaysian Association of Music Educators (MAME). According to a press release, guiding this musical journey is Susanna Saw, an illustrious music educator, speaker, facilitator, and adjudicator known globally. Holding a Master’s in Music Education (Choral Focus) from Westminster Choir College in the United States, Saw currently serves as a lecturer and choir director at the Faculty of Music at the University of Malaya…

London (15/11 – 67) Colombo Supreme Court rules that former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, former Prime Minister Mahinda, were among several government officials whose conduct contributed to Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis in decades. The court was ruling on a petition filed against 13 former officials by rights group Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) which said the Rajapaksa brothers and others were responsible for the crisis. “Their actions, omissions and conduct contributed to the crisis,” the ruling said. The court did not order any punishment, according to a statement by TISL. The two Rajapaksa brothers, two former central…