14/01/2026

WEDNESDAY | JAN 14, 2026

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China cannot lose battle against corruption, says Xi

at the festival in South Australia, media reported. The festival board apologised to Abdel-Fattah for “how the decision was represented”. “This is not about identity or dissent but rather a continuing rapid shift in the national discourse around the breadth of freedom of expression in our nation following Australia’s worst terror attack in history,” it said. Adler earlier wrote in The Guardian that the board’s decision to disinvite Abdel-Fattah “weakens freedom of speech and is the harbinger of a less free nation, where lobbying and political pressure determine who gets to speak and who doesn’t”. – Reuters Second US trial over MAX crash NEW YORK: A federal court in Chicago began hearing on Monday a complaint from a Canadian who lost relatives in a 737 MAX crash, the second trial following the 2019 calamity. The case is brought by Manant Vaidya, whose sister Kosha and parents Pannagesh and Hansini Vaidya, died in the March 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157. Vaidya also lost his brother-in-law and two young nieces. Relatives of these victims sued Boeing separately in a case that was settled out of court in July last year. “It is hard to believe that my entire family was wiped out in such a horrific way,” Vaidya said. “I still cry and my wife, Hiral, still cries when we think of the horror of the last moments.” The family, who lived in Canada, was on a trip to Kenya, the homeland of Kosha. Boeing has apologised for the disaster and for a Lion Air crash in Indonesia in October 2018. A flight stabilising software was implicated in both crashes, which together claimed 346 lives. Boeing is “deeply sorry” to the victims and committed to “fully and fairly compensate” families “and have accepted legal responsibility for the accidents”, a Boeing spokesperson said. “While we have resolved the vast majority of these claims through settlements, families are also entitled to pursue their claims through damages trials in court and we respect their right to do so.” In November, a US jury in the same Chicago courthouse determined that Boeing must pay US$28.45 million (RM115.38 million) to the family of a victim. – AFP JAPAN, S. KOREA BOLSTER TIES NARA: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met in Japan yesterday to bolster security and economic cooperation. The two leaders discussed denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, the fate of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea and cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors. “We would like to make this a year in which Japan– South Korea relations are taken to even greater heights,” Takaichi told Lee. Takaichi and Lee will deliver a joint statement after their summit. – Reuters MANDELSON APOLOGISES LONDON: Former British ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson has offered an “unequivocal” apology to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein for his friendship with the late US sex offender. Mandelson had faced criticism after failing to apologise in his first broadcast interview, which aired on Sunday, since he was fired as Britain’s top diplomat in Washington last September over the issue. “I was wrong to believe him following his conviction and to continue my association with him afterwards,” Mandelson said in a statement released to the BBC’s Newsnight programme late on Monday following the backlash. “I apologise unequivocally for doing so to the women and girls who suffered. – AFP

BR I E F S

o CCTV airs documentary on disgraced minister

sentence after admitting to taking bribes worth more than US$38 million (RM154 million). The documentary also gave examples of an official from the central province of Henan who died of excessive alcohol consumption after a banquet in March, held against party rules, and two grassroots officials who exploited weaknesses in China’s pension fund system to embezzle funds. Last year, revised austerity regulations targeting party members and public sector workers banned lavish banquets, “white elephant” projects, luxurious car fittings and ornamental plants in work meetings. Xi said on Monday that China must promote the anti-corruption efforts with stronger determination and find innovative ways to tackle any new trends of corruption. China’s redoubled graft campaign may have led to the arrests of many officials, but concerns remain of a lack of sufficiently strong and sustainable institutional arrangements to curb corruption in the long-term, said Alfred Wu, of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore. “Although disciplinary committees appear powerful, their limited institutional independence may constrain their ability to effectively address corruption at the local level,” he said. Independent oversight mechanisms may deliver more enduring success than a campaign-style approach, said Wu, an associate professor. – Reuters

A record number of 65 high-ranking officials, dubbed “tigers”, were investigated last year, up from 58 in 2024, CCDI said in early January, with the list expanding from senior government officials to former leaders of universities and state-owned enterprises. Apart from major officials, China’s campaign has also targeted overseas fugitives and tackled grassroots corruption among lower-ranking officials, who the government calls “flies”, as Beijing expands scrutiny to more sectors and industries. China will continue to focus its corruption crackdown on preventing misconduct from escalating into graft, the state broadcaster CCTV said in a documentary series highlighting the crimes of a former minister. The first episode of the CCTV-produced series titled Unwavering in Our Resolve, Unyielding in Our Step aired on Sunday, a day before the anti-graft watchdog meeting. The video showcased former agriculture minister Tang Renjian, who was convicted and sentenced for bribery last September, detailing his lavish banquets, entertainment and family benefits as some rural projects he was involved in were mostly abandoned. Tang expressed remorse during his video appearance, clad in a plain black T-shirt. “Whether it was eating and drinking in violation of regulations or having fun, I was constantly thinking about such things at that time,” he said. “In the end, it wears down your will,” said Tang, who received a suspended death

BEIJING: President Xi Jinping said China’s anti-corruption fight was a battle the country cannot lose, striking a firmer tone in a long term drive to tackle the graft that has plagued many parts of society. Beijing’s “high-pressure campaign” in recent years has led to many high-profile investigations, reflecting Xi’s more than decade-long drive to root out corruption and enforce discipline in the Communist Party. The arrests last year ranged from the former securities regulator chief Yi Huiman, the ex chairman of China Eastern Airlines Liu Shaoyong, to nine top military leaders, including the country’s No. 2 general He Weidong. The fight against corruption remains “severe and complex”, Xi said at the start of a three-day plenary session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the country’s top anti-graft watchdog, while calling for an “unwavering high-pressure stance”. “Corruption is a roadblock and stumbling stone to the party and nation’s development. The fight against corruption is a major battle that we cannot afford to lose and must not lose,” Xi was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

MILESTONES ... Kimono-clad young women hold hand fans,

with their nickname written on them, near a venue in Yokohama during the

Coming of Age Day celebration ceremony on Monday. – REUTERSPIC

Adelaide writers’ festival cancelled after author barred SYDNEY: One of Australia’s top writers’ festivals was cancelled yesterday, after 180 authors boycotted the event and its director resigned saying she could not be party to silencing a Palestinian author and warned moves to ban protests and slogans after the Bondi Beach shooting threatened free speech. and shameless act of racism and censorship”. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday announced a national day of mourning would be held on Jan 22 to remember the 15 people killed in last month’s shooting at Bondi Beach. Police say the alleged gunmen were inspired by a militant group, and the incident sparked calls to tackle antisemitism, and prompted state and federal government moves to tighten hate speech laws. after Bondi”, was made “out of respect for a community experiencing the pain from a devastating event”. “Instead, this decision has created more division and for that we express our sincere apologies,” the board said in a statement. The event would not go ahead and board members will step down, it said.

Louise Adler, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, said yesterday she was quitting her role at the Adelaide Writers’ Week next month, following a decision by the festival’s board to disinvite a Palestinian-Australian author. The novelist and academic Randa Abdel Fattah said the move to bar her was “a blatant

Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, British author Zadie Smith, Australian author Kathy Lette, Pulitzer Prize-winning American Percival Everett and former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis are among the authors who said they would no longer appear

The Adelaide Festival board said yesterday its decision last week to disinvite Abdel-Fattah, on the grounds it would not be culturally sensitive for her to appear at the literary event “so soon