US bombs Iran for an 11th consecutive night as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the cost of the war has reached $37.5bn.
US President Donald Trump threatens to attack a suspected Iranian nuclear site called Pickaxe Mountain “pretty soon, and very heavily”, prompting Tehran to threaten an expansion of the war in the region.
Mediators step up efforts to end the hostilities as Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni holds talks with senior Pakistani officials, including Army Chief Asim Munir, in Islamabad.
Trump meets Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and promises to broker peace with Israel, but will not say when Israeli troops might withdraw from southern Lebanon.
17m ago
(00:20 GMT)
Congress questions Hegseth over Iran war costs
By Eva McKend
Reporting from Washington, DC, US
The line of questioning largely fell along party lines. That surprised me.
Democrats were critical. Republicans tried to give Secretary Pete Hegseth the space to make the case for the war.
I thought both parties would be critical, given how unpopular this war is. But Democrats really pinned Secretary Hegseth on having imprecise language in describing this war effort.
At one point, he said that Iran was destroyed and made combat-ineffective.
Well, Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia, who’s up for re-election, asked how that could be the case if the secretary is coming before Congress to ask for billions more dollars if America is, in fact, winning this war.
You had Democrats also point out that this money could be used for a whole host of domestic policy priorities: addressing childcare, healthcare, and energy costs among them.
Hegseth was also interrupted several times by protesters during his testimony. It speaks to the frustration here in this country, because when President Trump ran for office, he said he would do the opposite of this.
He said that he would end the forever wars and that he wasn’t interested in these types of military campaigns.
Well, now he is governing in a much different way, and it is coming at a significant financial and human cost to American citizens.
***
'Coz idiotic Trump was conned by Satanyahu into fighting an unwinnable Israeli war
The M-346 F 'Block 20' procurement follows a US$8.1 billion agreement with French firm Dassault for 42 Rafale fighter jets
The M-346 would provide Indonesia with combat capabilities and advanced pilot training, with first deliveries expected from 2030. (Leonardo pic)
MILAN: Indonesia has ordered twelve light combat aircraft from Leonardo as the country strengthens its air defence system, the Italian aircraft manufacturer and local partner PT ESystem Solutions Indonesia announced Tuesday.
The procurement order for the dozen M-346 F ‘Block 20’ aircraft, a top-selling Leonardo item, follows the signing in 2022 of an US$8.1 billion contract between Indonesia and French firm Dassault for 42 Rafale fighter jets.
The M-346 “will provide both multi-role combat capabilities and an advanced training platform for Indonesian pilots,” Leonardo stated, with first deliveries expected from 2030.
No value was disclosed for the order, but an Austrian order for twelve identical aircraft in late 2025 was reported in the media to be worth €1.5 billion.
More than 170 M-346 aircraft have already been ordered, and Indonesia will become the 23rd nation to operate it, Leonardo said.
Indonesia has additionally signed a letter of intent to buy AW149 multi-role helicopters for its navy, intended for search and rescue missions as well as civil protection duties.
This month, a small factory in Sepang begins producing what its maker says is Asean’s first homegrown electric vehicle battery. Its output is tiny. Its significance is anything but
The most important part of an electric vehicle (EV) is not the motor, the software or the badge. It is the battery, typically the single costliest component in the car. And until now, every EV sold in Malaysia has had a battery born somewhere else, mostly in China.
This month, that changes.
In a modest 15,000 square foot facility in Suria Industrial Park, Sepang, a company called Gigafactory Malaysia will begin small-scale production of a graphene-enhanced lithium-ion battery, according to a report by Nikkei Asia. The technology was developed right here at home, at a cost of around RM20 million.
Gigafactory Malaysia is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NanoMalaysia Berhad, an agency under the science, technology and innovation ministry (MOSTI). Incorporated in 2011 to commercialise nanotechnology, it has spent years quietly plugging away at energy storage, including a battery-supercapacitor hybrid EV project with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, built on a converted Perodua Myvi.
“We are on the verge of operationalising Malaysia’s first local battery technology production factory,” NanoMalaysia chief executive Rezal Khairi Ahmad told Nikkei Asia. The project, he said, was “likely the first of its kind in Asean. No other country in the region is producing homegrown battery tech”.
The clever bit is in the chemistry. The battery uses a conventional nickel manganese cobalt formulation, but swaps the graphite normally used in the negative electrode for graphene, a sheet of carbon just one atom thick.
Rezal says this increases energy storage capacity by up to three times, with a projected driving range of up to 640km per charge, and support for fast charging.
The factory will start small, then scale to megawatt hour (MWh) output as early as September. A first order for a 25-kilowatt hour (kWh) pack, roughly the size of a small EV’s battery, has already come in from a local organisation that NanoMalaysia has not named, with more deals being finalised and export markets like Indonesia, South Korea, India and Pakistan in its sights.
Why does this matter? Three reasons.
First, the global battery market is a Chinese monopoly in all but name. According to South Korean research firm SNE Research, China’s CATL alone supplied 40.2% of the world’s EV batteries in the first five months of 2026, with compatriot BYD taking another 14.4%. In the first four months of the year, seven Chinese companies together controlled 72.2% of the market.
Carmakers everywhere are desperate to diversify away from this chokepoint, especially after Beijing showed its willingness to restrict exports of graphite, the very material NanoMalaysia’s battery replaces.
Even at home, Perodua has publicly lamented that Chinese vendors for its QV-E electric car were not meeting its quality standards, delaying production. A credible local supplier would be an answer to a question the entire industry is asking.
Second, batteries are the future, full stop. We are electrifying everything, and every electron needs somewhere to sleep. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that battery storage is the fastest growing power technology in the world, with 108 gigawatts added globally in 2025 alone, 40% more than the year before, as costs have fallen more than 90% since 2010.
“Batteries are changing the game before our eyes,” IEA executive director Fatih Birol has said.
He is right, and the game is being played in Malaysia too. Malaysians registered 44,813 EVs in 2025, more than double the year before, and our newest solar tenders now require grid-scale battery storage built in. Every one of those batteries, in every car and on every grid, is currently imported.
Third, batteries are exactly the kind of industry Malaysia says it wants. We have spent four decades assembling other people’s technology, capturing slivers of value while the intellectual property, and the fattest margins, sit elsewhere. A homegrown battery industry flips that script, creating high-skill jobs for local electrochemists, materials scientists and process engineers rather than shipping our brightest abroad.
The ecosystem logic is sound too. NanoMalaysia is eyeing a nickel supply partnership with neighbouring Indonesia, which holds the world’s largest reserves, and is working on recycling end-of-life batteries to secure raw materials. That is a value chain, not just a factory.
Now, some honesty about scale. At full tilt, the Sepang plant will produce about one MWh of batteries a year, roughly 92,000 cells. CATL ships that much capacity every few minutes.
Nobody should pretend Malaysia has birthed a battery giant.
But every giant starts as a seed. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC, was a government-backed long shot in 1987 that few took seriously. It now produces over 90% of the world’s most advanced chips.
The lesson is not that success is guaranteed. It is that no country ever built a strategic industry without planting something small and unglamorous first.
For once, Malaysia is not waiting to buy the future second-hand. This month, a battery will roll off a Malaysian line carrying Malaysian intellectual property.
SITUATION CRITICAL FOR UKRAINE. NO MORE AIR DEFENSES.
There is much intrigue inside Ukraine. The Minister of Defense has been fired and there are protests against the unelected government. The Minister of Defense (Fyodorov??) was advocating for drone warfare which has not been successful against the Russians. Last week in Turkey NATO pledged US$70 BILLION annually to fund the war against Russia. The new drone warfare supply chain (in the EU and NATO) is eyeing this money. The old guard is also eyeing this US$70 billion.
Here is a three minute video of the port city of Odessa. The Russians say 'Adiyessa'. If you double the playback speed on YouTube you can watch this in 1.5 minutes.
This is part of the Russian summer offensive of 2026. Prior to this Odessa was largely unmolested. As you can see the port is burning. Odessa has been effectively put out of commission. It does not function as a port anymore. When the Russians take Odessa Ukraine will lose access to the sea.
Other things are moving at a rapid pace. Ukraine has lost all its air defenses. There are no more American made Patriot anti-aircraft missiles in operation in Ukraine. Each Patriot battery costs US$1.0 billion. Ukraine had EIGHT Patriot missile batteries (ie US$8.0 billion). They were supplied by NATO. Now all these Patriot missile batteries have been destroyed by the Russians. The Americans are not able to resupply Ukraine with the Patriot missiles because of the situation in the Middle East. I say 'situation' because there is no real war in the Persian Gulf. The Iranian regime has resorted to shooting at Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain and other Gulf states. So the Americans are strengthening their Patriot batteries in the Middle East. The Patriots in the Middle East have far better success against the Iranian missiles.
In Ukraine the Patriots were never able to shoot down any of the Iskandar and Khinzal hypersonic missiles which the Russians kept firing. And the Patriots certainly cannot shoot down the super hypersonic Oreshnik missile. (The Russians say 'Ariyeshnik').
This Ukraine war has proven the total collapse and inadequacy of all Western weapons systems against Russian weapons. The Russian technology is far superior. Even in the drone war a high percentage of Ukrainian UAVs are being shot down by Russian anti-drone defenses whereas the Russian made jet-powered Geran drones now rule the skies over Ukraine (picture). The Geran drones are quite unstoppable. They carry 50kg - 90kg warheads and fly at 500 km/h with a range of 450 km.
This week a few EU ambassadors in Moscow asked to meet the Russian Foreign Ministry. They proposed a ceasefire but according to the same terms the EU / NATO have been repeating the past few years. So the Russians sent them away.
In April 2026 there was an exchange of remains of soldiers killed in combat.
Russia returned the remains of 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers.
Ukraine returned the remains of 41 Russian soldiers.
The ratio was 1:25 (Russia : Ukraine).
In a more recent repatriation of remains of soldiers the Ukrainians returned the remains of 500 Russian killed. The Russians returned over 10,000 Ukrainian killed. The ratio was over 1:20 (Russian : Ukrainian).
The Hamas war was executed on the orders of the Muslim Brotherhood which is based in Turkey, Qatar, Europe and the US. The people of Gaza knew little about it until it happened. Likewise the Ukraine war was executed on the orders of the British and NATO. The people of Ukraine have nothing to gain from this war.
Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi urges Narendra Modi to step down as youth-led protests demand changes to India's education system
Security personnel detain Rahul Gandhi (centre) as he stages a sit-in protest calling for Narendra Modi’s resignation in New Delhi. (AFP pic)
NEW DELHI: Indian police on Tuesday detained opposition leader Rahul Gandhi during youth-led protests in New Delhi calling for education reforms, after he called for prime minister Narendra Modi’s resignation.
The Indian capital was rocked by a second day of demonstrations led by the fast-growing “cockroach” movement, which has demanded changes to the country’s education system and the resignation of the education minister after repeated testing scandals.
Thousands have turned out, with Monday’s marches culminating in violent clashes with police.
Gandhi, leader of the Congress Party, said Tuesday that Modi must resign “for destroying the future of India’s youth”, before staging a sit-in outside the prime minister’s residence.
“The government doesn’t want to take any accountability, nor does it want to have a debate on it in parliament,” said Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the lower house.
AFP video showed Gandhi and other lawmakers being forcibly bundled into a bus by police and removed from the area.
Police – some in body armour – appeared to hold the opposition leader by both arms and legs as they pushed through large crowds and into the nearby vehicle.
Chaotic scenes ensued as protesters appeared to try to board the bus before and as it sped away.
Gandhi shared images of his forced removal by security forces and said the demonstration would not stop.
Modi has not yet directly commented on the protests.
Violent clashes
On Monday, thousands poured into New Delhi’s streets to demand the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, heeding the call of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) online movement.
Protesters pelted security forces with stones after they fired tear gas and charged with batons, in the capital’s largest demonstrations in five years.
Police said 60 civilians were injured and another 118 police personnel were hurt.
“What happened yesterday is our Constitution got trampled upon,” Sandeep Dixit, a senior leader of the Congress party, told AFP.
“After that, no self-respecting politician or citizen can stand aside.”
The CJP vowed to press on with its demands for Pradhan’s removal as thousands of protesters remained camped at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar protest site on Tuesday, many of them calling for changes to the wider education system.
Official silence
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke urged protesters on Tuesday not to lose hope.
“They want to break our spirit,” he said, perched atop a lorry. “Do not let them silence you.”
Organisers condemned the “high-handedness” of the authorities and claimed hundreds of protesters had been injured – far more than the police tally.
“It’s a shameful day in the history of Indian democracy that people, honest students, who had come for a genuine issue were brutally beaten by the Delhi police,” CJP spokesman Ashutosh Ranka told AFP.
Ranka, who met senior minister JP Nadda on Monday, said the government had yet to respond to their demands.
Protesters said they would not relent.
“We have become even more fearless now,” said 25-year-old law student Chandra Pratap Sishwi.
“When I saw people being beaten up by the police like that, my blood boiled.”
Parliament was adjourned on Tuesday after the opposition benches demanded a discussion on the alleged “brutality unleashed on students”.
Cockroach movement
The rapidly expanding CJP has won millions of followers on social media since its launch in May, fuelling one of the biggest challenges to Modi since the Hindu nationalist leader won his third term in office in 2024.
The movement was born out of repeated school examination scandals that shook confidence in India’s testing system.
Some 2.2 million aspiring medical students sat for a re-examination under tight security last month after the previous test was scrapped following the leak of a question paper.
That came on top of another scandal related to the online marking of tests taken by nearly two million high school students.
Parliamentary affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju defended the government on Tuesday, saying it had acted swiftly after the exam paper leaks by arresting several people.
He said Modi had called for a “foolproof system” to prevent irregularities in the future at a closed-door meeting with his allies.
***
I have seen video clips which showed the vicious brutality of Indian police flogging protestors, using their 'lathi'.
According to a source, the man, who is in his 60s, was detained at about 10am today when he turned up to give his statement at the Sabah MACC office. — Picture by Choo Choy May
First Published: Tuesday, 21 Jul 2026 7:45 PM MYT
KOTA KINABALU, July 21 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has arrested the president of a Sabah-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) on suspicion of abusing his position by misappropriating about RM2 million allocated for the construction of a community hall.
According to a source, the man, who is in his 60s, was detained at about 10am today when he turned up to give his statement at the Sabah MACC office.
Preliminary investigations found that the suspect allegedly committed the offence in 2022 by misusing funds obtained from the Finance Ministry for the construction of a cultural hall and gallery in the state.
The source said the suspect was believed to have applied for the allocation and proceeded with the construction project without the approval of the NGO’s supreme council.
When contacted, Sabah MACC director Datuk Mohd Fuad Bee Basrah confirmed the arrest.
He said the case is being investigated under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009 for abuse of position.
Mohd Fuad added that the suspect is expected to be charged at the Kota Kinabalu Special Corruption Court on Thursday.
State Local Government and Town and Country Planning Committee chairman H’ng Mooi Lye said one of the key initiatives involves the participation of all 24 state government departments and agencies in a campaign promoting digital payments to expand the adoption of cashless transactions among the public. — Picture by Hari Anggara
First Published: Tuesday, 21 Jul 2026 6:34 PM MYT
GEORGE TOWN, July 21 — The Penang government is committed to achieving 100 per cent cashless transactions in the near future through various initiatives currently being implemented.
State Local Government and Town and Country Planning Committee chairman H’ng Mooi Lye said one of the key initiatives involves the participation of all 24 state government departments and agencies in a campaign promoting digital payments to expand the adoption of cashless transactions among the public.
“The state government is also focusing on continuous improvements through user satisfaction surveys to obtain feedback and better understand users’ experiences with digital payment facilities.
“At the same time, various publicity and promotional efforts are being intensified through the placement of promotional materials at state government offices, as well as the use of official communication channels such as departmental websites, social media and digital platforms,” he told reporters after a press conference at Komtar here today.
He said the ongoing efforts aim to raise public awareness of the convenience, security and benefits of cashless payments.
Meanwhile, H’ng said Penang emerged as the national champion in the Outstanding Digital Payment Usage Performance Award under the Cashless Boleh 5.0 campaign after recording a cashless transaction rate of 99.40 per cent.
He said the achievement marked Penang’s second consecutive win, following its 95 per cent cashless transaction rate under the previous Cashless Boleh 4.0 campaign.
“With the commitment and cooperation of all parties, I am confident that Penang will continue to maintain its position as the leading state in the digitalisation agenda and serve as a benchmark for other states in Malaysia,” he said. — Bernama
This screen grab taken from video footage released on July 20, 2026 by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC)’s Sepah News shows what they say a missile being launched from an undisclosed location towards US targets in the Gulf. — AFP pic
First Published: Tuesday, 21 Jul 2026 7:05 PM MYT
TEHRAN, July 21 — Iran stepped up its attacks in the Middle East today, two weeks after its war with the United States resumed, with sirens sounding in Bahrain and Jordan announcing it had intercepted two waves of missiles and drones.
Iran’s Yemeni allies, the Houthis, declared they would blockade Saudi Arabia’s ports, in what would throw the world’s energy markets into further chaos after the Islamic republic blockaded the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards meanwhile said they had attacked and stopped two “non-compliant oil tankers” attempting to transit Hormuz, which Tehran has blockaded to avenge the US-Israeli attack that kickstarted the war on February 28.
It remains unclear how the Houthis would implement their blockade of Saudi ports, and oil markets eased slightly despite the threat from Iran’s ally against the world’s biggest crude exporter.
“The siren has been sounded, Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,” Bahrain’s interior ministry said after the military reported it had intercepted Iranian attacks.
Jordan’s military also reported intercepting five Iranian drones, followed by three missiles, in two waves of strikes that caused no casualties or damage.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed the first of the attacks, claiming in a statement that they had targeted a “complex housing US terrorist forces in the region of Rukban”.
The Iranian army had earlier said it targeted US assets in Kuwait and Bahrain, including air defence systems, radar installations and administrative buildings.
“With this radar sweep, the enemy should prepare for even more decisive and powerful waves of drone and missile attacks,” the Guards said in a statement carried by state news agency IRNA.
Following the deaths of at least three US soldiers in the past several days, the United States launched a new round of attacks against Iran yesterday which it said were “designed to further degrade Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping” in the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump warned that Iran would pay “many times over” for every American soldier killed, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the conflict had become “a full-scale war”.
Nearly 100 US service members have been wounded since war resumed on July 7, the Pentagon said yesterday, most with minor concussion.
Houthi threat
Should the Houthis make good on their threat to blockade Saudi Arabia’s ports, that would put at risk Riyadh’s ability to bypass Hormuz for some of its oil exports and have major repercussions for the global economy.
Saudi Arabia and the Houthis traded fire last week for the first time in years, threatening a 2022 truce in their years-long conflict, but the rebels have largely remained on the sidelines since Israel and the United States attacked Iran in late February.
Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the threat from what it called the “terrorist Houthi militia” and said it “continues to support the brotherly Yemeni people and their legitimate government”.
The Middle East war resumed after an April ceasefire and a June framework deal collapsed.
Tehran reimposed its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and Washington hit back by again blockading Iran’s ports.
Oil prices surged briefly to a one-month high yesterday before easing slightly early today as the foes battle to control the strait, through which a fifth of world oil travelled in peacetime.
Although far below its prewar totals, Saudi Arabia has been able to continue exporting millions of barrels of oil a day via its Red Sea port of Yanbu.
Oil markets have for months feared that the Houthis would return to attacking shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden — as they did during the Gaza war — potentially cutting off yet more crude from global markets.
Diplomatic exchanges
In the Strait of Hormuz, meanwhile, the Revolutionary Guards said today that two tankers attempting to transit the strait “were hit by explosions, resulting in massive fires that brought them to a standstill”.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) earlier reported that an “unknown projectile” struck a tanker off the coast of Oman.
Today, UKMTO reported another tanker off the coast of Oman had been struck by a projectile.
Despite the latest fighting, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said diplomatic exchanges with Washington via mediators were ongoing.
Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni is in Islamabad for a two-day visit during which he was scheduled to meet with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and powerful army chief Asim Munir, according to Pakistan’s interior ministry.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is set to meet with Trump in Washington today as pressure builds for Beirut to disarm Hezbollah, Israel’s key condition before withdrawing from south Lebanon. — AFP
The tit-for-tat escalation between the US and Iran entered its tenth day as another tanker was struck in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthis threatened shipping at a second strategic chokepoint in the southern Red Sea.
US Central Command launched strikes targeting Iranian command and control centers, missile and drone launch sites, and air defenses to "further degrade Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz."
President Trump wrote on Truth Social, "Every time Iran kills an American soldier, they will pay for that killing many times over!"
Still, Pakistan and Qatar are urging both sides to return to their positions before the latest escalation began on July 9. Iran says it remains open to diplomacy but will not negotiate under attack, while the Trump team has signaled that strikes will continue until Tehran stops attacking tankers and bulk carriers in the critical waterway. Reuters reported that mediators have proposed a 10-day ceasefire.
Shipping flows in the Hormuz have all but slowed, according to new Bloomberg data. As of Tuesday morning, just six vessels have transited the critical waterway. The data doesn't account for ships turning off transponders.
Bloomberg reports that Iran struck another tanker in the strait:
Visible traffic through Hormuz came to a near standstill on Monday following Iranian attacks on vessels over the weekend.
An oil supertanker called the Acheloos and a smaller fuel tanker were both struck in the waterway, according to Dynacom Tankers Management Ltd., the ships' manager.
Early Tuesday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said that a tanker had been struck by an unknown projectile in the strait northeast of Oman's Limah, citing multiple reports, without identifying the vessel. The notice indicates a separate attack to those on the Dynacom tankers.
The flare-up in violence sent Brent crude oil futures surging in recent weeks to over $90 a barrel, with Goldman commodity expert Daan Struyven warning on Monday that oil prices could rally to $120 if there is no de-escalation.
"Escalation in the Middle East and the decline in estimated Persian Gulf flows to below 45% of pre-war levels have pushed oil prices back up," Struyven said in a note to clients.
Meanwhile, US consumers are feeling the pinch again at the pump, with the national average for regular 87-octane gasoline topping $4 a gallon once more. This is the politically sensitive line in the sand at which the Trump administration takes notice and consumer behavior begins to shift down at convenience stores, gas stations, and QSRs (quick-service restaurants).
Latest headlines (courtesy of Bloomberg):
US-Iran Tit-For-Tat
The US and Iran have exchanged strikes for a 10th consecutive day, with US Central Command targeting Iranian military command centers, launch sites, maritime capabilities, and air defenses.
Iran has retaliated by attacking US military sites in Kuwait and Jordan.
Trump vowed Tehran "will pay" after Iran killed three US soldiers.
According to the Washington Post, US intelligence reports suggest US strikes are unlikely to move Iran. Iran's Khorramabad area in Lorestan Province was attacked earlier today.
Diplomacy & Ceasefire Efforts
Iran's Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni began meetings Tuesday with mediators in Pakistan as diplomats sought to salvage a collapsed interim deal.
Mediators have proposed a 10-day ceasefire between Iran and the US to revive the interim deal, according to an unidentified senior Iranian official cited by Reuters.
Iran's president said communication with Supreme Leader Khamenei has increased, per Tasnim reports.
Regional Risks
The Kaifan, an oil-products tanker owned by Kuwait Oil Tanker Co., was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz northeast of Oman's Limah.
The Houthi militant group in Yemen is threatening to blockade Saudi Arabia and target shipping in the Red Sea, adding to regional maritime risks.
Southeast Asian nations expressed "serious concern" over the conflict, warning of spillover effects on regional trade, food security, and energy markets.
Energy & Market Impact
Goldman Sachs says Brent crude could top $120 per barrel by the fourth quarter if Strait of Hormuz disruptions persist, though its base case remains $80 per barrel assuming de-escalation.
European natural gas futures extended gains, surging more than 20% over the previous seven sessions, as the conflict tightens supply ahead of winter.
Pakistan and Bangladesh were forced to buy some of their most expensive LNG shipments in years due to supply disruptions from the conflict. Pakistan LNG paid about $21.88 per MMBtu, its highest since 2022, according to traders with knowledge of the matter.
He now faces a combined 280 years' jail term and 180 strokes of the cane after previously pleading guilty to 11 separate rape charges
Judge Ahmad Faizadh Yahaya imposed the sentence at the Tawau sessions court after the Lahad Datu man pleaded guilty to all seven charges. (Reuters pic)
PETALING JAYA: A 53-year-old tuition teacher was sentenced to 105 years’ jail and 70 strokes of the cane after he pleaded guilty to seven charges of raping his eldest daughter.
Judge Ahmad Faizadh Yahaya imposed the sentence on the Lahad Datu man at the Tawau sessions court, reported Berita Harian.
The court sentenced him to 15 years’ jail and 10 strokes of the cane on each charge, with the prison terms to run consecutively. However, the total number of strokes to be carried out is capped at 24, in accordance with Section 288(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The accused pleaded guilty on May 6 to raping his eldest daughter, now aged 25, at several hotels in Tawau. He was sentenced for the offences committed between December last year and March 19 this year.
He was charged under Section 376(3) of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of between eight and 30 years and not fewer than 10 strokes of the cane upon conviction.
In mitigation, the accused said he was deeply ashamed by what had happened and accepted whatever sentence the court deemed appropriate.
“I truly repent and deeply regret what I have done. If I am ever released, I hope to have the opportunity to meet my children and family to seek their forgiveness,” he said.
The prosecution, led by deputy public prosecutors Haikal Hazwan Yatin and Wildan Firdaus Ahmad Fazly, argued that several aggravating factors warranted the maximum sentence.
They said this included the nature of the offences which was considered among the most serious sexual crimes as the man had raped his biological daughter.
The prosecution said the accused’s actions had not only violated his daughter’s dignity but also destroyed his family.
They also argued that the abuse began when the victim was 16 years old and involved an element of planning, with the accused obtaining the victim’s work schedule, asking her to book hotel rooms, and travelling from Lahad Datu to Tawau to commit the offences.
The prosecution further highlighted the breach of trust between a father and daughter as a key aggravating factor, saying the accused should have protected and cared for the victim – instead of betraying that trust to satisfy his own desires.
The court was also told that the accused had previously pleaded guilty at the Lahad Datu sessions court to 11 charges of raping his two daughters, aged 25 and 22.
He was sentenced to 15 years’ jail and 10 strokes of the cane for each charge, amounting to a total of 165 years’ jail and 110 strokes.
Following today’s decision by the Tawau sessions court, the accused now faces a combined sentence of 280 years’ imprisonment and 180 strokes of the cane.
PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang Abdul Hadi said divisions among Muslims could lead to the loss of strength and influence, citing examples from Islamic history where internal conflicts contributed to the decline of Muslim powers. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin
First Published: Tuesday, 21 Jul 2026 3:37 PM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang said the party was “forced” to cooperate with Umno as part of efforts to unite Malays and Muslims, warning that continued division could weaken their political position.
In his latest “Minda Presiden PAS” article, Abdul Hadi rejected claims that cooperation between Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Barisan Nasional (BN) was merely political manoeuvring, saying such alliances should instead be viewed as efforts to strengthen unity.
“Cooperation between Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Barisan Nasional (BN) is considered a political game as imagined by those who are still afflicted by compounded ignorance and do not understand religion itself,” he said.
Abdul Hadi said divisions among Muslims could lead to the loss of strength and influence, citing examples from Islamic history where internal conflicts contributed to the decline of Muslim powers.
“Islam, which is universal, calls for cooperation towards the unity of the ummah, which is an obligatory approach in responding to Allah’s call,” he said.
He said PAS had previously worked with various political parties, including Umno before and after independence, but those partnerships ended due to disagreements over principles and conditions.
“PAS had cooperated with Umno before independence and with the Alliance Party (the precursor to Barisan Nasional, comprising Umno, MCA and MIC) before and after independence, but the cooperation broke down again when conditions and principles were violated,” he said.
Abdul Hadi also recalled PAS’ past cooperation with DAP and PKR through opposition coalitions such as Barisan Alternatif (BA) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
He said BA, formed in 1999, involved PAS, Parti Keadilan Nasional, Parti Rakyat Malaysia and DAP, but the coalition later weakened after disagreements emerged, including over PAS’ push for an Islamic state.
He added that Pakatan Rakyat, formed after the 2008 general election involving PAS, PKR and DAP, later collapsed after differences over issues including PAS’ stance on syariah implementation in Kelantan and Terengganu.
Abdul Hadi said PAS subsequently joined the formation of PN with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and other parties, before making major gains in the 15th general election.
He said the party’s performance in GE15 reflected strong support from Malay Muslim voters, allowing PAS to form governments in four states and secure the largest number of parliamentary seats won by a single party.
“PAS won big by successfully governing four state governments, besides obtaining the highest number of parliamentary seats and the most seats in several states through strong support from Malay Muslims,” he said.
The PAS president said the current political situation required cooperation between Malay Muslims and non-Muslims who were not extreme, adding that the party had adopted what he described as a wise political approach.
“PAS had to take a wise political step by taking lessons from Rasulullah SAW, who united the Arabs who were divided and involved in civil wars, followed by the unity of a multiracial society in Malaysia,” he said.
Abdul Hadi also explained PAS’ role in recent state elections, saying its strategy differed depending on the political situation.
He described PAS’ participation in the Johor state election as symbolic, saying the party’s role was to strengthen Malay unity, while its involvement in Negeri Sembilan was aimed at challenging the Pakatan Harapan-led state government.
“Unlike Negeri Sembilan, which is controlled by PH with the dominance of DAP and Malays who have been carried away, PAS contested as an attacking force with a strategic position to take over power,” he said.
Abdul Hadi warned that political disputes, racial divisions and sectarian conflicts could weaken communities, citing the fall of Muslim powers including Andalusia and the Ottoman Empire as examples.
He ended his statement by stressing that Malay Muslim leadership should not be equated with racism.
“Malay Muslims leading is not racism, because Islam requires justice for all, prohibits racial fanaticism and there is no compulsion in religion,” he said.
Tamim Dahri Abdul Razak was charged with damaging a sacred Hindu object, specifically a three-pronged spear known as a soolam, while knowing that stomping on the object was an act of insult towards the Hindu religion. — Picture via Facebook
First Published: Tuesday, 21 Jul 2026 4:01 PM MYT
LANGKAWI, July 21 — An activist pleaded not guilty in the Magistrate’s Court here today to a charge of damaging a sacred Hindu object at an old temple site in March.
Tamim Dahri Abdul Razak, 34, entered his plea before Magistrate Hemy Annerina Haja Mydin.
He was charged with damaging a sacred Hindu object, specifically a three-pronged spear known as a soolam, while knowing that stomping on the object was an act of insult towards the Hindu religion.
The offence was allegedly committed at the former Sri Muniswarar Temple site in Selat Panchor, Kuah, between 3.30 pm and 6.30 pm on March 8.
The charge was framed under Section 295 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum jail term of two years, a fine, or both upon conviction.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ain Nur Sofea Noridan urged the court not to grant bail, arguing that the accused posed a high flight risk.
She told the court that travel records indicated the accused had previously shown a tendency to avoid legal proceedings.
However, lawyer Datuk Hanif Hassan, representing Tamim Dahri, applied for bail, stating that the offence under Section 295 of the Penal Code is bailable.
He also cited Section 387 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which provides that a person arrested or detained without a warrant for a bailable offence is entitled to be released on bail.
The court subsequently granted bail of RM10,000 with two sureties and also ordered the accused to surrender his passport to the court and report to the nearest police station every two weeks.
The court fixed Aug 23 for mention for the submission of documents. — Bernama
