A man and woman caught engaging in a sexual act at the Batu Gantung Chinese Cemetery in Penang, Malaysia, have each been jailed for a year.
M. Jegathesan, 58, and Halila Abu Bakar, 37, pleaded guilty to committing the offence when the charges were read to them at the Magistrates’ Court in George Town at about 8.30am on Thursday.
Magistrate Nadratun Naim Mohd Saidi sentenced both of them to 12 months’ imprisonment under Section 377D of the Penal Code for gross indecency in a public place.
In…
UK construction late payment and retention plans demonstrate ‘hardened stance’ by government
UK government plans to crack down on late payments and ban withholding of retentions in the construction sector demonstrate its “hardened stance”, an expert has said.
Sri Lanka’s refusal to host US warplanes before Iran war risks trade backlash
Two days before the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran, Washington asked Sri Lanka to let two armed warplanes use an airport on its southern coast.
Colombo said no, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake recently revealed – a decision analysts said reflected the Indian Ocean island nation’s desire to avoid being drawn into a foreign conflict from which it had “nothing to gain”.
The request, made on February 26, reportedly sought to relocate two aircraft from a US base in…
Man extradited from Singapore to New Zealand faces rape, home invasion charges
A Chinese national accused of raping and strangling a woman during a violent home invasion appeared in a New Zealand court on Wednesday to face charges, seven months after he was extradited from Singapore.
Zhang Xuesong reportedly fled to China following the alleged March 2024 Auckland break-in, complicating efforts to arrest him as no extradition treaty exists between the two countries.
The 41-year-old subsequently visited Singapore, where he was returned to New Zealand last September.
Zhang,…
UK automotive decarbonisation must not mean deindustrialisation
The UK initiative that encourages a move away from petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles to zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs) is working – but the cost of complying with the ZEV mandate is too high and unsustainable in the long-term. That was the clear message delivered by the UK automotive industry at the SMMT Electrified 2026 event in London earlier this month.
Japan PM mocked as ‘Trump sycophant’ after giggling at Biden’s autopen portrait
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is facing accusations of diplomatic sycophancy after White House footage showed her giggling at a portrait of an autopen – placed by US President Donald Trump in the spot reserved for his predecessor Joe Biden – during summit talks last week.
The clip, posted on the official White House website, shows Takaichi pointing at the framed picture, then laughing and covering her mouth.
It was filmed on the “Presidential Walk of Fame”, a gallery unveiled by Trump…
Singapore says involvement in Israeli military-linked groups ‘not acceptable’
Singapore authorities warned on Tuesday that involvement in organisations linked to the Israeli military, such as Sar-El, would not be acceptable under current conditions and could attract action under the law.
In a joint media release, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of Defence (Mindef) noted that Sar-El’s website states that it is “deeply committed to supporting the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces)”, and its volunteers “work side-by-side with soldiers on IDF bases”.
“Being involved…
UK AI copyright plans align – and diverge – with the EU position
The UK government’s decision not to extend the text and data mining exception in copyright law to facilitate AI training differs from the approach EU policymakers have taken on the issue, an expert has said.
Malaysia’s Rohingya spend another Eid torn from their families
In a quiet suburb of the Malaysian city of Klang, Farouk* scrolls through his phone, replaying videos of a toddler learning to walk, laugh and reach out to steady himself – milestone moments of a son whom he is forced to love through a screen.
“He is now two years old, but I have never held him,” the 26-year-old Rohingya man said. “I have only seen him twice from afar at the gate.”
Farouk’s wife gave birth in a Malaysian immigration detention centre a day after the family were arrested in early…
US eyes a Philippine ammo facility as opposition warns of ‘warmongering’
Washington and its allies are drawing up plans to establish an ammunition production facility in the Philippines, a move critics warn would turn the Southeast Asian nation into a logistics arm of US “warmongering”.
The proposal emerged last week from the Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience (PIPIR), a US-led initiative founded in 2024 to reduce supply chain vulnerabilities and help allies produce and sustain military equipment closer to potential flashpoints.
Members agreed to…