Mohamed al-Fayed, ex-Harrods owner whose son died with Princess Diana, dead at 94

LONDON (Reuters) -Mohamed al-Fayed, the self-made Egyptian billionaire who bought the Harrods department store and promoted the discredited conspiracy theory that the British royal family was behind the death of his son and Princess Diana, has died, his family said. Born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, al-Fayed began his career selling fizzy drinks and then...

Klang River shedding murky past

KLANG: The once severely polluted 56km stretch of the Klang River has finally been given a chance to leave its murky past behind. The river is undergoing a massive improvement, with the main focus given to fishing out riverine garbage supervised by Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (LLSB), which is the Selangor state government’s master developer in...

Gabonese military officers announce on television they have seized power

LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - A group of senior Gabonese military officers appeared on television channel Gabon 24 in the early hours of Wednesday and said they had taken power, after the state election body announced President Ali Bongo had won a third term. (Reporting by Gerauds Wilfried Obangome; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Half a world away, but Malaysia still where the heart is

KUALA LUMPUR: There’s no better way to appreciate home than being thousands of miles away, and this rings true for two Malaysian women who have since made other countries their temporary abode. For these two, it will never stop being a case of "dry bread is always better at home than roast meat abroad". To overcome the...

Iran says uranium enrichment continues based on domestic law

DUBAI (Reuters) -Iran's enrichment of uranium continues based on a framework established by the country's parliament, nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said on Sunday when asked about reports regarding Tehran slowing down its 60% enrichment. "Our nuclear enrichment continues based on the strategic framework law," Eslami said, referring to a related legislation. Earlier this month, the Wall Street...

‘Do not call Malays conservative because of who they voted for’

LABELLING Malays based on who they vote for will only end up dividing and hurting them, say analysts as well as politicians from all coalitions. They also say that “a Malay is just a Malay” and should be free to vote for whomever they please in a democracy without the fear of being labelled. Malays comprise 60%...

Ukraine will speed up advance on southern front -commander

ORIKHIV AREA, Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces believe they have broken through the most difficult line of Russian defences in the south and will now be able to advance more quickly, a commander fighting in the south told Reuters. Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in June, but well-prepared Russian defence lines reinforced by minefields have slowed their...

French minister Darmanin warns of risk of Marine Le Pen victory in next election

PARIS (Reuters) - French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin - whom President Nicolas Sarkozy said would be a good future head of state - warned on Friday of the risk that far-right politician Marine Le Pen could win the next presidential election in 2027. Darmanin gave interviews to both La Voix du Nord paper and RTL radio...

Pro-Kyiv Russians urge Wagner Group to revenge Prigozhin’s death

(Reuters) - A group of Russian militants who fight on the Ukrainian side called on the Wagner Group of mercenaries to switch sides and join their ranks to revenge the deaths of Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin and their commander Dmitry Utkin. Russian air authorities have said Prigozhin, Utkin and eight other people were on a private...