30 dead, dozens missing after torrential rain in central China

BEIJING: Torrential rains in China have killed at least 30 people and left dozens more missing, state media said on Thursday (Aug 1), as the country grinds through another summer of extreme weather. Confirmation of the deaths came the same day that weather authorities said July was China's hottest month since records began six decades ago. China...

Dr Wee congratulates Malaysian shuttlers for advancing in the Olympics

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong joined Malaysians in a chorus of congratulations for the nation's badminton players over their wins on Thursday (Aug 1). Taking to Facebook, the MCA president shared his joy over the nation's Olympians. "Yet another good news from the badminton courts at the Paris 2024 Olympics. "The Malaysian men's doubles pair,...

Commercial licensing going online with i-SPKP from Aug 19, says Apad

PUTRAJAYA: All applications for any change to condition (modification) and renewal of permits must be made through the online Commercial Vehicle Licensing System (i-SPKP) with effect from Aug 19, the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) announced. In a statement on Thursday (Aug 1), the agency said it will temporarily suspend the application process at all counters...

UK PM Starmer condemns far-right for violence after Southport killings

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned far-right demonstrators after outbreaks of violence in London and elsewhere following the killing of three young girls in Southport, northwest England. "As far as the far-right is concerned, this is coordinated, this is deliberate," he told a press conference, referring to the violent clashes this week. "This is...

Vadim Krasikov, the Russian hitman sprung from German jail in prisoner swap

BERLIN (Reuters) - Vadim Krasikov, a Russian freed from jail in Germany on Friday in a prisoner swap between Moscow and the West, was convicted of the murder in 2019 of a former Chechen militant as he walked in broad daylight in a park in central Berlin. The brazenness of the murder, committed a few minutes'...

Olympics-Shooting-Martinez eyes LA return to where it all started

CHATEAUROUX, France (Reuters) - For each of the 40 years since Leonel Martinez competed in the 1984 Olympics, his memories of Los Angeles have got sweeter. His photographs faded and his exploits became an ever more distant memory as he founded a business and started a family back in his Venezuelan home of Ciudad Ojeda. What...

Thousands join funeral prayers for Ismail Haniyeh in several states

KUALA LUMPUR: Mosques in the country on Thursday (Aug 1) held funeral prayers in absentia for Hamas Political Bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike. In addition to mosques under the supervision of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) and the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department (Jawi), the funeral prayers were...

Haniyeh’s assassination may trigger regional war in Middle East, says Foreign Minister

KUALA LUMPUR: The assassination of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh has huge implications for global stability and peace with the threat of triggering a regional war in the Middle East, the Dewan Negara was told Thursday (Aug 1). Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the entire Malaysian Cabinet and the people stand in solidarity...

Social media providers face fines, jail without valid licence by Jan 1, warns Fahmi

PUTRAJAYA: Social media providers without a valid licence by Jan 1 next year may face fines or jail, warns Fahmi Fadzil. The Communications Minister stressed that the licensing only applies to social media platforms and was not aimed at regulating social media users or influencers. “For now, we have determined that action can be taken under Section...