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New Straits Times
24-05-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Timor-Leste, Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone among issues discussed at Asean SOM
KUALA LUMPUR: Efforts to strengthen and revitalise collaboration with non-Asean partners were among the key matters discussed at the Asean Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM), which began today ahead of the 46th Asean Summit. Foreign Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin said this includes discussions on the Asean Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (ANWFZ) and initiatives under the Asean Regional Forum (ARF). "In addition, we are finalising several key agenda items to be presented for consideration at the ministerial and leaders' levels. "The focus at the senior officials' level also includes planning for the upcoming Asean Summit during Malaysia's chairmanship of Asean in 2025," he said during a doorstep interview following the meeting today. The SOM officially commenced at 8.30am, bringing together Asean SOM Leaders and Timor-Leste's SOM representatives to align positions on key regional issues ahead of the sessions involving Asean Heads of State and Government. Commenting further, Amran said the meeting also deliberated on Timor-Leste, which remains a central issue in Asean's expansion and engagement discussions. "The Foreign Minister (Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan) will hold a curtain raiser or press briefing tomorrow, during which more detailed information will be shared," he said. Amran added that preparations for the East Asia Summit (EAS) were also reviewed at the senior officials' level. "In June, we will host senior officials' meetings for Asean, Asean Plus Three (APT), comprising China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, as well as ARF and EAS-related meetings. "As such, a wide range of issues are being prioritised today to ensure that when the ministerial and leaders' meetings take place, Asean will be collectively prepared to chart the direction and mechanisms necessary for its ongoing initiatives." This year's Asean Summit, themed "Inclusivity and Sustainability", is expected to be particularly significant, as it will include the 2nd Asean-GCC Summit and the inaugural Asean-GCC-China Summit, reflecting Asean's growing engagement with key international partners.
Barnama
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Barnama
Philippines Expects Timor-Leste's Membership To Be Among Issues Raised At 46th ASEAN Summit
Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs (Philippines), Ma. Theressa P. Lazaro, arrives at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) today to attend the 46th ASEAN Summit 2025 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC). By Amanina Mohamad Yusof and Muhammad Adil Muzaffar Mohd Fisol SEPANG, May 23 (Bernama) -- The Philippines expects that discussions on the revitalisation of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the roadmap for Timor-Leste's full membership in ASEAN, and the conflict in Myanmar will be put forth during the upcoming 46th ASEAN Summit. Its Undersecretary of Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ma Theressa P. Lazaro, said the Philippines believes the summit would bring about progress towards admitting Timor-Leste into ASEAN, albeit acknowledging that ongoing technical issues remains a challenge to be addressed. 'I think there's just some technical problems along the way, and I think this is some kind of a deliverable by Malaysia for Timor-Leste. … (which is to) discuss fully on all the technicalities,' she told Bernama upon arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 1. Timor-Leste has sought to join ASEAN since 2011, with the association assisting the country in meeting membership requirements. At the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits in November 2022, the regional bloc agreed in principle to admit Timor-Leste as its 11th member, contingent upon fulfilling the criteria outlined in the Full Membership Roadmap. Lazaro said her country also believes this summit would amplify the regional and Malaysia's active diplomatic role in resolving the ongoing armed and political conflict in Myanmar. 'I think definitely (the situation in) Myanmar is a very important issue, considering that your prime minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) has been doing a lot of work on this matter, .. I think your special envoy is doing an excellent job too (on Myanmar matters),' she said.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
House passes Fong's cybersecurity bill
A bill co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, passed the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday with overwhelming bipartisan support. If signed into law, the Accelerating Networking, Cyberinfrastructure, and Hardware for Oceanic Research, or ANCHOR Act, would require a plan be developed for the fleet's security. "Cybersecurity and data protection threats are on the rise, making the ANCHOR Act both essential to national security and a necessary step to protect taxpayer dollars," Fong said in a news release. "With such significant national investment in this research, our scientists deserve the tools they need to safeguard their work." The U.S. Academic Research Fleet is made up of 17 vessels that collect a wide range of data in coordination with research universities and laboratories. "ARF vessels collect observational data on Earth systems that provides a foundation for understanding how these systems interact and for improved modeling," according to the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System, which oversees the fleet. "Through at-sea sampling and observing, researchers have begun to understand, model and predict the responses of marine populations to both long-term and episodic changes in ocean conditions," UNOLS said. The bill was co-sponsored by Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Michigan, and passed in the house with a vote of 412-11. "The ANCHOR Act will ensure these vital vessels remain operational and secure, safeguarding Michigan's Great Lakes and marine ecosystems for generations to come," Stevens said. Fong and Stevens are both members of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TAG Oil Comments on Recent Market Activity
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 12, 2025) - TAG Oil Ltd. (TSXV: TAO) (OTCQX: TAOIF) (FSE: T0P) ("TAG Oil" or the "Company") announces that it is not aware of any material undisclosed information related to the Company that would account for the recent market activity leading to downward pressure on its share price. As previously disclosed, the Company is progressing the acquisition of a strategic 512,000-acre concession in the Western Desert, Egypt. This acquisition is expected to significantly expand TAG Oil's acreage position and enhance its operational footprint in the region for both conventional oil and gas reservoirs, and the unconventional Abu Roash "F" (ARF) oil resource play. At the Badr Oil Field, several strategic international industry partners have expressed interest in potentially participating as a strategic joint venture party in the next phase of drilling across the block. Management presentations are currently underway, and interested parties are expected to submit indicative offers as the process continues to evolve. TAG Oil will continue to keep shareholders informed of significant developments. About TAG Oil Ltd. TAG Oil ( is a Canadian based international oil and gas exploration company with a focus on operations and opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa. For further information: Abdel (Abby) Badwi, Executive Chairman and CEO Email: info@ Website: LinkedIn: Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainty affecting the business of TAG Oil. All estimates and statements that describe the Company's operations and acquisition are forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws and necessarily involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may vary materially from the information provided in this release, and there is no representation by TAG Oil that the actual results realized in the future will be the same in whole or in part as those presented herein. TAG Oil undertakes no obligation, except as otherwise required by law, to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors change. The Company shall not be liable or responsible for any claim or damage, direct or indirect, special or consequential, incurred by the user arising out of the interpretation, reliance upon or other use of the information contained in the pages of this release. Exploration for hydrocarbons is a speculative venture necessarily involving substantial risk. The Company's future success exploiting and increasing its current resource base will depend on its ability to develop its current properties and on its ability to discover and acquire properties or prospects that are capable of commercial production. However, there is no assurance that the Company's future exploration and development efforts will result in the discovery or development of additional commercial accumulations of oil and natural gas. In addition, even if further hydrocarbons are discovered, the costs of extracting and delivering the hydrocarbons to market and variations in the market price may render uneconomic any discovered deposit. Geological conditions are variable and unpredictable. Even if production is commenced from a well, the quantity of hydrocarbons produced inevitably will decline over time, and production may be adversely affected or may have to be terminated altogether if the Company encounters unforeseen geological conditions. The Company is subject to uncertainties related to the proximity of any resources that it may discover to pipelines and processing facilities. It expects that its operational costs will increase proportionally to the remoteness of, and any restrictions on access to, the properties on which any such resources may be found. Adverse climatic conditions at such properties may also hinder the Company's ability to carry on exploration or production activities continuously throughout any given year. To view the source version of this press release, please visit Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Malay Mail
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Between ceasefires and catastrophe: Why South Asia needs Anwar's diplomacy — Phar Kim Beng
MAY 3 — As tensions between India and Pakistan flare once more — this time ignited by the tragic killing of 26 Hindu civilians in Kashmir, allegedly by elements associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba, the world again inches perilously close to a nuclear precipice. In a moment when major powers appear fatigued, distracted, or indifferent, Malaysia's Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim must seize a rare opening to assert leadership beyond Asean's borders. His statesmanship is needed now — not just to restore South-east Asian credibility, but to help steer the broader Indo-Pacific away from catastrophe. Indeed, the situation in Myanmar remains dire, and Asean's credibility is at stake if it continues to falter. Yet Malaysia has already positioned a capable and respected diplomat — Tan Sri Othman Hashim — as its Special Envoy to handle the Myanmar file. Let him be empowered to take a firm stance against Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, especially in enforcing the Five-Point Consensus. That consensus, painstakingly negotiated by Asean, begins with a simple demand: a total and unconditional ceasefire. To date, that demand has been shamelessly flouted by the junta. But while Othman presses forward in Naypyidaw, Anwar must shift his direct attention to South Asia. The stakes are existential. Both India and Pakistan are nuclear powers. Both are members of the Asean Regional Forum (ARF), a body originally designed to prevent exactly this type of escalation in Asia. Yet the ARF, like many regional mechanisms, has been largely paralysed by procedural caution and geopolitical hedging. If the Forum will not act, then its Chair must. Border Security Force (BSF) officials stand at a barricade the Attari-Wagah border crossing with Pakistan, near Amritsar, India, May 1, 2025. — Reuters pic With the Prime Minister of Pakistan scheduled to arrive in Kuala Lumpur on May 8, the moment could not be more timely — or more fragile. That visit now hangs in the balance. Islamabad may cancel, citing surging tensions along the Line of Control and inflammatory rhetoric from New Delhi. India, for its part, views Lashkar-e-Taiba not merely as a terrorist organisation, but as a militant proxy of the Pakistani state — a claim that Islamabad vehemently denies. Still, the ghosts of the 2008 Mumbai attacks remain fresh, and the cycle of recrimination spins ever faster. It would be a grave mistake to dismiss this as just another India-Pakistan flare-up. This time, the geopolitical context is markedly more combustible. In the United States, President Donald Trump appears consumed by his own hubris. Convinced that the first 100 days of his second term have been a grandiose success, Trump behaves as though he walks on water — oblivious to the deeper ruptures his policies have caused. Even a temporary pause on tariffs directed at China has failed to restore confidence, as the damage from years of economic brinkmanship runs both deep and wide — for China and the United States alike. Washington is increasingly absorbed in managing the consequences of its own disruptions, leaving little bandwidth for nuanced diplomacy in South Asia. China, for its part, is under pressure from global economic headwinds and is recalibrating its approach to both Islamabad and New Delhi. Russia, heavily engaged in Ukraine and pivoting further toward authoritarian consolidation, is in no position to mediate. The European Union has little leverage in South Asia, and the United Nations, for all its intent, has failed to manage longstanding disputes like Kashmir. What remains is a dangerous vacuum of power, diplomacy, and moral authority. This is precisely the space that Anwar must fill — not as a saviour, but as a sensible intermediary. Anwar carries with him the moral capital of Malaysia's non-aligned tradition, the legitimacy of Asean's rotating chairmanship, and a reputation for speaking truth to power. Moreover, Malaysia's close relations with both India and Pakistan — cultivated carefully over decades — put Anwar in a rare position to speak to both sides with empathy and credibility. His intervention need not be grandiose. But it must be immediate. Even convening an urgent track 1.5 dialogue in Kuala Lumpur, under the aegis of the Asean Regional Forum, could be enough to de-escalate the moment of extreme mutual hostility. It would signal that someone in the Indo-Pacific is still willing to shoulder the burden of diplomacy. It would also restore some relevance to Asean's external engagements, which too often have been reduced to empty communiqués and stalled mechanisms. In doing so, Anwar would remind the world that Asean, despite its consensus-based constraints, is not without voice or value. Some may argue that Malaysia has no business wading into a conflict involving two giant neighbours. But this thinking must be rejected. Nuclear deterrence may have kept outright war at bay, but it has also created a permanent state of near-crisis in South Asia. Waiting passively while events spiral out of control is not prudence — it is abdication. Anwar should of course remain grounded in Malaysia's national interest. But increasingly, Malaysia's interest lies in regional stability, and South Asia is too close — and too dangerous — to ignore. Moreover, Malaysia's preponderant Muslim identity may resonate with segments of Pakistan's leadership. Although Malaysia's identity make up is irrelevant. It is solving a nuclear crisis head on. Indeed, give Malaysia's long history of multiculturalism and diplomatic neutrality could strike a chord in New Delhi. In short, Malaysia offers a bridge no other Asian power is currently positioned to offer. The international system is in disarray. Major powers are shirking responsibilities. The world is once again fragmenting into blocs of convenience and confrontation. Against this backdrop, small and medium powers must reclaim agency. They must help steer the world away from zero-sum thinking and toward collective survival. For Anwar, the moment is now. The emphasis on now. Indeed, now or never... * Phar Kim Beng is a Professor of Asean Studies at the International Islamic University Malaysia. ** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
