KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah has told candidates standing for the upcoming general elections and party supporters to be “civil” during the campaigning period which begins on nomination day. In a statement on Thursday (Oct 20), Comptroller of the Royal Household of Istana Negara, AhmadContinue Reading
The grand mosque, located inside an Islamic centre complex, was undergoing renovation. “We have discussed the possibility of continuing the renovation… the most important (thing) is we can use it (the mosque) again soon,” Jakarta’s acting governor Heru Budi Hartono told Metro TV Thursday. The cause of the fire, whichContinue Reading
ISLAMABAD: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global money laundering and terrorism financing watchdog, starts a two-day meeting in Paris on Thursday (Oct 20), and is expected to take up the removal of Pakistan from a list of countries under “increased monitoring”. In a meeting in June, the FATFContinue Reading
While it claimed to be behind the attack, the group denied responsibility for the deaths and injuries of civilians, pointing the finger instead at the Myanmar army.Continue Reading
THE MAIN PARTIES No single political party has ever formed a government on its own, and the multi-ethnic make-up of Malaysia’s society has a major influence on the composition of coalitions. There are two main coalitions vying to form the government – Barisan Nasional (BN), which is the current rulingContinue Reading
JAKARTA: Indonesia’s central bank raised its policy rates by 50 basis points on Thursday (Oct 20), for the second month in a row, as it sought to curb rising inflation, while trying to slow capital outflows that have weighed on the rupiah. Bank Indonesia (BI) hiked the benchmark seven-day reverseContinue Reading
Announcing the dissolution of parliament, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said political instability has had a negative impact on the economy and expressed a need to return the mandate to the people. Analysts also expect the instability to hurt voter turnout, especially among those who traditionally vote for the opposition,Continue Reading
“IT IS VERY HURTFUL” Refugees acknowledge that violence and criminal activity exist within the Kutupalong camp network – though it is the Rohingya themselves who are its chief victims. The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), an Islamist militant group that has clashed with Myanmar’s army in the past, has soughtContinue Reading
China is considering shortening the duration of quarantine for inbound visitors from 10 to seven days, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday (Oct 20), citing people familiar with the matter. Officials are targetting a cut in the quarantine period to two days in a hotel and then five days at home,Continue Reading
TAIPEI: Chinese President Xi Jinping would become a “sinner” of all Chinese people if he attacked Taiwan and would not win a war as he would face international sanctions and diplomatic isolation, Taiwan’s top security official said on Thursday (Oct 20). China has ramped up military and political pressure againstContinue Reading