WHAT does war escalation in the Middle East mean for global governance? The Israel-US attacks on Iran since Feb 28 have profound implications for the global governance order.

AS THE Madani government approaches the fifth year of its term, there has been talk of when the 16th General Election (GE16) will be held. One post that has gone viral on social media claims that GE16 will be held in October 2026, with Nomination Day on Oct 10, and polling day on Oct 24. Verdict:FALSEThe EC has come out to deny any claims that GE16 will happen in October, saying that the viral post is fake news. "Avoid spreading misleading content, incorrect context, ambiguous content sources and manipulated or fabricated content and images," the EC said on its official social media channels. The EC also said its official website is https://spr.gov.my and its social media channels are https://www.facebook.com/@sprgovmy, https://www.instagram.com/sprgovmy/?hl=en and https://x.com/sprgovmy.

PETALING JAYA: Youngster Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan is showing steady improvement and growing maturity in both women and mixed doubles since moving up to the senior squad. The 19-year-old came close to adding another title with Loo Bing Kun at last week’s Singapore International Series but fell to Indonesia’s Muhammad Al Farizi–Jessica Rismawardani in the final. For Noraqilah, competing at the Asia Team Championships in Qiangdao, China last month offered valuable experience, particularly against more senior and seasoned players. We just focus on playing our game,” said Noraqilah, who won the Swedish Open with Bing Kun in January. Noraqilah said she did not partner Zi Yu in the two Singapore tournaments, as Zi Yu was scheduled to compete in two European junior events – the Dutch and German Junior Internationals.

KUALA LUMPUR: Stadium Nasional and Stadium Putra in Bukit Jalil will be rebranded as TM Stadium Nasional and Unifi Arena. Stadium Malaysia Corporation (PSM) in a statement on Friday (March 13) announced the decision was made after it entered into a naming rights partnership with Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) effective March 6, 2026 for a period of three years. "As the country's largest sports and entertainment venues, the National Stadium and Putra Stadium are not just venues for events. "This naming rights collaboration is an initiative by PSM to strengthen the sustainability and long-term development of these venues. "The National Stadium and Putra Stadium have long been places where Malaysians gather to show support, celebrate successes and witness historic moments.

PETALING JAYA: Men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi has expressed his displeasure over the decision made by Choong Hon Jian-Mohd Haikal Nazri to withdraw from the Swiss Open this week. As a result, Herry told them to handle the withdrawal process themselves with the management of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM). Haikal was the one who wanted to pull out because he didn’t want to play in the Swiss. Herry also stressed that if players are unwilling to follow his guidance, he does not want to waste time as there are many other men’s doubles pairs who require his attention. Earlier, apart from Hon Jian-Haikal, other men’s doubles pairs who also withdrew from the Swiss Open this week were Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, Teo Ee Yi-Ong Yew Sin, as well as Chia Weijie-Lwi Sheng Hao.

SEREMBAN: Malaysia has described Israel's move to close the Al-Aqsa Mosque as immoral and extremely heinous, saying it prevents Muslims from performing prayers at one of Islam's holiest sites. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the action took place while Palestinians continued to face violence, including the killing of innocent women, children and civilians. "In this month of Ramadan, they (Israel) have taken another heinous action by closing the Al-Aqsa Mosque to Palestinians who wish to perform their prayers. This is an immoral and most heinous act, as it prevents Muslims from accessing a place of worship. Mohamad said Israel should immediately reopen the Al-Aqsa Mosque to allow Muslims, particularly Palestinians, to perform their prayers, including the obligatory prayers, tarawih and the upcoming Aidilfitri prayers.

SHAH ALAM (March 13): Compliance with the installation of speed limitation devices (SLD) among owners and operators of commercial vehicles in the country remains low, Road Transport Department (JPJ) director general Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli said. He said as of Thursday, out of the total 513,679 commercial vehicles required to install the device, only 15% or 74,552 vehicles have notified JPJ of their SLD installation. To strengthen compliance with this requirement, JPJ has also conducted a Special SLD Enforcement Operation from Oct 1, 2025 until March 12, 2026. Aedy Fadly said in conjunction with the two-week Ops Hari Raya Aidilfitri beginning Friday, enforcement personnel have been instructed to conduct inspections of SLD verification certificates for buses and commercial vehicles, in addition to other routine checks. Meanwhile, Aedy Fadly said this year’s Ops Hari Raya Aidilfitri will focus on nine major offences identified as key contributors to road accidents.

SHAH ALAM (March 13): The Selangor state government is making efforts to complete the Pulau Carey Port Development Master Plan, following the Cabinet's decision to approve the development of a third port in the state on Wednesday. Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said for this purpose, the Selangor State Economic Planning Unit (UPEN), together with the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS), which is a subsidiary of the state government, will lead the development. "This Master Plan will cover various aspects, including public infrastructure such as utilities, renewable energy, public transportation, digital connectivity, industrial areas, housing, industrial areas, as well as the preservation of local communities, including Malay reserve land and Orang Asli areas in Pulau Carey. On Wednesday, Loke said the government had approved the development project for the third terminal at Port Klang in Pulau Carey. The Cabinet meeting also approved the memorandum from the MOT for the development of the project, which will be implemented by the Selangor state government.

BATU PAHAT (March 13): Highway users are encouraged to use the latest application developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM), TuJu, in conjunction with Aidilfitri celebrations next week, as an alternative to avoid congestion. He said TuJu was developed to enhance safety, route efficiency and comfort for users, and is integrated with 33 CCTV cameras owned by LLM, allowing users to access real-time highway conditions. “Through these objectives, TuJu serves as an alternative initiative which combines technology and safety to ensure a smoother, faster and safer travel experience,” he said. Ahmad said the application can be downloaded via Google Play Store and Apple App Store, enabling motorists to plan their travel time accordingly, to avoid being stuck for hours before reaching their destination. “This application will greatly facilitate highway users, as they can plan when to leave home and make the necessary travel arrangements,” he said.

“Singapore announced that the retirement age will be raised to 64 and re-employment age to 69. “Raising retirement age should be linked to healthy ageing, lifelong learning and job redesign,” he said. “There may also be concerns about youth employment, but in reality, economic growth and job creation matter more than retirement age alone,” he said. “Generally, most countries are raising the retirement age, not just Singapore, whether develo­ping or developed countries. Cheah said retaining older workers allows companies to benefit from their experience and expertise, particularly as new technologies like AI reshape workplaces.

A 37-year-old man was killed after being trapped inside a burning tent storage shed in Kampung Pelubang here today. - Pic courtesy of Fire and Rescue DeptJITRA: A 37-year-old man was killed after being trapped inside a burning tent storage shed in Kampung Pelubang here today. The firefighters arrived at the scene at 6.03 pm and found that the shed was almost 70 per cent burnt. "Based on initial information from members of the public, the victim was believed to have been trapped in the shed when the fire broke out," he said in a statement. He said the victim, who was badly burned, reportedly managed to get out but collapsed and was later confirmed dead by Health Ministry staff at the scene.

(March 13): Aluminium fell from its highest since 2022, and other metals declined, as mounting concerns over the economic consequences of a prolonged Middle East war dominated sentiment across markets. Aluminium slipped as much as 2.1% on the London Metal Exchange (LME), after climbing roughly 4% over the previous three sessions. Metals including copper have fallen since the war broke out, but aluminium has gained given the Middle East hosts about a tenth of global production. Industrial disruptions remain widespread at facilities throughout the Middle East, and commodity shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have all but halted. Such disruptions have sent traders rushing to withdraw metal from warehouses, and premiums for immediately available physical metal have jumped.

MISSED what happened today? Here's a glimpse at what happened throughout the country in photographs. KUALA LUMPUR: Participants and artists perform a dance as part of the gimmick launch of KL Festival, called Jogeton, a mass joget celebration during the launch of KL Festival 2026 at The Grey Box. - NSTP/NUR LIYANA MOHD NOORZALLYKUALA LUMPUR: People choose various home decorations for Hari Raya Aidilfitri at Taman Bukit Maluri. - NSTP/NABILA ADLINA AZAHARIPUTRAJAYA: Congregants perform Friday prayers and special prayers (Solat Hajat) for global peace, led by Imam Abdul Karim Zakaria at Putra Mosque.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 13): Eco World Development Bhd (KL:ECOWLD) has teamed up with Johor Corp Bhd's real estate arm JLand Group (JLG) to undertake two projects in Johor and a residential development in Australia. The projects in Johor comprise a mixed-use development spanning 8.44 acres in Larkin, and an industrial park in Kulai. The Kulai project will be an industrial park located within the Ibrahim Technopolis township and takes up 316 acres. Meanwhile, the Australian project comprises residential apartments on 2,751 square metres of land in Macquarie Park, Sydney. It involves the acquisition of the land owner, Eco World (Macquarie) Pty Ltd, for A$32 million (RM88.8 million) from Fortune Quest Group Ltd.Fortune Quest is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EWI Capital Bhd (KL:EWICAP), formerly known as Eco World International Bhd.

⁠With this new plan, Canada is taking full ⁠responsibility for defending our Arctic sovereignty," Carney said. "The assumptions that shaped decades of Canadian defense and security are being upended," he said on ⁠Thursday. In 2022, Ottawa announced a C$38.6 billion plan to modernize its defenses and the joint North American Aerospace Defense Command that Canada operates with the United States. Canada has four rudimentary Arctic airfields that can accommodate six fighters each, and around ⁠2,000 soldiers dotted around the region. Canada's Arctic region comprises approximately 25% of the global Arctic.