PETALING JAYA: The health ministry has upgraded the driver service scheme to strengthen the operational capacity of health logistics services, including ambulances.

Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said the scheme has been upgraded to the "skilled service (H)" under the Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA), Bernama reported.

“This restructuring step is vital to ensure our ambulance drivers are not only skilled but also multi-skilled to meet the highest emergency standards for patient safety,” he said in a Facebook post.

Dzulkefly said the ministry’s logistics services, including the ambulances, continue to function well. Of the 8,863 driver positions, 7,687 (or 86.7%) have been filled.

He said the ministry allowed existing general services assistants, who pass the competency screening test, to perform driving duties at relevant facilities. This is to avoid service disruptions.

Dzulkefly added that the driving competency test (UKP) for new appointments was completed on Oct 27.

Recruitment of skilled new drivers will be implemented in phases, starting April 2027, in collaboration with the Public Services Commission (SPA), he added.

SINGAPORE: Binance's customers have withdrawn a net $4.72 billion from the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchange since it reopened, after hackers stole around US$6.3 billion of crypto from the platform in what could be the largest financial heist in history.

The exchange froze withdrawals for about 48 hours after the hack, which which the FBI said was carried out by North Korea, then started allowing customers to withdraw again on Sunday morning.

The theft has underlined the vulnerability of digital assets to attacks and raised questions about the impact on Binance, which has vowed to repay customers in full, and on the wider market.

Binance said the net outflows amounted to around 3% of assets on the platform, a relatively modest figure that analysts said suggested customer confidence had largely held up.

"The majority of the withdrawals from the platform were in the form of Tether's USDT stablecoin," Binance added.

The outflow compares with about US$7 billion withdrawn from Circle's USDC stablecoin over a week after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in 2023.

Binance itself processed net outflows of about US$6 billion over 72 hours in 2022 after the collapse of FTX.

The attack marks a step-up in North Korea's crypto thefts. Blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs said North Korea-linked hackers have stolen US$7.4 billion so far in 2026.

Analysts and crypto experts said the fallout appeared limited so far, and there was little sign of an impact on broader financial markets despite a deepening of ties between crypto and mainstream finance in recent years.

"Binance will absorb the financial impact of the stolen funds, not our users," the company said in a statement on X.

Binance said it was covering the losses with company funds and had already raised US$6 billion from its corporate treasury, an insurance fund and reserves set aside for security breaches.

"It has not yet triggered widespread panic or a massive, concentrated withdrawal," said Tim Sun, a senior researcher at HashKey Group, a digital asset financial service company in Hong Kong.

Binance, which says it has more than 335 million users worldwide and average daily trading volumes of US$95 billion across digital assets and derivatives, said it had also seen US$2.7 billion in customer inflows since Sunday and that withdrawal volumes were stabilising after an "initial spike".

No rush to withdraw

Some traders told Reuters they were keeping their accounts.

Ryan Tan, a Binance user, said he was in no hurry to withdraw his funds from the platform, as he had already kept his account fairly light since the collapse of FTX four years ago.

"After the FTX collapse, I decided to hold everything on my wallet instead of leaving them on exchanges," said the 39-year-old.

After hitting a six-week low on Friday, Bitcoin prices recovered through the weekend to trade near $78,000 on Monday, while Ether (ETH) also rebounded from a two-month low.

Stablecoin market capitalisations, often viewed as a gauge of money moving into and out of crypto markets, have fallen since Friday, suggesting some investors have shifted funds into cash or traditional assets.

Binance started allowing US dollar cash withdrawals again on Monday.

"Highly complex" money laundering

The FBI said on Saturday that the North Korean state-sponsored group TraderTraitor was responsible for the attack.

Researchers describe the group as highly sophisticated and say its activities help fund the country's weapons programmes.

Analysts said the attack's scale could curb institutional appetite for cryptocurrencies.

Spot bitcoin ETFs recorded outflows of US$643 million on Friday, the largest daily withdrawal in October, while more than US$1.3 billion in leveraged positions were liquidated, according to Ari Redbord, global head of policy at TRM Labs.

"A hack at a crypto exchange is bank robbery at the speed of the internet, which creates an unstable risk profile for anyone responsible for other people's capital," he said.

About half of the stolen funds were held in stablecoins and have been frozen by issuers including Circle, which said on Monday it had frozen more than US$1.1 billion in USDC.

Blockchain research firm Elliptic said around US$3.24 billion of stolen crypto is being held by wallet addresses linked to the theft, describing the laundering process as "highly complex and clearly automated".

Jonathan Benton, founder and chief executive at crypto asset recovery firm iSanctuary, said the technology exists to trace stolen funds, but the challenge is turning that intelligence into rapid, coordinated action before those assets disappear.

"The future of crypto won't be decided by how much money enters the market, but by how safe that money is once it's there," said Benton, former head of the international corruption unit of the UK's National Crime Agency.

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Indian People’s Party said its decision to sit out the Melaka polls later this month is not a “boycott” as it will be helping Perikatan Nasional and Barisan Nasional campaign.

MIPP information chief Justin Prabakaran said the party will help MIC’s candidate for Gadek, S Nadarajah, canvass for votes to ensure the Indian community has a representative in the state assembly and the administration.

Justin said the party is prepared to set aside their political differences in the interest of the Indian community.

MIPP is an MIC splinter party.

“We will campaign for PN and BN’s candidates. Even though we are not competing in the polls, we will work to ensure their victories,” he told FMT.

Last week, MIPP said it would skip the state election after failing to reach an agreement with PN’s leadership.

MIPP president P Punithan said the party would not compromise its principles simply to secure seats in the Nov 14 polls.

The party also decided to give the unveiling of PN’s candidates a miss, with an MIPP source telling FMT its absence “is a reflection of our position”.

Justin said Punithan and other party leaders had turned up during nominations on Saturday to support candidates from PAS, Wawasan and Gerakan.

“We have also begun campaigning with PN and BN candidates,” he said.

Gadek will see a four-cornered contest among Nadarajah, Pakatan Harapan’s K Jegasilan, B Laveen of Bersama and Putra’s Laila Norinda Maon.

BN had held the mixed seat since 2004, but PH won it in the 2018 polls.

Malay voters make up 60% of the electorate, followed by Chinese (20%) and Indians (17%).

PETALING JAYA: Sebuah lokomotif tren kargo terbakar di KM4.75, laluan di antara Kempas Baru dan Pasir Gudang di Johor kira-kira 1.10 tengah hari tadi.

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) dalam kenyataan memaklumkan lokomotif M1004 itu mengendalikan tren kargo No. 193 bagi perjalanan dari Pelabuhan Tanjung Pelepas ke Pasir Gudang, lapor Bernama.

Pemandu tren berkenaan telah mengambil tindakan segera dengan memberhentikan tren sebaik sahaja mengesan kebakaran pada lokomotif tersebut sebagai langkah keselamatan.

"Kebakaran berjaya dipadamkan sepenuhnya oleh Jabatan Bomba pada 2.50 petang dan tiada kecederaan dilaporkan," kata kenyataan itu.

Selain itu, pihak KTMB turut mengambil langkah-langkah keselamatan di kawasan terlibat sebelum sebarang pergerakan tren dibenarkan.

Menurutnya, lokomotif telah dibawa ke Depoh Kempas Baru bagi menjalani pemeriksaan teknikal serta penilaian tahap kerosakan, dan pemeriksaan lanjut akan dilaksanakan dengan kerjasama Berapit Mobility dan Perbadanan Aset Keretapi (RAC) bagi mengenal pasti punca sebenar kejadian.

Lokomotif terbabit antara aset yang terlibat dalam pelaksanaan Rolling Stock Strategy (RSS), iaitu inisiatif penyediaan dan pemulihan aset rel melalui model jual dan pajak semula bagi memperkukuh keupayaan operasi kargo negara.

Menurut KTMB, Program RSS melibatkan keseluruhan 44 unit lokomotif dan 246 gerabak kargo, merangkumi kerja baik pulih serta penyelenggaraan aset berdasarkan pengaturan pajakan yang ditetapkan.

"Sebarang penemuan daripada siasatan akan diteliti bagi menentukan keperluan langkah pencegahan dan penambahbaikan yang bersesuaian.

"Orang ramai dinasihatkan supaya tidak membuat sebarang spekulasi dan sebarang perkembangan lanjut akan dimaklumkan dari semasa ke semasa," menurut kenyataan itu.

MADRID: Spain has returned to Morocco more than a dozen sub-Saharan African and Asian migrants who reached the Spanish enclave of Ceuta and were turned down for asylum, the first deportation of its kind from the enclave since a mass border crossing in July.

The interior ministry said the group had been sent back to Morocco after it agreed to receive them and they remained on Moroccan territory at present.

It declined to give numbers or nationalities, but migrant and rights charities operating in Ceuta said 16 people from Senegal, Nigeria, Yemen, Cameroon and Bangladesh were deported.

The NGOs claim such returns fail to take into account the risks associated with Morocco's treatment of migrants from other countries and fly in the face of the values espoused by Spain's leftist government.

Virginia Alvarez, an Amnesty International researcher, said Spain's posture was hypocritical.

"Spain, despite its (progressive) speeches in Europe, is not ensuring that human rights guarantees are met for people who cross its borders in Ceuta and Melilla," she said. "Morocco does not respect many human rights," she added.

Morocco's interior ministry did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which cooperates with Moroccan authorities on voluntary return programmes for third country nationals or migrants, told Reuters IOM does not participate in deportations or forced removals.

"Decisions on removals are the sovereign responsibility of States, and IOM has no role in determining who is removed or where they are sent," it said, adding that its voluntary return programme supports migrants to rebuild their lives after choosing to go back to their countries of origin.

A spokesman for Spain's interior ministry told Reuters that Morocco is considered by the EU to be a safe country, and deportations are carried out "with all the necessary safeguards", without providing further details.

Over 48 hours in July, some 80,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, a tiny enclave that, along with Melilla, represents Europe's only land borders with Africa.

While most returned within days, thousands remain and prime minister Pedro Sanchez's government is under pressure from the EU and a frustrated populace to fix the Ceuta crisis before elections on Nov 29.

Spanish authorities are housing 8,000 migrants in reception centres and processing asylum applications lodged by the majority of people remaining in Ceuta.

Several NGOs including Amnesty International have complained to the Spanish ombudsman that some of the more than 13,000 people the government says have returned to Morocco voluntarily since the middle of August were forced to leave, including non-Moroccans.

BEIJING: China stepped up diplomatic efforts on Monday to resolve the Middle East crisis, urging a return to the negotiating table in back-to-back meetings with Iranian, Omani and Saudi officials in Beijing.

The meetings come days after US president Donald Trump issued a fresh war threat more than eight months into the conflict, which was triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran and has at times spilled over into neighbouring countries.

Beijing supports Tehran in "safeguarding its own sovereignty and security", foreign minister Wang Yi told Ali Bagheri Kani, the deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, according to a Chinese statement.

Wang later called for dialogue to end the conflict "while safeguarding regional energy security and the safety of shipping lanes", as he met with Saudi National security adviser Musaad bin Mohammad al-Aiban.

China, a top economic partner of Iran, has long sought a detente in the months-long conflict that has disrupted global shipping.

Trump said on Saturday that the US had knocked out much of Iran's military but still has to "take care of" one or two targets, with Tehran warning of reprisals if attacked.

"All parties should... in a spirit of reason and pragmatism, focus on a political solution rather than once again resorting to armed conflict," Wang told Bagheri Kani, according to the statement.

China's foreign ministry had not previously announced the visit by Bagheri Kani to Beijing.

President Xi Jinping also met Oman's sultan for talks in Beijing on Monday - the first visit to China by the Gulf nation's head of state since diplomatic ties were established.

Xi told Haitham bin Tariq that China was ready to "contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the region".

The Chinese leader said that the Middle East should not become a "wrestling ground for major-country rivalry and geopolitical conflicts", state news agency Xinhua reported.

Later this month, Beijing will send its Middle East envoy to Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia as a part of "shuttle diplomacy visits... aimed at promoting peace talks (and) easing tensions", a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman told a news briefing.

SINGAPURA: Zon Ekonomi Khas Johor-Singapura (JS-SEZ) mencatatkan pelaburan yang diluluskan berjumlah RM88.83 bilion antara Januari 2025 dan Jun 2026, dengan potensi mewujudkan 28,755 peluang pekerjaan, kata Menteri Ekonomi, Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir.

Beliau berkata 45% daripada jumlah pelaburan yang diluluskan itu bernilai RM40.30 bilion telah direalisasikan, melibatkan projek yang dijangka mencipta 12,796 peluang pekerjaan.

“Dalam hal ini, ia bukan sekadar mempunyai potensi yang besar; cabaran sebenar dan komitmen kedua-dua negara adalah untuk merealisasikan prospek ini bagi menjana hasil yang benar-benar bagus.

"Jadi, sudah tentu kita mahu mengekalkan momentum yang baik ini, dan ia akan membawa manfaat kepada kedua-dua negara, kepada rakyat, serta kepada komuniti perniagaan," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian pada sidang media bersama selepas mempengerusikan mesyuarat sulung Jawatankuasa Menteri bagi Kerjasama Johor–Singapura (JSCMC) bersama Menteri Pembangunan Negara Singapura, Chee Hong Tat. Turut hadir Menteri Besar Johor, Onn Hafiz Ghazi.

Akmal berkata JSCMC merupakan langkah strategik oleh kedua-dua negara untuk memperkukuh kerjasama dua hala, meningkatkan penyelarasan, serta memantau pelaksanaan inisiatif keutamaan di bawah JS-SEZ.

Satu Jawatankuasa Menteri Bersama ditubuhkan di bawah JSCMC, yang dipengerusikan bersama oleh menteri ekonomi Malaysia dan menteri pembangunan negara Singapura.

Wakil Malaysia akan terdiri daripada menteri pelaburan, perdagangan dan industri serta menteri besar Johor, manakala Singapura akan diwakili oleh menteri tenaga dan industri serta menteri pengangkutannya.

Akmal berkata bahawa kedua-dua negara turut bersetuju untuk menganjurkan forum pelaburan bersama pada suku pertama 2027.

Sementara itu, beliau berkata pelan induk JS-SEZ yang dijadual dilancarkan Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim dan Perdana Menteri Singapura Lawrence Wong pada Disember 2026 bakal membawa prospek yang lebih baik bagi zon ekonomi tersebut dalam masa terdekat.

"Dengan adanya pelan induk ini, kita menjangkakan momentum bagi 2027 akan menjadi lebih tinggi, dari segi komitmen kedua-dua negara," katanya.

Sementara itu, Chee berkata pelan induk JS-SEZ itu akan menampilkan visi jangka sederhana hingga jangka panjang apa yang ingin dicapai oleh kedua-dua negara bagi rantau ini.

Bagi merealisasikan visi yang digariskan dalam pelan induk JS-SEZ itu beliau berkata pelbagai agensi daripada kedua-dua negara perlu bekerjasama rapat untuk memperkukuh kerjasama serta memantau pelaksanaan inisiatif tertentu.

Ini termasuk pembangunan bakat, memudahkan pergerakan orang dan barangan, menggalakkan perdagangan dan pelaburan, serta meningkatkan pengangkutan dan kesalinghubungan.

"Saya berpandangan semua ini merupakan elemen sokongan penting untuk menghidupkan pelan induk tersebut serta merealisasikan manfaat bagi kerjasama yang saling menguntungkan," katanya.

KUALA LUMPUR: Bekas pemain boling kebangsaan, Shirley Chow, meninggal dunia di Ipoh, Perak, semalam pada usia 76 tahun selepas menghidap kanser paru-paru.

Kongres Tenpin Boling Malaysia (MTBC), yang mengesahkan pemergiannya awal hari ini, berkata kematian mendiang merupakan satu kehilangan besar kepada komuniti sukan boling.

“Chow merupakan tokoh yang disegani dalam sukan boling Malaysia, setelah menyumbang kepada sukan itu sebagai atlet dan jurulatih.

“Dedikasi, minat dan komitmen beliau terhadap sukan boling akan sentiasa dikenang oleh warga boling Malaysia serta semua pihak yang pernah disentuh kehidupannya sepanjang penglibatan beliau dalam sukan ini,” menurut MTBC dalam hantaran di Instagram.

Pada Sukan SEA 1989 di Kuala Lumpur, Chow memenangi pingat perak dalam acara beregu wanita bersama Pearly Chong, serta acara bertiga bersama Chong dan Lily Chua.

Pada 1991 di Manila, beliau meraih pingat perak dalam acara perseorangan dan pingat emas dalam acara beregu bersama Lisa Kwan.

Pada 1993 di Singapura, beliau memenangi pingat emas dalam acara bertiga bersama Shalin Zulkifli dan Kwan, pingat emas dalam acara berpasukan serta gelaran keseluruhan, selain pingat perak dalam acara perseorangan.

Chow memenangi pingat emas dalam acara bertiga wanita pada Sukan Asia 1994 di Hiroshima, Jepun, bersama Lydia Kwah dan Shalin, serta pingat perak dalam acara beregu bersama Kwah.

Selepas menamatkan kerjayanya sebagai atlet, beliau berkhidmat sebagai jurulatih di Perak.

Pada Oktober tahun lalu, MTBC menyampaikan hadiah wang tunai RM5,000 kepada Chow seperti yang dijanjikan ketika beliau dinobatkan sebagai Olahragawati Negara pada 1979.

PETALING JAYA: A cargo train locomotive caught fire at Km4.75, along the Kempas Baru-Pasir Gudang route, near Johor Bahru, at about 1.10pm today.

In a statement, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) said the locomotive was hauling a cargo train from the Tanjung Pelepas port to Pasir Gudang when the incident occurred, Bernama reported.

The train driver immediately stopped the train after noticing the fire as a safety precaution.

The fire was completely extinguished by the fire and rescue department at 2.50pm. No injuries were reported and the locomotive was slightly damaged.

KTMB said safety measures were also put in place at the affected area before train movements were allowed to resume.

The locomotive was subsequently taken to the Kempas Baru depot for technical inspection and damage assessment.

Further inspections will be conducted with Berapit Mobility and the Railway Assets Corporation to determine the cause of the fire.

"Findings from the investigation will be reviewed to determine the necessary preventive and improvement measures," KTMB said.

ALOR SETAR: Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) Kedah menahan seorang anggota polis disyaki meminta dan menerima rasuah kira-kira RM15,000 daripada seorang pengedar dadah, dua tahun lalu.

Menurut sumber, lelaki berusia lingkungan 30-an berkenaan dipercayai menerima sogokan itu sebagai balasan melindungi kegiatan pengedaran dadah serta menghalang tindakan penguatkuasaan undang-undang.

Sumber itu memberitahu, anggota polis terbabit ditahan kira-kira 2 petang tadi ketika hadir memberi keterangan di pejabat SPRM Kedah.

“Siasatan awal mendapati dia disyaki melakukan perbuatan itu sepanjang 2024 dan dipercayai menerima wang rasuah antara RM200 hingga RM2,500 setiap bulan melalui transaksi pemindahan wang ke akaun bank peribadi miliknya,” menurut kenyataan itu.

Pengarah SPRM Kedah Nazli Rasyid Sulong ketika dihubungi mengesahkan penahanan itu dan berkata kes disiasat mengikut Seksyen 16(a)(B) Akta SPRM 2009.

BRUSSELS: Dozens of Belgian grocery stores and an Ikea superstore saw their refrigerator temperatures soar on Monday, with several of the firms involved confirming they had been hit by a cyberattack.

It is the latest in a series of cyberattacks on store refrigerators and suspicious actions around the supermarkets across Europe.

A handful of Swedish supermarkets saw temperatures in their refrigerators and freezers soar early Monday, Swedish chains Ica and Coop said without giving a cause.

Major French retailers said on Oct 12 that hundreds of store refrigeration systems were hit by a cyberattack, which forced them to throw out spoiled food and raised food security fears.

Carrefour Belgium reported disruption in about 15 of its 700 stores in Belgium. "It's a cyberattack, there is no other reason," said Mich Vergauwen, a spokesman for Carrefour Belgium.

An Ikea Belgium spokeswoman likewise said a cyberattack hit its store in Mons, southwestern Belgium, causing the temperature of freezers to rise suddenly in the early hours of Monday.

It is the only Ikea store affected because it uses a different service provider than others in Belgium, the spokeswoman added, without identifying the provider.

The Delhaize supermarket chain meanwhile said refrigeration systems in "dozens" of its stores were affected by an IT incident.

Delhaize did not specify the cause, but an AFP correspondent visiting one shop at Bortmeerbeek, northeast of Brussels, saw refrigerators and freezers empty with a sign blaming hackers.

"Due to cyberattacks, there will be no products on the refrigerated or freezer shelves. We offer our sincere apologies," Delhaize said.

The Colruyt and Intermarche supermarket chains likewise told AFP they had been hit by technical problems affecting fridges in five and around 15 stores respectively, without confirming if a cyberattack was suspected.

"In some cases, it involved only a single refrigerator, so the impact was quite limited," an Intermarche spokesman said, adding that the incidents took place overnight Sunday-to-Monday.

The issue is not limited to Belgium.

The Swedish chains ICA and Coop said they were looking into the cause of their temperature soars that forced them to throw away food.

One ICA store at Sjobo in southern Sweden posted on Facebook, however, that its fridges and freezers had "been hacked and they set the temperature at 50 degrees" Celsius.

More than 500 supermarkets were targeted in the French attack on Oct 12. The equipment was provided by Danish company, Danfoss.

PETALING JAYA: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) tidak akan melayan sebarang cadangan untuk membentuk pakatan dengan mana-mana parti poltik dari Semenanjung menjelang pilihan raya negeri itu akan datang.

Jurucakap GPS, Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, berkata landskap politik Sarawak berbeza daripada peringkat persekutuan, apabila kerjasama antara parti tidak semestinya diterjemahkan kepada pakatan pilihan raya di negeri itu, lapor Dayak Daily.

Karim berkata Pengerusi GPS, Abang Johari Openg, sudah menyatakan bahawa gabungan itu akan bertanding di semua 82 kerusi di Sarawak.

"Oleh itu, GPS akan bertanding secara sendirian. Jadi, jika PKR mahu bekerjasama, sudah agak terlambat untuk berbuat demikian.

“Kami akan tetap menganggap anda sebagai pembangkang,” katanya seperti dipetik.

Karim berkata prinsip yang sama turut terpakai kepada parti seperti DAP, PAS, Bersatu dan Amanah.

Karim, yang juga ketua penerangan Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu, mempersoalkan kemungkinan Sarawak bergantung kepada parti yang berpangkalan di Malaysia Barat, sambil berkata keputusan penting yang memberi kesan kepada negeri itu akhirnya mungkin memerlukan kelulusan kepimpinan nasional.

“Itu bukan bentuk kerjasama yang kami mahukan. Mengapa kita perlu melalui pelbagai peringkat sedemikian sedangkan kita mempunyai parti-parti Sarawak sendiri yang boleh membuat keputusan di sini demi kebaikan dan kesejahteraan rakyat?” katanya.

DUN Sarawak dibubarkan pada 26 Okt, sekali gus membuka laluan kepada PRN ke-13 diadakan dalam tempoh 60 hari akan datang.

BRUSSELS: Michael Carrick brushed off suggestions he has just two games left as Manchester United boss as he prepares his underperforming side for Tuesday's Champions League clash against Roma.

Carrick's position at Old Trafford is increasingly precarious following Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Chelsea, which extended United's winless run in all competitions to nine games -- their longest such run in 42 years.

The club are just one place above the Premier League relegation zone after taking a mere seven points from their nine matches so far this season.

They are 20th in the Champions League table following a dismal 4-1 defeat away at Como last month. Only the top 24 teams will progress beyond the league phase.

Former United and England midfielder Carrick was asked at his pre-match press conference on Monday whether he felt he had just two games left at the helm - the match against Roma and Sunday's clash with Aston Villa.

There is an international break after the Villa game.

"No, not at all," said the 45-year-old, in his first full season in charge of United. "If you look into the future, you never know what's going to happen.

"I don't know what's going to happen. That doesn't change the way I feel, how we're preparing for the game tomorrow.

"I'm actually really looking forward to the game, can't wait for the game tomorrow. You might think I'm crazy with the results we've had and what's going on, but I genuinely can't wait," he said.

Carrick said the dressing room was in "a good place" despite the terrible start to the season.

"Perception is a funny thing. You can make things look all sorts of different ways and think about all sorts of different things," he said.

"I've said it before, the commitment of the players to the club, to me, to each other, I don't question that at all. We need to play better, we can make better decisions, but commitment is not a thing at all," he added.

He defended United's Argentine centre-back Lisandro Martinez, who was sent off in United's defeat at Stamford Bridge.

"Things happen in football, sometimes you do things, sometimes you make decisions, sometimes you make mistakes, sometimes it goes well for you, but the commitment is not an issue for sure."

Carrick has happy personal memories of facing Roma as a member of Alex Ferguson's team, scoring twice in United's 7-1 quarter-final second-leg triumph in the Champions League in 2007.

"It was a magical night, I have to say," he recalled. "It was one of the best nights, one of the best games, one of the best atmospheres I've been fortunate enough to witness.

"The fact that I scored a couple and that was very unusual gives me great memories, but it was more the emotion of the night, I have to say, it was a special one," he said.

KUALA LUMPUR: Former national bowler Shirley Chow died in Ipoh, Perak, yesterday at the age of 76 after battling lung cancer.

The Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC), which confirmed her death earlier today, said her passing was a great loss for the bowling community.

“Chow was a respected figure in Malaysian bowling, having contributed to the sport both as an athlete and a coach.

“Her dedication, passion, and commitment to bowling will be fondly remembered by the Malaysian bowling fraternity and all those whose lives she touched throughout her journey in the sport,” it said in an Instagram post.

At the 1989 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, Chow won silver medals in the women’s doubles with Pearly Chong, and the trios with Chong and Lily Chua.

In 1991 in Manila, she took silver in the singles and gold in the doubles with Lisa Kwan.

In 1993 in Singapore, she won gold in the trios with Shalin Zulkifli and Kwan, gold in the team event, and the all-events title, along with silver in the singles.

Chow won gold in the women’s trios at the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima, Japan, with Lydia Kwah and Shalin, and silver in the doubles with Kwah.

After ending her career as an athlete, she served as a coach in Perak.

In October last year, the MTBC presented Chow with the RM5,000 cash prize promised when she was named Sportswoman of the Year in 1979.

PETALING JAYA: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) will not entertain any proposal for an alliance with any peninsula-based party in the coming state election.

The coalition’s spokesman, Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said Sarawak’s political landscape differs from the federal level, where cooperation between parties does not automatically translate into electoral partnerships in the state, the Dayak Daily reported.

Karim said that GPS chairman Abang Johari Openg had already stated the coalition would contest all 82 seats in Sarawak.

GPS, therefore, would contest on its own, Karim said.

“So, if PKR says it wants to collaborate, it is a bit too late for that.

“We will still treat you as the opposition,” he was quoted as saying.

Karim said the same principle applied to parties like DAP, PAS, Bersatu and Amanah.

Karim, who is also Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu information chief, questioned the prospect of Sarawak relying on West Malaysia-based parties, saying major decisions affecting the state could ultimately require approval from the national leadership.

“That is not the kind of arrangement we want.

“Why should we go through such layers when we have our own Sarawak parties that can make decisions here for the good and wellbeing of the people?”

The Sarawak legislative assembly was dissolved on Oct 26, paving the way for the 13th state election to be held within the next 60 days.

BARCELONA: Barcelona winger Anthony Gordon insisted on Monday that his team are not below the likes of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Real Madrid, despite recent defeats by both sides.

Hansi Flick's side were unbeaten until facing European champions PSG on Oct 20, but lost 4-2 in Paris before a 2-1 Clasico defeat at home on Oct 25 by Madrid.

Spanish title holders Barcelona last won the Champions League in 2015 and questions remain about their ability on the biggest occasions.

"I don't think they're above (us). We have to take responsibility for both losses because they're the two biggest games we played so far this season and we lost, but I don't think they're above us," Gordon told reporters.

"I think we're a fantastic team and on any given day we can beat anybody. In these two games, the PSG game has a bit of context... on the weekend in their league they rested their whole team.

"We didn't have this privilege, so we were really tired in the game. This is normal, fine, we have to take responsibility, but I think they had a massive advantage with this," Gordon said.

Gordon said his team deserved to win the Clasico, which Real Madrid claimed with a late goal from Kylian Mbappe as Barca's defence crumbled.

"Madrid is the one game, the most important game we want to win. For me, we should have," continued Gordon.

"For me were there much better team in the game, we had all the ball, all the possession, the better chances, but we were a slight bit off our best game. It cost us in the end, we conceded two very bad goals.

"Against this kind of opposition and this level of player, it can really hurt you in these games. We'll learn for next time, and I'm really excited to play these types of teams again to show what we can do," Gordon said.

Barca host Premier League side Aston Villa on Tuesday as they aim to get back on track in the Champions League, before visiting Atletico Madrid on Sunday in La Liga.

"I'm always motivated the same... the fact they're English doesn't make it more motivating for me," said Gordon ahead of Villa's visit to Camp Nou.

"They're a very good team... they have a great coach (Unai Emery), one of the best in the world... it's going to be a very difficult game," Gordon said.

Villa hold a 100% record so far in the Champions League, defeating Viking, Fenerbahce and Club Brugge.

Barcelona signed Gordon from Newcastle in the summer for a fee which could rise to €80 million (US$89m).

The 25-year-old has three goals and five assists in 13 appearances for Barcelona across all competitions, but said his best is yet to come.

"It's a big change, a new team, it's been a massive change for me and my family," added Gordon.

"I've started well, but like I've said numerous times, I can do more. It will take some time to grow, feel settled, and then when this happens I think you'll see the very best of me, which you definitely haven't seen so far," Gordon said.

PETALING JAYA: Seorang pemimpin Parti Rakyat India Malaysia (MIPP) menolak tanggapan bahawa keputusan tidak bertanding pada PRN Melaka sebagai satu tindakan boikot selepas gagal mencapai persetujuan dengan kepimpinan Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Ketua Penerangan MIPP Justin Prabakaran menegaskan bahawa jentera parti itu tetap membantu kempen PN dan Barisan Nasional (BN) khusus calon MIC yang bertanding di Gadek supaya masyarakat India mempunyai wakil dalam DUN dan seterusnya dilantik dalam barisan exco.

Katanya, MIPP sanggup mengetepikan perbezaan politik bagi memastikan kepentingan masyarakat India terus mendapat tempat dalam kerajaan negeri yang bakal dibentuk.

“MIPP akan membantu kempen calon PN dan BN. Walaupun tidak bertanding, kami akan berusaha memastikan kemenangan calon-calon yang kami sokong daripada kedua-dua gabungan,” katanya kepada FMT.

Menurut Justin, Presiden MIPP P Punithan, ahli jawatankuasa pusat dan pimpinan negeri turut hadir pada hari penamaan calon bagi memberikan sokongan kepada calon PAS, Wawasan dan Gerakan.

"MIPP juga sudah memulakan aktiviti kempen bersama calon PN dan BN," katanya.

Minggu lalu, Punithan berkata MIPP tidak akan menyertai PRN Melaka selepas gagal mencapai persetujuan dengan kepimpinan PN dan parti itu tidak akan menggadaikan prinsipnya semata-mata untuk mendapatkan kerusi dalam pilihan raya 14 Nov ini.

Tegasnya, perjuangan MIPP adalah mempertahankan kepentingan masyarakat India dengan penuh bermaruah dan prinsip, selain suara serta kepentingan masyarakat itu wajar mendapat pengiktirafan dan diwakili dalam landskap politik negara.

Semalam, penganalisis berkata keputusan MIPP itu mencerminkan rasa tidak puas hati terhadap kegagalan PN melindungi kepentingan parti komponennya.

Mazlan Ali dari Universiti Teknologi Malaysia berkata, tindakan itu juga berisiko mengukuhkan persepsi bahawa PN masih berpihak kepada kepentingan politik Melayu-Islam dan menyerlahkan kekurangan pengaruh parti komponen bukan Melayu PN dalam rundingan pembahagian kerusi dengan BN.

BN meletakkan S Nadarajah sebagai calon di Gadek, menggantikan penyandang VP Shanmugam. Kerusi itu mempunyai kira-kira 17% pengundi India dan menyaksikan saingan empat penjuru pada PRN kali ini.

MIPP tidak meletakkan calon dalam PRN Melaka selepas membuat penampilan sulung pada PRN Johor tahun ini, apabila semua lima calonnya gagal memenangi kerusi dan hilang deposit.

PETALING JAYA: The Seremban High Court today rejected an application by Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) secretary Raja Norazli Raja Nordin to intervene in an originating summons filed by 10 former Negeri Sembilan executive council members over the interpretation of the state constitution.

Justice Roz Mawar Rozain said during an online hearing that the DKU secretary had no personal interest in the case, Sinar Harian reported.

However, she allowed the DKU itself to intervene and named the institution as the third defendant, with its involvement limited to relevant issues to be determined later.

The originating summons filed by the 10 assemblymen names the Negeri Sembilan state secretary and the state government as the first two defendants.

Roz Mawar said the interest raised in the application was that of the DKU as an institution, rather than that of its secretary in his individual capacity.

She said the DKU’s involvement was important to ensure that a decision could be made effectively and comprehensively, including on the issue of the “ruler” raised by the plaintiffs under Article 28(1) of the state constitution.

She agreed with the plaintiffs’ argument that the DKU had no function in the appointment or removal of exco members.

The court recorded the plaintiffs’ confirmation that the proceedings would continue without asking the court to determine the validity of the proclamation dated April 19, 2026, or who held the office of the Yang Dipertuan Besar.

The plaintiffs also applied for the proceedings to be adjourned pending the Federal Court’s decision on the constitutional issue.

The defendants sought time to respond to the application.

The court directed that affidavits be filed by Nov 6 and submissions by Nov 11, with the hearing set for Nov 16.

PETALING JAYA: Kementerian Kesihatan (KKM) menaik taraf skim perkhidmatan pemandu bagi memperkukuh keupayaan operasi logistik kesihatan termasuk perkhidmatan ambulans.

Menteri Kesihatan Dzulkefly Ahmad, berkata langkah itu membabitkan penstrukturan skim pemandu kenderaan kepada perkhidmatan kemahiran (H) di bawah Sistem Saraan Perkhidmatan Awam (SSPA).

“Langkah penstrukturan ini amat penting bagi memastikan pemandu ambulans kita bukan sahaja mahir, malah dilengkapi kemahiran pelbagai yang mematuhi standard kecemasan tertinggi demi keselamatan nyawa pesakit,” katanya dalam hantaran Facebook.

Beliau berkata, pembantu khidmat am sedia ada yang melepasi saringan kompetensi juga dibenarkan menjalankan tugas pemanduan di fasiliti berkaitan bagi memastikan operasi perkhidmatan tidak terjejas.

“Ujian kompetensi pemanduan (UKP) bagi pengambilan baharu selesai dijalankan pada 27 Okt, manakala pengambilan dan penempatan pemandu berkemahiran akan dilaksanakan secara berperingkat mulai April 2027 dengan kerjasama Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam (SPA),” katanya.

Sebelum ini, KKM berkata perubahan skim itu memerlukan penelitian lebih rapi terhadap kelayakan calon bagi memastikan mereka benar-benar sesuai dan kompeten menjalankan tugas pemanduan, khususnya ambulans.

Kementerian turut memberi jaminan perkhidmatan logistik kesihatan termasuk ambulans terus beroperasi dengan kapasiti yang optimum, sementara proses pengambilan baharu dilaksanakan.

Dalam pada itu, KKM mempunyai 8,863 jawatan pemandu di seluruh negara, dengan 7,687 daripadanya telah diisi setakat 30 Sept, bersamaan kadar pengisian 86.7%.

Ini bermakna terdapat 1,176 kekosongan jawatan pemandu, termasuk bagi mengendalikan ambulans dan kenderaan lain milik fasiliti kesihatan awam.

Kekosongan itu dijangka berlarutan sehingga April 2027 susulan penangguhan pengambilan pada 2024 bagi memberi laluan kepada pelaksanaan skim baharu di bawah SSPA.

PETALING JAYA: The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) recorded RM88.83 billion in approved investments between January 2025 and June 2026, says economy minister Akmal Nasir.

He said these investments would create 28,755 job opportunities, Bernama reported.

Akmal also said 45% of the total approved investments, amounting to RM40.30 billion, had been realised, and this is expected to generate 12,796 jobs.

“We definitely want to keep this good momentum as it will benefit both countries, the people and businesses,” he was quoted as saying.

Akmal was speaking to reporters after co-chairing the inaugural Johor-Singapore Cooperation Ministerial Committee (JSCMC) with Singapore minister for national development Chee Hong Tat. 

Johor menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi was also present.

The JSCMC aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation, enhance coordination, and monitor the rollout of JS-SEZ initiatives.

In July, it was reported that Malaysia and Singapore were targeting 20,000 skilled jobs within the first five years of the JS-SEZ launch, with early demand expected in manufacturing, logistics, data centres, business services, energy, tourism and professional services. 

The JS-SEZ is a flagship cross-border economic initiative between Johor and Singapore aimed at boosting investment, economic integration, and high-value development in southern Johor. 

It covers the Iskandar development region, Forest City, the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex, and Desaru – a land area of 357,128ha. 

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his Singaporean counterpart, Lawrence Wong, are expected to launch the JS-SEZ blueprint and master plan by year end.

Commenting further, Akmal said the government expects the momentum to build next year once the blueprint is in place.

Meanwhile, Chee said the upcoming JS-SEZ blueprint represents the medium- to longer-term vision of what both countries want to achieve for the region.

BRUSSELS: Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever tendered his resignation to King Philippe on Monday over deadlocked budget talks, but the monarch deferred his decision until after a new meeting Friday.

The Flemish conservative has been locked in protracted coalition talks to agree a federal budget for next year, with the government seeking €10 billion (US$11.6 billion) in savings by 2029 to reduce the country's high deficit.

The latest talks broke down hours before De Wever put forward his resignation.

"The king is withholding his decision and will launch discussions tomorrow with the different party leaders of the governing coalition," said a royal statement, adding that De Wever would be received again on Friday.

Belgium "cannot afford a prolonged political crisis," the palace warned. "The king regrets the lack of agreement to give the country a credible budget that meets the current challenges".

"The king therefore calls on everyone to show a sense of responsibility and urges all parties involved to put the general interest and the spirit of compromise first," it added.

De Wever has led a five-party centre-right coalition since February 2025.

A similar budget impasse occurred a year ago, when De Wever nearly tendered his resignation to the king.

The government is seeking billions in savings and new revenue to reduce Belgium's budget deficit, which exceeds five percent of GDP.

Its plan relies mainly on cuts in public spending, including healthcare spending, but also includes a VAT increase that has been strongly opposed by one coalition partner.

That party, the French-speaking liberal MR party, is firmly against further tax hikes, which it says would fuel inflation.

The talks are taking place under pressure from trade unions, which have been mobilising for months against austerity measures.

Rolling protests have brought tens of thousands of people into the streets.

PETALING JAYA: Mahkamah Tinggi Seremban membenarkan Dewan Keadilan dan Undang Negeri Sembilan (DKU) dimasukkan sebagai defendan ketiga dalam saman pemula difailkan berhubung isu pembatalan pelantikan 10 bekas exco.

Namun, Hakim Roz Mawar Rozain menolak permohonan Setiausaha DKU Raja Norazli Raja Nordin untuk dimasukkan sebagai defendan dalam saman itu atas kapasiti peribadi beliau selepas memutuskan beliau gagal membuktikan sebarang hak atau liabiliti undang-undang peribadi yang akan terjejas secara langsung.

Dalam penghakimannya, Roz Mawar berkata DKU telah membuktikan wujud kepentingan undang-undang secara langsung yang berlandaskan Undang-undang Tubuh Kerajaan Negeri Sembilan (UUTKNS) berhubung perkara yang menjadi subjek saman pemula itu, menurut Bernama.

"Pertama, saya mendapati bahawa perintah yang mengenal pasti Undang yang memegang jawatan pada 20 Sept akan dibuat berdasarkan nasihat DKU bertarikh 1 Ogos dan 13 Sept atau sebaliknya, dan sama ada nasihat itu bersifat mutlak serta tidak boleh dicabar di bawah Perkara 16(3) UUTKNS adalah persoalan yang menyentuh fungsi perlembagaan DKU secara langsung," katanya pada prosiding itu yang dijalankan melalui aplikasi Zoom.

Beliau juga berkata, memandangkan Undang adalah anggota DKU di bawah Perkara 17 UUTKNS maka sebarang deklarasi berhubung identiti mereka pada hakikatnya akan menentukan komposisi keanggotaan DKU itu sendiri.

“Ini adalah kepentingan sah yang berlandaskan UUTKNS, bukannya kepentingan komersial...ia timbul daripada perkara pokok dalam saman pemula itu sendiri seperti yang ditakrifkan dalam permohonan 3 soalan 5 serta keterangan plaintif sendiri, bukannya daripada pertikaian lain yang berkaitan.

“Oleh itu, kehadiran DKU sememangnya perlu bagi memastikan perkara ini, yang mungkin dibangkitkan, dapat diputuskan secara berkesan dan menyeluruh,” katanya.

Semua bekas exco telah memfailkan saman pemula berhubung tafsiran UUTKNS dan menamakan setiausaha kerajaan negeri dan kerajaan Negeri Sembilan sebagai defendan.

Mahkamah mengambil maklum bahawa walaupun DKU tidak mempunyai sebarang peranan berkaitan pelantikan atau pembatalan jawatan Exco, kepentingannya terletak pada tafsiran dan pemakaian istilah 'Raja Pemerintah' dalam Perkara 28(1) UUTKNS, sebagaimana dibangkitkan pihak terlibat.

Susulan keputusan itu, Roz Mawar merekodkan pengesahan daripada peguam plaintif bahawa saman pemula berkenaan akan diteruskan tanpa meminta mahkamah menentukan kesahihan pemasyhuran bertarikh 19 April ataupun menentukan pihak yang memegang jawatan Yang Dipertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan.

Terdahulu, peguam Syed Faisal Al-Edros Syed Abdullah, yang mewakili semua plaintif, berhujah permohonan mencelah itu hendaklah ditolak atas alasan mereka gagal membuktikan sebarang hak atau kepentingan undang-undang secara langsung berkaitan perkara yang menjadi subjek saman pemula berkenaan.

Beliau berkata, saman pemula itu hanya menyentuh isu Perlembagaan, iaitu kesahihan pembatalan pelantikan semua plaintif sebagai exco di bawah Perkara 28, Perkara 38 dan Perkara 40 UUTKNS yang sama sekali berbeza daripada dakwaan penghinaan mahkamah yang dibangkitkan dalam satu lagi saman pemula.

Plaintif turut diwakili peguam Azhar Azizan Harun, Mohd Hafarizam Harun, Norhazira Abu Haiyan, dan Muhammad Luqman Hakeem Abas.

Peguam Steven Thiru, yang mewakili DKU dan Raja Norazli, pula membantah hujah itu atas alasan pihak yang berdepan permohonan bagi kebenaran memulakan prosiding komital perlu terlebih dahulu mematuhi perintah mahkamah sebelum memohon remedi perlembagaan substantif di mahkamah lain.

Beliau juga berhujah bahawa DKU, sebagai badan perlembagaan negeri yang penting terdiri daripada para Undang di bawah Perkara 28(1) UUTKNS, memiliki kepentingan undang-undang yang jelas untuk turut serta dalam prosiding itu.

DKU turut diwakili peguam-peguam David Mathew, Shafrin Halim, dan Gurjeevan Singh.

Roz Mawar kemudian menetapkan 16 Nov untuk mendengar bantahan awal defendan yang mencabar penggunaan saman pemula bagi memulakan prosiding itu atas alasan perkara tersebut sepatutnya dibawa ke mahkamah melalui permohonan semakan kehakiman.

PETALING JAYA: Google memperuntukkan USD160 juta (RM651 juta) membiayai pembangunan infrastruktur bekalan air guna sama baharu di Negeri Sembilan bagi memenuhi keperluan masyarakat setempat serta menyokong operasi pusat datanya yang bakal beroperasi di Springhill Industrial Park, Port Dickson.

Syarikat teknologi multinasional Amerika Syarikat itu dalam kenyataan, berkata projek itu melibatkan pembinaan sebuah takungan simpanan air luar sungai serta loji rawatan air yang mampu menghasilkan 65 juta liter air terawat sehari apabila mula beroperasi.

Projek itu akan dilaksanakan oleh Gamuda Bhd dengan kerjasama kerajaan negeri Sembilan dan Syarikat Air Negeri Sembilan Sdn Bhd (SAINS).

“Setelah siap, kemudahan berkenaan akan dimiliki oleh Menteri Besar Negeri Sembilan (Pemerbadanan) (MBINS), sebuah badan berkanun di bawah kerajaan negeri yang bertanggungjawab menguruskan aset negeri,” menurut kenyataan dipetik Bernama.

Terletak di sepanjang Sungai Linggi, takungan simpanan air luar sungai itu direka bentuk untuk menakung lebihan aliran sungai dan air hujan, khususnya ketika kadar aliran air tinggi bagi membantu mengurangkan risiko banjir di kawasan sekitar yang mudah dilanda bencana alam berkenaan.

Air mentah yang disimpan itu kemudiannya akan disalurkan ke loji rawatan untuk dirawat, sebelum dibekalkan bagi kegunaan domestik dan komersial.

Ketika aliran air berkurangan, loji berkenaan boleh menggunakan bekalan air daripada simpanan takungan itu secara langsung bagi memastikan bekalan air kepada masyarakat setempat kekal terjamin tanpa menjejaskan aliran semula jadi sungai.

Google memberitahu, pembangunan infrastruktur digitalnya di Negeri Sembilan akan merangkumi kampus pusat data yang dirancang, infrastruktur bekalan air guna sama serta program pendidikan dan pembangunan tenaga kerja yang disasarkan.

Syarikat itu juga akan menanggung sepenuhnya kos elektrik yang digunakan oleh kampus pusat datanya serta kos infrastruktur secara langsung yang diperlukan untuk menghubungkan kemudahan berkenaan kepada grid elektrik selain mematuhi semua peraturan tempatan yang berkuat kuasa.

Komitmen syarikat itu terhadap Negeri Sembilan akan meliputi fasa pembinaan serta keseluruhan tempoh operasi kampus pusat data itu yang dijangka merentasi selama beberapa dekad.

Kampus pusat data yang dirancang di Port Dickson tersebut direka khusus untuk menjadi antara pusat data paling cekap tenaga di dunia.

Apabila mula beroperasi nanti, keupayaan pengkomputeran canggihnya akan menyokong perkhidmatan Google termasuk Search, Maps dan Chrome yang digunakan setiap hari oleh jutaan individu dan organisasi di seluruh Malaysia.

Sementara itu, Pengarah dan Ketua Infrastruktur Global dan Tenaga Google bagi Asia Pasifik Drew Byrnes berkata pembiayaan bagi pembangunan infrastruktur bekalan air guna sama itu mencerminkan aspirasi global syarikat untuk mengembalikan 120% daripada jumlah air tawar digunakannya.

Beliau memberitahu, meskipun penilaian risiko air Google menunjukkan bahawa sumber air tempatan tidak berisiko tinggi untuk mengalami kekurangan atau penyusutan, syarikat itu kekal komited untuk berkembang secara lestari menerusi usaha pengisian semula sumber air, penambahbaikan infrastruktur bekalan elektrik serta pembangunan kemahiran.

PETALING JAYA: Google will spend US$160 million (RM651 million) on new shared water infrastructure in Negeri Sembilan to support the needs of the local community and its upcoming data centre at Springhill Industrial Park in Port Dickson.

The US multinational technology corporation said the project would involve the construction of an off-river storage reservoir and a water treatment plant capable of producing 65 million litres of potable water daily once operational.

It said the project would be carried out by Gamuda Bhd in partnership with the Negeri Sembilan government and Syarikat Air Negeri Sembilan Sdn Bhd.

“Upon completion, the facilities will be owned by Menteri Besar Negeri Sembilan (Incorporated), a statutory body under the state government responsible for managing state assets,” the corporation was quoted as saying by Bernama today.

Located along Sungai Linggi, the off-river storage reservoir is designed to capture excess river flow and rainfall, particularly during periods of high water yield, to help mitigate flood risks in surrounding flood-prone areas.

The stored raw water will be channelled to the treatment plant for purification before being supplied for domestic and commercial use.

During periods of lower water yield, the plant can draw directly from the reservoir's reserves to maintain a reliable water supply for the community without disrupting the river’s natural flow.

Google said its digital infrastructure development in Negeri Sembilan would feature shared water infrastructure, a planned data centre campus, and targeted education and workforce development programmes.

It said it would also bear the full cost of electricity consumed by its data centre campus, as well as the infrastructure costs of connecting the facility to the power grid.

Once operational, the planned data centre campus in Port Dickson will power Google services such as Search, Maps and Chrome.

Google’s director and head of global infrastructure and energy for Asia Pacific, Drew Byrnes, said the funding reflected the company’s ambition to replenish 120% of the freshwater volume it consumed.

He said that although Google’s water risk assessment showed local water sources were not at high risk of scarcity or depletion, the company remains committed to sustainable growth through water replenishment, power infrastructure enhancements and skills development.

Invest Negeri Sembilan CEO Najmuddin Sharif Sarimon also said the planned data centre marked a significant milestone in the state's efforts to become a competitive destination for high-value digital infrastructure investment.

AMMAN: Jordan's King Abdullah II on Monday said there would be no security in the Middle East region until the Palestinians' right to a homeland is fulfilled.

"We reiterate, time and again, that there can be no security or stability in our region without upholding the Palestinian people's right to their homeland," he said at the opening of Jordan's parliament.

Jordan neighbours Israel and the occupied West Bank. It has long advocated for a two-state solution, and signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.

"Despite international calls for an end to Israel's violations, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza continues, as do the relentless attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem, whilst Israel's expansionist ambitions remain the greatest threat to the region's future and hopes," the king said.

The speech came days after Israel held a legislative election which saw prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party win the most votes, but still fall short of a majority.

It also follows threats of a renewed conflict in the wider region, with Iran vowing to hit back should the US and Israel renew strikes against the Islamic republic.

KUALA LUMPUR: Polis mengesahkan tiada unsur perkauman atau samseng dalam kejadian rusuhan membabitkan sekumpulan individu di hadapan sebuah kafe di Desa Tun Razak, Sungai Besi, malam semalam.

Ketua Polis Cheras Mohd Rosdi Daud berkata kejadian itu disyaki berpunca daripada perselisihan faham berhubung perebutan kawasan perniagaan, namun siasatan lanjut masih dijalankan.

“Tiada unsur perkauman dan penglibatan kongsi gelap dalam kejadian itu. Kita minta orang ramai supaya tidak membuat spekulasi,” katanya pada sidang media di IPD Cheras.

Rosdi berkata polis menahan sembilan individu termasuk seorang wanita berusia 16 hingga 44 tahun dan merampas pelbagai barangan disyaki berkaitan kejadian itu.

Beliau berkata siasatan lanjut mendapati dua daripada individu itu, berusia 32 dan 44 tahun ialah suspek utama kejadian itu.

Rosdi berkata semakan mendapati enam daripada mereka memiliki rekod jenayah lampau berkaitan kes jenayah dan dadah.

Beliau berkata polis juga sedang mengesan kira-kira 15 lagi individu yang disyaki terbabit dalam kejadian tersebut.

“Semua suspek direman antara satu hingga tiga hari bermula hari ini bagi membantu siasatan mengikut Seksyen 148 Kanun Keseksaan,” katanya.

Terdahulu, Ketua Polis Kuala Lumpur Fadil Marsus mengesahkan sembilan individu ditahan di sekitar lokasi pergaduhan membabitkan sekumpulan individu pada kira-kira 11 malam tadi.

WASHINGTON: More than 200 people sustained gunshot wounds in the US over the Halloween weekend, with at least 76 fatalities, according to data from analysts, while local law enforcement officials informed RIA Novosti that several holiday-themed parties had ended with mass hospitalisations.

In 2026, Oct 31 — All Hallows' Eve — fell on a Saturday, a relatively rare occurrence, it last happened in 2020, and the next time will be in 2037.

The holiday is celebrated extensively in the US featuring city-wide parades and large-scale costume events.

According to analysts and media reports, the string of incidents began on Friday morning in Tennessee, where a teenager brought a handgun to a high school.

No one was killed, and the teen now faces charges for illegal weapons possession.

In a southern neighborhood of Chicago, a 35-year-old man was shot and killed during an argument, footage from the scene shows a private home decorated for Halloween.

In a small town in Missouri, a dispute at a house party escalated into a shooting, in which a 22-year-old wounded an 18-year-old.

The list of incidents also includes cases involving the use of firearms during episodes of domestic violence.

The police department in Fairfield, California, told RIA Novosti that a shooting had taken place at a local shopping mall, near a store selling Halloween costumes.

Six people, ranging in age from 16 to 43, were injured, and a 31-year-old pregnant woman was killed, law enforcement officials said.

The sheriff's office in Eureka, Montana, told RIA Novosti that a deputy sheriff had been killed in a shootout on Friday evening.

Officers responded to a call when an assailant opened fire; another officer was also wounded.

In Alabama, two people were killed during a shooting at an apartment complex.

Four people were hospitalised on Saturday morning in Kansas, the Wichita Police Department told RIA Novosti. One of the victims was struck in the face by a stray bullet.

Overnight into Sunday, a shooting occurred near the University of Delaware campus, leaving six people wounded.

In Dallas, Texas, four people were shot and killed and 15 others were wounded overnight; police reported three separate, unrelated incidents.

In another Texas city, seven people were hospitalised with gunshot wounds sustained at a birthday party.

In Florida, a 20-year-old was killed and nine others, including a 15-year-old girl, were wounded at a party, according to the Jacksonville police. In Illinois, a 19-year-old was killed and eight others were wounded.

In total, according to analysts, 201 people have been wounded and 76 have been killed in firearm-related incidents across the US since Friday.

PETALING JAYA: Police have ruled out racial and gang-related elements in a group brawl outside a cafe in Desa Tun Razak, Sungai Besi, last night.

Cheras police chief Rosdi Daud said preliminary investigations suggested that the incident arose from a business turf dispute, but investigations are ongoing to establish the actual cause.

“We urge the public not to speculate as investigations are still ongoing,” he was quoted by Bernama as saying at the Cheras police headquarters today.

Rosdi said police had arrested nine people, including a woman, aged between 16 and 44, to assist in the investigation. They also seized several items believed to have been used in the incident.

He said two of those arrested, aged 32 and 44, were identified as the main suspects.

“All nine were remanded for between one and three days. Six had records for criminal and drug-related offences,” he said, adding that police were tracking down 15 others believed to have been involved in the incident.

The case is being investigated under Section 148 of the Penal Code for rioting with weapons.

Earlier, Kuala Lumpur police chief Fadil Marsus confirmed that a team from the Sungai Besi police station’s mobile patrol vehicle unit and the Cheras police headquarters’ criminal investigation division had arrested nine people.

The arrests were made near the scene after police received information about a fight involving a group of people at about 11pm.

PETALING JAYA: Calon MCA di Bandar Hilir pada PRN Melaka, Jasmine Lok, menjemput saingannya daripada DAP, Leng Chau Yen, untuk satu 'perbincangan bertulis' di Facebook, susulan kebimbangan berhubung masalah pertuturan dihadapi Leng.

Dalam hantaran di Facebook, Lok berkata, beliau 'sama sekali tidak berniat membuli Leng' dan jemputan awalnya untuk berdebat bukanlah dibuat demi publisiti peribadi.

"Setelah mendengar ucapan-ucapannya, saya merasakan beliau mempunyai bakat cukup besar dalam pengucapan awam dan perdebatan. Saya dimaklumkan pada awalnya bahawa Leng bersetuju menerima jemputan saya.

"Saya mengakui bahawa kemahiran berdebat Leng berkemungkinan besar mengatasi saya. Tujuan sebenar debat ini adalah untuk membolehkan rakyat mendapat pemahaman yang lebih mendalam mengenai isu menjejaskan kehidupan dan mata pencarian mereka di Melaka, khususnya di Bandar Hilir," katanya.

Ia susulan Setiausaha Agung DAP Loke Siew Fook mengkritik Presiden MCA Wee Ka Siong kerana mencabar Leng, yang mempunyai masalah pertuturan untuk berdebat dengan Lok, sambil menuduhnya 'pembuli'.

Loke, yang juga menteri pengangkutan mencabar Wee, yang pernah memegang portfolio berkenaan sebelum ini untuk berdebat mengenai pencapaian mereka ketika menerajui kementerian itu sebagai ganti.

Namun, Lok mempertahankan Wee sambil menyatakan beliau sekadar menyuarakan sokongan terhadap jemputan debatnya kepada Leng.

Mencadangkan 'perbincangan bertulis' di Facebook, beliau sendiri akan mengemukakan soalan berkaitan isu Bandar Hilir dan kawasan sekitarnya untuk dijawab Leng.

“Leng akan mempunyai peluang luas menjawab semua soalan saya dan mengemukakan soalannya sendiri mengenai Bandar Hilir.

“Debat ini tidak akan terlalu formal atau tegar, dan kedua pihak akan dapat bertukar fikiran secara terbuka, membina, dan bermakna,” katanya.

Lok berkata, tujuan debat itu bukanl untuk 'menentukan kemahiran berdebat siapa yang lebih unggul atau siapa yang akan menang atau kalah'.

“Objektif kami adalah untuk meletakkan kepentingan rakyat di hadapan dan memberi mereka peluang untuk lebih memahami pelbagai isu yang menyentuh kehidupan harian mereka secara langsung. Satu-satunya pemenang dalam debat ini adalah para pengundi,” katanya.

KUALA LUMPUR: Sebanyak 71.88% jawatan pengurusan dan profesional persekutuan di Sabah diisi anak tempatan, manakala kadar di Sarawak adalah 87.10%, menurut Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Hal Ehwal Sabah dan Sarawak) Mustapha Sakmud.

Beliau berkata angka itu berdasarkan data Sistem Maklumat Pengurusan Sumber Manusia (HRMIS) Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) sehingga 12 Okt.

"Kerajaan persekutuan terus menyokong dasar Borneonisasi dengan memberi keutamaan kepada anak negeri Sabah dan Sarawak untuk berkhidmat di negeri kelahiran masing-masing,” katanya ketika menggulung perbahasan bagi kementerian itu di Dewan Rakyat.

Mustapha berkata JPA turut mengadakan sesi libat urus bersama pengurus sumber manusia kementerian dan jabatan berkaitan bagi menerangkan prosedur penempatan pegawai perkhidmatan bukan gunasama yang perlu mengutamakan pegawai kelahiran Sabah dan Sarawak.

“Sesi libat urus ini adalah bagi memastikan dasar Borneonisasi dilaksanakan lebih menyeluruh,” katanya.

Dalam perkembangan berkaitan, beliau berkata kerajaan persekutuan turut memperkukuh pemantauan Perjanjian Malaysia 1963 (MA63) menerusi papan pemuka status pelaksanaan perjanjian itu.

“Papan pemuka status pelaksanaan perkara di bawah MA63 telah diluncurkan pada 28 Jan dan diintegrasikan melalui portal rasmi Bahagian Hal Ehwal Sabah dan Sarawak (BHESS), Jabatan Perdana Menteri,” katanya.

Menurutnya, platform itu berfungsi sebagai sistem pemantauan bersepadu yang membolehkan penyelarasan pelaksanaan dibuat secara sistematik serta menyediakan maklumat terkini secara masa nyata kepada pihak berkepentingan.

“Kerajaan akan terus mengoptimumkan peruntukan BHESS tahun 2027 bagi memperkukuh penyelarasan, pemantauan dan tindakan susulan antara semua pihak berkaitan demi memastikan pelaksanaan keputusan MA63 dapat disegerakan mengikut bidang kuasa dan proses yang ditetapkan,” katanya.

PETALING JAYA: The US Senate has confirmed the nomination of Joshua Harris as the country's next ambassador to Malaysia.

According to the US Congress website, Harris was confirmed by the senate through a voice vote on Sept 30, Bernama reported.

Harris, from Maryland, is a career member of the US Senior Foreign Service and currently holds the rank of minister-counsellor.

His nomination was received from US president Donald Trump on July 21 before being referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The committee held a hearing on Sept 16 before being discharged from further consideration of the nomination by unanimous consent on Sept 30. The Senate considered and confirmed his nomination on the same day.

Harris served as deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs from July 18, 2022, to Aug 5, 2025, overseeing US relations with Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia.

The ambassadorial post in Kuala Lumpur has been vacant since February following the departure of Edgard D Kagan, who concluded his tenure as the 22nd US ambassador to Malaysia.

HONG KONG: Venus Williams suffered her 17th loss in a row in singles tennis with a straight-sets defeat to a player half her age at the Hong Kong Open on Monday.

The 46-year-old former world number one went down 6-2, 6-3 to fellow American Mary Stoiana in the opening round.

Williams, now ranked 597, let out a yell and stumbled when chasing a return in the first set, just about managing to stay on her feet but going down 5-2.

Stoiana, who is ranked 113, faced a crowd heavily in her opponent's favour but refused to relent in the second set to condemn Williams to another early exit.

Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, last won a singles match on the WTA Tour in July 2025.

She lost in straight sets at the Guangzhou Open to Austrian teenager Lilli Tagger last week.

Before that, Williams last played at the US Open in August-September, when she lost in the first round to Sofia Kenin, again without winning a set.

Williams reached the semi-finals of the Guangzhou doubles with Indonesia's Janice Tjen.

She is also in doubles action in Hong Kong.

The 23-year-old Stoiana faces top seed Sorana Cirstea of Romania or Russian-born Uzbek Maria Timofeeva in the last 16.

SINGAPORE: Singapore has denied investigating a Chinese executive reportedly close to Nvidia chief Jensen Huang, rejecting claims made in a Wall Street Journal report that authorities were "concerned" about possible Chinese espionage.

The Journal said in an article published on Friday that officials in the US, Taiwan and Singapore "have grown concerned" about the ties between the Nvidia boss and Alice Huang of Singapore-based data centre firm Megaspeed International.

The ties "potentially" gave "Beijing access to information about the world's most valuable artificial-intelligence chips", the report said.

Singapore's home affairs ministry said at the weekend that neither the government nor officials had expressed concerns about Alice Huang's ties to the Nvidia boss or suspicions she was a Chinese intelligence source.

"The WSJ article cites sources that Singapore officials were concerned with Alice Huang's close ties to Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang or her being an alleged Chinese intelligence source, and had separately investigated her ties to China," the ministry said in a statement issued Saturday.

"We would like to make clear that neither the Singapore Government nor its officials said this. And there were no such investigations conducted in respect of Alice Huang," it said.

Nvidia is the world's most valuable company thanks to the global drive to build data centres packed with specialist computer chips and other hardware that runs AI systems.

The Singaporean statement made no mention of a separate report by the New York Times which China described on Friday as "groundless speculation".

That report said that the Nvidia chief was the target of a Chinese spy plot and also mentioned his ties with Alice Huang.

AFP attempted to contact Megaspeed for comment on Friday, but when calling the phone number listed on its website, the person who answered said they were unfamiliar with the company and that the number was a residential line.

IPOH: Dua maut manakala seorang cedera parah dalam kemalangan membabitkan MPV jenis Perodua Alza dan bas persiaran di Lebuhraya Timur-Barat, berhampiran kawasan Rehat dan Rawat Banjaran Titiwangsa menghala ke Gerik.

Penolong Pengarah Bahagian Operasi Jabatan Bomba Perak, Sabarodzi Nor Ahmad berkata pihaknya menerima panggilan kecemasan berhubung insiden itu pada 1.40 tengah hari.

Beliau berkata Perodua Alza dinaiki tiga beranak, iaitu pemandu berusia 64 tahun, isterinya 58 tahun yang duduk di tempat penumpang hadapan dan anak lelaki 28 tahun di bahagian belakang.

“Anggota bomba menggunakan peralatan khas untuk mengeluarkan semua mangsa yang tersepit.

“Pemandu dan penumpang hadapan disahkan meninggal dunia di lokasi kejadian oleh petugas Kementerian Kesihatan,” katanya dalam kenyataan.

Sabarodzi berkata pemandu dan dua pembantu serta 30 penumpang bas persiaran itu tidak cedera.

Beliau berkata mayat diserahkan kepada polis untuk tindakan susulan manakala mangsa yang cedera parah dibawa ke Hospital Gerik.

PETALING JAYA: MCA’s candidate for the Bandar Hilir seat in the Melaka election, Jasmine Lok, has invited her DAP rival, Leng Chau Yen, to a “written discussion” on Facebook, following concerns about Leng’s speech impediment.

In a Facebook post today, Lok said she had “absolutely no intention of bullying Leng” and that her earlier invitation to debate was not extended for personal publicity.

“After listening to her speeches, I felt she had considerable talent in public speaking and debating. I was informed at the outset that Leng agreed to accept my invitation.

“I acknowledge that Leng's debating skills may well surpass mine. The real purpose of the debate is to enable the people to gain a deeper understanding of the issues affecting their lives and livelihoods in Melaka, particularly in Bandar Hilir,” she said.

This comes after DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook criticised MCA president Wee Ka Siong for daring Leng, who has a speech impediment, to debate Lok, accusing him of being a "bully".

Loke, the transport minister, challenged Wee, who previously held the portfolio, to a debate on their achievements in helming the ministry instead.

However, Lok defended Wee, saying he had merely expressed support for her invitation to a debate with Leng.

Proposing a “written discussion” on Facebook, she said she would raise questions about issues in Bandar Hilir and the surrounding areas for Leng to answer.

“Leng will have ample opportunity to answer all my questions and raise her own questions about issues in Bandar Hilir.

“The debate will not be overly formal or rigid, and both sides will be able to exchange views in an open, constructive and meaningful manner,” she said.

Lok said the objective of the debate was not to “determine whose debating skills are superior or who would win or lose”.

“Our objective is to put the people's interests first and give them an opportunity to better understand the various issues that directly affect their daily lives. The only winners in this debate will be the voters,” she said.

BOGOTÁ: A truck laden with explosives detonated in western Colombia on Sunday, killing four people, including a two-month-old baby, local officials said.

The bomb attack occurred near a military base in the town of Planadas, in the south of the Andean Tolima department.

Authorities said the explosion damaged a hospital and several homes.

"With deep sorrow, I report that the attack in Planadas has left a preliminary toll of four people deceased, including a baby girl of only two months old," Tolima governor Adriana Magali Matiz wrote on X.

Footage from the scene showed a woman screaming as a man pulled a small body from the rubble.

Planadas mayor Juan Camilo Hueje told a local radio station that multiple people wounded in the attack were taken to a local school for treatment.

It was not clear who was responsible for the bombing.

"What happened tonight in Planadas is of utmost gravity. A vile and criminal act that we reject with absolute forcefulness," Matiz, the governor, said on X.

"Attacking the civilian population and putting at risk the lives of our soldiers and the Tolima families is crossing a line that we will not tolerate," Matiz said.

Dalam politik, orang yang paling mendapat perhatian tidak semestinya orang yang paling meyakinkan untuk memimpin negara.

Itulah yang terlintas ketika saya mengikuti Forum Perniagaan dan Ekonomi SG4 di Pusat Konvensyen Kuala Lumpur baru-baru ini. Dalam kalangan pemimpin yang tampil, perhatian saya secara tidak dijangka tertumpu kepada Timbalan Menteri Besar Kelantan, Mohamed Fadzli Hassan.

Bukan kerana beliau paling popular, tetapi kerana caranya menyusun hujah dan membawa diri. Beliau tenang, tersusun dan tidak perlu meninggikan suara untuk menegaskan pendirian. Penampilan itu membuatkan saya tertanya-tanya: adakah PAS mempunyai bakat kepimpinan nasional yang belum diberikan perhatian secukupnya?

Sorakan dan keyakinan bukan perkara sama

Menteri Besar Kedah, Sanusi Nor, mempunyai kelebihan dalam politik massa. Beliau tahu menguasai pentas, mencuit emosi dan menggerakkan penyokong. Namun, menjadi perdana menteri memerlukan lebih daripada kebolehan menghidupkan suasana ceramah.

Seorang pemimpin negara mesti meyakinkan pelabur, berunding dengan pihak yang berbeza pendirian dan menjaga kepentingan rakyat yang tidak mengundinya. Pada hemat saya, inilah ujian yang masih perlu dilalui Sanusi: membuktikan bahawa pengaruh dalam kalangan penyokong boleh diterjemahkan kepada kepercayaan masyarakat yang lebih luas.

Menteri Besar Terengganu, Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar yang dikenali sebagai Dr Sam pula mempunyai profil lebih meyakinkan untuk dipertimbangkan. Latar belakang akademik dan kejuruteraan aeroangkasa, bersama pengalaman pentadbiran, memberikan asas kepada imej teknokratik.

Namun, kelayakan dan ketenangan juga bukan jaminan. Samsuri masih perlu menunjukkan bagaimana beliau mampu membina penerimaan merentas kaum, wilayah dan kecenderungan politik. Menjadi pilihan parti tidak semestinya bermakna sudah menjadi pilihan negara.

Fadzli wajar diuji

Di sinilah saya melihat ruang untuk Fadzli. Saya tidak mengenalinya secara mendalam dan tidak mendakwa rekod pentadbirannya mengatasi Samsuri. Apa yang menarik perhatian saya ialah potensi yang terserlah melalui disiplin komunikasi.

Beliau kelihatan selesa membicarakan persoalan ekonomi tanpa perlu menjadikan setiap hujah sebagai serangan politik. Pada pandangan saya, sikap sebegini wajar diberikan ruang dalam perbahasan kepimpinan nasional.

Tetapi ukuran mesti adil. Sekiranya sorakan tidak cukup untuk membuktikan kelayakan Sanusi, kekaguman saya terhadap satu penampilan Fadzli juga tidak boleh menjadi bukti bahawa beliau layak memimpin negara.

Justeru, berikan beliau lebih banyak ruang dalam forum nasional dan perbahasan dasar. Biarkan rakyat menilai pendiriannya tentang ekonomi, tadbir urus, hubungan antarabangsa dan masyarakat majmuk. Biarkan beliau menjawab soalan sukar, bukan sekadar berucap di hadapan khalayak yang bersetuju.

SG4 sendiri sepatutnya menjadi medan pembuktian untuk semua pemimpinnya. Ujiannya bukan sebesar mana aspirasi diumumkan, tetapi sama ada pelaburan dapat direalisasikan, pekerjaan berkualiti diwujudkan dan pendapatan rakyat ditingkatkan.

PAS tidak perlu mengetepikan tokoh sedia ada untuk memberikan peluang kepada bakat lain. Sebaliknya, parti itu perlu meluaskan penilaiannya melampaui populariti dan sambutan penyokong.

Sanusi mempunyai sorakan. Samsuri mempunyai nama. Fadzli mungkin mempunyai potensi yang belum diterokai sepenuhnya. Namun, ketiga-tiganya mesti dinilai dengan ukuran yang sama: rekod, pertimbangan dan keupayaan membina kepercayaan rakyat.

Aura boleh menarik perhatian. Tetapi kelayakan memimpin negara hanya terbukti apabila seseorang mampu membuat rakyat terus yakin selepas ucapan berakhir dan keputusan sukar mula dibuat.

Penulis ialah penganalisis di Global Asia Consulting.

Artikel ini adalah pandangan penulis dan tidak semestinya mewakili FMT.

GEORGE TOWN: Polis Pulau Pinang menahan 141 individu termasuk sembilan warga tempatan dalam 14 serbuan di pusat panggilan disyaki menjalankan pelbagai kegiatan penipuan dalam talian dari 9 hingga 29 Okt.

Ketua Polis Pulau Pinang, Dennis Lim Kwang Keng berkata risikan dan intipan oleh Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Komersial (JSJK) negeri membawa kepada lima serbuan di daerah Timur Laut, Barat Daya (enam) dan Seberang Perai Tengah (tiga).

“Polis menahan 93 warga China, Vietnam (29), Jepun (empat), Taiwan (tiga), Kemboja (dua) dan seorang warga Myanmar serta sembilan rakyat tempatan berusia 18 hingga 48 tahun.

“Mereka terdiri daripada sindiket berbeza dan dipercayai terlibat dalam penipuan pelaburan, love scam, penyamaran sebagai pegawai polis serta tawaran pekerjaan tidak wujud yang menggunakan pelbagai platform seperti WhatsApp, Telegram, WeChat, Instagram, Facebook dan TikTok,” katanya pada sidang media di IPK Pulau Pinang.

Beliau berkata sindiket itu dipercayai menyewa rumah bagi menjalankan kegiatan tersebut dan menjadikan Pulau Pinang sebagai pangkalan operasi untuk memperdayakan mangsa yang majoritinya dari luar negara seperti China, Jepun, Amerika Syarikat, Brazil dan Hong Kong.

Lim berkata polis merampas pelbagai peralatan, iaitu telefon bimbit, komputer riba, tablet, penghala internet serta pelbagai peralatan elektronik dan aksesori komputer dipercayai untuk menjalankan kegiatan itu yang dianggarkan bernilai RM1.4 juta.

Beliau berkata polis turut menyiasat kemungkinan penyalahgunaan pas dan kemudahan imigresen lain walaupun kebanyakan warga asing yang ditahan memasuki Malaysia secara sah.

Semua mereka direman bagi membantu siasatan mengikut Seksyen 420 dan Seksyen 120B Kanun Keseksaan serta Seksyen 6(3) dan Seksyen 15(1)(c) Akta Imigresen 1959/63.

NEW YORK: Juan Atkins, a Detroit producer and pioneer of the techno music genre, has died at 64, his agency said on Sunday.

Atkins was found unresponsive in his hotel room ahead of a planned performance in Mexico City and later pronounced dead at hospital, his agency Greensmith Artists told Resident Advisor music magazine.

"So many years. So many stages. So many moments we'll never forget. And somehow, we always thought there would be more," Greensmith Artists said in an Instagram post, accompanied by a video of one of Atkins' past performances in a London nightclub.

Atkins began his music career in 1980, when he formed Cybotron with Richard Davis.

The duo released "Clear" in 1983, which became one of the defining records of the techno genre.

Born in 1962, Atkins and classmates Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May were known as the "Belleville Three" and are recognised as the founders of the genre.

Atkins is credited with coining the term "techno" with his 1988 track "Techno Music," part of the compilation album "Techno! The New Dance Sound Of Detroit".

"Juan was the originator of Techno, a true visionary who opened the door for so many of us, myself included," Saunderson said in a tribute on Facebook.

KUALA LUMPUR: Senat Amerika Syarikat (AS) mengesahkan pencalonan Joshua Harris sebagai duta besar istimewa dan mutlak AS yang baharu ke Malaysia.

Menurut laman web Kongres AS, pencalonan Harris disahkan oleh Senat menerusi undian suara pada 30 Sept.

Harris yang berasal dari Maryland merupakan pegawai diplomatik kerjaya dalam Perkhidmatan Luar Kanan AS dengan pangkat Minister-Counselor.

Pencalonan beliau dikemukakan oleh Presiden Donald Trump pada 21 Julai sebelum dirujuk kepada Jawatankuasa Hubungan Luar Senat.

Jawatankuasa itu mengadakan sesi pendengaran pada 16 Sept sebelum Senat, dengan persetujuan sebulat suara, mengambil alih pertimbangan pencalonan berkenaan pada 30 Sept dan mengesahkannya pada hari sama.

Pengesahan itu menandakan selesainya proses pertimbangan Senat terhadap pencalonan Harris untuk mewakili AS di Malaysia.

Harris pernah berkhidmat sebagai timbalan penolong setiausaha negara di Biro Hal Ehwal Asia Barat dari 18 Julai 2022 hingga 5 Ogos 2025, dengan tanggungjawab menyelia hubungan AS dengan Algeria, Mesir, Libya, Maghribi dan Tunisia.

Jawatan duta besar AS di Kuala Lumpur kosong sejak Februari susulan pemergian Edgard D Kagan yang menamatkan perkhidmatannya sebagai duta besar AS ke-22 ke Malaysia.

Kagan, seorang diplomat kerjaya, mempersembahkan watikah pelantikannya kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim pada Mac 2024 selepas pencalonannya disahkan oleh Senat pada November 2023.

Maklumat lanjut mengenai pencalonan Harris dan pengesahannya oleh Senat AS pada 30 Sept 2026 boleh didapati di laman web Kongres AS di https://www.congress.gov/nomination/119th-congress/1201/4.

SHAH ALAM: Federal police believe a syndicate is roping in Chinese nationals as drug mules to smuggle cocaine into Hong Kong from Malaysia, through Penang.

Bukit Aman narcotics crime investigation department director Hussein Omar Khan said they have come across three cases involving Chinese nationals who adopt the same modus operandi.

“They would fly to KLIA from China, then head to Penang, where they will take another flight to Hong Kong,” he said at a press conference here today.

Hussein said three drug mules have been nabbed to date - two by Hong Kong authorities and one arrested in Penang.

He said the syndicate would provide the mules with passports.

Police have not ruled out that more individuals have been roped in as mules.

On Oct 25, Hong Kong authorities arrested a 39-year-old Chinese national arriving from Penang at Hong Kong International Airport after finding 2.2kg of cocaine in his carry-on baggage.

The arrest followed that of a 25-year-old Chinese national who flew in from Penang and was found with 2kg of cocaine at the airport.

On a separate matter, Hussein said the two Malaysians nabbed to facilitate investigations into the detention of a tanker vessel carrying 1.16 tonnes of ketamine by Indonesian authorities have been released on police bail.

He said police have also identified other individuals to assist in the probe.

GEORGE TOWN: Penang police arrested 141 people, including nine locals, in 14 raids on call centres suspected of conducting various online scam operations in the state from Oct 9 to 29.

Penang police chief Dennis Lim said the state commercial crime investigation department operation involved five raids in the Timur Laut district, six in the Barat Daya district, and three in Seberang Perai Tengah, following intelligence gathering and surveillance.

"In the raids, police arrested 93 Chinese nationals, 29 Vietnamese, four Japanese, three Taiwanese, two Cambodians, one Myanmar national, and nine locals, all aged between 18 and 48.

"They are from different groups or syndicates. They were believed to be involved in investment scams, love scams, impersonation of police officers, and offered non-existent jobs using various platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, WeChat, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok," he told a press conference here today.

He said the syndicates were believed to have rented houses in recent months to carry out their operations, using Penang as a base to target victims mainly overseas, including in China, Japan, the US, Brazil and Hong Kong.

Lim said police also seized equipment, including mobile phones, laptops, tablets, internet routers, electronic equipment and computer accessories, believed to have been used in the syndicates' operations, valued at RM1.4 million.

He added police were investigating potential abuse of immigration passes and facilities for illegal activities, although most foreigners detained entered Malaysia legally with valid passports.

All suspects have been remanded, and the case is being investigated under Section 420 read together with Section 120B of the Penal Code, as well as Section 6(3) and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.

ROME: Italians on Monday celebrated the success of Kimi Antonelli, who became Formula One's youngest world champion at the age of 20 when he clinched the title in Mexico City.

Antonelli, who is from the northern city of Bologna, is also the first Italian champion since 1953.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took to social media to praise what she called an "extraordinary achievement".

"A success that puts an Italian driver back on top of the world, rewarding talent, commitment, determination and dedication," Meloni said.

"It's a source of great pride for our country," she wrote on X, alongside a picture of Antonelli holding the Italian flag.

La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper ran the headline "Kimitico," a play on words meaning "Legendary Kimi".

La Stampa newspaper struck a similar tone, with its headline "Kimi nella leggenda" ("Kimi makes history.")

In Rome, locals took delight in an Italian sporting success, with one comparing Antonelli to tennis champion Jannik Sinner.

"They're two shining stars of Italian sport," said Daniela Bulgarini. "He seems like a good kid, very talented. Talent and hard work always pay off."

Destined for the top

Antonelli, who drives for Mercedes, is the son of a sports car racing father who took him to the track as a young boy.

He was taken on by Mercedes as an 11-year-old karter when his potential as a Formula One driver was apparent.

"After such a long time without an Italian winning, whether with Ferrari or with other teams, other constructors, it's certainly a great thing," said Giovanni, a worker in Rome.

Several hundred fans watched a screening of the grand prix late on Sunday at the Checco Costa Museum at the Imola F1 race track.

Although Imola is the home track of the Ferrari team, fans put that allegiance to one side to cheer for Antonelli whose third-place finish in Mexico was enough to seal the title.

Another watch-party was held in a cinema in Bologna.

The local Serie A soccer club joined in the celebrations, with a post on X reading "The whole of Bologna is proud of you".

TOKYO: Japan's government and ruling coalition are considering nearly doubling defence spending over the next five years as part of prime minister Sanae Takaichi's push to strengthen the country's military capabilities, according to two people familiar with the matter.

If adopted, defence buildup spending for the five years from April 2027 would be set at ¥70 trillion to ¥80 trillion (US$457 billion to US$508 billion), up about 1.8 times from the roughly ¥43 trillion allocated under the current five-year plan, which began in fiscal 2023.

The figure could still change as the government compiles the budget towards year-end and revises its three security-related documents.

Japan's defence ministry said it had no comment at this point.

One of the people told Reuters the new spending is expected to fund purchases such as large numbers of drones.

The same person said a weaker yen has pushed up the cost of defence equipment procurement.

The second person said the final figure could land in the mid-to-late ¥70 trillion range, but questioned whether such a sum would be enough given the security environment in East Asia, adding the final figure was subject to debate between the government and coalition partners.

Under the current buildup programme formulated at the end of 2022, Japan sharply raised planned defence spending from an initial allocation of ¥27.5 trillion, with a focus on long-range missiles intended for counterstrike capabilities, as well as ammunition and spare parts for military equipment.

Japan is exploring structuring its defence around the interception of long range attacks by deploying drones, reflecting new methods of fighting seen in conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, government officials told Reuters in September.

Japan's defence ministry has said for some years that it is developing domestically-manufactured long-range missiles and is also prioritising budget allocations for drones, AI and space technologies to adapt to new forms of warfare.

LONDON: Interior minister Shabana Mahmood will on Monday set out reforms to how migrants can settle in Britain, in a bid to balance voter demands for lower immigration with business warnings that tough rules could deter workers who the country still needs.

The reforms are the government's latest attempt to toughen the rules after the number of arrivals surged following Britain's departure from the European Union, with post-Brexit immigration policies leading to an influx of healthcare workers and students from around the world.

Despite dropping in the opinion polls since the governing Labour Party elected Andy Burnham as prime minister, Nigel Farage's populist Reform UK party has been a major factor in driving the push for stricter migration controls.

Under current rules, most migrants can apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years in Britain, enabling them to claim some welfare benefits. Mahmood proposed replacing that with an "earned settlement" system, making 10 years the standard route to permanent residency and requiring some lower-paid workers, including care workers, to wait up to 15 years.

Speaking before Mahmood's announcement later on Monday, junior business minister Chris McDonald said immigration levels had become unsustainable under the previous government that was led by the Conservatives.

"The plan around immigration is about controlling borders, but it's also about ensuring that we invest in the young people in our country, so that they can get these jobs, so we don't have to bring people in from overseas too," he told Sky News.

The government argues the changes are needed because around 350,000 lower-skilled workers and their dependants who arrived after Brexit are expected to become eligible for settlement in the coming years.

Net migration in Britain fell sharply last year, with official figures showing it almost halved to 171,000 from 331,000 a year earlier, extending a steep decline from a record 944,000 in 2023.

Burnham last week backed the principle that settlement should be "a right to be earned" but the prime minister has also routinely praised foreign care workers after his late father was given support in a care home.

Owners of UK care homes, unions and some Labour lawmakers have said the care system will struggle to operate if international workers are deterred from moving to Britain.

Media reports have suggested Mahmood could soften some elements of the original proposals, potentially exempting care workers already in Britain or offering them a quicker route to settlement.

A cross-party parliamentary committee last year warned that the government did not have a full understanding of how skilled worker visas were affecting different sectors of the economy.

PETALING JAYA: Aktivis Arun Dorasamy memohon maaf secara terbuka di mahkamah kepada P Ramasamy berhubung hantaran fitnah di Facebook selepas menuduh pengerusi Urimai itu memecahbelahkan penganut Hindu dengan niat memusnahkan agama berkenaan.

Arun, atau nama penuhnya Arumugam Dorasamy, membacakan permohonan maafnya di hadapan Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur Anand Ponnudurai, hari ini.

Dalam kenyataan dimuat naik Ramasamy di Facebook, Arun mengakui hantaran bertarikh 11 Jan 2022 itu 'tidak benar sama sekali, tidak berasas, dan tanpa sebarang asas fakta'.

“Saya secara tanpa berbelah-bahagi mengakui ia dibuat tanpa maklumat betul dan terbit sepenuhnya daripada kekeliruan terhadap fakta,” katanya.

Arun turut memohon maaf tanpa syarat, bagi pihak dirinya dan Pertubuhan Hindu Agamam Ani Malaysia atas kesusahan dan keaiban dialami Ramasamy, serta kerosakan terhadap reputasi peribadi dan profesionalnya.

Dia mengesahkan hantaran fitnah di Facebook tersebut telah dipadamkan secara kekal dan berjanji tidak akan mengulangi kenyataan yang sama atau serupa pada masa akan datang.

Mahkamah Sesyen Kuala Lumpur pada tahun lalu memutuskan kenyataan Arun mengandungi imputasi berunsur fitnah dan menetapkan tarikh untuk pentaksiran ganti rugi.

Mahkamah turut memerintahkan Arun membayar kos RM12,000.

Ramasamy diwakili Shamsher Singh Thind, manakala Arun diwakili T Gunaseelan.

TEHRAN: Iran on Monday said it was ready to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if the US agrees to its conditions, having previously proposed a one-week timeline.

"The possibility of implementing this plan in two days is another indication of Iran's good-faith approach," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei.

"We have stated that, if Iran's demands are met, it would be possible to restore security to the Strait of Hormuz and resume the negotiating process within a short period," he said.

He said an exchange of messages was ongoing with the US via mediators and that "everything depends" on the US side accepting the Iranian demands.

"Only then can we discuss the subsequent stages," he said.

Since the Middle East war broke out in late February, Iran has claimed control over Hormuz, a vital energy conduit for shipping.

It regularly targets vessels that attempt to cross the strait without its authorisation, while the US has in retaliation imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

In September, Iran initially proposed a seven-day plan that it conveyed to the US through Qatar, which would have seen Tehran reopen Hormuz on the sixth day after the US met Iranian demands.

Those demands include ending the Middle East war on all fronts, the unfreezing of Iranian assets abroad, lifting sanctions on its oil sector, and an end to the US naval blockade.

In an interview with Al Jazeera released on Sunday, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Washington must accept a new route agreed between Iran and Oman for transit through the strait.

He said the US must also remove sanctions imposed in recent months and reduce American troop numbers in the region.

Washington has since August rolled out a fresh raft of sanctions, part of what it called "economic asphyxiation" of Iran.

The US and Israel have in recent days also intensified threats to renew attacks on Iran amid crucial elections in both countries.

On Saturday, US president Donald Trump said he still had to "take care" of one or two targets, including Pickaxe mountain in central Iran, a suspected nuclear site which Tehran denies is such a facility.

"Any act of aggression against Iran, any military attack against Iran, by whatever means, will be met with a powerful, immediate and comprehensive response from us," said Baqaei during a foreign ministry briefing Monday.

PETALING JAYA: Activist Arun Dorasamy has apologised in open court to P Ramasamy over a defamatory Facebook post in which he accused the Urimai chief of polarising Hindus with the intention of destroying Hinduism.

Arun, whose full name is Arumugam Dorasamy, read out his apology before Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Anand Ponnudurai today.

In a statement which Ramasamy posted on Facebook, Arun admitted that the post on Jan 11, 2022 was “entirely untrue, unfounded and without any factual basis”.

“I unreservedly acknowledge that it was made without proper information and arose entirely from a misapprehension of the facts,” he said.

Arun also apologised unconditionally, on his own behalf and that of Pertubuhan Hindu Agamam Ani Malaysia, for the distress and embarrassment caused to Ramasamy, as well as the damage to his personal and professional reputation.

He confirmed that the defamatory Facebook post had been permanently removed and undertook not to repeat the same or similar statements in future.

The Kuala Lumpur sessions court had ruled last year that Arun’s statement carried defamatory imputations and fixed a date for the assessment of damages.

The court also ordered Arun to pay RM12,000 in costs.

Ramasamy was represented by Shamsher Singh Thind, while Arun was represented by T Gunaseelan.

PETALING JAYA: Polis Bukit Aman akan menyiasat pemimpin Bersama, Rafizi Ramli, berhubung dakwaan fitnah dan mengeluarkan kenyataan yang boleh menggugat ketenteraman awam, susulan kenyataannya berkaitan 'mafia korporat' dan seorang menteri Persekutuan.

Polis turut menyiasat bekas Ahli Parlimen Pandan itu berhubung kenyataannya mengenai Shuhaily Zain, yang baru-baru dilaporkan bakal dipindahkan daripada Agensi Kawalan dan Perlindungan Sempadan Malaysia (AKPS), tempat beliau berkhidmat sebagai ketua pengarah.

Dalam satu kenyataan, Rafizi berkata beliau telah dipanggil ke Bukit Aman esok pagi untuk disiasat.

"Saya akan kembali ke Kuala Lumpur dan membatalkan acara kempen saya di Melaka untuk hadir memberi keterangan," katanya.

Rafizi berkata polis membuka siasatan susulan laporan polis yang dibuat dua hari selepas beliau menyentuh isu 'mafia korporat' dalam satu ceramah di Selayang pada 20 Okt lalu.

Isu itu membabitkan dakwaan penyalahgunaan kuasa penguatkuasaan untuk menekan ahli perniagaan supaya menjual saham syarikat pada harga di bawah nilai pasaran.

Beliau berkata dalam ceramah itu, beliau turut menyentuh dakwaan mengenai Menteri Sumber Manusia R Ramanan dan kes mahkamah Shuhaily, yang mengaku tidak bersalah atas pertuduhan menyerang dua anggota polis di KLIA pada September.

Bekas menteri ekonomi itu berkata siasatan terbaharu terhadapnya tidak berbeza daripada siasatan dan pertuduhan mahkamah yang pernah dikenakan terhadapnya selepas beliau mendedahkan skandal 1MDB dan Tabung Haji sebelum ini.

“Saya pernah disiasat atas kesalahan yang sama, tetapi mahkamah membebaskan saya dalam semua kes tersebut,” katanya.

Pada hujung bulan lalu, Rafizi berkata beliau merancang untuk menyaman Ramanan, naib presiden PKR, berhubung dakwaan yang dibuat terhadapnya, termasuk tuduhan bahawa beliau terbabit dalam rasuah.

BANGKOK: A newborn baby was among at least 15 people killed in Myanmar military strikes at multiple locations over the weekend, including a maternity clinic and a school, an ethnic armed group, an aid worker and rights monitors said on Monday.

The bombings come as the military-backed government, attempting to rebuild diplomatic ties after years of isolation, escalates its campaign to retake territory lost to resistance groups that now control large areas of the country.

A spokesperson for the military-backed government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It has previously said it is waging a legitimate campaign against "terrorists."

On Sunday, airstrikes hit four townships in western Rakhine state, where fighting has been fierce in recent weeks as the Arakan Army, which controls most of the state, has neared the capital, Sittwe.

The strikes hit a bridge in Kyauktaw, locations in Kyaukpyu and Pauktaw, and a makeshift clinic and maternity ward in Arakan Army-held Mrauk-U, killing at least 12 people and wounding 32, an Arakan Army spokesperson and an aid worker said.

The week-old baby girl, who has a surviving twin, was due to return home the following day but was "crushed and killed when the building collapsed from the blast," said Mrauk-U-based aid worker Wai Hun Aung.

Four other people, including healthcare workers, also died, he said.

A day earlier, an airstrike on Loikaw, in Kayah state near the Thai border, hit a school during classes, killing three students and wounding five, the Karenni Human Rights Group (KnHRG) said on Monday.

Thai fighter jets have been carrying out air patrols as the conflict has spilled over the border, damaging homes and injuring at least one person on the Thai side, Thailand's government said.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said his government has urged Myanmar to exercise caution to ensure the situation does not affect Thailand.

A Y-12 transport aircraft and a fighter jet dropped more than 20 bombs on the Loikaw school, according to KnHRG and Banyar Khun Aung, secretary of the Karenni Interim Executive Council, who said there were no military movements or clashes in the area.

"Targeting a school where young children are learning and repeatedly bombing is an inhumane act that amounts to a war crime," he said.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in a 2021 coup, triggering a civil war that the United Nations (UN) estimates has killed 100,000 people and displaced more than 3.5 million.

Coup leader turned president Min Aung Hlaing's military has received support from China, India and Russia. His administration has gained increasing international recognition in recent months, including secret talks with US officials as the Trump administration reverses years of isolation.

But his forces are struggling to dislodge opposition groups and increasingly rely on airstrikes, powered by jet fuel obtained mostly from Iran in shipments disguised with sham paperwork, Reuters reported earlier this year.

UN investigators accused Myanmar's military in August of deliberate aerial attacks on civilian buildings including schools and hospitals.

Myanmar’s foreign ministry said in response to the UN allegations that the military “exercises maximum restraint to avoid civilian harm.”

The weekend attacks follow a deadly wave of strikes a month earlier in Rakhine's Kyauktaw and Ponnagyun townships that killed at least 58 people at camps for internally displaced civilians, drawing fierce international condemnation.