ANN/THE STAR – Malaysian actress Ruhainies has provided clarification that her acting opportunities were not cancelled but rather postponed in the aftermath of her alleged involvement in a khalwat scandal with married Singaporean actor Aliff Aziz.
In a recent interview with the local media, the 31-year-old Ruhainies stated that the controversy had minimal impact on her career, particularly as she usually collaborates with international brands.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t affected at all, but there were advantages too.
“I believe everything happens for a reason and Alhamdulillah I’ve received many offers overseas,” she told mStar, The Star’s Malay-language news portal.
Ruhainies, whose full name is Nur Ruhainies Farehah Zainul Ilyas, added that her suspected khalwat controversy had gained plenty of traction to the point it reached China.
However, she declined to comment more on the offers she received for now.
Ruhainies. PHOTO: THE STAR
“I can’t say much because discussion is still ongoing. This story is not just viral in Malaysia but in China.
“I pray that my popularity won’t be affected because of this controversy,” said the actress.
It’s worth noting that Aliff’s wife, Malaysian artiste Bella Astillah, represented Malaysia at the Wuhu Shenshan Music Festival 2024 in China recently.
She earned praise for her energetic performance despite her struggles in a domestic conflict with Aliff, 33.
On March 9, Aliff and Ruhainies were detained by religious authorities under suspicion of khalwat in a condominium in Kuala Lumpur.
The controversy affected their reputation, with a brand even blurring Ruhainies’ face in a Ramadhan commercial.
Bella later filed for a divorce from Aliff, but the Singaporean refused to divorce her during the second hearing on April 4.
The estranged couple, who have two children together, married in September 2016.
KUALA LUMPUR (ANN/THE STAR) – Another individual has been apprehended in connection with the acid assault on Malaysian footballer Faisal Halim that occurred on Sunday.
Selangor police chief Commissioner Datuk Hussein Omar Khan announced the arrest of the suspect, a man in his late 30s, in Bandar Baru Bangi, Malaysia on Monday.
“This is the second suspect detained in connection with the acid attack. He will be remanded today to assist with the investigation,” he said when contacted on Tuesday.
Commissioner Hussein said the motive behind the attack is still under investigation.
It was reported that a man in his 20s had been arrested in Pandan Indah on Sunday night in connection with the acid attack.
Faisal Halim. PHOTO: BERNAMA
National winger Faisal, who is also known as Mickey, suffered an acid attack on Sunday at a shopping mall in Damansara.
Police received information from the public at 5.51pm that a national footballer was splashed with liquid believed to be acid when he was at a shopping mall in Kota Damansara.
The reason behind the attack is also uncertain.
Images of his injury are going viral on social media and many internet users are in shock that such an incident happened to a national football player.
Just days ago, his Harimau Malaya teammate Akhyar Rashid was robbed in Kuala Terengganu last week and suffered cuts and bruises.
A Palestinian youth stands in front of a destroyed building following Israeli bombardment of Rafah's Tal al-Sultan district in the southern Gaza Strip. PHOTO: AFP
BRUSSELS (AFP) – European Union (EU) ministers expressed mounting alarm on Tuesday over an Israeli military assault on Rafah in the Gaza Strip, with the bloc’s top diplomat warning it would cause “a lot of casualties”.
Belgium’s development minister, Caroline Gennez, said an Israeli offensive on Rafah would cross a “red line” and said that “sanctions… have to be on the table” in response.
Speaking hours after Israel sent tanks into Rafah, she said an attack on the city “threatens millions with famine”.
“It is very clear that international law is no longer respected in Gaza,” she said.
A Palestinian youth stands in front of a destroyed building following Israeli bombardment of Rafah’s Tal al-Sultan district in the southern Gaza Strip. PHOTO: AFP
Gennez also urged her EU counterparts to unanimously agree on a decision to “stop exporting weapons to the Middle East, to Israel and the warfaring countries”.
Germany’s development minister, Jochen Flasbarth, said “the situation is dramatic and continues to worsen” in Gaza and called the humanitarian situation in the besieged Palestinian territory “appalling”.
But he said there would be no discussion of potential sanctions at Tuesday’s talks.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who was chairing the meeting of development ministers, warned “there is no safe zone in Gaza” for Palestinian civilians to flee to, noting that there were “600,000 children” in the densely populated enclave.
He stressed that the EU and United States (US) had all asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to not go ahead with his threatened assault on Rafah.
“In spite of these warnings and this request, an attack was started yesterday (Monday) night,” Borrell said.
“I am afraid that this is going to cause again a lot of casualties, civilian casualties”.
Borrell and several of the ministers going into the meeting expressed backing for UNRWA, the United Nations’ agency for Palestinian refugees.
Displaced Palestinians flee Rafah with their belongings to safer areas. PHOTO: AFP
In April, a United Nations investigation into Israel’s allegations against UNRWA – accusations that a small number of UNRWA employees had participated directly or indirectly in the October 7 Hamas attack – had not been substantiated with evidence.
The bloc’s 27 countries, represented at the EU Council, issued a general statement on humanitarian aid that coincided with the development ministers’ alarm at the desperate conditions faced by Gaza’s population.
The statement, without naming any countries, made “a call to help reduce the lack of protection of affected people and constraints faced by protection actors, including but not limited to breaches of International Humanitarian Law and lack of access”.
It expressed “deep concern that funding for protection does not match the needs of populations affected by humanitarian crises”.
Japans Naoya Inoue (L) fights against Mexicos Luis Nery during their IBF-WBA-WBC-WBO super-bantamweight title boxing match at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo. PHOTO: AFP
TOKYO (AFP) – Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya Inoue said an early scare got him “fired up” after he stopped Mexico’s Luis Nery in the sixth round to defend his titles at the Tokyo Dome late on Monday.
Around 43,000 fans packed into the famous venue for the first boxing match there since 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas knocked out unbeaten heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in February 1990 in one of the sport’s biggest upsets.
Another seismic shock looked like it could be on the cards when Nery floored the unbeaten “Monster” Inoue in the first round with a huge left hand, with all four championship belts up for grabs.
But Inoue got up and knocked his opponent down in the following round, before sending him to the canvas again in the fifth and finishing him off with a right hook in the sixth.
“It was a great feeling to knock him down but how about that surprise in the first round?” said the 31-year-old Inoue.
“As a boxer, when that happens to you it fires you up. It gave me a lot of energy.”
Inoue chuckled incredulously to himself as he sat down at the end of a stunning first round.
But the Japanese fighter gave a yell as he left his stool for the start of the second and was soon on level terms after dropping Nery with a well-timed left.
Japans Naoya Inoue (L) fights against Mexicos Luis Nery during their IBF-WBA-WBC-WBO super-bantamweight title boxing match at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo. PHOTO: AFP
“From the moment I went down, I was able to recover calmly,” said Inoue.
“I think it was precisely because I went down that I was able to fight the way I did.”
Inoue gave yet another demonstration of his ferocious punching power as he picked Nery apart in the following rounds.
He downed his opponent with a juddering left hook in the fifth, then landed the finishing blow in the sixth to win by technical knock-out.
Inoue took his record to 27-0 with 24 wins by knockout (KO), and said that his team would enter negotiations to fight Australian Sam Goodman in his next title defence, likely to be in September. Inoue said the fight had been “a great experience”.
“Fighting at Tokyo Dome gave me a lot of power, but there was also pressure,” he said.
It was Inoue’s first title defence since becoming the undisputed super-bantamweight world champion in December.
He is just the second man to become undisputed world champion at two different weights since the four-belt era began in 2004. American Terence Crawford was the first.
Nery, a former two-division world champion, was fighting in Japan for the first time since he was stripped of his bantamweight world title in 2018 after failing to make weight for a bout there.
He was subsequently banned from fighting in Japan but the country’s boxing commission gave him the green light to compete against Inoue.
Nery was booed when he was introduced to the Tokyo Dome crowd. The 29-year-old’s record fell to 35-2, with 27 KOs.
BEIJING (AFP) – Two people were dead and 21 wounded after a man went on a stabbing spree at a hospital in southwest China on Tuesday, local officials said.
“A knife attack occurred at the Chengnan Hospital in Zhenxiong County, which resulted in two deaths and 21 injuries,” a statement on the county’s official WeChat account said.
The suspect — a man from a nearby village — is under investigation, authorities said.
The wounded were being treated in hospital, they added.
Images published by the state-run news site The Paper appeared to show a man pointing a knife at another man wielding a stick in a hospital lobby, as well as police officers arriving at the scene.
Mass violent crime is rare in China, which strictly prohibits citizens from owning firearms, but there has been a spate of stabbings in recent years.
Last August in Yunnan, two people died and seven others were wounded after a man with a history of mental illness attacked people with a knife.
The month before, six people were killed and one wounded in a kindergarten stabbing in southern China’s Guangdong province.
And in August 2022, three people were killed and six wounded in a knife attack at a kindergarten in southeast China’s Jiangxi province.
Tourists visit the ruins of Adolf Hitler's headquarters the "Wolf's Lair" in Gierloz, northeastern Poland, July 17, 2004 where his chief of staff members made an unsuccessful attempt at Hitler's life on July 20, 1944. PHOTO: AP
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish prosecutors have ended an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during World War II because their advanced decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday.
The remains were found February 24 at Wolf’s Lair, which served as Hitler’s chief headquarters from 1941-44 when the area was part of Germany. The compound of about 200 Nazi bunkers and military barracks hidden in deep woods was the site of the failed assassination attempt on Hitler by Colonel Claus Stauffenberg on July 20, 1944. The site is now a tourist attraction.
The spokesman for the prosecutor’s office in nearby Ketrzyn town, Daniel Brodowski, said police officers secured the remains after they were found by a local group, Latebra, which searches for historical objects.
A forensic medical expert examined them under the supervision of the prosecutor’s office, which was trying to determine if manslaughter had occurred. It discontinued the investigation in late March due to a lack of evidence that a crime had been committed, Brodowski told The Associated Press in an emailed statement.
“The expert stated that the preserved bone remains were of human origin and came from at least four people, three of whom were most likely middle-aged men, and the fourth was a child several years of age whose sex cannot be determined,” Brodowski wrote.
But due to advanced decay of the remains, it was no longer possible to determine the cause of death, he said, noting that at least several dozen years had passed.
The investigation didn’t address who the people might have been, due to the conditions of the remains and passage of time.
Tourists visit the ruins of Adolf Hitler’s headquarters the “Wolf’s Lair” in Gierloz, northeastern Poland, July 17, 2004 where his chief of staff members made an unsuccessful attempt at Hitler’s life on July 20, 1944. PHOTO: AP
This combination of photos provided by the Prado Museum on Monday shows the restoration work on Caravaggio's "Ecce Homo". PHOTO: AP
Prado Museum to unveil painting May 27
MADRID (AP) — A painting whose auction in Spain was halted in 2021 on suspicion that it might be a Caravaggio has been confirmed as a work by the Italian Baroque master, Spain’s Prado Museum announced Monday.
The painting, once considered to have been lost, will be unveiled to the public for the first time in the museum later this month.
The Prado said in a statement the work titled “Ecce Homo” (Latin for Behold The Man) by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio will go on display from May 27 until October as a special one-piece exhibition following an agreement with its new owner, who has not been identified.
After October, the work will be be moved to the Prado’s permanent collection for a further four months.
“Since its reappearance at an auction three years ago, Ecce Homo has represented one of the greatest discoveries in the history of art,” the museum said.
In this photo provided by the Prado Museum in Madrid on Monday, Caravaggio’s “Ecce Homo” is pictured. PHOTO: AP
“Painted by the great Italian artist around 1605-09 and believed to have once been part of the private collection of Phillip IV of Spain, the painting is one of around only 60 known works by Caravaggio in existence, and thus one of the most valuable old master artworks in the world,” the Prado added.
In April 2021, Spanish authorities halted an auction of the work, which was then attributed to a disciple of a 17th-century Spanish painter, José de Ribera. They also put an export ban on it after the museum alerted the government it could be a Caravaggio.
The painting was due to be auctioned with a starting price tag of EUR1,500. The value of an authentic Caravaggio would stretch into tens of millions of euros, if not more.
Prado Museum Director Miguel Falomir said that since then the owners carried out studies and proceeded with the painting’s restoration, which led to the discovery “that it is, in fact, a work by Caravaggio and a work that arrived in Spain in the 17th century.”
The painting is not allowed to leave Spain without government permission.
Falomir said it had been in the hands of a family in Madrid since the 19th century. The family was allowed to sell it privately earlier this year following an agreement with the Madrid regional government. The new owner wanted the public presentation of the piece to take place in the Prado Museum.
“For our part, we are more than happy to be the stage to present this new unshown work of Caravaggio to the public and critics,” Falomir said in a video statement released by the museum.
The oil-on-canvas work depicts the Biblical passage of the Ecce Homo, in which Jesus Christ is presented to the crowds before being crucified. The work measures 111 by 86 centimetres. The painting was known as early as the 1600s, but experts later lost track of it.
The Prado said four of the most authoritative experts on Caravaggio and Baroque painting “all share the same passionate certainty: that Ecce Homo is a masterpiece by the Italian artist.”
One of the experts, Maria Cristina Terzaghi, was quoted as saying, “The speed of consensus around the work being a Caravaggio upon its rediscovery was absolutely unprecedented in the critical history of the painter, on whom scholars have rarely agreed, at least in the last forty years.”
The Prado said that since April 2021, the work has been under the custodianship of the Colnaghi art gallery in collaboration with experts. The painting was restored by specialist Andrea Cipriani and his team under the supervision of experts from the Madrid regional government.
“In the last hundred years, no artist more than Caravaggio, with his adventurous biography and unmistakable style, has fascinated audiences of all ages and engaged scholars from halfway around the world. This work therefore presents one of the greatest discoveries in the history of art,” said Jorge Coll, CEO of Colnaghi, which co-signed the press release. – CIARÁN GILES
This combination of photos provided by the Prado Museum on Monday shows the restoration work on Caravaggio’s “Ecce Homo”. PHOTO: AP
Selva Delano Mudaliar was arrested on Friday in Bangkok after the FBI asked the Thai authorities for help. (Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau/AFP pic)
BANGKOK (AFP) – Thai police have arrested an American who fled a 25-year jail sentence in the United States for kidnapping, sex trafficking and other crimes, officers said Tuesday.
Selva Delano Mudaliar was jailed for at least 25 years by a court in the US state of Oregon in March this year, according to a Thai police statement, on 11 counts that also included strangulation and coercion.
The 37-year-old fled to Thailand while on parole and lived in the kingdom for more than three months, “frequently changing hotels and apartment”, according to the police statement.
Selva Delano Mudaliar was arrested on Friday in Bangkok after the FBI asked the Thai authorities for help. PHOTO: AFP
He was arrested on Friday at a condominium in Bangkok after the US Federal Bureau of Investigation asked the Thai authorities for help, and now faces extradition.
“It is believed that Mr. Selva knew that he was wanted by the police,” Korkiat Wutthijamnong, a senior officer with the Royal Thai Police’s Human Trafficking Prevention and Suppression unit, told reporters at a press conference.
He added that the Thai police were concerned Mudaliar would “do similar types of sexual violence he did in the US, but in Thailand”.
Michael Chai, legal attache at the US embassy in Bangkok, thanked the Thai police.
(FILES) Malaysia's forward #07 Faisal Halim runs with the ball during the Qatar 2023 AFC Asian Cup Group E football match between Bahrain and Malaysia at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on January 20, 2024. Malaysian national footballer Faisal Halim suffered second-degree burns after he was splashed with acid in an attack at a shopping mall over the weekend, a sports official has said. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP)
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – A Malaysian national team footballer who was the victim of an acid attack remained in an intensive care unit Tuesday with fourth-degree burns that will require more surgery, local media reported.
Faisal Halim suffered burns on the neck, shoulder, hands and chest in Petaling Jaya district outside the capital Kuala Lumpur over the weekend.
Nicknamed “Mickey”, the 26-year-old plays on the right wing for Selangor Football Club and Malaysia.
“After the first surgery, the specialist doctors found that it was not second-degree burns but fourth-degree burns,” Football Association of Selangor deputy president Shahril Mokhtar was quoted as saying by national news agency Bernama.
(FILES) Malaysia’s forward #07 Faisal Halim runs with the ball during the Qatar 2023 AFC Asian Cup Group E football match between Bahrain and Malaysia at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on January 20, 2024. PHOTO: AFP
“Based on the assessment, Faisal will undergo at least two more surgeries as determined by the doctors.
“Currently, he is still in the ICU, being closely monitored by the specialists.”
He added the footballer’s movement and speech had been affected.
National and local football association officials could not be immediately reached Tuesday by AFP for comment.
Selangor state police chief Hussein Omar Khan told reporters that investigations over the motive for the attack continued and that two suspects had been arrested.
A photo that went viral online showed a visibly shocked and shirtless Faisal seated on a bench with burn marks on his upper body.
The acid attack came three days after another national team player, Akhyar Rashid, was injured in a robbery outside his home in the eastern state of Terengganu.
Kuala Terengganu police chief Azli Mohamad Noor said the incidents were unrelated.
Football Association of Malaysia president Hamidin Mohamad Amin urged high-profile footballers to take precautions about their personal safety, including hiring bodyguards.
“If you are a big player, you can consider what the overseas footballers are doing, which is to get a bodyguard,” he was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper.
View of an area flooded by heavy rains in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Monday. PHOTO: AP
SAO PAULO (AP) — Three top-tier clubs on Monday urged Brazil’s football federation to suspend their national league matches for the next 20 days because of serious flooding.
Internacional, Gremio and Juventude are based in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, which has been devastated by floods since last week.
Authorities say at least 83 people have been killed over the last seven days in the region and another 111 are reported missing.
The stadiums of Internacional and Gremio in the state capital Porto Alegre have been inundated and severely damaged by the water.
“The absolute priority at this moment is to support thousands of people who have been hit,” Internacional said in a statement. “We ask for understanding, solidarity, empathy and support at such a delicate an extraordinary moment.”
All three clubs had their weekend matches in the fifth round of the Brazilian league suspended. Internacional is in 9th position with seven points, three behind leader Athletico Paranaense.
Gremio is in 11th position with six points and Juventude has five competition points.
Brazil’s football confederation said it would consider the request.
Damage from the rains has forced more than 80,000 people from their homes. Approximately 15,000 have taken refuge in schools, gymnasiums and other temporary shelters.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited Rio Grande do Sul for a second time on Sunday, accompanied by Defence Minister José Múcio, Finance Minister Fernando Haddad and Environment Minister Marina Silva, among others. The leftist leader and his team surveyed the flooded streets of Porto Alegre from a helicopter.
During Sunday mass at the Vatican, Pope Francis said he was praying for the state’s population.
View of an area flooded by heavy rains in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Monday. PHOTO: AP
