Rafizi: Bersama names 15 candidates early to give Melaka voters time to assess

Rafizi: Bersama names 15 candidates early to give Melaka voters time to assess



Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) leader Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli delivers a speech during the Bersama Candidate Announcement Ceremony for the 16th Melaka state election at Jalan Mutiara Melaka 3, Taman Mutiara Melaka, last night. — Bernama pic


Summary

• Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) has become the first to unveil candidates for 15 out of the 28 seats in the Melaka state legislative assembly ahead of the election, as reported by The Star.
• This strategic move, announced by co-founder Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, aims to provide voters with ample time to scrutinize the candidates and their plans before the official dissolution of the state assembly.
• The party's campaign efforts are set to commence immediately, with a focus on constituency-level engagements and the preparation of a manifesto tailored for Melaka voters.
• Rafizi emphasized the importance of early announcements in fostering candidate-voter relationships and understanding local issues.

By Malay Mail
First Published: Sunday, 16 Aug 2026 9:58 AM MYT


MELAKA, Aug 16 — Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) has announced candidates for 15 of the 28 seats in the Melaka state legislative assembly, becoming the first party to unveil its candidates ahead of the state election, The Star reported.


The party’s line-up includes Dr Muhamad Solehin Saleh, 40, the elder brother of Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, who will contest Bemban.


Bersama co-founder Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli said the early announcement was made before the state assembly is dissolved, allowing voters more time to assess the candidates and their plans.


“We are doing this before Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh has even thought about dissolving the state assembly,” he was quoted as saying during the announcement in Melaka Baru last night.


Besides Bemban, Bersama will contest Kuala Linggi, Rembia, Gadek, Machap Jaya, Sungai Udang, Paya Rumput, Klebang, Pengkalan Batu, Ayer Keroh, Bukit Katil, Kesidang, Kota Laksamana, Telok Mas and Serkam.

Rafizi, a former PKR deputy president, said the announcement marked the immediate start of the party’s campaign, with its candidates, members and volunteers expected to begin constituency-level work.


“Our campaign begins tonight. Go out and get to work,” he said.

He said announcing the candidates early would give voters sufficient time to assess their backgrounds, capabilities and plans, while allowing them to build relationships with local communities and understand issues affecting their constituencies.

Rafizi said a team was also preparing a manifesto and policy proposals specifically for Melaka voters.

He said Bersama planned to launch its manifesto during its first ceramah on nomination day.

PAS wants Selangor to be launchpad for toppling PH, says Sanusi

PAS wants Selangor to be launchpad for toppling PH, says Sanusi



Perikatan Nasional election director Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor as saying Selangor was a key target because of its importance as an economic powerhouse. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon


Summary

• PAS is aiming to make Selangor the focal point for unseating Pakatan Harapan (PH) at the state and federal levels in Malaysia's 16th general election, as reported by Free Malaysia Today.
• Perikatan Nasional's election director, Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, highlighted Selangor's economic significance and urged voters to assess PH's governance record critically.
• Despite PH and Barisan Nasional (BN) forming the current state government, the report suggests that enhanced cooperation between BN and PN could pose a challenge to PH's position, especially by consolidating the Malay vote in Selangor.

By Malay Mail
First Published: Sunday, 16 Aug 2026 9:53 AM MYT


TANJUNG KARANG, Aug 16 — PAS is targeting Selangor as the starting point for defeating Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the state and subsequently at the federal level in the 16th general election, according to a report by Free Malaysia Today (FMT).


The report quoted Perikatan Nasional (PN) election director Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor as saying Selangor was a key target because of its importance as an economic powerhouse.


“If PH falls in Selangor, PH will fall at the federal level,” he was quoted as saying at a Selangor PAS election machinery gathering at the Selangor PAS complex here last night.


Sanusi, who is also Kedah Menteri Besar, urged voters to judge PH based on its record in government rather than its political messaging.


“Compare it with the performance of previous governments. What has PH achieved? They should show us what they have done while in power,” he said.

PH won 32 of Selangor’s 56 state seats in the 2023 state election, while PN won 22 and Barisan Nasional (BN) secured the remaining two.


PH and BN subsequently formed the state government.

FMT also reported that analysts had previously viewed closer cooperation between BN and PN as a potential challenge to PH’s position in Selangor, particularly if it resulted in greater consolidation of Malay votes.

Last month, Selangor PKR Youth deputy chief Shahrul Adnan called on the state PH leadership to reconsider its political cooperation with BN following BN-PN cooperation in the Aug 1 Negeri Sembilan state election.

Control the media? We even give them massage chairs, Fahmi tells PKR congress

Control the media? We even give them massage chairs, Fahmi tells PKR congress



Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil suggested that PKR had lost the communications war, leading voters to “vote over emotions instead of performance”. — Picture by Raymond Manuel


Summary

• At the PKR national congress, Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil conveyed that the party, despite losing the Negeri Sembilan state election, will not use harsh tactics against the press, emphasizing a better relationship than previous administrations.
• He attributed the loss to PKR's inability to counter the opposition's identity-driven narrative and promised to enhance the party's communication strategy.
• Fahmi acknowledged the coalition's communication shortcomings and emphasized that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's government has performed well economically, despite voters' emotional decision-making.

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid
First Published: Sunday, 16 Aug 2026 10:48 AM MYT
Last Modified: Sunday, 16 Aug 2026 10:50 AM MYT


MELAKA, Aug 16 — Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil today suggested that PKR will not resort to punitive measures against members of the press, even as some in the party believe its rivals are winning the messaging battle by fighting dirty.

Members of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) anchor party are gathered at this year’s national congress still reeling from the defeat in the Negeri Sembilan state election, which coalition leaders blamed on the opposition’s identity-driven campaign, after PH was ousted following two terms in government.


Speaking to party delegates, Fahmi suggested that PKR had lost the communications war, leading voters to “vote over emotions instead of performance”.


Still, he said the coalition would not turn to harsher tactics to win the perception battle.


Fahmi said instead that his party was treating the press much better than previous governments, joking that it even provided massage chairs to reporters covering the party’s congress.


“Some in the party had asked me why not rein in the media (that help platform rivals’ messaging). Dear friends and comrades, let’s remind ourselves that we are born from the streets, from fighting the power that told the press to attack our president,” the PKR leader said.

“I was told by our friends in the press that it was worse before. They were even told what to write... but today we are so courteous when dealing with them... we even give them massage chairs. You can visit the media room to have a look yourself,” he added.


PH suffered a heavy defeat in the Negeri Sembilan state election after Barisan Nasional (BN) turned to Perikatan Nasional (PN) and succeeded in consolidating a large portion of the Malay vote.

Analysts said the shift in voter dynamics, including among Indian voters and lower turnout among Chinese voters, made it even tougher for the PKR-DAP-Amanah coalition.

The bloc won just 11 of the 36 state assembly seats, giving the BN-PN alliance a two-thirds majority. Two of PH’s heavyweights, former menteri besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun and senior minister Anthony Loke, were also among those defeated.

Fahmi appeared to have shouldered some of the blame for the party’s poor showing. He apologised on behalf of PKR’s central communications team and vowed to improve its strategy, particularly its messaging about the Anwar government’s economic performance.

The minister argued that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s administration had performed well economically, but there was a disconnect between the data and tangible results.

“The comms team would like to say it’s sorry and we will strive to change our strategy, so that the people would understand better what the (PH-led) government is doing and had done, hoping that if they can feel it in the stomach, then it may also nourish the heart,” he said.

Penang CM: State remains under control after North Sumatra earthquake tremors

Penang CM: State remains under control after North Sumatra earthquake tremors



Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state government received reports from the Operations Centre of the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) regarding the tremors. — Bernama file pic


Summary

• The situation in Penang remains stable with no injuries, after tremors were experienced due to an earthquake in North Sumatra, Indonesia.
• Penang Chief Minister, Chow Kon Yeow, stated that the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department received public reports of tremors in nine locations.
• Monitoring operations were promptly conducted by rescue teams.
• The state government continues to liaise with relevant agencies for updates on the condition.

First Published: Sunday, 16 Aug 2026 8:31 AM MYT


GEORGE TOWN, Aug 16 — The situation in Penang remains under control, with no injuries reported as of early today, following tremors felt across the state after an earthquake struck North Sumatra, Indonesia, yesterday.


Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state government received reports from the Operations Centre of the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) regarding the tremors.


“The Operations Centre received calls from members of the public between 7.23 pm and 7.27 pm (yesterday) reporting tremors at nine locations across all five districts in Penang.


“Following this, JBPM operational teams were deployed to the affected locations to conduct monitoring, involving 36 officers and personnel as well as nine fire engines,” he said in a statement.


Chow said the state government would remain in contact with JBPM and other relevant rescue agencies to monitor the situation and receive further updates.

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck the North Sumatra region of Indonesia on Saturday evening, hours after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara, killing at least 38 people.


Tremors lasting several minutes were subsequently felt in several areas of Penang and Perak. — Bernama

Mamdani switches to Mandarin in playful push for Broadway access

Mamdani switches to Mandarin in playful push for Broadway access

In the 31‑second video posted on X, Mamdani cheerfully addresses viewers in Mandarin. — X screenshot


Summary

• New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani used Mandarin in a social media video to promote free Broadway tickets for local high school students.
• The initiative, in partnership with the Theatre Development Fund, will distribute over 2,000 free tickets through a lottery system to NYC high schoolers.
• The campaign highlights New York's cultural diversity, with Mamdani's video praised for its linguistic inclusivity and support for local youth access to Broadway.

By Malay Mail
First Published: Sunday, 16 Aug 2026 10:39 AM MYT


NEW YORK, Aug 16 — New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani has added a new language to his outreach toolkit — Mandarin — in a light‑hearted social media clip promoting free Broadway tickets for local high school students, a move that has quickly caught attention online.

In the 31‑second video posted on X, Mamdani cheerfully addresses viewers in Mandarin, ending with an enthusiastic “See you at the performance venue!” as he directs them to the city’s Broadway initiative page. The multilingual moment comes as part of a broader campaign to ensure that the city’s young residents — not just tourists — get to experience one of New York’s most iconic cultural offerings.


The mayor announced earlier this week that the city is partnering with the Theatre Development Fund (TDF) to distribute more than 2,000 free Broadway tickets to NYC high schoolers through a lottery system. “People come to New York City from all over the world to experience Broadway. The kids who grow up here should be able to do the same,” he said in a separate post.


The initiative has sparked lively reactions online, with users praising Mamdani’s willingness to meet communities where they are — linguistically and culturally. One commenter joked that the mayor is “literally learning languages to communicate to the masses,” while others celebrated the gesture as emblematic of New York’s diversity.


The ticket lottery covers seven Broadway shows and is framed by Mamdani as “justice for the theatre kids,” following a summer of City Hall lotteries for major sporting events. The Mandarin clip adds a playful twist to the rollout, reinforcing the administration’s message that Broadway belongs to everyone — including the city’s multilingual youth.

@NYCMayor

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演出现场见! https://on.nyc.gov/broadway

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani

@NYCMayor

People come to New York City from all over the world to experience Broadway. The kids who grow up here should be able to do the same. We’re partnering with @TDFNYC to give away over 2,000 free Broadway tickets to NYC High School students through a free-to-enter lottery. Break a

11:07 AM · Aug 16, 2026

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‘Free coaching for all!’: Modi’s big push to defuse India’s exam scandal fury

‘Free coaching for all!’: Modi’s big push to defuse India’s exam scandal fury



India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort during celebrations to mark the country’s Independence Day in New Delhi on August 15, 2026. — AFP pic


Summary

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced free online coaching for competitive exams to alleviate the financial burden on families within India's competitive education system, responding to youth-led protests over recent exam scandals.
• Speaking on the nation's independence anniversary, he revealed plans to train 10 million young people in artificial intelligence.
• Modi also introduced a seven-point framework aimed at achieving developed nation status, emphasizing sectors like manufacturing, agriculture, and technology, and promoting India as a trusted global partner.

First Published: Saturday, 15 Aug 2026 2:11 PM MYT


NEW DELHI, Aug 15 — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Saturday his government would provide free online coaching lessons for competitive exams, weeks after massive youth-led protests forced the education minister to resign.

Modi said the initiative was aimed at easing the financial burden on millions of families caught up in the country’s fiercely competitive education system.


The 75-year-old leader made the announcement while speaking from the ramparts of New Delhi’s imposing 17th-century Red Fort to mark the country’s independence from Britain on August 15, 1947.


“We have decided to provide free online coaching for various competitive examinations for our youth. We have the digital public infrastructure, and we have highly talented teachers and educators,” he said.


The move comes after nationwide protests triggered by the leak of a key medical entrance examination paper and a series of other recruitment scandals.


The protests, which culminated in the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan last month, exposed deep frustration among young Indians over access to jobs and educational opportunities.

They also highlighted immense pressures on students in India, the world’s most populous nation where admission to government-run colleges remains one of the most sought-after pathways to economic security.


The cut-throat competition has fuelled a sprawling coaching industry where students spend years preparing, often at enormous financial cost for their families.

Modi said the free online classes would ease financial burden on “poor and middle-class families”.

“The competition surrounding coaching classes has become a huge burden for middle-class families... (Students) can stay close to their families, receive their care, and avoid placing an additional financial burden on them,” he said.

Modi also announced plans to train several million young people in artificial intelligence tools.

“We have decided in the next one year, one crore (10 million) youth will be given training in AI skills,” he said.

Since the protests, authorities have attempted to appease the nation’s youth, with the parliament hiking penalties for leaking exam papers.

Critics say the protests posed one of the biggest challenges to Modi’s government since coming to power in 2014.

Growth framework

In a speech lasting more than an hour, Modi also reiterated his government’s vow to help India achieve the status of a developed country in the next 20 years, announcing a seven-point growth and reform framework.

The initiative would focus on manufacturing, agriculture, technology and defence, as well as India’s “soft power” through yoga, tourism and handicrafts.

India, Asia’s third-largest economy, must “establish itself as a trusted global supply chain partner for the world”, Modi said of manufacturing.

In the coming years, he said India will have eight more semiconductor chip plants and five nuclear reactors which will generate 100 gigawatts of power by 2047.

Last year, the government allowed private firms to build and operate atomic power projects, underlining a push for alternative energy.

Modi said young people stood to gain the most from his vision for development.

“The youth have a big role to play in the journey towards a developed India... the greatest beneficiary of a developed India is the youth of the country.” — AFP

***

IMHO, India's 3 main priorities are:

(a) Get rid of the caste system,

(b) Get rid of corruption, and

(c) Improve hygiene especially toilet etiquette

Palestinians in northern West Bank fear expanding settlements will drive them from their land

Palestinians in northern West Bank fear expanding settlements will drive them from their land



A Palestinian boy inspects the rubble of nearly two dozen shops that were demolished by Israeli bulldozers, citing the lack of a building permit, earlier in the day along the main road east of the Palestinian city of Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on August 12. — AFP pic


Summary

• In Jenin, Palestinian Amin Rahal and his family have paused work to protect their land from encroaching settlers, as incidents of theft, damage, and intimidation have escalated.
• The ongoing expansions of Israeli settlements, endorsed by the current right-wing Israeli government, have intensified tensions, dismantling Palestinian structures and violating international laws and the Oslo Accords.
• The construction and connectivity of these settlements are increasingly isolating Palestinian communities, like those in and around Jenin, intensifying fears of violence and further infrastructure losses.

First Published: Sunday, 16 Aug 2026 7:00 AM MYT


JENIN, Aug 16 — Palestinian Amin Rahal and his three brothers haven’t gone to work in weeks, instead taking turns guarding what remains of their land atop a West Bank hill from incursions by nearby settlers.


“We never leave the place unless we have two people here,” says Rahal, a 31-year-old father of three, pointing to the roof of a settler’s newly installed prefabricated home 100 metres from his house.


“They’ve stolen hens, land with olive trees, damaged the sage bush in our backyard with their ATVs, brought their sheep into our courtyard, and more,” he told AFP.


Last week, settlers from the newly inaugurated Israeli settlement of Emek Dotan just below his home put up a rope across his land and forbade him and his family from crossing it.


A chicken farm and many olive trees stand on the other side of the rope and are now lost to the Rahal family under threat of violence.

“Our fear is that they will attack the children, burn one of the houses, attack us at night and break into the houses,” as has happened in other West Bank villages where settlers have moved in, he said.


Across the West Bank, such accounts have become common, with the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reporting an average of six incidents per day involving West Bank settlers in 2026.

These include theft, vandalism, arson, beatings and sometimes murder, with Palestinians complaining that most crimes against them go unpunished.


Cancel Oslo

The north of the West Bank, with its many Palestinian communities and few settlers, had been relatively spared from the tensions.

Under former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon’s 2005 disengagement plan, four isolated settlements—Homesh, Sa-Nur, Ganim and Kadim—were evacuated to make a contiguous Palestinian space within the West Bank.

But under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s current government, the most right-wing in Israel’s history, the abandoned sites—long a sore point for the settler movement—have been reinvested one by one in 2026.

A plan approved in December legalised 17 more settlements in the northern West Bank, with the specific intent of connecting them all, in another affront to the Oslo Accords reached during the 1990s peace process.

While all settlements on occupied territory are illegal under international law, the Oslo Accords allowed Israel to keep building settlements and demolish Palestinian buildings, but only in Area C—the 60 percent of the West Bank under Israeli control.

The agreement is viewed as an outdated relic by Israel’s far-right, which wants to build settlements across all the West Bank.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, himself a settler, has on various occasions made calls to “cancel Oslo”.

Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, 500,000 settlers now live in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, as well as three million Palestinians.

Palestinians around Jenin are worried many red lines have been crossed.

Inside Jenin itself, the largest city in that part of the north, a military base was established in Area A, the part of the West Bank supposed to be under Palestinian control.

With each settlement come demolitions, but Palestinians had until now assumed Areas A and B—the latter of which is under Israeli military control but Palestinian civil control—to be relatively safe. Not anymore.

In August, Israeli forces demolished several shops within 30 metres of a road leading to Ganim and Kadim, where settler caravans reminiscent of an American trailer park were newly connected to the electric grid and received their first occupants.

“They came to us directly and gave us an official order to evacuate the shop immediately, followed directly by its demolition,” said Bara al-Damaj, owner of a stone products store that was torn down.

“In a moment, they destroyed our dreams,” he continued, adding he had seen an increased military presence as a result of another new military base built at the entrance of Ganim.


Surrounded

Mohammed, whose nearby home escaped demolition, still fears what the increased settler presence will bring in the future.

Declining to share his last name for security reasons, Mohammed said his son was detained and beaten by the army recently while walking in their field, and they cannot access their second field on the other side of the new settler road.

Army bulldozers blocked most agricultural roads with rubble, leading residents to fear being cut off and isolated.

In the village of Deir Abu Deif, losing access to the road means losing access to the city of Jenin.

“The situation is extremely frightening. We’re surrounded from every direction,” said Faij Rawajbi, whose produce store near the settler road was demolished.

Rawajbi, 38, complained that armed settlement security teams began harassing residents, conducting ID checks as if they were official authorities.

“This white van terrorises us and the entire eastern area” of Jenin, he told AFP as the vehicle drove by.

“Everything here has become settlements. They have turned our lives upside down.” — AFP

***

Shailok land robbers

 

Multiple people injured in shooting at Virginia State University

School said shooting involved ‘multiple suspects’ as campus was locked down and police responded to scene

Adam Gabbatt

Sat 15 Aug 2026 23.20 AEST

Prefer the Guardian on Google

Multiple people were injured in a shooting at Virginia State University, police said on Saturday morning, with several suspects still at large.

The campus, about 20 miles (32km) south of Richmond, was on lockdown when police released initial details about the shooting.

“A shooting occurred in the area of the Quad Annexes involving multiple victims, who were transported to area hospitals. Police are on scene and request that you avoid the area,” the VSU police department said in a statement.

VSU said the shooting involved “multiple suspects”. The university said none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening.

Local news outlet WTVR reported that five people were injured, citing local authorities. Chesterfield police told WTVR that police were called to university dormitories at 1.30am.

As of Saturday morning, there had been nearly 300 mass shootings reported across the US so far for the year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

The nonpartisan resources defines mass shootings as cases in which at least four victims are wounded or killed.

The US has perennially registered high numbers of mass shootings, with a considerable portion of those occurring at school and university campuses or activities. Those numbers have prompted calls for more substantial federal gun control, though Congress over the years has not implemented such restrictions.