Latest news with #Azam
NDTV
a day ago
- Climate
- NDTV
Scientists Warn Heat Waves To Last Longer, Affect More Areas In India
New Delhi: Heat waves in India are expected to last longer and affect larger regions, scientists have warned, as climate change continues to intensify extreme weather events. Climate models show that the area and duration of heat waves in India would increase, said Krishna Achuta Rao, Head, Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at Delhi's Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). Speaking at the India Heat Summit 2025, organised by research group Climate Trends, Rao said "this means the northern plains and several states across the southern peninsula will experience heat waves that last longer and cover larger areas". "What might have been a week-long event could turn into a month-and-a-half or two-month-long event. Our future looks very stark," he added. The scientist said the models also suggest that heat waves may occur during the monsoon months which could be more dangerous. "This is especially worrying because it will be hot and humid, with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius," added Rao. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) sixth assessment report and recent scientific papers have warned of more frequent and intense heat waves in South Asia even during monsoon months. Farooq Azam, senior cryosphere specialist at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), said the rising temperatures are melting glaciers faster, affecting water availability in India's rivers. Azam said the country depends heavily on water from glaciers for agriculture and electricity generation. At present, there is more water because of warming-driven glacier melt, but there is a threshold beyond which glaciers will start contributing less water, called peak water. Some models project that peak water could occur around 2050 in the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra river basins, while some studies suggest it may have already been reached in the Brahmaputra system, he added. Azam warned that this could mean "more floods until 2050" and water shortages afterwards. He said that 2022 saw the most negative glacier mass balance -- more ice was lost than gained -- although annual temperatures were higher in 2023 and 2024. "This is because early heat waves in March 2022 led to early melting of glaciers, resulting in high river flows when water was not needed. The early heat waves and early monsoon contributed to the devastating floods in Pakistan that year," added Azam. ICIMOD's Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment and studies by the World Weather Attribution have linked glacier melt and climate change to increased flood risk in the region. The senior cryosphere specialist also said that glacier melt in the Himalayas has more immediate impacts than glacier loss in Iceland or the Arctic, as the Himalayan glaciers supply water to more than a billion people in the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra river basins.
New Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
MACC may question more people after Ismail Sabri's former son-in-law
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian graft busters may need to call other people in for questioning once they speak to the former son-in-law of Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said, aside from Datuk Jovian Mandagie, anyone else named by the former prime minister in statements to the commission would be called in to have their statements recorded. "The appointment for the statement recording in Indonesia has been scheduled for a few days after Hari Raya Haji. "It's not the final piece of the puzzle... there are still other pieces of evidence we need to gather," he told the New Straits Times . Azam added that MACC was still analysing and verifying the assets Ismail Sabri had declared to it. He said the commission was also scrutinising and conducting further investigation on the "defences" Ismail Sabri has put forward. "Anyone he has named will be called in to give a statement. There are also several banking documents that we have yet to obtain," he said. It was reported that MACC officials are expected to travel to Indonesia within the next two weeks to record a statement from Jovian, who is a former son-in-law of Ismail Sabri. The trip was necessary to verify certain assets declared by the former prime minister on Feb 10. He had named Jovian, who is currently residing in Indonesia, as one of the witnesses. The MACC was expected to complete the investigation by the end of next month. Ismail Sabri has been summoned multiple times to the MACC headquarters over allegations of corruption and money laundering. The case revolves around spending and the acquisition of funds for the promotion and publicity of the Keluarga Malaysia programme during his tenure as prime minister from August 2021 to November 2022. The current investigation is a continuation of the directive for Ismail Sabri to submit an asset declaration under Section 36(1) of the MACC Act 2009. On Wednesday, Azam revealed the RM177 million seized in a case linked to the ninth prime minister is the largest sum he has seen in his 42-year career.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
MACC: RM177m seizure among largest in Azam Baki's career
PETALING JAYA: The Chief Commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Tan Sri Azam Baki, recently confirmed that the RM177 million cash seizure in an investigation involving Malaysia's ninth Prime Minister is among the largest he has encountered in his entire career. Azam added that the RM53.3 million in cash found during the 2016 investigation into the Sabah State Water Department scandal is a close second—ranking among the largest amounts of cash seized during his 42-year tenure with the anti-graft agency. While he did not explicitly name Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob in reference to the probe, he stated that the volume of cash seized was so substantial that it produced what he referred to as the 'scent of money', as quoted from Harian Metro. 'Money is like a magnetic force that can cause a person to lose their moral compass and integrity, because when given a choice, they will always choose money. 'I still remember during a press conference in October 2016, I saw so much cash placed in a room at the MACC office in Sabah. Even if there had been faeces there, it wouldn't have had a smell, because the scent that filled the room was the 'fragrant smell of money',' he was quoted as saying. Azam also addressed allegations of 'selective investigations', which were raised during a press conference in March regarding the Ismail Sabri case. 'I responded: just look at the cash laid out on the table—does this look like a selective investigation?' Azam was quoted as saying. At the press conference, the MACC displayed around RM170 million in cash in various international currencies, along with 16 kilogrammes of pure gold bars worth nearly RM7 million. The items were displayed following the MACC's disclosure that hundreds of millions in cash and valuables had been seized from three premises, including a 'safehouse', in connection with a corruption and money laundering case reportedly involving Ismail Sabri. The seized cash included various currencies, such as Baht, Riyal, Pound Sterling, Won, Euro, Swiss Franc, and Yuan. Azam also commented on the recent meeting of the Special Committee on Corruption (JKMR), where he acknowledged being questioned about allegations of systemic corruption in Malaysia. 'They asked me, and I responded — the corruption we are seeing today stems from past influences, such as upbringing by family members, personal attitudes, and the environments in which we were educated. In the past, we had leaders with the will to fight corruption, which led to the formation of the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA). 'But once the national economy began to boom, and many people became wealthy through gains from the stock market, the pursuit of material wealth intensified. 'That was when integrity became a secondary concern. We also started teaching our children to chase success and wealth, rather than encouraging them to become responsible and principled individuals,' he was quoted as saying.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
RM177m seized in PM9's case was the largest amount in career, says Azam Baki
PETALING JAYA: The Chief Commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Tan Sri Azam Baki, recently confirmed that the RM177 million cash seizure in an investigation involving Malaysia's ninth Prime Minister is among the largest he has encountered in his entire career. Azam added that the RM53.3 million in cash found during the 2016 investigation into the Sabah State Water Department scandal is a close second—ranking among the largest amounts of cash seized during his 42-year tenure with the anti-graft agency. While he did not explicitly name Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob in reference to the probe, he stated that the volume of cash seized was so substantial that it produced what he referred to as the 'scent of money', as quoted from Harian Metro. 'Money is like a magnetic force that can cause a person to lose their moral compass and integrity, because when given a choice, they will always choose money. 'I still remember during a press conference in October 2016, I saw so much cash placed in a room at the MACC office in Sabah. Even if there had been faeces there, it wouldn't have had a smell, because the scent that filled the room was the 'fragrant smell of money',' he was quoted as saying. Azam also addressed allegations of 'selective investigations', which were raised during a press conference in March regarding the Ismail Sabri case. 'I responded: just look at the cash laid out on the table—does this look like a selective investigation?' Azam was quoted as saying. At the press conference, the MACC displayed around RM170 million in cash in various international currencies, along with 16 kilogrammes of pure gold bars worth nearly RM7 million. The items were displayed following the MACC's disclosure that hundreds of millions in cash and valuables had been seized from three premises, including a 'safehouse', in connection with a corruption and money laundering case reportedly involving Ismail Sabri. The seized cash included various currencies, such as Baht, Riyal, Pound Sterling, Won, Euro, Swiss Franc, and Yuan. Azam also commented on the recent meeting of the Special Committee on Corruption (JKMR), where he acknowledged being questioned about allegations of systemic corruption in Malaysia. 'They asked me, and I responded — the corruption we are seeing today stems from past influences, such as upbringing by family members, personal attitudes, and the environments in which we were educated. In the past, we had leaders with the will to fight corruption, which led to the formation of the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA). 'But once the national economy began to boom, and many people became wealthy through gains from the stock market, the pursuit of material wealth intensified. 'That was when integrity became a secondary concern. We also started teaching our children to chase success and wealth, rather than encouraging them to become responsible and principled individuals,' he was quoted as saying.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
RM177mil cash seizure among largest in agency's history
KAJANG: Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki revealed today the RM177 million seized in a case linked to the ninth prime minister is one of the largest sums he has seen in his 42-year career. He said the only comparable case was the RM53.3 million found during the 2016 Sabah Water Department scandal, previously the biggest in his experience. Azam made the remarks, without specifically naming Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, while launching Universiti Islam Selangor's (UIS) integrity policy. He said the massive amount of cash had a strong "scent of money." "I remember holding a press conference in October 2016 where I saw mountains of cash stacked in an MACC room in Sabah. Even if there had been faeces in that room, you wouldn't have smelled it because the only smell was that of money, sweet, tempting. At a March 3 press conference, the MACC displayed nearly RM170 million in foreign currencies and 16kg of gold bars worth almost RM7 million. The items were seized from three locations, including a "safe house", in a corruption and money laundering probe involving Ismail Sabri, according to the MACC. The cash was in currencies including Baht, Riyal, Pound, Won, Euro, Swiss Franc, and Yuan. Azam also addressed claims of selective prosecution made earlier this year. "I responded: just look at the money on the table, does this look like a case of selective prosecution?" he said. He said members of the Special Committee on Corruption recently questioned him about claims of systemic corruption in Malaysia. "I told them, the corruption we're seeing today stems from the values instilled in us by our families, our own attitudes, and the environments where we were educated. "We once had leaders determined to combat corruption, which led to the formation of the Anti-Corruption Agency (BPR). "But after the economy began to boom and more people amassed wealth from the share market, society began chasing material wealth. Integrity took a backseat. We even began raising our children to chase success and money rather than teaching them to be good and useful people," he said.
