[ The Independent Singapore ] Who is Ismail Sabri Yaakob? A look at UMNO vice-president, now frontrunner for Malaysia’s premiership

 Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob has emerged as next in line to be Malaysia’s new Prime Minister, with Mr Muhyiddin Yassin’s resignation last Monday (Aug 16). Mr Muhyiddin, however, is staying on as caretaker premier until his successor is named. Support for the UMNO vice president was confirmed by the party’s secretary-general, Mr Ahmad Maslan, who tweeted, “only…

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Muhyiddin resigns, but status quo remains, likely to stay on as the Prime Minister for at least another year

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin tendered his resignation to the King, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, on Monday (Aug 16). But while he stays on as caretaker premier for now, there appears to be no clear candidate for his successor. Mr Muhyiddin’s ouster – the Constitution obliges him to resign as there is no provision for a minority government – looks set to throw the nation…

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[ MEMO ] Lebanon premier blames corruption for fuel tank explosion

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab has blamed corruption for Sunday’s fuel tanker explosion, describing the incident as a “humanitarian tragedy”, reports Anadolu Agency. At least 28 people were killed and 79 others injured when a fuel tanker exploded in Akkar region in northern Lebanon early Sunday. “What happened in Talali town in Akkar is a humanitarian…

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[ Middle East Eye ] ‘Our children are fuel for war’: Village sons leave Yemen countryside for the battlefield

Source: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-war-taiz-village-sons-leave-countryside-battle-saleh Thousands of Yemenis from far-flung provinces fighting under the leadership of Tareq Saleh, the nephew of late Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, have joined battles against Houthi rebels on the country’s western coast. These fighters and their families have rented homes in the Taiz countryside, providing an unexpected source of income for cash-strapped villagers. But while…

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[ SCMP ] Hong Kong experiences ‘alarming’ population drop, but government says not all 90,000 leaving city because of national security law

Number of people in city now estimated to be 7.39 million, a 1.2 per cent drop in a year Social administration expert Professor Paul Yip says officials should try and address the concerns of those going elsewhere Nearly 90,000 residents have left Hong Kong amid a wave of emigration in the year after the national security…

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The Myanmar military junta had denied responsibility for the alleged assassination plot on Myanmar’s UN Ambassador

According to the report by Reuters on the statement by the Myanmar military-led government on state television MRTV, the junta had denied responsibility for the uncovered assassination attempt on the Myanmar’s United Nations ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, dismissing it as a domestic U.S case. “The event is a domestic case in the United States. Judgment…

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[ CNN ] China’s spiraling Delta variant outbreak hits Wuhan, as country introduces mass travel restrictions

China’s spiraling Delta variant outbreak has reached Wuhan, the original epicenter of the pandemic, prompting citywide coronavirus testing as authorities scramble to contain the city’s first reported local infections in more than a year. China is grappling with its worst outbreak in months, with more than 300 cases detected in more than two dozen cities across the…

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