KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 — Malaysia emerged champions of the 2026 Sepak Takraw World Cup team regu event after Thailand withdrew during the highly controversial final at Stadium Titiwangsa here last night.

The result also saw the national squad end Thailand’s dominance of winning the previous three editions of the prestigious tournament.

More than 3,000 supporters who packed Stadium Titiwangsa witnessed the fighting spirit displayed by Ahmad Jais Baharun’s men in their quest for a meaningful title on home ground.

Malaysia fielded a first regu comprising Muhammad Zulkifli Abd Razak, Muhammad Afifuddin Mohd Razali and Aidil Aiman Azwawi to face a stern challenge from Thailand.

The first regu saw the national trio excel in spikes and blocks to hand Malaysia a 15-9, 13-15, 15-11 victory.

However, Malaysia’s second trio of Muhammad Haziq Hairul Nizam, Mohamad Azlan Alias and Farhan Adam failed to match the strength of Thailand’s Kritsanapong Nontakote, Tanapon Sapyen and Wuttinun Kamsanor, going down 6-15, 10-15 to level the overall score at 1-1.

In the deciding match, the national trio of Muhammad Zarif Marican Ibrahim Marican, Hafizul Hayazi Adnan and Amirul Zazwan Amir got off to a positive start after defeating the Thai regu 15-13 in the opening set.

The second set turned dramatic when Thailand stood on the brink of victory while leading 14-13, but the referee awarded a point to Malaysia following a review over claims that a Thai player had stepped beyond the court boundary line.

The decision saw the score tied at 14-14 before the Thai camp staged a walkout in protest against the referee’s decision.

Play was halted for about half an hour before the officiating team confirmed Malaysia’s victory after Thailand refused to continue the match, with the final score recorded as 2-1.

Meanwhile, national sepak takraw team manager Datuk Abu Jimi Samat said the decision was made after the referee found that the Thai player had committed a fault when his foot crossed the court line during a crucial point in the second set of the deciding match.

“The referee’s decision was correct because the Thai player’s foot clearly crossed the line. They had also watched the video earlier,” he told reporters after the match.

However, Abu Jimi acknowledged that the Thailand camp was dissatisfied with the decision before proceeding to protest and refusing to continue the game.

He also questioned the action of the court referee in accepting the challenge from Thailand because, based on his understanding, decisions involving foot faults over the line cannot be challenged.

“Based on my understanding, the challenge should not have been accepted because that decision falls solely under the match referee’s jurisdiction,” he said. — Bernama

PUTRAJAYA, May 21 — Election Commission (EC) chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun has confirmed that no by-elections will be held for the Pandan and Setiawangsa parliamentary seats.

He said the matter was based on Article 54(1) of the Federal Constitution, whereby Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Dr Johari Abdul had informed the EC that there was no necessity to fill the casual vacancies.

“In line with that, no by-election for the P.100 Pandan and P.118 Setiawangsa parliamentary constituencies will be held,” he said in a statement yesterday.

He said the EC received notification from Johari through a letter dated today regarding the status of the two parliamentary seats after they were declared vacant under Article 51 of the Federal Constitution.

On Sunday (May 17), Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, who is also a former PKR deputy president, and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, a former PKR vice-president, announced that they would vacate their parliamentary seats on Monday and leave the party effective Tuesday through letters submitted to the party secretary-general.

They subsequently took over Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama), a small political party based in Penang. — Bernama

SEREMBAN, May 20 — Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun has not ruled out the possibility of the state election being held this year, although the matter is still under consideration.

The Negeri Sembilan Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman said the possibility of holding the election simultaneously with neighbouring states Melaka and Johor would also be looked into.

“The possibility is there (for a state election). In politics, anything is possible. Maybe this year or next year, Insya-Allah.

“We will see when our neighbouring states (Melaka and Johor) hold their elections, and perhaps we can hold them simultaneously. That will be considered,” he told reporters after chairing the state executive council meeting at Wisma Negeri here today.

On the upcoming state legislative assembly sitting, Aminuddin said the state government was currently studying suitable dates as the current assembly term only ends on October 24.

“The state government is looking at a suitable date to convene the sitting... there are about six months left, and at the latest by October 24. If no sitting is held by then, the assembly will dissolve automatically,” he said.

Meanwhile, when asked whether Negeri Sembilan PH would contest solo without Barisan Nasional (BN), he stressed that the decision rested with the central leadership.

He said that although there were strong views within the state PH for the coalition to go solo, the current political landscape could change according to circumstances, and cooperation between parties could still be revived in the future.

In the 15th state election held on August 12, 2023, BN won 14 seats, PH secured 17 seats, while Perikatan Nasional won five seats.

In another development, Aminuddin said he is currently assuming the duties of the state executive councillor for Rural Development, Plantations and Commodities; Agriculture, Food Security and Cost of Living; as well as Education following the vacancy of the BN-held exco positions.

The Youth and Sports portfolio is being overseen by Nicole Tan, while the Heritage and Technology portfolio is being handled by Datuk Noor Zunita Begum Mohd Ibrahim and the Innovation and Digital portfolio by J. Arul Kumar.

Last month, 14 BN assemblymen stated that they had withdrawn their support and had lost confidence in Aminuddin, resulting in four state executive councillor positions held by the coalition becoming vacant. — Bernama

MELAKA, May 17 — The Kota Laksamana state constituency will soon have its own State Legislative Assembly Development and Coordination Committee Complex (Japerun).

Kota Laksamana assemblyman Low Chee Leong said the complex will be built on a 0.83-hectare site in Kota Laksamana Jaya, featuring offices and a multipurpose hall. Construction is expected to take three years.

“The Melaka state government has approved RM6.5 million for this project. The residents have long awaited this. Kota Laksamana has had no proper Japerun building. We have been operating out of a small community hall in Kampung Morten, which is cramped and uncomfortable,” he told reporters.

He spoke after the launching ceremony of the WRUR Programme: Kampung Kita for the Kota Melaka parliamentary constituency, officiated by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh, who also performed a symbolic ground-breaking ceremony for the complex.

Low, who is also deputy exco for Rural Development, Agriculture and Food Security, said the complex will be a one-stop centre for constituency programmes and activities, streamlining all public welfare matters.

On drainage, he said this will be a key focus for the constituency’s future development, given its mix of old and new towns.

“Five flood hotspots have been identified: Pengkalan Rama Pantai, Kota Laksamana, Kampung Enam, Tengkera and Mata Kucing. Between 30 and 100 homes are affected, depending on flood severity,” he said.

He stressed that flash floods must be tackled consistently and seriously, as they threaten not just property, but residents’ safety and health.

Earlier, he noted that over RM10 million has been spent on infrastructure and public facilities in Kota Laksamana from 2003 to last year.

Projects completed or underway include road resurfacing, upgrading streetlights and urban lighting, improving tourism sites and walkways, upgrading flats and drainage systems, as well as public facilities repairs. — Bernama

SEREMBAN, May 15 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today announced a RM5 million allocation for the Malaysian Youth Council (MBM) to strengthen the umbrella body’s role in advancing youth development in the country.

He said the additional RM1 million allocation compared with last year was recognition of MBM’s role as the main driver of the national youth agenda under the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS), while reflecting the government’s continued commitment to supporting youth development programmes.

“MBM is the sole youth association under the KBS. So this year, I agree to increase it to RM5 million… last year it was RM4 million,” he said when officiating the 2026 National Youth Day celebration here.

Also present were Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun and Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari.

Meanwhile, Anwar said the government had also allocated funds under the Islamic Development Programme benefiting 7,091 Kelas Al-Quran dan Fardu Ain (Kafa) teachers, imams, takmir teachers and mosque personnel nationwide, involving a total financial commitment of RM42.3 million.

The Prime Minister said support would also extend to Islamic educational institutions such as pondok schools, tahfiz centres, religious schools and Kafa premises operating outside the supervision of the Education Ministry, with RM5.4 million allocated for maintenance and institutional strengthening.

He said three projects in Negeri Sembilan had been approved by the Prime Minister’s Department Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU), involving RM800,000 in allocations for minor repair works at Maahad Tahfiz Al-Quran Al-Falah Kuala Sawah Rantau, Madrasah Az-Zaakiriin and Pondok Pesantren Darul Tauhid.

In his speech earlier, the Prime Minister also praised Aminuddin’s resilience and determination in navigating the state’s prolonged political challenges while continuing to prioritise the people’s welfare.

Anwar said he appreciated Aminuddin’s steadfast leadership and focus on developing the state despite facing continuous political pressures.

“I salute Menteri Besar Aminuddin for the resilience and spirit he has shown in facing the state’s never-ending political turmoil,” he said. — Bernama

CANNES, May 14 — US filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun’s new horror film, “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma”, was borne ‌of a desire to remake a genre beloved by many despite its troubling aspects, the director told Reuters before its Cannes Film Festival premiere on Wednesday.

Some horror films, including the slasher subgenre popularised by “Halloween”, have been criticised as transphobic because they equate gender nonconformity with mental illness or danger, and use it as a source of shock or fear.

Examples include the characters Norman Bates in “Psycho” or Buffalo Bill in “Silence of the Lambs.”

“I grew up in love with those films, and I don’t think ‌I’m the only trans person who found themselves oddly comforted by these depictions ⁠of the transsexual monster, even while ⁠those depictions are obviously very troubling,” Schoenbrun said.

“(They) ⁠also instilled in me a ⁠deep internalized transphobia that ⁠a huge part of early transition involved getting over,” added the director.

The World of Camp Miasma 

“Teenage Sex and Death,” Schoenbrun’s third feature, was selected ⁠to open the festival’s second-tier Un Certain Regard category.

Hannah Einbinder, from TV series “Hacks”, stars as a screenwriter who visits the mysterious “final girl” actor from the first film in the fictional “Camp Miasma” slasher franchise, played by Gillian Anderson, to bring her on to a new reboot.

Their relationship quickly deepens into ⁠an exploration of sex and body image as they sense that the “Camp Miasma” killer, Little Death, has started to awaken again at ⁠the bottom of the campside lake, in a blending of reality and fiction.

Einbinder ⁠said she ⁠related to the film’s themes of liberation from shame and embracing desire, and how difficult it can be to feel out of place in one’s own body, ‌especially in sexual situations.

“I think everybody experiences that, and it’s really not often talked about, especially in the context of a sapphic relationship,” she said. — Reuters 

MADRID, May 14 — Real Madrid officially started their electoral process today, after president Florentino Perez announced his decision to call elections, in which he will stand.

There is a 10-day window, until May 23, for the submission of candidacies, Madrid said in a statement.

Among the requirements to be a candidate are having been a club member for 20 years and providing a guarantee of 187 million euros (US$219m), equivalent to 15 per cent of the club’s annual budget, which must be backed by personal assets.

Perez, who was re-elected unopposed in January 2025 for a four-year term, announced at a press conference on Tuesday that he will run again.

Spanish media report Enrique Riquelme, the president of the water and energy group Cox, is considering entering the race.

In a letter published by several outlets in Spain, the renewable energy businessman asked Perez for more time to potentially prepare a candidacy.

”When I ran in the 2000 elections, I didn’t ask for more time; I ran and I won,” said Perez in an interview on television channel La Sexta yesterday. 

If multiple candidates stand the electoral board will announce the date and place of the elections in due course.

If no one else comes forward, Perez, 79, would retain his post, as happened in the 2013, 2017, 2021 and 2025 elections.

The Spanish businessman was first elected as Madrid president in 2000, overseeing the club’s Galactico era, and resigned in 2006.

Since Perez returned in 2009, Madrid have won five Spanish league titles and a remarkable six European cups, among other silverware. — AFP