LONDON, Oct 21 — BHP is cynically trying to avoid its responsibility for Brazil’s worst environmental disaster, lawyers representing thousands of victims told London’s High Court on Monday, as a lawsuit worth up to £36 billion (RM201 billion) began. More than 600,000 Brazilians, 46 local governments and around 2,000 businesses are suing BHP over the 2015 collapse of the Mariana dam in southeastern Brazil, which was owned and operated by BHP and Vale’s joint venture. The dam’s collapse unleashed a wave of toxic sludge that killed 19 people, left thousands homeless, flooded forests and polluted the length of the Doce River. BHP, the world’s biggest miner by market value, is contesting liability and says the London lawsuit duplicates legal proceedings and reparation and repair programmes in Brazil and should be thrown out. It also says nearly US$8 billion has already been paid to those affected through the Renova Foundation, with...

JAKARTA, Oct 21 — Yesterday, Prabowo Subianto was inaugurated as Indonesia’s latest president — taking over from Joko Widodo. However, during his inauguration at Istana Merdeka presidential palace here, a furry guest stole some attention away from him. Behold, his beloved cat: Bobby Kertanegara. Video of the event showed Bobby sitting inside a light brown stroller that bore his name, along with other VIPs and guests. “Do you want to see your new room, Bobby?” Prabowo could be heard asking the cat, in a video on the its Instagram account. Among those charmed by Bobby was Indonesian magnate Anindya Novyan Bakrie, who also posted a photo with the cat on his Instagram account. “At the palace, waiting for RI 1 with Bobby,” Anindya wrote, referring to the national car that would bring Prabowo to the event. According to Jakarta-based paper Kompas, Bobby is a short-hair breed rescued by Prabowo at...

PARIS, Oct 20 — The world’s pledges to halt humankind’s destruction of nature will be put to the test when the 16th UN conference on biodiversity opens tomorrow in Colombia. The COP16, held in the city of Cali through November 1, is the first meeting of the international community since the adoption two years ago of an unprecedented roadmap to achieve that goal. But putting that agreement into practice risks not moving fast enough to stop the destruction of land, oceans and species by a 2030 target date. How will COP16 ensure countries achieve the 23 targets of the “Global Biodiversity Framework”? Can it unlock the billions of dollars needed? Can it guarantee the rights of Indigenous peoples? Here’s a summary of what’s at stake: Delivering on promises Creating protected areas, restoring depleted land, cutting the use of pesticides, increasing funding for nature—few of the targets humanity had previously set...

SEOUL, Oct 20 — The war among Kpop boyband Riize fans — known as Briize has stepped up. Last week, former group member Hong Seung-han was announced by management SM Entertainment that the 21-year-old would be making a return to the group beginning November, ending his indefinite hiatus due to a personal controversy. Riize’s agency SM Entertainment had announced Seunghan’s suspension in November last year, due to an August 2023 leak of private, pre-Riize photos and videos that showed the star kissing an unidentified woman in a bed and smoking a cigarette. The announcement was met with mixed reactions from fans, with the ‘antis’ making the first move, protesting the decision and insisting on retaining the band as a sextet minus Seunghan. The OT6 group (OT meaning “One True”, referring to the recognised numbers of members of an idol group, had demanded a boycott of the group and sent funeral...

BRUSSELS, Oct 19 — Nato on Friday pledged to develop common standards for military equipment to make it more compatible between member states, addressing a problem that has plagued the alliance for decades. This would allow the 32 Nato countries’ armies to work better together by establishing common rules for procedures and equipment including artillery, ammunition and planes. “Standards are critical to our ability to fight together and more robust standards will help reduce defence costs,” Nato chief Mark Rutte said after two days of meetings with the alliance’s defence ministers in Brussels. The issue has been on Nato’s agenda since its founding 75 years ago but took on greater urgency after Russia’s war on Ukraine began in 2022. For example, as weapons flowed from Nato member countries to Ukraine, Ukrainian soldiers soon discovered that supplied 155 mm shells could not always be used in field guns taking that sized...

JAKARTA, Oct 19 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrived in Jakarta this evening, ready to witness the swearing-in of Prabowo Subianto as Indonesia’s new president tomorrow. Anwar’s special aircraft touched down at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in East Jakarta at 6pm local time (7pm Malaysian time) Upon arrival, he was received by the Malaysian ambassador to Indonesia, Datuk Syed Md Hasrin Tengku Hussin, and warmly welcomed by Indonesian Investment Minister Rosan Roeslani. “This is a significant moment for both our countries. Beyond honouring the invitation from the Indonesian government, the prime minister’s working visit will reinforce bilateral ties and bolster ASEAN cooperation, which Malaysia is set to chair next year,” said Syed Md Hasrin. Anwar was given a red carpet welcoming ceremony and received a guard of honour mounted by the Indonesian Armed Forces at the airport as the national anthems were played. He will join 20 foreign heads...

AUSTIN, Oct 19 — Red Bull’s Formula One leader Max Verstappen took pole position for the Saturday sprint race at the U.S. Grand Prix with McLaren rival Lando Norris qualifying a ‘shocking’ fourth and in danger of losing momentum in the title battle. Mercedes’ George Russell joined triple world champion Verstappen on the front row with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third. Verstappen, who last year won both the 100km sprint and Sunday grand prix at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas, lapped with a fastest time of one minute 32.833 seconds – 0.012 quicker than Russell. The Dutch driver, who has won all three sprints so far this season, leads Norris by 52 points with six rounds and a maximum 180 points remaining. “The whole day the car was working well. I’m happy to be first, it’s been a while, so happy with today,” he said of his first pole of any...

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 — The government plans to introduce a new law that will enable convicts to serve out their imprisonment sentences at home instead of in prison. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the tabling of Budget 2025 today. “The government will draft a new Act to allow home detention as an alternative for certain offences. “Offenders will be required to stay at a designated detention place, such as a residence, care home, or workers’ dormitory, throughout the detention period, subject to conditions set and monitored by Prison Officers,” he said, without elaborating. Malaysian law currently does not include house arrest as a form of punishment. However, Section 3 of the Prisons Act 1995 grants the Home Minister the power to declare any house, building, enclosure or place, or any part thereof, to be a prison for the imprisonment or detention of...

GEORGE TOWN, Oct 18 — The Penang Fatwa Council has declared the teachings, practices, beliefs and ideology of the followers of Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISBH) and its affiliated companies as deviant. Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Mohamad Abdul Hamid told a press conference that GISBH leaders, followers and workers were found to uphold the teachings of Darul Arqam and Syarikat Rufaqa’ Corporation Sdn Bhd (SRC), both previously declared as deviant. “It is found that followers of GISBH have deviated in terms of faith such as believing that Asy-Syeikh Muhammad Abdullah As-Suhaimi is invisible and will reappear as Imam Mahdi,” he said in a press conference at the Penang Islamic Religious Affairs Department office here. Mohamad, who is also Penang Islamic Council chairman, said GISBH followers believed that the late Ashaari Muhammad (Abuya), founder of Darul Arqam, will appear as Imam Mahdi’s assistant in the...

WASHINGTON, Oct 17 — In his final months in office, President Joe Biden is signalling new willingness to use U.S. military assistance to Israel as both a carrot and a stick to influence its high-stakes confrontation with Iran and Iran-backed militant groups. But while the approach increases Washington’s involvement in Israeli decision-making just weeks before the US presidential election, it is unclear whether it will help achieve Biden’s goals, including preventing a broader regional conflict and getting Israel to address the increasingly dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, experts say. Biden’s administration announced on Sunday it would send about 100 soldiers to Israel along with an advanced U.S. anti-missile system, a rare deployment that came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government weighs a retaliatory attack on Iran after an Oct. 1 Iranian missile strike. The Biden administration also delivered Israel a letter on Sunday warning that it must take steps in...