Free Republic

For years, the World Health Organization has considered the Nipah virus to be a “priority pathogen” because it has the potential to cause a worldwide pandemic. Thankfully, up to this point that has not happened, but now an outbreak in India is making headlines all over the globe. Two victims have already died, and there are four others that have tested positive. A five kilometer containment zone has been established around the homes of the two men that died, and schools and businesses in the region are being forced to shut down. Authorities are hoping that such extreme measures will...

For years, the World Health Organization has considered the Nipah virus to be a “priority pathogen” because it has the potential to cause a worldwide pandemic. Thankfully, up to this point that has not happened, but now an outbreak in India is making headlines all over the globe. Two victims have already died, and there are four others that have tested positive. A five kilometer containment zone has been established around the homes of the two men that died, and schools and businesses in the region are being forced to shut down. Authorities are hoping that such extreme measures will...

The Philippines has become the latest of China’s neighbors to object to its new national map, joining Malaysia and India in releasing strongly worded statements accusing Beijing of claiming their territory. China published a new version of its national map on Monday, as it has regularly done since at least 2006, to correct what Beijing has in the past referred to as “problematic maps” that it claims misrepresent its territorial borders. The Philippines said Thursday it “rejected” the map because of its inclusion of a dashed line around contested areas of the South China Sea that was subject to an...

Malaysia's government said Thursday that anyone buying or selling LGBTQ-themed Swatch watches could face prison terms of up to three years, as authorities pledged to stop the sale of Swatch products with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer elements that "may harm the morality" of the country. Rainbow-colored watches made by the Swiss watchmaker have been prohibited in the Muslim-majority country for "promoting, supporting, and normalizing the LGBTQ+ movement that is not accepted by the general public in Malaysia," according to a post on the Malaysian Interior Ministry's official Facebook page. Homosexuality is illegal in the southeast Asian nation and...

A mom is missing after she fell off a Royal Caribbean cruise ship Monday during a voyage from Malaysia to Singapore, officials said. Reeta Sahani, 64, was vacationing with her husband Jakesh Sahani, 70, on the Spectrum of the Seas when he woke up in the middle of the night and noticed his wife was missing from the cabin, the Strait Times reported. The vessel’s overboard detection system revealed that something had gone overboard and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre was notified about 7:50 a.m. Monday that a passenger “had fallen overboard in the Singapore Strait,” according to the Maritime...

UK band The 1975 may have thought their same-sex kiss at the Good Vibes Festival was making a statement against the government, but their stunt only hurts those living by Malaysia's laws, says NUS' Serina Rahman.In a move that did not surprise many - at least those familiar with Malaysia - the government cancelled the Good Vibes Festival 2023 after the debacle created by British band The 1975 on the first day of its planned three-day run earlier this month. Lead singer Matty Healy, with a bottle of champagne in hand, spewed a vulgarity-laden tirade against Malaysia and Malaysian laws,...

British pop-rock band The 1975 has been banned from performing in Malaysia a day after the band’s frontman Matty Healy slammed the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws and then kissed his bandmate, bassist Ross MacDonald. The country, where homosexuality is illegal, also canceled the remainder of the Good Vibes Festival Saturday, which was supposed to run the rest of the weekend with several other acts. "There will be no compromise against any party that challenges, disparages and violates Malaysian laws," Malaysia’s Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said in a statement, according to Reuters. He added, "never touch on the sensitivities of the community,...

The 1975 frontman Matty Healy had some choice words for the Malaysian government pertaining to its extreme anti-LGBTQ laws while performing in the country’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur, on July 21. “I made a mistake. When we were booking shows, I wasn’t looking into it. I don’t see the xxxx point… of inviting the 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with,” Healy said before cutting the concert, a headlining slot at Good Vibes Festival, short. “I’m sorry if that offends you, and you’re religious… but your government are a bunch of xxxx r——....

The concept of a multiracial Malaysia introduced by certain parties within the federal government is akin to the notion of a “Malaysian Malaysia” slogan that was introduced by the late Lee Kuan Yew when Singapore was still part of the country, former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Tuesday (Jul 4). Dr Mahathir also said that a multiracial Malaysia will erode Malay rights and make them “poor”. He was doubling down on his statement the day before that promoting a multiracial Malaysia is unconstitutional, arguing that the federal constitution never mentioned that Malaysia was multiracial. His remarks were seen...

Malaysian police said they would ask Interpol to locate Ms Chia, as they investigate her for incitement and offensive online content. Ms Chia - who grew up in Singapore - called involving Interpol "ridiculous". Interpol has not responded to questions from the BBC on whether it would act on the request for assistance from Malaysian police. Ms Chia had joked in a viral video that Malaysian jets "cannot fly", referring to the Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared in 2014 - a sensitive topic in the country. Ms Chia mentioned MH370 in the context of the long-running rivalry between Singapore and...

Singapore is sorry for the offence and hurt caused to all Malaysians over statements made by the comedian Jocelyn Chia, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said on Thursday (Jun 8). Singapore's High Commissioner to Malaysia Vanu Gopala Menon also apologised "to all Malaysians for her hurtful remarks". In a video clip of Chia performing stand-up at the Comedy Cellar club in New York, she can be seen making jokes about Singapore's relationship with Malaysia. She commented on Singapore's separation from Malaysia in 1965, saying that Singapore has gone on to become a first-world country and that Malaysia was "still a developing"...

A Pakistan aircraft was seized at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia on Tuesday over non payment of dues, a report said.ADVERTIA Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Boeing 777 aircraft was seized by authorities in Malaysia over a lease dispute on Tuesday, a report said. The aircraft, acquired on lease from Malaysia, was seized at Kuala Lumpur International Airport over non-payment of dues worth $4 million, ARY News reported. The plane was seized following a court order.

A Chinese salvage ship has been caught looting British World War II shipwrecks near the Malaysian coast. The vessel, a dredger named Chuan Hong 68, was seen lurking near the shipwrecks of the Royal Navy battleship HMS Prince of Wales and cruiser HMS Repulse, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail. Imperial Japanese forces destroyed both ships in December 1941, resulting in the loss of 842 British sailors — a significant setback for the Royal Navy in the Far East. The sites of the shipwrecks are officially designated war graves, according to a statement from the Royal Navy National Museum. Chuan...

The world's most expensive monument to overconfidence is nearer than you think… I'm talking about Forest City, a massive ghost town right across the Causeway. This development is around 1,740 hectares (17.4 square kilometres), which is almost the entirety of Jurong East or apparently four times the size of Monaco. It was built by Country Garden (China's largest developer) supposedly to the tune of $100 billion. But as of 2019, only 500 out of the expected 700,000+ residents were living there. I've had a chance to briefly visit the place, and while we can crack any number of jokes about...

India has taken its first step towards liberating itself from dependence on the US dollar by buying oil from Russia in Indian rupees We have seen the continuous rise of the dollar since the First World War. After World War I, in exchange for supplies, the Allies began paying in gold to the United States, due to which America became the world's largest gold reserve. After the end of the war, various countries linked their currencies with the dollar and with this, the 'Gold Standard' ended in the world and thus the dollar became the world's most preferred currency. All...

Former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad will proceed with legal action against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim over claims that the elder leader had enriched himself and his family while in power. This comes as the deadline for Datuk Seri Anwar to apologise to Tun Dr Mahathir for the "slanderous claims" lapsed on Monday (April 17). Dr Mahathir's lawyer, Rafique Rashid, said a letter from Anwar's lawyer, dated April 17, states that they are ready to answer any allegations in court.

Amid a spike in the COVID-19 caseload, public health experts in Malaysia are encouraging the public to mask up once again. According to the latest data from the health ministry, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose by 87.5 per cent in the 14 days leading up to Apr 8. Meanwhile, hospital admissions during the same period rose by 30.5 per cent while deaths due to COVID-19 went up by 25 per cent. As of Apr 8, the number of active cases nationally was more than 13,000. In a statement issued on Monday (Apr 17), the Association of Private Hospitals...

On March 15th, Miles Guo was arrested by the DOJ just before he was scheduled to testify in the trial of Pras Michel. Is The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) making every effort to prevent that testimony - because they know it’ll pull back the curtain and further expose the CCP’s infiltration of the U.S. government? For background, Michel was indicted in 2021 by the Department of Justice and charged with engaging in undisclosed lobbying campaigns for the CCP, among other crimes. Most notably, he is accused of working with a network of crooked U.S. intelligence-linked actors and the CCP in...

“He told me that he, or he and a group, were going to make a significant contribution to the Democratic Party. … I said 'wow, that’s a lot of money.’” Movie star Leonardo DiCaprio took the stand in a federal trial on Monday that seeks to hammer down the details of what appears to be a money-funneling scheme that features a Malaysian financier funneling tens of millions of dollars through a prominent 90s rap artist for the purpose of donating to former President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. DiCaprio plays into the saga because he was said to have partied...

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio told a Washington jury on Monday (Apr 3) that Malaysian financier Jho Low revealed his plans to donate up to US$30 million to help US President Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign in what prosecutors allege was part of an illegal foreign influence operation. "It was a casual conversation about what party he was in support of," DiCaprio said, telling jurors that Low said he planned on giving "a significant donation" to the Democratic Party that was "somewhere to the tune of US$20-30 million." SNIP The Titanic star took the witness stand in the trial of Prakazrel "Pras"...