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DOJ opens grand jury probe into Obama-era intel claims

DOJ opens grand jury probe into Obama-era intel claims

WASHINGTON : U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed federal prosecutors to launch a grand jury probe into allegations that members of Democratic former President Barack Obama’s administration manufactured intelligence on Russia’s interference in the 2016 elections, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday. The Justice Department said late last month it was forming a strike force to assess claims made by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard about “alleged weaponization of the U.S. intelligence community.” Republican U.S. President Donald Trump has leaped on comments from Gabbard in which she threatened to refer Obama administration officials to the Justice Department for prosecution over an intelligence assessment of Russian interference. Fox News first reported that Bondi personally ordered an unnamed federal prosecutor to initiate legal proceedings and the prosecutor is expected to present department evidence to a grand jury, which could consider an indictment if the Justice Department pursued a criminal case. The report cited a letter from Bondi and a source. A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment. Last month, Trump accused Obama of treason, alleging, without providing evidence, that the Democrat led an effort to falsely tie him to Russia and undermine his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump won the 2016 election against Democrat Hillary Clinton. A spokesperson for Obama had denounced Trump’s claims, saying “these bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.” Gabbard had declassified documents and said the information she released showed a “treasonous conspiracy” in 2016 by top Obama officials to undermine Trump, claims that Democrats called false and politically motivated. An assessment by the U.S. intelligence community published in January 2017 concluded that Russia, using social media disinformation, hacking, and Russian bot farms, sought to damage Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and bolster Trump, who won that election. The assessment determined the actual impact was likely limited and showed no evidence that Moscow’s efforts actually changed voting outcomes. Russia has denied it attempted to interfere in U.S. elections. - Reuters

Kerajaan Negeri Sembilan Komited Pastikan Pembangunan Dan Kebajikan Masyarakat Orang Asli

Kerajaan Negeri Sembilan Komited Pastikan Pembangunan Dan Kebajikan Masyarakat Orang Asli

SEREMBAN, 5 Ogos – Kerajaan pusat dan negeri kekal komited memastikan pembangunan serta kebajikan masyarakat Orang Asli terus menjadi agenda utama, termasuk melalui pelbagai inisiatif Kementerian Kemajuan Desa dan Wilayah (KKDW) yang diketuai Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Exco Kanan Negeri Sembilan, Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias, berkata pada tahun 2025, Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli (JAKOA) Negeri [...]

F1: Impian Norris kembali menyala

F1: Impian Norris kembali menyala

BUDAPEST – Pelumba McLaren, Lando Norris memberi tumpuan 100 peratus dalam misi memburu gelaran dunia Formula Satu (F1) selepas mencipta kemenangan di Grand Prix (GP) Hungary malam kelmarin. Norris mengakui dia tidak menjadikan hidupnya mudah terutama menentang rakan sepasukannya di McLaren, Oscar Piastri yang turut menamatkan perlumbaan tempat kedua. Kemenangan di Hungary membolehkan Norris merapatkan ... Read more The post F1: Impian Norris kembali menyala appeared first on Kosmo Digital .

Masker helaian untuk kulit sensitif

Masker helaian untuk kulit sensitif

Masalah ekzema yang dialami sejak kecil menjadikan wanita muda ini sangat berhati-hati dalam penjagaan kulitnya. Setiap kali mencuba produk baharu, dia berdepan kegatalan, kemerahan dan rasa pedih. Pengalaman itu mendorong Nurin Afrina Muhamad Syahrel, 24, membangunkan rangkaian produk kecantikan khas untuk kulit sensitif sepertinya. Dilancarkan pada 2024, jenama Masmuqa memperkenalkan masker helaian yang menawarkan kelembapan, ... Read more The post Masker helaian untuk kulit sensitif appeared first on Utusan Malaysia .

'Tembak GPMG atas kapal Maritim, pengalaman luar basa media'

'Tembak GPMG atas kapal Maritim, pengalaman luar basa media'

KUANTAN – Cabaran menembak menggunakan senjata General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) serta M16 dari atas Kapal Maritim (KM) Langkawi di perairan Laut China Selatan di sini memberikan pengalaman berharga buat petugas media.Ia merupakan antara pengisian utama program Hari Bersama Media (HBM) anjuran Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia (Maritim Malaysia) sepanjang dua hari bermula Ahad, yang diadakan di Akademi Maritim Sultan Ahmad Shah (AMSAS) di sini.Program tersebut melibatkan penyertaan kira-kira 50 warga media termasuk dari Sinar Harian.Pada hari pertama HBM, peserta menyertai pertandingan menembak precision menggunakan pistol Glock 19 bagi menguji ketepatan dan ketelitian penembak dalam sasaran jarak 10 meter untuk kategori individu dan berkumpulan.Turut diadakan ialah pertandingan berkayak yang mencabar kekuatan fizikal dan koordinasi peserta.Hari kedua menyaksikan warga media berpeluang menaiki KM Langkawi, sebelum menyaksikan demonstrasi tembakan di laut oleh pegawai Maritim Malaysia menggunakan senjata GPMG dan M16. Petugas media turut diberi peluang mencuba sendiri senjata tersebut untuk menembak ke arah sasaran yang ditetapkan.Ketua Meja Jenayah Bernama, Ahmad Syabil Sultan Noordin Ahmad menyifatkan peluang merasai sendiri penggunaan senjata dari atas kapal sebagai pengalaman yang sukar dilupakan."Bukan sahaja pengalaman baharu, tetapi menjadi pemangkin untuk meningkatkan keyakinan dan keberanian diri."Kita dapat lihat bagaimana warga Maritim Malaysia menunjukkan kemahiran dalam mengendalikan senjata serta usaha mereka mengawal sempadan negara daripada ancaman anasir luar," katanya.Sementara itu, Ketua Pengarah Maritim, Laksamana Maritim Datuk Mohd Rosli Abdullah dalam ucapannya menegaskan bahawa media merupakan rakan strategik Maritim Malaysia sejak awal penubuhan agensi tersebut.Menurutnya, Maritim Malaysia amat menghargai sokongan berterusan pihak media dalam menyampaikan maklumat tepat kepada rakyat."Tujuan program HBM ini adalah untuk memberi pendedahan secara langsung kepada media mengenai tugas dan peranan kami."Tahun ini sedikit kelainan, selain aktiviti seperti ujian menembak, media turut dibawa menaiki KM Langkawi," ujarnya.KM Langkawi merupakan kapal ronda luar pesisir yang dibina di Korea Selatan.Kapal sepanjang 75 meter itu mampu melaksanakan tugasan rondaan dan pengawasan di Zon Ekonomi Eksklusif (ZEE), serta boleh beroperasi di laut sehingga dua minggu, meskipun dalam keadaan cuaca buruk.

'Tembak guna GPMG atas kapal Maritim, pengalaman luar biasa media'

'Tembak guna GPMG atas kapal Maritim, pengalaman luar biasa media'

KUANTAN – Cabaran menembak menggunakan senjata General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) serta M16 dari atas Kapal Maritim (KM) Langkawi di perairan Laut China Selatan di sini memberikan pengalaman berharga buat petugas media.Ia merupakan antara pengisian utama program Hari Bersama Media (HBM) anjuran Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia (Maritim Malaysia) sepanjang dua hari bermula Ahad, yang diadakan di Akademi Maritim Sultan Ahmad Shah (AMSAS) di sini.Program tersebut melibatkan penyertaan kira-kira 50 warga media termasuk dari Sinar Harian.Pada hari pertama HBM, peserta menyertai pertandingan menembak precision menggunakan pistol Glock 19 bagi menguji ketepatan dan ketelitian penembak dalam sasaran jarak 10 meter untuk kategori individu dan berkumpulan.Turut diadakan ialah pertandingan berkayak yang mencabar kekuatan fizikal dan koordinasi peserta.Hari kedua menyaksikan warga media berpeluang menaiki KM Langkawi, sebelum menyaksikan demonstrasi tembakan di laut oleh pegawai Maritim Malaysia menggunakan senjata GPMG dan M16. Petugas media turut diberi peluang mencuba sendiri senjata tersebut untuk menembak ke arah sasaran yang ditetapkan.Ketua Meja Jenayah Bernama, Ahmad Syabil Sultan Noordin Ahmad menyifatkan peluang merasai sendiri penggunaan senjata dari atas kapal sebagai pengalaman yang sukar dilupakan."Bukan sahaja pengalaman baharu, tetapi menjadi pemangkin untuk meningkatkan keyakinan dan keberanian diri."Kita dapat lihat bagaimana warga Maritim Malaysia menunjukkan kemahiran dalam mengendalikan senjata serta usaha mereka mengawal sempadan negara daripada ancaman anasir luar," katanya.Sementara itu, Ketua Pengarah Maritim, Laksamana Maritim Datuk Mohd Rosli Abdullah dalam ucapannya menegaskan bahawa media merupakan rakan strategik Maritim Malaysia sejak awal penubuhan agensi tersebut.Menurutnya, Maritim Malaysia amat menghargai sokongan berterusan pihak media dalam menyampaikan maklumat tepat kepada rakyat."Tujuan program HBM ini adalah untuk memberi pendedahan secara langsung kepada media mengenai tugas dan peranan kami."Tahun ini sedikit kelainan, selain aktiviti seperti ujian menembak, media turut dibawa menaiki KM Langkawi," ujarnya.KM Langkawi merupakan kapal ronda luar pesisir yang dibina di Korea Selatan.Kapal sepanjang 75 meter itu mampu melaksanakan tugasan rondaan dan pengawasan di Zon Ekonomi Eksklusif (ZEE), serta boleh beroperasi di laut sehingga dua minggu, meskipun dalam keadaan cuaca buruk.

Friedman’s pencil and lessons in international trade

Friedman’s pencil and lessons in international trade

AS the United States continues to impose tariffs on a broad spectrum of imported goods, Milton Friedman’s timeless lesson about the lead pencil is more relevant than ever. In his influential television series Free to Choose, Friedman – recipient of the 1976 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences – used the seemingly mundane pencil to demonstrate the extraordinary complexity and global interdependence that underpin free markets. He explained that the wood used in a pencil might come from a tree harvested in the state of Washington, which requires a saw made of steel – steel that itself is derived from iron ore. The graphite might originate in South America while the eraser likely contains rubber from Malaya. Remarkably, Friedman noted, rubber trees are not even native to that region; they were imported from South America with the help of British colonial interests. Through this example, Friedman emphasised the intricate coordination required to produce even the simplest product – coordination made possible by the global market system, where countless individuals in different parts of the world contribute to production without ever knowing one another. This, he argued, is the genius of free markets: their ability to foster peaceful and productive cooperation among strangers, ultimately benefiting consumers and societies through efficiency and innovation. Friedman’s metaphor extends beyond economics to convey fundamental principles such as comparative advantage – first articulated by David Ricardo in the 19th century, which holds that countries gain by specialising in what they produce most efficiently and trading for the rest. No single nation possesses all the resources, labour or infrastructure to produce complex goods independently. The pencil, or any modern product, like a smartphone, reflects this reality. Today’s smartphones are produced through intricate global supply chains that span multiple continents: semiconductors from Taiwan or Malaysia, lithium batteries and rare earth elements from China, display panels from South Korea, software and chip design from the US and final assembly in Vietnam, India or China. These supply chains are highly sensitive to trade policies. When tariffs are imposed, especially on intermediate goods, they increase costs, complicate planning and introduce uncertainty across production stages. Supporters of tariffs often argue they protect domestic industries, reduce reliance on strategic competitors and promote national reindustrialisation. However, mounting empirical evidence shows that tariffs function as a tax on consumers and downstream industries, distorting prices and undermining the comparative advantages that drive global economic efficiency. In recent years, rising protectionism, exemplified by sweeping US tariffs under the banner of “economic liberation”, has triggered retaliatory measures, strained trade relationships and threatened the cooperative spirit upon which global commerce is built. This inward turn undermines not only economic efficiency but also geopolitical stability. In an era defined by VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity), Friedman’s pencil reminds us that the solution to global challenges – climate change, resource scarcity and technological disruption – lies not in isolation but in cooperation. Trade, anchored in fairness and multilateral rules, remains one of the most effective tools for fostering prosperity, peace and resilience. For small, open economies like Malaysia, which depend heavily on exports of electronics, palm oil, rubber gloves and machinery, the notion of decoupling from global supply chains is not only economically unfeasible but strategically unsound. Attempting to replicate entire supply chains domestically would erode competitiveness, stifle innovation and threaten employment. Ultimately, international trade must evolve to be more inclusive and sustainable but its foundational principle remains unchanged: mutual exchange is not a zero-sum game but a powerful engine for shared growth. As Friedman’s pencil teaches us, the invisible hand of cooperation is what truly lifts all boats when the tide rises. Assoc Prof Dr Puan Yatim is from the School of Business at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

Beijing pindah lebih 80,000 penduduk

Beijing pindah lebih 80,000 penduduk

BEIJING – Pihak berkuasa China memindahkan lebih 82,000 orang di seluruh Beijing disebabkan hujan lebat, kata media pemerintah selepas berpuluh-puluh orang terkorban akibat banjir di pinggir ibu kota berkenaan minggu lalu. Agensi berita Xinhua melaporkan, puluhan ribu penduduk dipindahkan dari kawasan terdedah banjir pada pukul 9 malam (waktu tempatan) semalam. Pihak berkuasa memberi amaran mengenai ... Read more The post Beijing pindah lebih 80,000 penduduk appeared first on Kosmo Digital .

Rwanda, U.S. sign deal to take in up to 250 migrants

Rwanda, U.S. sign deal to take in up to 250 migrants

WASHINGTON : The United States and Rwanda have agreed for the African country to accept up to 250 migrants deported from the U.S., the spokesperson for the Rwandan government and an official told Reuters, as President Donald Trump’s administration takes a hardline approach toward immigration. The agreement, first reported by Reuters, was signed by U.S. and Rwandan officials in Kigali in June, said the Rwandan official, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding that Washington had already sent an initial list of 10 people to be vetted. “Rwanda has agreed with the United States to accept up to 250 migrants, in part because nearly every Rwandan family has experienced the hardships of displacement, and our societal values are founded on reintegration and rehabilitation,“ said the spokesperson for the Rwandan government, Yolande Makolo. “Under the agreement, Rwanda has the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement. Those approved will be provided with workforce training, healthcare, and accommodation support to jumpstart their lives in Rwanda, giving them the opportunity to contribute to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the last decade.” The White House and State Department had no immediate comment. The Department of Homeland Security referred questions to the State Department. President Donald Trump aims to deport millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally and his administration has sought to ramp up removals to third countries, including sending convicted criminals to South Sudan and Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland. Rwanda has in recent years positioned itself as a destination country for migrants that Western countries would like to remove, despite concerns by rights groups that Kigali does not respect basic human rights. In May, the foreign minister said Rwanda was in the early stages of talks to receive immigrants deported from the United States. The Trump administration argues that third-country deportations help swiftly remove some migrants, including those with criminal convictions. Immigration hardliners see third-country removals as a way to deal with offenders who cannot easily be deported and could pose a threat to the public. Opponents have criticized the deportations as dangerous and cruel, since people could be sent to countries where they could face violence, have no ties and do not speak the language. US TO PROVIDE GRANT TO RWANDA Rwanda will be paid by the United States in the form of a grant, the official said, adding that the grant letter was finalized in July. The official declined to say how much the grant was for. The U.S. and Rwanda could extend the agreement beyond 250 people by mutual consent, the official said, adding that those deported to Rwanda do not have to stay in the country and can leave anytime they choose. Kigali will only accept those whose prison terms are complete or who have no criminal case against them, as there is no agreement with Washington that would allow people to serve out their U.S. sentence in Rwanda, the official said. No child sex offenders will be accepted. The Trump administration has pressed other countries to take migrants. It deported more than 200 Venezuelans accused of being gang members to El Salvador in March, where they were jailed until they were released in a prisoner swap last month. The Supreme Court in June allowed the Trump administration to deport migrants to third countries without giving them a chance to show they could be harmed. But the legality of the removals is being contested in a federal lawsuit in Boston, a case that could potentially wind its way back to the conservative-leaning high court. Western and regional leaders have praised President Paul Kagame for transforming Rwanda from the ruins of the 1994 genocide that killed more than 1 million people into a thriving economy. Rights groups have accused him of abuses and of supporting rebels in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, accusations that he denies. Rwanda has also engaged in peace talks led by the Trump administration to bring an end to fighting in eastern Congo. The two African nations signed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement in Washington in June, raising hopes for an end to fighting that has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more this year. The agreement to accept migrants deported from the U.S. is not the first such agreement Rwanda has reached. Kigali signed an agreement with Britain in 2022 to take in thousands of asylum seekers, a deal that was scrapped last year by then newly-elected Prime Minister Keir Starmer. No one was sent to Rwanda under the plan because of years of legal challenges. - Reuters