DAPSY Selangor: “Why did Azmin recognise UEC when he was MB if it were a ‘threat’ to nation?”

DAPSY Selangor: “Why did Azmin recognise UEC when he was MB if it were a ‘threat’ to nation?”

By Bernie Yeo
13 hours ago






A DAP Socialist Youth (DAPSY) leader has slammed Armada information chief Harris Idaham Rashid for saying that the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) issue had been “heated up” due to narrow political interests.


Calling the claim “dishonest” and “hypocritical”, Selangor DAPSY publicity secretary Edmund Lim noted that the state government had officially recognised the UEC for entry to several state-owned universities back in 2015 when Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali was the menteri besar (MB).


“If the recognition of the UEC were considered contrary to national interests or the Constitution, why was the policy accepted and implemented when Azmin was MB?” he questioned.

“Azmin was quoted by a news portal as saying that the UEC issue was not a new issue for him, and that when he was the Selangor MB he recognised the UEC for the future of the country. The question is, why did Armada chose to stay silent (about the issue) back then?”

“Therefore it is clear that the UEC issue was not new and any attempts to link it to narrow political sentiments only reflect inconsistencies and attempts to politicise education issues.”

The UEC is the school-leaving certificate for students attending Chinese independent schools and is academically equivalent to the national Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) or international A-levels.

It was created by the United Chinese School Committees’ Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) to provide a unified examination after these schools opted out of the national curriculum in 1961 to maintain Chinese-medium instruction.

Prior to the UEC, these schools had no standardised examinations to evaluate graduates’ academic qualifications.

Today, the UEC is internationally accepted by more than 1,000 universities as an entrance qualification; among them are private institutions in Malaysia, as well as universities in Singapore, Taiwan and China.

It is also accepted in Sarawak, the only Malaysian state where it is accepted for entrance to state-run universities and the state civil service. However, it is not accepted for entry into most Malaysian public universities or the federal civil service.

The debate over the UEC was recently reignited after DAP deputy chairman Nga Kor Ming announced plans to push for its recognition, drawing criticism from UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Akmal Saleh.

The certificate has long been a political hot potato, with the opposition and government repeatedly clashing over its status. ‒ Dec 15, 2025

Israel to demolish 25 homes in occupied West Bank’s Nur Shams camp

al Jazeera:

Israel to demolish 25 homes in occupied West Bank’s Nur Shams camp

Rights groups say the demolition order, which will affect 100 Palestinian homes, is an attempt to ‘cage in’ Palestinians

Palestinians survey a destroyed pavement after an Israeli raid in the Nur Shams camp near Tulkarem, on March 4, 2024 [File: Sergey Ponomarev/Getty Images]

By Al Jazeera Staff and News Agencies
Published On 15 Dec 2025

The Israeli military will demolish 25 residential buildings in the occupied West Bank’s Nur Shams refugee camp this week, according to local authorities.

Abdallah Kamil, the governor of the Tulkarem governorate where Nur Shams is located, told the AFP news agency on Monday that he was informed of the planned demolition by the Israeli Defence Ministry body COGAT.

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Faisal Salama, the head of the popular committee for the Tulkarem camp, which is near Nur Shams, said the demolition order would affect 100 family homes.

Israel launched Operation Iron Wall in the occupied West Bank in January. It says the campaign is aimed at combating armed groups in refugee camps in the northern West Bank.

Human rights organisations have warned that Israel is using many similar tactics it used in its genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza to seize and control territory across the occupied West Bank.

“This is part of a wider campaign that has persisted for about a year, targeting three refugee camps and demolishing or damaging a total of about 1,500 homes in the past year, and forcibly displacing 32,000 Palestinians,” said Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from the West Bank’s Ramallah.

Palestinians and human rights organisations say such demolitions are an attempt to “cage in” Palestinians and alter the geography in the West Bank, she added.

On Monday, a dozen displaced Nur Shams residents held a demonstration in front of armoured Israeli military vehicles blocking their way back to the camp. They protested against the demolition orders and demanded the right to return to their homes.
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The head of the Palestinian National Council, Rouhi Fattouh, said that the Israeli decision is part of “ethnic cleansing and continuous forced displacement”, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.



Life caged in the West Bank as Israeli gates, fences and walls isolate Palestinian communities


‘Social death’

Omer Bartov, a professor of holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University, told Al Jazeera that Israel was “dehumanising” the Palestinian population in the occupied West Bank.

“[It is creating] a growing situation of social death, which is a term that was used to describe what happened to Jewish populations in Germany in the 1930s. That is, that your population, the Jewish population of Israel, increasingly has no contact with the people on the other side, and it exists as if they don’t exist,” he said.

“It dehumanises the population because you treat it as a population that has to be controlled, and it dehumanises the people doing it because they have to think of that population as being lesser than human.”

Aisha Dama, a camp resident whose four-floor family home, housing about 30 people, is among those to be demolished, told the AFP she felt alone against the military.

“On the day it happened, no one checked on us or asked about us,” she said.

“All my brothers’ houses are to be destroyed, all of them, and my brothers are already on the streets,” said Siham Hamayed, another camp resident.

Nur Shams, along with other refugee camps in the West Bank, was established after the 1948 Nakba, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forcibly displaced from their homes in what is now Israel.

With time, the camps they established inside the West Bank became dense neighbourhoods. Residents pass on their refugee status from one generation to the next.

Dong Zong: More than 96pct of UEC students passed SPM-level BM

Dong Zong: More than 96pct of UEC students passed SPM-level BM


Published: Dec 15, 2025 8:00 PM
Updated: 11:00 PM



Bahasa Malaysia is already a key component of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) syllabus, and almost all students are passing SPM-level exams, Dong Zong pointed out.

This is amid pushback against UEC recognition by the government, with critics claiming there is a need to protect the national language.

In a statement on Saturday, Dong Zong said Bahasa Malaysia is a compulsory subject for the UEC curriculum, and that the association agrees with the government that students need to get a credit on the SPM BM paper.

"In fact, in recent years, the passing rate for Chinese independent school students in the Malay SPM subject has exceeded 96 percent," the association said.

It said the passing rates over the last three years were 97.38 percent in 2022; 97.11 percent (2023), and 96.65 percent (2024).

Dong Zong said it has also established a joint working group with the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (Ikram) dedicated to improving the Malay language proficiency of Chinese independent school students and graduates.

It said the collaboration aims to build stronger communication skills and competitiveness in society and the workplace.

However, just passing the Malay exam may not be enough for some critics.

UEC debate

Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan and Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh previously said the UEC recognition can only be granted when Bahasa Malaysia becomes the main medium of instruction.

The UEC debate reignited after DAP revealed it was pushing to get the certificate finally recognised, as part of its reforms agenda following a wipeout in the Sabah election.

DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke has framed the UEC recognition as being part of a policy that would also strengthen the Malay language.

DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke


Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he was also not opposed to UEC recognition as long as the priority is to master Bahasa Malaysia.

UEC recognition has been a pivotal part of Pakatan Harapan’s pledge to the public, as it was part of their 2018 and 2022 general election campaign promises.

Sanusi Accused of Deflecting Kedah’s Problems by Reviving Penang Water Dispute

Sanusi Accused of Deflecting Kedah’s Problems by Reviving Penang Water Dispute


15 Dec 2025 • 12:00 PM MYT


FlyingBird
Passionate about sharing authentic local news

The Vibes


Kedah’s ongoing tension with Penang over water issues has taken another turn, as Kedah DAP secretary Teh Swee Leong suggested that the latest remarks from Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammed Sanusi Md Nor may have been aimed at steering attention away from the state’s unresolved challenges. Teh argued that Kedah is currently grappling with a long list of stalled initiatives first proposed under Sanusi’s administration, and that raising disputes with a neighbouring state only diverts public focus.


He said the situation reflects a familiar political tactic — when pressure mounts, leaders may find it easier to pick on opponents who may not always respond directly. According to him, the current climate in Kedah has been particularly tense following the PAS-led government’s move to raise quit rent rates, a decision flagged as burdensome for residents in several areas.


Teh urged the state government to prioritise actual development instead of entangling Kedah in unnecessary disputes affecting other parts of the country. He said meaningful progress would only be possible if the state focused on issues within its control and ensured previously announced projects were carried through.


Amid the political friction, Teh voiced support for the proposed establishment of the Ulu Muda Basin Authority (UMBA), which aims to safeguard and manage the critical water catchment areas in the northern region. The Ulu Muda basin, located across Baling and Sik, supplies almost 80% of water needs in Perlis and Penang, and about 70% for Kedah. With Sungai Muda flowing directly from this area, he believes that structured management under UMBA would benefit all northern states.


The proposal, initially raised by Perbadanan Aset Air Berhad (PAAB) chairman Datuk Seri Jaseni Maidinsa, was described by Teh as economically sound. He said that with better management, Kedah could potentially generate greater revenue from water supply to the region and channel the earnings back into developing the state.


Teh, who also serves as assemblyman for Kota Darul Aman, said it was time for Kedah to view itself through the broader lens of northern regional development rather than functioning in isolation. He noted that Penang’s rapid economic expansion continues to create job opportunities for residents from Kedah and Perlis, an example of how interconnected growth can uplift the entire region.


He emphasised that cooperation, not conflict, is the more productive path — and that Kedah’s progress depends on leadership that focuses on its own responsibilities instead of creating external distractions.

***

NewsWav Reader wrote in:

Celyn
• 2h
Sanusi survives on reaction. His whole playbook is provocation → media noise → PAS grassroots applause. There’s nothing worth engaging with, only a steady effort to antagonize Penang. That’s why Teh Swee Leong shouldn’t have responded. Any reply gives Sanusi exactly what he wants: proof that his noise landed. And the timing isn’t random. Sanusi knows the Sungai Perak Raw Water Transfer Scheme (SPRWTS) between Perak and Penang is now in its final planning phase, backed under Budget 2025. Once SPRWTS becomes reality, Kedah loses its leverage over Penang’s water security. No more political hostage games, no more manufactured drama. So he’s scrambling. When one issue fades, he’ll simply invent another to stay relevant. And about this “take back Penang” talk — if he’s so confident, why hasn’t he filed the lawsuit he keeps hinting at. Hahahahaha.

Sodomise, Molest, Suicide: Malaysia Needs Therapy

OPINION | Sodomise, Molest, Suicide: Malaysia Needs Therapy


15 Dec 2025 • 1:00 PM MYT



Fa Abdul
FA ABDUL is a former columnist of Malaysiakini & Free Malaysia Today (FMT)

Photo credit: Utusan Malaysia


Lately, the news coming out of Malaysia feels more like a collection of rejected sketches from a dark comedy show. Something is in the air - because whether they’re locals or foreigners, people on Malaysian soil are behaving like they’ve lost all software updates.


Let’s begin with Exhibit A:


A foreigner in Shah Alam who decided - for reasons no human psychologist can explain - that the best outlet for whatever he was feeling… was a cat.


No, he was not petting the cat. Also not feeding it.


He actually sodomised the cat. Yes, you read that right.


For this Olympic-level absurdity, he received a RM40,000 fine.


Therapy in Malaysia is expensive, but my goodness - there are cheaper ways to release stress that don’t involve traumatising an animal!


And then we have Exhibit B:


A local man in Melaka molested a woman in front of a mosque. When charged in court, he said he did it because he was “stressed after his wife died.”


Sir, with all due respect, grief does strange things, but grief is not a free pass to suddenly start making moves on unsuspecting women.


The five stages of grief are: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. There is no Stage 6: cabul perempuan depan masjid.


At this point, it feels like Malaysia has become the stage for the world’s strangest coping mechanisms. People are so stressed they’re bypassing normal outlets like crying, journaling, or eating Maggi at 2AM - and jumping straight into “criminal nonsense.”



And then comes Penang, our Exhibit C:


Because in the same 24 hours, THREE people fell off the Penang Bridge.


Three. Not one. Not two. But THREE separate men falling into the sea like it’s a Buy 1 Free 2 promotion.


At some point even the bridge must be thinking, “Hello? Can you all stop dropping? I’m a bridge, not an emotional support system.”


The poor rescue teams probably didn’t even clock out. Every time they thought the shift was over, another splash: PLOP. “Boss… another one.”


And now the picture becomes clear:


People are not just stressed. People are snapping, acting out, falling apart - literally - and dragging innocent cats, women, and bridges into their emotional breakdowns.


Malaysia needs therapy. We don’t just have a mental health crisis. We are behaving like a country that desperately needs to take annual leave.


We probably also need a new national PSA: “Stressed? PLEASE don’t disturb cats, don’t disturb women, and don’t somersault off the bridge.”


So Malaysians, if you’re stressed, please consider screaming into your bantal peluk or go buy unnecessary things on Shopee. Just don’t terrorise anyone or anything.


Life is hard. We know that. But for the love of all creatures great and small, please find a healthier way to let it all out.


At this rate, I’m scared to open the news tomorrow…

The end of DAP’s ‘Golden Era’? — Izmil Amri

The end of DAP’s ‘Golden Era’? — Izmil Amri



DECEMBER 15 — When Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim formed a coalition government three years back, my AuDHD brain went; “Ah yes, this rabbit hole seems familiar”. It was like watching another remake of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, with someone who looked strangely like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the ghost of Christmas past.

T’was 2010 in the United Kingdom, when the general election gave them the first hung parliament in 36 years. David Cameron, suddenly without a majority, found himself negotiating like a man trying to buy a large basket of durian at your local pasar malam. He managed to stitch together a coalition, and promptly ended Labour’s 13-year reign.


Enter Nick Clegg: Liberal Democrat leader, golden boy of the moment. Bright-eyed, clean-cut, the political equivalent of a promising sous-chef stepping into a kitchen fire. He took the deal, became deputy prime minister, smiled for the cameras outside Number 10 and walked straight into history’s woodchipper. There was the distinct smell of political dynamite waiting to go off. And by 2015, it did. Spectacularly.

The Lib Dems, once the nation’s favourite third wheel, were decimated, losing 48 of their 56 seats in what can only be described as a political mugging. The party has been staggering about in a daze ever since, trying to remember where it last put its dignity. Even in 2019, Jo Swinson, their fresh-faced leader, was promptly ejected from her own seat.




According to the author, DAP’s quiet on key issues—from Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s DNAA to Tan Sri Azam Baki’s contract extension and ongoing corruption under Madani — risks alienating Chinese voters, a lesson already seen in Sabah’s polls. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri


Public support for the Lib Dems didn’t just dip after the 2010 coalition agreement, it nosedived into the abyss of history. Within a month, the goodwill evaporated. Four years later, they were clinging to a miserable 8 per cent approval rating. Less “viable political force,” more “ghost of decisions past.”

A 2015 Parliamentary Affairs essay from the Hansard Society read like an autopsy. It concluded that the Lib Dems had forgotten what they were supposed to be. It had abandoned the thing that made them matter: their role as the scrappy, inconvenient opposition. Instead, they became the human shield for public anger, absorbing every ounce of public distrust and irritation directed at the government.


A year into the coalition, the Lib Dems were losing by-elections and local contests with the sort of consistency normally reserved for doomed football clubs. Once the bold urban challengers to Labour, they collapsed into an electoral crater. Their weakest performance in three decades.

And the cause? A betrayal felt in the bones of every centre-left voter who’d once believed in them. These voters had supported the Lib Dems as an antidote to Labour. These were the people who’d backed the Lib Dems precisely because they weren’t the Conservatives. But when the party decided to join the coalition government, the outrage wasn’t just political. It was personal. They saw the party as having abandoned its mission and identity. Becoming utterly pointless.

The Lib Dems didn’t just lose votes. They lost their base’s trust.

As history’s natural instinct would have it, its wheels start turning, grinding, repeating its cruel little jokes. And so it seems the same fate has come knocking at the door of the DAP weeks after the Sabah state election wrapped up. The bruises are still fresh, the wounds still raw, the taste still metallic in the mouth.

Ding Lee Leong, former editor-in-chief of Oriental Daily, put it with the sort of clarity that doesn’t ask for permission. In his analysis, he wrote: “DAP did not merely lose seats. It lost the people’s trust so completely that even basic political sympathy evaporated. When a party collapses and the public responds not with concern but with applause, it means one thing: the public has already walked away.”

I exhaled slowly, letting that sit. Letting it sting.

Ding’s piece landed more than a week after DAP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) huddled deep into the night, slicing and dissecting the anatomy of what can only be described as a humiliating defeat in Sabah.

Their midnight statement carried a message that was polite in tone but sharp at the edges: the prime minister would be given six months to accelerate the reform agenda. Read between the lines and it sounded less like a reminder and more like a finger jabbed into the chest. Perhaps even a veiled threat to walk away from the unity government should those reforms be ignored.

DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke later moved to clarify. Yes, DAP would reconsider its role in government if its calls went unanswered. But no, this did not mean withdrawing support for the Madani Government or lighting the fuse on yet another political bonfire.

Because, frankly, Anthony knows this as well as anyone: Anwar Ibrahim is not a man who responds well to knives held at his throat. If anything, Anwar likely smiled. The knowing, unbothered grin of a veteran who has survived far worse. He knows DAP will not dare to pull the plug, let alone surrender ministerial posts and invite other parties to stroll in and fill the gaps in a coalition that remains remarkably porous.

It is, after all, an open secret that Anwar has on more than one occasion courted PAS into his cabinet. Warisan, meanwhile, now looks firmly entrenched in Sabah. A coalition featuring PAS and Warisan, rather than DAP, would arguably give Anwar something far more valuable than moral posturing. It would give Anwar a sturdier, more solid grip on power.

And without DAP, MCA would not even need to leave Barisan Nasional to step neatly into the vacant role of representing Chinese interests within the Madani framework. Anwar will almost positively confirm a victory in the next GE, ushered by the blow of Malay serunai and nafiri, backed by the support from Green Wave voters who’d like nothing more than to see DAP completely decimated, and pushed back to the opposition bloc.

Politics, like food and history, has a long memory. And right now, the kitchen smells different.

“Change happens fast or immediate,” said a friend, alluding to recent developments. “The DAP’s golden era is over.” He remarks, painfully.

Within a week of that CEC meeting, DAP abruptly changed its face. The gloves came off, the old snarl seemingly returned. Suddenly the party was making demands again. Even its most senior leaders, comfortably seated in Anwar’s cabinet, began making public ultimatums, as if the prime minister were some distant headmaster unreachable except through megaphones and press statements.

Then came the biggest bomb. The minister of local government, who also happens to be DAP’s national deputy chairman, went straight for the jugular by announcing to the nation that the party was once again demanding recognition of the UEC, a call swiftly echoed by other party leaders. The polemic flared hot and fast, scorching the nerves of Umno leaders and forcing the prime minister himself to respond in a manner that felt very much like a bucket of cold water thrown squarely in DAP’s face.

Yes, the struggle to recognise the UEC has been in DAP’s bloodstream for generations. So too has the demand for justice for the late Teoh Beng Hock, who died while under MACC interrogation.

But let’s be honest. If not for the Sabah defeat and the panicked lurch to “accelerate reforms”, one has to wonder when, exactly, DAP would have remembered the UEC it has long claimed to champion. And that, right there, is where the tremor of arrogance set in. The kind that irritates everyone, especially DAP’s own core voters.

“How do you think we can turn the ship around?” a party friend asked me just a day or two ago.

I told them the truth. It is far too late for this ship, having drifted so badly off course, to simply spin around and sail home. There are things that could still be done, perhaps, but time is a jealous mistress and she is not on the party’s side. Heck it might not even be excessive to say that DAP may not recover for another 10 or 20 years, if public trust and hope have truly evaporated beyond recall.

Come GE16, core DAP voters may simply stay home. Or worse, they may walk into the booth and mark their ballots for MCA, or even Gerakan for that matter. Even the Bentong seat might be gone, if MCA is smart enough.

DAP’s silence on issues gnawing at Chinese voters and Malaysia’s so-called middle ground, from Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s DNAA, to the extension of Tan Sri Azam Baki’s contract, to the steady drip of corruption scandals under the Madani government will leave long shadows. The party has already seen how that episode ends, played out at the ballot boxes in Sabah.

If only now, after three long years, DAP wishes to reclaim the role it had seemed to have abandoned, the party should brace itself for the loss of many seats and for a long, cold return to life as the opposition.



* Izmil Amri is the former editor of DAP’s own Roketkini.

Military Watch:

North Korean Regiment Returns From Russian-Ukrainian Frontlines to Receive Hero’s Welcome

Eastern Europe and Central Asia , Ground

Military Watch Magazine Editorial Staff

December-14th-2025

---

North Korean People`s Army Mine Warfare Personnel in the Russian Kursk Region

The Korean People’s Army’s most high profile military unit deployed for operations in the Russian Kursk region, the 528th Regiment of Engineers, has returned to the country after completing an assignment to clear mines left by Ukrainian and supporting Western forces.  Chairman of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party Kim Jong Un attended a welcoming ceremony for the returning personnel, praising them for their "heroic" conduct and "mass heroism" in fulfilling orders issued by the Party during their 120-day deployment. Video footage showed the chairman hugging a soldier in a wheelchair, and soldiers and officials gathered to welcome the troops, as uniformed personnel from the engineering regiment disembarked from a returning aircraft. 

Chairman Kim Jong Un Greets Returning 528th Regiment Personnel

The 528th Regiment of Engineers de-mined an area of 42,400 hectares in Kursk, destroying over 1.5 million explosives, with the region’s governor Alexander Khinshtein referring to their operations as “invaluable… without which our borderline territory cannot be rebuilt.” During their operations, they were seen equipped with Russian VR-2-02 combat uniforms, Saiga-12K shotguns, RPK-74 automatic rifles, AK-74M rifles, and a wide range of mine clearance equipment. The personnel were reportedly involved in combat as Ukrainian forces continued to launch drone attacks into the region. The border between North and South Korea is among the most heavily mined regions in the world, with the Korean People’s Army’s expertise in mine warfare being highly prized. 

Korean People`s Army Mine Warfare Personnel in the Russian Kursk Region

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in June announced plans for the Korean People’s Army to dispatch 1000 mine clearance experts and 5000 military engineers to support de-mining and reconstruction efforts in Kursk, with the state run Korean Central News Agency subsequently confirming that the personnel were dispatched in early August. Alongside de-mining support, Korean People’s Army personnel have also bee involved in frontline operations, with multiple regiments having been dispatched following a Ukrainain-led incursion into Kursk in August 2024. The operation was supported personnel from NATO member states, such as contractors from the American Forward Observation Group and multiple Polish contractor units, with limited capabilities of defending Russian forces meaning this incursion was only fully repelled in April 2025. 

Welcoming Ceremony For Returning North Korean Personnel in Pyongyang

In early September Chairman Kim pledged that his country would provide further support to Russia as needed, with the treaty alliance between the two countries obliging Pyongyang to defend its neighbour in the event of attacks on its territory. “As I mentioned during our previous meeting, if there is any way we can help Russia, we will certainly do so and consider it our fraternal duty,” the chairman stated at the time. Russian President Vladimir Putin responded by stating that relations between the two countries had taken on a “special, trusting, and friendly character,” specifically highlighting the support provided by the Korean People’s Army in repelling the assault on Kursk. “I would like to point out that your soldiers fought courageously and heroically… we will never forget the sacrifices made by your armed forces and the families of your servicemen,” he stated.

Chairman Kim Jong Un Pays Tribute to Servicemen Lost in Kursk

Sharp contraction and decline in Russia’s ground forces following the disintegration of the Soviet Union resulted in the country fielding a much smaller and in many respects less capable Army than that of North Korea. Training standards in elite North Korean units are also widely reported to have made a particularly strong impression on Russian forces, particularly compared to conscript units, and contractor units such as the Wagner Group. The discrepancy between the two countries’ ground warfare capabilities has also been reflected in Russian forces’ heavy reliance on North Korean armaments. By the second quarter of 2025 nearly half of artillery rounds used by the Russian Army were of North Korean origin, with many Russian artillery units having come to depend almost entirely on ammunition supplied by the country. 

Israeli raid on Syrian village claims lives of five in single family, escalating tensions

theVibes.com:

Israeli raid on Syrian village claims lives of five in single family, escalating tensions

At least 13 villagers were killed in Beit Jin, southwestern Syria, during an Israeli military operation, including five members of one family

Updated 27 seconds ago · Published on 15 Dec 2025 6:35PM

The raid has inflamed local tensions and cast doubt on any prospects for Syrian-Israeli rapprochement - December 15, 2025



QASSIM Hamadeh awoke to gunfire and explosions in his village of Beit Jin, southwestern Syria, last month, only to discover that two of his sons, a daughter-in-law, and his 4- and 10-year-old grandsons had been killed. The five were among 13 villagers who perished in an Israeli raid that authorities said targeted members of a militant group allegedly planning attacks on Israel.

AP reported on Monday that Israeli troops claimed militants had fired upon soldiers, wounding six, prompting troops to return fire and call in air support.

Residents of Beit Jin, however, dismissed the claims, asserting that armed villagers confronted Israeli forces they saw as invaders, only to be met with tank and artillery fire followed by a drone strike. The Syrian government in Damascus labelled the attack a “massacre.”

The raid has heightened tensions and frustrated locals, undermining U.S.-backed attempts at a thaw in relations between Israel and Syria.

An Israeli-Syrian rapprochement appeared possible last December after Sunni Islamist-led rebels overthrew the autocratic President Bashar al-Assad, a close ally of Iran, Israel’s regional adversary.

Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, who led the rebel movement, expressed no desire for conflict with Israel. Yet Israel remained wary, citing his militant background and prior affiliations with al-Qaida-aligned groups.

Israeli forces swiftly established a presence in the UN-mandated buffer zone along the Golan Heights, which Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed, a move not recognised by most of the international community.

Checkpoints, military installations, and landing pads have been set up on strategic high ground, with reconnaissance drones regularly overflying nearby towns and Israeli tanks and Humvees patrolling the area.

“Israelis here are pursuing a very dangerous strategy,” said Michael Young, Senior Editor at the Beirut-based Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center.

“It contradicts the positions of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt — and even the United States — which are all in agreement that what has to come out of this today is a Syrian state that is unified and fairly strong.”

Israel maintains that its operations aim to eliminate pro-Assad forces and militants to protect its borders, though there is no indication of withdrawal. Attempts to reach a security agreement with Syria have so far stalled.

The shadow of conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza adds to local anxieties. Israeli troops remain active in southern Lebanon more than a year after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah war. In Gaza, buffer zones under Israeli control are planned even after eventual partial withdrawal.

Al-Sharaa has accused Israel of using fabricated threats to justify aggressive incursions. “All countries support an Israeli withdrawal from Syria to the lines prior to Assad’s ouster,” he said, insisting this is the only way for both nations to “emerge in a state of safety.”

Syria’s new leadership faces multiple internal challenges, including disputes with Kurdish-led authorities in the northeast and unrest in the southern Sweida province, where Druze and Bedouin clashes led to hundreds of civilian deaths.

Israel has courted the Druze and Kurds, though many local communities remain sceptical of its intentions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited troops near Beit Jin and defended his government’s actions, stating Israel seeks “a demilitarised buffer zone from Damascus to the UN buffer zone,” including Mt. Hermon.

“It is also possible to reach an agreement with the Syrians, but we will stand by our principles in any case,” he said.

The international response has been critical. Former U.S. President Donald Trump called for Israel to maintain dialogue with Syria and avoid actions that could hinder Damascus’ development. Analysts doubt Israel will withdraw soon, noting that landing pads and installations suggest a long-term presence.

Hamadeh, the labourer who lost five family members, expressed profound despair. “I can no longer bear the situation,” he said. “Israel strikes wherever it wants, it destroys whatever it wants, and kills whoever it wants, and no one holds it accountable.” - December 15, 2025

***

Leading to Islamists attacks on Jewish communities around the world as their hatred becomes unbearable

‘Do not show your fangs, we still need each other’ – Hassan Karim tells DAP

theVibes.com:

‘Do not show your fangs, we still need each other’ – Hassan Karim tells DAP

Updated 25 minutes ago · Published on 15 Dec 2025 6:40PM

INTIMIDATION should not be used by any party in Pakatan Harapan (PH) following the coalition's defeat in the Sabah State Election (PRN), especially when the demands put forward were not met.

Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim stressed that such an action was a big mistake and inappropriate when DAP lost the PRN and then blamed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim or PKR.

"DAP should not show its fangs, do not show its claws. We still need each other in PH. Threatening is not sweet even if it is delivered in a mile manner.

"DAP is part of the government and is also in the Cabinet. Ministers are not only from PKR - UMNO and Warisan are also there, so is DAP. It just so happens that Anwar is the Prime Minister.

“If there is a defeat, it is a shared responsibility. Don't lose in Sabah and then blame the Prime Minister. That is not fair. PKR also lost, so don't look for an excuse to leave PH,” he said as reported by Sinar Harian.

According to him, DAP has a record of having exited political coalitions with PKR and other parties several times before when the coalition failed to form a government.

"For example, when DAP joined forces with Semangat 46 and other opposition parties in Gagasan Rakyat in the 1990 and 1995 general elections, both lost and DAP left the coalition.

"That was the first time DAP left and the second time was when Barisan Alternatif (BA) was formed while Anwar was imprisoned in 1998. When it did not win in the 1999 and 2004 elections, DAP left BA, while PKR remained," he said.

“First, they fought with Semangat 46, then they had a disagreement with PAS. In 2018, when they saw an opportunity, DAP joined the government and Lim Guan Eng became the Minister of Finance.

“In 2022, they saw an opportunity again and supported Anwar as Prime Minister. But now they may see that GE16 is difficult to win, so they want to leave PH. The Malays say, when the honey is gone, the straw is thrown away,” he said.

In this regard, he advised DAP not to make a big mistake by leaving PH.

"We will not forget, as long as we were together from BA to PH. Now the genuine party in PH is PKR. If we want to have a multi-racial government, PH and PKR must be together.

"If DAP mishandles this issue, make no mistake, the power of this country will be controlled by a coalition of Malay parties as a whole and DAP will be the opposition, with no role whatsoever," he said.

Therefore, he said, DAP needs to work together with PKR to solve the problem by holding a meeting and not by threats.

In the Sabah PRN which was held on November 29, PH suffered a heavy defeat when it won only one seat despite various strategies and collaborations with other parties.

The only seat PH won was Melalap through PKR candidate Jamawi Ja'afar. DAP lost all eight contested seats.

The immediate reaction of DAP to the Sabah results included giving an ultimatum to the government led by Anwar to immediately implement institutional reforms.

DAP Secretary-General Anthony Loke said that if the changes demanded were not implemented by that deadline, the party would reconsider its position in the Cabinet, but would continue to support Anwar as Prime Minister. – December 15, 2025

UEC debate revival 'unhealthy' political practice - Warisan leader

UEC debate revival 'unhealthy' political practice - Warisan leader


Published: Dec 15, 2025 5:50 PM
Updated: 8:50 PM



A Warisan leader has described the revival of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) recognition issue following Pakatan Harapan’s poor showing in the Sabah state election as an example of unhealthy political practice.

In a statement today, Warisan's deputy information chief Justin Wong dismissed any call to "re-examine" the issue as no longer relevant, and instead urged the federal government to proceed with immediate recognition of the UEC as a principled and responsible decision.

The Sri Tanjong assemblyperson said the UEC issue, which had remained dormant for a long time, suddenly resurfaced as a hot political topic, a development which he linked to Harapan's performance in the recent Sabah election, which saw the coalition left with only two seats through PKR.

“Several years ago, some DAP leaders claimed that only a small number of people within the Chinese community used the UEC to apply for positions in the civil service.

"Yet today, the UEC has suddenly become a highly important qualification, with Harapan leaders - including some from East Malaysia - showing strong interest in revisiting the issue,” Wong (above) said.

Wong stressed that Harapan's election manifesto for the 2018 and 2022 general elections had both spelt out UEC recognition as a governing promise, endorsed by the DAP, which was recently wiped out from Sabah.

“After all this, does the government still need more ‘studies’ and ‘consultations’?” he questioned.

Following the conclusion of the state election, DAP deputy chairperson Nga Kor Ming announced the party would seek a meeting with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on UEC recognition, drawing sharp criticism from Umno.

On Dec 12, Anwar weighed in on the UEC debate, reminding all quarters of the constitutional status of Bahasa Malaysia, signalling that DAP may face an uphill battle.

‘Unrelated matters’

Wong, however, stressed that recognising the UEC and upholding Bahasa Malaysia as the official language are two separate matters.

“We have never seen the state government at that time claim that UEC recognition had to be postponed to defend Bahasa Malaysia.

“This clearly shows that the two issues do not conflict and are not related,” he said, citing Sabah's recognition of the UEC under former chief minister Shafie Apdal, who led the state between 2018 and 2020.

“If the government has the political will, the federal education ministry can implement bilingual textbooks, strengthen proficiency in both Bahasa Malaysia and English, and even allow room for other languages as well,” he added.

Separately, the China Press reported Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari as reaffirming that state's recognition of UEC since 2015 as a pathway to study at state-linked universities, as well as a career entryway in state GLCs.

He also reportedly urged all parties not to get bogged down in debates about language and education systems, as it could slow down societal progress and cause the state's technology to drift further away from global development trends.

No direct ties between Umno and DAP, Zahid tells MCA

No direct ties between Umno and DAP, Zahid tells MCA

Alyaa Alhadjri
Published: Dec 15, 2025 6:46 PM
Updated: 9:52 PM



Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has insisted that his party has no "direct ties" with DAP, stressing instead that the unity government cooperation was formed between BN and Pakatan Harapan as individual coalitions.

"We (Umno) have never had a direct relationship with DAP.

"Our relationship is between BN and Harapan," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.

"Since MCA is a component party within BN and DAP is a component party within Harapan, the fundamental basis must be that this cooperation is not party-to-party, but coalition-to-coalition - and this is something that can be managed and on which mutual understanding can be reached," he said.

The BN chairperson said this when asked for comments on MCA president Wee Ka Siong's reported speech from the party's Dec 7 annual general meeting, warning against BN extending its cooperation with Harapan into the next general election.

In his address to party delegates, Wee made a subtle but clear threat that MCA was ready to leave BN should "some allies" wish to continue working with DAP and Harapan.

MCA president Wee Ka Siong


While he did not name anyone in particular, it was understood that Wee was referring to Umno led by Zahid, who is also deputy prime minister.

Practise ‘political rationality’

Commenting further, Zahid stressed the importance of exercising "political rationality," particularly to face the 16th general election.

"Leave it to the top leadership of both coalitions to handle and overcome the issues at hand," he added.

Wee had targeted DAP and Harapan for alleged "U-turns" on countless issues, which he did not elaborate on.

However, the MCA AGM was held in the wake of the Sabah election, which saw DAP wiped out from the state and PKR remaining as part of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-led administration with only one seat, and Umno with six.

Apart from MCA, Zahid also came under attack from MIC Youth after the Umno president accused the BN component of "being drunk on power" over the party's suggestion to similarly leave the coalition.

Misinformation spreads after Bondi attack as Sydney Christmas fireworks falsely tied to ‘Islamists’

Misinformation spreads after Bondi attack as Sydney Christmas fireworks falsely tied to ‘Islamists’



Mourners gather by floral tributes at the Bondi Pavillion in memory of the victims of a shooting at Bondi Beach, in Sydney on December 15, 2025. — AFP pic

Monday, 15 Dec 2025 2:54 PM MYT


SYDNEY, Dec 15 — Australian social media users accused “Islamists” of celebrating the Bondi Beach mass shooting at a Sydney suburb, sharing a video of fireworks going off, which officials said was in fact for Christmas celebrations.

The footage is among several threads of misinformation that have emerged online in the aftermath of yesterday’s shooting at Australia’s most famous surf beach, which authorities have labelled as an anti-Semitic terrorist attack on a Jewish festival.

The gunmen targeted an annual celebration that drew more than 1,000 people to the beach to mark the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, authorities said, killing 15 people and wounding 42.

A video soon circulated showing fireworks going off into the night sky, and by today morning had spread to India, Britain and the US.


“(The people) we have let into our country are now setting off fireworks in Bankstown, celebrating the Bondi Massacre of our Jewish citizens,” said one Australian-based user, referring to a southwestern Sydney suburb.



People are seen at Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 15, 2025, a day after the shootings. — AFP pic


Deploying dehumanising language in an X post that was reposted over 750 times, the user also asked: “Why aren’t the Police arresting (them)?”

Others on Facebook claimed the video showed “Islamists setting off fireworks in Sydney to celebrate the terrorist attack against the Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach”.

But while there were indeed fireworks yesterday evening around Canterbury Bankstown—the name of the area comprising several suburbs—a local community organisation said the display was for Christmas celebrations.

“The fireworks were part of our annual Christmas Carols event, this event and the fireworks display were planned months in advance,” said the Rotary Club of Padstow, a suburb adjacent to Bankstown.



Mourners pay a floral tribute to Bondi Beach shooting victims at the Bondi Pavilion in Sydney on December 15, 2025. — AFP pic


“They were not in any way related to the terrorist attack at Bondi,” the Rotary Club said, adding that the colourful display happens yearly.

The southwestern suburb of Bankstown is one of Sydney’s most culturally diverse areas, with its website touting that it has residents of more than 120 nationalities—though it is increasingly the target of anti-immigration rhetoric.

But the posts sharing the footage also drew responses from people within the community confirming that it was a local Christmas carols event.

“Purposefully sharing misinformation to spark hate is disgusting. You should be ashamed of yourself,” said one X user from neighbouring Belmore suburb. — AFP

***

I know the type of S-Wholes who would do just that

Govt ready for second wave of floods, strengthens early warning and evacuation plans across East Coast, Pahang, Johor and Sarawak

Govt ready for second wave of floods, strengthens early warning and evacuation plans across East Coast, Pahang, Johor and Sarawak



Flash floods hit several homes in Kampung Mohd Amin in Johor Bahru on December 13, 2025. The government has taken proactive steps to strengthen preparedness and early warning systems to address the risk of a second wave of floods, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today. — Bernama pic

Monday, 15 Dec 2025 4:02 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 — The government has taken proactive steps to strengthen preparedness and early warning systems to address the risk of a second wave of floods, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also chairman of the National Disaster Management Committee, said although weather conditions are difficult to predict accurately, the current priority is the early evacuation of residents, especially those living in high-risk areas.

“We cannot predict it precisely, but this second wave is expected to affect the East Coast and spread beyond coastal areas of Kelantan and Terengganu to Pahang, and further to Johor, as well as Sarawak.

“What is important is the preparedness and early warning systems we have put in place, so that evacuations can be carried out early to prevent loss of life and damage to documents, and to ensure that victims from high-risk areas are ready to be moved to temporary evacuation centres,” he said.


He was speaking to reporters after a working visit to Universiti Kuala Lumpur British Malaysian Institute (UniKL BMI) here today.

In a separate development, Ahmad Zahid said the government would address any disputes arising from the land premium issue between the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) and the Terengganu government in a prudent manner to safeguard the interests and welfare of settlers.

He said cooperation between the federal government through Felda and FGV, together with the Terengganu government, particularly the State Secretary, would continue to be strengthened to find the best solution to any outstanding issues.


“There is nothing that cannot be negotiated, and our priority is the interests and welfare of the settlers,” he said.

The media had reported that the Terengganu government agreed to extend the remediation period by one month until January 7 following positive developments in negotiations with Felda over the issue.

Terengganu State Secretary Datuk Zulkifli Ali was reported as saying that after a notice of offence under Section 425 of the National Land Code was issued, the state government held several rounds of discussions with Felda’s top management to seek a comprehensive resolution to the matter. — Bernama

Anwar says Asean foreign ministers’ meeting postponed as Thai-Cambodia conflict deepens

Anwar says Asean foreign ministers’ meeting postponed as Thai-Cambodia conflict deepens



Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim greets a guest during the launching of late S.M Mohamed Idris’s book at the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur on December 15, 2025. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

Monday, 15 Dec 2025 1:55 PM MYT


PETALING JAYA, Dec15 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today the Special Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting scheduled tomorrow has been postponed, as the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict deepens and concerns mount that it could escalate.

Tuesday’s meeting was meant to bring member states together to find a solution to the ongoing tension, which has killed dozens of people from both sides, but Anwar said both Thailand and Cambodia had asked for it to be temporarily called off.

“We are still coordinating, there is some slight postponement to the foreign ministers’ meeting scheduled on Tuesday as we are still trying to get everything in order,” he said after delivering a keynote address at a book launch here.

“But we are appealing to them to stop the fighting, which is very difficult,” Anwar added, disclosing that both sides have kept in contact “on a daily basis”.

Anwar was instrumental in brokering a ceasefire between Bangkok and Phnom Penh, but the fragile peace lasted only days before tensions renewed, as both sides accused each other of violating the truce signed at the Asean Summit in October here, overseen by US President Donald Trump.

A skirmish on December 7 that reportedly wounded two Thai soldiers sparked more military action at several borders.

The two sides are battling over longstanding competing claims to patches of frontier land, some of which contain centuries-old temple ruins.

More than two dozen people on both sides of the border have officially been reported killed in the past week’s fighting, while more than half a million have been displaced.

News reports from yesterday suggested Bangkok could impose a naval blockade of the Gulf of Thailand to incapacitate Cambodia’s military capabilities by blocking critical supplies from reaching the country, although the Thai navy later denied the report as misleading.

When asked to comment on the potential blockade, Anwar replied that negotiations were ongoing.

“We’re still negotiating to get things through,” the prime minister said.

Sea Games setback: Zafrul calls for shared responsibility, not blame game

The national badminton squad only secured one gold medal in the women’s doubles event through Pearly Tan-M Thinaah, who defeated Indonesia’s Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Meilysa Trias Puspitasari. - Bernama pic, December 15, 2025


Sea Games setback: Zafrul calls for shared responsibility, not blame game


Malaysia fell short of its four-gold target at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, but BAM President Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz emphasises that the setback is a shared responsibility, not an individual failure, adding that the national squad still showed progress with nine medals, including a landmark women’s singles podium finish



Habibah Omar
Updated 3 hours ago
15 December, 2025
12:01 PM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR – The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has acknowledged its shortcomings and accepted the fact that Malaysia failed to achieve its target of four gold medals at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand.


Describing the 2025 SEA Games as no easy stage in a statement today, BAM President Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said that in sports, results on the court cannot be hidden, and they demand honesty, courage, and shared responsibility.

However, Tengku Zafrul noted that although the gold medal target was not reached, the national squad showed positive progress by winning nine medals, surpassing the initial target of seven and more significantly, Malaysia secured a women’s singles medal, a first in six years.

This, he said, demonstrates that talent development is on the right trajectory.

“What happened is not an individual failure but a shared responsibility involving players, coaching staff, management, and leadership.

“When we win, we win as a team; when we lose, we are also collectively responsible.

“I appreciate Rexy’s openness, and my position is clear: we still need him because experience and a development philosophy cannot be measured by a single tournament,” he said in a statement today.

On Sunday, BAM’s Doubles Coaching Director Rexy Mainaky took responsibility and said he would step down if pressured by any party after failing to help Malaysia bring home four gold medals at the SEA Games in Thailand, despite fielding the best squad this time.

The national badminton squad only secured one gold medal in the women’s doubles event through Pearly Tan-M Thinaah, who defeated Indonesia’s Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Meilysa Trias Puspitasari.

The Malaysian badminton team concluded its 2025 SEA Games campaign with one gold, two silver, and six bronze medals.

According to Zafrul, one failure does not negate the major successes of the year, such as Malaysia emerging as world champions in the mixed team event, and for the first time, the women’s team reaching the World Championship final. These are achievements that have elevated the stature of the country’s players.

“The SEA Games offer valuable lessons. We will learn, address weaknesses, and emerge stronger and more mature. This is not the end, but a stepping stone.

“As BAM President, my commitment remains: to build Malaysian badminton on a solid foundation and achieve long-term success. The journey is not over. We will continue to move forward together,” he said. – December 15, 2025