WASHINGTON, June 12 — Rarely a week goes by without US President Donald Trump lavishing praise on the bodies of men he meets — fawning over “the muscles on this guy,” or an athlete’s “tree trunk” legs, or a UFC fighter who is “too good looking” to be in the ring.

While the remarks have sparked much online commentary about Trump’s sexuality, some experts link the president’s fascination with attractive men to his broader glorification of virility.

That trend has been further illustrated by his decision to host an MMA competition — a particularly brutal sport with scantily clad, musclebound men — at the White House for his 80th birthday on Sunday.

“It’s almost like he is trying to reach for this glorified manhood that he cannot embody anymore,” said Sabrina Karim, a political science professor at Cornell University.

“He is getting older so he cannot help but having this sense of loss,” she told AFP.

‘Touch his leg’ 

During a recent Coast Guard graduation, Trump invited onto stage “the only cadet who earned a perfect score on every single fitness test.”

As the cadet made his way to the stage, Trump remarked: “I want to check him out! Woah! Look at the muscles on this guy!”

While on a trip to Wisconsin, the president met Olympic speed skating champion Jordan Stolz, after which Trump lamented forgetting to touch his leg.

He’s also described a naval cadet’s arm “like steel” and called Jaxson Dart, quarterback for the New York Giants football team, a “beautiful guy” with “legs like tree trunks.”

Trump also sizes up foreign leaders, noting the good looks of Paraguayan President Santiago Pena and Syria’s Ahmad al-Chareh.

During the 2024 campaign, the billionaire raised eyebrows with his riff on golf icon Arnold Palmer’s manhood: “When he took showers with the other pros, they came out there, they said, ‘Oh my God, that’s unbelievable.’”

Gay magazine The Advocate recently noted that “Donald Trump loves a beautiful man,” adding that his UFC birthday party will be “the most elaborately homoerotic spectacle in the history of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”

A viral lip-sync parody video by Bransen Gates (@Branhattan on Instagram) of Trump’s comments about men has racked up over a million likes.

“I’ll kiss every guy, man and woman, look at that guy, how handsome he is. Not — not with a lot of enjoyment but that’s OK,” the excerpt goes.

‘The irony is rich’ 

The president has even borrowed his favourite song to close rallies with — the Village People’s YMCA — from the gay community.

“The irony is rich” for an administration that has “worked tirelessly” to signal in every way “that gay men are not welcome in this America. Because DEI,” the Advocate article noted.

“In the US, presidential elections have always been masculinity contests,” Dan Cassino, a professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, told AFP.

“Trump took that subtext, and made it text, and that lack of subtlety has been his strength.”

As a former beauty pageant organiser, the president also notoriously comments on women’s looks, once causing a diplomatic stir by praising Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

He has also repeatedly attacked the appearance of White House reporters, calling a New York Times journalist who wrote about his health “ugly,” and reproaching a CNN anchor for not smiling.

That’s part of Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) playbook, Cassino said — to mobilise young men who turned out in large numbers for him in 2024.

“First, you have to denigrate women, to show that they don’t have the traits that men do,” Cassino said.

“Second, you have to highlight men who do have these traits. For the most revanchist, retrograde men, MMA fighters are a good example of the kinds of traits men should have: young, muscular, strong and willing to use violence.”

And it’s all connected to Trump’s self-image, Cassino said.

“These men look like the AI slop pictures that Trump posts of himself on his social media feeds,” he said.

“The message is clear: This is what men are like, and that’s why they should be in charge.” — AFP

When the bloodthirsty Atlácatl battalion of the Salvadoran army massacred Jesuit Ignacio Ellacuría and seven others on the campus of the Central American University (UCA) in San Salvador on November 16, 1989, the news exploded like a bomb on the clandestine frequency of Radio Venceremos, the military command’s nightmare: “The assassination confirms that the regime has collapsed,” declared the station of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN). That insurgent echo, which set the tone for a decade of war, became a voice of information and agitation, but it fell silent for decades. Until now, when it has been revived in a podcast that not only recounts its history but also confronts the historical revisionism of Nayib Bukele, the president intent on erasing the scars of the civil conflict that bled the Central American country.

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KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — All parties, including the director-general of the Community Communications Department (JKOM), Mohd Hisyamuddin Ghazali, should avoid using inappropriate language when issuing statements, the Communications Ministry said.

Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching also urged all parties to steer clear of remarks touching on race, religion and royalty (3R) issues at all times, Harian Metro reported today.

“I think he has only just been appointed, but my advice is to avoid using inappropriate language and to avoid 3R issues not only during campaigns but at all times,” she told reporters after delivering the keynote address at the programme Balancing Virality and Responsibility: Journalism Amid Speed, Trust and Impact — An Industry Dialogue here today.

She said such an approach was necessary and strongly encouraged.

Nie Ching was responding to criticism against Hisyamuddin, also known as Syam Ghaz, particularly over the language used in his public statements following his appointment.

She also said she had not yet met the J-KOM chief, and was unsure whether Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil had done so.

“I haven’t met him. I’m not sure whether Datuk Fahmi, the communications minister, has met him or not, as it was the weekend. I spent the weekend in Johor, so I have not met him,” she said.

Syam Ghaz, who was appointed on June 8, has faced criticism after a social media post on Saturday that was described by some as racist.

He has denied making racist remarks against the Chinese community, saying the phrase “Cina sesat” was directed at two individuals and had been misinterpreted.

In a video recording last night, Syam Ghaz said the Facebook post was meant as a response to former BN strategic communications director Eric See-To and whistleblower Albert Tei.

He said the post clearly named Lim Sian See and Albert Tei, and was not directed at any other parties.

Previously, it was reported that Syam Ghaz replaced Datuk Ismail Yusop, who ended his service earlier this month after more than a year leading the department.

PUTRAJAYA, June 15 — The recovery of global oil supplies is expected to take time despite a peace deal between the United States and Iran, following infrastructure damage and disruptions to strategic trade routes caused by the conflict.

Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said the ongoing global geopolitical crisis has significantly impacted the national economy, particularly regarding oil supplies, adding that any positive developments towards peace are highly anticipated.

However, he noted that the impact on the oil market and the global economy would not be immediate, as the recovery process requires time.

“If it is true that a peace deal can be reached, its impact may take time because of the process of clearing routes in the Strait of Hormuz and repairing infrastructure damaged during the war. So, it will take time to fully recover,” he told reporters after the Ministry of Economy’s monthly gathering today.

He was asked to comment on recent developments regarding the peace agreement reached between the United States and Iran.

He said the Strait of Hormuz is a vital route for global oil trade, and any disruption in the area carries implications for energy costs and inflationary pressures in many countries, including Malaysia.

Consequently, he said the Economy Ministry would continue to monitor developments and maintain mitigation measures to ease economic pressures, including through the National Economic Action Council (MTEN).

“At the Ministry of Economy level, we remain committed to exploring the roles we can play to ease the ongoing pressures until the situation provides a clearer picture that this crisis has truly ended,’ he said.

It was reported today that the United States and Iran have reached a peace agreement, calling for an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations across all conflict zones, including Lebanon, which directly signals the end of a conflict in West Asia that has dragged on for more than three months. — Bernama

This live blog is now closed. For the latest, read more of our coverage on the Middle East conflict here.

Iranian media is reporting that there were no immediate casualties following apparent Israeli strikes on the Karun petrochemical plant in Mahshahr, a city in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province.

According to the Fars news agency, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they responded to what they described as an American-Israeli strike on the Iranian petrochemical site by launching a missile attack on a similar plant in the northern Israeli city of Haifa.

Australia has secured three shipments of jet fuel from China totalling 600,000 barrels, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday, doubling the national supply.

The Middle East conflict and closure of the Strait of Hormuz have caused fuel prices to soar and left many Asia-Pacific nations facing an energy crisis.

Tourism and freight exports in the island continent are reliant on air travel, a sector heavily impacted by the climbing prices.

The jet fuel shipments are expected to arrive in June and follow talks between Albanese and Chinese Premier Li Qiang on energy security last month.

China supplied a third of Australia’s aviation fuel last year and is a major importer of Australian iron ore, coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Canberra has highlighted to Beijing that jet fuel supports the Australian resources sector, officials said.

See also: Australia foreign minister says China agrees to collaborate on jet fuel exports

Australia’s Trade Minister Don Farrell is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao in Suzhou this week on the sidelines of an APEC trade ministers meeting in the Chinese city.

Trade between Australia and China reached Au$326 billion (US$233 billion) last year, dominated by Australian commodities exports.

Farrell is expected to arrive in Tokyo on Tuesday to discuss energy security and trade.

Japan is another major buyer of Australian LNG and coal.

Australia said this month it will reserve the equivalent of 20 percent of gas exports for the domestic market to avoid supply shortfalls.

KUALA PILAH, June 5 — The Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir today performed Friday prayers at Masjid Kariah Gunung Pasir in Seri Menanti.

His Royal Highness was accompanied by his sons, Tunku Besar of Seri Menanti Tunku Ali Redhauddin and Tunku Zain Al-’Abidin.

The prayers were led by Masjid Kariah Gunung Pasir's Imam 1, Wan Muhammad Saifuddin Wan Salim.

After the prayers, Tuanku Muhriz attended a luncheon with more than 500 members of the public at Luak Tanah Mengandung. — Bernama

MADRID, June 10 — Real Madrid said yesterday that Atletico Madrid had rejected the club’s offer of 150 million euros (US$173 million) for Argentine forward Julian Alvarez.

“After reviewing and evaluating the offer, Club Atletico de Madrid has expressed its gratitude for the proposal... and has rejected it,” Real Madrid said in a statement.

A World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022 and formerly of Manchester City, the 26-year-old Alvarez joined Atletico in 2024. He is under contract until June 2030, with a release clause estimated at 500 million euros.

Included in Argentina’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, Alvarez scored eight goals last season in La Liga and 10 in the Champions League, where Atletico were eliminated in the semi-finals by Arsenal.

“After studying and evaluating it, Atletico de Madrid thanked the club for the offer made, in keeping with the good relations between our two clubs, but rejected it,” Real Madrid said in a statement.

Atletico Madrid scoffed at the Real statement.

“You may have confused politeness with gratitude, but to be clear: we don’t thank you for anything. We neither studied nor considered any offer for Julian. You make us laugh even more than Barcelona do,” Atletico said in reply to Real in a social media post.

Re-elected on Sunday as Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez had promised during his election campaign that he would make a big-name signing.

Spanish media had reported that the target was Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise.

But the German club said they would not be selling their French international.

“If Florentino Perez wants to send us an offer, which has not happened so far, he can save himself the trouble,” said Bayern president Herbert Hainer. — AFP

KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 — Jason Mraz will return to Malaysia for his first concert in seven years as part of his Asia Tour 2026, organisers announced today.

Zues Event said in a press statement that the Grammy‑winning singer‑songwriter will perform at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil on October 31.

Zues Event Sdn Bhd director Jeffery Chin said, “We are continuing the momentum from our recent K-pop concert with a different kind of connection and energy.”

He added that “many Malaysians grew up listening to Jason Mraz, and his music carries positivity, emotion and authenticity that still resonates strongly today,” noting that the show “promises sparks and drone-lit skies.”

Mraz, best known for his diamond‑certified hit I’m Yours, will bring a setlist of fan favourites and newer material to the Kuala Lumpur stop of his tour.

His discography includes global hits such as I Won’t Give Up, Lucky (with Colbie Caillat), Have It All, I Feel Like Dancing and The Remedy (I Won’t Worry), alongside nine studio albums released since his early days as a busker and coffeehouse performer.

Jason Mraz (centre) with his touring band mates. — Picture by Shervin Lainez

The press statement highlighted his work across music, theatre and television, including his role in the Broadway musical Waitress, his executive producer credit on the documentary The Opener, and his runner‑up finish on Dancing with the Stars Season 32.

It also noted his humanitarian efforts through the Jason Mraz Foundation, which supports inclusive arts education and equality‑focused programmes.

Tickets will go on sale at etix.my on June 11 from 10.50am, priced between RM158 and RM688 depending on category, with all seats ticketed.

Zues Event encouraged fans to follow its social media channels for updates. 

Tickets are priced between RM158 and RM688 depending on category, with all seats ticketed. — Picture courtesy of Zues Event