Democrat Abdul El-Sayed claims victory in Michigan Senate battle

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed claims victory in Michigan Senate battle


Abdul El-Sayed won despite a last-minute setback when congresswoman Haley Stevens, whom he defeated in the Democratic primary, endorsed Republican Mike Rogers

Abdul El-Sayed embraces his wife, Dr Sarah Jukaku, onstage after declaring victory at a midterm election night party in Detroit, Michigan. (AFP pic)

DETROIT: Democrat Abdul El-Sayed said early Wednesday that he had won a US Senate seat in Michigan over former Republican lawmaker Mike Rogers, which would make him the first Muslim elected to the upper chamber of Congress.

“Michigan, we did it!” El-Sayed said in a speech at his election headquarters in Detroit.

“I am so proud and honored to stand here as your senator-elect from the great state of Michigan.”


El-Sayed won despite a last-minute hiccup in his campaign when congresswoman Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed, came out in support of Rogers at the 11th hour.

The Michigan doctor rallied voters on leftist campaign promises, including universal health care, to hold a key US Senate seat for Democrats, taking over from the retiring Gary Peters.

Republicans ran a scorched-earth campaign to paint Democrats as communists and branded El-Sayed a terrorist who would endanger Americans.

But the straight-talking 42-year-old El-Sayed pledged to help cash-strapped voters navigate America’s thorny health care system.

“You deserve to be able to see a doctor without getting a huge bill,” he told Michiganders on the eve of the vote, vowing to upend America’s divisive multi-billion-dollar for-profit medical system.

During the race, El-Sayed drew huge campaign crowds across the state, even in deeply conservative Republican areas.

El-Sayed also vowed to get “money out of politics” and address the harsh economic woes that have voters yearning for a political newcomer to shake up the status quo.

The election makes El-Sayed the first Democratic doctor in the Senate since 1969.

 

Hadi did not call MPs ‘Dajjal’, says PAS MP

Hadi did not call MPs ‘Dajjal’, says PAS MP

3 hours ago

Predeep Nambiar

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang yesterday described the agreement signed between 13 MPs and the government MPs as ‘Dajjal-like’.

Pasir Mas MP Ahmad Fadhli Shaari today said Hulu Langat MP Sany Hamzan had misinterpreted PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s criticism of the confidence and supply agreement signed between opposition MPs and the government.

KUALA LUMPUR:

A PAS MP has defended party president Abdul Hadi Awang after he likened the confidence and supply agreement (CSA) signed between the government and seven opposition MPs to Dajjal’s deception, saying his remarks had been misunderstood.

Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PN-Pasir Mas) said Hadi was criticising the conditions attached to constituency allocations, not describing MPs who signed the agreement as Dajjal.

In Islamic belief, the Dajjal is a great deceiver whose appearance is regarded as a major sign of the approaching Day of Judgment.

Fadhli said Sany Hamzan (PH-Hulu Langat) had misinterpreted Hadi’s remarks during an earlier debate in the Dewan Rakyat.

“That was not what was said. That was not the real meaning,” he said.

“What he meant was the approach taken under the CSA … MPs have to support (the government) before getting allocations.”

Fadhli said constituency allocations involved public funds and should not be tied to political support, describing such conditions as unacceptable.

He also praised the economy ministry for approving seven development projects in Kelantan, including in his constituency, saying this was how allocations should be distributed fairly.

Yesterday, Hadi described the CSA as a “Dajjal-like” approach, accusing the government of using public funds to secure political support and remain in power.

The agreement was signed on Oct 29 by 13 MPs, comprising six from Bersatu led by its president Muhyiddin Yassin, six former Bersatu MPs, and Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.

Under the deal, the MPs agreed to support the 2027 budget and proposed reforms in return for constituency development allocations on par with those given to government MPs.

Hadi’s remarks drew criticism, including from law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said, who said today that he could have expressed his disagreement without resorting to such extreme language.

Suhaimi Abdullah (PN-Langkawi), who was among the six MPs from Bersatu who signed the CSA, described the comparison as “grave” and detrimental to national unity.

PKR Youth chief Kamil Abdul Munim also questioned Hadi’s position, pointing out that PAS was part of the government when a similar agreement was signed with Pakatan Harapan in September 2021.

The agreement, signed under then prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, was intended to ensure political stability and secure support for the government’s budget.

 

Muslim who took part in non-Islamic ritual ordered to undergo rehab

Muslim who took part in non-Islamic ritual ordered to undergo rehab

3 hours ago

FMT Reporters

Aliff Daniel Adli pleads guilty to a charge of deviant worship before shariah judge Faizal Habib.

The Gombak Barat shariah lower court ordered Aliff Daniel Adli to undergo a three-month rehabilitation programme at Pusat Pemurnian Akidah Baitul Iman in Ulu Yam, starting today. (Reuters pic)

PETALING JAYA:

A Muslim man, who courted controversy for taking part in a non-Islamic ritual, has been ordered by the Gombak Barat shariah lower court to undergo rehabilitation to strengthen his Islamic faith.

Aliff Daniel Adli, 21, pleaded guilty to a charge of deviant worship before shariah judge Faizal Habib, Harian Metro reported.

The judge ordered Aliff to undergo a three-month rehabilitation programme at Pusat Pemurnian Akidah Baitul Iman in Ulu Yam, starting today.

Aliff was accused of committing deviant worship by holding up religious artefacts associated with another faith, performing rituals involving body piercing, and kneeling with both hands clasped against his chest in front of a statue at a temple in Batu Caves. He committed the offence on Jan 24, 2024, between 9pm and 11pm.

The charge was framed under Section 4(1) of the Syariah Criminal Offences (Selangor) Enactment 1995, which provides for a fine of up to RM3,000, imprisonment for up to two years, or both, upon conviction.

In delivering his judgment, Faizal said the offence committed by the accused was not merely a breach of written law but a serious offence involving the sin of syirik (polytheism, idolatry or associating partners with Allah).

“The offence you committed is not merely one of the common criminal offences. More than that, it concerns your faith and tauhid (belief in the oneness of Allah) as a Muslim.

“At the age of 18, when you committed the offence, you may have been trying to explore different things as a young person, but you must realise that there are limits.

“Although you have stated that you have repented, it must be recorded here that the court advises you to repent sincerely and undertake taubat nasuha (sincere repentance),” he said.

The court also agreed with the prosecution’s proposal to replace the jail term and fine with an order for rehabilitation under Section 54(1) of the enactment.

The court also took into account the accused’s young age and his responsibility to care for his mother.

The prosecution was conducted by prosecutors Siti Nor Hashibah Jamhari, Zamniazura Sarin and Husaini Roslin, while the accused was unrepresented.

The court fixed Feb 25 next year for mention, when the prosecution is expected to update the court on the rehabilitation progress report.

Treason? Indonesia sacks and arrests Prabowo’s chief of staff over alleged wiretapping

Treason? Indonesia sacks and arrests Prabowo’s chief of staff over alleged wiretapping



Indonesia’s former police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo has been sacked as President Prabowo Subianto’s chief of staff and arrested over alleged phone-tapping. — AFP pic


Summary

• Indonesia's former police chief, Listyo Sigit Prabowo, was dismissed from his role as presidential chief of staff and arrested on charges potentially amounting to treason for allegedly wiretapping President Prabowo Subianto's telephone.
• Authorities claim the unauthorized surveillance, which included tapping officials, politicians, journalists, and business figures, posed a danger to national security.
• The motive behind the wiretapping remains unclear, while the president has expressed significant concern over the case.

First Published: Wednesday, 04 Nov 2026 2:48 PM MYT


JAKARTA, Nov 4 — Indonesia’s former police chief, fired this week from his latest post as presidential chief of staff, may have committed “treason” through his alleged involvement in wiretapping the head of state’s telephone, the government said Wednesday.

“What was done may have fallen into the category of being considered as leading to treason,” presidential spokesman Prasetyo Hadi told reporters in Jakarta of Tuesday’s arrest of Listyo Sigit Prabowo.

“This also constitutes actions that endanger the security of the interests of the state, including jeopardising the safety of the country’s leader,” he said.

On Tuesday, the national police announced it had arrested Listyo and two other senior officers for allegedly tapping the phone of President Prabowo Subianto, government officials and politicians, journalists, NGO representatives and businesspeople.


Top detective Asep Safrudin said this was done “without any legal basis or without any investigative or inquiry process in accordance with applicable laws”.

Prabowo, who took office in 2024, has come under increasing pressure for his government’s handling of the economy and destructive wildfires in the Southeast Asian archipelago.


The former general reshuffled his cabinet for a seventh time last month, appointing Listyo, 57, as his chief of staff.

Listyo had until then served as national police chief during the period of the alleged wiretapping that investigators said started in 2025.


On Wednesday, Prasetyo said the reason for the wiretap was not yet known.

“When we talk about the head of state... there is a great deal of information there that is naturally very sensitive, which could endanger... the interests and the strength of the nation and the state,” he said.

Prasetyo added the president had expressed his “profound concern” about the case. — AFP

US midterms: Democrats win control of Congress, flip Republican strongholds Texas, Kansas, South Carolina

US midterms: Democrats win control of Congress, flip Republican strongholds Texas, Kansas, South Carolina



Supporters of Democratic US Senate candidate and Texas state Representative James Talarico cheer as they watch midterm election results during a watch party at the Long Centre for the Performing Arts in Austin, Texas, on November 3, 2026. — AFP pic


Summary

• Democrats have taken control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the midterm elections, according to US network projections, marking a significant shift in political power away from President Donald Trump's Republicans.
• Notably, Democrats have flipped Senate seats in six states, including historically Republican territories such as Texas, Kansas, and South Carolina.
• This development is likely to pave the way for heightened political confrontations during the remaining two years of Trump's presidency.
• Further details are anticipated to emerge.

First Published: Wednesday, 04 Nov 2026 12:55 PM MYT



WASHINGTON, Nov 4 — Democrats have seized control of both houses of Congress, in a rout of President Donald Trump’s Republicans in the midterm elections, US networks projected.

After earlier seizing the House of Representatives, Democrats have flipped Senate seats in at least six states, including traditional Republican strongholds Texas, Kansas and South Carolina.

The election result sets up a confrontational final two years of Trump’s time in the White House.


MORE TO COME

Netanyahu’s Likud accused of election fraud cover-up as Israel probes Arab parties’ record 19-seat victory

Netanyahu’s Likud accused of election fraud cover-up as Israel probes Arab parties’ record 19-seat victory



Right-wing protesters hold portraits of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a rally in Tel Aviv on Oct 31, 2026, following Israel’s general election. — AFP pic


Summary

• Israel's attorney general has tasked intelligence services with updating on the progress of a probe into alleged election fraud involving Arab parties, amidst accusations from Prime Minister Netanyahu's Likud party of a cover-up.
• Official results of the October 27 elections, which yielded no clear majority, are set to be submitted to President Isaac Herzog.
• Despite Netanyahu's demands to delay result publication until investigations conclude, the electoral commission plans to proceed as scheduled.
• The situation underscores political tensions, with opposition leader Eisenkot's bloc seeking to form a government swiftly, amidst debates over alliances with Arab lawmakers.

First Published: Wednesday, 04 Nov 2026 8:57 AM MYT


HERZLIYA, Nov 4 — Israel’s attorney general asked the intelligence services to submit progress of a probe into alleged poll fraud involving Arab parties, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party accused her of covering up “manipulation” ahead of the official results yesterday.

President Isaac Herzog is due to receive the official results of the October 27 elections, which produced no clear majority, at midday.

He will then begin meeting with the political parties.

Yesterday evening, the electoral commission said the publication of results would not be delayed as demanded by Netanyahu’s Likud party, which wants to wait until the investigations launched by the Shin Bet intelligence services are completed.


Likud and Netanyahu have in recent days flooded social media with accusations against the Arab parties, which won a record 19 seats in parliament.

“If the Shin Bet or any other authority holds evidence that would justify opening an investigation, it is invited to present it,” attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara said, according to a statement.


The statement came after media reported that the head of Shin Bet, David Zini, a close associate of Netanyahu, had requested to question the leaders of the Arab parties as part of an investigation into suspected electoral fraud.


Pogrom against democracy

“Anyone who needs to be questioned will be, but no one will be investigated without evidentiary grounds,” added Baharav-Miara, who accused Shin Bet of failing to pass on material from the investigation to the special investigation team under her supervision.

Likud in turn accused her of “obstructing” and “covering up this serious case of manipulation of the electoral process by foreign actors.”

“In their distress, Likud and Netanyahu are trying to carry out a veritable pogrom against democracy and the rule of law,” opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot wrote in Hebrew on X.

“They are seeking to drag us all into a dangerous constitutional crisis.”

The Arab parties again rejected the accusations outright.

The opposition bloc led by Eisenkot pledged Tuesday to form a government quickly but remained unclear on how, with divisions over whether to ally with Arab lawmakers.

The five opposition party heads consulted on strategy at a hotel in Herzliya, the tech industry hub north of Tel Aviv where former military chief Eisenkot lives.

In a joint statement, the party leaders said their goal was forming a government “as quickly as possible and preventing Israel from being dragged into another election”.

They stood by four benchmarks set out by Eisenkot including that any parties in the government recognise Israel as a Jewish state and denounce Hamas as a terrorist group—conditions that could exclude some Arab lawmakers.

Unsourced Israeli media reports said the leaders put more emphasis on forming an alliance with Orthodox Jewish parties, traditional backers of Netanyahu, than with Arab parties.

Arab lawmakers could bring Eisenkot a majority which neither bloc now holds.

Arab-majority parties won 19 seats last week in the 120-member parliament on the back of anger over hard-right Netanyahu government’s rhetoric towards Arab citizens of Israel.

Eisenkot’s diverse opposition bloc won 48 seats, while Netanyahu’s camp secured 53, of which 27 are from his Likud party.

Despite their diverging views on various issues, including the role of Arab lawmakers, all opposition bloc leaders in Eisenkot’s bloc have said they would back him to form the next government.

Political reality

Public opinion polls conducted before the election showed that Jewish Israeli opposition supporters are divided over including Arab parties in government while right-wing Israelis are adamantly opposed.

Yousef Jabareen, the head of the largest Arab-majority party in the next parliament, told AFP that the opposition needed to accept “political reality” and team up to remove Netanyahu.

Arab-Israelis are descendants of Palestinians who remained after Israel’s creation in 1948 and account for around 20 percent of the population today.

The only opposition leader to openly back an alliance with Arab parties is Yair Golan, head of the left-wing party the Democrats, who said it was racist to exclude the Arab minority.

Netanyahu spent the campaign painting Arab parties as untrustworthy and stoking fears of a Palestinian state.

On Monday, Netanyahu called for a “broad national government” and said he should lead it as his Likud, while losing ground, remained the single largest party.

He ruled out a coalition with Arab-majority lists, alleging that the parties “support terrorism and deny the existence of the Jewish state”.

Leaders of Arab-Israeli parties have unanimously condemned the October 7 attack by Hamas, without describing the Palestinian Islamist movement as a terror group. — AFP