GAZA: The tiny babies lie side by side, some wrapped in green fabric roughly taped around them for warmth, others wearing only nappies, a picture of vulnerability, their lives in grave danger with every minute that passes. The newborns are under the care of exhausted medics at Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital,Continue Reading
BEIJING: Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden will discuss “global peace and development” at a summit this week in San Francisco, Beijing said on Monday (Nov 13). “The two heads of state will have in-depth communication on strategic, general and directional issues concerning China-US relations, as wellContinue Reading
Malaysia’s top police official Razarudin Husain confirmed news of Sirul’s release from Australian detention and said police would discuss with the Attorney-General and the courts the possibility of seeking extradition.
Malaysia in April passed legal reforms to abolish the mandatory death penalty, allowing people facing the punishment to seek a sentencing review.
Under Australian law, a person cannot be deported if they face the death penalty. Azilah, Sirul’s co-accused, remains on death row in Malaysia.
Shaariibuu’s murder has been at the centre of a political scandal for years. She was killed in a forest on the outskirts of Malaysia’s capital in 2006, according to court records, but the question of who ordered the killing has never been answered.
Sirul was serving as a member of Najib’s personal security detail at the time of the murder. Civil society groups have alleged her murder was linked to her role as an interpreter in Malaysia’s purchase of two French submarines in 2002.
Najib, who was then defence minister and later became prime minister, has repeatedly denied allegations of links to Shaariibuu or corruption in the submarine purchases.
SEOUL: North Korea on Monday (Nov 13) called for the United Nations Command to be dissolved calling it an “illegal war organisation” over a meeting which is scheduled to take place between the member states in South Korea later this week, state media KCNA reported. The US-led United Nations CommandContinue Reading
WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden wants to re-establish military-to-military ties with China, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday (Nov 12), days before the president and the Chinese leader are set to meet. Biden will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in person for the first time inContinue Reading
As the world’s nations enter another round of talks beginning on Monday (Nov 13) on creating a first-ever treaty to contain plastic pollution, officials are bracing for tough negotiations over whether to limit the amount of plastic being produced or just to focus on the management of waste. Working withContinue Reading
MANILA: The Philippines accused the Chinese coast guard on Friday (Nov 10) of “dangerous harassment” of Filipino boats in the disputed South China Sea, including firing a water cannon and blocking vessels on a resupply mission. The incident happened during a Philippine mission to deliver provisions to a tiny garrisonContinue Reading
BEIJING: China said its vice foreign minister held frank and friendly talks with his Vietnamese counterpart in Hanoi on Thursday (Nov 9) that encompassed bilateral ties, land borders and maritime issues. The meeting between Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Vietnam’s Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Duong had not previouslyContinue Reading
BEIJING: China’s coast guard on Friday (Nov 10) urged the Philippines to stop infringing on the country’s sovereignty after several Philippine resupply vessels entered into waters near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. The Philippine National Security Council said it would issue a statement soon on theContinue Reading
SAN FRANCISCO: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday told Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng she wants to have an “open and substantive” discussion on the US-China economic relationship, Beijing’s subsidy practices and global challenges such as climate change and debt relief. In prepared remarks at the start of twoContinue Reading