Hands together, closeup and support with team of people outdoor, help and mission with strategy. Hu.
A college in Brunei Darussalam, Kolej International Graduate Studies (KIGS), handed over donation to the Palestinian Humanitarian Fund during an event at the Department of Community Development (JAPEM) of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports on Friday.
The donation was proceeds from the college’s initiative to jointly ease the burden of Palestinians in Gaza. The college had put donation boxes at its premises from November 27, 2023 until January 17, 2024.
Head of Corporate Communication Haji Hasnul Hamdani presented the donation to Pengiran Md Najib bin Haji Mulek in his capacity as representative of the Palestinian Humanitarian Fund Secretariat. – Lyna Mohamad
Haji Hasnul Hamdani presents the donation to Pengiran Md Najib bin Haji Mulek. PHOTO: LYNA MOHAMAD
Smoke rises following an Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip. PHOTO: AP
JERUSALEM (AP) – Rifts are emerging among top Israeli officials over the handling of the war against Hamas in Gaza. A member of the country’s War Cabinet cast doubt over the strategy for releasing hostages, and the country’s prime minister rejected the United States’ (US) calls to scale back its offensive.
Only a cease-fire deal can win the release of dozens of hostages still held by militants in Gaza, and claims they could be freed by other means was spreading “illusions”, said former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, one of four members of the War Cabinet, in his first public statements on the course of the war.
Eisenkot’s comments late on Thursday were the latest sign of disagreement among political and military leaders over the direction of Israel’s offensive on Hamas, now in its fourth month.
Sparked by an unprecedented October 7 Hamas raid into Israel that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw about 250 others taken hostage, the Israeli assault has pulverised much of the Gaza Strip, home to some 2.3 million people. Israel has said more than 130 hostages remain in Gaza, but not all of them are believed to be alive.
Smoke rises following an Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip. PHOTO: AP
Israel’s offensive, one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history, has killed nearly 25,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and uprooted more than 80 per cent of the territory’s population.
Israel has also cut off all but a trickle of supplies into the besieged Gaza Strip, including food, water and fuel. Several dozen trucks with critical supplies now enter the territory each day, just a fraction of the pre-war volume of about 500 trucks. Both the US and United Nations have said more aid needs to be delivered.
A communications blackout in the territory was in its seventh day on Friday, the longest such blackout since the war began. The lack of communications hampers the coordination of aid deliveries and rescue efforts.
The US, Israel’s closest ally, has provided strong military and political support for the campaign, but has been increasingly calling on Israel to scale back its assault and take steps toward establishing a Palestinian state after the war – a suggestion Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has soundly rejected.
Speaking during a nationally televised news conference Thursday, Netanyahu reiterated his longstanding opposition to a two-state solution, arguing that a Palestinian state would become a launchpad for attacks on Israel.
Israel “must have security control over the entire territory west of the Jordan River”, Netanyahu said, adding: “That collides with the idea of sovereignty. What can we do?”
The US has said the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority, which governs semi-autonomous zones in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, should be “revitalised” and return to Gaza. Hamas ousted the authority from Gaza in 2007.
Washington has also called for steps toward the establishment of a Palestinian state. The Palestinians seek Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem for their state. Those areas were captured by Israel in 1967.
Speaking Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Blinken said the two-state solution was the best way to protect Israel, unify moderate Arab countries and isolate Israel’s arch-enemy, Iran. He said that without a pathway to a Palestinian state, Israel would not “get genuine security”.
A Palestinian woman flashes a V-sign towards Israeli troops during an army raid in the Tulkarem refugee camp, West Bank. PHOTO: AP
At the same conference, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said the kingdom is ready to establish full relations with Israel as part of a larger political agreement. “But that can only happen through peace for the Palestinians, through a Palestinian state,” he said.
A spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the Palestinian Authority, said late on Thursday that there can be “no security and stability in the region” without a Palestinian state.
Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have said the fighting will continue until Hamas is crushed, and argue that only military action can win the hostages’ release.
Hamas seeks an end to the war before discussing hostage releases, and has demanded the release of thousands of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel in exchange for those held captive in Gaza.
Commentators have begun to question whether Netanyahu’s objectives are realistic, given the slow pace of the offensive and growing international criticism, including genocide accusations at the United Nations world court, which Israel vehemently denies.
Netanyahu’s opponents accuse him of delaying any discussion of postwar scenarios in order to avoid looming investigations of governmental failures, keep his coalition intact and put off elections. Polls show that the popularity of Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges, has plummeted during the war.
Eisenkot, whose son was killed in December in Gaza, told the investigative programme “Uvda” on Israel’s Channel 12 television station late on Thursday that “the hostages will only return alive if there is a deal, linked to a significant pause in fighting”. He said dramatic rescue operations are unlikely because the hostages are apparently spread out, many of them in underground tunnels.
Claiming hostages can be freed by means other than a deal “is to spread illusions”, he said.
In a thinly veiled criticism of Netanyahu, Eisenkot also said strategic decisions about the war’s direction must be made urgently, and that a discussion about an endgame should have begun immediately after the war began.
He also dismissed suggestions that the military has delivered a decisive blow against Hamas.
Gallant has said troops disabled the Hamas command structure in northern Gaza, from where significant numbers of troops were withdrawn earlier in the week, and that the focus is now on the southern half of the territory.
“We haven’t yet reached a strategic achievement, or rather only partially,” Eisenkot said. “We did not bring down Hamas.”
The militant group has continued to fight back across Gaza, even in the most devastated areas, and launched rockets into Israel.
The former army chief said he is examining every day whether he should remain in the War Cabinet, which includes Netanyahu, Gallant and former defence minister Benny Gantz. Eisenkot is a member of parliament in the opposition National Unity alliance headed by Gantz. Both joined Netanyahu to help lead the war.
“I know what my red line is,” Eisenkot said when asked at what point he would quit. “It’s connected to the hostages, that is one of the objectives, but it’s also connected to the way in which we need to run this war.”
Napoli's Italian defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo vies for the ball with Fiorentina's midfielder Riccardo Sottil during the Italian Super Cup semi final football match. PHOTO: AFP
RIYADH (AFP) – Napoli put aside their recent troubles Friday by reaching the Italian Super Cup final with a convincing 3-0 win over Fiorentina in Riyadh.
Giovanni Simeone opened the scoring in the 22nd minute at a sparsely-populated Al-Awwal Park before Alessio Zerbin ensured Napoli’s passage with two late goals, his first for the Italian champions.
The success was a rare bright moment in what has been a disastrous season for Napoli, who are 20 points behind Serie A leaders Inter Milan and have won just five times since Walter Mazzarri replaced Rudi Garcia in November.
“I don’t know if this is a turning point,” said Simeone to Mediaset.
“What really matters is the attitude we showed today. We’re a team with heart and soul.”
Fiorentina had plenty of the ball but struggled to break down Napoli, and Jonathan Ikone’s missed penalty just before half-time summed up a bad night for Vincenzo Italiano’s team.
“When you lose 3-0 you can only tip your hat to the winners,” said Italiano.
“Unfortunately we’ve started getting a bit sterile again… but until the 84th minute we were in the running and I thought we could get back in it.”
Napoli’s Italian defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo vies for the ball with Fiorentina’s midfielder Riccardo Sottil during the Italian Super Cup semi final football match. PHOTO: AFP
Atletico Madrid's Spanish midfielder Rodrigo Riquelme celebrates scoring is team's fourth goal during the Spanish Copa del Rey (King's Cup) football match against Real Madrid. PHOTO: AFP
MADRID (AFP) – Antoine Griezmann and Rodrigo Riquelme’s extra-time strikes earned Atletico Madrid a 4-2 win over rivals Real Madrid and passage to the Copa del Rey quarter-finals Friday.
Earlier Barcelona secured an unconvincing 3-1 win at third-tier Unionistas de Salamanca to scrape through their last 16 tie.
Atletico edged an entertaining battle at the Rojiblancos’ Metropolitano stadium, the second of three Madrid derbies in under a month, to inflict Los Blancos’ second defeat of the season in all competitions.
Atletico Madrid’s Spanish midfielder Rodrigo Riquelme celebrates scoring is team’s fourth goal during the Spanish Copa del Rey (King’s Cup) football match against Real Madrid. PHOTO: AFP
Madrid twice pegged back Atletico to take the game to extra-time, with Jan Oblak’s own goal cancelling out Samuel Lino’s opener, and Joselu netting late on after Morata had put the hosts in front again.
In extra-time Griezmann broke down the right and finished with aplomb and Riquelme struck at the death to settle the game and avenge Atletico’s 5-3 defeat by Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final last week. Defeat snapped Madrid’s 21-match unbeaten run.
“I don’t think (Atletico have the measure of us), because we beat them a few days ago,” Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti told reporters.
“We played a complete game, even, hard-fought, against a strong rival.”
Victory meant a lot to Atletico, off the pace in La Liga and hurt by the prior Madrid defeat, and they celebrated wildly with their supporters. “The games lately have been really nice for fans, at high speed, decided in extra-time and today it was our turn to win it,” Atletico skipper Koke told TVE.
Meanwhile, in another match Alvaro Gomez brilliantly volleyed Unionistas in front, Spanish champions Barcelona clawed their way back to triumph with goals from Ferran Torres, Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde.
After their thrashing by Madrid in the Super Cup final, the bare minimum they needed was to progress as doubts swirl around the club and coach Xavi Hernandez.
“We played well in parts, but in others we have to play better, sometimes I despair because we don’t know what we need to,” Xavi told reporters.
“When I say we’re in construction, it’s that, that we have to do what we need every single time.”
The hosts, at their packed 6,000 capacity Reina Sofia stadium, were fired up and dreaming of an upset after already knocking out Villarreal.
In the Friday sermon, Imams have called upon the Ummah to exercise prudence in financial management, emphasising a series of initiatives aimed at transforming attitudes towards financial practices.
Among the key recommendations is a thorough review and reorganisation of personal finances, urging individuals to engage in self-reflection on their expenditures and lifestyle choices.
The sermon highlighted the significance of aligning one’s financial decisions with their means.
If expenditures exceed one’s financial capacity, Imams stressed the importance of reducing unnecessary costs and redirecting efforts towards saving for future plans.
For illustration only. PHOTO: FREEPIK
Additionally, the Ummah was encouraged to cultivate a culture of saving as a precautionary measure for emergencies and to steer clear of accumulating debts, especially for non-essential items.
Religious authorities underscored the role of parents in instilling a saving culture, urging them to set examples for their children.
This includes promoting the habit of saving by introducing safety deposit boxes at home or savings accounts in banks. Parents were advised to explain to their children the importance of saving, instill thriftiness, and advocate wise spending rather than extravagance.
Furthermore, Imams called on the Ummah to develop essential skills for making sound life decisions, particularly in financial matters. This involves aligning expenditures with Islamic principles, gaining awareness of financial management importance and risks, fostering the right attitude towards finances, and motivating oneself to confidently manage finances effectively.
Participants of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting walk past a booth of Meta, the company that owns and operates Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp, in Davos on January 18, 2024. PHOTO: AFP
Participants of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting walk past a booth of Meta, the company that owns and operates Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp, in Davos on January 18, 2024. PHOTO: AFP
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday said his company is joining the pursuit of creating super artificial intelligence, putting it in a race with Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Google.
Sometimes called artificial general intelligence or AGI, the goal, given in an interview with The Verge, is to create AI that can problem solve and rationalise on the same level as humans.
AGI is the oft-stated goal of OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, and is the central pursuit by the AI departments at Google.
Zuckerberg said general intelligence was now his company’s goal, largely to help attract the best engineers in the fast expanding AI field.
“We’ve come to this view that, in order to build the products that we want to build, we need to build for general intelligence,” Zuckerberg told The Verge.
“I think that’s important to convey because a lot of the best researchers want to work on more ambitious problems.”
Tech companies, including Elon Musk’s startup xAI, are battling to attract programmers and thinkers to develop generative AI models like the one that drives ChatGPT, the OpenAI-made chatbot that sparked an artificial intelligence frenzy.
Google, according to tech media The Information, is keeping its researchers from being poached with stock compensation while OpenAI lures top staff with multimillion-dollar pay packages.
Beyond the pay slips, many of these specialists want to work at companies that are committed towards the ideal of creating human-level AI.
In the interview, Zuckerberg said that the definition of AGI “couldn’t be put in a one-sentence, pithy definition.”
“You can quibble about if general intelligence is akin to human level intelligence, or is it like human-plus, or is it some far-future super intelligence,” he said.
Speaking on a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Meta’s Nick Clegg said: “Ask data scientists for a definition for AGI and you get a different definition from each single one. There isn’t even consensus on what AGI precisely means.”
For now, Meta has released its own AI model, Llama 2, and Zuckerberg said his teams were working on a next version.
Amid the ambition to achieve AGI is fear that the technology’s abilities will become too powerful and beyond human control.
These fears helped cause a corporate blow up at OpenAI last November when the company’s board fired and then reinstated its CEO Sam Altman over fears he was recklessly fast-tracking AI development.
A file photo of the Hyundai company logo hanging over a long row of cars at a car dealership in Centennial, Colorado, Sunday, December 20, 2020. PHOTO: AP
A file photo of the Hyundai company logo hanging over a long row of cars at a car dealership in Centennial, Colorado, Sunday, December 20, 2020. PHOTO: AP
SEOUL (ANN/THE KOREA HERALD) – Hyundai Motor Group announced the establishment of a new research and development division on Wednesday, consolidating multiple teams from its affiliates to advance the development of software-defined vehicles.
The newly formed Advanced Vehicle Platform Division brings together three software development units, including the in-house SDV division and two distinct teams from the carmaker’s research centres.
Additionally, teams previously overseen by the carmaker’s chief technology officer, focusing on the next-generation automotive platform and software, will now be part of this integrated division.
The new division will be headed by Song Chang-hyeon, who has doubled as the head of the former SDV division and 42dot, Hyundai’s latest subsidiary specialising in mobility software.
Hyundai acquired 42dot, a startup founded by Song, for KRW427.6 billion (USD317.7 million) in 2022.
42dot was not part of the recent reshuffle, but it plans to work closely with the software branch as one team, according to a company official.
As for hardware, the existing division has been revamped to focus on commercial production and new car launches. Yang Hee-won will head the research and development division
Industry insiders say the recent shake-up centering on drastic changes to software development signals the carmaker’s commitment to accelerate the shift to SDVs.
“Hyundai needed to speed up the decision-making process and elevate operational efficiency overall when it comes to software development,” said an industry source close to the matter.
The source added there have been subtle pushbacks within the company on the latest reshuffle, given that it has largely been driven by hardware and machinery people.
“But given changing tides among carmakers, employees would have to accept the irreversible paradigm shift from hardware to software in future mobility.”
The group’s Executive Chair Chung Euisun is also keen on the software mobility business. In recent occasions, including last week’s CES in Las Vegas, he expressed concerns that the carmaker could fall behind rivals if it is not firmly ready for the heated software race.
Song Chang-hyeon, head of the new Advanced Vehicle Platform division at Hyundai Motor Group. PHOTO: ANN/THE KOREA HERALD SOURCE
Experts say the recent reshuffle also reaffirms Chung’s bold leadership to name a top executive outside the company like Song, who started his career in Naver.
“Chung has always recognized the limitations of in-house personnel, especially when it comes to ushering in a profound business change,” said Kim Pil-su, a car engineering professor at Daelim University. “For carmakers, right now, the pinnacle of research and development is software. Those who fail to build algorithms powered by artificial intelligence will run out of business.”
Kim added Chung has given more power to Song, a software expert, to lead the way toward a mobility revolution – far more drastic change than innovation.
KUALA LUMPUR, 19 Jan -- Pengarah Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Narkotik Bukit Aman Datuk Seri Mohd Kamaruddin Md Din ketika sidang media di Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah Cheras hari ini.
Polis menahan lima individu termasuk seorang wanita dalam lima serbuan sekitar Cheras dan Kajang pada 16 hingga 17 Januari lepas serta merampas pelbagai jenis dadah bernilai RM448,850.
--fotoBERNAMA (2024) HAK CIPTA TERPELIHARA
KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) — Malaysian police have crippled a syndicate employing the latest trend of lacing bottles of juice with drugs, after several raids across the Klang Valley on Tuesday and Wednesday netted six suspects, including the mastermind.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Crimes Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Kamaruddin Md Din pointing to the seized items during the press conference. PHOTO: BERNAMA
revealed that the syndicate was adulterating a type of juice with various drugs and distributing the beverage at entertainment outlets in the Klang Valley.
According to him, investigations revealed that the syndicate, operational since mid-2023, utilised luxury condominiums in Kajang and Cheras as their headquarters, and marketed the laced juice to entertainment outlets and private parties.
“We found that they mixed various types of drugs in juices and sold them between MYR180 and MYR300 per bottle depending on the size and drug content catering to the customers’ demands.
“Each member of the syndicate also received about MYR30,000 per month as wages for processing and distributing the drugs and made a lucrative profit from the sales,” he said during a press conference at the Cheras District Police Headquarters here today.
Mohd Kamaruddin said 54.55 litres of drug-laced juice, 1.68 kgs of Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) powder, 144 gms of ketamine, 16 gms of marijuana, five kg of ecstasy powder, 550 eramin 5 pills, and 2,900 ecstasy pills estimated at MYR448,850 were confiscated.
He said three luxury vehicles, cash, and jewelry estimated at MYR489,408 were also seized in the raids.
Four of the individuals arrested tested positive for ketamine, and one of them had a previous drug-related criminal record, he added.
“The individuals aged 19 to 40 are being remanded for seven days until Jan 23 to facilitate the investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952,” he said.
PARIS (AFP) – The director of Zac Efron’s heartbreaking new wrestling film, “The Iron Claw”, said it was a battle to keep the emotional star from turning on the waterworks during filming.
Efron, who made his name in wholesome Disney films like “High School Musical”, is almost unrecognisable thanks to the extreme bodybuilding preparation he did for the role as real-life wrestler Kevin Von Erich.
But director Sean Durkin said the biggest challenge was keeping him from crying.
“Zac is such a committed, generous guy. He’s so full of emotion,” Durkin told AFP.
“So much of the direction was telling him, ‘Don’t cry — not yet, not yet!’ Until we shot the final scene on the final day and I could say: ‘OK, now you can let it all out.’
“And he did, for take after take after take.”
Fans of Hollywood hunks Efron and Jeremy Allen White may be excited to see them parade around a ring half-naked for much of the new movie.
A scene from The Iron Claw. PHOTO: A24
But they should be prepared for one of the grimmest portrayals of American sports ever put on screen, in the true-life tale of the Von Erich wrestling family from the 1970s and 1980s, who were pushed into tragedy by a success-obsessed father.
“Iron Claw”, which features White’s first major role since his award-winning turn in hit series “The Bear” and a much-discussed Calvin Klein ad, is being released around Europe in the coming weeks.
It may focus on the world of US wrestling, with its unlikely mix of athleticism and pantomime, but it is really about the “lie of the American Dream”, Durkin said — the idea that pushing to be the best at any cost is the only way to survive.
“It’s pertinent now because we finally have language about mental health, but it’s only in the last couple years that you hear athletes talking about it,” the 42-year-old director said.
The early days of wrestling were particularly extreme, with performers on the road most of the year with little support.
“These guys were putting their bodies on the line day after day for entertainment’s sake and if they couldn’t wrestle, they were done,” said Durkin.
“The irony is they express all these emotions in the ring — the highest highs, the lowest lows — but they get backstage and they aren’t allowed to show any of it because of this old-school nonsense notion of what it means to be a man.”
(ANN/THE NATION) – Thailand appears powerless to prevent a recurring nightmare, exemplified by the recent fatal explosion at a fireworks factory in Suphanburi province.
The incident, which occurred on Wednesday at 3.30 pm, claimed the lives of 21 workers and left seven seriously injured in Ban Khoi Ngam, Muang district.
Conflicting reports on the casualty count persist, with rescue officials grappling to identify victims, citing extensive damage that scattered body parts up to 50 metres away and in nearby rice fields.
Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsuthin revealed on Thursday that stored gunpowder ignited the explosion, exacerbated by potassium chlorate on-site.
This tragic déjà vu marks at least the 24th fireworks-related incident in Thailand over the past 16 years.
As many as six explosions occurred in 2008, followed by three in 2009, two in 2010, five in 2011 and 2012 as well as three in 2023, according to Thai Division of Injury Prevention (DIP).
PHOTO: ANN/THE NATION
These incidents took the lives of at least 24 people and injured 182, with several houses also destroyed.
The accidents mostly occur in factories despite the several regulations imposed to prevent explosions. These include the 1999 Safety Protection Measures in Factory Operation (No.3), and the 2009 Fire Protection and Settlement in Factory edicts.
The Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, Fireworks and Imitation Firearms Act (1947) stipulates that anyone who does not have permission from an authorised body is not permitted to manufacture, import, or sell pyrotechnics.
Authorities are allowed to order the relocation of a site that was used to manufacture, store, or sell explosives if they believe that they pose a risk to public safety, the law said.
Following the deadly Suphanburi explosion, DIP released recommendations to prevent future explosions. These included avoiding storing fireworks in heated areas and residential areas, being prepared to put out a fire, avoiding smoking within areas, and not modifying pyrotechnics.
The dean of King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang’s College of Materials Innovation and Technology, Wipoo Sriseubsa, told the media recently that another factor contributing to explosions is a plant owner’s ignorance of the need to regularly check their facilities.
Wipoo cited instances such as smoking within factory areas or not reviewing the wiring.
