Latest news with #army
Free Malaysia Today
18 hours ago
- Automotive
- Free Malaysia Today
Army under fire for failing to collect RM162mil in penalties
The auditor-general urged the defence ministry to recover all outstanding penalties and discontinue the practice of splitting contracts. PETALING JAYA : The army has been flagged for failing to collect RM162.75 million in penalties from a defence contractor that delivered armoured vehicles late, according to a new government audit. The 2025 Auditor-General's Report Series 2 revealed that the vehicles were to be delivered under five contracts signed between 2011 and 2014, but were delivered behind schedule. In addition, penalties totalling RM1.42 million for delays in repair work and spare part deliveries between 2020 and 2023 were never imposed, according to the report, tabled in the Dewan Rakyat today. The report also found that maintenance and repair contracts worth RM107.54 million had been split into 86 smaller jobs. This allowed the contracts to be awarded through direct negotiations and quotations instead of open tenders. The practice, known as 'pecah kontrak', is often used to bypass stricter procurement regulations and has been flagged by the auditor-general as a serious lapse in oversight. In response, the army said it had taken note of the audit findings and was working to address the issues. 'We are improving coordination between departments to ensure that procedures are properly followed,' it said in the report. The auditor-general also urged the defence ministry to recover all outstanding penalties and discontinue the practice of splitting contracts. A total of five audits involving seven ministries were conducted, covering programmes, activities, and projects worth RM48.873 billion. A total of 22 audit recommendations were submitted to the ministries, departments, and companies involved.
Times of Oman
3 days ago
- Climate
- Times of Oman
Pakistan: Dozens killed in Punjab flooding
Dozens of people have been killed in flooding in Punjab in eastern Pakistan over the past two days with the country experiencing around twice the amount of rainfall compared to July last year. At least 54 people had been killed in a period of 24 hours on Thursday – a figure which, according to local media, had increased to least 63 by Friday. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), Pakistan as a whole has experienced 82% more rainfall so far this month compared to the same period in 2024, a percentage which increases to 124% for the eastern Punjab region. Almost 200 deaths have been reported nationwide since June 26. On Thursday, authorities imposed a so-called section 144 warning which bans bathing, swimming or boating in rivers, canals, ponds, lakes, reservoirs or any other open spaces where rainwater may have accumulated. Television news footage showed an army helicopter plucking three members of a family from the roof of their house after they were stranded by a flash flood on the outskirts of Rawalpindi, which neighbors the capital city of Islamabad on the Sawan river. Tourists were advised to avoid travel to affected areas where rains could trigger landslides and block highways. Pakistan: 'Medium-level' flooding on Friday On Friday, the PDMA reported "medium-level" flooding in the town of Kalabagh on the Indus river and "low-level" flooding in four other locations. "The flow of water in rivers is increasing due to monsoon rains and glacial melting," said a PDMA spokesperson in a statement. Pakistan's second-largest city, Lahore, received "light to moderate" rain on Friday, according to the local Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA). Meanwhile, Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has forecasted several more spells of heavy rain in the coming weeks, starting with a seven-day period next week and continuing with further spells into late August. In 2022, extreme rain and flooding inundated a third of the country, killing over 1,700 people. Authorities have warned they cannot rule out a repeat.
The Standard
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Standard
Syria troops quit Druze heartland after violence leaves nearly 600 dead
This aerial picture shows a view of Bedouin residents dismantling their camp in the vicinity of the Druze al-Mazraa village in Syria's southern Sweida gvernorate on July 17, 2025, as they prepare to leave for safer areas amid ongoing clashes. The southern Sweida province has been gripped by deadly sectarian bloodshed since July 13, with hundreds reportedly killed in clashes pitting Druze fighters against Sunni Bedouin tribes and the army and its allies. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
Wall Street Journal
4 days ago
- General
- Wall Street Journal
How I Learned About Homemaking From a Couple of Birds
'About Face' is a column about how someone changed their mind. I've never had much of a sense of home. Before the age of 21, I'd moved house roughly 20 times, from the army base in West Germany where I was born to YMCA housing in southern England in my late teens. My itinerant childhood gave me itchy feet as an adult. Wherever I landed, I'd soon feel pulled toward the next place, and then the next.
Wall Street Journal
5 days ago
- Wall Street Journal
Taiwan's Annual Military Drill Moves Out of the Shadows—and Into Everyday Life
TAICHUNG, Taiwan—In the stillness of a small village on the outskirts of this central Taiwanese city, two CM-34 'Clouded Leopard' armored vehicles rumbled down narrow country lanes, unloading soldiers tasked with countering a simulated Chinese landing force pushing inland. On the other side of town, two CM-11 'Brave Tiger' battle tanks concealed behind a community center fired mock rounds at a rice paddy, the blasts echoing through the village.
