28 year old press secretary

Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (Photo by Zahid Izzani/The Edge filepix) - A + A SHAH ALAM (May 18): A former director of Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) on Wednesday (May 18) told the High Court here that his company was paying cash in Singapore dollars (SGD) on a monthly basis to former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi from 2014 to 2018, in relation to the Foreign Visa System (VLN) contract. Harry Lee Vui Khun said the payment to Ahmad Zahid which started with SGD200,000 per month and began in late 2014 was increased to SGD520,000 per month some time in 2017. “If I can recall correctly, the payment of SGD200,000 per month began in late 2014 and continued until mid-2015. Around that time, we went to his (Ahmad Zahid) house in Country Heights, Kajang and in that meeting Datuk Seri Zahid (Ahmad Zahid) requested that the monthly contribution be increased. After discussing with Wan Quoris and David Tan, we agreed to a sum of SGD300,000 per month. … [Read more...] about UKSB director admits giving cash to Ahmad Zahid every month for 4 years

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline More than 42,900 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes last year, the highest number since 2005, and a 10% surge from the year before, a government agency said on Tuesday, as traffic fatalities have continued to rise in recent years after several decades of a downward trend. Key Facts Traffic deaths in 2021 increased in 44 states as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, according to early estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an agency within the Department of Transportation. The 10% rise marks the largest annual increase in traffic deaths since the department began collecting data through its traffic fatality tracking system in 1975. Multi vehicle crashes, traffic deaths on urban roads, pedestrian fatalities, and deaths among drivers 65 years and older all increased by more than 12% in 2021, according to the data. Transportation Secretary … [Read more...] about 2021 Traffic Deaths Hit Highest Level In Over 15 Years

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced Wednesday its big top circus will resume touring five years after it was retired, and animals will no longer be part of the performance. Key Facts The Greatest Show On Earth will embark on a 50-city tour in fall 2023. In 2017, it shut down –permanently, it said–after 146 years. The updated show will focus on human feats, rather than animal acts, according to the New York Times . The cast, crew and equipment will no longer be trekked across the country through a miles-long-train, which was sold off in 2017. A Ringling Bros. TikTok account will debut next year, and brand NFTs are in the works. Crucial Quote “[The] decision to bring the circus back without animals sends a very clear message to the industry that the circus can dazzle audiences with willing human performers and that no animal needs to be exploited,” Rachel … [Read more...] about Ringling Bros. Circus Returns—Without Animals—Five Years After Closing

Editorial board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta   ● Thu, May 19, 2022 2022-05-19 02:48 0 53ea05b5fe2e13733519dbf4e30f1cbe 1 Editorial Al-Jazeera,journalist,Shireen-Abu-Akleh,killing,Israel,Washington,condemnation,brutality,impunity,Funeral,press-freedom Free The brutal killing of Al Jazeera TV network correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh in the occupied West Bank does not seem enough for Israel. Video footage shows the barbaric act of Israeli security forces using batons and their boots to attack and kick pallbearers carrying the coffin of the slain journalist. American State Secretary Antony Blinken said the United States was "deeply troubled by the images of Israeli police intruding into the funeral procession of Palestinian American Shireen Abu Akleh", but what else can Washington do? The US has condemned the killing of Shireen but at the same time supported Israel’s rejection of an independent investigation into the fatal shooting of the 51-year-old female … [Read more...] about Heartless Israel

By The Associated Press WASHINGTON — A senior defense official says U.S. Pentagon officials are having discussions with Sweden and Finland on their security needs to deter Russia as both move toward NATO membership. The official said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist on Wednesday and spoke about the interim period between when the NATO application is formally made and when it is approved. There have been concerns about threats from Russia during that period, in which Sweden and Finland would not formally be covered by NATO’s Article 5 which says that an attack against one member is an attack against all and calls for collective defense. The defense official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private Pentagon discussions. – AP writer Lolita Baldor in Washington contributed to this report. __ KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR: — Interrogation, uncertainty for surrendering Mariupol troops — NATO … [Read more...] about Live updates | Official: US in talks with Sweden, Finland

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline A Russian soldier pleaded guilty Wednesday to killing an unarmed civilian during Ukraine’s first war crimes trial since Russia invaded the country in February, in what could be the first of many trials as Ukrainian authorities investigate claims that thousands of war crimes have been committed during the war. Key Facts Sgt. Vadim Shishimarin, 21, appeared at a court in Kyiv, where he was accused of killing a 62-year-old Ukrainian man in the Sumy region four days into the invasion. When asked if Shishimarin was guilty of the allegations, which include war crimes and premeditated murder, he said “Yes, fully yes,” multiple news outlets report. Shishimarin was charged with violating the laws and customs of war, and faces up to life in prison for shooting the man in the head with a rifle from an open window of a car. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said Shishimarin was … [Read more...] about Russian Soldier Pleads Guilty To Killing Unarmed Civilian In Ukraine’s First War Crimes Trial

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Four key indicators of climate change reached “alarming” record highs in 2021, the United Nations said on Wednesday, as it warned worsening climate change is poised to exact heavy financial losses, impose huge burdens of death and disease and threaten food and water security. Key Facts Greenhouse gas concentrations, sea level rise, ocean heat and ocean acidification—all key climate change indicators—hit record highs in 2021, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in its annual “State of the Global Climate” report. The report said the last seven years have been the seven warmest on record. WMO Secretary-General Professor Petteri Taalas said it was “just a matter of time before we see another warmest year on record” and warned that sea level rise, ocean heat and ocean acidification will “continue for hundreds of years” unless humanity develops ways to remove carbon from the … [Read more...] about ‘Alarming’ Climate Records In 2021 Prompt UN Call To Triple Renewable Energy Investment To $4 Trillion

By AMY FORLITI, STEVE KARNOWSKI and MOHAMED IBRAHIM MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A former Minneapolis police officer pleaded guilty Wednesday to a state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd, admitting that he intentionally helped restrain the Black man in a way that created an unreasonable risk and caused his death. As part of Thomas Lane’s plea agreement, a more serious count of aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder will be dismissed. Lane and former Officers J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao have already been convicted on federal counts of willfully violating Floyd’s rights. While they have yet to be sentenced on the federal charges, Lane’s change of plea means he will avoid what could have been a lengthy state sentence if he was convicted of murder. The guilty plea comes a week before the two-year anniversary of Floyd’s May 25, 2020, killing. Floyd, 46, died after Officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, pinned him to the … [Read more...] about Ex-Minneapolis officer pleads guilty in George Floyd killing

Black box data on crashed China Eastern 737 suggests possible “intentional nosedive” Investigators are now examining further if the crash of China Eastern Airlines 737-800 on March 21 was indeed due to “intentional action on the flight deck”. The early reports say that there is, so far, no evidence of a technical malfunction. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that flight data from one of the two “black boxes” on the Boeing jet indicated that “someone in the cockpit intentionally crashed the plane”. The comments were made by people the WSJ cited as “familiar with the preliminary assessment by US officials”. US National Transportation Safety Board officials have been working with engineers from Boeing and investigators from the Civil Aviation Administration of China since the crash. Boeing, the US manufacturer of the jet, has so far declined to comment on the early leaks and, instead, referred all questions to the Chinese regulators. At this stage, the CAAC, … [Read more...] about Thailand News Today | Crashed China eastern flight possible “intentional nosedive”

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban cannot start being enforced again if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade in the coming weeks, a state judge ruled Tuesday, blocking one of nine state abortion bans from before Roe was decided that could soon take effect if the court overturns the landmark ruling as expected. Key Facts The Michigan Court of Claims issued a preliminary injunction that bars the state government from enforcing the ban as the litigation plays out, after Planned Parenthood sued the state in an effort to block the decades-old legislation. The law bans all abortions except to save the life of the mother, and classifies any abortions that are performed in violation of the ban as manslaughter. Judge Elizabeth L. Gleicher ruled there’s a “strong likelihood” Planned Parenthood would win the case as it moves forward, and the preliminary injunction should be granted to avoid the “irreparable … [Read more...] about Michigan Can’t Enforce Pre-Roe Abortion Ban If Roe V. Wade Is Overturned, Judge Rules