Event: Najib

A network linked to the leadership of a militia accused of genocide has amassed a vast property portfolio in Dubai as part of a sprawling “paramilitary-industrial complex” across Africa and the Middle East, an investigation has revealed.Family members, sanctioned individuals, and entities linked to the leader of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, have acquired more than 20 luxury properties, worth £17.7m, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to the Sentry, a US investigative group.Sudan’s ruinous war between the RSF and the Sudanese armed forces has caused the world’s largest humanitarian crisis with 33 million of the country’s 50 million population requiring aid, and at least 19 million facing acute hunger.The Sentry’s findings revealed the (UAE) provides a “safe haven” for the RSF leadership’s family and wealth, much of which is believed to come from gold smuggled out of Sudan.Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (centre, waving a baton), known as Hemedti, the leader of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces. Photograph: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty ImagesHemedti seized control of Darfur’s largest goldmine in 2017, with exports enabling him and his family to accumulate significant assets.A network of firms based in the UAE has allowed the RSF leadership to turn smuggled gold into hard currency, with Dubai a major hub for the precious metal, which is trading at near record highs.Nick Donovan, senior investigator at the Sentry, said: “In addition to arming the militia, the UAE allows the RSF to base part of its paramilitary-industrial complex in Dubai.“Our investigation shows the Dagalo family has also found a safe haven for its wealth in the Emirates.”The Gulf state – the RSF’s chief foreign backer – is widely accused of supporting the militia with weapons and mercenaries, something it denies.Analysis by the Sentry of leaked real estate records revealed that properties owned by…

Hundreds of women and children and dozens of doctors among those detained by the rebel group in poor conditions, says Sudan Doctors Network.Thousands of people remain detained in poor conditions by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in el-Fasher in western Sudan, according to a local NGO.The Sudan Doctors Network said on Monday that 20 doctors, more than 1,470 civilians, and 907 military personnel are being held in “dire” conditions in multiple detention facilities in the city.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Sudan power crisis: Studying using candles, counting gas station tripslist 2 of 4Sudan’s Prime Minister: This is the path out of the horrors of warlist 3 of 4Sudan refugees returning home face new ‘struggle for survival’: UNlist 4 of 4War and neglect fuel deadly measles epidemic in Sudan’s Darfurend of listThe paramilitary group the RSF has been accused of numerous crimes against humanity during the conflict in the West African nation that has now marked its third anniversary.Until it fell to the RSF in late October, el-Fasher was the last stronghold of Sudan’s army in the sprawling western region of Darfur.The RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have been fighting a vicious civil war since April 2023, which has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions to create the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis”, according to the United Nations.The NGO said in a statement that the RSF is reportedly committing “severe violations” inside the detention centres in el-Fasher, “including killings during torture and interrogation, as well as ethnically motivated killings”.The group reports that 370 women and 426 children are among those held in facilities including Shalla Prison, a children’s hospital, and cargo containers.The network warned that the captives “are subjected to grave abuses, including field executions” and suffering from injuries caused by shelling without receiving medical…

The withdrawal of ‌appeal for home detention would mark yet another setback for Najib, ​after he was jailed a further 15 years and fined $2.8 billion for abuse of power and ⁠money laundering in December following the biggest trial yet involving the ⁠1MDB sagaUpdated - April 27, 2026 11:02 am IST - KUALA LUMPUR Malaysian former Prime Minister Najib Razak, centre, is escorted by prison officers on his arrival at the Kuala Lumpur High Court complex in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 30, 2024. | Photo Credit: AP Published - April 27, 2026 10:39 am IST

Malaysian immigration authorities say they have uncovered an Indonesian migrant-smuggling syndicate that moved people from sea crossings to a more elaborate route through Singapore and southern Thailand.The raid, carried out before dawn on Saturday at two major transport terminals in Kuala Lumpur, led to the arrest of 11 Indonesians, including a suspected transporter, and the seizure of a Mazda CX-5 believed to have been used to move migrants to their next stop.Immigration director general Zakaria Shaaban said officers had tracked a group of Indonesian nationals arriving in Klang Valley – where the Greater Kuala Lumpur region is located – from Kelantan by express bus after they were believed to have been smuggled into Malaysia through illegal routes along the Thai border.“Officers tracked the arrival of a group of Indonesian nationals travelling to the Klang Valley from Kelantan via express buses,” Zakaria said, according to the department’s statement.At Terminal Bersepadu Gombak, on the northern fringe of Kuala Lumpur, officers detained two Indonesian men and two women, along with an Indonesian man believed to have acted as a transporter handling their movement and logistics around the capital.Meanwhile, across the city at Terminal Bersepadu Selatan, another three Indonesian men and three women believed to be linked to the same syndicate were detained.

Akio Fujimoto’s film follows two siblings (Muhammad Shofik Rias Uddin, left, and Shomira Rias Uddin) who maintain a sense of play through a perilous journey. | © 2025 E.x.N K.K. Akio Fujimoto’s three feature films all feature Southeast Asian protagonists. In “Passage of Life” (2017), a Burmese family wants to stay in Japan, but the father can’t get a refugee visa. In “Along the Sea” (2020), three Vietnamese women working in rural Japan deal with everything from an abusive boss to illness without any kind of safety net.His latest and most ambitious film, “Lost Land,” is set in Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia and was filmed with nonprofessional actors belonging to the Rohingya community. Though living in Myanmar for generations, over one million Rohingya people were forced to flee, mostly to neighboring Bangladesh, after a crackdown by Myanmar's military rulers in 2017.Scripted by Fujimoto, the film plays like an observational documentary, with largely improvised dialogue and no narration or music. The handheld camerawork of cinematographer Yoshio Kitagawa (“Evil Does Not Exist”) strengthens this impression with an on-the-ground immediacy and, particularly in its night scenes, a mood of chaos and suffocating fear. But his camera also draws back to capture calmer, even idyllic moments. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. SUBSCRIBE NOW

Police in Thailand have arrested an Indonesian who allegedly defrauded Americans of about US$10 million, Thai authorities say, adding that they will extradite him to the United States.The 33-year-old Indonesian man was arrested on Friday at a luxury resort in the coastal town of Phuket after a tip-off from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Suriya Poungsombat of the national immigration police said on Sunday.The FBI had informed Thai authorities that the suspect left Dubai and travelled to the Southeast Asian nation on Wednesday, according to Suriya.After his arrest, the man was sent to an immigration detention centre in the capital Bangkok and was awaiting extradition to the United States, he said.A Thai soldier stands guard near scam compounds in the O’Smach area at the Thailand-Cambodia border crossing on April 7. Photo: Reuters“The FBI said he was wanted for committing fraud against Americans of about US$10 million,” he added.The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The 33-year-old Indonesian taken into custody at luxury resort on island of Phuket after FBI tip-off.Police in Thailand say they have arrested an Indonesian man accused of defrauding Americans out of $10m in romance scams and he will be extradited to the United States.The 33-year-old was arrested at a luxury resort on the island of Phuket on Friday, local media and the AFP news agency reported.Police made the arrest after a tip-off from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), AFP reported.“The FBI said he was wanted for committing fraud against Americans of about $10m,” Suriya Poungsombat, a representative of the national immigration police, said.He told AFP the FBI said the suspect had left Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and travelled to Thailand on Wednesday.After his arrest, the man was sent to an immigration detention centre in the capital, Bangkok, and is awaiting extradition to the US, he said.Southeast Asia has emerged as a hotspot for cyberscam operations in recent years with organised criminal groups using casinos, hotels and fortified compounds in the region as bases to carry out sophisticated online cons.Local media reported that from 2022 to 2026, the suspect had contacted victims through dating apps and social media. They reported he allegedly hired models to contact victims, lure them into relationships and then encourage them to invest in fake platforms with false profit projections.Numerous victims were identified in the US.According to a 2025 report from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, foreign workers in the UAE have been “lured into scam work in Southeast Asia”, suggesting “Dubai is becoming a global hub for recruitment and trafficking linked to the cyber-enabled fraud industry”.