Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment is expanding programs to support micro, small and ... 
KLUANG, May 12 — Umno is ready to welcome former Bersatu members and leaders subjected to disciplinary action by their party to join its ranks through the Rumah Bangsa initiative, said party Vice-President Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The Rumah Bangsa Unification Committee chairman said that as a party that serves as a home for the Malays, Umno remains open to anyone who wishes to align with the party’s struggle.
"We are open to accepting anyone because our house is Rumah Bangsa, meaning the house is large enough for everyone," he told reporters after officiating the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) Madani Economy programme at Batu 3 Camp here today.
Mohamed Khaled, who is also the Minister of Defence, was commenting on recent decisions by the Bersatu Disciplinary Board to expel and suspend several of its elected representatives and leaders.
Yesterday, the Bersatu Disciplinary Board sacked and suspended four more elected representatives and party leaders for violating Clause 9.1.4 of the party constitution, as well as the party’s Code of Ethics and Conduct.
Last Friday, Bersatu also took disciplinary action against six other leaders, expelling two state assemblymen and immediately suspending four others.
Rumah Bangsa, introduced by Umno President Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, aims to unite the Malay community and facilitate the return of former members. The initiative has reportedly received over 10,000 applications to date. — Bernama
MANILA, May 12 — The top enforcer of former Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr today to not hand him over to the International Criminal Court, but said he was ready to face justice at home.
Fearing arrest and hunkered down in his legislative office for a second day, Senator Ronald dela Rosa said he had faithfully served his country.
The ICC unsealed an arrest warrant yesterday for former police chief dela Rosa, dated November, on suspicion of crimes against humanity, the same crimes 81-year-old Duterte is accused of as he awaits trial in The Hague following his arrest last year.
Dela Rosa, better known as “Bato”, or “rock”, has been under the protective custody of the Senate since law enforcement agents entered the building on Monday, when he reappeared in public for the first time since November. He has denied involvement in illegal killings.
‘I did everything for the country’
“I hope that, as the father of the nation, you will take care of all Filipinos. That is the role of government, to care for its people,” dela Rosa told reporters when asked what his message was to President Marcos.
“I did everything for the country. I did not enrich myself. I worked faithfully,” he said, his eyes welling with tears.
“Mr. President, (you) may one day face a situation like this. You may also encounter problems, and then you will understand, you will feel what I am feeling right now.”
Dela Rosa was Duterte’s top lieutenant and oversaw a fierce crackdown during which police say more than 6,000 suspected drug dealers were killed in official operations. Thousands of users were also gunned down in mysterious slumland murders blamed on vigilantes or turf wars.
Police say those killed during operations had resisted arrest and reject activists allegations of systematic murders and cover-ups.
No word from interpol
Today, police stood in line behind riot shields outside the Senate, where all committee meetings were cancelled following dramatic scenes a day earlier, when dela Rosa was seen scrambling for the safety of his office as agents from the National Bureau of Investigation arrived.
National police chief Jose Melencio Nartatez in a statement on Tuesday said no order had been received to make an arrest, but police remain “prepared to act in accordance with lawful directives and established procedures”.
The office of the president reiterated that the Philippines is no longer a signatory to the ICC’s founding treaty but can execute an ICC warrant if requested by Interpol, the same procedure as Duterte’s arrest.
Asked by Reuters in a text message how soon an Interpol request could be made, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said: “Only Interpol knows”.
The war on drugs was the key platform that swept Duterte to power in 2016 as a tough-talking mayor who during televised public speeches promised to kill thousands of drug dealers while repeatedly daring the ICC to come after him.
Duterte’s defence team at the ICC has said he maintains his innocence and his tough rhetoric was designed to instil fear among criminals. — Reuters
Indonesia’s Health Ministry said more than eight billion meals have been distributed under the Free ... 
SHAH ALAM, May 12 — A total of 19 illegal factories in Pulau Indah, Klang have been demolished including utility disconnection through the Integrated Demolition Enforcement Operation to ensure industry compliance with Selangor state land laws.
Selangor Local Government and Tourism Exco Datuk Ng Sue Lim said the operation, which involved 300 personnel from various agencies, was carried out under Section 425 of the National Land Code against premises found to be operating without proper compliance.
“Based on information from the Klang District and Land Office, the entrepreneurs involved have been operating factories without permission at the site for a long period, estimated to be over 20 years.
“An inspection also found that there was no record of a Temporary Occupancy License (LPS) ever being issued to any factory owner at the site in question. Several land expropriation applications received around 2019 to 2020 were also rejected,” he said in a statement today.
Explaining further, Ng said the action was not implemented in a hurry, as the initial engagement process and site vacating instructions were initiated in early 2025, before the first notice was submitted on March 3, 2025.
He said that site visits, monitoring, banner installation and announcements were also carried out on September 19, 2025, in addition to the submission or pasting of the final notice dated April 7, 2026, and the setting of the final date for vacating before the demolition operation on May 10, 2026 was done.
He said that during that period, the state government also took into account the views, applications and appeals for postponements from stakeholders to provide reasonable space to manage the transfer of operations, employees, assets and company equipment respectively.
“However, after a reasonable period has been given, the law still needs to be enforced. Government land must be preserved, industrial areas must be reorganised and public interests must not continue to be affected by activities that do not comply with the law,” he said.
Ng said the existence of unauthorised factories affected the image of industrial areas, environmental control, drainage systems, safety and logistical access, as well as creating unfair competition for legitimate operators who had complied with the conditions of licenses, taxes, development approvals and technical requirements.
He said the enforcement was important to restore the integrity of government land and restructure the industrial areas in a more orderly manner.
“After the demolition operation is completed, the focus will be on site cleaning, demolition waste management, safety monitoring and assessment of land restoration needs.
“The site will then be reviewed within a more planned development framework, in line with the Local Plan, planning guidelines and technical requirements of the authorities,” he said. — Bernama
NEW DELHI, May 12 — India will at some stage need to assess how long state-run fuel retailers can sustain losses from selling transport fuels below market prices, oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri said at an industry event today.
Petrol and diesel spot prices have surged to multi-year highs globally as the Middle East conflict disrupted supply, but governments in several major economies have held down pump prices to shield consumers from inflation.
A joint secretary in the oil ministry, Sujata Sharma, had earlier said that India had no plans to compensate oil marketing companies for these losses.
Fuel retailers are incurring losses of about 100 rupees (RM4.11) per litre on diesel and 20 rupees per litre on petrol, Sharma said last month.
India is the world’s third-largest oil importer and consumer, meeting more than 90% of its crude oil needs and about half of its natural gas demand through imports.
Indian state fuel retailers, including Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum, which account for most of the fuel sales in the country, have not raised gasoline and diesel prices since April 2022.
A senior government official separately told Reuters that compensating oil marketing companies while keeping fuel prices unchanged is not fiscally sustainable.
Another official said any price increase would be substantial enough to discourage spending on petrol and diesel, but not so large as to sharply stoke inflation.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Oil minister Puri also said India has crude and liquefied natural gas sufficient for 60 days, and liquefied petroleum gas for 45 days.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged on Sunday a spate of measures including fuel conservation, work-from-home practices and limits on travel and imports to ease pressure on the country’s foreign exchange reserves.
The country’s balance of payments is expected to worsen sharply during the current 2026-27 fiscal year, with the deficit projected at about US$66 billion (RM260 billion) to US$70 billion, up from an estimated US$26 billion to US$28 billion in 2025-26. — Reuters
Indonesia’s vice president said safe, modern and integrated transport systems are essential to shifting commuters ... 
KUANTAN, May 12 — A senior executive of a government agency has been remanded for seven days for allegedly being involved in bribery activities amounting to RM8,000.
According to sources, the man, in his 40s, was arrested at about 4pm yesterday when he appeared to give a statement at the Pahang office of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
“Initial investigations found that the suspect is believed to have committed the offence in 2024 by assisting a construction company and a contractor company in obtaining contracts, approving work contract evaluations, securing work completion certifications, and expediting payment claims.
“The suspect is believed to have received bribes from the companies through money transfers into his personal bank account,” the sources said.
A seven-day remand order, until May 18, against the suspect was issued by Magistrate Tengku Eliana Tuan Kamaruzaman after an application by the MACC at the Kuantan Magistrate’s Court this morning.
Meanwhile, Pahang MACC director Mohd Shukor Mahmud, when contacted, confirmed the arrest and said the case is being investigated under Section 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009. — Bernama
LONDON, May 12 — Prime Minister Keir Starmer defied calls to resign today, telling ministers he would “get on with governing” despite a “destabilising” 48 hours of growing calls to set out a timetable for his departure after an election drubbing.
At a meeting of his cabinet team of ministers, Starmer, in the top job for less than two years, repeated that while he took responsibility for one of his Labour Party’s worst election defeats, there had been no official move to trigger a leadership contest.
“The past 48 hours have been destabilising for government and that has a real economic cost for our country and for families,” Starmer told ministers, according to his Downing Street office.
“The country expects us to get on with governing. That is what I am doing and what we must do as a Cabinet.”
British government bonds rallied weakly on Starmer’s comments, but remained firmly in the red for the day.
His defiance was in marked contrast to the feelings of many in his Labour Party.
Today, a junior minister resigned after a handful of ministerial aides also left the government. More than 80 Labour lawmakers have publicly called for him to set a resignation date so the party could install a new leader in an orderly manner.
Starmer had sought to shore up his position on Monday when he promised to act more boldly and with more urgency to tackle Britain’s many problems.
He had said the country would never forgive the centre-left Labour Party if it embarked on a leadership challenge, just two years after its huge parliamentary majority was supposed to bring an end to the political chaos that had gripped the country since Britain voted to leave the European Union 10 years ago. — Reuters
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