Malaysian Islamist Leader Says Under Surveillance, Phone Tapped
A senior leader of Malaysia's Islamist party said he was under state surveillance and his phone was tapped after he was flagged for travel control in the country's border systems, a claim that the government has downplayed.
Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, the vice president of Malaysia's biggest opposition party Parti Islam Se-Malaysia, said the surveillance on him was a 'blatant misuse of government resources as a political weapon,' according to a statement on Thursday.
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5 things to know for June 12: Nationwide protests, Gaza, Immigration, Vaccines, Harvey Weinstein
Syria has issued a conservative dress code for women who want to go swimming or just hang out by the water. From now on, women must wear burkinis (swimwear that covers their full body) at public beaches and pools as well as cover-ups or robes while en route. The new regulations, which were signed by interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, reflect the influence of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamist coalition now leading the country's transitional government. It's unclear what the repercussions will be for breaking the rules. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. Demonstrations against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown have continued to spread across the US. On Wednesday, police in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle and Spokane, Washington, arrested dozens of anti-ICE protesters. An overnight curfew was enacted for a second night in downtown LA to 'stop bad actors who are taking advantage of the President's chaotic escalation,' LA Mayor Karen Bass wrote on X. A similar curfew was also announced in Spokane. More than 1,800 'No Kings' events to protest the administration's actions are scheduled to take place on Saturday, the same day as President Donald Trump's military parade in Washington, DC. Ahead of that parade, Trump told reporters that any protesters should be prepared to be met with a show of force. A bus carrying more than two dozen workers from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a controversial US and Israeli-backed aid initiative, was attacked late Wednesday. 'We are still gathering facts, but what we know is devastating: there are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries, and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage,' the GHF said in a statement. The aid group accused Hamas of carrying out the assault; the militant group has not yet responded to the allegations. The GHF was established amid Israeli accusations that Hamas is stealing aid in Gaza and profiting off its sale but the organization has been controversial from the get-go and criticized by multiple international aid agencies. Also on Wednesday night, the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security agency announced the recovery of two deceased hostages during a military operation. A federal judge has granted Mahmoud Khalil's habeas corpus petition and blocked the Trump administration from continuing to detain the former Columbia University graduate student. During the 2024 demonstrations on campus, Khalil served as a liaison between students protesting the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and school administrators. He was one of the first in a series of high-profile arrests of pro-Palestinian student activists caught up in the Trump administration's effort to crack down on antisemitism on college campuses and his detention sparked protests across the US. In the three months he was imprisoned in Louisiana, Khalil missed his own graduation and the birth of his first son. In other immigration news, Khaby Lame, the world's most popular TikTok personality and a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, has left the US after being detained at the airport by immigration agents in Las Vegas for allegedly overstaying his visa. Earlier this week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed the entire panel of vaccine advisers that guides the CDC on the vaccine schedule and required coverage of immunizations. On Wednesday, he appointed eight new members, including several prominent critics of the government's Covid-19 response. 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Yahoo
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Palestinian authorities report telecoms down in Gaza Strip
Telecommunication services in the war-torn Gaza Strip were disrupted on Thursday, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. Citing the Palestinian telecommunications authority, WAFA said the last remaining fibre-optic network was damaged in an attack, resulting in a complete disruption of internet and landline services. Telecommunications in Gaza have repeatedly been disrupted since the start of the war almost two years ago. The telecommunications authority pointed to the "humanitarian and social consequences of the outage" and called for provision to be restored rapidly. The war was triggered by the attack on Israel by Hamas and other Islamist militants on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were abducted to the Gaza Strip. According to the health authority controlled by Hamas, more than 55,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been killed as a result of the war so far.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
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Teluk Intan crash: FRU truck lacked seat belts; lorry violated GPS rules, says Transport Ministry
KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — Both vehicles involved in the fatal Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) truck crash in Teluk Intan last month were found to have breached key safety standards, according to a preliminary report released by the Transport Ministry. The FRU truck, which was carrying 18 personnel from Unit 5 Sungai Senam, lacked essential passive safety features, including seat belts in the rear cabin and front seats, according to a report published in Berita Harian today. The bench-type rear seats had no restraints, and the absence of seat belts is believed to have significantly increased the severity of injuries during the May 13 collision. Investigators found that most of the passengers were likely thrown forward upon impact, particularly towards the front-left section of the cabin, causing multiple secondary impacts between individuals and the cabin interior. Unsecured objects in the cabin may have also turned into projectiles, compounding the risk.'The combination of missing restraint systems and unsecured objects is believed to be a major contributing factor to the high number of severe injuries and fatalities in this incident,' the report stated. It added that urgent attention is needed to improve safety standards in such vehicles. Meanwhile, in another report published by Buletin TV3 today, the same report also revealed that the lorry involved, which was transporting stones, had not met mandatory GPS installation and operational requirements as stipulated under Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) guidelines. The lorry's GPS system was inactive, prompting the ministry to issue a show-cause letter on May 23. This non-compliance breached Item 11 of the Service Level Requirements and Section 57 of the Land Public Transport Act 2010 (Act 715). The guidelines require all commercial vehicles to be fitted with functional GPS to monitor speed and location, with exemptions only for school buses operating across fewer than three districts. Operators are expected to use GPS data for monitoring, disciplinary action, and record-keeping, while preventing tampering or data falsification. Failure to comply could result in fines, imprisonment, or suspension or revocation of licenses. While dashcams are not yet mandatory, the ministry said new safety regulations may require their installation starting in early 2026. The crash on May 13 occurred at approximately 8.50am, killing eight officers at the scene, with another later succumbing to injuries at Teluk Intan Hospital. Nine others were injured. The FRU personnel were en route back to Ipoh after completing duty at the Chitrapournami celebration.
