Loke says resignation to take effect when Najib starts house arrest

Loke says resignation to take effect when Najib starts house arrest


4 hours ago
Anne Muhammad


DAP secretary-general says he met the prime minister yesterday and stated his firm stance about resigning as minister should Najib Razak be allowed out of prison

Transport minister Loke Siew Fook said no one has been lined up as his replacement given that his resignation has yet to take effect.

KUALA LUMPUR: DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook says his resignation as transport minister will only take effect once former prime minister Najib Razak is released from prison to serve the remainder of his jail term under house arrest.

Loke said he met Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim yesterday to discuss the matter, and that he stated his firm stance about resigning should Najib be allowed out of prison.

“He advised me to continue my duties temporarily while he makes a decision (on the resignation), but I said we needed a timeframe. So this is the timeframe: when Najib returns home, then my resignation takes effect.


“If he’s released tomorrow to serve his sentence under house arrest, then my resignation takes effect tomorrow.

“The prime minister acknowledged that the reason for my resignation was Najib’s house arrest. But until today, Najib hasn’t gone home. So he asked me to continue performing my duties temporarily until Najib is released.


“But we don’t know when he will come out of prison. It could very well be tomorrow, we don’t know,” he said at a press conference here.

Loke added that no one has been lined up as his replacement given that his resignation has yet to take effect. He said his would-be successor would be decided by the prime minister at a later date.

DAP’s central executive committee decided that only Loke would resign as minister over the conditional pardon granted to Najib. The party will remain in the government and its other ministers will stay in the Cabinet.

Najib will be allowed to serve the remainder of his jail term in his SRC International case under house arrest if he pays a RM50 million fine.


However, his son, Nizar Najib, said the former prime minister would be unable to settle the fine even if the freeze on his assets was lifted.

Umno launched a fundraiser to help Najib pay off the fine soon after the pardon was announced, and had collected RM9.25 million as of Sunday.

Tuanku Muhriz grants Negeri Sembilan MB audience

Tuanku Muhriz grants Negeri Sembilan MB audience


Also present are Sungai Ujong undang Faris Johari, Rembau undang Hassan Ab Hamid and state police chief Alzafny Ahmad

Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Ismail Lasim’s vehicle entered the palace compound in Seremban at around 10.50am. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Ismail Lasim arrived at Istana Hinggap in Seremban this morning for an audience with Yang Dipertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir.

The menteri besar’s vehicle entered the palace compound at around 10.50am, followed by Tuanku Muhriz’s vehicle about 10 minutes later, Utusan Malaysia reported.

Sungai Ujong undang Faris Johari, Rembau undang Hassan Ab Hamid and Negeri Sembilan police chief Alzafny Ahmad were also seen entering the palace.


This comes two days after Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi ordered Ismail to seek an audience with Tuanku Muhriz and the four undangs to find an amicable solution to the state’s ongoing crisis.

Earlier this month, the Negeri Sembilan executive council issued a statement purportedly affirming a proclamation seeking to remove Tuanku Muhriz as Yang Dipertuan Besar. Ismail endorsed the statement a day later.


However, the Attorney-General’s Chambers said the statement was invalid as the menteri besar and exco do not have the authority to make such a declaration. The state secretary also refused to gazette the proclamation.

Tuanku Muhriz later revoked the appointments of the 10 exco members for breaching their oaths of office and pledge of allegiance to the state ruler.

Zahid, the Barisan Nasional chairman, acknowledged their sackings and held a meeting with all 25 Negeri Sembilan assemblymen from BN and Perikatan Nasional on Sunday night to discuss options for resolving the crisis.

Following the meeting, state Umno chief Jalaluddin Alias said the state government must continue to “function as usual”, adding that Ismail’s administration had “various methods” to achieve this.

 

Turkmenistan Strengthens Chinese-Origin Air Defence Network with New FK-2000 Missile Systems

Military Watch Magazine Editorial Staff

September-28th-2026

FK-2000 Air Defence Combat Vehicles in Turkmenistan Service

China’s FK-2000 short-range air defence system has appeared in Turkmenistan for the first time during a military parade marking the country’s 35th anniversary of independence, highlighting the increasingly prominent role of Chinese weapons in the country’s air-defence network. Images from the September 27 parade show FK-2000 vehicles among the equipment displayed by the Turkmen Armed Forces, following confirmation from government sources that new military equipment would be on parade. The FK-2000 is the fourth Chinese surface-to-air missile system operated by Turkmenistan, alongside the HQ-9 long-range air-defence system, and HQ-7 short-range systems. Chinese systems now form the core of the country’s air defence capabilities.

Launcher and Missile Launch From Chinese HQ-9 Long Range Air Defence System

The FK-2000 was developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, and was first publicly unveiled at Airshow China in 2021. It is an integrated gun-and-missile air-defence system mounted on an eight-wheel-drive chassis, with the entire engagement system carried on a single vehicle. Chinese state sources describe it as an all-weather short-range terminal air-defence system combining radar, electro-optical sensors, missiles and automatic cannon. Each vehicle carries 12 surface-to-air missiles and two six-barrelled 30 mm Gatling-type cannons. 

FK-2000 Air Defence Combat Vehicle - Artwork

The FK-2000’s mobility is another important characteristic. Its 8×8 chassis is designed for cross-country movement alongside mechanised formations rather than simply providing static protection to a fixed installation. This allows the system to function as a mobile defensive layer for armoured and mechanised forces, command posts, logistics concentrations and other high-value battlefield assets. Its optimisation for countering saturation attacks makes it highly complementary to the HQ-9, playing a comparable role to the Pantsir air defence combat vehicle in Russian service, while the HQ-9B is broadly analogous in role and configuration to the Russian S-400 system. 

Uzbekistan Air Force J-10C - X

Turkmenistan’s procurement also demonstrates the extent to which Chinese air-defence systems have expanded across Central Asia. Following Uzbekistan’s procurement of J-10C fighter aircraft earlier in the year, it has also been speculated that Turkmenistan could consider the Chinese J-10C or J-35 to replace its Soviet-origin MiG-29 fighters. Central Asian states’ ability to endure Western political pressure allows them to consider defence procurements from China in ways that countries in other regions have consistently been unable to, which combined with relatively high levels of defence spending in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan makes them a significant potential growth market for Chinese defence exports. 

Oil prices rise 3.8% with US-Iran peace talks deadlocked

 

• Oil prices rise 3.8% with US-Iran peace talks deadlocked

  Brent crude oil prices have rebounded more than 3 percent after Trump rejected a peace deal from Iran to resolve their ⁠conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

  Brent futures rose $3.98, or 3.82 percent, to $108.30 a barrel at 09:59 GMT while US West Texas intermediate crude was at $95.93 a barrel, up $3.52 or 3.81 percent.

  “Oil prices appeared to have jumped on the back of President Trump ⁠rejecting Iran’s peace proposal,” said Hamad Hussain, senior climate and commodities economist at Capital Economics.

  “While greater flows through the Strait of Hormuz are easing some of the upward pressure on prices, the bigger picture is that the oil market remains in a deficit,” Hussain added.

  
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Gaza death toll rises during Israeli attacks

 

• Gaza death toll rises during Israeli attacks

  Four people have been killed and 24 wounded in Israeli attacks in the war-battered Gaza Strip over the latest 24-hour reporting period.

  The enclave’s Health Ministry said 1,421 people have now been killed and 4,983 wounded since a “ceasefire” took effect in October.

  Israel has killed at least 74,022 Palestinians and wounded 175,980 since October 2023 when its genocidal war on Gaza began.

  

  Mourners pray near the body of an eight-year old girl killed in an Israeli strike [Haseeb Alwazeer/Reuters]
• 51m ago

  (10:35 GMT)

  Israeli tank attacks Arnoun town in southern Lebanon

  An Israeli Merkava tank has targeted the town of Arnoun in southern Lebanon. It’s not clear whether there are casualties or damage, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

  Lebanese leaders have called for an end to the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon and the full enforcement of the “ceasefire” as Israeli shelling and demolitions continue.

  Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon have killed at least 4,386 people and wounded 12,407 others since March 2. Israeli forces have occupied up to 600sq km of Lebanese territory up to the Litani River.

  

  Lebanese troops cross the Litani River [File: Karamallah Daher/Reuters]