No handshakes between Republic of Ireland and Israel

Image source,Getty Images

Image caption,

The Republic of Ireland players bowed their heads during Israel's national anthem

Published
2 hours ago

The Republic of Ireland and Israel players did not shake hands with each other before or after Sunday's controversial Uefa Nations League game in Hungary.

After walking on to the pitch at Nagyerdei Stadion, the Republic of Ireland squad stood for their national anthem and bowed their heads before Israel's anthem.

Following the anthems, the two teams did not line up for the traditional handshakes.

There was also no exchange of pennants between Republic of Ireland captain Dara O'Shea and Israel skipper Manor Solomon, who did not shake hands.

The fixtures have been embroiled in controversy since February when the two teams were drawn to play each other in Group B3.

The Republic of Ireland players have faced calls to withdraw from the games because of the ongoing Israel-Gaza war with a "Stop The Game" campaign - organised by the pressure group Irish Sport for Palestine - gathering pace.

However, the players voted to fulfil the fixture during a lengthy meeting at the team's hotel in Debrecen on Saturday.

Later on Saturday, goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu confirmed he had withdrawn from the squad, saying he felt it "would be wrong to participate" in Sunday's game and the return fixture in the Serbian town of Backa Topola on 4 October.

The Irish players wore black armbands, which Football Association of Ireland (FAI) chief executive David Courell said on Saturday was a gesture "in recognition of all lives lost in the [Gaza] conflict".

After scoring the Republic of Ireland's third goal in a 3-0 win, Jack Moylan removed his armband and kissed it before kissing his team's badge.

The Republic of Ireland players were jeered by the small number of Israel fans in attendance when they emerged for their pre-game warm-up.

While the FAI confirmed no tickets would be sold to Republic of Ireland supporters, a handful of fans were spotted inside the stadium.

• Neutral venues and no 'away' fans - how Israel v Republic of Ireland became so contentious

  Published
  5 days ago

Speaking to RTE prior to kick-off, Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson spoke about the impact the intense scrutiny on the games have had on him and his squad.

"It's been one of the most challenging weeks for me as a coach and I guess it is the same for most of the players. It is situations we haven't been in before," said Hallgrimsson.

"When we are in these positions we hope we take more right decisions than wrong but you never get everything correct.

"I feel for the players, a lot of young players in this squad that we need to take good care of. Honestly, there are a lot of players who have mixed emotions for this game and it is our job to protect all of them."

Hallgrimsson added: "As you can expect, the preparation has been probably as bad as it can be so I just hope the players come and do a good performance. We are here to play football, they are footballers and I hope they can enjoy that at least."

Image source,Getty Images

Image caption,

Jack Moylan kissed his black armband after scoring against Israel

During a dramatic day on Saturday, doubts emerged over whether the game would take place after the Republic of Ireland's pre-match news conference was postponed because of the squad meeting.

When the news conference commended at 14:30 BST on Saturday - more than five hours later than planned - Courell said a players' vote on whether to play the game passed by a "significant majority".

Courell added that the Republic of Ireland would not engage in pre-match formalities such as handshakes.

In 2024, the Ireland women's basketball team chose not to shake hands with Israel players or stand on court for the anthems before a EuroBasket qualifier in Riga, but the teams did exchange handshakes when they met again last year.

The Republic of Ireland have faced calls to boycott the matches since the Nations League draw in February.

Last November, the FAI approved a motion calling for Uefa to suspend Israel from Uefa competitions.

In May, the team's friendly against Qatar was interrupted after fans threw tennis balls featuring the Palestinian flag onto the pitch.

In June, the FAI confirmed their home fixture would be played behind closed doors in Backa Topola instead of Dublin's Aviva Stadium, citing "operational challenges that could impact on the delivery of the game on home soil".

At an extraordinary general meeting in July, delegates backed an FAI motion to proceed with the games amid concerns that boycotting the fixtures would cause "significant and lasting harm" for the association.

Calls for the Republic of Ireland to boycott the games have intensified in recent weeks. Earlier this week, more than 160 Irish athletes signed an open letter by Irish Sport for Palestine group urging the team not to play.

Courell also said last week Uefa had rejected a request for the Republic of Ireland and Israel to be kept apart in future competition draws.

Tensions between the teams were raised this week when the Israel Football Association accused Hallgrimsson of "ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity" after the coach said, "we're not playing with genocide, we're playing against genocide".

Speaking on Saturday, Hallgrimsson said it was "a wrong word for me to use", while Israel FA head of communications Shlomi Barzel said he would not apologise for his association's response but said he would "take back the word stupidity".

The armed Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

In response, Israel launched a massive military offensive in Gaza, during which more than 73,000 people have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.

Israel has repeatedly denied that it has committed genocide, as well as war crimes and crimes against humanity. It says its military operations in Gaza have been conducted in self-defence and in accordance with international law.

Israel’s Smotrich calls for ‘war’ in West Bank: Rhetoric or real threat?

Israel’s Smotrich calls for ‘war’ in West Bank: Rhetoric or real threat?


Smotrich’s words should not be dismissed as mere election rhetoric, human rights experts and analysts warn

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich at a news conference on settlements expansion and the long-frozen E1 settlement which would split East Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank, August 14, 2025 [Ronen Zvulun/Reuters]

By Urooba Jamal
Published On 27 Sep 2026


Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for a full-scale war in the occupied West Bank, urging the military to use the tactics employed in Gaza, which has been devastated by the ongoing genocide.

Smotrich, known for his inflammatory, racist and dehumanising language against Palestinians, also called for the annexation of southern Lebanon and Gaza’s territories under Israeli control.

The minister told Ynet News in an interview published on Sunday that Israel should “go to war” in the occupied territory and repeat what it “did in Gaza”. His comments come about a month ahead of the general election, which has seen a surge in Israeli and settler violence in the occupied territories, as well as the demonisation of Palestinian citizens of Israel.

During the Ynet News interview, Smotrich said that Israel should “do there what we did in Gaza” in response to a question on how Israel should combat the increasing “security tensions” in the occupied West Bank.

So what did the minister – who has been sanctioned by a number of Western countries along with his Cabinet colleague Itamar Ben-Gvir – say, and should it be taken seriously or regarded as just election rhetoric?

What did Smotrich say about the occupied West Bank?

In his trademark incendiary style, Smotrich said he has “solutions” to the ongoing pogroms in the occupied West Bank. Since Israel launched its ongoing genocidal war in Gaza, it has stepped up its crackdown in the West Bank, arrested thousands—many of them without any formal charges—and looked the other way as settler pogroms continue in the West Bank.

“I think we need to go to war in Judea and Samaria, to do there what we did in Gaza, to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, which is a terror authority,” he told Ynet News, referring to the biblical name for the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority governs the West Bank following the Oslo Accords.

Israeli forces have “cleared out” Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank and he added: “We need to tell the [Israeli military]: Just as you dismantled Hamas in Gaza, there won’t be terror infrastructure in Judea and Samaria. No terrorists, no weapons, no tunnels”.

That’s alarming rhetoric, warned Suhad Bishara, the legal director of Adalah – the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel.

“Smotrich is not only proposing a ‘war’ on Palestinians in the West Bank, he is already waging one,” Bishara told Al Jazeera.

“The refugee camps he boasts of having ‘cleared out’ have been destroyed and their residents forcibly displaced.”

“His call to ‘do there what we did in Gaza,’ where Israel has carried out a genocidal campaign of mass killing, starvation and destruction, is a public declaration of intent to commit war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against Palestinians in the West Bank,” she said.

Smotrich additionally pushed to annex the territory the Israeli military controls in Gaza, demarcated by the so-called “Yellow Line”, where the Israeli army withdrew to under the first phase of the Gaza “ceasefire”. Israeli military maps indicate the line extends 1.5km and 6.5km (0.9 to 4 miles) inside Gaza from its eastern boundary with Israel and covers roughly 58 percent of the enclave.

Since the “ceasefire” took effect, Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,408 Palestinians. At least 74,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since October 2023, according to the enclave’s health ministry, with much of the besieged territory reduced to rubble.

Legal scholars and campaigners have dubbed Israel’s military actions in Gaza a genocide. A UN commission of inquiry panel last September said that Israel committed genocide in Gaza.



West Bank village under pressure: Settler attacks target its last remaining farmland


What were Smotrich’s remarks about Lebanon?

The leader of the far-right Religious Zionism party also called for annexing southern Lebanon.

“I would very much like to annex at least up to the “Yellow Line” in Gaza and up to the Litani [River] in Lebanon,” said Smotrich.

He added that annexing parts of Gaza and Lebanon would make Israel’s enemies “pay a price” for the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.

Israel continues to occupy southern Lebanon and Israeli shelling and demolitions have also continued there, despite a US-brokered “ceasefire” in June.

Smotrich’s call to annex the West Bank, parts of Gaza and southern Lebanon is a “declared plan to seize occupied land by force and make its theft permanent, which is absolutely prohibited under international law,” said Bishara.

Last week, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, demanded a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory up to its internationally recognised border.

Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon have killed at least 4,386 people and wounded 12,407 since March 2, when the current Hezbollah-Israel war started. Since then, Israeli forces have occupied up to 600sq km of Lebanese territory up to the Litani River.

How have Palestinian authorities responded?

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Israeli politician’s comments are an “explicit invitation to escalate the aggression and commit more crimes against our Palestinian people”.

They “reveal the truth of the Israeli plans aimed at implementing attempts at annexation and displacement”, the ministry said in a statement, adding that it would undermine the possibility of establishing an independent Palestinian state.

The threats are a translation of the policies pursued by the Israeli government “of killing, displacement, settlement, and land confiscation and an attempt to impose a new reality by force on the occupied Palestinian land”, it also said.

The ministry urged the international community to take action against Israel’s “aggression”.



Smotrich competes for right-wing votes: Settlement expansion projects improve prospects


Has Smotrich made similar comments in the past?

The far-right leader has a long history of inflammatory statements about Palestinians, followed by policies and actions reflecting his hardline positions as a key member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government since 2022.

He has previously called on Israel to annex more than 80 percent of the West Bank. Smotrich along with Netanyahu has publicly opposed the so-called two-state solution. Settlement expansion is the biggest hurdle in the realisation of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state living side by side with Israel.

In July, Smotrich said Israel has launched a “revolution in settlement” expansion, after the Israeli cabinet approved the establishment of 13 new illegal settlements in the central occupied West Bank. That followed June’s announcement of 2,162 new Jewish homes in a new illegal settlement near Jerusalem.

In campaigning for next month’s election, he has promised yet more expansions of Israeli settlements in the territory.

“Settler violence, carried out under army protection, is driving entire communities from their land and settlement expansion under his authority has reached unprecedented levels,” said Bishara.

In May, Smotrich said the ⁠⁠⁠⁠International Criminal ⁠⁠⁠⁠Court (ICC) had ⁠⁠⁠⁠requested a warrant for his arrest. The ICC’s accusations centre on the minister’s forced displacement orders for Palestinians, his support for moving Israeli settlers into occupied territory and his claim it may be “justified and moral” to starve Palestinians in Gaza.

Last September, before the “ceasefire” in Gaza, Smotrich said there was a “business plan” to turn the Strip into a “real estate bonanza”, stating that he had been discussing with the Trump administration how to share the proceeds.

In March, he also threatened to turn the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital into another Gaza Strip.
Are Smotrich’s calls just rhetoric ahead of elections or real threats?

Smotrich’s words should not be dismissed as mere election rhetoric, warned Bishara.

“They are a warning and states must take concrete, immediate measures to halt the assault on Palestinians and the commission of egregious crimes against them,” she said.

Analysts agreed with the human rights lawyer’s assessment.

“[Smotrich’s comment is] very much a reflection of what he has been doing in the West Bank for the last four years and what he would like to continue to do if he stays in power,” Mairav Zonszein, an analyst on Israel-Palestine at the International Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera.

“Him and this government and the settler movement that he funds and resources … they are at war in the West Bank.”

She explained that Smotrich and his allies have used settlement expansion and settler violence not only to expand their control, but also to provoke a Palestinian response.

“And any response by Palestinians is met with even more ferocious force,” said Zonszein.

Smotrich is not just gearing up for next month’s election – he has a calculated vision of wanting to continue his expansionist policies, she said.

“It’s the government’s vision, and it’s what they’ve been doing, and this is what they will continue to do as long as they’re in power.”

Yossi Mekelberg, a senior fellow on Israel-Palestine at Chatham House, said that while Smotrich’s comments may be a part of his election campaign, “what is now rhetoric, tomorrow may be policy”.

“We are exactly a month from the election … If this is the tone … and this is what’s presented to the voters and if someone like him on the basis of this ideology will be elected again, he might find it as [an] endorsement of this kind of attitude,” Mekelberg told Al Jazeera.

European BDS

 

• 45m ago

  (20:15 GMT)

  

  Israel’s revocation of diplomatic status for Dutch diplomats largely ‘symbolic’

  The recent move to revoke the diplomatic status of Dutch diplomats in Ramallah is notable in that it signals “Israel’s growing diplomatic isolation”, according to Carne Ross, a former senior British diplomat and founder of the non-profit advisory group Independent Diplomat.

  Ross told Al Jazeera that the closure of various consulates of countries that imposed sanctions on goods from illegal Israeli settlements, however, is not nearly as impactful as the sanctions themselves.

  “Throwing out a few diplomats isn’t really much of a price to make a country pay – it’s more symbolic. In some ways, it’s an act of self-harm because you’re actually explicitly and materially damaging your diplomatic relations with a country,” he said.

  The leverage that European countries are currently exerting upon Israel by banning illegal settlement goods is far more consequential, he said, adding that it “actively harms the economic welfare of those settlements”.

  “The Europeans should be considering much more material leverage because it’s very clear that the settlement policy is a deliberate policy of this government and therefore penalising the government for the settlements would be entirely appropriate,” Ross said.
• 1h ago

  (20:00 GMT)

  Palestinian politician calls for comprehensive sanctions as Israeli officials push for West Bank military campaign

  Israel’s isolation is unprecedented, but not enough on its own, says Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, who is calling for comprehensive sanctions.

  He cited calls by senior Israeli officials, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, for a campaign in the occupied West Bank identical to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

  Israel has “never been as isolated in its entire history as it is today”, Barghouti told Al Jazeera, noting recent sanctions on illegal settlements by some Western states and the cold shoulder given to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations General Assembly last week.

  “What we need today is not merely statements or words. We need action,” he said, arguing that condemnations and boycotting illegal Israeli settlements did not go far enough.

  “It is the government that is carrying out these actions; it is the government that is committing the crimes,” he said. “So comprehensive sanctions and a comprehensive boycott are what we need now.”

• 
  

Strait of Hormuz tensions linger as Iran and US move further from a deal

Strait of Hormuz tensions linger as Iran and US move further from a deal


There are fears that fighting between the US and Iran will renew, after President Trump rejected a deal for the Strait of Hormuz

A billboard about the Strait of Hormuz on a building in Tehran, September 16, 2026 [Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency]

By Maziar Motamedi
Published On 27 Sep 2026


Tehran, Iran – Hours after US President Donald Trump rejected a diplomatic solution put forward by Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, explosions were heard in the waterway, according to Iranian media.

Reports of blasts near southern Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz suggested that multiple antiship missiles and drones were fired at vessels transiting the waterway against Tehran’s wishes.

Recommended Stories

Trump rejects Iran’s seven-day roadmap to end war and reopen Hormuz

Iran shifts trade north to Caspian Sea as war impairs Strait of Hormuz

Yemen government forces widen attacks against Houthis: What we know

‘Better deal’: What’s behind Trump’s rejection of Iran’s truce offer?

While Iranian authorities did not confirm any attacks in the Strait of Hormuz that day, shipping continues to be attacked in the waters, including an Indian cargo ship last week, which killed a sailor.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) maintains that the strait is closed to any ship that does not coordinate with Iranian authorities. On Sunday afternoon, it released video of what it said was a second US underwater drone seized this month.

Tehran has issued instructions to shipping companies transiting the Strait of Hormuz to use a temporary route approved by Iranian authorities and pay relevant fees. But it has also said the strait will not fully reopen until the US blockade on Iranian ports ends.

Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority announced on Saturday that it would blacklist any shipping charterer company which orders crews to use routes it considers to be unauthorised.

It also published what it described as an apology from an unnamed shipowner blaming commercial pressure from its charterer for trying to pass through the strait.



Iran turns to land trade as US naval blockade leaves trucks stuck for weeks at Turkiye border


Washington still insists that its warships are successfully guiding oil tankers out of the strait via a different route. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Fox News on Sunday that the “running average” of crude oil in transit was nearly 13 million barrels per day.

A September 19 operational update by US Central Command claimed that its forces had helped move more than one billion barrels of crude out of the Gulf over roughly two months.

The US military also says its forces have redirected 122 commercial vessels to enforce the naval blockade of Iran’s ports, halting all Iranian crude exports.

Tehran has claimed that the US is providing false information regarding Strait of Hormuz traffic to project control over the key waterway. Shipping has been severely disrupted since the US and Israel started their war on Iran on February 28.

Andreas Krieg, associate professor at King’s College London, said Iran’s strategy of launching maritime attacks has spread the economic costs of the conflict beyond its borders.

While Iran has suffered economically from war damages, the US naval blockade and sanctions, it would be a mistake “to assume that reaching that threshold produces submission”.

“The next Iranian move is therefore likely to be an attempt to increase the pain experienced by the Gulf rather than simply absorb further American pressure,” Krieg said.

“That could mean more aggressive vessel interdictions in Hormuz, attacks on energy infrastructure, greater Houthi pressure around Bab al-Mandeb and pressure from Iranian-aligned groups against alternative Saudi export routes. We are already seeing how pressure on Hormuz, the Red Sea and Saudi infrastructure can interact.”

The flight deck of the USS George Washington aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, September 11, 2026 [Ed Ou/Reuters]

More escalation on the way

At the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Iran projected a message of defiance while also proposing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within a week if its seven conditions were met.

They included lifting the blockade on Iran, the release of frozen Iranian funds and an end to attacks on all fronts, including Israel’s assault on Lebanon. The demands mostly amounted to a return to the June memorandum of understanding between the US and Israel.

Tehran has added that reopening the strait must be undertaken through a bilateral arrangement already finalised with Oman, the only other country with territorial waters in Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump told reporters he rejected the offer, but Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday they were adamant about the conditions and would await an official response through mediators, such as Pakistan, Qatar and Oman.

Abolfazl Shekarchi, chief spokesman of the Iranian armed forces, warned that if the US further intervenes in the Strait of Hormuz, “it will get slapped”.

“The Americans have no way out other than withdrawing from the West Asia region. The sooner they leave, the fewer losses they will incur and the region will certainly become safe after that,” he said.

Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said conditions were deteriorating so badly for the US that it might launch another “military aggression” on Iran.

Krieg said that as the US moves to isolate Iran via sanctions, Tehran, unable to respond with mutual financial measures against Washington, will be forced to rely on continued coercion in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The most likely level remains controlled attrition rather than an immediate return to the massive air campaign of the opening months,” Krieg said.

“Over the coming weeks, I would expect further attacks or attempted attacks on tankers, US-enabled shipping and regional infrastructure, followed by limited US strikes against IRGC maritime assets, coastal missile positions, drones or vessels involved in those operations. That tit-for-tat cycle has already re-emerged around Hormuz.”

Anwar rebukes Islamic groups using hatred, slander as 'weapons'

Anwar rebukes Islamic groups using hatred, slander as 'weapons'


Hatred, slander and insults cannot substitute for ethics, knowledge and principled struggle, Anwar says in a stern message

Updated 1 hour ago · Published on 27 Sep 2026 4:02PM

Anwar says movements claiming to promote Islamic awareness would be weakened if they were driven by anger and condoned discord - September 27, 2026



PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has delivered a stern rebuke to groups invoking Islam or Malay identity while abandoning ethical principles, accusing them of reducing their struggle to hatred, slander and insults.

He said movements claiming to represent Islam would become hollow if they relied on anger, emotion and sentiment instead of knowledge, intellectual tradition and moral conduct.

“What is the meaning of an Islamic party or movement if it operates by abandoning the principles of ethics, is filled with hatred, and makes slander and insults its daily weapon and refrain?” he said in a Facebook post today.

Anwar said any movement built in the name of Islam would ultimately be judged by how it conducted its struggle rather than by the slogans it promoted.

“We must rise through an intellectual tradition and stand firm on idealism. Any movement in the name of Islam will ultimately be tested not merely by its slogans but by the implementation of its struggle.

“Islam does not rise merely through an outpouring of spirit, emotion and sentiment, but through the strength of knowledge that raises awareness and inspires reflection,” he said.

He said he had raised the matter after attending the 3 Generations Appreciation Dinner organised by Persatuan Wadah Pencerdasan Umat Malaysia (Wadah), Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) and Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia (PKPIM) in Bangi with his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, last night.

The event also hosted delegates from The Union of NGOs of The Islamic World (UNIW).

Anwar said movements claiming to promote Islamic awareness would be weakened if they were driven by anger and condoned discord.

He also stressed the importance of usrah and the Islamic turath tradition in guiding movements and struggles based on knowledge.

“I also touched on the importance of usrah in the movement without abandoning the Islamic turath tradition, which is also important in guiding movements and struggles.

“Besides being firm in fighting corruption, opposing takfiri thinking and striving to eradicate extreme poverty, Islamic movements must also remain committed to courtesy, ethics and respect for national identity,” he said. - September 27, 2026

Man dies of rabies in Kedah’s first human case in 28 years

Man dies of rabies in Kedah’s first human case in 28 years



The Kedah Health Department says control and prevention measures have been stepped up following confirmation of the state’s first human rabies case in 28 years. — Picture by Raymond Manuel


Summary

• The Kedah State Health Department has reported its first human rabies case since 1998, resulting in the death of a 31-year-old man from Kubang Pasu after a stray dog bite.
• The victim did not receive rabies post-exposure prophylaxis despite seeking initial medical treatment.
• Following the incident, control measures have been implemented by relevant agencies, including comprehensive epidemiological investigations to identify the source of the infection.
• The public is reminded of the importance of seeking immediate medical attention following an animal bite and ensuring pets are vaccinated against rabies.

First Published: Sunday, 27 Sep 2026 8:16 PM MYT


ALOR SETAR, Sept 27 — The State Health Department (JKN) of Kedah has reported the state’s first human rabies case since 1998, involving a 31-year-old man from Kubang Pasu who died today after being bitten by a stray dog in August.

It said that the victim sought treatment at a healthcare facility after the incident but did not receive rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

“On September 18, the victim began experiencing fatigue, weakness and numbness in the right upper limb. The symptoms progressed to difficulty swallowing, hydrophobia, aerophobia, anxiety and behavioural changes on September 22, consistent with the clinical manifestations of rabies.

“The following day, the victim sought treatment again and was referred for further treatment before being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU),” it said in a statement today.


It said clinical samples taken on Sept 24 were confirmed by laboratory tests two days later to be positive for rabies.

“Following the confirmation, Kedah JKN, the Kubang Pasu District Health Office, the Kedah Veterinary Services Department and relevant agencies implemented control and prevention measures, including active case detection, health education, enhanced surveillance of animal-bite cases, risk assessment and control of stray animals in the affected area.

“As this is the first human rabies case reported in Kedah since 1998, the Ministry of Health (MOH), together with Kedah JKN and relevant agencies, is conducting a comprehensive epidemiological investigation to identify the source of infection and route of exposure,” it added.


The investigation includes examining the victim’s travel and exposure history, identifying contacts and risk factors, and analysing the timeline of events to determine the source and factors associated with the infection.

Kedah JKN said control measures were also being strengthened under the ‘One Health’ approach, involving human exposure management, surveillance of animal-bite cases and monitoring and risk assessment of dogs and other potentially exposed animals in high-risk areas.

It said that as of August 2026, a total of 502 animal bite and scratch cases had been reported in Kedah, with 65.3 per cent involving dogs, 23.1 per cent cats and 11.6 per cent other animals, adding that of these, 56.2 per cent involved domestic animals and 43.8 per cent stray animals.

It reminded the public that rabies can be transmitted through bites, scratches or exposure to the saliva of infected animals, and urged pet owners to ensure their dogs and cats receive anti-rabies vaccinations.

Kedah JKN also said that anyone bitten or scratched by an animal should immediately wash the wound with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes and seek medical attention at a public or private healthcare facility for risk assessment and appropriate treatment. — Bernama

All Malaysian Indian Progressive Front seeks BN membership — and a shot at contesting Penang seats

All Malaysian Indian Progressive Front seeks BN membership — and a shot at contesting Penang seats



IPF president Datuk T. Loganathan said the party has applied to become a Barisan Nasional component party, beginning with Penang. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon


Summary

• The All Malaysian Indian Progressive Front (IPF) has submitted an application to become a component party of Barisan Nasional (BN), starting in Penang before expanding to the national level.
• IPF President Datuk T. Loganathan highlighted the party's unwavering support for BN, even after the coalition's defeat in the 2018 general election.
• He expressed hope that BN will consider their application favorably and provide opportunities for IPF to contest in winnable state seats.
• Penang BN Chairman Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir pledged to forward the application to Umno's supreme council and the BN leadership.

First Published: Sunday, 27 Sep 2026 8:04 PM MYT


BUTTERWORTH, Sept 27 — The All Malaysian Indian Progressive Front (IPF) has applied to become a component party of Barisan Nasional (BN), with Penang as the starting point before the move is taken to the national level.

Its president Datuk T. Loganathan said the application was driven by its longstanding loyalty to BN, despite never having been given any positions.

He said IPF had remained loyal to BN even after the coalition lost the 14th general election (GE14) in 2018, when several other component parties chose to leave.

“IPF hopes its application to become a BN component party will receive due consideration, with Penang serving as the starting point before the initiative is taken to the national level,” he said in his speech at the Penang IPF assembly here today.


He also hoped that the BN leadership would consider giving IPF the opportunity to contest suitable state seats where the party had a potential to win.

Meanwhile, Penang BN chairman Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir said he would bring the application to the Umno supreme council meeting before it was submitted to the Umno president, who is also the BN chairman.

Musa said Penang IPF was among the organisations that had actively supported BN, including during by-elections and state elections. — Bernama

Time to abolish fuel subsidies and tolls?

Time to abolish fuel subsidies and tolls?


This parity is not a coincidence; it is the visible symptom of an inefficient fiscal arrangement that the government should now seriously reconsider abolishing in one coordinated stroke

Updated 1 day ago · Published on 26 Sep 2026 8:02AM

The market, rather than additional fiscal incentives or regulatory mandates, does much of the educational work. - September 26, 2026



Malaysia’s dual system of heavily subsidising RON95 petrol while simultaneously extracting tolls on the nation’s expressways represents one of the more conspicuous policy contradictions of recent decades.

Eligible citizens currently pay RM1.99 per litre under the BUDI95 scheme, while the unsubsidised market rate sits near RM4.57. At the same time, motorists navigating the Klang Valley or inter-city routes hand over RM2–3.50 at successive plazas on LDP, DUKE, MEX, AKLEH and other highways.

For a typical Keramat-to-Petaling Jaya commuter, the monthly bill for subsidised fuel and tolls roughly balances around RM200.

This parity is not a coincidence; it is the visible symptom of an inefficient fiscal arrangement that the government should now seriously reconsider abolishing in one coordinated stroke.

The core proposal is straightforward. End the RON95 and diesel subsidies.

Redirect the substantial fiscal savings into a structured buy-out or compensation package for the toll concessionaires.

Many of these operators are government-linked companies or entities over which Putrajaya already exercises significant influence through equity stakes, regulatory oversight and historical concession agreements; the transaction need not be adversarial.

The government can negotiate accelerated amortisation, revised concession periods or outright acquisition of residual rights.

Once compensated, the plazas come down, and the expressways return to free public use.

Roads revert to what they should be in a functioning market economy: infrastructure whose capital cost is recovered through general taxation and whose marginal use is priced through the true cost of fuel.

The fiscal arithmetic is compelling. Targeted fuel subsidies still impose a heavy burden on the federal budget even after the shift to BUDI Madani.

Removing them frees resources that can simultaneously retire contingent liabilities embedded in toll concessions and reduce the need for further borrowing.

Malaysia’s public debt trajectory remains a structural concern, where every ringgit no longer spent on consumption subsidies or concession compensation is a ringgit that does not compound into future interest payments.

The exercise would also eliminate layers of administrative cost such as MyKad verification systems, quota monitoring, weekly price announcements, and the bureaucratic machinery required to manage both subsidy distribution and toll regulation.

Higher pump prices would transmit an immediate and honest price signal. Motorists would confront the full social cost of driving: fuel, congestion externalities and environmental impact. Unnecessary trips will decline, encouraging car-pooling, public transport and remote work to become relatively more attractive.

This behavioural shift aligns directly with the government’s stated policy preference for electric vehicles.

When petrol costs RM4.50-plus per litre, the total cost of ownership comparison between internal-combustion and electric vehicles tilts more decisively toward the latter, accelerating the transition that multiple ministries claim to support.

The market, rather than additional fiscal incentives or regulatory mandates, does much of the educational work.

Critics will raise the familiar objections of regressivity and political pain.

Yet the current system is itself regressive in subtle ways, where middle-class households with higher vehicle usage capture a disproportionate share of the subsidy, while the poorest Malaysians, many without cars, receive little direct benefit.

A clean abolition paired with transparent cash transfers or expanded public transport investment would be more progressive and less distortionary. Politically, the move requires courage.

Successive administrations have preferred the quiet comfort of weekly price adjustments and deferred toll hikes financed by compensation payments.

That comfort has produced a growing stock of contingent liabilities and a public conditioned to expect artificially cheap fuel.

Returning roads to free use would also dissolve a network of indirect economic costs.

Logistics firms currently embed toll expenses into freight rates, as these costs cascade into retail prices.

Commuters absorb both fuel and toll outlays that could otherwise support household consumption or savings.

The dual system creates compliance overhead, enforcement costs and opportunities for leakage.

A single coherent policy where market fuel prices and toll-free expressways will remove these frictions.

The concessionaires, being largely GLC or GLC-adjacent, are not independent private parties immune to national interest considerations.

The government already intervenes regularly through rate freezes, compensation packages and policy directives.

Completing the logic by retiring the concessions is an extension of existing practice, not a radical departure.

What is radical in such a plan is the willingness to let prices perform their allocative function and to stop using the public balance sheet to subsidise both consumption and the private (or quasi-private) collection of road user charges.

Malaysia can continue managing symptoms by regularly adjusting subsidy quotas, absorbing toll compensation, announcing temporary freezes, or it can address the underlying contradiction.

Abolishing both the fuel subsidy and the toll regime in a single, carefully sequenced reform would reduce fiscal pressure, restore price signals, encourage more efficient mobility choices and advance the EV agenda without additional layers of industrial policy.

The roads would once again function as public goods whose use is disciplined by real resource costs rather than by an elaborate and expensive system of cross-subsidies.

That outcome is closer to a free-market environment than the present hybrid of artificial cheapness and gated highways. It deserves serious consideration. – September 26, 2026