KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 — Police have identified a Chinese national, who was detained during a raid at a hotel here last month, as the organiser of a party linked to deviant activities and drug abuse.

Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said investigations found that the event was promoted on Instagram.

He said initial investigations showed that the drugs seized were for personal use and shared among party attendees, with no evidence of trafficking.

“However, intelligence gathering is ongoing to trace the source of the drug supply,” he said when contacted here today.

In a related development, Hussein said the department is still waiting for the medical report to determine the cause of death of a man believed to be involved in the party who was found unconscious during the raid.

The man was confirmed dead upon arrival at Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL).

Hussein said that of the 51 individuals detained in the raid, 17 were charged under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, one under Section 39A(1), and 33 under Section 12(2) of the same Act.

He added that the Chinese national has been charged under Section 12(2) and Section 15(1)(a) of the same Act.

On May 24, police arrested 51 men in four raids at a hotel in the federal capital and seized various types of drugs worth RM103,070. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 — The official membership presale allocations for the upcoming BTS World Tour ‘Arirang’ in Kuala Lumpur sold out completely within five hours. 

The presale, known as the ARMY Membership Presale after the fandom, started at 11am today and saw heavy traffic during its first two hours, with approximately 1.3 million online users queuing in the waiting room page.

However, by 4pm, concert promoter Live Nation Malaysia had taken to their X account and Instagram to announce that tickets had been fully snatched up for the first phase.

“Army, all of you were on fire today. The ARMY membership presale is now sold out!

“Missed your chance? Get ready for the Live Nation Presale happening tomorrow,” Live Nation Malaysia tweeted.

Earlier today, some BTS fans took to social media platforms such as Threads and X to share their preparation for the presale battle. 

Some even joined the waiting room as early as 9am, while others were seen flocking to cyber cafes in groups to secure tickets. 

As the presale commenced, several ARMY members complained about the waiting time they endured to reach the buying page while several others celebrated their successful purchases. 

Several videos also circulated showing ARMY celebrating their wins at cyber cafes.

Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza also posted an Instagram Story congratulating a member of her team who successfully secured tickets.

Meanwhile, the official authorised ticketing platform Go Live Asia also shared via its Instagram story that the majority of participants in today’s membership presale were from Malaysia.

Other listed countries include Indonesia, China and Vietnam.

Aside from that, several resellers have also appeared across social media and online marketplace trying to resell their haul just over an hour after the presale began.

A brief check on online marketplace Carousell showed several users already selling tickets as early as 12.40pm, with at least one user offering Cat 6 tickets for RM600 compared to the original price of RM438. 

Another user was seen selling the same Cat 6 tickets for RM890, and there was also a Soundcheck VIP Package listed for RM3,200 instead of its initial price of RM1,288. 

Several Carousell users are already reselling BTS World Tour ‘Arirang’ in KL tickets. — Screenshot via Carousell

Ticketing service providers were also rampant on sites such as X and Threads, with a couple offering their service for RM100 per ticket.

Some of these ticketing service providers also claimed they had a bypass link access that could skip the waiting queue, meaning they could go straight to the buying page. 

Today marks the first day of the official ARMY Membership Presale, which was supposed to run from 11am to 10pm. 

Meanwhile, the Trip.Com Presale is scheduled to start tomorrow from 9am to 11.59pm while the Live Nation Membership presale will also be happening tomorrow from 11am to 10pm. 

General ticket sales open on Friday, June 5 at 11am.

BTS World Tour ‘Arirang’ in KL concerts are set for December 12 and December 13 and will take place at the TM National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. 

KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued a thunderstorm warning for several districts across Pahang, Johor, and Sarawak, cautioning residents to expect heavy rain, strong winds, and thunderstorms through 3 pm today.

The warning, issued at 1:05 pm, covers the following areas:

• Pahang: Rompin
• Johor: Batu Pahat, Kluang, Pontian, Kulai, and Kota Tinggi
• Sarawak: Sri Aman; Betong (Pusa, Saratok, and Kabong); Sarikei; Mukah (Tanjung Manis, Daro, Matu, and Dalat); and Miri

MetMalaysia triggers a thunderstorm warning when rainfall intensity is forecast to exceed 20 millimetres per hour, either imminently or for a sustained period of more than one hour.

Such warnings are short-term advisories with a maximum validity of six hours from issuance.

Residents and travellers in the affected areas are advised to remain indoors where possible, avoid low-lying and flood-prone zones, and stay clear of open areas, tall trees, and bodies of water during active lightning activity.

The warning remains in effect until 3:00 pm. Members of the public may monitor updated weather advisories via the MetMalaysia official website at www.met.gov.my or through the myCuaca mobile application.

Brazil’s Congress on Tuesday promulgated the trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union, completing the final domestic step required for the treaty to take effect on the Brazilian side. The ceremony was led by Senate and Congress President Davi Alcolumbre, who framed the pact as a sign in favor of trade, stability and integration at a time of wars and commercial tensions.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 – Live Nation Malaysia’s managing director Paramananthan Rajagopal is urging fans once again to source their concert tickets from authorised and official ticketing platforms.

This comes after several secondary ticketing or reseller websites such as Viagogo or Veritickets were already seen selling tickets for the upcoming K-pop group concerts BTS World Tour ‘Arirang’ in Kuala Lumpur even before the presales started. 

In a brief conversation, Paramananthan told Malay Mail that fans should stop sourcing tickets from such sites as it could lead to ticketing scams and they should be aware of the websites they are visiting. 

“When the buying stops, so does the scamming. 

“Fans also need to be aware of the authenticity of these platforms,” he said. 

When asked whether Live Nation Malaysia will take legal action against these sites, Paramananthan said that there are no legal action they could take against these types of resellers as Malaysia does not have any law that explicitly bans ticketing scalping. 

Previously, local BTS fans took to social media platforms such as X and Threads to vent their frustrations after several secondary ticketing websites were seen selling the highly anticipated BTS in KL tickets even before its official release dates.

Aside from that, local BTS fans also called out several influencers who were allegedly trying to sell BTS in KL tickets ahead of the release date too via social media. 

A screenshot from a secondary ticketing website Veritickets selling tickets for the upcoming BTS in KL concerts at inflated prices and before the official presales even began. — Screenshot via veritickets.com

A check by Malay Mail showed that a reseller site, Veritickets, was selling several ticket categories, including the VIP package, for the upcoming BTS in KL concerts at inflated prices of RM2,000 to RM15,000. 

The original ticketing prices for the concerts ranged between RM338 to RM1,288. 

Although Malaysia does not yet have an anti-scalping law, it was previously reported that one is currently being formulated by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) and the Communications Ministry. 

However, this was reported back in 2023 and little to no updates have been provided by either ministry so far despite Malaysia expecting to host several global concert tours this year. 

At major tournaments it’s common to see players, aware of the greater exposure these events provide, use the opportunity to make a demand. At this year’s Roland Garros they have once again called for a different distribution and a larger share of the money that, above all, these kinds of tournaments generate. The conflict is not new and — even though the Paris organizers unilaterally decided this year to raise the prize pool competitors would receive by about 10% — the players have deemed it insufficient.

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The epics of Hollywood's Golden Age are unlike anything the industry produces today. The enormous set pieces, colorful costumes, powerful performers, and iconic tales of deeply human drama that transcend the time periods in which they're set — and Ben-Hur sets a high bar. You may not know that Ben-Hur was based on the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace, which was first published in 1880. According to the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities, it was second to the Bible itself in sales for decades until Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind usurped the title. But while Ben-Hur is set in first-century Roman-occupied Judea, its roots go all the way back to the Wild West era of American expansion.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — A yacht caught fire at 11 Cove Drive in Singapore this morning, with the vessel fully engulfed by flames when firefighters responded.

In a Facebook post, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said it was alerted to the fire at about 8.10am today.

SCDF said its land-based resources arrived at the scene within seven minutes and immediately deployed a water jet from the pontoon to fight the fire.

During the initial firefighting operation, the yacht began drifting away from its berth, prompting SCDF to deploy a marine vessel as part of the response.

The yacht later drifted from its berth during firefighting, prompting SCDF to deploy a marine vessel, before the fire was brought under control with no injuries reported. — Picture via Facebook/Singapore Civil Defence Force

SCDF said the fire has since been brought under control, with firefighters continuing to apply water and damp down the yacht.

No injuries were reported at the time of SCDF’s post.

According to CNA, ONE15 Marina Sentosa Cove said in a note to members that smoke was detected from a vessel berthed at the marina at about 8am.

The marina said its onsite emergency response team was activated and SCDF was notified, before firefighting operations began.

“There are no reported injuries at this time, and we are working with the authorities to bring the situation under control,” the marina was quoted as saying, while advising members to avoid the affected area.

CNA reported that as of 10.30am, the vessel was still ablaze as firefighters directed water jets at it.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 — Authorities will decide tomorrow whether to continue or call off the search and rescue (SAR) operation for missing hiker Jaslinda Saludin, who disappeared at Gunung Batu Putih on May 24.

According to Berita Harian, Perak Fire and Rescue Department assistant director of operations Sabarodzi Nor Ahmad said the decision would be made following a coordination meeting involving agencies involved in the operation.

He said the meeting, chaired by the Batang Padang district officer, would review the current status of the SAR mission, developments over the past 10 days and possible next steps.

“The meeting will discuss the current status and progress of the SAR operation, as well as follow-up actions after 10 days of search efforts,” he was quoted as saying.

The operation, now in its 10th day, has faced numerous challenges, including difficult terrain and unpredictable weather conditions.

Earlier, Jaslinda was reportedly captured on one of the surveillance cameras along the Gunung Batu Putih hiking trail, believed to be heading towards Kem Sukaneka on the day she was reported missing.

Authorities have also enlisted the help of the local Orang Asli community, with more than 20 residents from Kampung Orang Asli Ampang Woh deployed in small teams to search areas outside the main trail between Kem Sukaneka and Gunung Rayu.

Meanwhile, aerial search efforts have been hampered by clustered cloud cover, strong winds and limited space surrounded by dense forest.

Deputy Fire Superintendent II Mohd Hasrizal Kamaruzzaman previously said an MI-17 helicopter from the Fire and Rescue Department's Central Region Air Base had been deployed for winching operations.

The operation involved lowering and extracting 32 rescuers by cable in the Kem Sukaneka area as part of efforts to locate the missing hiker.

Labour reporter Gabriela Calugay-Casuga sits down with Émile Lacombe, a high school teacher and union organizer in Montreal with Alliance Ouvrière to discuss why the labour movement needs to stop hiding behind legal technicalities and start taking direct action to win back its power.

About our guest

Émile Lacombe is a high school teacher and union organizer in Montreal, Quebec. He has been a member of Alliance Ouvrière (Worker’s Alliance) since 2024 and he is secretary of the Montreal chapter’s public sector caucus.

If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and now: subscribe to rabble on Patreon to hear exclusive bonus episodes of rabble radio.

The post Building a more militant labour movement with Émile Lacombe appeared first on rabble.ca.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — The federal government today dismissed speculation of an early nationwide poll despite the dissolution of the state legislative assemblies in Johor and Negeri Sembilan.

Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said there have been no discussions on holding an early general election.

“At this time, there are no discussions regarding any effort to hold an early general election,” the government spokesman said at the Communications Ministry here this afternoon.

The clarification comes amid heightened political attention following the dissolution of the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state assemblies, which has fuelled speculation over possible spillover effects on federal politics.

Fahmi said the federal coalition government remains stable and unaffected by recent developments.

“There is no impact on the Unity government at the federal level,” he said, adding that the administration continues to function normally, including at Cabinet meetings.

He noted that the dissolutions in Johor and Negeri Sembilan followed constitutional processes after the respective menteri besar obtained royal assent from their state rulers.

Fahmi also moved to dispel speculation that a Cabinet photo session earlier today was linked to preparations for a parliamentary dissolution.

“That’s incorrect. So, the prime minister informed today that it was his wish for a photo session as there were new ministers being appointed into the Cabinet,” he said.

“The appointments and reshuffling were made last December and there wasn’t an opportunity to have a photo session.

“So the photo session has nothing to do with Parliament being dissolved. The timing was simply convenient as ministers were already gathered in Putrajaya for the ceremonial parade event and were dressed in official attire.

“There is no issue. It is a normal matter and has nothing to do with the dissolution of Parliament,” he added.

When asked about the annual PKR congress, Fahmi said any decision on its scheduling would be discussed at the party’s central leadership council meeting in Johor tomorrow.

“So let’s wait for tomorrow,” he said.