President seemed to suggest that legislative deadline to approve war no longer applies as Democrats push back
Donald Trump said in a letter sent to congressional leaders on Friday that hostilities with Iran have “terminated”, suggesting that the 60-day deadline to seek approval from the legislative branch no longer applied.
Friday marks 60 days since the US president notified members of Congress that the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on 28 February. Under the War Powers Act of 1973, the president can deploy troops to respond to an “imminent threat” but must receive congressional approval within 60 days to continue military operations.
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© Photograph: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images
© Photograph: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images
© Photograph: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images
KUALA LUMPUR, May 1 — Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the growing number of SPM graduates opting for TVET shows the vocational route is gaining prominence and should be recognised as a central part of the country’s education landscape.
He said it is time for TVET to be positioned as a mainstream education route that carries equal standing with academic pathways.
“Data also shows that more than half of SPM graduates are now choosing the TVET pathway. This indicates that TVET is no longer a second choice, but is becoming a primary choice.
“A developed nation is built on skilled manpower that drives industry and economic growth. It is time to elevate TVET as a respected, high value and prestigious educational pathway,” he said in his concluding remarks at the Umno education congress here today.
Zahid, who is also the deputy prime minister, said that he is committed to advancing the TVET agenda, noting that the sector has demonstrated employability rates exceeding 98 per cent, with some institutions achieving up to 99 per cent.
He said education must go beyond producing workers but also build citizens who understand history, respect the Constitution, uphold the institutions of the Malay Rulers, and preserve national identity.
“We want a generation with a global mindset but firmly rooted in national identity.
“We do not want a generation that is technologically literate but historically ignorant,” he added.
KUALA LUMPUR, May 1 — Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has called for Islamic religious education and moral‑values development to be strengthened within Malaysia’s mainstream schooling system, stressing that both should not be treated as peripheral streams.
He said the party backs the creation of a National Tahfiz Council to coordinate and elevate Islamic and tahfiz education nationwide, adding that he will take the proposal to the Cabinet for approval.
“We support the proposal to establish a National Tahfiz Council, and I will bring this matter to the Cabinet for approval.
“Our goal is to produce Huffaz who are not only memorisers of the Quran, but also professionals, engineers, doctors, technocrats, entrepreneurs, and leaders,” he said in his concluding remarks at the Umno education congress here today.
Zahid, who is also the deputy prime minister, added that he aspired to see future national leaders, including a prime minister, who are Hafiz of the Quran. A Hafiz is a person who has memorised the entire Quran.
He then said this ambition should be embedded within a structured national education agenda.
He also stressed the importance of building what he described as a “knowledge society” that not only values learning but also uses it to shape national development.
“In this context, education must build human beings, the complete and balanced human person.
“Knowledge without values will produce individuals who are intelligent but not wise, capable but not civilised,” he said.
He then went on to say that education must therefore return to its core purpose of developing character, ethics, discipline, patriotism and respect for parents.
He further proposed that ethics and character education be made a compulsory subject at all levels of schooling.
“An educated society must also be a society with strong moral values. Knowledge without ethics creates emptiness,” he said.
Here's the thing with photography: you can take a mundane photo and think, 'Why did I take that?' But years later, that same photo is a fascinating artifact from a bygone era.
KUALA LUMPUR, May 1 — Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir said educational gaps begin long before students enter university, calling for a holistic overhaul of Bumiputera education.
Speaking at the Umno Bumiputera Education Congress, Zambry said gaps in education are shaped early in life by factors such as access to quality schooling, conducive learning environments, family support, reading culture, language proficiency, nutrition, and broader social support systems.
“If these foundations are weak, it becomes difficult to build a generation capable of competing at higher levels,” he said.
He added that Bumiputera education must be approached in a comprehensive manner, spanning early childhood education, formal schooling, skills training, higher education, and a culture of lifelong learning.
Zambry said the goal should go beyond increasing university admissions, noting that the focus must instead be on developing well-rounded individuals equipped with knowledge and skills.
“We do not merely seek to produce university admission statistics. We aim to nurture a generation that possesses knowledge, skills, creativity, confidence, and strong moral values and character.
“The future of a nation is not built solely in lecture halls, but from homes, schools and a societal ecosystem that values knowledge,” he added.
He said the congress is aimed at strengthening Bumiputera education through a coordinated and integrated strategy built on three key pillars: a clear long-term framework, more responsive policy reform and implementation, and strong political will to ensure proposals are translated into concrete action.
He added that the discussions bring together key figures from across the education landscape, including former education and higher education ministers, as well as academics, policymakers and industry players.
“This collaboration is crucial to ensure that proposals are not only theoretically sound, but also practical and implementable,” he said.
He said the congress will also focus on translating broad ideas into systematic, impactful and sustainable policies, with the aim of positioning Bumiputera communities as competitive and progressive contributors at both national and global levels.
Among the key areas of focus are the review of Bumiputera education policies, mainstreaming Tahfiz education, strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), early childhood education, education endowment, and the future direction of national education.
Zambry said the outcomes of the congress will be compiled into a set of resolutions to be submitted to Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also deputy prime minister, as part of the national agenda, including under the National Education Council.
He also expressed hope that the resolutions would not remain documents on paper, but instead form the basis for “bold, concrete and effective” national action.
VANCOUVER, May 1 — Fifa President Gianni Infantino reiterated that Iran will play their World Cup games in the United States as scheduled, as football’s power-brokers met in Vancouver yesterday.
Iran’s participation at this year’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States has been shrouded in uncertainty since the eruption of war in the Middle East in February following strikes by the United States and Israel.
Infantino, who has repeatedly stated that Iran will be at the World Cup, underscored that stance at the start of his address to delegates as Fifa’s 76th Congress got underway in western Canada.
“Let me start by the outset, confirming straightaway that of course Iran will be participating at the Fifa World Cup 2026,” Infantino said. “And of course, Iran will play (in) the United States of America.”
Infantino’s remarks drew swift support from close ally US President Donald Trump, who told reporters in the Oval Office he was “OK” with Iran’s participation.
“Well, if Gianni said it, I’m OK,” Trump said. “I think let ‘em play.”
Iranian officials had floated the idea of shifting their group games from the United States to Mexico, but that proposal had already been nixed by Infantino.
In a further twist last week, Italy-born US special envoy Paolo Zampolli was reported to have floated the idea of Italy taking Iran’s World Cup place.
The US government later distanced themselves from that proposal, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Iran’s footballers would be welcome.
But the tension surrounding Iran’s World Cup participation rumbled into the build-up to Thursday’s summit.
Iran’s delegation was the only absentee from the 211-member congress as Thursday’s meeting got under way after a clash with Canadian border officials earlier this week.
Officials from the Iranian football federation (FFIRI) abruptly left Canada after landing in Toronto, abandoning their onward trip to Vancouver.
Iranian media said FFIRI president Mehdi Taj—a former member of Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — and two colleagues flew home after being “insulted” by Canadian immigration officers.
Canada, which designated the IRGC a terrorist organization in 2024, said Wednesday that individuals linked to the force were “inadmissible.”
Iran, who are due to be based in Tucson, Arizona, during the World Cup, face New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in Group G.
The Iranians open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.
Infantino election boost
Fifa supremo Infantino went into yesterday’s summit with his organization under fire over skyrocketing ticket costs for the World Cup, which one supporters group has branded a “monumental betrayal” of fans.
Infantino brushed off those criticisms in his address, insisting that all revenues from the World Cup—estimated between US$11 and US$13 billion—would be pumped back into football development.
“There are expensive tickets, yes, (but) there are also affordable tickets,” Infantino said. “And what is important is that all the revenues that we generate from the world go back to the entire world and finance football in all of your countries.”
Infantino’s close ties to US President Trump have also come under scrutiny.
Advocacy group Fairsquare filed a formal complaint in December arguing that Infantino had breached FIFA rules concerning political neutrality by awarding Trump the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize” during last year’s World Cup draw.
However Infantino received a huge boost to his hopes of securing re-election as the head of world football yesterday after receiving pledges of support from the African and Asian regional confederations.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have both said they will back Infantino if, as expected, he stands for a fourth term in 2027.
The African and Asian confederations account for 101 votes in FIFA’s presidential election out of a total of 211.
Infantino has already secured support for re-election from South American football’s ruling body CONMEBOL, which is worth a further 10 votes. — AFP
US president faced a 60-day deadline on Friday to end the Iran war or make the case to Congress for extending it
A US-Iran ceasefire that began in early April has “terminated” hostilities between the two sides for the purposes of an approaching congressional war powers deadline, a senior official of the Trump administration said on Thursday.
Donald Trump faced a deadline on Friday to end the Iran war or make the case to Congress for extending it, but the date was most likely to pass without altering the course of the war.
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© Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
© Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
© Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Republican-controlled House approved bipartisan measure to fund much of DHS, including Secret Service and TSA
The US House of Representatives has voted to fund much of the Department of Homeland Security – excluding immigration enforcement operations – and end the longest government agency shutdown in history.
The deal struck on Thursday aims to draw a line under a 75-day impasse that had threatened airport chaos and exposed fresh strains within the Republican party.
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© Photograph: Andrés Kudacki/Getty Images
© Photograph: Andrés Kudacki/Getty Images
© Photograph: Andrés Kudacki/Getty Images
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