PALM BEACH GARDENS: The Portugal squad are shutting out criticism of the team and captain Cristiano Ronaldo following an underwhelming draw in their World Cup opener against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), defender Ruben Dias said on Friday.

DR Congo, playing in their first World Cup for 52 years, frustrated Portugal in a 1-1 draw that left the European side with just one shot on target despite completing 740 passes, prompting a barrage of criticism.

Ronaldo, in particular, found himself in the firing line as the 41-year-old’s goal drought at major tournaments extended to 10 games stretching back to the 2022 World Cup, despite being the all-time top scorer.

“The criticism is not significant for us, it’s noise and part of the competition … It’s all noise,” Dias told reporters at Portugal’s training camp.

“It always happens if you have a match that doesn’t go well. We’re closing ourselves off from unnecessary criticism,” he said.

The Portugal captain was dealt a sharp critique by former France striker Thierry Henry, who suggested Ronaldo was playing for personal glory rather than team success.

“One thing that’s important: the team needs to score, not you need to score,” Henry said in his analysis on Fox, adding that Ronaldo was getting in the way of team-mates in a better position to score.

Ronaldo ‘used to media pressure’

However, Dias refused to single out Ronaldo, who is competing in his sixth World Cup.

“Cristiano, of course, is used to dealing with the media pressure we usually face in the club, the national team, world tournaments, European competitions,” Dias said.

“In this sort of competition, it will never be perfect … This is a competition you can win only if you play well game after game,” he added.

Ready for Uzbekistan clash

Dias, who was benched for the opener while recovering from injury, declared himself ready to play for Tuesday’s second group match against Uzbekistan.

Having faced DR Congo’s defensive back five, Portugal could encounter a similar strategy from Uzbekistan, and Dias said it was a tactic he had seen repeatedly while playing for Manchester City.

“I come from playing most of my club matches against teams that use a back five, so I have a very clear idea about it,” Dias said.

“Respecting positional discipline becomes decisive in matches like these.

“I believe we have players with enough quality that, by respecting our positions and making the right decisions, we can make the difference,” he added.

PETALING JAYA: Pengerusi Barisan Nasional (BN) Johor, Onn Hafiz Ghazi, tidak perlu bimbang tentang soal calon menteri besar Pakatan Harapan, kata pengerusi Pakatan Harapan (PH) Johor menjelang PRK yang semakin dekat.

Dr Zaliha Mustafa berkata PH menghormati sepenuhnya Undang-undang Tubuh Kerajaan Johor dan kuasa Sultan Johor dalam melantik menteri besar, maka tidak ghairah menjadikan isu jawatan sebagai modal kempen.

Zaliha menarik perhatian kepada PRN Johor 2022, apabila BN menamakan Hasni Mohammad sebagai ‘poster boy’ gabungan itu tetapi Onn Hafiz yang akhirnya dilantik.

“PH mempunyai ramai pemimpin yang layak, berwibawa dan berintegriti untuk memikul amanah tersebut sekiranya diberikan mandat oleh rakyat,” menurut kenyataan.

Semalam, Sinar Harian melaporkan BN Johor mempersoalkan siapa calon menteri besar yang akan ditampilkan PH sekiranya gabungan itu berjaya membentuk kerajaan selepas PRN Johor.

Onn Hafiz dilapor berkata PH sehingga kini belum mengumumkan calon menteri besar, dan rakyat berhak mengetahui siapa yang akan menerajui pentadbiran negeri.

Zaliha bagaimanapun menarik perhatian kepada laporan bahawa Onn Hafiz menyatakan ‘poster boy’ bukan jaminan untuk dilantik sebagai menteri besar.

“Jika pelantikan menteri besar akhirnya tertakluk kepada proses dan peruntukan Undang-undang Tubuh Negeri Johor, mengapa isu ini dijadikan polemik politik oleh beliau?” katanya.

Semalam, Bernama melaporkan Onn Hafiz berkata perkenan Sultan Johor Sultan Ibrahim dan Pemangku Sultan Johor Tunku Mahkota Ismail amat penting dalam menentukan siapa bakal menerajui kerajaan negeri.

Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya menetapkan hari penamaan calon bagi PRN Johor pada 27 Jun, manakala hari pengundian pula pada 11 Julai selepas DUN dibubarkan pada 1 Jun.

DUN Johor mempunyai 56 kerusi dan sebelum pembubaran, Barisan Nasional menguasai 40 kerusi diikuti PH 12, Perikatan Nasional tiga, manakala Muda satu.

ASHGABAT: Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim menyifatkan kejayaan Petronas memperoleh telaga gas antara yang terbesar dunia susulan perjanjian yang dimeterai dengan kerajaan di Turkmenistan sebagai luar biasa.

Beliau berkata ini seterusnya meletakkan syarikat minyak dan gas negara itu menguasai industri tersebut.

Kejayaan itu bukan sahaja mengatasi kebimbangan mengenai kekurangan bekalan gas dalam negara, malah juga meningkatkan keupayaan Petronas untuk terus menjana eksport dari Malaysia ke negara pengimport gas seperti Jepun, Korea Selatan, China dan beberapa negara lain, kata beliau.

Anwar berkata lawatan rasmi ke Turkmenistan atas jemputan Presiden Serdar Berdimuhamedov itu juga sebagai membalas lawatan rasmi yang dilakukan Berdimuhamedov ke Malaysia pada Disember 2024.

“Menarik (pada) 2024 itu, apabila Petronas memaklumkan pada saya mengenai keperluan menggesa Presiden Serdar untuk menerima peranan Petronas sebagai tonggak dalam pengembangan industri minyak dan gas di Turkmenistan, dan beliau pada masa itu nampak memberikan jaminan yang kukuh,” kata beliau kepada media Malaysia sebelum mengakhiri lawatan rasmi selama dua hari ke Turkmenistan.

Susulan itu, beberapa rundingan diadakan manakala antara perkara yang menarik perhatian Berdimuhamedov adalah rekod prestasi Petronas sebagai penggerak dan pengurus minyak yang membanggakan.

Presiden Turkmenistan itu turut tertarik dengan pelbagai tawaran kepada negara tuan rumah seperti pemindahan teknologi, pendedahan latihan termasuk di Universiti Petronas serta melalui Program Kerjasama Teknikal Malaysia (MTCP) dengan Kementerian Luar.

“Ini menyebabkan beliau menerima dengan lebih mudah…satu kejayaan luar biasa meletakkan Petronas sebagai antara pemilik telaga gas terbesar di dunia, di Turkmenistan ini,” katanya.

Anwar juga menyuarakan penghargaan kepada kerajaan Turkmenistan atas keputusan yang meletakkan Petronas dan Malaysia pada tahap yang sangat tinggi, sekali gus menjamin penjanaan perolehan yang juga luar biasa bagi Petronas.

Perdana menteri berkata hubungan erat antara kedua-dua negara turut membuka ruang kepada lebih banyak kerjasama dalam pelbagai industri dan sektor lain.

“Malaysia juga akan memberi penekanan untuk melebarkan jaringan kerjasama melangkaui sektor minyak dan gas asli dengan meliputi bidang lain termasuk sains, teknologi, penyelidikan, pendidikan, semikonduktor, AI (kecerdasan buatan) dan bidang baharu,” kata beliau.

Terdahulu, beliau menghadiri Forum Turkmenistan-Malaysia bagi menyambut ulang tahun ke-30 kerjasama dua hala dalam sektor minyak dan gas di Dewan Perdagangan dan Industri Turkmenistan, yang turut dihadiri Berdimuhamedov.

Anwar, yang juga menteri kewangan, diiringi Menteri Pelaburan, Perdagangan dan Industri Johari Ghani, Menteri Ekonomi Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir dan kalangan pegawai kanan.

Lawatan itu adalah lawatan rasmi yang pertama Anwar ke Turkmenistan dan kali kelima oleh perdana menteri Malaysia.

CAIRO: Mediators in the US-Iran conflict, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, are due to gather for talks in Egypt on Sunday, Cairo and Islamabad said.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Friday that the four-way meeting would bring together the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt to “discuss regional developments and exchange views on issues related to peace, security and stability”.

Egypt’s foreign ministry said late Thursday that the meeting would be followed by expanded talks and a joint news conference.

The ministry initially said the meeting would be held in the Egyptian resort of El Alamein, before updating the location to Cairo.

The four foreign ministers last met in April on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in the Turkish resort city of Antalya.

The Cairo meeting comes after US-Iran talks scheduled in Switzerland for Friday, aimed at following up on the agreement to end the war, were postponed, according to the Swiss foreign ministry.

The White House confirmed that US vice-president JD Vance’s planned trip to Switzerland for the talks had been cancelled.

The deal, signed this week by President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, aims to end a conflict that began on Feb 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

It also provides for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the launch of a 60-day negotiation period on broader issues, including Tehran’s nuclear programme.

The agreement was also meant to halt fighting in Lebanon, but some clashes have since broken out between Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has described Petroliam Nasional Bhd’s (Petronas) success in securing one of the world’s largest gas fields as an extraordinary achievement that positions the national oil and gas company among industry leaders.

This followed an agreement signed with the Turkmenistan government, Bernama reported.

Anwar said the success also alleviates concerns over domestic gas supply shortages while enhancing the company’s ability to continue exporting gas to countries such as Japan, South Korea, China and several others.

Anwar said his official visit to Turkmenistan, made at the invitation of its president, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, was a reciprocal visit following the president’s trip to Malaysia in December 2024.

He said Petronas informed him in 2024 to urge Serdar to recognise Petronas’s role as a key pillar in the expansion of Turkmenistan’s oil and gas industry.

Anwar said Serdar provided strong assurances at that time and this was followed by a series of negotiations.

Anwar said Petronas’s track record and performance as a highly respected operator and manager of oil companies attracted the president’s attention.

Petronas also offered various proposals to the host country that piqued their interest. They included technology transfer opportunities, training exposure, including at Universiti Petronas, and the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme in collaboration with the foreign affairs ministry, he added.

“This led him to accept Petronas’s proposals more readily.

“It is an extraordinary achievement that places Petronas among the owners of the world’s largest gas fields here in Turkmenistan,” he said before concluding his two-day official visit to the country.

Anwar said Turkmenistan’s confidence in Petronas would guarantee exceptional revenue generation for the company. The close relationship between the two countries also opens the door for greater cooperation across various industries and sectors.

“Malaysia will also focus on expanding cooperation beyond the oil and natural gas sector into other areas, including science, technology, research, semiconductor education, artificial intelligence and other emerging fields,” he said.

Earlier, he attended the Turkmenistan-Malaysia Forum commemorating the 30th anniversary of bilateral cooperation in the oil and gas sector.

Anwar was accompanied by investment, trade and industry minister Johari Ghani, economy minister Akmal Nasir and senior officials.

This was Anwar’s first official visit to Turkmenistan and the fifth such visit by a Malaysian prime minister.

PETALING JAYA: Dua maut manakala tujuh lagi cedera selepas terbabit dalam kemalangan melibatkan tiga kenderaan di Jalan Kuantan-Segamat, di Chini, Pekan petang tadi.

Penolong Pengarah Bahagian Operasi Jabatan Bomba Pahang, Mohd Salahuddin Isa berkata, kemalangan pada 5.57 petang itu melibatkan sebuah kenderaan MPV Toyota Alphard, Honda Civic dan pacuan empat roda Isuzu D-Max.

Katanya, dua mangsa yang maut dalam kemalangan itu adalah pemandu Toyota Alphard dan pemandu Honda Civic, lapor SInar Harian.

Menurutnya, kemalangan itu turut mengakibatkan dua penumpang Toyota Alphard berusia 15 dan 35 tahun, termasuk seorang wanita, cedera.

“Penumpang hadapan kereta Honda Civic dilaporkan parah, manakala tiga penumpang lain termasuk seorang warga emas dan seorang kanak-kanak perempuan berusia dua tahun mengalami kecederaan,” katanya.

Tambahnya, pemandu Isuzu D-Max hanya mengalami kecederaan ringan.

Katanya, sepasukan anggota dari Balai Bomba Chini dengan bantuan anggota Balai Bomba Muadzam Shah bergegas ke lokasi bagi menjalankan operasi mengeluarkan mangsa yang tersepit.

“Mangsa yang maut diserahkan kepada pihak polis untuk tindakan lanjut,” katanya.

ISTANBUL: Turkey’s interior ministry has instructed governors nationwide not to permit the installation of giant public screens for the national team’s World Cup match against Paraguay, citing the need to minimise noise and traffic disruption during the country’s university entrance examinations.

Local authorities had previously planned to broadcast Turkey’s Group D match against Paraguay on Saturday on large outdoor screens in a number of cities.

The ministry directive, issued ahead of the Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS) due this weekend, has prompted local municipalities to cancel giant-screen broadcasts.

The game is scheduled for Saturday morning at 6am local time.

Authorities said that the measure aims to ensure that students sitting the exam are not adversely affected by noise pollution or increased traffic congestion.

The YKS is Turkey’s nationwide university entrance examination and is taken annually by hundreds of thousands of students seeking admission to higher education institutions.

Football is hugely popular in the country of 86 million people, with the team making their first World Cup appearance since finishing third in 2002.

Turkey face a fight to make the knock-out stages after they were beaten 2-0 by Australia in their opening match, in a group which includes co-hosts the US.

The Australia match was broadcast on giant screens in Istanbul and elsewhere on June 15, drawing large crowds who filled parks as well as an ancient amphitheatre in the southern Antalya province.

PETALING JAYA: The Form Four student who fell to her death from a school building in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, this morning was not a victim of bullying, the education director-general said.

Azam Ahmad said the teenager was reported to be healthy and did not display any unusual behaviour before her death, Bernama reported.

“Based on my conversation with the deceased’s parents, there was no issue of her being bullied.

“She was her usual self when she arrived at school this morning,” he was quoted as saying.

Azam said the students and their parents were at the school this morning as it was report card day.

“She was said to have asked for permission to go to the toilet before the incident,” he said.

He said the state education department and the school have been instructed to look into the incident.

He also urged the public against sharing photographs or recordings related to the case out of respect for the family’s privacy and to avoid causing them further emotional distress.

Earlier this evening, Negeri Sembilan police chief Alzafny Ahmad said they were alerted to the incident at 10.48am after the victim was found unconscious in the school compound.

Police personnel were immediately dispatched to the school, where medical officers confirmed her death.

The case has been classified as sudden death.

Those who are feeling stressed, distressed, or have any emotional problems should seek help from doctors or reach out to Befrienders at 03-7627 2929.

PETALING JAYA: Rundingan antara Bersatu dan Muda bagi menghadapi PRN Johor 11 Julai depan sudah mencapai 80%, kata Ketua Bersatu Johor Dr Sahruddin Jamal.

Beliau berkata perbincangan itu berjalan baik, selain menyifatkan Muda antara parti yang mempunyai hala tuju sehaluan dengan Bersatu.

“Kita ada kawan-kawan macam Muda dan Pejuang yang sehaluan dengan kita.

“Memang ada perbincangan kerjasama. Setakat ini dah 80% dengan Muda,” katanya kepada FMT ketika ditanya perkembangan rundingan antara kedua-dua parti itu.

Presiden Muda Amira Aisya Abd Aziz semalam berkata hubungan Muda dan Bersatu di Johor berada dalam keadaan baik, namun sebarang bentuk kerjasama masih belum dimuktamadkan.

Perkembangan itu juga hadir ketika Bersatu tidak lagi mempunyai kerjasama politik dengan PAS susulan krisis Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Sebelum kerjasama PAS-Bersatu terputus, Sahruddin yang juga pengerusi PN Johor berkata gabungan itu bersedia bertanding semua 56 kerusi DUN di negeri berkenaan.

Naib Presiden Bersatu, Ahmad Faizal Azumu, baru-baru ini berkata parti itu bergerak dahulu dalam berdepan PRN Johor 11 Julai depan susulan kelewatan Pengerusi PN Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar merangka strategi.

Mendakwa tiada mesyuarat gerak kerja dipanggil Samsuri, Faizal berkata Bersatu tidak boleh menunggu ‘isyarat PAS’ dan mengerakkan jentera bersama rakan dalam Ikatan Prihati Rakyat (IPR), Muda serta Pejuang.

Pesuruhjaya PAS Johor, Mahfodz Mohamed, pada 10 Jun lalu pula berkata partinya akan membina jajaran politik baharu selepas kerjasama politik dengan Bersatu ditamatkan.

Menurutnya, kerjasama pilihan raya itu membabitkan Pejuang, Putra, Berjasa dan Parti Perikatan India Muslim Nasional (Iman).

PAS juga bakal bekerjasama dengan Parti Wawasan Negara yang dikatakan akan menggunakan logo PN seperti diumumkan Presiden PAS Hadi Awang, 13 Jun lalu.

WASHINGTON: Israel and Hezbollah have agreed on a ceasefire, a US official said Friday, after deadly new exchanges in Lebanon put the fragile deal to end the Middle East war under immediate strain.

The truce that began at 4pm local time was brokered by US and Qatari mediators following talks with Israel and Iran, the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

A Gulf diplomat also confirmed the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire to AFP.

The Lebanon clashes had threatened the deal between Washington and Tehran to end the war, after the postponement of planned talks in Switzerland featuring US vice-president JD Vance.

US President Donald Trump and his administration have shown growing frustration recently with Israel, Washington’s ally and partner in the Iran war.

Trump called on Thursday for a “complete ceasefire on all fronts” including from Israel.

He has also been increasingly critical of the high death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

“When two drones are shot into the desert and drop harmlessly, you don’t have to knock down buildings in Beirut. They could behave better, and frankly they could do a better job,” Trump said at the G7 summit in France on Wednesday.

Vance meanwhile issued an extraordinary rebuke of hardline ministers in the Israeli government on Thursday for criticising the Iran deal, telling them to “wake up and smell the reality”.

“Donald J Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time,” Vance told a White House briefing.

“If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world,” he said.

Trump on Friday separately showed frustration with both Iran and critics at home who say the deal rewards Tehran without properly limiting its nuclear programme.

“We didn’t meet out of desperation, Iran did,” Trump said on Truth Social, after Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that Trump had “used all kinds of levers” to secure the deal “out of desperation”.

Trump added that the US would “play out the 60 days” during which Iran and the US are meant to try to thrash out a long-term deal. “They get no money, not ten cents!,” he added.

Republican hawks and Democrats alike have criticised the deal for offering sanctions relief and a US$300 reconstruction fund for Iran, but Trump said Iran was now “diminished”.

“How stupid can some people be???” he said in another social media post.

PETALING JAYA: The memorandum of understanding for a peace agreement between the US and Iran is set to have a positive impact on national oil prices, says political secretary to the finance minister, Kamil Munim.

However, he said the recovery period for oil supply is expected to take time, Bernama reported him as saying.

Kamil said global oil price stability cannot be achieved immediately, and the recovery will also need to account for the increased costs of logistics, transport and insurance incurred throughout the crisis.

The peace deal to resolve the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz would reopen routes for oil tankers as well as other merchant vessels, bringing relief to most countries affected by the crisis, he said after attending a function in Kuala Kangsar today.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed optimism that the MoU between the US and Iran could pave the way towards ending the conflict and guaranteeing peace in the Middle East.

Anwar expressed confidence in the positive development, even though a final agreement between the two nations must be reached within 60 days.

Kamil said to mitigate the impact of the crisis, the government has implemented various measures to control the country’s inflation rate, including maintaining the subsidised price of RON95 petrol at RM1.99 per litre, unlike other countries.

“The government, from time to time through the Economic Action Council, will look into the necessity of ensuring that for the next four to six months – while we wait for the situation to be fully controlled – the people are not burdened by any rising costs,” he said.

Regarding increasing the 200-litre limit per month for purchasing RON95 under the BUDI95 initiative, he said the government would re-evaluate its implementation before making any decision, depending on the global oil market situation.

Touching on the prime minister’s official visit to Russia, he said this was part of the government’s efforts to ensure it can diversify its oil and energy resources.

“Russia possesses extraordinary economic strength and potential. Malaysia, as a small trading nation, must capitalise on all available avenues,” he said.

PETALING JAYA: Unheralded Malaysian singles shuttler Eogene Ewe continued his fine run at the Macau Open by storming into the semi-finals with a convincing win over much higher-ranked Jason Teh of Singapore.

World No 80 shuttler Eogene, who had beaten two higher ranked players in the first two rounds, won 21-9, 21-19 against the 31st-ranked Singaporean in 39 minutes at the Macao East Asian Games Dome.

This will be Eogene’s first semi-final appearance at a World Tour Super 300 event.

In the last-four match tomorrow, Eogene will take on China’s Hu Zhe An.

Malaysia will have five representatives in the last four – Eogene, two men’s doubles pairs, and one pair each in the women’s doubles and mixed doubles.

KUALA KANGSAR: Memorandum persefahaman (MoU) perjanjian damai antara Amerika Syarikat (AS) dengan Iran bakal memberi kesan positif kepada harga minyak negara, namun tempoh pemulihan bekalan minyak dijangka mengambil masa.

Setiausaha Politik kepada menteri kewangan, Kamil Munim berkata kestabilan harga minyak global tidak dapat dicapai serta-merta dan pemulihan itu turut mengambil kira kos logistik, pengangkutan dan insurans yang meningkat sepanjang tempoh krisis berkenaan.

“Sudah tentu kita sambut baik perjanjian perdamaian bagi memulihkan krisis yang berlaku di Selat Hormuz dan itu akan membuka laluan semula kepada kapal-kapal minyak dan juga kapal-kapal dagang yang lain.

“Ia memberi kelegaan kepada kebanyakan negara yang terkesan daripada krisis itu,” katanya ketika ditemui pada Majlis Penghargaan Agensi Kerajaan dan Warga Perak di SMK Tun Perak.

Semalam, Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim optimis MoU perjanjian damai antara AS dengan Iran mampu membuka jalan ke arah penamatan konflik serta menjamin keamanan di Asia Barat.

Anwar menyuarakan keyakinan terhadap perkembangan positif dalam rundingan berkenaan, walaupun persetujuan muktamad antara kedua-dua negara itu perlu dicapai dalam tempoh maksimum 60 hari.

Kamil berkata bagi menangani impak krisis berkenaan, kerajaan juga telah melaksanakan pelbagai langkah dalam mengawal kadar kenaikan inflasi negara, antaranya mengekalkan harga minyak bersubsidi RON95 pada kadar RM1.99 seliter berbanding negara-negara lain.

“Masa ke hadapan ini, saya fikir kerajaan dari semasa ke semasa melalui Majlis Tindakan Ekonomi akan melihat keperluan bagi tempoh empat ke enam bulan ini sementara kita menunggu keadaan betul-betul terkawal, rakyat tidak terbeban dengan sebarang kenaikan kos yang berlaku,” katanya.

Kamil ketika mengulas mengenai penyelarasan sementara kuota inisiatif BUDI95 kepada 200 liter sebulan berkata kerajaan akan menilai semula pelaksanaan bantuan subsidi petrol bersasar itu sebelum sebarang keputusan sama ada untuk menaikkan atau mengekalkannya bergantung kepada keadaan semasa pasaran minyak global.

Beliau ketika menyentuh mengenai lawatan rasmi perdana menteri ke Rusia berkata ia langkah strategik untuk memperkukuh hubungan dua hala kedua-dua negara, khususnya dalam bidang perdagangan, diplomatik dan tenaga.

“Seperti yang kita sedia maklum, ini adalah sebahagian daripada usaha kerajaan untuk memastikan kita dapat meningkatkan kepelbagaian sumber, khususnya sumber minyak dan sumber tenaga.

“(Kita) melihat Rusia ini punya kekuatan ataupun potensi ekonomi yang luar biasa dan Malaysia sebagai sebuah negara kecil, negara dagang harus memanfaatkan segala ruang yang ada, khususnya di antara hubungan kita dengan Rusia,” katanya.

PETALING JAYA: A PKR vice-president said she was puzzled by Johor Barisan Nasional chairman Onn Hafiz Ghazi’s demand for Pakatan Harapan to name its poster boy for the upcoming state polls, noting his contradictory stance on the matter.

Dr Zaliha Mustafa said on one hand, Onn Hafiz said voters have the right to know who PH’s menteri besar candidate is, yet he also admitted there was no guarantee a poster boy would be appointed to the post.

“So which is it?

“If the appointment of the menteri besar is subject to the procedures and provisions stipulated in Johor’s constitution, why the need to turn this issue (of the poster boy) into a polemic?” she asked in a Facebook post tonight.

Zaliha also uploaded two new clippings of Onn Hafiz to back her claim that he was contradicting himself.

Yesterday, Bernama reported Onn Hafiz as saying that being a poster boy in an election does not guarantee appointment as menteri besar if the party succeeds in forming the state government.

Onn Hafiz said royal consent, particularly from Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim and Regent of Johor Tunku Mahkota Ismail, was crucial in determining who would lead the state administration.

At the same time, he also questioned who PH’s poster boy is and pointed out that the coalition has yet to offer a definitive plan for Johoreans.

He said voters have the right to know who would lead the state government and their direction should PH win the polls.

Zaliha went on to say that Onn Hafiz need not fret over PH’s poster boy, adding that the coalition has many capable leaders who could head the state administration.

“Johoreans are more interested to know if there is a brighter future ahead for them and are not concerned about those who like to create perceptions.”

BERLIN: American world number four Jessica Pegula reached the semi-finals of the WTA event in Berlin after beating countrywoman Madison Keys on Friday.

Pegula, a 2024 champion on the Berlin grass, won 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (10/8) over her close friend and podcast co-host Keys in sweltering conditions in the German capital.

In their first meeting since Pegula ended Keys’ title defence at the Australian Open in January, both players each broke serve once in the opening set and forced a tiebreak, which Pegula won.

Pegula ran out to a 4-2 lead in the second but Keys fought back to once again set up a tiebreak. Pegula triumphed 10-8 in the tiebreak to extend her winning run to seven without defeat over fellow Americans this calendar year.

The 32-year-old American will face either world number one Aryna Sabalenka or Nikola Bartunkova in the semi-finals on Saturday.

Eighth seed Linda Noskova defeated Spanish wildcard Paula Badosa 6-1, 6-3 in Friday’s second quarter-final.

Later on Friday, world number eight Elina Svitolina takes on Alexandra Eala, who eliminated Elena Rybakina on Thursday.

PETALING JAYA: Unheralded Malaysian men’s doubles pair Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong continued their fine run at the Macau Open by defeating compatriots Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong to book a semi-final berth.

The world No 73 pair saved four match points in the deciding game before beating the 25th-ranked top seeds 14-21, 21-11, 24-22 in a hard-fought quarter-final match that lasted 57 minutes at the Macao East Asian Games Dome.

Hang Yee-Eng Cheong were trailing 17-20 in the rubber game and again 21-22 but kept their cool to overcome their much more experienced seniors.

In the last four tomorrow, they will meet Indonesian pair Ali Faathir Rayhan-Devin Arthas Wahyudi.

This will be the Malaysian pair’s first semi-final appearance in a World Tour Super 300 championship.

Women’s doubles pair Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting also booked their semi-final spot after defeating new South Korean pair Kim Hye Jeong-Moon In Seo 21-14, 21-16 in 38 minutes.

In the semi-finals tomorrow, the Malaysian world No 23 duo will either face China’s Cao Zi Han-Bao Li Jing or Taiwan’s Hsieh Yi En-Teng Chun Hsun.

Also through to the last four are mixed doubles pair Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing, who beat South Korea’s Cho Song Hyun-Jeong Na Eun 21-11, 21-13 in just 24 minutes.

The Malaysians will face China’s Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin.

PARIS: Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz rose to its highest rate in two months after a deal to halt the US-Iran war, maritime trackers said on Friday.

A total of 25 commercial vessels crossed the newly reopened strait on Thursday, the highest number since mid-April, according to data from tracking firm AXSMarine.

The spike came after Iran and the US agreed this week to re-open the crucial route under an agreement to end the war, but before the postponement of talks between the sides in Switzerland that had been planned for Friday under that deal.

On June 18 “we observed 25 verified commercial vessel crossings through the Strait of Hormuz – the highest single-day count since 18 April and more than five times the average daily level recorded during the first ten days of June”, AXSMarine said in a news release.

Iranian forces effectively closed off the strait after US and Israeli strikes sparked the war on Feb 28. Maritime authorities reported dozens of attacks on ships in the area.

Iran later briefly re-opened the global trade artery to commercial traffic, prompting a short peak in crossings on April 18.

Before the war, about 120 vessels a day passed through the strait, according to shipping journal Lloyd’s List.

A fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas exports passed through the strait in peacetime, according to economists.

AXSMarine said crossings averaged 7.6 a day from the start of March.

The number of crossings on Thursday may be higher, as some ships turn off or manipulate their AIS transponder signals to avoid detection while passing through the strait.

Thursday’s “spike came amid the largest AIS signal disruption event we have observed in the Persian Gulf since the conflict began, with more than 200 commercial vessels affected simultaneously by spoofing or abnormal AIS behaviour,” it said.

Safe shipping plans 

The signing of the agreement to stop the war this week was also meant to halt fighting in Lebanon, but Israel’s military announced on Friday new strikes there.

Meanwhile, shipping groups warned this week that plans to resume traffic through the strait were still not clear and it was not thought safe to start exiting the Gulf through.

Jakob Larsen, chief security officer at shipping lobby BIMCO, said however that the body “expects an international coordination body to be established shortly to facilitate transits”.

International Maritime Organization (IMO) chief Arsenio Dominguez said in April that the body was working on a plan to ensure safe transit for ships out of the Gulf.

More than 500 commercial vessels and about 11,000 seafarers are still stuck in the Gulf, according to the IMO. It says 20,000 seafarers in the region have been affected by the war overall.

The closure of the strait during the war drove up global oil prices and choked off shipments of energy and crucial commodities such as fertiliser.

Following the Iran-US agreement announced on June 14, “the first sign of relief came this week with fast falling prices”, said Ipek Ozkardeskaya, a senior analyst at banking group Swissquote.

“Energy and transport sectors will be the first to feel the relief, before it spills toward the rest of the economy,” she told AFP.

“But questions remain regarding the US’s ability to end the war without Israel’s willingness to participate,” she said.

PETALING JAYA: Ahli Parlimen Larut Hamzah Zainudin akan kembali ke kerusi ketua pembangkang di Dewan Rakyat pada Isnin, manakala Presiden Bersatu Muhyiddin Yassin dipindahkan, namun masih di barisan depan.

Menurut aturan tempat duduk terbaharu yang dimuat naik di laman Parlimen, Hamzah akan duduk di tempat yang lazim diduduki ketua pembangkang, menyusuli pengumuman PAS bahawa beliau dipilih semula ke peranan itu.

Kerusi di sebelah pengasas Parti Wawasan Negara itu akan diduduki Pengerusi Perikatan Nasional Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, diikuti Presiden PAS Hadi Awang.

Di sebelah Hadi pula timbalan beliau, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, dan diikuti Ronald Kiandee, naib presiden Bersatu yang digantung keahlian.

Pada sidang Dewan Rakyat lalu, Muhyiddin duduk di sebelah Hamzah. Hamzah menggalas peranan ketua pembangkang sehinggalah Bersatu memecat keahliannya.

Pada sidang akan akan datang, bermula Isnin, Muhyiddin dan sekutunya rapat, Naib Presiden Radzi Jidin, akan duduk bersebelahan.

PAS menamatkan kerjasama politik dengan Bersatu awal bulan ini, walaupun kedua-dua parti kekal sebagai komponen PN.

Hadi kemudian mengumumkan PAS bersetuju untuk meneruskan Hamzah sebagai ketua pembangkang, seleaps mendapatkan maklum balas Ahli Parlimen PAS serta wakil rakyat yang dikaitkan dengan bekas timbalan presiden Bersatu itu.

Samsuri kekal sebagai pengerusi PN. Sebelum ini Samsuri dipilih untuk menjadi ketua pembangkang, bulan lepas, namun tidak sempat melaksanakan tugas itu memandangkan Dwan Rakyat belum bersidang.

Semalam, Ketua Whip PN Takiyuddin Hassan, memaklumkan kepada Speaker Dewan Rakyat, Johari Abdul, bahawa 61 Ahli Parlimen pembangkang bersetuju melantik Hamzah sebagai ketua pembangkang.

LONDON: Global shares fell and oil prices got a boost on Friday after US and Iranian negotiators called off peace talks, while the risk of official Japanese intervention mounted as the yen traded on the brink of a 40-year low.

The US dollar headed towards its strongest weekly gain in a month, mostly at the expense of the yen, which has fallen for five out of the last six weeks to trade close to its weakest since late 1986, prompting a volley of warnings from officials in Tokyo that intervention is an option.

The MSCI All-World index was down 0.15%, having dipped into negative territory after US vice-president JD Vance pulled out of a planned trip to meet Iranian negotiators in Switzerland on Friday.

European stocks fell 0.17%, paring earlier gains, while US stock futures fell between 0.4% and 0.5%. The stock market was closed on Friday for the Juneteenth holiday.

Ceasefire confidence wanes

The Israeli military said it carried out strikes overnight and continued attacking what it described as Hezbollah militants and infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon.

Confidence in a lasting truce ebbed, pushing oil up modestly to US$80 a barrel, although the price was still headed for a drop of 8% this week, after the US and Iran signed an agreement to halt fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Tankers have started sailing through the strait, which the war effectively closed, after the US lifted its blockade on Iran on Thursday.

“We concede that there will be a number of ships eager to leave the Gulf’s warm waters, and we think crude will struggle to find its footing amid a flurry of ‘open for business’ headlines, and yet we question the durability of the deal,” said analysts at RBC Capital Markets in a note to clients.

“In the event that the deal holds … the Hormuz reopening trajectory could resemble something similar to the Red Sea, where shipping traffic remains over 50% below pre-crisis levels despite the Houthis signing a deal in May 2025 to end hostilities,” analysts said.

Dollar strength

The dollar index hit a new 13-month high, fuelled by a firm pledge from new Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh to tackle inflation and ensure price stability.

That has prompted traders to assume there will be at least one rate hike this year, compared with a negligible possibility a couple of weeks ago.

The shift in tone from the Fed has hit Treasuries hard. Two-year yields are nearly 10 basis points higher than they were this time last week, while benchmark 10-year yields have fallen 3 basis points to 4.451%.

That reflects investors pricing in the chances of near-term rate rises, while gaining some confidence that these could prove short-lived given the drop in the oil price.

The cash US bonds market was also closed on Friday.

Yen on the back-foot

With the dollar in the ascendant, the yen stayed on the back-foot to trade around ¥161.3, leaving the US currency at its strongest since last July, and well beyond the ¥160-threshold that most see as a trigger for Japanese intervention.

“Today’s US holiday creates a lower-liquidity backdrop, a window during which Japanese authorities have previously shown a preference to intervene,” ING strategist Francesco Pesole said.

“A lack of intervention today would leave scope for speculators to push towards ¥162-¥163 given the supportive US dollar environment,” he said.

The pound was up 0.2% at US$1.321, after a 0.7% drop the previous day as the Bank of England kept interest rates on hold in a 7-2 vote.

Labour mayor Andy Burnham won an election in the north of England on Friday, removing a key obstacle to a leadership challenge against Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

PETALING JAYA: Seorang pemandu e-panggilan mendakwa berdepan detik mencemaskan apabila tempahan diterimanya melalui sebuah aplikasi membawanya ke lokasi lebih terpencil berbanding destinasi asal yang dipaparkan.

Dalam kejadian kira-kira 8.45 malam pada 18 Jun, pemandu yang enggan dikenali atas faktor keselamatan itu berkata dia mengambil empat penumpang warga asing dari Taman Jaya Utama, Klang, dengan destinasi dalam aplikasi menunjukkan perjalanan ke Teluk Panglima Garang.

Namun, ketika dalam perjalanan, pemandu itu mendakwa menyedari lokasi sebenar yang mahu dituju penumpang ialah Teluk Mengkuang, kawasan lebih sunyi dan terpencil berbanding pekan Teluk Panglima Garang.

Katanya, walaupun berasa tidak sedap hati, dia meneruskan perjalanan melalui laluan berbatu sebelum tiba di sebuah kawasan yang kelihatan seperti kawasan kilang.

“Saya memandu perlahan untuk mengelakkan kenderaan rosak melalui jalan berbatu. Keadaan gelap juga cukup menakutkan sekiranya berlaku kejadian tidak diingini.

“Mujur saya dapat keluar dengan selamat dan terus membuat laporan polis di Balai Polis Sri Muda untuk keselamatan,” kata pemandu berusia lingkungan 50-an itu kepada FMT.

Dia berkata, bagi perjalanan berkenaan, dia menerima bayaran RM9.60 yang didakwanya tidak berbaloi dengan masa, risiko keselamatan dan kemungkinan kerosakan pada kenderaannya.

Pemandu itu berharap syarikat e-panggilan terbabit memperbaiki kelemahan sistem yang didakwanya menyebabkan percanggahan antara destinasi dalam aplikasi dengan lokasi sebenar penumpang diturunkan.

“Ini membabitkan keselamatan pemandu,” katanya.

FMT telah menghubungi syarikat berkenaan untuk mendapatkan maklum balas.

Isu keselamatan penggiat e-panggilan kerap dibangkitkan kebelakangan ini susulan beberapa insiden membabitkan pemandu diserang penumpang.

Baru-baru ini, Menteri Pengangkutan Loke Siew Fook berkata kementeriannya akan berbincang dengan pengendali e-panggilan bagi meneliti langkah tambahan untuk meningkatkan keselamatan pemandu.

Antara cadangan yang pernah dibangkitkan ialah pemasangan kamera papan pemuka dalam kenderaan e-panggilan, namun perkara itu perlu diteliti secara menyeluruh kerana turut membabitkan isu privasi penumpang.

PETALING JAYA: Larut MP Hamzah Zainudin will return to the opposition leader’s seat in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday, while Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin has been moved several seats down the row.

According to the latest seating arrangements posted on Parliament’s website, Hamzah will be seated where the opposition leader conventionally sits, following PAS’s announcement that he will be reinstated as opposition leader.

The former Bersatu deputy president will sit next to Perikatan Nasional chairman Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who will have PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang on his left.

Next to Hadi will be his deputy, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, who will also sit next to Bersatu vice-president Ronald Kiandee, whom his party has suspended.

Muhyiddin, whose party remains a PN component, sat next to Hamzah when the Dewan Rakyat last convened. Hamzah had remained opposition leader despite being sacked from Bersatu.

In the upcoming parliamentary meeting, which starts on Monday, Muhyiddin has been moved eight spots down from where he used to sit.

Seated next to him is Bersatu vice-president Radzi Jidin, a close ally of Muhyiddin.

PAS ended its political cooperation with Bersatu earlier this month, though both parties remain components of the PN coalition.

Hadi later announced that Hamzah would return as opposition leader, with the backing of the majority of opposition MPs, while Samsuri would remain PN chairman.

Samsuri was appointed opposition leader last month but never managed to carry out his parliamentary duties as the Dewan Rakyat was not in session at the time.

Yesterday, PAS and PN secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan wrote in to notify the Dewan Rakyat speaker that 61 of the 68 opposition MPs have agreed to make Hamzah the new opposition leader.

LOS ANGELES: The US and Australia will look to book their place in the World Cup knockout rounds on Friday, while Brazil aim to kickstart their campaign against Haiti.

After tournament co-hosts Mexico sealed their place in the last 32 on Thursday with a 1-0 victory over South Korea, the US or the Socceroos can join them with a victory in their Group D game in Seattle.

After an unconvincing build-up, the Americans made a flying start to the World Cup last week with a stylish 4-1 demolition of Paraguay in Los Angeles.

That result has left Mauricio Pochettino’s US team brimming with confidence and the country getting behind them as they prepare for the showdown with the Socceroos in the Pacific Northwest.

Australia are also approaching the US clash in buoyant mood after their stunning 2-0 upset of Turkey on Saturday.

Those two wins mean that either the US or Australia will advance to the last 32 with victory in a game that has had an undercurrent of tension in the build-up.

A comment from a US pundit suggesting that Australia would be an easy opponent for Pochettino’s team has been seized on Down Under, prompting Socceroos coach Tony Popovic to say that his team would do their talking on the field.

“We know that we want to earn our respect,” Popovic said on Thursday.

“We know that by our performances we can put Australian football on the world map, and that’s what we aim to do,” he said.

Brazil need improvement

Brazil defender Gabriel Magalhaes said the five-time World Cup winners need to turn the page on a disappointing 1-1 draw with Morocco in their first game as they prepare to face winless Haiti.

“We know what we have to do. We know that we didn’t have a good first match, but what we can expect from us is that we’ll be really committed tomorrow and we’re going to do our best to win,” Gabriel said on Thursday.

“It wasn’t the match we wanted (against Morocco), but this is in the past and we’ve learned from it.”

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said he would change the line-up – and sought to put the team’s sluggish start into context.

“Getting off to a good start is important in a World Cup, but the most important thing is that the team, rather than being perfect, has to be resilient,” the Italian said.

Scotland captain Andy Robertson meanwhile urged his team to build on their opening 1-0 win against Haiti and get a result against Morocco on Friday which would help propel them into the knockout rounds of a World Cup for the very first time.

“I don’t think any of the lads or the coaching staff and backroom staff have shied away from it,” Robertson said.

“We want to be the first team to be able to do that for our country. And it’s obviously a nice feeling to try and do that,” he said.

Morocco’s preparations for the game have been overshadowed by the confirmation on Friday from a French court that their captain Achraf Hakimi will face trial for the alleged rape of a woman in 2023.

The Paris Saint-Germain defender, who denies the charge, welcomed the news, writing on X that he had been “waiting for this trial since day one.”

“At last, I’ll be able to speak,” he said.

Iranian complaints 

Off the field, Iran’s football federation said on Thursday it will lodge a complaint with Fifa claiming their team is being subjected to travel restrictions during the tournament.

“Despite having submitted its preparation schedule for the tournament well in advance, Iran’s national football team has once again encountered restrictions imposed by the organizers, affecting the implementation of its technical staff’s plans,” the spokesman said.

Iran wanted to fly from their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, to Los Angeles two days before their next match, against Belgium on Sunday.

However, the Iranian federation said its request was turned down.

The US administration has pushed back against the Iranian demands.

Andrew Giuliani, the White House’s point main for the World Cup, said on Monday that Iran had been informed in advance that they would be allowed to enter the US only on the day before the game.

“The team will be allowed to come in, match day minus one, so the day before the match,” Giuliani told CBS News.

PETALING JAYA: Majlis Ulama Rohingya menafikan dakwaan komuniti tersebut menuntut sebarang hak kewarganegaraan atau mana-mana kawasan di negara ini.

Pengerusi Rahimullah Hussain berkata tuduhan-tuduhan itu dibuat oleh pihak yang ingin mewujudkan kebencian terhadap komuniti Rohingya, dan menjejaskan kehidupan mereka.

“Kami sedang memperjuangkan hak kewarganegaan daripada kerajaan Myanmar yang menjadi tanah tumpah darah kami,” menurut kenyataan.

Rahimullah mendakwa pihak tidak bertanggungjawab telah mengubah suai kenyataan asal untuk menggambarkan komuniti Rohingya menuntut hak kewarganegaraan Malaysia.

Beliau juga menafikan dakwaan bahawa komuniti Rohingya menguasai atau mendominasi Pasar Borong Selayang, menyifatkan ia sebagai tidak berasas.

Pada masa sama, beliau mengakui kekurangan segelintir komuniti Rohingya yang menyinggung perasaan rakyat Malaysia, dan memohon maaf.

“Sekiranya terdapat mana-mana individu yang melakukan kesalahan di sisi undang-undang, maka individu tersebut hendaklah dipertanggungjawabkan secara peribadi mengikut undang-undang yang berkuat kuasa,” katanya.

Rahimullah juga meminta kesalahan segelintir individu itu tidak dikaitkan dengan masyarakat Rohingya secara keseluruhan.

Kenyataan majlis ini berlatarkan gelombang sentimen anti-Rohingya.

Awal bulan ini, satu petisyen dalam talian dilancarkan, mendesak pengusiran etnik Rohingya atas alasan bilangan mereka yang semakin meningkat memberi tekanan kepada prasarana dan perkhidmatan sosial.

Kumpulan hak asasi manusia, Pusat Komas, mengecam petisyen tersebut, yang menurut mereka mencetuskan lonjakan permusuhan terhadap etnik Rohingya.

Pusat Komas juga menyatakan petisyen tersebut dipenuhi maklumat salah yang boleh membawa kepada diskriminasi terhadap komuniti Rohingya.

PETALING JAYA: More than 200 homes in seven housing areas around Anjung Bercham in Ipoh, Perak, were damaged in a freak storm featuring heavy rain and strong winds this evening.

The Kinta civil defence force said the thunderstorm was reported at about 3.45pm and personnel were deployed to keep an eye on the situation.

It said the Ipoh City Council also sent teams to clean up the area and remove fallen trees at 5.05pm, Bernama reported.

Videos which went viral showed the storm wreaking havoc around Ipoh, with strong winds causing trees and even electricity poles to topple, leaving debris in their wake.

Tenaga Nasional Bhd has cut the power supply to several areas as a precautionary measure.

IPOH: Lebih 200 rumah di tujuh kawasan perumahan sekitar Anjung Bercham rosak akibat ribut petang tadi.

Pusat Kawalan Operasi Daerah (PKOD) Angkatan Pertahanan Awam Malaysia (APM) Kinta dalam kenyataan memaklumkan kejadian berlaku sekitar 3.47 petang hasil maklumat yang disalurkan oleh Penghulu Mukim Ulu Kinta (Tanjung Rambutan).

“Bertindak daripada maklumat tersebut, tiga anggota APM telah diarahkan untuk membuat pemantauan ke kawasan berkenaan.

“Antara kawasan terjejas, Dataran Tasek Timur 6 dengan anggaran 177 rumah, Hala Tasek Timur 1 dan Lorong Bercham 19 masing-masing melibatkan 22 rumah, Hala Tasek Timur 34 (10 rumah), Laluan Tasek Timur 15 (lima rumah) serta Lintasan Tasek Timur 1 dan Lintasan Tasek Timur 3 yang masing-masing melibatkan dua rumah,” menurut kenyataan itu.

Kenyataan itu memaklumkan Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh (MBI) turut menghantar pasukan ke lokasi pada 5.05 petang bagi melaksanakan kerja pembersihan, termasuk mengalihkan pokok tumbang yang menghalang laluan dan mengancam keselamatan penduduk.

Pada masa sama, kejadian itu turut menyebabkan beberapa tiang elektrik tumbang di kawasan perumahan dan jalan raya, dengan Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) telah memutuskan bekalan elektrik di kawasan terlibat untuk sementara waktu sebagai langkah keselamatan.

Selain itu, Dewan Datuk Ahmad Said kini diletakkan dalam keadaan siap siaga sebagai pusat pemindahan sementara, manakala pegawai daerah Kinta mengarahkan semua agensi berkaitan supaya bersiap sedia susulan kejadian itu yang turut menyaksikan hujan lebat selama lebih sejam.

PETALING JAYA: The Rohingya Ulama Council has denied claims the community, who are refugees, is seeking Malaysian citizenship or laying claim to any territory in the country.

Council chairman Rahimullah Hussain said the allegations were fabricated to incite hatred against the Rohingya.

“These accusations disrupt our lives here,” he said in a statement in response to claims on social media that the Rohingya refugees were demanding recognition as Malaysian citizens.

Rahimullah said the Rohingya were, in fact, fighting for citizenship rights in their “homeland”, Myanmar.

He claimed that irresponsible parties had altered statements made by the Rohingya to give the impression the community were demanding to be recognised as Malaysian citizens.

Rahimullah also denied allegations circulating online that Rohingya refugees had taken control of the Selayang wholesale market, saying it was baseless.

However, he acknowledged the shortcomings of a small segment of the community and apologised for any offence caused to the Malaysian people.

“But the actions of a few should not be linked to the Rohingya community as a whole,” he said, adding that those who break the law should be held accountable.

The council’s statement also follows a wave of anti-Rohingya sentiment in the country.

Earlier this month, an online petition was launched, calling for the Rohingya’s removal and arguing that their growing numbers were putting pressure on infrastructure and social services.

Human rights group Pusat Komas condemned the petition, which it said had sparked a surge in hostility towards the Rohingya in Malaysia.

The group also said the petition was filled with misinformation that could lead to discrimination against the Rohingya community.

BEIRUT: Fighting flared in Lebanon on Friday, with authorities reporting 18 killed in Israeli airstrikes across the south and Israel announcing the deaths of four of its soldiers.

The violence is the worst since the sealing of a US-Iran deal to halt the wider Middle East war, which was supposed to also pause the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The deaths of the soldiers drew a furious reaction in Israel, with far-right Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir saying “Lebanon must burn”.

The Lebanese health ministry said the “intensive” strikes “resulted in a preliminary toll of 18 martyrs and 33 wounded” in at least 10 villages and towns.

Israel’s military said it hit scores of targets overnight and into the morning.

“The IDF (military) struck more than 80 command centres, terrorists, launch positions, and additional terrorist infrastructure sites in the area of Nabatieh and additional areas in southern Lebanon,” an army statement said.

“Furthermore, during the strikes, dozens of Hezbollah terrorists operating in the command centres were eliminated,” it said.

Iran-backed Hezbollah, meanwhile, said it was attacking Israeli forces around the southern town of Nabatieh.

Other Israeli strikes targeted the Baalbek region in the east of the country, which had been largely spared since the start of the conflict on March 2.

Israel said its strikes in Baalbek and the Bekaa Valley were in response to “repeated violations of the ceasefire by Hezbollah”, which it said “continues to prepare and carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli soldiers”.

Earlier its military announced that Lieutenant Colonel Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon had “fallen in combat” along with three other soldiers whom it did not immediately identify.

A military official said the incident involved an impact from “a suspicious target” on an Israeli tank, with Israeli military correspondents reporting it had been hit by “a suspected drone or anti-tank missile”.

In a separate statement the military also reported that a reserve officer was severely wounded “as a result of an explosive drone impact in southern Lebanon”, with four other soldiers lightly injured.

‘Mothers must weep’ 

The soldiers’ deaths prompted a strong response from Israeli politicians.

“With all due respect to the Americans, Israel must make it clear to the entire world that the blood of our sons and the security of our citizens are not up for bargaining. All of Lebanon must burn,” Ben Gvir said in a statement.

“For every tear shed by an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep,” he added.

US officials including President Donald Trump have expressed frustration at Israel’s campaign in Lebanon, which it has pursued in spite of Washington’s negotiations with Tehran and a separate ceasefire agreed in April that was meant to halt the fighting there.

Hezbollah said early Friday that it had targeted Israeli troops “with a barrage of rockets and mortar shells” near the Ali al-Taher hills, a strategic feature overlooking Nabatieh.

It had also reported attacking Israeli tanks, saying forces “consisting of an armoured platoon and an infantry platoon (tried) to infiltrate towards the northern side of the Ali al-Taher hills”.

“The clashes are still ongoing,” it said.

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in early March by attacking Israel to avenge the killing of Iran’s supreme leader at the start of the US-Israeli military campaign.

Israel retaliated with broad strikes across Lebanon and a ground invasion in the south, which borders Israel and has long been under Hezbollah’s sway.

MOSCOW: Russia said on Friday it was open to dialogue with European countries but would not accept ultimatums, as signs increase that the EU may seek talks with Moscow after largely shunning contacts since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said common sense dictated the need for such contacts because of the “enormous number” of complex issues on the agenda, but he said the Europeans needed to change their approach to Russia.

“The Europeans have a very serious misconception: They assume that negotiations with Russia must be conducted from a position of strength and based on Russia’s weakness. This is the biggest mistake… Such talk will lead nowhere,” he told reporters.

“Does this stem from European incompetence, misinformation, or stupidity? We don’t know for sure, but it’s a fact.”

Putin has said that he is open to talks with European governments but that they should make the first move because they were the ones to cut off ties. The EU has imposed 20 rounds of sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

After standing aside for well over a year and leaving it to US President Donald Trump to try to broker an end to the conflict, the EU has started to reach out cautiously to Russia.

The office of European Council President Antonio Costa has made “brief contacts at diplomatic level” with the Kremlin in recent weeks “to open communication channels”, an EU official said on Wednesday.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker told the Financial Times in an interview published on Thursday that the EU should take advantage of “momentum” around peace talks in Ukraine to push ahead with efforts to reopen negotiations with Putin.

Peskov said Russia was willing to talk if there was openness on the other side to engage in real dialogue, “not to engage in moralising or, especially, to issue ultimatums”.

Costa’s initiative exposed divisions at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels, however, with some saying it had not been coordinated with them and that the EU should focus on putting more pressure on Russia.

Meanwhile, Ukraine says it is turning the tide of the war thanks to an intensified campaign of drone strikes deep inside Russia that has targeted ports, refineries and other key infrastructure. Moscow disputes that, insisting it will keep fighting to achieve its objectives if no diplomatic settlement can be reached.

The governor of the Moscow region said on Friday that an eight-year-old girl had been killed in a massive Ukrainian attack that hit the capital and surrounding area a day earlier. The attack, using hundreds of drones, set fire for the second time in three days to a big oil refinery in southeast Moscow.

“Indeed, drone attacks continue. Appropriate measures are being taken to mitigate the consequences,” Peskov said.

Asked if Putin had seen footage of the burning refinery, Peskov told reporters they should check out images from Ukrainian cities that Russian forces had struck.

“These strikes will continue,” he said.

JOHOR BAHRU: Polis memburu dua lelaki yang memakai topi keledar dan bertutup muka dipercayai terlibat dalam kejadian menyimbah minyak serta cat merah sebelum membakar sebuah restoran nasi kandar di Bandar Dato’ Onn, awal pagi tadi.

Kejadian itu berlaku sehari sebelum premis berkenaan dijadual mengadakan pembukaan rasminya esok.

Ketua Polis Johor Bahru Selatan, Raub Selamat berkata pihaknya menerima laporan kejadian itu pada 3.59 pagi daripada seorang lelaki berusia 30 tahun yang merupakan peniaga restoran berkenaan.

Beliau berkata siasatan awal berdasarkan rakaman kamera litar tertutup (CCTV) mendapati kedua-dua suspek itu datang ke restoran tersebut pada 3.34 pagi.

“Kejadian mengakibatkan kerugian kira-kira RM200,000 dan puncanya masih belum diketahui,” katanya dalam kenyataan.

Raub berkata kes disiasat mengikut Seksyen 436 Kanun Keseksaan kerana melakukan khianat dengan api atau bahan letupan yang memperuntukkan hukuman penjara sehingga 20 tahun dan denda, jika sabit kesalahan.

Beliau berkata orang ramai yang mempunyai maklumat berkaitan kejadian diminta menghubungi Hotline IPD Johor Bahru Selatan melalui talian 07-2182323 bagi membantu siasatan.

Sementara itu, Jabatan Bomba Johor memaklumkan pihaknya menerima panggilan kecemasan pada 3.43 pagi dan menggerakkan anggota Balai Bomba Tebrau serta Balai Bomba Kempas ke lokasi kejadian.

Menurut JBPM, kebakaran melibatkan sebuah premis kedai makan jenis kekal itu berjaya dipadamkan sebelum ketibaan pasukan bomba menggunakan lapan unit alat pemadam api dan tiada mangsa dilaporkan cedera.

PETALING JAYA: Police are looking for two men believed to have splashed fuel and red paint on a nasi kandar restaurant before setting it on fire in Bandar Dato’ Onn, Johor, early this morning, a day before it was scheduled to officially open.

Johor Bahru Selatan police chief Raub Selamat said the restaurant’s 30-year-old operator lodged a report just before 4am.

CCTV footage showed the two men, wearing crash helmets and masks, arriving at 3.34am before carrying out the attack.

“The incident resulted in losses estimated at about RM200,000. Its motive is still unknown,” Bernama reported him as saying.

He said the case is being investigated under Section 436 of the Penal Code for mischief by fire with intent to destroy.

The Johor fire and rescue department said it received an emergency call at 3.43am and dispatched personnel from the Tebrau and Kempas stations to the scene.

However, the fire had already been extinguished by the time firefighters arrived. No injuries were reported.

The restaurant had previously announced that it would officially open tomorrow and was offering visitors free food in conjunction with the event.

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is battling the worst outbreak of mosquito-borne dengue fever in years, with more than 44,000 cases and 28 deaths recorded since January, an official said on Friday, putting public hospitals under strain.

Dengue is common during Sri Lanka’s monsoon season, but unplanned urbanisation coupled with damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah, which hit the island nation in late November, has worsened the outbreak this year, authorities said.

The number of dengue cases nearly doubled from 5,651 in April to 10,638 in the first two weeks of June, data from the National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) showed.

“We noticed this increase after the cyclone,” Dr. Prashila Samaraweera, consultant community physician and NDCU spokesperson, told Reuters.

“A lot of debris was in our environment, so we noticed a lot of mosquito breeding places, and our entomological indices were high from that time.”

With 51,000 cases recorded in the whole of last year, the rate of infections has risen sharply, Dr. Samaraweera said. Infections are likely to increase for at least two more weeks before tapering off, she added.

A further uptick in patient numbers could put public hospitals under severe strain, Sri Lanka’s health minister Nalinda Jayatissa warned on Thursday.

More than half the cases are from the western region of the country, including 9,429 cases from commercial capital Colombo. Eight other districts have reported more than 2,000 patients since the start of the year.

The 28 deaths include five children.

Patient numbers for this year could end up matching the last major outbreak in 2019, authorities have warned, when Sri Lanka recorded over 105,000 dengue patients.

Schools, homes, construction sites, and public buildings are being cleaned up during a special program launched by Sri Lanka’s health authorities and other public officials till next Monday.

THE HAGUE: International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan, who has been accused of sexual misconduct, has been suspended by Britain’s independent regulator for court lawyers.

Khan had already been suspended on June 8 by the ICC’s governing body, prolonging a crisis at the war crimes court, which is also under US sanctions over investigations into the US and Israel.

The Bar Standards Board said in a statement that the suspension, effective immediately, would be considered by a panel at a hearing within four weeks.

Khan, 56, denies the allegations against him. His supporters have suggested that he has become a political target for seeking arrest warrants for Israeli officials over Israel’s conduct in its war in Gaza.

The ICC’s 125 member states will vote on his fate at a special session of its governing body on July 24.

The ICC, the world’s first permanent war crimes court, opened in 2002 to prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed by nationals of member states or on the territory of its members.

The US is not an ICC member and has imposed sanctions on 11 ICC judges and prosecutors, including Khan, for issuing arrest ​warrants against Israeli Prime ⁠Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and for a past probe into US troops in Afghanistan.

Washington has threatened more sanctions against the institution.

After the allegations against Khan emerged in 2024, it commissioned ⁠an external UN ​investigation.

In May 2025, Khan went on voluntary leave and his two deputies assumed his duties.

A summary seen by Reuters said the confidential 18-month inquiry had found a “factual basis” for the allegations, made by a female aide, that he had had a non-consensual sexual relationship with a younger staff member.

Khan maintains he did nothing wrong and has said he will take all necessary steps to challenge his suspension at the ICC.

PETALING JAYA: A 16-year-old girl died after falling from a school building in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, this morning.

Negeri Sembilan police chief Alzafny Ahmad said they were alerted to the incident at 10.48am after the victim was found unconscious in the school compound.

Police personnel were immediately dispatched to the school, where medical officers confirmed her death.

“We have conducted checks at the scene and identified several people who can assist in our investigation.

“The victim’s body has been sent to Rembau Hospital for an autopsy.

“The case has been classified as sudden death,” he said in a statement.

Separately, the Negeri Sembilan education department said it has launched an internal investigation into the incident, and will cooperate with the police in its investigation.

“The department’s priority right now is to ensure the family receives the assistance they need. Psychosocial support will also be provided to all affected members of the school,” it said in a statement.

Those who are feeling stressed, distressed, or have any emotional problems should seek help from doctors or reach out to Befrienders at 03-7627 2929.

PETALING JAYA: Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri Sembilan (JPNS) memulakan siasatan dalaman secara menyeluruh tragedi seorang pelajar perempuan yang dilaporkan meninggal dunia selepas dipercayai terjatuh dari bangunan di sebuah sekolah, hari ini.

Jabatan itu berkata kes berkenaan kini dalam siasatan pihak polis dan pihaknya memberikan kerjasama penuh untuk membantu siasatan berkenaan.

“Jabatan juga telah memulakan proses siasatan dalaman bagi meneliti setiap perkara berkaitan,” katanya dalam kenyataan.

Tambahnya, fokus utama jabatan ketika ini adalah untuk memastikan kebajikan dan bantuan terbaik disalurkan segera kepada keluarga terbabit.

“Sokongan psikososial turut disediakan kepada seluruh warga sekolah yang terkesan dengan kejadian ini,” katanya.

Dalam kejadian 10.48 pagi itu, mangsa yang berusia 16 tahun dilaporkan meninggal dunia selepas dipercayai terjatuh dari tingkat tiga sebuah sekolah menengah di Sendayan.

Punca sebenar insiden masih belum dapat dipastikan.

Sementara itu, Ketua Polis Negeri Sembilan, Alzafny Ahmad, mengesahkan mangsa meninggal dunia di tempat kejadian.

Mayat mangsa dibawa ke Hospital Rembau bagi tujuan bedah siasat, dan polis mengenal pasti beberapa individu yang dapat membantu siasatan.

“Polis sedang meneruskan siasatan termasuk mendapatkan keterangan saksi-saksi serta laporan bedah siasat bagi melengkapkan siasatan secara menyeluruh,” menurut kenyataan.

Mana-mana individu yang mempunyai maklumat berkaitan kejadian diminta tampil membantu siasatan dengan menghubungi IPD Seremban, atau mana-mana balai polis berhampiran.

Orang ramai dinasihatkan agar tidak membuat sebarang spekulasi atau menyebarkan maklumat yang tidak disahkan yang boleh mengganggu siasatan.

ROME: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni accused her one-time close ally Donald Trump of fabricating a story about her on Friday, after the US President told an Italian TV channel that she had “begged” him to take a photo with her at a G7 summit.

Meloni said she was “astonished” by his comments, which were “completely made up”. She accused him of acting with far greater deference to the enemies of the West than he does towards old, established allies.

The latest exchange marks a sharp deterioration in ties, coming just days after signs at the G7 summit that the two right-wing leaders had steadied a previously strained relationship following tensions this year over the war in Iran.

Video from the event in France showed Meloni and Trump deep in conversation, but the US leader suggested he had merely indulged her by chatting with her.

“She’s probably happy I talked to her. I didn’t have to talk to her,” Trump was quoted as saying by La7 TV channel in a brief interview, after he himself asked the journalist about Italy’s prime minister.

“She begged me to take a picture with her. She wanted a picture with me so badly. I wouldn’t have taken it, but I felt sorry for her,” Trump said, according to La7’s translation.

The channel did not release the original audio, just a dubbed version.

Meloni responded: “Donald Trump’s statements are completely made up. I am frankly astonished. I don’t know why the president of the US behaves like this towards his allies: it is not the first time, moreover.”

“I can only say it is disappointing that he does not show the same determination with the enemies of the West and of the US, whose leaders he instead treats with far greater indulgence,” she said, adding: “There is one thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg.”

Meloni was once a vocal supporter of Trump and the only European leader to attend his inauguration in 2025.

However, she later criticised the US president for lashing out at Pope Leo over his condemnation of the Iran conflict, distancing herself from Trump after the war began. That prompted a blunt rebuke from the US leader, who accused her of lacking courage.

KUALA LUMPUR: The ringgit closed lower against the US dollar today as persistent expectations of a possible US Federal Reserve (Fed) interest rate hike later this year continued to drive the greenback.

Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Afzanizam Rashid said the prospect of higher US interest rates supported the greenback, exerting pressure on Asian currencies, including the ringgit.

“(Asian) currency markets continued to suffer from fears of monetary tightening by the Fed, where it is expected to increase the federal funds rate by 25 basis points this year,” he told Bernama.

At 6pm, the local currency fell to 4.1340/4.1395 against the greenback from 4.1145/4.1195 at yesterday’s close.

At the close, the ringgit was lower against a basket of major currencies.

It dipped against the Japanese yen to 2.5636/2.5671 from 2.5588/2.5620 at yesterday’s close and weakened against the British pound to 5.4709/5.4782 from 5.4476/5.4542 previously. It also slipped versus the euro to 4.7376/4.7439 from 4.7222/4.7280.

The local currency was also lower against regional currencies.

It weakened against the Singapore dollar to 3.2019/3.2064 from 3.1898/3.1939 and declined against the Thai baht to 12.5856/12.6074 from 12.5611/12.5809 at yesterday’s close.

The ringgit also depreciated versus the Indonesian rupiah to 232.2/232.5 from 231.2/231.5 previously and eased against the Philippine peso to 6.80/6.81 from 6.79/6.80.

PUTRAJAYA: Menteri Kesihatan Dzulkefly Ahmad mengakui negara masih berdepan kekurangan doktor pakar dan petugas kesihatan, tetapi menegaskan sebarang penambahan mesti dibuat secara berfasa dan berterusan mengikut keperluan.

Beliau berkata penambahan kakitangan dan pegawai kesihatan perlu bergerak selari dengan peningkatan atau penambahan kemudahan infrastruktur kesihatan di negara ini.

“Penambahan pakar mesti dibuat berfasa dan berterusan, mengikut keperluan dan kepentingan semasa. Sudah tentu kita ada perancangan nak bina hospital dan fasiliti kesihatan untuk beberapa tahun akan datang.

“Jadi kita kena selaraskan dengan keperluan fasiliti-fasiliti ini. Dari segi sumber tenaga kerja memang ada untuk mengisi kekurangan yang ada,” katanya pada sidang medianya selepas menghadiri Majlis Menandatangani MoU Pembinaan Klinik Kesihatan Bakun-Murun.

Beliau mengulas dakwaan Persatuan Perubatan Malaysia (MMA) berhubung hospital awam tertekan sehingga ke tahap maksimum berpunca daripada kekurangan sumber tenaga kerja, bukannya akibat lambakan pesakit warga asing.

Presidennya, Dr R Thirunavukarasu berkata, isu lebih mendalam adalah kegagalan sistemik ekoran hospital awam kini beroperasi pada kapasiti penuh dengan kekurangan hampir 11,000 pakar perubatan serta kadar kekosongan jururawat sekitar 18%.

Mengenai masalah kekurangan doktor pakar, Dzulkefly berkata, Kementerian Kesihatan (KKM) kini di peringkat akhir untuk menyelesaikan beberapa kekangan dalam latihan kepakaran, termasuk halangan birokrasi yang dikatakan melambatkan usaha itu.

Katanya, KKM juga melaksanakan beberapa penyesuaian sementara termasuk mengiktiraf tempoh pengalaman kerja diselia (SWE) sebagai sebahagian daripada tempoh latihan yang diperlukan bagi doktor yang mengikuti subkepakaran.

“Persepsinya dahulu (kelewatan) adalah kerana mereka dalam laporan nilai prestasi tahunan, sekarang ini mereka yang sudah menjadi pakar tetapi menjalani SWE selama enam bulan.

“Tetapi kali ini, kita sudah mengambilnya (tempoh SWE) sebagai sebahagian daripada tempoh untuk mereka mendapatkan subkepakaran,” katanya.

Beliau berkata, KKM menyedari masih terdapat beberapa kekangan lain dengan semua isu yang timbul sedang ditangani dan akan mendedahkan penyelesaiannya.

Beliau juga berkata KKM sudah mempunyai perancangan dan akan diselaraskan dengan keperluan fasiliti kesihatan.

Dalam perkembangan lain, Dzulkefly berkata KKM mengaktifkan sistem pengurusan krisis kluster bagi memastikan penyampaian perkhidmatan kesihatan tidak terjejas.

Katanya, pendekatan itu membabitkan kerjasama antara hospital dalam kluster serta klinik kesihatan, termasuk penyusunan semula dan pergerakan petugas kesihatan mengikut keperluan.

WASHINGTON: White House officials have for months delayed the release of a US government report that outlines what it describes as significant vulnerabilities in the nation’s voting machines ahead of the November midterms, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

The report, produced by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, concludes that voting machines could be further safeguarded by, for example, updating their software, the sources said. It does not say the vulnerabilities have led to votes flipping, but examines security gaps in how the machines are used during US elections.

Some White House officials have argued the report could undermine voter confidence, particularly among Republicans. Others have said they do not believe the report goes far enough in supporting President Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged, the three sources said. Some Democrats said privately they worried Gabbard’s probe into voting machines would be used by the administration to push states to use paper ballots.

Several court cases filed by Trump’s lawyers failed to prove voter fraud in the 2020 presidential race.

The sources were granted anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who launched an investigation into the voting machines and searched for evidence to support Trump’s false election fraud claims, steps down on Friday. Stepping in as interim director is federal housing regulator Bill Pulte. Trump has said he wants Pulte to investigate “rigged elections” during his time at ODNI.

It is unclear what Pulte plans to do with the report. He has been briefed on efforts by the agency to investigate flaws in voting machines, including the unreleased report, according to two of the sources.

Democrats and some analysts warn of possible interference by the Trump administration in the midterm elections, which analysts expect to deliver losses for Republicans.

Officials inside ODNI and experts who advised the agency advocated in meetings with White House officials that the administration begin fixing the flaws late last year in time to complete the process, which requires extensive coordination with states, before the midterms.

Asked about the delay in releasing the report, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement that the administration “continues to offer assistance to state and local election officials, including through the FBI and CISA, to ensure the security and integrity of all machines used in American elections.” CISA is the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

ODNI spokesperson Olivia Coleman said Gabbard has taken “actions within her authorities” to “support the President’s directive to secure our elections — which includes identifying vulnerabilities in our critical infrastructure.”

Pulte did not respond to a request for comment.

Some of the vulnerabilities detailed in the ODNI report have long been known to prior administrations, said one former senior Biden administration official and two of the other sources. The vulnerabilities include machines running outdated software and having the ability to connect to the internet, which hackers could exploit.

All of the sources said they were unaware of any evidence of vote manipulation in US elections.

The report is part of the administration’s broader effort to investigate potential fraud in US elections following Trump’s signing of an executive order in February 2025 that aims to give the federal government greater control over US elections.

Under the US Constitution, states have authority over how elections are conducted.

Senior officials at the FBI and the Justice Department have spoken publicly about their probes into potential voter fraud across the country. The report, which draws on data from open-source and classified intelligence, would be the first to detail the administration’s work on voting machines.

It is one of two reports ODNI commissioned on voting machine flaws. The other report, which is also unpublished, was written last year by a government contractor, Mojave Research, which studied voting machines seized from Puerto Rico.

Both reports have been referenced in White House meetings in which officials debated whether there was enough evidence to prove Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

The Mojave report found no evidence the machines had been hacked, said two other sources.

ODNI has briefed the White House on its findings over the last six months, but never received authorization to publish them, two of the sources familiar with the matter said.

The report says many states are using outdated systems, the three sources familiar with the matter said.

The intelligence agency used information from previously issued reports by CISA, the government cybersystems watchdog, that referenced hacking conferences in which the agency found some voting machines could be attacked through insecure hardware.

CISA has said it found no evidence that a foreign adversary interfered in the 2020 vote, and the agency joined other federal, state and local officials in declaring the election “the most secure in American history.”

ODNI and the White House have also not published the Mojave report. Mojave’s contract was terminated in October.

The software and coding vulnerabilities identified in that report led to the company’s recommendation that the administration implement an emergency remediation plan that would force states to immediately update their software systems. Two sources said that plan has not been implemented.

TEHRAN: Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Friday that talks with the US would remain bound by Tehran’s “red lines”.

“As we have shown in the past path of negotiations, we are steadfast in fulfilling the conditions and red lines set, and in achieving the interests of the Iranian nation,” Ghalibaf said in remarks published by the official IRNA news agency.

“If the enemy seeks to be excessive, we have proven that our fingers are on the trigger and we have no hesitation in giving a crushing response to the enemy,.” he said.

Tehran and Washington signed a memorandum of understanding this week ending a regional war that erupted on Feb 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Ghalibaf’s remarks came after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said he had approved the US-Iran deal despite having a “different view” on the matter, without elaborating.

In a message read out on state television, Khamenei said that direct talks with the US “will not mean accepting the enemy’s point of view”.

In response to Khamenei’s message, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the country’s foreign policy apparatus “will be used to secure the sublime interests of Iran” and “protect the rights of the noble Iranian nation”.

President Masoud Pezeshkian, who signed the deal on behalf of his country, issued a similar statement promising to adhere to Iran’s red lines and defend its “dignity, honour and authority”.

The US-Iran deal, which US President Donald Trump also signed, lays the groundwork for detailed 60-day negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme and sanctions relief.

It remains unclear when talks for a final settlement would start after a first meeting in Switzerland slated for Friday was postponed.

The agreement provides for an end to the Middle East war on all fronts, including Lebanon, the lifting of the two-month US naval blockade on Iranian ports, and Tehran’s reopening of the Strait of Hormuz “with no charge for 60 days only”.

It also includes an Iranian commitment not to procure or develop nuclear weapons – an ambition Tehran has consistently denied pursuing.

Conservatives in Iran appeared deeply sceptical of the deal and US intentions, with some expressing concern that Tehran could be giving up key sources of leverage before securing compensation and sanctions relief.

“The Americans do not honour to any commitments, they have not been loyal to any agreements, and they will not be,” said Hossein Shariatmadari, editor-in-chief of the ultraconservative Kayhan newspaper, in an interview with state television on Thursday.

The Strait of Hormuz is the way to get compensation,” he said.

Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for parliament’s national security commission, took issue with reports of possible inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities by a UN watchdog.

“I hope the government denies this, but if this claim is true… the parliament will stand up to lawlessness and disobedience,” he said in a post on X.

PETALING JAYA: Menteri Nancy Shukri dan keluarga menghargai ucapan takziah, doa, sokongan moral serta keprihatinan semua pihak atas pemergian suaminya, Kamil Misuari.

Pihak keluarga juga merakamkan penghargaan kepada Yang di-Pertua Sarawak Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar; Premier Sarawak Abang Johari Openg, para Ahli Parlimen dan Adun Sarawak, serta semua pihak yang menziarahi mereka dan memberikan penghormatan terakhir kepada Kamil.

“Kehadiran serta tanda ingatan yang diberikan amat bermakna dan menjadi sumber kekuatan kepada keluarga dalam menghadapi kehilangan ini,” menurut kenyataan.

Pihak keluarga berharap hubungan silaturahim dan persaudaraan yang terjalin akan terus dipelihara dan diperkukuhkan.

Suami kepada Nancy Shukri kembali ke rahmatullah, semalam. Ahli perniagaan itu meninggal dunia di Hospital Ampang, Kuala Lumpur pada 6.38 petang.

Orang ramai memberikan penghormatan terakhir di kediaman Nancy di Petra Jaya, Sarawak. Kamil dikebumikan di Tanah Perkuburan Islam Samariang.

Kamil, 65, dilahirkan di Lahad Datu, Sabah. Beliau dan Nancy berkahwin pada 1985 dan dikurniakan tiga orang cahaya mata: Faeroz, Farouk dan Bibi.

Nancy adalah menteri pembangunan wanita, keluarga dan masyarakat, serta Ahli Parlimen Santubong.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has appointed technology entrepreneur and MOL Global Inc founder Ganesh Kumar Bangah as non-executive chairman.

Digital minister Gobind Singh Deo said Ganesh’s appointment is expected to strengthen MDEC’s ability to translate government priorities into industry action, given his decades of experience building technology companies, scaling digital platforms and working with entrepreneurs, SMEs and the wider technology ecosystem.

“Ganesh’s appointment reflects the government’s commitment to ensuring that MDEC continues to be guided by strong industry experience and expertise as Malaysia enters its next phase of digital economy growth,” he said in a statement issued by MDEC today.

Ganesh has been an MDEC board member since February 2025 and is also a board member of Payments Network Malaysia.

He previously served as chairman of the National Tech Association of Malaysia and as a board member of the Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre.

MDEC CEO Anuar Fariz Fadzil said Ganesh’s appointment would add significant value to MDEC’s efforts to ensure the agency remains agile and closely aligned with the needs of Malaysia’s technology industry.

“Ganesh’s vast experience in building technology companies, supporting entrepreneurs and working across the ecosystem will be valuable in helping us strengthen the industry alignment,” he said.

WIGAN: Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday he would not walk away from his job, vowing to fight any challenge from his leading party rival Andy Burnham and potentially ushering in a new bout of political instability in Britain.

Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, won a decisive victory for the governing Labour Party in an election for a parliamentary seat in northwest England,and has signalled that he will use his seat to enter any contest to replace Starmer.

Several Labour lawmakers said the prime minister should consider stepping down.

But Starmer, who won a landslide election in 2024, said he was “not going to walk away”, reeling off a list of actions during his two years in power: closer ties to the European Union, stabilising the economy and reducing waiting times for the health service.

“If there is a contest … then yes, I will run, I will stand, and I’ve said repeatedly I’m not going to walk away,” Starmer told reporters in London during a visit designed to indicate it was “business as usual” for him.

He again warned of the dangers of a potentially disruptive leadership campaign.

His resistance to growing Labour calls to set a timetable to step down, coupled with the scale of Burnham’s win in Makerfield, could threaten hopes of an orderly transition by putting divisions on public display in a leadership contest.

Burnham won the contest in Makerfield in northwest England with 54.8% of the vote, beating the candidate for the populist Reform UK, on 34.5%, and boosting his image as someone who could halt the rise of veteran Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage’s party.

His victory not only sent him back to parliament, from where he can mount a leadership challenge, but also boosted the hopes of some worried Labour lawmakers that they can win the next national election, due in 2029.

That is something some Labour lawmakers say Starmer, struggling with some of the worst popularity ratings of any British leader, cannot achieve.

Burnham used his victory speech in Makerfield to say he wanted to counter the rise of polarising, populist politics and turn Britain “away from the path that takes us to a divided, dark politics of the kind we see in the United States”.

He hailed the result as a “turning point” for Labour.

“We must hear it, we must act upon it, and we must get it right,” he said. “There will be no second chance.”

Burnham, a 56-year-old career politician, has ⁠backed ​the nationalisation of key public services and criticised what he called four decades of failed neo-liberal economics.

Polls indicate he would win a formal leadership contest, which is decided by party members, although some Labour lawmakers hope that process can be avoided.

That would mean Britain installing its seventh prime minister in just over a decade, the highest turnover in nearly two centuries – a reflection of voter anger at successive failures to improve living standards and public services and tackle illegal immigration.

Starmer, 63, has repeatedly vowed to fight on, despite scandals, policy U-turns and accusations of indecision, wanting to finish his five-year term by fulfilling his promise to solve some of Britain’s most pressing problems.

But about a quarter of his lawmakers have urged him to quit since Labour suffered heavy losses in local elections last month. Senior colleagues, including the defence and health ministers, have resigned.

Several Labour lawmakers said the scale of Burnham’s win should force Starmer to consider stepping aside. Others said he should consider his position over the weekend.

Culture minister Lisa Nandy, a prominent Burnham ally, told reporters she expected both men to speak soon.

Many Labour members of parliament fear losing their seats in the next election, due in 2029, to Farage’s party, which leads opinion polls.

Another of Starmer’s rivals, former health minister Wes Streeting, said this week he would force a contest soon unless the prime minister announced when he would stand down. He said Burnham’s victory was proof that Labour needed to change.

Party rules require 20% ‌of the parliamentary party, or 81 lawmakers, to announce they are backing a single candidate to ⁠trigger a leadership challenge.

SEOUL: Assistance from Russia had rendered sanctions imposed on nuclear-armed North Korea “ineffective”, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Friday after discussing the matter with his US counterpart Donald Trump.

Lee and Trump met at a G7 summit in France this week, where they discussed the long-running standoff between South Korea and its northern neighbour.

“I told him sanctions and pressure are ineffective,” Lee told reporters in Seoul.

“The effectiveness of sanctions has diminished due to military cooperation between North Korea and Russia stemming from the war in Ukraine,” he added.

“Even a small amount of assistance from Russia is of great help to North Korea,” Lee said.

Pyongyang is under multiple sets of sanctions over its nuclear programme, and the two Koreas remain technically at war because their 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

While in France, Trump signed a deal aimed at ending the war in the Middle East, and speculation has been rife that his administration will next shift its diplomatic focus to North Korea.

Lee said Trump had told him in the French town of Evian that “the time had come to pay attention to the North Korea issue”.

On Sunday, Trump posted an uncaptioned photo of himself and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un taken at a meeting in Singapore in 2018.

‘Irreversible’

Kim has recently sought to enhance his standing with his allies, sending troops and munitions to aid Russia’s war against Ukraine.

He also hosted Xi Jinping in Pyongyang soon after the Chinese president had held back-to-back summits in Beijing with Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

The White House said Xi and Trump had “confirmed their shared goal of denuclearising North Korea” during their summit in China.

However, neither Pyongyang nor Beijing mentioned the issue in their official statements following the Xi-Kim summit – which experts interpreted as a sign of China’s tacit acceptance of North Korea’s nuclear status.

Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear state since a 2019 summit between Kim and Trump in Hanoi collapsed over the scope of denuclearisation and sanctions relief.

Lee insisted Friday the international community “cannot abandon the goal of denuclearisation” of North Korea.

“The key point President Trump made was that it was unfortunate that possible measures had not been taken before North Korea became a nuclear-armed state,” he said.

“I also said that we can no longer deal with the North Korean nuclear issue in the same way we deal with other countries, and President Trump agreed,” Lee added.

‘In love’

Trump met Kim three times during his first term – once declaring they were “in love” – as he pushed to hammer out a long-coveted deal on denuclearisation.

On Friday, Lee said Trump told him that he wanted to pursue a new meeting with Kim “if there is a way to do so”.

Lee added that in a meeting at the Vatican this week he had invited Pope Leo for a visit next year, to attend World Youth Day in Seoul.

“I also requested that a visit to North Korea be arranged, if possible, alongside a visit to the DMZ during his trip,” said the president, referring to the demilitarised zone that separates the two Koreas.

“The Pope responded that he would actively consider and pursue the matter,” he said.

PETALING JAYA: A Perikatan Nasional leader said no function or meeting can be organised under the coalition’s name without the approval of its chairman, Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.

PN secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said the Registrar of Societies had acknowledged the change in the coalition’s leadership.

In February, Samsuri was appointed the PN chairman, succeeding Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, who resigned on Jan 1 following the Perlis political crisis.

Takiyuddin said the RoS, in a letter dated June 19 and addressed to him, confirmed receipt of the minutes of the coalition’s extraordinary Supreme Council meeting on Feb 22.

The RoS also took note of the Supreme Council’s approval of Muhyiddin’s resignation as PN chairman and the appointment of Samsuri to the post.

It also confirmed receipt of the minutes of PN’s first Supreme Council meeting held on March 14, together with the coalition’s updated leadership lineup and appointments to its Supreme Council committee.

“Therefore, no function or meeting under the Perikatan Nasional banner can be carried out without Samsuri’s permission,” Takiyuddin said in a statement.

He was responding to reports that Muhyiddin had moved to convene a PN Supreme Council meeting at the Bersatu headquarters today, amid the ongoing spat between Bersatu and PAS.

Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali has since rubbished the report, telling Malaysia Gazette that it was fake news.

The relationship between the two parties have been strained for months and on June 8, PAS decided to sever its ties with Bersatu, on grounds that Muhyiddin’s party had become power-hungry and was no longer prioritising Malay-Muslim unity.

Bersatu has since pledged to go all-out against PAS in the upcoming Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections, while insisting that it will contest under the PN banner.

On Wednesday, Samsuri relieved PN’s deputy secretary-general, Azmin Ali, and election director, Radzi Jidin, both from Bersatu, of their duties.

PETALING JAYA: Research analysts have downgraded Top Glove Corp Bhd despite the world’s largest rubber glove maker more than doubling its net profit in the third quarter.

The research houses pointed out its earnings have likely peaked as sales volume and product prices are moderating amid the easing geopolitical conflict in the Middle East.

The consensus among analysts appears to have turned cautious as “sell” and “hold” outnumber “buy” calls, according to research houses tracked by Bloomberg.

In an exchange filing yesterday, Top Glove announced its net profit for the third quarter ended May 31, 2026 (Q3 FY2026) rose 133.1% to RM80.99 million from RM34.75 million a year ago. Quarterly revenue increased 31.9% to RM1.1 billion from RM830.25 million.

For the first nine months ended May 31, 2026, net profit more than doubled to RM150.33 million from RM70.50 million a year earlier, while revenue rose 14.8% to RM2.98 billion from RM2.6 billion.

Top Glove’s Q3 results exceeded expectations, driven mainly by higher-than-expected sales volume and profit margins following supply disruption of raw materials due to the conflict in the Middle East.

Most analysts do not expect this to last given that the US and Iran have struck a tentative deal to end the Middle East war.

Since the start of the war on Feb 28, Top Glove had risen as much as 52% and is still up about 24% at current prices.

However, the stock has fallen four trading sessions in a row, dropping by about 13% over that period. The stock closed unchanged at 72 sen today, with 85 million shares traded, valuing the group at RM5.91 billion.

Public Investment Bank (PublicInvest) downgraded Top Glove to “underperform”, with a revised target price (TP) of 59 sen per share from 58 sen previously.

“We believe the current valuation implies peak earnings rather than normalised profitability, with limited re-rating catalysts from here.

“We revise up our FY2026F earnings forecasts by 91.8% to factor in higher Q3 FY2026 revenue. However, we cut our FY2027-28 forecasts by an average 15.4% as we expect the oversupply condition to persist,” it said in a note today.

PublicInvest noted that monthly average selling prices (ASPs) peaked in May before moderating in June as raw material conditions normalised. It expects revenue and earnings growth to moderate moving forward, limiting further pricing-led upside.

“In addition, we expect higher input cost pressure from the second half of FY2026 onwards, with Malaysia’s gas tariff expected to increase 40% from October 2026,” it added.

Strong earnings not sustainable

In downgrading its recommendation to “reduce’ from “hold”, CIMB Securities stated it believes Top Glove’s recent strong earnings are “unsustainable”.

RHB Research, which maintained its “sell” call with a TP of 65 sen, said the key question remains whether Top Glove’s current margins are sustainable.

Noting that the management is confident of maintaining 15% Ebitda (profit) margins for the remainder of FY2026, it however sees risks of disappointment from aggressive pricing by China producers and a potential slowdown in demand.

Top Glove was founded by its executive chairman Lim Wee Chai, 67, and his wife Tong Siew Bee in 1991, and within a decade transformed it into one of the world’s largest producers of rubber gloves.

It also has manufacturing operations in Thailand and Vietnam, with its 51 factories having a total production capacity of 95 billion gloves annually and exporting to over 195 countries.

PARIS: Humanoid robots able to perform tasks from grape harvesting to welcoming visitors were front and centre at France’s Vivatech trade fair this week, with European firms looking to fill niches beyond what dominant Chinese giants can offer.

French company Enchanted Tools was showing off its Mirokai, a “social” robot with long orange ears and wide blue eyes.

Able to communicate in over 50 languages, prototypes of the Paris-based firm’s machine are already out in the wild welcoming people to hospitals and airports, marketing chief Richard Malterre said on a Vivatech stage.

The start-up hopes its first mass-produced models will arrive by the end of this year.

“At least 60% of the robot is manufactured in Europe, and we’re fighting to keep it that way,” Malterre told AFP.

However, some of the AI robotics know-how is “not necessarily available” in Europe, he said, such as the graphics processors from American chip giant Nvidia that power Mirokai’s brain as well as the broader generative AI boom.

‘Dark factories’

When it comes to sheer robotics production capacity, China is unrivalled thanks to companies including Unitree and Agibot.

Their androids’ tightly choreographed displays wowed visitors to Vivatech, the latest fair to show them off in recent months.

Around 87% of the 13,000 humanoid robots deployed worldwide in 2025 rolled off a Chinese production line, according to the UK-based consultancy Omdia.

“China is definitely on the forefront” as its companies increasingly show off “dark factories” where robots work largely without human supervision, said Joern Buss, a robotics expert at the consultancy Arthur D Little.

Nevertheless, Europe is “catching up” behind Japan and Korea, he added, boasting “some good robotics players” including longstanding firms.

New players on the European scene include Germany’s Neura, which builds humanoid industrial and household robots as well as a platform for training them to carry out human tasks.

The company recently announced it had raised US$1.4 billion.

“We get requests for everything, even dentists, everyone is calling us and asking if they can have a robot as a supporter, because they can’t find people,” chief executive David Reger told AFP.

Like other advanced economies around the world, Europe faces an ageing population that could squeeze the labour supply in both manufacturing and services.

Reger called robots like Neura’s the continent’s “last chance”, saying “Europe does require this economic pillar to sustain” itself.

He cited familiar challenges for European tech firms including tight regulation and a tougher search for financing than competitors in the US.

However, Reger has no plans to uproot Neura’s business, which is collaborating with German car component suppliers Bosch and Schaeffler on factory automation.

He vaunts Neura’s order book of over US$1 billion.

Data protection

“If all robot production goes to Japan or China, that could be a big problem when it comes to sovereignty,” said Francesco Ferro, chief executive of Spain’s PAL Robotics.

His company was at Vivatech showing off its latest models bolted together in Barcelona.

One is a black biped that has been dubbed Kangaroo, while the Tiago machine is fitted with jointed arms that have been put to use in logistics as well as picking grape harvests.

Robotics developers use vast quantities of data to train their machines’ movements, and they collect still more information as they carry out their tasks.

The continent should aim to create “a totally European supply chain, without thinking only about price”, as that could lead prospective clients to buy Chinese robots, Ferro said.

That would risk seeing valuable or sensitive data “falling into the wrong hands”, he warned.

French-American start-up Genesis AI plans to re-shore production of its Eno multifunctional robot next year after making it in China.

Prospective customers include “the big industrial base in France, Italy and Germany,” co-founder Theophile Gervet told AFP.

Enchanted Tools’ Malterre also believes the demand exists, and “I’m confident in our ability and creativity to endure”.

“We need to be ready for a fight, not throw in the towel,” Malterre added.

TOKYO: Images of Samurai Blue fans cleaning up World Cup stadiums have garnered them widespread praise, but back in Japan, a post has gone viral complaining men rarely do so at home.

Fifa lauded Japanese fans this week on social media platform X for their “impeccable manners” that saw them tidy up the stands post-game, with pictures of men in blue avidly picking up trash.

Similar images have since proliferated online, but one X post went viral after claiming Japanese men aren’t all that they are cracked up to be.

“Japanese men spend among the least time on housework internationally,” read the post, which has been viewed 1.9 million times.

“Please do it at home,” the post said, with a satirical illustration showing a fan who proudly cleans up the stadium is, in fact, relaxing on a sofa at home, oblivious to the pile of laundry and his wife or mother doing the dishes.

Japanese men participate notoriously little in household chores, with women spending 5.5 times more time than men taking on “unpaid work” such as shopping, domestic chores and caregiving, the Cabinet Office says, citing 2021 OECD data.

The gap is far greater than in Britain, France and the United States, where women spend 1.8 times, 1.7 times and 1.6 times — respectively — longer than men doing unpaid work.

While supporters describe the act of cleaning up the stadium as proof of Japan’s cultural altruism, others have also seen it as slightly performative.

And opinions have been divided on the viral X post.

“Wives struggling with husbands who don’t clean at all should have them wear Samurai Japan uniforms at home too,” one comment said.

“This is too much of generalisation — not all Japanese men are like that,” another user wrote.

PETALING JAYA: Setiausaha Agung Perikatan Nasional (PN), Takiyuddin Hassan berkata sebarang aktiviti atau mesyuarat yang menggunakan nama gabungan itu tidak boleh dilaksanakan tanpa keizinan pengerusinya, Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.

Takiyuddin dalam satu kenyataan berkata PN menerima maklum balas rasmi daripada Jabatan Pendaftaran Pertubuhan Malaysia (JPPM) yang mengesahkan perubahan kepimpinan gabungan tersebut.

Katanya, JPMM mengambil maklum mengenai kelulusan Majlis Tertinggi (MT) terhadap peletakan jawatan pengerusi (Muhyiddin Yassin) dan pelantikan pengerusi baharu (Samsuri) pada mesyuarat luar biasa bertarikh 22 Feb lalu.

“JPPM juga mengesahkan menerima senarai kepimpinan serta pelantikan ahli jawatankuasa MT PN baharu, untuk direkodkan.

“Sehubungan itu, PN kekal komited dalam memastikan segala aktiviti, urusan pentadbiran dan pengurusan parti dilaksanakan mengikut perlembagaan parti serta mematuhi Akta 832 (Akta Pertubuhan 1966),” katanya dalam satu kenyataan.

Terdahulu, terdapat khabar angin bahawa Bersatu akan mengadakan mesyuarat MT PN malam ini di ibu pejabat parti itu.

Sementara itu, Setiausaha Agung Bersatu Azmin Ali menafikan khabar angin itu, memberitahu Malaysia Gazette bahawa ia palsu.

Hari ini, Ketua Penerangan PN, Annuar Musa berkata MT PN akan bermesyuarat Isnin ini bagi memutuskan penggunaan logo serta pengagihan kerusi bagi PRN Johor dan Negeri Sembilan.

Kemelut dalam PN semakin memuncak selepas PAS memutuskan kerjasama politik dengan Bersatu.

Walaupun berdepan perpecahan itu, Presiden Bersatu, Muhyiddin Yassin, menegaskan partinya akan terus kekal dalam PN dan bertanding dalam PRN Johor dan Negeri Sembilan menggunakan logo gabungan tersebut.

Beliau juga menegaskan bahawa tiada mana-mana parti boleh secara unilateral menyingkirkan Bersatu daripada PN kerana sebarang keputusan mesti dibuat secara konsensus selaras dengan perlembagaan gabungan itu.

KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia’s composite index ended the week higher, extending its gains for a seventh consecutive session, supported by strong late-session buying in selected blue-chip counters.

At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose by 0.64 of a point, or 0.03%, to close at an intraday high of 1,712.03 from Thursday’s close of 1,711.39.

Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said the market’s ability to rebound from intraday weakness highlights the underlying strength of investor sentiment.

He said bargain hunting remained evident, particularly in fundamentally sound large-cap stocks, as investors grew more confident following the easing of geopolitical tensions and the sharp decline in crude oil prices.

“Lower energy prices could help moderate inflationary pressures and provide a more supportive backdrop for both economic growth and corporate earnings moving forward,” he told Bernama.

IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Sedek Jantan said investors remained encouraged by easing geopolitical tensions in Middle East following the recent peace agreement between the US and Iran.

He said the continued decline in Brent crude oil prices below US$80 per barrel helped ease concerns over inflationary pressures and supported sentiment towards consumer, transportation and selected manufacturing stocks.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s benign inflation outlook reinforced expectations that Bank Negara Malaysia will maintain its current monetary policy stance, providing a supportive backdrop for domestic equities.

“Overall, improving risk appetite and resilient economic fundamentals continued to underpin market sentiment despite lingering uncertainties surrounding the global interest rate outlook,” he added.

The key index opened 7.35 points weaker at 1,704.04 and slipped to an intraday low of 1,699.18 in early trade.

Market breadth was negative, with losers leading gainers 525 to 491, while 547 counters were unchanged, 1,173 untraded and 34 suspended.

Turnover slipped to 3.45 billion units worth RM3.79 billion from 4.50 billion units worth RM3.45 billion on Thursday.

Among heavyweights, Maybank rose 2 sen to RM11.18, Tenaga Nasional added 6 sen to RM14.50 and IHH Healthcare gained 3 sen to RM8.80, while Public Bank slid 5 sen to RM4.95 and CIMB shed 13 sen to RM7.65.

Among the active stocks, Dagang NeXchange jumped 8 sen to 46.5 sen, Zetrix AI was 1 sen firmer at 78 sen and Pentech was up 1.5 sen to 32.5 sen. Tanco slipped 0.5 sen to 14 sen while Top Glove remained unchanged at 72 sen.

Of the top gainers, Malaysian Pacific Industries garnered RM1.34 to RM49.90, Nestle put on RM1.08 to RM96.22, United Plantations rose 86 sen to RM32.66, and PPB climbed 82 sen to RM10.12.

Among the top losers, Ajinomoto erased 16 sen to RM15.20, Ralco sank 13 sen to 90 sen, while Petronas Chemicals and Mega First declined nine sen each to RM4.49 and RM2.91, respectively.

On the index board, the FBM Emas Index perked up 17.79 points to 12,681.05, the FBM Top 100 Index put on 16.01 points to 12,519.62, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index climbed 68.95 points to 12,558.66.

The FBM Mid 70 Index increased 71.77 points to 18,162.58 and the FBM ACE Index leapt 32.25 points to 4,792.52.

By sector, the energy index gained 3.85 points to 766.27 and the plantation index jumped 105.77 points to 8,873.22, while the financial services index declined 72.56 points to 20,204.58, and the industrial products and services index eased 0.14 of a point to 190.57.

The Main Market volume trimmed to 2.12 billion units valued at RM3.51 billion from 2.62 billion units valued at RM3.04 billion on Thursday.

Warrants turnover dwindled to 717.45 million units valued at RM72.58 million from 986.61 million units valued at RM131.42 million previously.

The ACE Market volume tumbled to 608.27 million units worth RM205.51 million from 895.14 million units worth RM283.17 million yesterday.

Consumer products and services counters accounted for 229.71 million shares traded on the Main Market, industrial products and services (354.34 million), construction (128.32 million), technology (560.50 million), financial services (111.65 million), property (269.07 million), plantation (35.44 million), real estate investment trusts (51.18 million), closed-end fund (495,000), energy (79.83 million), healthcare (165.24 million), telecommunications and media (42.84 million), transportation and logistics (26.70 million), utilities (69.86 million), and business trusts (27,300).

PUTRAJAYA: A new Bakun-Murum clinic will be built under a collaboration between the health ministry and Sarawak Energy to improve access to healthcare for residents in the remote parts of Sarawak.

Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said the facility is expected to benefit 12,992 residents across 102 settlements in the area, where access to healthcare services has long been a challenge.

He said many residents currently need to travel up to 60km to reach the nearest clinic, while those requiring hospital treatment must travel as far as 208km to Bintulu Hospital.

“The ministry is determined to close this gap,” he said at the signing of a memorandum of understanding between both parties here today.

The new clinic will be funded through Sarawak Energy’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme and will include a Type 6-7 health facility, staff quarters and other supporting infrastructure.

Dzulkefly described the initiative as a model CSR collaboration and urged other corporations to support similar efforts.

“This CSR initiative by Sarawak Energy should serve as a model for others.”

He also called for regular monitoring of the project’s progress to ensure it is delivered as scheduled.

“We want the project to be handed over by 2028, with no excuses and no compromise on quality,” he said.

Dzulkefly said the ministry will begin planning manpower deployment once the project reaches 75% completion to ensure services can start immediately upon opening.

Currently, the existing Bakun clinic operates from a Sarawak Energy building and is staffed by an assistant medical officer and a community nurse, handling hundreds of outpatient and maternal health cases annually.