First batch of trainees complete Malaysia’s revamped national service training programme as minister lauds its success
Malaysia’s Deputy Defense Minister Adly Zahari praised the success of the first batch of trainees from Malaysia’s revamped National Service Training Programme ( PLKN 3.0), which came to an end on Tuesday ( Feb 25 ).
The chancellor acknowledged, however, that the program may be improved.
116 trainees completed their 45-day education on Tuesday, despite the failure of another four.
At a ceremony marking the first batch of trainees ‘ completion, Adly was quoted as saying,” Since January 12, the trainees have undergone various training modules consisting of aspects of nationhood and military training.”
” We think it was a success because the first shipment consisted of individuals of all races and backgrounds,” said the company.
Adly added that he was convinced that the 116 recruits, which are made up of 73 men and 43 ladies and are between the ages of 18 and 25, would be able to build a better prospect with the knowledge and skills they had acquired from the program.
According to reports, Adly said,” I hope they will be able to get better people and a good example for the younger generation.”
In addition, he noted that two of the four who did not finish the program had health issues, and another was chosen to represent Malaysia in a silat competitors. Instead of continuing the program, the third chose to pursue further learning.
” The well-being and wellbeing of the employees are often our priority”, Adly said, according to The Star.
The secretary also assured the minister that his organization would continue to address any issues relating to the PLKN 3.0, including a rumored lack of military fatigues.
” We will make sure there are enough clothes for upcoming games. According to New Straits Times, he was quoted as saying that the clothes from Series 1/ 2025 will be used for Series 2/ 2025, which may run from May 11 to Jun 24 and Series 3/ 2025, which will move from Sep 7 to Oct 21.
There will be 500 employees for the second and third consumption of PLKN 3.0 both.
Singapore introduces guidelines to minimise disruptions to cloud services and data centres
The Infocomm Media Development Authority ( IMDA ) released a list of advisory guidelines on Tuesday ( Feb 25 ) to reduce instances of disruptions to cloud services and data centers.  ,
These recommendations may help cloud service providers and data centers employ threat assessment measures, business impact analysis, business continuity preparing, and security protocols by drawing on existing global and industry standards.  ,
They also aim to address challenges to sky services and data centres, such as issues in professional settings, natural hazards like fires, water leaks and cooling systems, as well as cyberattacks.  ,
In October 2023,  , DBS and Citibank were hit by an interruption lasting more than 12 days. Customers were unable to use PayLah!, PayLah!, or the banks ‘ softwares for online banking. and Give Today. ATM companies were even down at various locations.
A blaze broke out at the Digital Realty data center in Loyang in September last year, causing problems for tech firms like Lazada, Bytedance, and Alibaba Cloud.
Problems to such services can lead to major inconveniences and affected effect Singapore’s market, IMDA said.  ,
The country’s digital economy , contributed 17.7 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product ( GDP ) in 2023, overtaking the finance and insurance sector.  ,
” With the right practices, quite destructive occurrences can be minimised, and services may be restored immediately when a disturbance occurs”, said the expert.  ,
Recommendations FOR Sky Solutions AND DATA CENTRES ,
The actions that are suggested for cloud service providers, among others, may encourage them to utilize, among other things, appropriate data governance and disaster recovery plans.  ,
The guidelines will focus on seven categories of measures: Cloud management, sky network security, cloud operations control, cloud services management, cloud service customer access, tenancy and customer isolation, and cloud resilience.  ,
The new recommendations will provide a framework for data centers to implement techniques that can help assure business stability and reduce service problems.  ,
According to IMDA,” this includes instructions on implementing company continuity policies, controls, and processes, as well as continually reviewing and improving them,” adding that measures may also tackle cybersecurity risks in data centers.  ,
IMPROVING SINGAPORE’S DIGITAL SECURITY ,
These guidelines provide an “additional step” to improve the resilience and security of cloud services, according to IMDA, adding that they would also complement the upcoming new Digital Infrastructure Act ( DIA ).  ,
As scientific developments progress, the rules introduced will also be updated.  ,
The organization stated that” a whole-of-ecosystem approach is required to ensure that our society and economy continue to benefit from digitalization while being prepared for online outages.”
Zoo confirms Moo Deng’s good health, denies exploitation claim
PUBLISHED: 25 Feb 2025 at 16: 54
The secretary of natural solutions refutes claims made by international animal rights organizations that Thailand is using famous pygmy hippo Moo Deng for profit in unethical ways.  ,
On Tuesday, Chalermchai Sri-on claimed that the care given to the younger crocodile was completely up to international norms.
Last week, the Born Free Foundation and the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals ( PETA ) in the United States urged tourists to avoid seeing the 7-month-old hippo at Chon Buri’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo. They claimed the park was using its fresh sun and had failed to meet her requires naturally.
Mr. Chalermchai claimed that Narongwit Chodchoy, the park’s chairman, confirmed that it complied with all international regulations for dog happiness.
” Especially Moe Deng’s family”, he said. ” She has given birth to seven calf, confirming that she is healthy”.
He invited the two parties over to see the park and see for themselves how well cared the animals are. Their false claims may adversely affect hospitality, he said.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand awarded Moo Deng and the park an honor on Monday in recognition of their contributions to Thailand’s tourism industry.
The meeting was the park in Sri Racha city of Chon Buri, and the award was presented by Apichal Chatchalermkit, TAT’s lieutenant governor of local advertising.
A slew of raw veggies are fed to Moo Deng and her family Jona. ( Photo: Khamoo and the Gang Facebook page )
5 men given jail, caning over fatal Orchard Road brawl
In 2023, five men who were involved in a fight at the Concorde Hotel and Shopping Mall along Orchard Road were given sentences ranging from two to three years in prison and caned for participating in a rebellion that resulted in the death of a previous boy.  ,
The five gentlemen and their words are:  ,
- Sridharan Elangovan - , 36 times ‘ prisons and six breaths of the wood  ,
- Manojkumar Velayanatham , - , 30 times ‘ prisons and four stroke
- Sashikumar Pakirsamy , - , 24 weeks ‘ prisons and two stroke
- Puthenvilla Keith Peter , - , 26 times ‘ prison and three breaths
- Raja Rishi , - , 30 times ‘ prisons and four stroke
Each had previously admitted guilt to a violence charge.  ,
Sridharan, 30, Manojkumar, 32, and Sashikumar, 34, were people of a secret society class.  ,
Another man, Asvain Pachan Pillai Sukumaran, 30, was earlier handed a death command after he allegedly killed the original boy, 29-year-old Mohammad Isrrat Mohd Ismail. His situation is pending.  ,
Six other gentlemen, between 25 and 33 years older, were named in court papers as co-accused who took part in the mob. The other five people who were named in the records were close friends with this class.  ,
Former Club Rumours bouncers Muhammad Shahrulnizam Osman, 30, and Isrrat’s companion and a secret world member, Muhammad Shahrulnizam, 30, were also involved.  ,
THE Event
On Aug 19, 2023, from about 11pm, a group of at least 10 persons, including several of the accused, started drinking at different venues.  ,
They ended up eating at Concorde Hotel and Shopping Mall’s Club Rumours.  ,
At 4.46am, Isrrat and his companion Shahrulnizam arrived. Isrrat had wanted to pass his bride offer cards to club team, and they , sat near the entrance of the team, opposite the accused people.  ,
By that point, the club’s chief boy was on call because he discovered that members of the accused’ team were members of secret societies. He made this known to the other bouncers who were on the move, and they later armed themselves with knives. Isrrat did also.  ,
At about 6am, as the team was closing, Isrrat shouted a vulgarity at the accused’s party. After a short verbal change, the accused people confronted Isrrat and Shahrulnizam, during which , Isrrat punched Asvain.
Between the accused people and Isrrat and Shahrulnizam, shoving and pushing occurred. Before Isrrat and Shahrulnizam ran up into Concorde, the fight moved towards a small, undeveloped place along Kramat Lane. They were chased by several team members who kicked and punched Isrrat.  ,
As Isrrat was running up in, he stabbed someone in the face.  ,
While Shahrulnizam was able to reclaim the club, the accused’s team chased Isrrat near, hitting and kick him near an indoor escalator, and escaped.  ,
Isrrat was later caught by group members at a glass door exit, where they punched and kicked him before he rose and fled to an outside area.
As the assault continued,  , Asvain picked up a small blade that Isrrat had dropped, and stabbed him several times. Isrrat was kicked once more by Sudharan as a result of another person’s stomp on him.  ,
After the party fled, Club Rumours workers called for an ambulance for Isrrat, who was bleeding heavily. He was taken to a hospital where he was later declared deceased at 6.59 am.  ,
Asvain left in a vehicle with four others, including Sridharan and Manojkumar. He suggested that the five of them get their passports , and escape to Johor Bahru to evade imprisonment.
All of them were arrested at the Woodlands Checkpoint.
In the end, the remaining accused were likewise detained. Two of them- Sashikumar and Raja, 28, surrendered to the officers while Puthenvilla, 26, was arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint.  ,
32 injuries were discovered in Isrrat’s system, as well as eight stab wounds to his lower back and stomach, according to an autopsy on him.  , The cause of suicide was stab wounds to his neck.  ,
Shahrulnizam was previously ordered by the court to serve 12 wood strokes and two years and nine months in prison.  ,
District Judge Eddy Tham, who handed down the sentence, said that the court considered violence with violence serious because it could result in varying degrees of harm that “goes to the intense.”  ,
The determine noted that group violence could rise naturally and quickly in the heat of the moment, being encouraged by one another, and continue without restraint or control.  ,
In this instance, Judge Tham described the connection to secret societies as “tenuous,” as the accused were among companions celebrating a day.  ,
He found the button to have been Isrrat shouting obscenities.  ,
Rioting carries a prison term of up to seven times, and punishment.  ,
China puts Philippines on hypersonic nuke alert – Asia Times
Due to rumors that China is developing a new underwater capable of carrying nuclear-tipped hypersonic missiles especially to neutralize the missile threat, China’s conflict with the Philippines appears to have reached a disturbing new phase.
A semi-official military newspaper reported this month that a Chinese invasion submarine that is currently being developed at a factory in Wuhan might be used to strike Philippine medium-range weapon defense systems.
The report indicates that the People’s Liberation Army ( PLA ) has not yet confirmed if the submarine class is under development.
However, SCMP notes that a publication from Naval &, Merchant Ships, owned by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation ( CSSC), a PLA Navy ( PLA-N) supplier, mentions details about its design and features, thus validating its existence and reasons for its development.
The release mentions that the US Typhon missiles, which have been stationed in the Philippines since April 2024, may launch missiles from Luzon, a northern Philippine area, into island China.
The PLA can launch attacks from outside enemy lines, according to the report, and it has the option to use nuclear missiles if important. China’s most recent submarine is capable of carrying hypersonic missiles.
The YJ-21, which is used on its Type 093 nuclear attack submarines ( SSN), is likely to be used for the new submarine. The YJ-21 has also been deployed on China’s Model 055 ships, and its estimated collection is 1, 500 to 2, 000 km with an estimated velocity of Mach 10.
The underwater, first spotted in mid-2024, appears to have Vocabulary and an X-shaped tail fin for better athleticism and security, according to SCMP. Additionally, the report mentions that the submarine is anticipated to have AIP (air-independent propulsion ) technology.
Tensions between China and the US Typhon weapon system have gotten worse. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated in September 2024 that the Typhon’s implementation “undermines regional peace and stability,” adding that it “is not in the interests of local locations.”
But, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro hit up at the notes, stating that China is using “reverse philosophy” to prevent the Philippines from building its security features.
Teodoro challenged China to “lead by instance”, saying that it should kill its nuclear arsenal, reduce its ballistic missile features, “get out of the West Philippine Sea”, and get out of Mischief Reef, a contested element in the South China Sea.
However, China conducted its first intercontinental ballistic missile ( ICBM ) test since 1980, flying an ICBM from Hainan to French Polynesia, just outside France’s Exclusive Economic Zone ( EEZ ) around the country, in a thinly veiled signal of displeasure the same month.
Undaunted, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr highlighted in January 2025 that China’s missile systems substantially exceeds the Philippines. In exchange for halting anger in the South China Sea, he suggested removing the US Typhon missile program.
China appears determined to take a radical stance despite the strong words from Spanish leaders. In February 2025, Chinese Foreign Minister Spokesperson Guo Jiakun emphasized that the Philippines is “placing its safety in the arms of people” and that China” does not stand idly by when its passions are threatened.
If China’s assertion that its new submarine carries hypersonic missiles is confirmed, the Philippines lacks reliable air and missile defense capabilities to counteract such a threat.
As of 2022, the SM-6 missile is the only weapon in the US arsenal that can intercept hypersonic missiles, and even that capability is described as “nascent”. The US Glide Phase Interceptor ( GPI), designed to destroy hypersonic missiles in their glide phase, is still under development.
Should the Philippines strengthen its extended deterrence strategy with the US and use the Typhon as a foundation, it may purchase military equipment that will support the Typhon missile system in its own backyard.
While the Philippines operates SPYDER surface-to-air missile ( SAM ) batteries, they are not designed to engage hypersonic threats. In addition to SPYDER, the Philippines plans to buy additional short-range SAMs, possibly India’s Akash missile system. But, as with SPYDER, Akash is not designed to engage or neutralize hypersonic threats.
Given the Philippines ‘ capability shortcomings, it may be up to the US to defend its Typhon batteries against China’s hypersonic arsenal. The US deployed Patriot missile launchers to the Philippines in May 2024, with the Patriot successfully intercepting a Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missile over Kyiv in May 2023.
However, Russia’s propaganda may have overhyped the Kinzhal’s capability, and China, having much more resources than the former, can likely afford more sophisticated hypersonic missiles.
Aside from attempting to intercept China’s hypersonics, US submarines in the South China Sea could try to track and hunt their Chinese hypersonic-armed counterparts.
In the South China Sea in 2023, 11 US SSNs and two nuclear ballistic missile submarines ( SSBN ) were discovered, according to a report from the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI ) in March 2024.
China may launch a nuclear response if it believes its underwater nuclear deterrent is in danger because it may be using the South China Sea as a protected bastion for its SSBNs. The Philippines runs the risk of being caught in a nuclear conflict between the US and China because of nuclear-armed submarines from opposing sides patrolling nearby.  ,
However, in a May 2024 National Bureau of Asian Research ( NBR ) report, Herman Kraft argues that the Philippines does not view China’s nuclear arsenal as a direct threat but rather as a factor in US-China competition. According to Kravit, China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea has not until recently resulted in the threat of nuclear weapons.
Manila is also developing relations with other countries, including Japan and Australia, while the Philippines acknowledges that the US might use its military installations and forces to target China. He claims that this strategy allows the Philippines to expand its defenses without being involved in US-China nuclear dynamics.
Kraft claims that while the Philippines advocates a normative, diplomatic approach to nuclear weapons, it is constrained by its longstanding dependence on the US.
Although the US Typhon missile system makes the Philippines a potential target for China in the event of a conflict over Taiwan, it is improbable whether any president of the Philippines will permit US offensive strikes from its territory, unless the Philippines ‘ main islands are attacked.
If a leader of the Philippines approves such strikes, it runs the risk of making China, which will always be present nearby, a long-standing adversary.
Singaporean man charged with importing 40kg of drugs into Australia
A Singaporean man was accused of bringing 40 kilograms of marijuana into Australia on an international flight on Tuesday ( Feb 25 ).
Shanmugam Sundar Darmaraju is accused of importing a border-controlled medicine in two separate matters. He was denied parole after making an appearance at Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday.
When the 55-year-old man arrived in Sydney on a flight from Malaysia on February 20th, the Australian Border Force ( ABF ) officers stopped him.
The ABF and the AFP jointly released a statement claiming that the man reportedly claimed in a joint news release that he was not traveling with any checked baggage and that he had originally been given the right to leave Sydney Airport.
ABF officials later discovered two backpacks that had allegedly had id keywords with the boy’s name on them and were left on a luggage carousel.
The backpacks contained 8 kg of methamphetamine and 32 kg of meth. The policeman seized them and began the research for the customer.
China says defence spending ‘entirely necessary’ after Putin backs mutual cuts
Beijing: Following Donald Trump’s suggestion that Russia, the US, and China all cut their defense budgets in half, Beijing declared on Tuesday ( Feb 25 ) that its defense spending was “entirely necessary.” Russia has significantly increased military spending since launching its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but as hostilitiesContinue Reading
PM commits to eliminating scam gangs preying on Thais
Nearby states cooperating, problem may be taken seriously, she says
PUBLISHED: 25 Feb 2025 at 15: 55
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra stated on Tuesday that the government would continue to fight against fraud groups operating in neighboring nations that are ripping off Thai citizens until the issue is resolved.
” As long as this difficulty exists, we will not stop our work. It must be taken seriously”, she said after the regular government meet.
The prime minister also stated that she would go to Sa Kaeo county, near to Poipet, on Friday, to see the issue.  ,  ,
Ms Paetongtarn said Tuesday’s government appointment was briefed on the president’s latest goes against call-centre fraud criminals preying on Thai citizens.
Numerous people were arrested as a result of the government’s total cooperation with China and Myanmar, which had sealed the borders of 14 counties.
The Defense Ministry was collaborating closely with nations where people who had been detained while conducting raids on gangs in Myawaddy wanted to return them fast.
Thailand, China and Myanmar had even set up a mutual board for bilateral deals on dealing with cross-border violence, Ms Paetongtarn said.
The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, which was working with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission ( NBTC ), Central Investigation Bureau ( CIB ), and state-owned National Telecom (NT ), briefed her on the removal of signal towers close to border areas, lowering the height and signal strength of others, and ensuring transmissions were only directed into Thailand.  ,
Communications from authorized SIM containers had also been checked for networking scams. Exceptionally high usage was more examined to see if it was from fraudulent sales.
The prime minister said the administrations of Thailand, China, Myanmar and Cambodia were taking the hoax problem seriously.  ,
She will travel to the border checkpoint in tambon Klong Luek, which is located directly contrary Poipet in Banteay Meanchey territory in Cambodia, close to Rong Kluea business.
She did closely examine the issue and make more aggressive efforts to eradicate the problem of scamming as soon as possible.
” As long as this difficulty exists, we will not stop our work. It must be taken seriously. We have received good responses to our efforts to solve the problem at this point, the primary minister said.
We can safely state that Thailand is taking the problem seriously and that its neighbors are also benefiting from it, Paetongtarn said.  ,
1MDB drops US$248 million suit against Wolf of Wall Street producer: Lawyer
The sovereign wealth fund of Malaysia, 1MDB, has withdrawn its US$ 24 million lawsuit against one of the manufacturers of The Wolf of Wall Street, who is also Hamid Razak’s son. When the multi-billion money economic scandal broke in the 2010s, Riza Aziz and his drama firms were charged withContinue Reading
Parliament to discuss recent MRT train disruptions, drug reoffending rate and terrorism threats
SINGAPORE: The , MRT train service disruptions , this month affecting three different rail lines, the continued rise in drug reoffending rates , and the threat of terrorism on the back of an assault case at a church , are  , expected to be raised when parliament next sits on Wednesday ( Feb 26Continue Reading